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April Hemmes, of rural Hampton, said her grandfather was one of her biggest supporters when it came to her dream of being a farmer.

HAMPTON — Growing up on her family’s north-central Iowa farm, April Hemmes knew from a young age that she always wanted to play a role in agriculture. That dream has taken her from her Iowa roots to the show ring to college, then back to the combine.

“I always wanted to farm; that was always my goal. I have a degree from Iowa State University in animal science. Kind of amazing to think back then, only around 5% women were in that field and now it is over 60%. I wanted to get experience outside of the farm so I went to work for a bank, did agronomy research at ISU, performance swine testing in Ames and then on to work for a congressman in Washington, D.C.,” Hemmes said.

But she returned to the farm in the middle of the farm crisis and learned that “you work for the farm, the farm doesn’t work for you.”

“My father and grandfather were farming and my dad did not want me to come back, but it was my grandfather who said, ‘If that girl wants to farm, she is gonna farm!’ God bless Grandpa. He lived to be 101 years old and was a great supporter of mine,” Hemmes said.

As a child, Hemmes enjoyed being involved in 4-H and didn’t stop once she became an adult. In fact, her mentoring and leadership in 4-H led to her being inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame.

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April Hemmes, of rural Hampton, has volunteered in Uganda with the Farmer to Farmer project between Iowa State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program places women farmers from Iowa with women farmers in Uganda to serve as mentors, colleagues and more.

“I was in a club growing up with projects that ranged from showing livestock to sewing. The thing that I think helped me the most later was the presentations I gave. It helps youth get up in front of people to talk about what they are doing and hopefully helps them into adulthood,”

Hemmes said. “When I was a leader, the kids knew they would have to give a presentation to the club about one of their projects. When I got the ‘I didn’t get a talk ready’ answer, I said ‘Just get up and talk about what you are doing for your project.’ I have had many thank me later for making them get over that initial hesitation and get up and talk in front of people.”

Hemmes focuses on raising corn and soybeans, then rents out her pasture ground to a neighbor who has cattle. She, in turn, rents some alfalfa fields from him. She also raised hogs and cattle, but once she felt called to serve the agriculture industry as a leader, she sold off her herds and returned to “dirt farming.”

“I am in the last six months of my nine years serving on the United Soybean Board. It has been one of the best experiences in my life. The Iowa Soybean Association Board nominated me for the role and I was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. I have served three, three-year terms. I felt it was important to have a voice in the investments of our farmers’ checkoff dollars that go toward research, promotion and education,” Hemmes said.

Not long ago, Hemmes was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Iowa Women in Agriculture.

“Being recognized by your peers is always a great honor. I have farmed almost 40 years and to see women taking a front seat and leading has been such a wonderful part of those years,” Hemmes said. “I have had many conversations with educators that tell me how women are excelling in the field and it really makes me proud.”

Technology is always evolving in the field of agriculture. Hemmes said she calls herself a “dumpster diver,” meaning she may not get the shiny new thing right out of the box but rather goes for the gently used version of the new item.

“I don’t have a lot of acres to spread that cost over, so used is good enough for me in many cases. I do have auto steer, precision planting and use Field View. I also utilize My Op Center in John Deere,” she said. “I find the technology we have available to make the decisions on our farms easier and better. The more data we have, the more precise we can be on each acre.”

While sitting in the combine for hours on end, Hemmes enjoys a good session of what she calls combine karaoke.

Three of her best friends are involved in agriculture — one is a state senator and another a state representative — and they will cram into the cab of Hemmes’ combine and sing songs, laugh, tell stories and “fill my soul with friendship.”

“As all farmers know, harvest tends to drag on and we get caught up in just trying to get it all done. It is great to share my harvest with friends and have some fun while I am combining,” Hemmes said. “All of these very respected women in their fields have told me, ‘I introduce myself and get oh, you are with April in combine karaoke!’ They get a big chuckle out of that. They say, “I make the laws in Iowa and am known for singing in a combine.'”

While raising crops and livestock is critical in feeding the world, Hemmes also has experienced the joy of raising two children, not to mention her share of heartache. Her son, Ethan, died 11 years ago at the age of 22. Her daughter, Ruth, lives in Seattle and previously worked for the University of Washington, but starts graduate school soon at the University of Michigan studying public administration with an emphasis on the environment.

“She sees a lack of policy and reality, and wants to be the liaison between the two,” Hemmes said.

Most recently, Hemmes was named a 2024 Iowa Master Farmer. She knew that a friend had submitted her name, but was thrilled when she knew she’d won, especially considering the impressive field of nominees.

“At the ceremony, it was amazing how many past honorees I knew in the room,” Hemmes said. “It was a great day and probably even more proud were my family and friends I invited to be there with me.”

Despite all of the honors, however, Hemmes believes her volunteer work in Uganda is most important. She was part of the Farmer to Farmer project between Iowa State and USAID that places women farmers from Iowa with women farmers in Uganda to serve as mentors, colleagues and more.

“We take so much for granted here in the U.S. When you have to walk miles to get the water for your farm and family, when there’s no motorized equipment and an ox and plow was considered technology,” Hemmes said. “But I would go there again in a second. My story really energized the women. They are so resilient and want the technologies and rights I have that they do not have available to them.”

A grant helped the Ugandan women work together and market their grain as a group — a power in numbers approach that they hadn’t tried previously.

“What was surprising was how good they were at keeping books that we gave them. I had a couple favorite memories of those days. One woman asked us, ‘How you get your children to come back to the farm when there is so many opportunities off farm?’,” Hemmes said. “But my favorite was a woman named Faith who came running up to us at the local market and said, ‘Because of this project, I have made more money from my farm, can feed my family and can afford to send my children to school longer.’ Making a difference in people’s lives is why I take the time to do these programs.”