About Kelly Garrett

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a farmer. When I graduated from high school I went to Iowa State. I wasn’t sure if there would be room for me on the farm. College lasted 3 semesters. I didn’t like being indoors tied to a book. So I worked building houses, then for a commercial insulation company until Spring of 1998, I got my chance to farm.

Things progressed along for us with the operation expanding when the opportunity presented itself. 2012 was a profitable year, but very stressful due to the drought. In January of 2013, I first learned of drip irrigation. After a frustrating start and a few years of trial and error, we had a contest yield in 2016 of 290 bushels winning the Iowa No-till Irrigated Class. What an amazing moment that was!

My son and I went to the Commodity Classic in 2017 to receive the award. Three more state yield titles have followed and this year we placed second in the nation with a yield of 357.

Being invited to be part of a community like XtremeAg is an honor for me. I think the other members represent some of the best farmers from around the country, and I am truly humbled to be part of this. XtremeAg to me is real farmers sharing and collaborating their experiences with others in an honest and unbiased environment.