Three Iowa Corn and Soy Farmers Challenge the Industry That Raised Them
From left to right: The Lobe Rangers Matt Bormann, Zack Smith, and James Hepp stand side by side in Rockwell City.
The Lobe Rangers are calling out what Big Ag’s dated practices are doing to profit margins, water quality, and their families’ health.
When the rain started falling at around 3 p.m., Matt Bormann knew his work was finished for the afternoon.
He ducked into the equipment shed on his corn and soybean farm in rural Iowa, mixed a Crown and Coke, and sat down to chew the fat with his friends. They proceeded to vent about some growing practices Bormann saw on other farmers’ fields that he knew would result in soil erosion. His pals, also farmers, affirmed his frustrations and offered similar stories of their own.
If you’re picturing a gathering of coveralled, weather-beaten men with pieces of grass dangling between their teeth, seated on matted bales of hay and overturned drywall buckets, you’ve got it wrong. It was the fall of 2023, and Bormann was alone, forming this disgruntled peer group of early- to middle-aged agriculturalists on Snapchat.
“I go inside at around 4:30 to start on some supper,” recalls Bormann, a husband, father of three, and fifth-generation farmer. “By around 8 p.m., the group had grown to 16 people, and there were requests for more people to be added. Soon it was up to 25.” 10-01-26