Wendy Yeager is a fourth-generation farmer from Orrville, Alabama, where she grows soybeans, cotton, peanuts, grain sorghum and wheat on Bell Place Farms. She lives with her husband Jamie and two daughters, Casey and Lillian. A farming operation of one, she prioritizes being a good steward of the land and is passionate about technology that boosts yield and profitability with less pressure to sacrifice sustainable practices.
Alabama Soybean Farmer, Front-Line Conservationist
I grew up on a farm in south Alabama and left to pursue what I thought was my dream of becoming a veterinarian. But fate…
Ground Work 2021: Cutting Alabama Soybeans and Preparing for Next Year
We finally finished harvesting our soybeans on November 24, marking the end of our very long harvest season. We started harvesting single-season soybeans on November…
Ground Work 2021: Alabama Soybeans Filling Pods as Harvest Season Begins
Our crops are maturing, and that means fall fieldwork is just getting started. With our crop rotation, that means we are managing crops in a…
Ground Work 2021: Managing Disease and Insect Pressure in Alabama Soybeans
It’s the time of year when diseases and insects invade our growing crops. All the crops are growing well and we are currently looking good…
Ground Work 2021: Soybeans – and Other Crops – Blooming in Alabama
Our soybeans, and the rest of our crops, are looking good so far this season. This month, we have had adequate rainfall every few weeks…
Ground Work 2021: Harvesting Alabama Crops
We are in the heart of harvest season, though occasional rains slow us down. I spend most days in a tractor or combine, gathering our…
Ground Work 2021: Crops Progressing in Alabama
We finished planting our full-season crops by the end of May. Then we started harvesting winter wheat on June 1. However, after cutting just one semi-load, rain and wet…
Ground Work 2021: Alabama Planting Season
We continue to be a bit behind on spring fieldwork because of rain and wet fields, but we are making progress. In late April and…
Ground Work 2021: Making Progress Between Alabama Rains
We have gotten quite a bit of rain this spring. That means our fields are wet, so getting them ready for planting is going slower…
Ground Work 2021: Alabama Spring Fieldwork
Alabama farmer Wendy Yeager shares how she is preparing for the 2021 growing season by fertilizing winter wheat, starting burndown of winter weeds and grasses,…