Leaders of the Land™: Doug Rebout

Name: Doug Rebout

Farm: Roger Rebout & Sons Farms 

Location: Janesville, WI 

Farm Bureau: Rock County 

Generation: 2nd 

Doug Rebout farms with his brothers and nephews in Janesville, Wisconsin. They raise 4,200 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat in Rock County. At Roger Rebout & Sons, sustainability means doing the right thing for their farm, land and community.  

The Rebout family knows they must be profitable to be successful and pass their business on to the next generations.  

The farm has been strip-tilling for two and a half decades. They have found that strip tillage works well in their area and results in high-yielding corn. 

For Doug, learning from other people has been the best tool to advance sustainability on the farm. Hearing what other people are doing helps them to learn how they could incorporate new practices into their operation.  

The brothers work closely with their suppliers and equipment dealers to advance sustainability on their farm. They collaborate with Insight FS to experiment with fertilizer application rates.  

They are also members of the Farmers on the Rock watershed group and have participated in several surface runoff projects with the UW Discovery Farms.  

Doug says their biggest conservation-related challenge is getting everyone on the same page with changes and updates to farming practices. Everyone has different ideas so the brothers have to work together to find the best solution for their acres.  

Solutions that work on the neighboring farms might not be the best fit for their own operation. That is why it is so important to collaborate with other conservation-minded farmers.  

The Rebout’s goal is to continuously improve their practices with the soil and crops. They are eager to continue learning from others and experiment with different farming practices on their farm. 

When it comes to trying new conservation practices, Doug encourages others to be patient and give the methods a chance. He recommends incorporating new practices slowly while continuing to advance with the resources you have available.