HOMESTEAD — Stashed in John McGrath’s pickup truck is a list of dozens of farm fields, packed with data like planting dates and the seed used, that help him manage about 9,000 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and rye in eastern Iowa’s Amana Colonies.

Owned by the Amana Society, the holdings stretch about 9 miles east to west and nearly 5 miles north to south. Surrounding the community's seven historic villages lining the Iowa River valley, they're believed to comprise the state’s largest contiguous farm, said McGrath, the group’s farm manager.

His 40-member crew harvests more than 1 million bushels of corn and soybeans each year. Some of the grain will feed people and cattle. And some is trucked to giant grain processors in Cedar Rapids, whose products find many uses.

The 22,000-acre tr

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