COTTON GRAVE FARM MANAGEMENT - Key Persons
Ben Abben was a well known and respected farm loan supervisor and farm manager for the Equitable of Iowa Life Insurance Co. for 27 years. In 1960, he formed his own farm management, real estate, and appraisal business. Mr. Abben remained active until his death in 1981.
In 1965, John Cotton joined the firm which was then named Abben-Cotton Farm Management and Realty. The company enjoyed rapid growth managing farm properties in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
Swart is a native of NW IA where he was born and raised on his family's farm in rural Spencer. Swart and his brother Steve are the 5 th generation owner/operators of their family's farm where they grow corn, soybeans, and cover crops.
Swart has been involved in agriculture his entire life. After graduating from Terril High School, Swart continued his education at Iowa State University where he received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Agronomy in 2001. During that time Swart held several internships with retail, seed and crop protection companies in the Ag industry. Upon graduation, Swart began work on his Master Degree in Crop Production & Physiology with an emphasis in Weed and Seed Science. During grad school, he worked for Iowa State as a teacher and researcher. With the completion of his Master's thesis in 2004, Swart began a 16-year career with Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl. He worked for 1-yr in Indiana as a Pioneer Production Agronomist, then moved home to begin farming with his family and take over a local Pioneer Seed dealership. Swart worked as an independent Pioneer Sales Rep for 12 years before moving on within the company in 2018 as the local Pioneer Field Agronomist. As a Pioneer Field Agronomist, Swart supported 9 counties in NW IA serving growers, sales reps, and territory managers with product and agronomic knowledge and support.
Outside of work Swart stays active in the community as well. He is a District 1 Director on the Iowa Soybean Association. Swart is a member of the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, and Iowa Farm Bureau. He is also involved in the Iowa Athletic Association as a High School Basketball Official. Swart is also a certified Private Pilot, holding certifications as a UAV (drone) pilot.
Brent and his wife Mandy live in Spencer with their two children: Quinn (6) and Emersyn (1)
Job Titles:
- Owner / Farm Manager
- Real Estate Broker in Iowa
Gary Grave joined the firm on January 1, 1982. The company was named Cotton-Grave Farm Management and Realty when Gary became a partner in 1985.
Gary Grave was raised on a farm near Little Rock, Iowa. He is a graduate of Iowa State University, majoring in Farm Operations. He spent six years in Pipestone, Minnesota, and four years in Spencer, Iowa, as a farm manager, appraiser, and farm realtor with Farmers National Company of Omaha, Nebraska. He joined with John Cotton in 1982.
Gary has served as past president of the Daybreakers Kiwanis and the Board of Directors of the Spencer Association of Business and Industry. He has also served as Chair of the Clay County Extension Nominating Committee and served on the Consistory of the Hope Reformed Church.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Spencer Family YMCA where he served both as president and treasurer. He is a member and past president of the Spencer Y's Men's Club.
Gary is currently serving on the Advisory Board of Iowa Lakes Community College and served as director of Community State Bank in Spencer.
Gary is a licensed real estate broker in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. He is a member of both the Iowa and Minnesota Chapters of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and has served on the Board of Directors of both the Iowa and Minnesota Chapters.
John Cotton was raised on a farm near Lone Rock, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University, majoring in Farm Management.
He spent five years in Fort Dodge, Iowa as a farm manager and farm realtor with Farmers National Company of Omaha, Nebraska.
He is a member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and past president of the Iowa Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. He is a licensed real estate broker in Iowa. He served as a bank director for 39 years.
In 1993, John was named Spencer's "Citizen of the Year" and is a past recipient of the Iowa State University Key Award. John is an active member and past president of Spencer Rotary Club.
John served 13 years on the Board of Regents of Luther College at Decorah, Iowa and was Chair of the Board from 1994 to 1996.
He has served as Chair of the Board of the Iowa Public Television Foundation and continues to serve on the Board.
John was a member and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Spencer Municipal Hospital and also served as Board Chair of the Spencer Regional Healthcare Foundation.
He was named by Iowa State University as the recipient of the 1998 Professional Agri-Business Award.
Mike is a native of northwest Iowa. His roots stem from a 6-generation family farming history in Burt Iowa, established in 1898. He remains an active operator in their family's row crop production operation.
Mike spent over 16 years in agricultural pursuits in the retail cooperative setting and through a national ag consulting firm. Mike received his bachelor's degree in Business Management from Buena Vista University and agronomy course work through Iowa State University and NWICC. His most significant education was course work with Land O Lakes Executive Agribusiness Program, a partnership with Purdue University's College of Agriculture.
Locally, Mike serves or has served on in various boards including the Spencer YMCA, FELC Board of Elders, Spencer Ambassador's, Spencer Schools Community Foundation Board, Spencer Ag Committee, St. Lukes Lutheran Homes and the Haiti non-profit organization Love Takes Root. He is an active member for the Spencer Rotary, Volunteer at SYBSA rec league and is a member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.