Logging is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Iowa - the Hawkeye State leads the nation in corn and soybean production. But the state’s 2.7-million acres of hardwood forests employ over 20,000 people in the wood products industry and account for over $1 billion in business each year. One Iowa logger has found opportunity in the forests that were once farm fields.

“Timber has always been plentiful, so we’ve never lacked for something to do,” says Mark Sholes, owner of Mark Sholes Logging, Ottumwa, Iowa, who has been logging in Iowa since 1992. Before then, his father logged there beginning in 1967.

Since the 1970s, Iowa’s forest area has increased by 1.1-million acres. Technological advances in farming have led to increased yields, allowing marginal farmlands to be taken out of production, while a decline in dairy production has reduced the pasturing of cattle. It isn’t known whether any of these old farm fields and pastures have been plowed under to make way for magical baseball fields, but many have been recolonized with hardwoods.

Iowa logger goes the distance
Iowa’s deep soils and moderate climate support some of the finest hardwood in the world. Iowa is one of the leading producers of walnut veneer, one of the nation’s most sought-after native hardwoods. Sholes logs mainly soft maple, white and red oak, cottonwood, and walnut.

“We work with an Amish sawmill and a few other local sawmills that deal with soft maple,” he says. “We also work with some mom-and-pop mills that buy logs to produce pallets. Cottonwood, rougher oak logs - anything not furniture grade - is used for pallets, so that’s typical in our region. With veneer walnut, we usually have several buyers look at it and sell it to the highest bidder.”

Sholes runs three John Deere skidders and a hauling truck for his logging operation. Like his father, Sholes has always run only John Deere skidders. Sholes’ father taught him how to operate a skidder when he was 12 on the first one he purchased. “It’s something I enjoy to this day,” says Sholes.

Sholes’ father purchased his first Deere skidder in 1969. “Dad tried one out at a dealer in town and thought it would work out pretty well,” recalls Sholes. “It was quite an improvement over the old boom truck he was using. With four-wheel drive, it was much more maneuverable and safer. Some of his buddies had Timberjacks, but he didn’t like the noise of the Detroit engine. The John Deere was much quieter.”

Today Sholes owns a combination of cable and grapple skidders: a 640 Cable Skidder, a 540G-II Cable Skidder, and a 548G-III Grapple Skidder, which he purchased in 2004. “We like the versatility of the grapple on the 548G-III,” he says. “It is well-suited to flat ground. You can back right up to the log without having to get off the machine - it’s really fast. “Our cable skidders work well on steep ground or ditches where it’s difficult to get to the log. Just hook them up, winch them out, and drive off with them.”

If Deere builds it, they will come
Sholes has found John Deere skidders to be extremely reliable. The 548G-III has never been down other than for scheduled maintenance, and the 540G-II has had only minor problems. Even the aging 640 Skidder is pretty dependable. “If you take care of your machines and do scheduled maintenance, they won’t give you any trouble,” he says. “And that makes you more productive because you are not making any money on downtime.”

If something does go wrong, Sholes appreciates the support he receives from the most extensive dealer network in the industry and unsurpassed parts availability. “Our dealer is right there to take care of us,” he says. “They have a mechanic who’s the best I’ve ever seen. If I need something done right way, he’ll work overtime to get it fixed, not that we’ve had many breakdowns. I just cannot say enough about the support.”

Sholes does all his felling with chainsaws, but he’s looking at a John Deere feller buncher. Recently he had the opportunity to climb aboard one when he participated in a customer Fly-In in March, 2007. During his visit, he toured the Dubuque and Davenport factories, walking down the very line where Deere skidders are produced.

Sholes was impressed by the professionalism of everyone involved, especially the John Deere engineers who asked him for feedback on their machines. “They were really willing to listen, which I appreciate,” he says. “Deere obviously puts a lot of thought into their engineering. Ever since Dad purchased his first skidder, John Deere has always been good to us. They just build a super machine.”

Sholes Logging is serviced by Murphy Tractor in Des Moines.

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