“Seeds for Seminarians” cultivates diocese's future

by Benjamin Shane Evans | July 13, 2026

Parishioners from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Imogene have found a way to support seminarians for the Diocese of Des Moines.

Since 2012, Imogene resident Jake McGargill and his family have farmed approximately 2.3 acres connected to the cemetery and donated 100 percent of the proceeds to the Diocese of Des Moines seminarian fund. With typical yields averaging between $1,800-2,000 per year from the plot, Jake said that Seeds for Seminarians has donated approximately $20,000 to the seminarian fund.

The Diocese of Des Moines Seminarian Fund “provides support for the education of the men who are discerning priesthood within the Diocese of Des Moines.” According to the Diocese of Des Moines, the average educational cost per year for each seminarian is approximately $40,000. In addition to the endowed Diocesan Seminarian Fund, this cost is supported through donations to the Annual Diocesan Appeal and Annual Seminarian Appeal.

The initiative is completely funded by the McGargills and other St. Patrick’s parishioners in Imogene. This includes planting, chemical treatments, and harvesting, which are all donated by fellow parishioners. Though initially Jake and his brother farmed the plot, his nephews Dave and Kenny McGargill have farmed it since 2024.

Jake McGargill said that his family wanted to help support the seminarians that the diocese has been blessed with.

“We feel like that is a good thing,” he said. “We hear about our seminarians a lot, and in the past, about our lack of seminarians. It’s nice to see that we have more seminarians now and it’s motivation for us to try to help out.”

One of Jake’s nephews who currently farmers the plot, Dave McGargill, agreed, saying that he believes the initiative benefits the community, and is a “good program to raise money and awareness.”

“It’s an honor to be able to farm it,” he said. “[My brother Kenny and I] enjoy it.”  

Additionally, Jake McGargill said he hoped that other parishioners around the diocese could take inspiration from Seeds from Seminarians.  

“One of the reasons why I tell this story is I thought is that other parishioners might look at this and say, ‘Well, heck, this is something we could do too,’” he said. “I think most of the parishes in southwest Iowa probably have a lot of farmers, so they might have a little extra land they could farm.”

Jake said that this could be replicated anywhere someone “might know of a little plot of land that they could rent.”

“It might cost you a little money,” he said to farmers interested in starting a similar program. “But if people donate chemicals and seed, it’s not too bad. Most parishes have farmers that would donate that like they do here.”

To support the Diocesan Seminarian Fund, click this link.