This article focuses on the Iowa Academy of Science Parish Farm celebration of its 25th anniversary in 1985 at the Farm. The celebration provided an opportunity to view the progress made in establishing the Farm as a model for both farming and non-farming conservation practices. The celebration also included opportunities to review the history of the Farm, the life of Jessie A. Parish, and the interactions of the Iowa Academy of Science with the Parish Farm management, tenants, and Grundy County Conservation Board. These activities are followed by an in-depth account of the struggles which have occurred within the Board of Directors and Finance, Farm, and Social Implications committees to rationalize owning and operating a farm versus selling it and investing the principle for general Academy use. All of these accounts are placed in perspective with the growth and development of the Academy during the past 25 years to the present. What the role of the Farm will be in the future of the Academy is discussed in light of a changing and active membership and the continued growth of the Academy within the realms of science and science education.