Grower-Leaders Featured in News Articles

Jul 09, 2024

Over the past couple of weeks, several Minnesota Corn grower-leaders were featured prominently in news articles.

Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council member Jim O’Connor, who farms in Blooming Prairie, was featured in a Star Tribune article entitled “Minnesota rains mean ‘some real agony’ as farmers lose crops.” Written by agriculture reporter Chris Vondracek, the article noted how the torrential rainfall of mid-June was affecting Minnesota’s agriculture industry.

O’Connor told Vondracek that farmers are looking at some “real agony” with all the lost acres, and he emphasized that the federal program will “make bearable thinking of next year.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota Corn Growers Association President Dana Allen-Tully, who farms in Eyota, was featured in a Rochester Post-Bulletin article entitled “Minnesota Pollution Control Agency addresses nitrates with proposed feedlot regulations.” The article covered proposed changes to the permits that regulate the construction and operation of feedlots with at least 1,000 animal units.

Allen-Tully told News Editor Brian Todd that corn farmers will let the feedlot operators and their organizations take the lead on making suggestions on the new rules during the current 45-day review period that runs through Aug. 9.

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.