Lyon County Soybean & Corn Growers Giving Back

Aug 28, 2023

Lyon County soybean farmers put their checkoff dollars to good use to help the community. The Lyon County Corn & Soybean Growers donated funds to the Taunton Fire Department for grain bin rescue equipment and Sketchers soy-based work boots to the Marshall Fire Department.

The Taunton Fire Department purchased ropes and harnesses for department use. This equipment was purchased for grain bin safety in mind, but the hope is to never need to use it.

According to a Purdue study, there were 89 non-fatal cases and 24 fatal cases involving agriculture-confined spaces across the U.S. in 2022. This is a 41% increase over 2021, the highest number of cases reported frequency in the last decade. In total, 42 of the accidents were grain-related grain bin accidents, a 49% increase from 2021.

The Lyon County Corn & Soybean Growers Association is affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff dollars on behalf of the nearly 28,000 farmers in Minnesota. The Council is governed by the rules of a federally mandated checkoff program that requires all soybean producers pay a fee on the soybeans they sell. Checkoff dollars are used to promote, educate and develop market opportunities for soybeans.  

Click here to see more...

Video: Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter

Over the past several weeks, much of the U.S. Midwest has experienced prolonged episodes of extreme heat, a trend also observed in other major corn-producing regions of North America such as eastern South Dakota, southern Ontario, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. These high-temperature events can place significant physiological stress on maize (Zea mays L.), which is cultivated on approximately 90 million acres across the United States, with leading production in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Like all maize, Bayer’s PRECEON™ Smart Corn System is subject to transpiration-driven water loss under high heat. However, this system incorporates agronomic traits designed to improve standability through enhanced stalk strength, thereby reducing lodging risk during stress conditions. Furthermore, the system supports precision agriculture practices by enabling more targeted fertilizer and crop protection applications. This approach not only helps to optimize input efficiency but also contributes to maintaining or increasing yield potential under variable environmental stresses such as heat waves, which are becoming more frequent in corn belt and fringe production regions.