This week, the National Corn Growers Association kicked off its seventh season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.
This week, Field Notes caught up with April Hemmes, who farms in northern Iowa. With wet weather and unseasonably cool conditions at this point, she finds herself waiting to continue corn planting.
Discussing how farming advances facilitate this ability to wait for better weather, Hemmes notes that modern equipment does allow farmers more flexibility.
“Sometimes, weather conditions have made it where we have to get that crop in quickly,” she explained. “Especially when you get up north where I farm, the window does seem to get shorter and shorter every year for some reason. The new technology does make it an easier decision to wait.
“I only have about 230 corn acres left to plant. For me, that takes about two and a half days. So, with how much more quickly we can plant, I realize that I can wait.”
To find out more about Hemmes farm and how soil temperatures impact planting decisions, click here.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.
