This week, the National Corn Growers Association continued 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.
Tuesday, Field Notes checked in with Lowell Neitzel, who farms near Lawrence, Kansas. Stopping his planter to chat, he noted that recent weather conditions in the area were causing some concern.
“About ten days ago, we were within 150 acres of being finished with corn planting. Then, we got three or four inches of rain over four or five days,” he explained. “I can’t really complain about the moisture, but the temperatures that came with it scared us. We worried the cold moisture would hurt the corn that was already planted. Hopefully, everything will be okay.”
Neitzel walked listeners through what he will do following planting, and throughout the season, to ensure his crop is as healthy and abundant as possible.
“You have got to love what you do. It is work, and it is hard. It can be hot. But our family depends on our crops,” he said of farming. “This is our livelihood. We have to treat the crop with the care we would treat family and care for them. Caring for them helps them take care of us.”
Find out more about his farm by clicking 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.
