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 Dan Erickson, who farms in Minnesota. Taking a moment to chat as he worked, Erickson reported that planting conditions have recently become more favorable.
“We have finally had a nice stretch of weather,” he explained. “Some in my area were out planting about two weeks ago, but then we had to sit it out for a week because of rain and cold temperatures. Now, things have started heating up for about a week. So, in my area, we are making good progress on their corn.”
With many farmers across parts of the Corn Belt impacted by unseasonable weather, Erickson remains positive about planting progress in Minnesota.
“We are just a hair behind normal,” he said. “We aren’t far behind normal, probably only a week or so. We have definitely had years where planting progressed earlier than it has this year but, all in all, these are not the worst planting season conditions that we have seen.”
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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.