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.
Field Notes caught up with April Hemmes, who farms in Iowa.
“I hate to jinx it, but my corn crop looks beautiful,” she explained. “I have some early corn that is just about to tassel. I planted it on April 1, which is pretty early for here. It is really coming along nicely.
“We have had some horrible hailstorms. I know someone who has been hit three times in one of his fields. When you get that type of shredding on the corn, it doesn’t help it. But, corn is pretty resilient. My cornfield that was hit came out of it well, and it is coming along nicely now.
“Luckily, we have moisture here. Western and southern Iowa are hurting, but north central and northeastern Iowa have good moisture levels right now.”
To find out more, including the importance of trade to farmers such as Hemmes, 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.
