KFAN’s Justin Gaard (left) interviews Gophers hockey player Travis Boyd and coach Don Lucia at Monday’s Gophers Speaker Series, sponsored by MCGA.

On Monday, Minnesota Gophers men’s hockey coach Don Lucia kicked off the first Gophers Speaker Series sponsored by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA).

The event was an opportunity for about 75 Gophers season ticket holders and Twin Cities business leaders to hear from Lucia (along with senior forward Travis Boyd) in an intimate setting away from the spotlight of television cameras and beat reporters.

Sponsoring the Gophers Speaker Series is one of several ways Minnesota corn farmers partner with Gophers Sports. MCGA also has a strong presence at Gophers football games through the Farm Family of the Game, Gophers hockey games with a Farm Team-themed Zamboni, Gophers basketball games with signage and Farm Team ads during Gophers radio broadcasts.

At Monday’s event, I was asked a couple of times by attendees why MCGA teams up with Gophers sports. Those asking weren’t being rude, they were genuinely curious to know more about how corn farmers benefit from an alliance with Gophers Sports.

Here’s how I responded:

• If corn farmers don’t tell their own story, somebody else will, and we might not like what they have to say. Gophers sporting events give corn farmers an opportunity to connect with non-farmers in a fun and positive setting. It’s a chance to tell our own story in a meaningful and informative way to a general public that wants to know more about food and farming.
• Corn farmers also are asked regularly by non-farmers for more information on what they do to protect land, water and soil resources on their farms. By connecting with fans of Gophers sports, many of whom are non-farmers, corn farmers are able to provide some of that information.
• For example, the MCGA Farm Team Family of the Game introduces conservation-focused corn farming families to loyal fans at TCF Bank stadium during the third quarter of every Gophers football game. The promotion puts a face on corn farming and highlights corn farmers’ use of buffer strips, wetlands restoration and other everyday conservation management practices.
• If you climb into a combine or a tractor cab during harvest season, there’s a good chance you’ll hear a Gophers game on the radio. Farmers are huge fans of Gophers athletics. Not only is MCGA’s Gophers Sports partnership a great way to connect with non-farmers, it’s also a great way to reach farmers with information about how their corn check-off investment is benefiting their own farms and corn farming overall.
• MCGA’s partnership with the University of Minnesota reaches beyond Gophers Sports. Minnesota corn farmers invest about $4 million annually in third-party research that seeks to help farmers manage inputs, protect water resources, grow the use of biofuels and add value to their crop. Most of this farmer-funded research is conducted by the U of M.
• Minnesota corn farmers also support U of M faculty positions that focus on water quality, nutrient management and agricultural drainage.

So, that was my answer to the question of why MCGA partners with Gophers Sports. Yes, my answer was long-winded, but there are a lot of reasons why we partner with the U of M. I wanted to at least touch on a number of them. We’re very proud of our partnership with both Gophers Sports and the University of Minnesota.

Now that that’s out of the way, corn farmers and the Gophers can get back to focusing on the task at hand: Jerry Kill and the Gophers football team beating Missouri in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Ski-U-Mah!

— Written by Adam Czech, MCGA Public Relations Manager