The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) will be sponsoring the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota’s Harvest Festival this fall. The annual event is a one-stop celebration for all your harvest fun, where attendees can learn about farming, explore growing crops, and even run through a maze and play in the corn and soybean pits.
Held through Oct. 31 at the museum in Mankato, the Harvest Festival will begin with a Vehicle Fair on Sept.
Minnesota agriculture took center stage at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday during the 5th Annual Ag & Food Day, as the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers took on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. The more than 43,000 in attendance were treated to a convincing Gopher victory while learning about the work of Minnesota’s farmers.
Prior to the game, ag companies and commodity groups filled Oak Street in front of the stadium with takeaway items and information about the various sectors that make up Minnesota agriculture.
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) will host five district meetings around the state this November. These meetings are free and open to all farmers.
The purpose of the meetings is to provide an opportunity for farmers to become better acquainted with recent activities of MCGA, and learn what lies ahead for Minnesota agriculture. This year’s meetings will be especially important, as they’ll give farmers a chance to meet their local district field manager if they haven’t already.
(Photo: Soil Health Partnership Director Nick Goeser shows the benefits of cover crops up close)
Written by Jonathan Eisenthal
Bryan Biegler has planted mixes of rye grass, turnips, brassicas and more as cover crops between the rows of his corn and soybeans. His hope is the right mix will mean he can stop applying pre-emergent herbicide.
In August, Biegler hosted about 60 farmers, agronomists and conservationists recently at a field day to discuss his work with soil-friendly cover crops and reduced tillage.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its outlook for 2017 U.S. corn, with September production and yield estimates up slightly from August. Just after the report was released, corn futures declined.
While demand for corn has struggled to keep up with record-breaking yields, international market share for U.S.-grown corn has decreased with additional countries entering the market. These factors and more have led to struggling corn prices and tight margins for Minnesota farm operations.