Setting the stage for profitability: Local partnership produces game-changing innovation

By investing in the Minnesota corn check-off, our state’s corn farmers are setting the stage for profitability. While low commodity prices are a point of stress, allocating resources to improving the areas we can control is more important than ever. Over the coming weeks, we will be highlighting how your investment is doing just that. You can read the series to date here.

Through the corn check-off, Minnesota farmers have invested nearly $15 million in University of Minnesota research since 1985. The return on this investment is evident throughout Minnesota agriculture today, as growers reach new levels of production efficiency while advancing sustainability and conservation on the farm.

Thanks to the investment by farmers in the corn check-off, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) has worked with the University of Minnesota for decades to address problems in the field and further strengthen Minnesota as a national leader in sustainable agriculture. Each breakthrough has helped farmers evolve to better face the challenges of today.

One challenge farmers continue to face is consecutive years of depressed commodity prices, which have made efficient farming practices more important than ever. University of Minnesota research made possible by the state’s corn growers has helped farmers pinpoint the right amount of nitrogen fertilizer for their farm operation. The result has been reduced costs while yields continue to rise. The University’s research has also helped us better understand potentially devastating plant diseases like Goss’s wilt to produce corn hybrids with better resistance.

Corn growers are also investing in research that advances MCGA’s goal to become the most sustainable and environmentally responsible corn farmers in the nation. For example, farmers will soon be able to use drone technology to assess nitrogen needs for individual plants, bringing precision agriculture to a new level. And conservation practices like cover crops are now more prevalent than ever thanks to research that reveals how cover crop strategies can benefit corn production.

Research at the University of Minnesota is even helping farmers through innovation off the farm. Minnesota’s corn farmers are investing in groundbreaking research that identifies new uses for the nation’s corn supply. The University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Polymers is using corn to replace petroleum in everyday products to make them more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Corn farmer-funded research is also using corn to make certain plastics tougher, opening up a new world of commercial uses.

As you can see, the investment by Minnesota’s corn growers in the corn check-off is fueling exciting research at the University of Minnesota that will shape the future of corn farming. The relationship between the state’s corn growers and the University is producing results that will be crucial as we continue to adapt to new challenges and seize opportunities in our state.