Grassroots Leaders: Rodney Moe
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association and Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council are farmer-led grassroots organizations focused on identifying and promoting opportunities for corn farmers. This “Grassroots Leaders” series introduces you to the grower leaders who are working on your behalf as corn farmers.
Written by Jonathan Eisenthal
From their farm in Hayfield, Rodney and Colleen Moe have three ethanol plants within a reasonable distance where they can market their grain.
“It’s kept our basis low and our market strong. You can pick up a few cents per bushel here and a few cents there, and it’s a thing that keeps a farmer in business, so he can get out there again next year, even in the worst economic times,” said Moe. “Ethanol is a legacy that Minnesota’s corn organizations have worked to preserve. To the farmers of Minnesota, and everyone who appreciates clean air, here and across America.”
A decade ago, Moe served as president of Minnesota Corn Growers Association. He returned last year as a member of the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council, representing District 9, the southeastern region of the state.
For Moe, a dramatic time lapse can be seen in the area of water quality. Farm organizations in Minnesota work cooperatively with state agencies and local governments to improve water quality.
“The Minnesota Agricultural Water Resources Center (MAWRC) was just getting started when I was president of the Corn Growers,” said Moe. “The Council supports the great work of MAWRC. These and other groups have helped farmers work together with government, so we can meet water quality goals and still raise food and contribute to the state’s economy.”
Moe is optimistic about the future of ethanol, and value-added agriculture in general.
“It’s amazing to come back ten years later and see all the progress the corn organizations have made on behalf of Minnesota’s farmers,” said Moe. “Ethanol will continue to be an important fuel. We have new vehicle technologies coming along that offer more power and lower emissions, and they will require ethanol.”
Research at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere, backed by MCR&PC, is taking the ethanol industry steadily forward into a future of biorefining, which means making not just fuel, but a whole spectrum of materials from the corn grain feedstock.
“The need to move away from petroleum is pointing the world towards bioplastics and other renewable materials for everyday life,” said Moe. “These are going to be huge future markets for farm products, and so they will be the things that keep the younger farmers in business in the next decades.”
