MN Ag Expo 2023 is complete

MN Ag Expo 2023 is a wrap! Last week, Minnesota corn and soybean farmers gathered for a trade show, learning sessions, and networking. The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association held their annual meetings during the event.

Here are several key takeaways from MN Ag Expo.

New board members elected

Each year at our annual meeting at MN Ag Expo, MCGA holds board elections. This year, seven board seats were up for election. Four incumbents and three first-time candidates were seeking election.

District 1 elected first-time candidate Clayton Johnson of Pipestone. First-time candidate Ellyn Oelfke of Glencoe was elected in District 2. District 4 elected Todd Wentzel of Murdock for a second term. In District 5, first-time candidate Nick Peterson of Clear Lake won election.

For the board’s three open at-large seats, Wes Beck, Bryan Biegler, and Angela Guentzel were reelected.

Congrats to the new and reelected board members! Read more about the new board members in our weekly e-newsletter, Leader Update. Subscribe here.

Outgoing board members, MN Corn staff recognized

We presented Paul Henning, Jocelyn Schlichting, and Tim Waibel with awards in recognition of their service to corn farmers.

Minnesota Corn staff members Amanda Bilek, Sherrie Graves, and Suzanne Swenson were also recognized for their years of service. Bilek, MCGA’s senior public policy director, marked her fifth year with the organization in 2022. Graves, Minnesota Corn’s office manager, celebrated her 25th anniversary in 2022. Swenson, our senior finance director, is retiring in 2023 after 14 years.

Other awards

Biegler, MCGA’s immediate past president, received the Gavel Award in recognition of his term as president. Les Anderson, a former MCGA board member who served as president in 2019-20, received the Golden Kernel Award, which recognizes grower-leaders for service to Minnesota’s corn farmers.

State Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Alexandria) received the Friend of Ag Award. A state legislator since 1996, Westrom was chair of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee from 2019-22, where he helped secure $6 million in biofuel infrastructure funding. Last year, his tenacity for rural issues helped secure $210 million for rural broadband.

Check-off-funded research

On both days, farmers and scientists presented on the trade show floor.

University of Minnesota researchers Dr. Mikael Elias, Dr. Fabian Fernandez, Dr. Tim Griffis, Dr. Marc Hillmyer, Dr. William Northrop, and Dr. Jane Wissinger presented on day one. On day two, Dr. Anthony Hanson, Dr. Kirk Stueve, and farmers Vance Johnson, Marty Hoseth, and Emily Hoseth presented.

MCGA dedicates funds to research that makes corn farming more efficient and sustainable. Learn more about our research portfolio here.

Other highlights

Nearly 90 exhibitors participated in the trade show at MN Ag Expo. Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom hosted learning sessions. Gov. Tim Walz also spoke and keynote addresses focused on carbon credits, nitrogen, animal agriculture, the 2023 farm bill, and watershed restoration.