Get to Know the Growers: Wes Beck
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA), the state’s grassroots organization for corn farmers, is led by 18 board members with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. In our “Get to Know the Growers” interview series, we’ll learn about their farms, work with Minnesota Corn, and thoughts on agriculture. Interviews for the project are by Jonathan Eisenthal.
Wes Beck, MCGA Treasurer
St. James, Minnesota
Tell us about your farm: Where is it, what do you grow, how long have you farmed, who do you farm with, how long has your family farmed this land?
We have a very typical southern Minnesota farm, growing corn and soybeans, and finishing hogs. I mainly operate the farm. I have a son, David, who farms with me part time, but he also has a day job off the farm. Our farm is in Watonwan County on land homesteaded by my great-grandfather Jens Oredson.
What do you like about farming? What do you find to be the most challenging aspects of it?
My favorite part is that there is so much variety in what we do every day. No two days are the same. One day we are dealing with livestock—producing and moving them—and the next day we’re trying to balance marketing and input purchasing while dealing with mechanical problems. I really enjoy the variety, though it can also be a challenge. I deal with so many pieces, whether it’s something mechanical that I’ve never dealt with before and don’t quite understand, or all the variables that Mother Nature throws at us. We need to do the best we can, but then from there, we must rely on experts and people with experience in each of those areas—veterinarians, mechanics, accountants, and agronomists.
Why is it important to you to participate in the Minnesota Corn Growers Association?
Growers need to participate in our industry on a broader scale than just our own private operations. It’s important to guide our industry forward through all the challenges and changes that come at us.
Do you have particular issues or goals that interest you as a grower-leader?
Right now, our priority needs to be moving forward with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) In order for that to fall into place, we’re going to have to help guide that and develop it. We need to create the path to SAF.
Who has inspired you by their example? What did you find inspiring about them?
Paul DeBriyn, who was CEO and president of AgStar Financial Services— now Compeer Financial—when I was on its board. (Editor’s note: DeBriyn died in 2021.) The experience showed me key factors in leading an organization the right way: how you treat your clients, how you treat your employees, how you create efficiencies within the business, how you operate within a community or an area of business. All those things need to be done correctly for an organization to succeed.
How do you like to spend free time? Do you have hobbies? Play a sport? Like to travel?
When we can get some free time we have a pontoon boat on a lake near us, Lake Hanska, and we like to spend evenings up there.
What do you think are some things about farming that might be surprising to the average consumer?
The complicated nature of everything we do, how we sell our products, how we price our inputs, and the expectations and variables we must navigate all the time. When folks learn about all these different things, it really surprises them.
