Catching up with the Council: Brandon Fast
The Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council (MCR&PC), which oversees the Minnesota corn check-off, is led by 11 grower-leaders from across the state with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. In our Catching up with the Council interview series, we’ll learn about their farms, work with Minnesota Corn, and thoughts on agriculture. Interviews for the project are by Jonathan Eisenthal.
Brandon Fast, MCR&PC member
Mountain Lake, Minnesota
Tell us about your farm: How long have you farmed, what do you grow, and who do you farm with?
I’m a fifth-generation farmer in southwest Minnesota, where I grow corn and soybeans with my wife, Kris, my brother, Trevor, and our uncle. I’ve been farming for 25 years, and I also own and operate and seed and chemical retail business. My dad retired from farming about seven years ago, at which point my brother joined the operation. He continues to work full time off the farm.
This winter, you attended Commodity Classic, one of the nation’s biggest gatherings of farm operators. What was everyone talking about?
Crop prices and weather were top of mind. It’s been tough as of late, with minimal moisture in the soil profile and lower crop prices. Also, folks were talking about the projected prices for 2024 crop insurance revenue protection policies, which are quite a bit lower than 2023 projected prices. For corn, the price is down about 21%.
One topic receiving attention this year in Minnesota is nitrogen management, given a recent petition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. How does the MCR&PC address nitrogen challenges and work to protect drinking water in Minnesota?
The council addresses nitrogen challenges through investments in research, partnerships, and achievable on-farm practices. For example, through the corn check-off, Minnesota’s corn farmers have invested more than $15 million since 2008 into university led education and on- and off-farm research aimed at increasing nitrogen use efficiency. We’ve also invested in efforts to increase the adoption of soil health practices that reduce the impact of nitrogen on groundwater.
On a farm scale, given that fertilizer constitutes a significant portion of our annual expenses, corn growers are careful to judiciously use inputs each year. We work with private crop consultants and agronomists to select the right sources of nitrogen fertilizer and use it in the right spots in the field and at the right rate. We adapt and, in some cases, change practices when research demonstrates an environmental benefit. We work with government agencies, farmers, and the public to communicate what corn growers are doing and can do. And, if issues arise, we use research and technology to solve them. We recognize the importance of efficiently and sustainably producing a crop and work to live that value each growing season.
[Read more: Minnesota corn growers see partnership as solution]
What do you like about farming?
I like that every year is a fresh start, the independence it provides, and—believe it or not—the challenges it presents, from the weather to year-over-year market changes. It’s also fun to implement new technologies and practices and expand effective practices across our operation. I also like that we get immediate feedback on our efforts during the growing season. You watch the crop as it progresses and say to yourself, “we really need to catch a little rain right now,” or “we could really use some heat.” Then you get to the fall and say, “wow, look what we did here,” or “that didn’t work. We’re going to have to try something else.” We’re constantly trying new things, and it’s fun to experiment and work to make the operation succeed.
Who has inspired you by their example? What did you find inspiring about them?
Minnesota Corn Growers Association board member and past National Corn Growers Association president Tom Haag is one person who comes to mind. When I first joined the council, I talked a lot with Tom just to help digest some of the information. There’s a lot that grower-leaders must process. First and foremost, Tom is just a great leader. He is always willing to keep things light, yet he can get down to brass tacks to get a group to do what it needs to do. He is very good at not trying to overwhelm you. If there is a question on a subject, he is not going to bombard you and try to scare you with information or implications. He is good at talking about issues in the light of past experiences and saying, “hey, this is how you can work through an issue like this.”
What do you like to do with your free time?
We used to do a lot of golfing and a lot more motorcycle riding than we do now. We’re hoping to carve out time and get back into some of those things. We always carve out time for whole family vacations. My brother has three kids—two boys and a girl—and they are like our kids, too. Now that they are getting older, they are in different sports, and there are a lot of opportunities to watch them in their summer sports.
What is something you think might surprise the average consumer about farming?
The average consumer may not realize the amount of technology that we have in our farm operations and the amount of money that we invest on a year-to-year basis. We as growers are always looking for technology that’s going to make us more profitable and more sustainable.
