Adam Jones, Lake Crystal farmer, joins MCGA Board
Written by Jonathan Eisethal
Adam Jones, 45, of Lake Crystal, joined the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) Board of Directors, following elections at the annual meeting during MN Ag Expo in Mankato.
He farms with his cousin Aaron. Adam’s father, Dave, and his uncle Dan remain active in the operation that raises corn and soybeans and provides facilities for contract hog finishing operations.
They continue the farming tradition begun in 1883 by Adam’s great-great grandfather, Thomas Jones.
Adam returned to the family operation in 2012, following a career as an agronomist at Minnesota Valley Testing Labs in New Ulm, and before that at Christensen Farms in Sleepy Eye.
“I feel very passionate about the work of the Minnesota Corn Growers,” Jones said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new friends and working together on these important issues in agriculture. I’m interested in working with our policymakers and our other farmer groups to find good uses for our corn and to grow corn more efficiently, and I’m looking forward to working with all these experienced leaders at Minnesota Corn and learning more about the issues and challenging myself.”
Jones is a member of Blue Earth County Corn and Soybean Growers, and his previous leadership experience includes serving as clerk of his township board, and president of his church’s council.
The most immediate issue for Minnesota Corn, Jones believes, is the continuing challenge to get federal policy changed to allow nationwide yearlong E15 sales.
“It would be a huge win for the American corn farmer,” Jones said. “I’m also interested in supporting the research end of Minnesota Corn. We’re such good corn farmers the way it is, but I see working with researchers to find efficiencies as so important. We all know margins are tight right now on the farm and prices are low, so efficiency and finding new markets for our corn are more important than ever.”
Jones’ work as an agronomist, helping farmers track the information that improves performance, brought him into contact with lots of farmers and lots of different operations where he learned that each farmer develops a framework of experience, to succeed and sustain the farm. Jones also helped farmers, through soil testing and other metrics, to improve their stewardship and work well with environmental officials and remain within regulatory boundaries. “The effective use of information, and the urge to continually improve, economically and environmentally—that’s what makes our farmers really good at raising corn,” he said.
