Get to Know the Growers: Brad Neumann
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 new “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.
Brad Neumann, MCGA board member
Wabasso, 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?
I farm with my dad, David, and my wife, Kim. We have two children who would be the fifth generation on the farm if they choose to farm! We are near the town of Wabasso, which is in the heart of Redwood County. The farm has been in the family for over 100 years. My dad’s grandpa started farming here in 1894. The farm site we live on became a century farm in 2018. The main crops we grow are corn and soybeans. I moved back to the family farm in 2011 after college and getting married.
What do you like about farming? What do you find to be the most challenging aspects of it?
I like the fact that no two days are alike and that we get to be outdoors and experience all the seasons. My favorite season is fall, partly because of the beautiful weather most of the time, but also because that’s when we get to see the results of all our hard work over the course of the year. I also like that this job helps you acquire and use so many different skills! In fact, that’s part of what’s frustrating and challenging about farming, too. I am most frustrated when I find myself trying to work out something I don’t completely understand, something that doesn’t make sense to me. But then it’s always fun to research and to learn from these experiences.
Why is it important to you to participate in the Minnesota Corn Growers Association?
Because I like the fact that it’s a collective voice that represents our industry. I enjoy being on Minnesota Corn’s Utilization Team where we get to be involved in projects to help sustain the demand for corn from value-added industries like ethanol. Our farmer-members speak with elected officials and policymakers about the essential role that our crop protection products play in keeping farming productive and sustainable—they are all highly tested by the U.S. EPA, and we use them responsibly. We can’t stay in business without crop protection.
MCGA also makes sure farmers are at the table when the next Farm Bill is being created and debated, so we can try to ensure it is legislation that helps farmers.
[More: Urge Congress to pass a robust Farm Bill]
Do you have particular issues or goals that interest you as a grower-leader?
When it comes to crop protection products, specifically, there are only a limited number of new active ingredients that come on the market each year. It takes a long time to bring them through the approval process. That makes it all the more important for us to maintain our access to the crop protection products that we do have, which successfully limit weeds, insects, fungus, and other diseases, so we can produce all the crop that consumers need.
Who has inspired you by their example? What did you find inspiring about them?
My dad. He knows how to do so many things and is generally good at them. He is patient, meticulous, and his approach to farming, and to life in general, is well thought out. The result is that we all benefit from the way he does things.
How do you like to spend free time? Do you have hobbies? Play a sport? Like to travel?
I actually like to spend my free time working around the farm. That’s because I also have a full-time job off the farm.
We do enjoy family get-togethers on the holidays, camping, ice fishing, and hunting. And, yes, we like to travel when we can.
What do you think is something about farming that might be surprising to the average consumer?
For most people, the weather dictates how you need to dress when you head out the door. For farmers, the weather impacts what we can get done and when we can do it, and it often takes a toll on whether your farm makes a profit for the year.
