Minnesota Corn wraps up successful MN Ag Expo
Last week, Minnesota Corn and Minnesota Soybean partnered on another successful MN Ag Expo at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato. It was an eventful two days of education sessions, networking, demonstrations, a trade show, and more for the state’s corn and soybean farmers.
The following is a summary of the event.
Annual meetings
A centerpiece of the event is the annual meetings for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. MSGA held its annual meeting on the first day of MN Ag Expo, and MCGA held its resolution session and annual meeting on the second day.
At the resolutions session, MCGA delegates held a grassroots discussion about the organization’s policy priorities and finalized the organization’s 2026 resolutions book. At the annual meeting, delegates re-elected, Wes Beck, Angela Guentzel, Nick Peterson, Tim Waibel, and Todd Wentzel to the MCGA board and elected Mark Enninga, Shayne Isane, and Adam Jones for the first time.
Also at its annual meeting, MCGA recognized several leaders for their contributions to agriculture. Jim Kanten was presented with the Gavel Award in recognition of his service as MCGA president in 2025. State House Agriculture Co-Chair Paul Anderson received the Friend of Agriculture Award, and Wolle was presented with the Golden Kernel Award. Additionally, Minnesota Corn Executive Director Adam Birr recognized Membership & Compliance Manager Jan Horstmann for reaching 15 years with the organization.
Trade show floor
New in 2026, the MN Ag Expo trade show encompassed both the grand hall and ice arena at the event center, with large machinery being featured in the grand hall. In the ice arena, Minnesota Corn’s booth was once again the place to be, with farmer-leaders on hand to highlight the latest in MCGA grassroots activities and Minnesota corn checkoff-funded research and activities. Farmer-leaders also handed out special MN Ag Expo giveaway items to attendees.
Outside of the ice arena, researchers whose work is funded through the Minnesota corn checkoff were on hand to present their projects to Expo-goers.
Panel discussions, keynote speeches, and more
Other highlights of MN Ag Expo included a series of panel discussions and keynote speeches. Day one featured a presentations on the state of the ag economy, global trade, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and grain marketing. There was also a legislative panel discussion featuring Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, State Representatives Paul Anderson and Rick Hansen, and State Senators Aric Putnam and Torrey Westrom.
At night, Minnesota State University women’s hockey coach John Harrington, who was a member of the 1980 Olympic team, gave the dinner keynote speech. He highlighted the lessons he learned from his coach, Herb Brooks, and his experience of winning a gold medal. Additionally, day one included the annual MCGA auction and reception.
Day two featured sessions on the importance of U.S. agricultural trade with Mexico and Canada. It also included a learning session on farmer mental health and a lunchtime keynote by author and keynote speaker Steve Fredlund.
Minnesota Corn thanks all MN Ag Expo attendees for another great MN AG Expo. Learn more about upcoming events here.
From left to right: Christina Connelly of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Consul of Mexico in Saint Paul, Minnesota Alejandra Bologna, Consul General of Canada in Minneapolis, United States Beth Richardson, and MDA Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vaubel. The four women were featured in a panel discussion about the importance of U.S., Mexico, and Canada trade.
