Research Library

Farmers Investing in Their Future

The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) and Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council (MCR&PC) are committed to funding independent corn research that seeks to enhance opportunities for Minnesota corn farmers by improving agricultural practices and creating new markets for what they produce.

Minnesota corn check-off dollars, self-funded by corn farmers themselves, are funding a wide range of research projects that directly affect local business and families, including the development of value-added products, the management of corn inputs, issues related to ethanol use, the evaluation of genetic traits, and the relationship between agricultural management practices and water quality.

How to use search and filters below

You can search by keywords including the researcher name or keywords in the title or abstract of the project. Filters include category and grant type. Grant types include primary and innovation; learn more about each type below.

If you have additional questions about Minnesota Corn’s research program, contact Luke Haggerty at lhaggerty@mncorn.org.

For years, as part of its mission to increase opportunities for corn farmers while improving quality of life, Minnesota Corn has allocated corn check-off funds to professional research projects.

To receive funding, projects must focus on production stewardship or new uses for corn, ethanol, and ethanol co-products, such as dried distillers grains with solubles. Projects often stretch for multiple years, though researchers must reapply for funding each year for a given project.

Past funded projects have included research into new corn-based plastics and polymers, variable rate irrigation, correlations between enhanced efficiency fertilizers and nitrogen losses, and more.

Minnesota Corn’s Discovery & Development Team evaluates proposals. The team includes members of the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council and Minnesota Corn Growers Association Board of Directors.

Innovation Grant projects must be in one of five categories: new uses, methods to improve nutrient use efficiency in corn production, comparative tillage innovations, economic and management innovations, or production practices that enhance water and air quality or improve biodiversity.

For farmers and students, the program has three funding options. For those who have previously received funding, they can apply for a Level 1 grant to host a field day to showcase their project. For those who haven’t received funding, or who want to continue an existing project, they can apply for a Level 2 or a Level 3 grant.

A Level 2 grant provides a student or farmer up to $7,000 to test a novel corn-production practice on at least 20 acres. Level 2 grants are for one year, but applicants are asked to consider how they might extend their experiment to up to three years.

A level 3 grant is for up to $30,000. Proposals must include a statistical design, plans for data collection and statistics analysis, and must involve three growing seasons. Level 3 projects are expected to include replicated farm-scale trials with publishable results that have the potential as proof-of-concept research toward broad adoption of a technique or practice focused on priorities listed in the RFP.

For both Level 2 and Level 3 grants, farmers and students are expected to collaborate with a soil and water conservation district, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, a university, or other agency.
Only professional researchers can apply for a Level 4 grant. These grants provide them with up to $15,000 to test an innovative or novel scientific approach or develop a preliminary data set to leverage greater funding for a project related to improving the sustainability or profitability of corn production. Researchers must work directly with a farmer on a project.

Search & Filters

Keyword(s)

Results

Soil Fertility

Tracking nitrogen mineralization in Northwest Minnesota soils

Additional research-based recommendations on nutrient management are critically needed to support increased corn production in Northwest Minnesota.

University of Minnesota

Nitrogen, Soil Fertility

Past the learning curve: does soil health lower N requirements?

There’s a need to clarify whether reducing N fertilizer is possible for farmers whose long-term soil health practice shave improved soil function.

University of Minnesota

High-throughput gene platform for validating resistance against fusarium in corn

Fusarium species and other fungal pathogens are a persistent constraint to corn production in the Upper Midwest,

2Blades

Direct Conversion of Corn-Derived Carbohydrates to Ether-Based Products

The proposed one-year research study aims to assess the potential of a chemical process to convert corn to dimethyl-ether (DME),

University of Minnesota

Tracking nitrogen mineralization in Northwest Minnesota soils growing corn

Additional research-based recommendations on nutrient management are critically needed to support increased corn production in Northwest Minnesota.

University of Minnesota

Nitrogen

Study of Pivot Bio In Replacing N in corn production

Les Anderson

Side dressing in our part of the state is difficult because of terrain, limiting us to broadcasting urea. Ag Partners results on 74,000 acres over 6 years indicated a negative .05 bushel yield penalty for side dressing urea.

Farmer

Fuels & Emissions

Modeling Production of SAF from Corn Ethanol and CO2

William Northrop

This expanded uses project builds on previous research to convert diesel engines to operate cleanly and efficiently on ethanol. The effort will demonstrate an entirely new approach that overcomes the disadvantages of currently available systems.

University of Minnesota

Soil Fertility

Tracking nitrogen mineralization in Northwest Minnesota soils

Lindsay Peace

Additional research-based recommendations on nutrient management are critically needed to support increased corn production in Northwest Minnesota. This project will address how soil texture and soil moisture affect soil nitrogen availability and corn grain production.

University of Minnesota

Agronomy and Plant Genetics

European corn borer resistance to transgenic Bt corn in Minnesota

Fei Yang

The European corn borer (ECB), ostrinia nubilalis, is a significant pest of corn in North America, and once caused substantial yield losses and economic damage.

University of Minnesota

Agronomy and Plant Genetics

Efficacy of ISTs in corn for managing corn rootworm complex

Fei Yang

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, and the northern corn rootworm (NCR), Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) stand as the primary belowground insect pests of corn in Minnesota,

University of Minnesota

Innovation Grants, Water Quality

Wilkin County Soil Health Demonstration Site (2024)

Vance Johnson/Kimberly Melton

The Wilkin SWCD Soil Health Demonstration Site will showcase a side-by-side field trial of how no-till, strip-till and conventional tillage works in our clay loam soil.

Wilkin County Soil and Water Conservation District

Soil Fertility

Optimizing Corn-Soybean Rotation: Reduced Tillage, Varied Irrigation, and Cover Crops

Vasudha Sharma

Climate change severely affects global food security by disrupting water access for crops. Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns cause frequent,

University of Minnesota