This week, the National Corn Growers Association continued its seventh season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.
Field Notes caught up with Lowell Neitzel, who farms near Lawrence, Kansas.
“We have gotten some timely rains. We were getting dry for a while, but Mother Nature came through,” he explained. “We have been really appreciative of the weather that has come with those rains. The temperatures have stayed somewhat cool, which is good for pollination.
“Our corn is probably about 90 percent tasseled and starting to pollinate. So, we would really like cool temperatures that would help progress pollination and grow nice ears.”
To find out more, including what Neitzel expects from his crop in an average year, click here.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.