Innovation Blog | Corn Capital Innovations

Should Your Corn be Knee High by the Fourth of July?

Posted on: June 18, 2013 by:Steve Leave a Comment

STEVE The Farmer’s Almanac used to predict that if corn was knee high by the Fourth of July, it would be a bumper crop. That was a way of measuring, back in our Grandpa’s day. This year we did our planting “back in time”, so will you go back in time to gauge your success next month?

Of course, you have to take into consideration that this rule was created long before fine-tuned hybrids, high-octane fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and even irrigation systems that are now part of farming. Nonetheless, I think we all have that phrase engrained in our memories.

Over the years, we have forgotten about knee high and have based it on “high as an elephant’s eye”. But don’t forget that we should not base our expectations on what happened last year, but on the average over the past 20 years.

As of right now, Renville and Redwood Counties in MN are really in good shape, and we can expect a leaf of growth every day – to day and a half! With that said, we are right on track to be knee high by the Fourth of July! We are actually right where we need to be.

It is this time of year that we reflect back on last fall:

Did we do everything that we could have to prepare for the scenario that Mother Nature dealt us this spring?
Did we buy the correct seed and plant it at the best depth and speed to maximize growth potential?
Is our post-planting plan set to enhance the field conditions today?

Every decision we made after harvest until now; will show if what we have done is correct. We believe that as long as every farmer keeps an eye on the conditions, adjusts accordingly to those needs both now, and throughout the growing season, we will not have any surprises come harvest time.

Tell us your prediction for your fields; are you on track for knee high by the 4^th of July or even better?

Categories: General | Tags: Corn Capital Innovations, Fungicide, Knee High by Fourth of July.

Meet Our Corn Capital Innovations Intern for 2013

Posted on: June 17, 2013 by:Summer Leave a Comment

My name is Reed Nelson, I will be the intern for Corn Capitol Innovations for the summer of 2013. I will be a junior in college this fall where I am currently pursuing a degree in Business Marketing from St. Cloud State University. Having lived in Olivia, Minnesota for nearly 21 years of my life, I have developed a strong interest in agriculture and the businesses which make Olivia and the surrounding communities thrive. I enjoy playing guitar, hunting, fishing, and being outdoors in my free time.

In the first month of my internship, I have participated in conducting Net Effective Plant Stands which are commonly referred to as NEPS. This process is a tool that is not only used to determine the success rate of a growers spring planting, but also show how decisions made in the previous fall, winter, and spring have affected the farming process. The NEPS process involves flagging and analyzing portions of growers’ fields. The flagging process involves identifying individual plants and determining whether they are: standards, skips, double plants, or a delayed emergence. After completing the flagging process, the next step is identifying the cause of the delays, skips, or doubles. This step is often carried out by digging to check for soil conditions, and planting depth. These complications can range from poor soil conditions, to weather related conditions, to malfunction of machinery used. By diagnosing these problems, we are then able to assess decisions made in the months prior to planting and how they may or may not have played a role in problems with stands.

Once Net Effective Plant Stands are complete, the rest of my summer will include activities such as scouting fields for harmful insects and fungi. I will also gain experience through observing varieties in our plots and learning more about the genetics involved in various seed products. With the summer just beginning, I am excited to expand my knowledge of agriculture through hands-on experience with the C.C.I. team. I also look forward to meeting and working alongside the customers of Corn Capital Innovations to help accomplish a safe and successful growing season.

Categories: General | Tags: Corn Capital Innovations, Intern, Net Effective Plant Stands, Reed Nelson, seed

Farming is Like Playing Cards

Posted on: June 17, 2013 by:scott Leave a Comment

Hi I’m Scott O’Neill with Corn Capital Innovations of Olivia. I have heard that farming is a lot like playing cards. There is always a certain amount of risk involved and there is often a lot of money at stake. The only difference between playing cards and farming is that you cannot fold your hand when farming…..you have to work with the hand that mother nature has dealt you.

That is where Corn Capital Innovations comes in. We help you to optimize your control of the table through the four components of farming: production, crop insurance, financial analysis and grain marketing. You shouldn’t ever half to bluff your way to a better year. We better the odds that make farming a bit of a gamble.

Even though mother nature is constantly shuffling the deck we’ll help you feel more comfortable with whatever may come your way.

Working with Corn capital Innovations is like having a couple of wild cards in your hand so you can raise the pot in the world series of farming.

Categories: General

We are pleased to announce the Corn Capital Innovations Scholarship recipients for 2013!

Posted on: June 17, 2013 by:Summer Leave a Comment

“A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship

This scholarship is a contribution to the youth of rural areas who are inspired to seek opportunities in agriculture. We feel agriculture surrounds us all in some way either directly or indirectly and we want to help individuals become successful in their agricultural goals. Our 2013 scholarship recipients are:

Wendy Anderson
$1,000 “A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship

From: Bird Island
College Plans: Augsburg College
Major: Music Business

Goal: My goal is to be successful. I want to make my parents proud and make them feel like they succeeded in raising me. I want to have a career that I love and enjoy and that can also change someone else’s life in some way, shape, or form.

What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: I have been in 4H for 13 wonderful years of my life. Without this program, I would be nothing. I probably would not have developed efficient interviewing/speaking skills. I also would not have been able to work with different age groups, young and old, and be able to bond with them by helping them with 4H projects or fun activities. 4H has given me skills that I will need in the future. 4H exists to create leaders in this world who use their head, hearts, hands, and even their health to guide them in a successful direction. I have gained so many connections throughout this organization. In all honesty, I probably would not have been in an organization like FFA, which has strengthened my skills even further, if I had not been in 4H. The people I have interacted with in 4H have inspired me to be the best that I can be. I will use the skills I learned to help further me in the world of business in order for me to interact with others to successfully complete the task at hand. I have been dreading the day in which my membership in 4H will come to an end, but I hope to be able to be involved with the organization when the time is right.

Connor McNamara
$500 “A Great Hand in Farming” Ag Scholarship

From: Bird Island
College Plans: NDSU
Major: Agronomy

Goal: My goals in life are to attend and graduate college at NDSU in Fargo with a degree in agronomy. I will later use my degree to its full potential and help out my local agricultural community. My lifetime goal has always been to come back and run the family farm with my family and be successful at everything that I do.

What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: The organization that has left the biggest impact on my personal and career development would be FFA. FFA has taught me that hard work and dedication really does pay off. Over the years, I have participated in several events in the local FFA chapter. One of these events that I really enjoyed was the pancake breakfast. Waking up early in the morning and serving the community breakfast was well worth the loss of sleep and a whole lot of fun!

Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship

This Scholarship is in memory of Andrew “Andy” McNamara, a Renville County farm boy who had the desire to be involved in production agriculture. He thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and was concerned for the environment. Andy is missed by all those who knew his real passions. Our 2013 scholarship recipients are:

Alec Marxen
$2,000 Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship

From: Bird Island
College Plans: University of Wisconsin – River Falls
Major: Agricultural Business

Goal: I plan to start a career in the agriculture industry in the Bird Island area that provides me with opportunities to advance to a management/supervisor position. I also plan to take over my family’s farm when my Dad retires.

What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: I feel that FFA has been the most meaningful to my personal and career development. FFA gave me the opportunity to further my knowledge about agriculture and better my public speaking skills which will be both instrumental since I am pursuing a career in agriculture. FFA also involves lots of volunteer work and fundraisers which I feel are very important because these things require dedication and commitment while giving me an opportunity to give back to the community. FFA has also created relationships that I feel will last a lifetime.

Raquel Amberg
$1,000 Andy McNamara Memorial Scholarship

From: Bird Island
College Plans: South Dakota State University – Brookings
Major: Agri-Business

Goal: My goal is to go to SDSU and finish my 4 years of education there. I plan to major in Agri-business and minor in wildlife and fisheries. After I finish my education, I hope to come back to Olivia and help my Dad farm and soon take over the family farm.

What community or school activity has been the most meaningful: The most meaningful things are my Dance Team and FFA. My Dance Team is like a family and we stick together. Dance is something that I can do to get my stress out. It is something I have a love and passion for. Dance has made me learn how to become a leader and a role model. FFA is going to help me develop my career because it is teaching me things I need to learn for what I want to do. FFA is also really fun. It’s good to have fun while you’re working and with FFA you can work, learn and have a blast.

Categories: General | Tags: Ag Scholarship, Corn Capital Innovations, Scholarships, Winners

Top Notch Crop

Posted on: June 11, 2013 by:Steve Leave a Comment

To every farmer who has another crop in the ground, congratulations on a safe and successful spring. Many people believe that spring is the start to our crop year. However, 75 to 85 percent of your crops yield potential has already been dictated. We know that weather is the largest factor in predicting a top notch crop, but the decisions you have made up to now also have an impact.

As you were in your fields this spring, what did you notice and what were the things you would have changed to be more prepared? How did your combine perform last fall by spreading out the crop residue? The fall tillage? What were the field conditions as we prepared the soil for this year’s crop?

I’m Steve O’Neill with Corn Capital Innovations, and as we worked with our clients this spring, we were taking many notes on how decisions made a year ago are impacting our crop this year. As we watch this crop emerge, grow, and develop, we will be noting the differences and how management choices can relieve the stress on the plant. We understand the plant is telling the story of its nutrient needs and environmental stresses.

Are we on pace to double our production in the next 20 years using the same practices and tools we are using today? Here at Corn Capital Innovations, we are working diligently to make sure we are on the path to achieving our goals.

What have you noticed about this year’s crop so far?

Categories: General

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