By Brad Barth, Board Chairman
Usually in the summer edition of my column I talk a little about the weather and how it affected the spring planting season. Spring weather is a lot like some of the idiotic things one sees on the internet, kind of crazy and weird. Of course, this year was no exception, almost a 180 of last year. We had very little snow and a warm winter, which should turn into an early spring, right? Yes, farmers were in the field early and wheat seed sales saw an increase in volume accordingly. After a quick start Mother Nature turned on us and showed all who was really in charge. As of Memorial Day, when I penned this report, northern Minnesota is probably still barely past the halfway mark of being done seeding. Just proves that we may be good at what we do, but we are not totally in charge.
At the Annual Meeting in St. Cloud this past January we discussed succession planning and what we can do to keep our young adults in our industry. On Friday, Joyce and I attended high school graduation and saw our oldest grandson graduate with honors. We are very proud of his success as a student and how he has matured into a fine young man. Our family has never pressured any of our young adults to go to school for anything but what is in their hearts. Well, this boy has decided to go to the U of M in Crookston for agriculture, I am so proud. I am glad to see that being born and raised on the farm was a positive experience and has become his first career choice. Granted there are four years ahead of him and he could change his mind, but he seems to be pretty determined that this is his path. When he is ready, I hope to mentor him in the seed industry and someday, maybe, he will become one of “us.”
I would be remiss if I did not spend a little time discussing the health and direction of our organization. MCIA is a unique and (121 years strong) successful organization which has excellent leadership and very talented personnel. There are many exciting opportunities for MCIA on the agenda in the future, but as always it is focused mostly on taking care of its members and their current needs. This organization has been solid for the past 121 years and will be for the foreseeable future.
I hope the summer of 2024 treats you all well.