Above is a screenshot of a video on the Hamilton County Corn Growers Association Facebook page featuring an interview between corn growers past president Mike Bergen and Beck’s Hybrids seed advisor Luke Samuelson. This year, instead of a live plot tour, the association will feature interviews recorded at the test plot south of Aurora with representatives of each of the companies represented.

Larry and Jane Nunnenkamp of southern Hamilton County display the Nebraska Pioneer Farm award they were presented with at this year’s Hamilton County Fair. Their property, situated east of Highway 14 near County Road 4, was first purchased by Larry’s grandfather, William “Bill” Nunnenkamp in 1926.

A metallic green sweat bee collects pollen from a prickly poppy flower in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Despite some green snap from winds associated with the July 8 thunderstorm, local agronimist Orvin Bontrager said the corn crop in Hamilton County looks good this year.

The Grain Place Foundation hosted its annual Field Day Saturday, which included three keynote speakers, all of whom participated in a panel discussion at the end. Pictured from left are: Chris Helzer with the Nature Conservancy, Dr. Jesse Bell, KSU sociology professor Matthew Sanderson and Grain Place Farms founder Dave Vetter.

Regenerative agriculture is about working with nature – enhancing soil health, boosting biodiversity and building resilience – to create ecological wins and put money in the bank.

David Vetter (right), CEO of Grain Place Foods, leads a tour of the organic farm near Marquette during a Field Day in 2023. Tours of both the farm and the processing facility will be part of the morning session of the 2026 Field Day on July 18.

Emma Bullerman admits that there was a period where she thought she wanted to get out of Nebraska. Through her work at Prairie Plains, she’s come to fall back in love with her home state and is committed to following in her father’s footsteps to keep its ecosystems healthy.

Brian Brhel’s cattle graze on cover crops turning a row crop field into a temporary pasture meadow. (Photo by Brian Brhel)

The flowing waterway in this corn field north of Aurora on Thursday morning shows evidence of the 1.5 inches of rain that fell overnight as reported at the airport. That was in addition to the estimated 2 inches of precipitation received earlier in the week. Researchers say it’s not how much rain that fell on an acre of farm ground that counts as much as how much of it was retained by the soil. Studies show that healthy soil practices can increase corn yields by up to 25 bushels per acre.