Hamilton County Corn Growers President Mike Bergen (center, behind banner) stands in Tokyo, Japan with the other members of the Heartland Team from USMEF that made a trade mission to the Asian nation in early September.

Extension economist Jessica Groskopf with the UNL Center for Ag Profitability gives a talk on Sept. 12 at Husker Harvest Days detailing how to smoothly pass along a farm business and assets to the next generation.

Invented in Aurora, the Grain Weevil is about to make its Midwest debut through a system of 10 independent partner contractors who will provide the robot’s services on the farm and then sell the first consumer units to farmers when they hit the market next May.

The new hoop building grain receiving facility at Murphy constructed this summer by Aurora Coop has a capacity of two million bushes and will be used to store soybeans from the fall harvest this year. Below, the pit and leg can unload trucks at a rate of 30,000 bushels per hour.

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts speaks to Hamilton County Corn Growers at a dinner that followed the annual plot tour last Monday. He talked about the chances for a new U.S. farm bill, government regulations and the need to step up international trade efforts.

Andrew Bish stands next to one of the FiberCut Hemp Harvesters built by his company at the plant near Giltner. One of these same units was put on display at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. earlier this year as part of a national machinery show.

Hamilton County corn grower Jason Lewis was recently elected to a three-year term on the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Corn Board. He currently serves on an NCGA Action Team that works to grow ag literacy in the general population.

A comparison of National Drought Monitor maps from Aug. 6 of this year and Aug. 8 of 2023 shows the marked improvement in drought conditions in the eastern two-thirds of Nebraska over the past 12 months. Hamilton County went from being mostly in highest (D4) drought category last year to showing no drought at all last week.

Jim Pillen, then a younger businessman, stands outside one of his hog operations north of Monroe in 2003. Some nearby residents and environmental advocates were then protesting Pillen’s plan to build large hog operations near a historic church near Lindsay. Pillen was then growing his company to become the largest pork producer in the state, and one of the biggest in the country. (Photo by Kiley Cruse of the Omaha World-Herald.)

Volunteer Swine Show Supt. Duane Danielson (left) and his brother Darin work to coax a hog into position for a photo with 4-H Intermediate Showmanship Reserve Champion Paxton Janzen Saturday morning.