BROKEN BOW—All corn growers, individuals, and businesses are welcome to the Custer County Corn Growers Commodity Classic Banquet on Saturday, February 2 at the One Box Convention Center in Broken Bow.
Doors open at 5:30 with the silent auction beginning at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. followed by Lieutenant Governor Mike Foley speaking at 7:30 p.m.
A drawing for a three-day trip giveaway to the Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida will be held at 8:15 p.m. This Florida trade show event is put on by the Corn Growers, Sorghum Growers, Wheat Association, and Soy Bean Association. (You must be present and a Nebraska Corn Growers Association member to win.)
Tickets to Saturday’s banquet are $20 and can be purchased from a Custer County Corn Growers Association (CCCGA) board member or at the door.
“It will be a fun evening and we have Lt. Governor Mike Foley coming to speak for about 20 minutes so we’re looking forward to that,” Guy Mills told KCNI/KBBN.
In addition to the festivities on February 2, Nolan Hueftle told KCNI/KBBN said being a CCCGA member means you are a local advocate for corn growers but you also have national help. He said the goal is to keep helpful information flowing between members on the subjects of soil health, cover crops, fertility, organic matter, tilling, test plots, and others to produce the best yields each year.
“The more fertility we put in these fields the better return we get out of them most of the time. That’s the key—watching all the small things that happen–make sure they don’t keep cutting into yield. But keep the base there. Keep the good hybrids, keep the good fertility, keep good management practices, good planning practices,” Hueftle said.
Hueftle and Guy Mills said corn growers are looking at things differently than even just five years ago as research and technology are constantly evolving to produce more—while using less.
“If you look at the history of how corn has been produced over the last four decades we are using less inputs and producing more. And that’s been a goal of the National Corn Growers Association and to strive to make it more efficient and be better stewards of the soil and hopefully helping out the environment,” Mills said.
Hueftle and Mills said they want to thank banquet attendees who support the CCCGA. Anyone thinking about joining the CCCGA is also welcome to attend on Saturday night in broken Bow.
