INNOVATION AT ITS WORST!

"In a community in which everyone is engaged in the same occupation, one person is likely to copy from his neighbor without apparently giving a thought as to whether or not there is a better way. This tendency to imitate emphasizes the fact that men do not exercise sufficient originality."

This is an excerpt from "Economy of the Round Dairy Burn" by W. J. Fraser, 1910.

Fast-forward to spring 2026, this still holds true. Our basic innovation is to plant corn, then beans, then corn, then beans, etc. We try to be more efficient each year because every penny counts.

We, as farmers, need to concentrate on getting the last dime out of a bushel of corn or soybeans, not the few pennies selling it as a commodity. We are on the cusp of a biobased economy. Let's innovate. Yes, biofuels are leading the way, but that's only the beginning.

April 2026