ountry C Friday, October 15, 2021
cres A
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 8, Edition 32
Farmers advocating
for farmers
PHOTOS BY DIANE LEUKAM
Chad and Krista Willis take a break from combining corn, Oct. 7 at their farm near Willmar. While farming, they also keep busy serving in leadership roles in multiple organizations that promote agriculture.
Willises grow corn, soybeans while promoting ag
W
BY SARAH COLBURN | STAFF WRITER
ILLMAR – As Chad and Krista Willis’s family grew, so did their desire to return to their roots and get back to a farming way of life. The two lived in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, one working at Cargill in Big Lake and the other commuting to Minneapolis, their kids growing, hopping from apartment to bigger apartment when they decided they wanted to raise their children on the farm. They both grew up on the farm, and wanted to go back to the life they knew. Today, they grow corn and soybeans, just shy of 1,000 acres of them. Next year, they’ll drop down to 620 when the land they have been renting is no longer available. They’re both as comfortable behind the wheel of a combine as they are with public speaking. Their experiences and their love of farming and rural living is something they now share with others through their multiple roles
ST R
Publications bli ti The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.
as public servants. Chad serves as chairman of the U.S. Grains Council. He’s also on the Kandiyohi County Corn and Soybean Growers board; he started there when he first began farming. He was elected to the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council 14 years ago and he’s also served on the ethanol committee, advocating for ethanol and corn products. He said he recognizes the importance of the U.S. grain markets and the value of global trade to the industry. Krista is a public force in her own right. She sits on the local Kandiyohi County Farm Bureau Association Board, she’s involved with 4-H, FFA and ag education. At the state level, she works with Common Ground Minnesota, an organization that features ag women talking with other women about modern practices on the farm. Recently, she talked to
This month in the
Willises page 2
COUNTRY:
Watch for the next edition of Country Acres on Nov. 5
5
Animals we love
6
Cycle of life on Fox Farm Browerville
7
Ornery ole woman up Bertha way Diane Leukam column
Krista Willis combines corn Oct. 7 near Willmar. To her upper right is a field map indicating production of the corn crop in real time, something that can change dramatically from one spot in the field to another, especially in a drought year such as 2021. 12 A family of archers Sauk Centre
24 Country Cooking
17 What’s this? ` 21 Six generations of country living Dassel
28 Safety first Pierz
27 Appreciating family history Holdingford
