The Faces of Nebraska Corn Farmers

By Regina Janousek, Nebraska Corn Board Intern

During my internship at the Nebraska Corn Board I have had some great experiences and opportunities, but my favorite experience thus far was visiting with some great Nebraska corn farmers and their families. The corn board kicked off a campaign this summer promoting family farmers and sustainability messages. I was able to go along on the photo shoots for the ads and met some great people. They were even willing to give me a quick interview, where they shared their messages about sustainability, corn and farming in general. Check out these videos to learn more about your own Nebraska Corn Farmers.

These videos are a series of videos featuring faces of Nebraska corn farmers. As part of the Sustaining Innovation campaign, these farmers share their stories of growing corn and raising livestock sustainably.



Kyle Cantrell is a corn farmer from Merna, Nebraska. He has a cow-calf operation and a small feedlot. Kyle explains risk management and establishing relationships. He utilizes distillers grains in his feeding operation to manage feeding costs. Feeding distillers grains, the co-product of making corn ethanol, with low quality roughage can help lower the feeding costs of cattle. Roughage is a hay mix that can consist of grasses, cornstalks, or alfalfa etc.




Kurt Goertzen is a corn farmer from Henderson, Nebraska, and has more than 30 years of experience in the agriculture industry. He talks about new advances of technology in corn and using distillers grains for his show calf herd. He raises cattle to show at fairs and stock shows.

Feeding distillers grains, the co-product of making corn ethanol, with low quality roughage can help lower the feeding costs of cattle. Fleshing rates refers to the fat on the animal, which goes with the overall condition of the cow.




Mike Bergen, a corn farmer from Henderson, Nebraska, helped his uncle around the farm during high school and college. After college he decided to return to his hometown and start farming on his own. He not only raises corn, but also soybeans as well as manages a cow-calf herd. Mike talks about sustainability practices used on his farm.