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Minnesota farmer adapts to urban sprawl

A corn and soybean grower who farms south of the Twin Cities continues to adapt to urban sprawl.

Brent Mohn of Northfield, Minnesota says residential and commercial growth influences his crop rotation.

“We farm closer to urban areas, so some things are going to be leaving production going to development or stuff so we’ve adapted some stuff for that. We are probably a little more soybeans than corn this year, but not so much on a marketing thing but more so on other influences to what’s going to happen with that land.”

He suggests urban sprawl is nothing new for farmers.

“Cities have been growing for kind of ever, everything evolves. I think when you farm in a region like that, you kind of expect it or you’re looking and thinking about farms a little bit differently, or land. Especially depending on where they originate next to other development or stuff

Mohn says ag technology is helping farmers produce more with less land.