Minnesota Corn Growers hires research director

SHAKOPEE, Minn. -- The Minnesota Corn Growers Association has hired Paul Meints as its research director. Meints will oversee a farmer-funded research portfolio totaling $4 million annually that supports projects at institutions such as the University of Minnesota, as well as on-farm initiatives such as Discovery Farms Minnesota. Meints, who grew up on a family corn, soybean, pork and beef farm in Chippewa County in western Minnesota, has a bachelor's degree in agronomy and a master's degree in plant breeding genetics from the University of Minnesota. Meints earned his doctorate at Oregon State University. After working on the faculty at Mississippi State University from 1997 to 2004, Meints lived in Kenya for three years, where he helped the East African nation improve its agricultural and plant-breeding practices. When Meints returned to the U.S., he remained at Mississippi State until accepting a position as research program manager at the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, where he served until he joined the MCGA staff in March. Meints replaces Adam Birr, who was named MCGA executive director in September.