The National Corn Growers Association continues the second season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families.

Today, meet Billy Thiel, a farmer from Marshall, Mo., who was featured in last year’s Corn Farmers Coalition campaign. Through his work with this program, the National Corn Growers Association and the Missouri Corn Growers Association, Thiel gives back to the industry he loves through his efforts to educate legislators.

During the interview, Thiel’s tractor hummed along through the fields planting soybeans. The technology incorporated into his operation, including GPS auto-track and precision planting, allow him to minimize farm inputs.

Listen to the audio interview from NCGA here.