Today I will be hosting KDHL's AM Minnesota program and my guest will be Jay Zielske, Territory Manager and Agronomist with Pioneer. I am sure you are thinking we will be talking about the frustrating weather, corn planting and the impact on potential yields. However, we will be discussing something much more important than a single crop year. The topic will be your life.

Jay is a cancer survivor. In 2014 Jay learned he had stage IV Melanoma. After 2 years of immunotherapy treatments his most recent PET scan shows no evidence of cancer. Jay's story is not typical. Skin Cancers are the most common form of cancer in the United States and Melanoma is the DEADLIEST of the skin cancers. Nearly 2/3 of Melanoma deaths occur in men over 50 years of age and Farmers have an increased risk. Even worse, Minnesota ranks 4th Nationally in incidences of Melanoma.

Jay feels that now his "mission" in addition to his career in the seed industry is to spread the word about skin cancer and Melanoma. He is working every day with farmers and others in agriculture that are at a higher risk of developing skin cancer and Melanoma.

Skin cancer and Melanoma is preventable and treatable if detected early on. May is National Melanoma Month which is why I wanted to have Jay on AM Minnesota today. The theme of National Melanoma Month is "Take the Pledge, Get Naked." That means have your doctor, spouse, family member check your body for unusual looking moles or blemishes. So, will you take the pledge on AM Minnesota today and "Get Naked?"

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