The Red River Farm Network is capping off 2020 with a look at the top stories of the year. Due to the need for social distancing, farm organizations were forced to cancel or postpone many face-to-face meetings this past year. That story comes in at number ten on the RRFN Top Stories of 2020 list. However, a few events did move forward in traditional fashion, including the Big Iron Farm Show in September, the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Convention in October and the South Dakota Farm Bureau Convention in November. “We were social distancing and making sure we were following protocol,” said SDFB President Scott VanderWal. “People were glad just to get out, see some friends and talk with each other.” Many other events transitioned to a virtual format. Zoom calls were a rarity before the pandemic began, but now are commonplace in the agriculture industry. One of those events was the Prairie Grains Conference earlier this month. Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers President Gary Anderson described it as uncharted waters. “There was no other way to make it happen, but still wanted to offer farmers the educational programs.” Listen to the #10 story and find all of RRFN’s Top Stories of 2020 here.
