For the southern and central Red River Valley, this growing season has been one for the record books. “We are the second driest in Traill County and fifth driest in that amount of time for Cass County; in 132 years of records,” said Shaun Nelson, Red River Seed and Chemical. The area has also experienced more than nine days with temperatures reaching 100 degrees and more than ten days in the 90s. Nelson says Amenia has received just 2.2 inches of rain this season, well below normal. Rush River Seed was the final stop on the Red River Farm Network Crop Tour and the host for the Century of Innovation Plot Tour. The RRFN Crop Tour, presented by Pioneer, surveyed crop conditions across North Dakota and western Minnesota. Corn yield estimates ranged from less than 100 bushels per acre at Amenia to 217 bushels at Wimbledon, North Dakota. In this interview, Nelson also delivers a synopsis of Pioneer’s 100-year anniversary.
