The Trusted Source of Ag Information – This is a time of calmness ahead of a busy spring planting season. The news cycle sure didn’t get the memo. From the latest twists in the tariff saga to shifting market signals, it’s been a week of headlines worth watching. The Red River Farm Network and the farm radio sector deliver timely and trustworthy information. The National Association of Farm Broadcasting commissioned a national farm radio listening study. Farm radio is the farmers’ first choice for ag information, far outpacing other ag media. Click here for details on that study.

Bilateral US-China Economic Relationship “is Over” – China responded to President Trump’s 104 percent tariffs by increasing its tariff on U.S. products from 34 percent to 84 percent.  The consequences are serious. “The largest bilateral economic relationship in human history for all intents and purposes is over now, and the decoupling is going to proceed with massive pace,” said geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan. Zeihan is forecasting a minimum of ten percent inflation for the balance of the year. On his YouTube channel, Zeihan said he does not see a quick solution. “We have two cults of personality on both sides of the Pacific who basically ignore what few advisors they have left,” said Zeihan. “It is now a battle of egos with the rest of us caught in the middle and it will not end well.”

Risk Management Tools Serve as a Backstop – President Trump authorized a 90-day pause on new tariffs on every country around the world, except China. Terrain Executive Head John Newton sees that as an opportunity for our trading partners to come to the table and negotiate trade deals. The markets have gone through wild gyrations this past week with the uncertainty over trade and tariffs. No one knows how this will end. “The good news is the crop insurance guarantees are stronger than they were several years ago when we were in a similar situation,” said Newton. “The ARC and PLC guarantees are stronger than they were when we were in a similar situation so your risk management tools are a little bit more robust to help you should this not be resolved by harvest time.” Listen to the full interview.

Tariff Strategy Under Fire in Senate Finance Committee – The Senate Finance Committee reviewed tariffs and trade policy during Tuesday’s hearing. Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden had many questions about the trade policies coming from the Trump administration. “What is the plan? In the last week. The White House has been all over the map when it comes to this question. There is no clear message of how the tariffs were determined, what they are supposed to accomplish, how long they will be in place, whether they are a negotiating tool or a move to try and cut the United States off from global trade and usher in a new era of 1870s style protectionism.” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer underscored the need for addressing the national debt emergency and described the tariff strategy as a negotiating tool. Greer also highlighted the White House’s desire to have products made in America. “The most certain way to not have a tariff is to build your factory in the United States. If people want to use other countries and insist on that, then we want to make sure that they’re not using that to arbitrage for higher-tariff jurisdictions to use them as an unfair export platform.”

Senators Press USTR on Impact of Tariffs on Farmers – Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and 18 of her colleagues have sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer seeking information on the Administration’s tariff agenda. The lawmakers want to determine if an analysis was done to consider the tariffs’ impact on agriculture. “Are you looking at just what the President wants to do that day or are you actually looking at how this affects farmers?” In the first Trump Administration, farmers received Market Transition Payments to offset the losses from the trade war with China. In an interview with the Red River Farm Network, Klobuchar said she’ll advocate for that assistance, but that doesn’t solve the problem. “The last time I checked our farmers wanted trade, not aid and this idea that we’re just going to throw a bunch of money at it when we could allow them to be expanding markets,” said Klobuchar. “To me, the long-term solution is expanding markets.” Klobuchar is on a 19-county Rural Economy Tour, including stops in Breckenridge and Moorhead on Friday. Listen to the full interview. 

Grassley: Congress Must Regain Trade Role – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley introduced a bill requiring the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of imposing new tariffs, with a 60-day window for congressional approval. Grassley said the measure isn’t aimed at President Trump but is instead a way to reassert congressional authority over trade policy. “It gives me a chance to talk about the constitutional responsibilities under Article 1 of the Constitution,” Grassley said, pointing to Congress’s role in regulating commerce. He added that past legislation gave too much trade authority to the executive branch. “Congress made a mistake and we ought to correct it.”

Hit Hard by Tariff Strategy – According to North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne, North Dakota farmers and ranchers are among the most vulnerable to the current tariff strategy. “North Dakota will be hardest hit by these tariffs” due to its reliance on export markets. Watne urged a more measured approach to trade policy, noting the confusion and uncertainty seen now in global markets. “We need Congress to step up and exercise its constitutional authority,” he said. He also warned that damaged trade relationships could hurt long-term export opportunities.

A New Plan for Shipping Fees – The White House has revised plans to charge massive port fees for Chinese-built ships. The new plan will be based on ship capacity, lowering the cost for smaller ships coming into U.S. ports. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office is also considering lower fees for ships carrying ag commodities. The original plan would charge Chinese-built ships between $500,000 and $1.5 million each time they docked in a U.S. port.

Panama Canal MOU Signed – After two days in Panama City, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum of understanding with Panamanian leaders regarding the Panama Canal. With this agreement, Panama will reimburse U.S. ships for any transit fees through this important trade route. In February, Panama agreed to end China’s investment in infrastructure on the Panama Canal. Previously, President Trump threatened to end the treaty with the local government and take back control of the waterway.

House Passes Budget Resolution Ahead of Two-Week Recess – The House passed the Senate budget framework with a 216-214 vote. The White House and House leadership was able to secure enough votes from conservative Republicans to push the bill over the finish line. The House had to pass a budget resolution identical to the Senate bill to begin the budget reconciliation process. The Senate will now be able to pass budget reconciliation with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes necessary to avoid a filibuster. The so-called ‘big, beautiful bill’ will likely include a permanent extension to the 2017 tax cuts. It may also be a path forward for the farm bill.

Farm Assistance Expected – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was on FOX News Sunday to discuss the tariff situation. Rollins said she is confident financial assistance will be available for farmers hurt by the trade war with China. Rollins said she discussed that assistance with Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chair John Hoeven last week.

Protecting the Ag Labor Pool – In Thursday’s cabinet meeting, President Trump addressed the farm labor shortage. Trump suggested a plan to give undocumented workers an opportunity to work legally on the farm. “We’re going to be working on that so a farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people saying they’re great (and) they’re working hard, we’re going to slow it down a little bit for them. We’ll ultimately bring them back; they’ll go out, they’re going to come back as legal workers.”

More Than 10% of USDA Employees Take Second Buyout Offer – The buyout offer expired on Tuesday. The deferred resignation includes paid leave through September and is seen as a precursor to mandatory job cuts. Politico reports as many as 12,000 USDA employees accepted the buyout. That’s from a total workforce of 100,000 people.

Farm Bill Funding Depends on Budget Reconciliation – Before Congress went on its two-week spring recess, House Republicans were able to pass the Senate budget resolution. That clears the path for budget reconciliation. There is speculation that lawmakers will use budget reconciliation to pass individual titles of the farm bill rather than one, big comprehensive bill. Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar met with Ag Committee Chair John Boozman and Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Chair John Hoeven to discuss this issue. Klobuchar said agriculture has been hit hard by tariffs, weather, and animal disease. “What we’re all doing is pushing into that reconciliation bill to make sure there’s enough so we can actually have a farm bill coming out of that because that will settle out of the baseline amount.”

SNAP and the Farm Bill – If the Republican majority in the House takes a big whack out of the food stamp or nutrition programs, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig said the farm bill will fail. “This committee truly has a choice before it,” said Craig. “Do we want to make American families hungrier and farmers poorer so that a handful of billionaires can get richer or do we want to pass a bipartisan five-year farm bill?” Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson refused to back down. “Clearly, there is a need to strengthen the connection between receiving SNAP and securing employment,” said Thompson. “We can examine the relationship between SNAP and employment by taking a closer look at two key components of the program. work requirements and SNAP employment and technical education programs.”

Bipartisan Support for USDA Office of the Special Investigator – A bill has been introduced in the Senate to create a special investigation office within USDA’s Packers and Stockyards division. This office would address competition issues within the meatpacking industry. Similar legislation was introduced in 2022 and 2023. North Dakota Senator John Hoeven and South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds are co-sponsors of the bill.

A Battle Over Water – President Donald Trump is threatening Mexico with tariffs and sanctions in a dispute over water. Since the mid-1940s, the U.S. and Mexico have had a water treaty. The U.S. shares water from the Colorado River with Mexico and Mexico delivers water from the Rio Grande to U.S. farmers. A four-year drought has impacted the water supply. In a social media post, Trump said the consequences will increase until Mexico honors the water treaty.

Rippey: Dry Conditions Could Persist Across Northern Plains – USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey cautions that lingering drought conditions and below-average snowfall in North Dakota could create challenges for the 2025 growing season. “We are looking at soils that are fairly dry, even in some of the non-drought areas,” Rippey explained. “As you move further south and west, increasingly significant levels of drought exist, particularly toward the Montana border and into South Dakota.” While short-term weather patterns have improved, Rippey highlighted the potential of summer dryness. “Spring patterns look a little more optimistic with recent rain and snow. However, there’s a risk that a heat dome could move eastward in the summer, potentially tilting precipitation patterns toward dryness, not just in North Dakota but throughout the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains.”

Considerations for Early Planting – Parts of the Northern Plains should see opportunities for early planting, but Nutrien Ag Solutions Principal Atmospheric Scientist Eric Snodgrass remains cautious. “Some early planting windows are going to start to open up. We’re getting these waves of warmer air that come in, but I’m still a bit cautious because we typically have our last frost at some point in early May.” Early planting may still be the best bet. “The earlier we can get in, the better we are with pushing some of that longer-term heat and drought risk off later in the season.”

Seeding Starts in Central ND – Farmers in the Hazen, North Dakota area have started seeding spring wheat and durum. John Weinand says soil conditions are good right now. “It’s been awfully dry here, we finally did get about .60 (of an inch) out of two different recent snows so that’s beneficial. That actually sealed the deal, I think before that, it woulda been hard for things to green up, but now we’ve got some surface moisture.”

Planting Nears – Warmer weather is setting the stage for a strong start to planting. Peterson Farms Seed Lead Agronomist Rick Swenson said some farmers may begin fieldwork as early as this week, particularly for sugarbeets and wheat. Corn planting is expected to pick up after Easter. Swenson advised growers to watch for early weed pressure, especially with cool soil temperatures and the presence of resistant species. “Keep an eye on those weeds that are emerging early and try to get them controlled early.”

Fields Almost Ready, Rain Is Key – With planting season inching closer and closer, Pioneer Product Agronomist Zach Fore says the northern Red River Valley is close to ready. “It’ll depend on what happens with the rain in terms of when we can actually get in the field and do some planting,” said Fore. “In terms of planting and planting conditions, there certainly is plenty of moisture today so we’re in good shape that way. It’s really just a matter of when these fields get in good enough shape to go out and do some tilling.”

Tractor Time May Be Just Days Away – Farmers in the central Red River Valley are itching to get back into the tractor cab. “The field conditions for the time of year look pretty good,” said Kevin Sinner, field agronomist, Pioneer. “There’s only standing water where there are ditches, as you would expect it to be and obviously, it’s still going to be pretty tacky in a lot of these fields. I would venture a solid guess that frost is out for the most part in most fields now.” If the weather holds, Sinner estimates field activity could begin by mid-to-late week.

Canola Minute – Canola acreage is projected to be down from last year’s record high. In the Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman discusses the impact on canola stocks and the market. Listen here.

Cold Temps and Wet Fields Push Planting Schedule Back – Much of the Northern Plains is experiencing drought conditions heading into spring. However, there are areas with plenty of moisture. Rock and Roll Agronomy agronomist Jason Hanson says those farms could see delayed planting if they get more rain. “We do have some water sitting in fields, but it actually looks fairly dry considering we went into the fall very wet. That tells me we lost some moisture overall over the winter. I was out a week ago trying to do some soil sampling and it’s still too wet to get around and there’s still too much frost.” At this point, Hanson expects planting to start at the end of April at the earliest.

Corn Matters – The stewardship of treated seed is a must. In the Minnesota Corn Matters, Minnesota Corn Growers Association board member Todd Wentzel promotes best management practices. The report can be found at this link.

Managing for Success – Margins are tight in agriculture, but CHS Ag Services Senior Director of Operations Ryan Anderson does not anticipate major changes in how those acres are managed. “Our growers have been through this before,” said Anderson. “In visiting with growers, they want to have bushels to sell and they know that they’ve got to use the right inputs to do that.” The weather appears to be cooperating for a timely start to spring planting in the northern Red River Valley.  Anderson is happy with what he’s seeing for field conditions. “We didn’t have a lot of snowfall over the winter, but there is plenty (of moisture) to get the crop started.”

Spring Prep Includes Pre’s – Long-time crop consultant Greg LaPlante says there’s still plenty of topsoil moisture in the Wahpeton, North Dakota area due to late-season snow. “We’re still another good week from getting in and starting to do some field work.” Pre-emergence herbicides are recommended. “I would continue with my plans to get those on because once we get rolling, at least those pre-emergent herbicides will be activated with showers in April, the first part of May.”

Good Calving Conditions – NDSU Extension Livestock Specialist Lisa Pederson is hearing good things about this year’s calving season. “Overall, calving has been going extraordinarily well across the state; I would say that producers are getting concerned about the dry conditions and how long these conditions are going to last.” Pederson reminds ranchers to take care of their bulls. “Don’t forget to have breeding soundness exams done on your bulls just prior to turnout time.” said Pederson. “A lot of bulls today are sold with a breeding soundness exam, but we also encourage people to have those done again especially if it’s been quite a bit of time in between when that was done and when you’ll turn out.

MN Beef Update – May is Beef Month and the Minnesota Beef Council is getting ready. MBC CEO Kelly Schmidt is featured in this week’s Minnesota Beef Update. Click here to listen. 

Avian Influenza Update – In the latest update from USDA on avian influenza, four sites tested positive for the virus in poultry during April. All of those cases have been small flocks and were in New York and Colorado. There are 22 cases of the virus in dairy cattle over the past 30 days. These herds are in Idaho, California and Nevada.

A Full Schedule for PEAK Conference – The Midwest Poultry Federation PEAK Conference brings together the poultry industry to share information and network. “The hot topics for PEAK this year, first and foremost, is avian metapneumovirus,” said Ashley Kohls, executive director, MInnesota Turkey Growers Association. “We are talking about the modified live virus vaccine here in the United States and folks are seeing successes.” The PEAK Conference was held in Minneapolis.

MFBF Minute – In the Minnesota Farm Bureau Minute, MFBF Public Policy Director Loren Dauer highlights key legislative timelines and the impact on agriculture. Click here. 

MN Farm Groups Seek to Intervene in Water Litigation – The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Minnesota Trout Unlimited, and the Minnesota Well Owners Organization are suing the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Agriculture. They claim these state agencies have not done enough to protect ground and surface water in the Karst and Central Sands regions. A coalition of nine mainstream farm groups is seeking to intervene in this lawsuit to support MPCA and the agriculture department. Minnesota Pork Producers Association board member Maddie Hokanson says this issue is extremely important for farmers. “It impacts pig farms, it impacts poultry farms, it impacts crop farmers, it impacts dairy farms, it impacts everybody regardless of size and regardless of style of farming so we all came together and said we need to do something.” The other groups in the farm coalition represent the corn, soybean, wheat, dairy, beef, turkey, sugarbeet trade associations and Farm Bureau

MFU Hearing From Rural Minnesotans – The Minnesota Farmers Union has hosted town hall meetings. “We’ve been hearing from rural residents and farmers especially here in the last few weeks,” reports MFU Vice President Anne Schwagerl. “These are folks who feel like they’re not being heard,and their opinions aren’t being heard by elected representatives so we’re holding these town halls to hear directly from them.” Budget cuts and tariffs are dominating the discussion. “These federal funding cuts are directly impacting jobs in rural communities and farmers who have signed contracts with the federal government for conservation programs or clean energy programs, those contracts aren’t being honored. We’re hearing directly from our members who are very concerned about tariff policy and are skeptical of the administration’s line that short-term pain will equal long-term gain.” Learn more in the MFU Minute.

Work Will Continue on Environment Bill – The Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Committee has approved a $2.3 billion omnibus finance bill. It includes cuts to the DNR, Pollution Control Agency and the Board of Water and Soil Resources. Committee leadership called it a ‘bare bones’ budget that will meet the House deadline to approve finance bills. They also promised to continue to work on new provisions that will be in the final bill. It now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee.

ND Legislative Report – A conference committee delivered a 4-2 ‘do pass’ recommendation on a bill that is designed to protect access to crop protection products. HB 1318 has seen changes during the legislative process. Click here to listen to the North Dakota Legislative Report. 

50 is the New 40 – Fargo-based Bushel is out with its annual State of the Farm Report. Bushel CEO Jake Joraanstad highlightied this research at the Bloomberg Farm, Food, and Fuel Conference in Indianapolis Tuesday. Joraanstad says 50 years of age is the tipping point for technology adoption. “The trend line is very clear that 50 and under is seeing massive adoption of technology. (They’re) willing to use it on the farm, expecting it in their business, and expecting that if you’re a retailer, a co-op, or a grain company, you need to meet these farmers where they’re at, and that’s technology for anybody under 50.” More than 1,300 farmers were surveyed for this study. It found that face-to-face relationships are still extremely important to farmers. More recordkeeping is being done with some form of farm management software. The use of digital tools is also growing. “People are pretty fed up with the paper check.” Despite economic uncertainty, the Bushel study found farmers remain optimistic. Thirty-five percent plan to grow their businesses and only 15 percent are planning to scale down or quit farming. The State of the Farm Report is available online. 

U.S. Needs to Step Up the Investment in Biotechnology – A new report has been released in Washington, D.C., calling for urgent action to make biotechnology a national priority. The report from the National Security Commission on Emerging Technology said the United States is in danger of falling far behind foreign competitors, including China. Recommendations include the establishment of a national biotechnology policy office in the White House and promoting private investment through regulatory relief. The report received praise from the Corn Refiners Association, Ag Bioeconomy Coalition and more.

Consumer Slowdown Signals Trouble for Ag Economy – Uncertainty in global trade and falling consumer confidence are warning signs for U.S. agriculture, says Rob Fox, Director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. Declining sentiment is closely linked to reduced consumer spending, a major driver of the overall economy. “When you see confidence levels plummet like we have over the past few months, [you] usually wind up with a slowdown in consumer spending, and that’s almost 70 percent of the entire economy,” Fox said. “It’s almost impossible when you have a pullback from consumers for you not to have a significant drag on the economy as a whole.” Adding to the pressure is unpredictable trade policy, which Fox said leaves agribusinesses vulnerable to rapid shifts in rules and costs. “When policy can be made via tweet at the discretion of the President, that puts businesses in a real tough spot as far as planning [and] budgeting.”

Marketing Mistakes Cost Farmers in 2024 – At the Farm Business Management annual meeting in Crookston, Northland Farm Business Management instructor Ron Dvergsten discussed the varying income levels among Minnesota farmers. “A lot of it depends on land type, years of experience, and how you got started, but there’s also the general management of keeping expenditures down.” Dvergsten also highlighted the financial strain many farmers faced in 2024, particularly due to marketing mistakes. “Most of them would have to give themselves a C or lower for their marketing. A few of them probably should get an F.” Dvergsten pointed out that after years of high prices, many farmers misjudged the market, expecting prices to stay high, only to be caught with lower-than-expected returns.

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In today’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson said gold continues to set all-time highs. The grain markets also had a good week this past week. What’s not hot?  “Look at the dollar, that continues to get beat up on concerns about the economy.” Click here to listen. 

Jensen: Tariff Uncertainty Heightens Need for Risk Management – As tariff uncertainty continues to affect the ag industry, Northland Community and Technical College Farm Business Management Instructor Betsy Jensen emphasizes the growing need for risk management. “This year, the potential on exports is really a huge factor,” Jensen said. “None of us know what’s going to happen, and so I think it actually increases the need for risk management.” She urges farmers not to ignore these challenges, despite the temptation to avoid them.  Jensen also encourages farmers to focus on making small improvements. “There’s not a single person that has made one mistake,” she noted. “A lot of people have made the same mistakes. Just making little improvements for next year will help the profitability for farms.”

Plan Ahead – NDSU Crops Economist Frayne Olson advises farmers to have a marketing plan in place and not try to chase the markets. “Let the market come to you because nine times out of ten, you’re not going to hear about it (market top) until a day or so afterward anyway, and by then it’s going to be too late.” It’s not just about maximizing gains but also finding ways to reduce losses. “The simplest method we have is to use options and to try and buy puts. You still need to set a price level that is based on your cost of production and what you need for cash flow”

Farmers Urged to Know Costs, Manage Risk – With these volatile markets, SDSU Extension Livestock Business Management Specialist Heather Gessner wants farmers and ranchers to pay attention to the numbers. “It’s the part that they hate the most, but I truly believe when things are this crazy and we’re not sure what’s going to happen, we really need to know our cost of production.” This recommendation extends beyond crop production. “If you’ve got calves coming on, ground, you could look at LRP or if you’re buying calves to feed out, utilizing that insurance product might be something you want to look at.”

Nervous Fertilizer Markets – Tariffs have dominated the market headlines and the fertilizer markets were no exception. “Right now, the market is fearful,” said Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizer, StoneX. “It doesn’t know what to think or how things are going to change. There are a lot of questions and very few answers so that’s creating a very nervous emotional marketplace.” Most of the spring fertilizer needs were filled before the current tariff drama. Linville said the timing of these tariffs could have been worse. “Had this started on a global scale back in February (or) January, that would have been in my book the worst-case scenario because that’s when everybody starts to ramp up. That’s when everything really starts to hit the fan.”

FCA Board Receives Report on Ag Conditions – In its quarterly report on the farm economy, the Farm Credit Administration said farmers face an uncertain trade environment and the spring planting season with a strong balance sheet and favorable liquidity. Farm income is being supported by American Relief Act payments to crop farmers earlier in the year and positive returns from the livestock sector. The report said farmland values are showing signs of weakness, particularly for lower-quality land.

Survey Reinforces the Importance of Crop Insurance – A new national survey from National Crop Insurance Services finds that 91 percent of farmers purchased crop insurance in 2024, and 90 percent have done so consistently for the past five years. NCIS spokesperson Philip Hayes said the data highlights how essential crop insurance is to the agricultural community. “We found that crop insurance ranked the highest by a considerable margin, which tells us that, even though farmers are paying their own money for crop insurance protection, it is still the most valuable part of the farm safety net for them.” The survey also reveals that government premium support plays a critical role in keeping crop insurance accessible. “Only seven percent of the farmers in the country said, yeah, I think I could probably continue to buy about the same amount of protection so what that tells you is that 93 percent of the farmers out there would not be able to get the same level of crop insurance and that’s important for policymakers to understand.”

Driving Dairy Demand – The Midwest Dairy Annual Report highlights how the dairy checkoff built trust with consumers, increased dairy sales, invested in research and developed dairy leaders. The report cites Midwest Dairy’s partnership with three major pizza chains this past year; Marco’s Pizza, Pizza Ranch and Godfathers. The cheese promotions drove an additional 3.4 million pounds of milk sales. The report can be found online. 

Getting the Crop Off to a Strong Start – Residuals are critically important for effective weed control. BASF Technical Marketing Manager Liam Vincent says residual herbicides establish a foundation to start the season. “We get that activating rainfall and if the rain shuts off as the season goes on, you have protection from that residual to get your crops off to a strong start and hold off off those weeds from emerging,” said Vincent. “It buys you a lot of application time for those post-emergent herbicides that are to follow.” Vincent says there are two main knock-down herbicides with 2,4-D and Liberty/Liberty Ultra. “We really have to set up those active ingredients for success with a strong pre that reduces the number of weeds that have to be sprayed and that may be a mindset shift.”

Evaluating the Fungicide Decison – Syngenta has released a new tool to help farmers evaluate the value of fungicide. It includes a breakeven meter to maximize yield potential This tool can be found at BoostYourBushels.com.

Dairy Export Excellence Recognized – The U.S. Dairy Export Council has announced the winners of its Excellence in Exports Awards. Actus Nutrition, which was formerly known as Milk Specialties Global, was recognized for introducing U.S. caseins and caseinates to the global market. David Ahlem of Hilmar Cheese Company was honored for developing innovations in dairy exports.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, we learn about a Field to Fork event that promoted dry edible beans. Binford, North Dadkota farmer Megan Overby was part of the Ramsey County event. Click here to listen.

Celebrating the Best of the Best – Agricultural advertising was celebrated at the National Agri-Marketing Association Best of NAMA awards program. Mustang Seeds won the Best of Show Award for Public Relations. The top advertising award went to Sun World International. The Best of Show in the digital category belongs to John Deere and Purina Animal Nutrition won the specialty category. The awards were part of the NAMA conference in Kansas City.

Fonkert Succeeds Lindberg at SD Trade – South Dakota Trade has named Jesse Fonkert as its new president and chief executive officer. Fonkert is the deputy commissioner in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Fonkert succeeds Luke Lindberg, who has been nominated to serve as the USDA undersecretary of trade of foreign agricultural affairs.

SD Corn Comments – In South Dakota Corn Comments, Jim Woster offers a special Easter message. Click here to listen.

Kuck Hired for NCGA DC Office – Gretchen Kuck has joined the National Corn Growers Association as an economist. Kuck previously served as an agricultural economist at USDA and a contractor for the Office of Agricultural Policy at the U.S. State Department.

Former Moroccan Ag Minister Receives One of UM’s Highest Honors – The University of Minnesota has presented its Outstanding Achievement Award to former Moroccan Agriculture Minister Mohammed Sadiki. Sadiki earned his PhD in plant genetics from the ‘U’ in 1990. He was one of 400 Moroccans who earned doctorate or master’s degrees through a USAID project known as the ‘Minnesota Project.’ “The people that were trained here, they had the responsibility to teach and to train in Morocco so the impact is really huge and it has also had an impact on the agricultural policy in Morocco through adoptation of what they learned in the United States.” The ‘Minnesota Project’ was in place for 20 years beginning in the 1970s. Sadiki said the impact continues to be seen today with University of Minnesota graduates having important roles in Moroccan public and private agricultural sector. Listen to the full interview. 

From Freelance to Corporate Communications – Beginning in mid-May, Kenna Rathai will join AgroLiquid as its corporate communications specialist. Rathai currently oversees Kenna B. Rathai Communications as a freelance public relations professional.

Star Finalists Named – The finalists for the Minnesota FFA Star awards have been announced. Chris Schafer of Grand Rapids and Marin Knott of Tracy Area FFA are finalists for the Star in AgriScience. The Star in Agribusiness finalists are Adreanna Kaas of Milaca, Ole Rogness of Litchfield, Jilian Schoenfeld of Russell-Tyler-Ruthon and Eden Messerli of Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop. The students in the running for the Star in Production Placement are Sarah Arends of Ada-Borum-West, Derik Johnson of Willmar, Samantha Henning of Jackson County Central and William Bastian of Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop. The Minnesota FFA Convention will be April 27-28 in the Twin Cities.