Farm Bill on the Back Burner in the Upper Chamber – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has outlined his legislative priorities for the weeks and months ahead and the farm bill was not mentioned. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson has been more optimistic, saying action could be seen in the House by Memorial Day. The extension of the current farm bill expires at the end of September.

Farm Bill Remains in Limbo – The current farm bill extension expires at the end of September and there’s no apparent timeline for a vote in either chamber. Minnesota Senator Tina Smith, who is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is anxious to move forward with the farm bill. “I just had a long meeting with Chair Debbie Stabenow from Michigan and I know many of us on the committee and Senator Stabenow are really eager to get this done,” said Smith. “It’s no secret we’ve been having a couple of big disagreements (over budget priorities) on the farm bill.”  Stabenow will retire at the end of this year and wants to get the farm bill done on her watch. However, Smith emphasized Stabenow will only support legislation that is good for farmers and consumers. “It’s pretty likely that our very own Minnesota (Senator) Amy Klobuchar will be the next chair or ranking member of the agriculture committee and so that’ll be really great for us in Minnesota.” Listen to the RRFN interview with Smith.

FARMER Act-Good for Farmers and Taxpayers – North Dakota Senator John Hoeven has introduced the Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience or FARMER Act. In Hoeven’s view, this proposal puts the farm back into the farm bill. “That means we’ve got enhanced crop insurance, which is exactly what this bill does and we have to strengthen the countercyclical safety net, ARC and PLC.” The FARMER Act increases premium support, allowing farmers to buy up for higher levels of coverage. It expands the Supplemental Coverage Option and delivers flexibility for participating in the ARC and PLC programs. “It doesn’t only benefit farmers, it benefits taxpayers. For a fraction of the cost of what you’re going to do in ad hoc disaster bills you have the kind of coverage that farmers need and know that they can count on.”

Boozman Lauds FARMER Act – Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman praised North Dakota Senator John Hoeven’s FARMER Act from the Senate floor. Boozman said work must be done to enhance the safety net for farmers and ranchers in the farm bill. “Here’s the reality; producers are experiencing unprecedented challenges, regulatory uncertainty, and historic volatility in the farm economy,” said Boozman. “A producer from Minnesota told me recently that record-high input costs coupled with declining crop prices would mean that she would have to harvest a record yield just to break even.”

Crop Insurance Enhancements an Improvement Over Ad Hoc Disaster Payments – North Dakota Farmers Union President Mark Watne joined Senator Hoeven in the announcement about the FARMER crop insurance reform plan. Watne said North Dakota farmers have relied on ad hoc disaster programs since 2018. “That’s not a sustainable way to fund farm programs,” said Watne. “Having a better crop insurance program within this farm bill can make that a substantially more equitable fair system.” Watne said NDFU supports this concept and would like this farm bill completed before the end of the year. “I’d hate to see us do another extension so I’m glad we’re moving forward and this is a key component.” In addition to Farmers Union, the FARMER Act has the support of numerous farm groups at the state and national level.

EWG Criticizes FARMER Act – The Environmental Working Group, which is a frequent critic of the crop insurance program, is criticizing Senator Hoeven’s farm bill proposal. EWG Midwest Director Anne Schechinger said the proposed changes will drive up taxpayer costs. “The CBO rated the changes under this new bill to cost around $4.2 billion so it’s going to cost potentially $4 billion if it is included in the farm bill this year and it remains to be seen where that money would come from.” EWG wants to protect farm bill funding for conservation and climate-smart agriculture programs.

Working on a Farm Bill Solution to Prop 12 – National Pork Producers Council President Lori Stevermer, who farms at Easton, Minnesota, said Prop 12 continues to be a legislative priority. “We are looking to the farm bill as a federal solution for Prop 12. That’s what the Supreme Court said, it’s an issue that Congress needs to fix. The comments I hear from producers are we don’t want a patchwork of regulations across the country so we’re looking to to get that federal solution.” A study conducted by USDA found the price of select pork products to be 20 percent higher in California with the new Prop 12 rules. Pork consumption in California are down eight-to-ten percent. “Higher prices, lower availability, that’s not the right situation for those individuals that already have concerns about food availability and food affordability.” The NPPC was on Capitol Hill taking their message to lawmakers.

Appeals Court Upheld California’s EV Mandate – The federal court of appeals in Washington, D.C. has upheld California’s vehicle emissions waiver, allowing the state to adopt more stringent fuel emission standards than the federal government. The California Air Resources Board is requiring 100 percent of the new light and medium-duty cars and trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have adopted the same standard. Minnesota is the only Midwestern state on that list.

Disappointed, Not Surprised – South Dakota Corn Growers Association Executive Director Danita Murray is not completely surprised by the appeals court ruling on the California Clean Air waiver, but is disappointed. “When it comes to emissions, we think that there are smarter things that can be done to help with some of the issues that the Biden Administration is trying to address,” said Murray. “Biofuels are an important part of that solution and need to be looked at with the best available science. We’re disappointed and we’ll keep working away at the policy side of this equation.” There’s more than one case dealing with greenhouse gas emissions moving through the courts. There is speculation one of those cases could end up in front of the Supreme Court.

MSGA: Another Appeal is Likely – The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association was one of the organizations challenging the waiver of California’s zero-emissions standard. MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek was not surprised by the ruling. Another appeal is likely. “The big group of petitioners is going to meet soon to decide do we try to get a rehearing from the whole district court in D.C. or if we’re just going to appeal to the Supreme Court,” said Smentek. “I think we have about 60 days to make those determinations.” Once the case is appealed, it has to get on the court calendar. The justices will ultimately determine if they will take the case or not. “It could be a while before we have a final answer.”

Challenging the Brazilian Tariff on U.S. Ethanol – The U.S. Grains Council, Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy have filed joint comments with the Brazilian Chamber of Foreign Trade regarding the Brazilian tariff on U.S. ethanol imports. As of the beginning of the year, the Brazilian duty was at 18 percent on U.S. imports. At the same time, Brazilian ethanol has duty-free access to the U.S. market.

E15 Waiver Sought for Summer Driving Season – A bipartisan group of senators has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to allow the sale of E15 fuel during the summer driving season. Similar waivers were granted in the past two years.  The lawmakers signing this letter included both senators from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

NCBA Condemns Endangered Species Rules – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Public Lands Council have condemned the Biden Administration’s three finalized Endangered Species rulemakings. NCBA Director of Government Affairs Sigrid Johannes said one aspect is especially concerning, the unoccupied critical habitat designation. “The Fish and Wildlife Service previously was only allowed to designate critical habitat in an unoccupied area, meaning the species in question doesn’t currently live there.” Johannes said this removes important guardrails. “That ability to pretty much label critical habitat wherever they want as they see fit is really concerning for us.” Pushback on these rules will likely have to go through the judicial system.

No Relief in Sight for Ag Labor Challenge – Workforce shortages are an issue throughout the economy. “That issue of labor is a big deal to us,” said Rob Brenneman, vice president, National Pork Producers Council. California’s Prop 12 policy has only added to the problem. “We have a large Prop 12 farm; that definitely requires more labor.” Brenneman farms in Iowa and was part of the NPPC visit to Capitol Hill.

NASS Drops Key Reports – USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service has canceled the 2024 July Cattle Report, discontinued the Cotton Objective Yield Survey as well as all county estimates for crops and livestock. The decision is effective this year. USDA Statistics Division Director Troy Joshua said it’s hard to measure the potential impact. “There is always a utilization of all of the information that we provide to the public; we are going to hear from our data users if they have a concern.” Joshua cites budget considerations as a reason for this action. “We have to balance the budget by the end of the year and we made some difficult decisions.”

No Impact on Crop Insurance Program – Crop insurance shouldn’t be impacted by the National Ag Statistics Service decision to drop county data collection. “We no longer use that data for crop insurance,” said Rich Morrison, vice president of farm services, NAU Country. “About three years ago, the crop insurance industry moved to using its own data which farmers turn in from their production history.” In some ways, Morrison believes the NASS numbers have been redundant.

NCBA Opposes NASS Decision – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is calling on USDA to reverse its decision to cancel the July cattle inventory report and county estimates for crops and livestock. In a statement, the NCBA said it may be “politically expedient” to blame Congress for the budget decision and the decision to end these reports is “completely misguided.”

Lost Information – NDSU Extension Livestock Economist Tim Petry says the loss of the USDA July Cattle Report is devastating. The decision is happening when the cattle herd is at a 73-year low. “We’re in cyclical transition expecting herd rebuilding to begin, but we don’t know how that’s going. We’ll have to wait a whole year to see what’s happening and that will be really difficult for those of us who are involved day to day trying to predict prices and see what’s going on in the industry.” In addition, the July report has also provided the first estimate of the calf crop.

CPI Rises Higher Than Expected – The Consumer Price Index rose 3.5 percent from one year ago. That’s up considerably from February’s 3.2 percent. It is also the highest rate of inflation since November. There’s speculation this news will force the Federal Reserve to hold off on any interest rate cuts. The U.S. dollar rallied, reaching its highest level since last November.

MN Farm Income Takes a 76% Hit – University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management Extension Economist Pauline Van Nurden reports the 2023 median net farm income for Minnesota farms fell 76 percent from the previous year. This is largely due to rising costs and around-average yields. “Not only were prices falling, but input costs were sticky and fairly high across the board,” said Van Nurden. “Looking forward, we are unfortunately probably expecting another challenging year, just given the fact that corn and soybean prices haven’t rallied.”

A Lean Year Ahead – Despite average crop yields, Minnesota farmers had a rough 2023. Northland Community and Technical College Farm Business Management Instructor Betsy Jensen blames rising input costs. “Repairs have almost doubled, land rent has almost doubled, fertilizer has almost doubled and everything else has increased significantly. There’s a significant jump in expenses per acre and I’m not sure how we’re going to sustain that.” Jensen says margins will likely remain tight. “Every penny matters; 2023 profitability was not great and 2024 cash-flows are even worse.”

SD Corn Comments – A recent study highlighted a recent report that showed the fertilizer market was highly concentrated. South Dakota Corn Executive Director DaNita Murray highlighted details of the report in this week’s South Dakota Corn Comments.

Farm Income Forecast – Farm income is expected to remain under pressure this year. “It’s still slightly above what would be the longer-term average,” said Ty Kreitman, associate economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. “This is primarily driven by lower commodity prices.” Kreitman pointed to a decline in row crop prices and the record-low cattle inventory as key takeaways for 2024. FDIC Supervisory Examiner Joe Koenigsman sees climbing interest rates as a key risk. “Going from four-and-a-half percent to nine and ten percent on ag loans is a substantial amount. That interest cost is going to have to be managed and coupled with low commodity prices at the same time.” Kreitman and Koenigsman testified at Thursday’s Commodity Futures Trading Commission Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting.

The Sky is Not Falling – Farm Credit  Administration Senior Credit Risk Specialist Scott Donnelly sees the net farm income projections as a return to the trendline and not a doomsday scenario. “Those that are disciplined will be in good shape. The key component here is knowing the cost of production.”

Fielding Questions – The Fielding Questions podcast is a collaboration between AgCountry Farm Credit Services and the Red River Farm Network. In this episode, AgCountry Vice President of Insurance and Commodity Market Education Rob Fronning discusses early planting progress and the importance of a marketing plan. “It is always good to have a marketing plan developed early,” said Fronning. “Just like you get the equipment ready for spring, be ready to act when that opportunity presents itself.” Knowing the cost of production is critical.

A Quiet Report – USDA made minor changes in the April supply and demand report. Wheat ending stocks were raised to 698 million bushels from 673 million in March. Corn ending stocks were nearly unchanged at 2.12 million bushels. Soybean ending stocks were raised from 315 million bushels last month March to 340 million bushels. The report made no changes to Brazil’s corn or soybean production but did lower Argentina’s corn production by 1 million metric tons.

South American Production Figures Far Apart – USDA made no changes to size of Brazil’s crop and cut Argentina’s corn production by one million tonnes in Thursday’s supply and demand report. “That creates a bigger divergence and separation between the Argentine production estimates by the Argentine Grains Exchange and CONAB in Brazil,” said Mike Zuzolo, president, Global Commodity Analytics and Consulting. “If you combine those for Brazil and Argentina, we’re talking about 15 to 18 million metric tons tighter production number from those agencies versus USDA’s numbers for the corn and 10 to 11 million metric tons for the soybeans.”

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson says the gold market continues to hold strength based on economic concerns. On the other side of the ledger, Martinson remains disappointed in the grain markets. “The farm commodities are seeing more pressure.”

Another Rough Year for Kansas Wheat – The winter wheat in Kansas is working its way out of dormancy, but the crop is off to a rough start. “We’re pretty far ahead of schedule as far as spring greening up is concerned, especially in the southern one-third to one-half of the state, because of abnormally warm weather,” reports Aaron Harries, vice president of research and operations, Kansas Wheat Commission. “It certainly looks better than it has in the last few years when we were devastated by drought, unfortunately, drought is expanding once again in Kansas.” Recent winds of 50-to-70 miles per hour and extreme heat have been a concern. “The prognosis for the next few weeks is not very good.”

Cold, Dry Conditions in Northern North Dakota – According to O’Toole Seed owner Brian O’Toole, it’s too early to be planting much beyond small grains. “We’re sending loads of wheat out, but as far as the other commodities, the planting dates aren’t available for putting them in the ground for crop insurance purposes.” O’Toole is based at Crystal, North Dakota and said there’s still frost in the ground near the North Dakota/Canada border. “There’s no doubt we’re dry. The weather patterns seem to be falling south of us.”

WestBred Wheat Report – In the latest WestBred Wheat Report, WestBred Technical Product Manager Justin Berg says wheat is being seeded in the region. Berg asks growers to work with their local retailer on seed count. “I would also suggest growers get that that seed in the ground at an inch-and-a-half deep into those nice soils.” WestBred product remains available for last-minute seed decisions.

Concern Goes Beyond Soil Temp at Planting – University of Minnesota Extension corn agronomist Jeff Coulter feels weather after corn planting is more critical than the soil temperature. “For corn, we don’t need to wait until the soil temperature is 50 degrees for planting, we just need 50 degrees for germination to occur.” Problems arise if the soil temperature drops to the low 40s or below within one to two days after planting the corn. “If that happens, we can run into some issues with emergence and the need for replanting.” Proper soil conditions are also very important.

Cold Imbibitional Chilling=Poor Stand – Asgrow Dekalb Technical Agronomist Grant Mehring asks farmers to watch the forecast when making their planting plans. “When you have freshly germinated corn and end up with too much rain and the soils cool down, you’ll end up with a poor stand due to cold imbibitional chilling. It happens more than you’d think.”

Prepping for Planting Season – Sugarbeet planting has begun. American Crystal Sugar Company General Agronomist Joe Hastings emphasizes the importance of preparation. “Double-check your varieties, look at their disease tolerance, the packaging they have for those traits and make sure you’re placing them on the right fields that have the right type of pressures that variety can handle.” Early season weed control is another priority.

Beet Stock Values – According to Acres & Shares broker Jayson Menke, there was one American Crystal Sugar Company beet stock sale last week for 19 shares at $6,000 per share. “With sugarbeet planting underway, the beet stock trading season may be over or at least winding down,” Menke said. “Historically, when we’ve had early planting the trading season ends early. More than likely, if there are additional sales it will smaller volume.”

Act of God Contracts Remain Popular – Act of God contracts are a popular way of reducing yield risk for specialty crops with no futures market. According to National Sunflower Association Executive Director John Sandbakken,  Act of God Contracts allow farmers to lock in prices now for fall delivery. “It takes some of that risk away,” Sandbakken said. “It’s just another incentive to plant the acres and handle the risk a little better.” With Act of God contracts backing them, Sandbakken sees sunflowers and other specialty crops as a way to diversify market risk.

Putting on Extra Pounds – According to South Dakota State University Extension Risk and Business Management Specialist Matthew Diersen, cheap corn resulted in cattle being fed longer or to heavier weights. “We’ve got higher slaughter weights that we don’t normally get in January, February, March.” Diersen said there is a chance that cattle will continue to be fed to unseasonably higher weights for a while. “There’s an incentive for feedlots to feed cattle a little bit longer or get as many pounds on them as they can.”

Testing Underway to Prevent the Spread of Bovine Flu – USDA is working with state animal health officials to collect data about the spread of bovine influenza A virus in dairy cattle. Chief Veterinary Officer Rosemary Sifford stresses the importance of this information. “It is important to us at this time to receive samples from these herds so we can get a more clear picture of what is going on,” said Sifford. “So far, it appears that the cattle can recover after a couple of weeks.”

Words Matter – The American Association of Bovine Practitioners is now referring to highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle as bovine influenza A virus. The disease presents itself very differently in cattle than poultry and should not be referenced as ‘HPAI in cattle’ or ‘bird flu in cattle.’ The organization is asking the government and industry to also adopt the name change.

HPAI Highlights the Need for Biosecurity – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is not a major concern for pork producers, but it is being monitored. Obviously, it’s something that’s on our radar,” said Scott Hays, immediate past president, National Pork Producers Council. “We don’t feel like it’s a huge threat to our industry by any stretch of the imagination, but we would encourage producers to continue to look at their biosecurity plan.” A strong traceability program is a must. “A good traceability program across the country will help us monitor that situation; help us with cleaning a herd up if that’s needed in any situation and it assures consumers that we have a state of supply of protein or pork for them.”

Document Your Losses – As of Friday, Bovine Influenza A Virus has been confirmed in dairy cattle in eight states. That list includes one dairy herd from South Dakota. “I suspect we will some,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “We may have it already.” Indemnity payments are made to poultry farms impacted by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The Red River Farm Network asked Petersen if dairy farmers can expect similar assistance. “Document your losses, just like we do for other disasters and if the USDA comes with an indemnity-type plan we would be able to hopefully help those farmers out. People are saying the cow doesn’t die, but it doesn’t give milk and there is a loss of production.”

HPAI Confirmed in MN Turkey Flock – A Meeker County turkey flock is the first commercial poultry operation in Minnesota to be confirmed with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2024. This farm had 70,000 birds. In the past two years, Minnesota has lost more commercial poultry flocks to HPAI than any other state.

Trade Trip to India Coming Up – USDA Undersecretary Alexis Tayler will lead a trade mission to India the week of April 22. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will be part of the delegation. Nearly 50 ag groups and agribusinesses will also participate. That list includes the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Soybean Export Council, U.S. Dairy Export Council and the American Seed Trade Association.

Canola Minute – Here’s the latest Canola Minute from the Northern Canola Growers Association. Members of the Northern Canola Growers Association attended the U.S. Canola Association Meeting in Washington D.C. Northern Canola Growers Executive Director Barry Coleman provides a recap from the event in this week’s Canola Minute.

Seeking Market Access for Table Stock Potatoes – In conjunction with the Japanese prime minister’s visit to the United States, a bipartisan group of lawmakers renewed the call for Japan to open its market to fresh U.S. potatoes. Japan has blocked market access for U.S. fresh potatoes for nearly 30 years. The lawmakers said there is no valid phytosanitary justification for this issue for table stock potatoes.

A Vegetable or a Grain? – An attempt to reclassify potatoes as a grain in the U.S. dietary guidelines is being considered as a serious threat by the potato industry. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles said there have been very aggressive efforts by food activists to limit potato consumption. :They have been very bold in saying that it’s their determination that people eat too many potatoes and they want to have the government step in and make those decisions for consumers,” said Quarles. “This is part of a long-running battle that goes back over ten years.” Quarles emphasized there is no debate among scientists, the potato is a vegetable.

Food Allowances Change for WIC Participants – The Agriculture Department has announced changes to the federal nutrition program. It increases the allowance for fruits and vegetables in the Women, Infants and Children program and reduces the amount of dairy and cheese products. It also makes plant-based and lactose-free dairy options more available. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said this decision reflects the latest nutritional science. Meanwhile, National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Gregg Doud is upset with the decision, saying it reduces access to the essential nutrients in dairy products.

MFBF Minute – Minnesota county Farm Bureau organizations are encouraged to take part in food awareness events. Many counties chose to donate and volunteer at food shelves across the state in February and March. Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Education Coordinator Pam Debele joins this week’s MFBF Minute to provide details.

A Big Week in the MN Legislature – The omnibus finance and appropriation bills face a Friday deadline. One of the big issues facing agriculture during this session is water quality. Cory Bennett, who lobbies on behalf of a handful of farm groups, said these proposals are focused on eight counties in southeastern Minnesota but may have consequences for the rest of the state. “Especially when they’re looking at putting in fertilizer fees that would be paid by the farmers across the entire state. We’re going to get a really good look at what the priorities are in regard to the Legislature this week and what they want to do. Will they use some of their Clean Water funds? Will they do some sort of fee on fertilizer? Will they look at tax credits? All those things are yet to be determined.”

TX Farmers Sue USDA Over Discrimination Allegation – Four Texas farmers are suing USDA for prioritizing socially disadvantaged farmers when making disaster and pandemic relief payments. The lawsuit argues it is unconstitutional for this assistance to be based on race and sex.

Time for the SD FFA Convention – The 96th Annual South Dakota State FFA Convention begins Thursday in Brookings. National FFA Southern Region Vice President Carter Howell will be participating in this year’s event. The agenda also includes judging, workshops and leadership development events. RRFN’s coverage is sponsored by the South Dakota Farmers Union, Full Circle Ag, South Dakota Corn Council and South Dakota Farm Bureau

Farming for the Future – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Red River Farm Network and the Linder Farm Network to provide information on soil health events and topics. Clarissa Levi joins Farming for the Future this week to discuss pest and disease management planning. Weather conditions throughout winter could impact pressures this growing season Levi encourages farmers to watch thresholds to mitigate any impact on water quality.

Innovation Highlighted at New Uses Forum – The Agriculture Utilization Research Institute hosted its New Uses Forum Tuesday in Mankato. During a panel discussion, Fluid Quip Technologies President Neal Jakel said innovation is beginning in the farm field and continuing throughout the system. “We have just begun to touch on what CRISPR and some of those other technologies can do to truly utilize that carbon molecule that the corn produces today and how do you extract that carbon and make it into something more valuable?” Jakel expects ethanol plants to continue to diversify their production.

U of M Cover Crop App: GreenCovR – The University of Minnesota has developed a web-based app that collects data on cover crops. According to University of Minnesota Water Resources and Soil Health Extension Educator Bailey Tangan, the GreenCovR application provides comprehensive information. “We created this tool so folks can see different areas of the state, different cover crop species mixes, management information and see how much percent green cover they’re actually getting right before they terminate the cover crop.” Tangan encourages farmers with cover crop systems to upload data to the website.

Female Ag Leaders Gather in Chaska – The 2024 Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference was held Wednesday in Chaska, Minnesota. Co-founder Doris Mold said this event began to provide more leadership opportunities for women in agriculture. “There had been a huge study that had come out that talked about ag leadership in the state of Minnesota and beyond and it pointed out that women were really lagging behind in leadership opportunities,” said Mold. “We thought we’d put this together so women would have a strong network and they could join together and learn new things from each other; it’s really been a wonderful event.”

AURI Update – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute will host a webinar on April 18th covering post-harvest handling methods and quality control targets. This weeks AURI Update gives the details and invites you to participate.

No New Collaboration for CHS-Growmark – In January, the board and management of CHS and Growmark announced they were exploring a possible merger. “Both companies went in with our eyes wide open seeing if there’s something more in addition to the ventures we have together already,” said Jay Debertin, president/CEO, CHS. “The conclusion of that work both by the boards and the management team ended without going any further. We still have ventures together. We’ll continue those, but nothing in addition to them.” CHS announced second-quarter earnings of just over $170 million, down from record financials in the past two years. Margins are tighter at the farm level Debertin said that is being reflected in crop input purchases. Listen to the full interview.

Ground Broken for New Biorefinery Project – ADM and Solugen Inc. are partnering on a biorefinery project at Marshall, Minnesota. This plant will use corn syrup as a feedstock to produce low-carbon acids for use in agriculture and other industries. This facility will be built next to ADM’s corn processing plant and should be in operation next year.

Hormel Settles – Pending final approval by the courts, Hormel Foods will pay $2.4 million to settle a price-fixing lawsuit. Major packers were accused of conspiring together to manage supply and control prices. The settlement states this deal is not an admission of wrongdoing. Settlements were made previously with JBS and Tyson.

PTx Brand Launched – AGCO has launched a new brand for its precision agriculture technology. AGCO’s technology portfolio includes Precision Planting and a new joint venture with Trimble.  PTx will allow farmers to retrofit the latest technologies to nearly any make or model of equipment. AGCO completed its joint venture with Trimble on April 1 to form PTx Trimble.

AgroLiquid Product Awarded Inaugural Certification Label – The Fertilizer Institute has awarded PrimAgro C-Tech with its prestigious Certified Biostimulant certification label. The AgroLiquid product is the first to receive this recognition. TFI’s Biostimulant Certification Program was created to provide assurances to manufacturers, ag retailers and farmers about the efficacy, safety and composition of the product.

New Rangers Coming to Market – Polaris has introduced its 2025 Ranger lineup with models specifically designed for farmers and ranchers. Zach Johnson, who is known as the Millennial Farmer in social media, hosted the launch of the new UTVs. The new Ranger lineup is being shipped to dealers this month.

Sawatzke, Hawkins Reelected – The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has reelected Erica Sawatzke as president and Peggy Anne Hawkins as vice president. Sawatzke is a turkey farmer at Kensington. Hawkins is a veterinarian at Northfield. The BOAH is a seven-member citizen board appointed by the governor.

Midwest Dry Bean Group Elects Inaugural Officer Team – The Midwest Dry Bean Coalition has elected its new officer team. John Berthold of Green Valley Bean Company is the president. Dylan Karley, who is with Johnstown Bean Company and North Central Commodities, is vice president. Jacob Faugstad, who farms at Oklee, Minnesota, is secretary/treasurer. The Midwest Dry Bean Coalition is a new organization to advocate and identify better markets for dry beans.

Meristem Names Sales Rep for ND – Jennifer Posey-Williams has joined the Meristem Crop Performance Group as its senior sales representative in North Dakota. Most recently, Posey-Williams was the regional sales manager for Helm Agro. Posey-Williams is based near Harvey, North Dakota.

Former Corteva Exec Joins Vive Crop Protection Board – Susanne Wasson has joined the Vive Crop Protection board of directors. Wasson recently retired as the president of the Corteva crop protection business platform.

MN Beef Update – The Minnesota Beef Update catches up with Minnesota Beef Council Director of Industry Relations Jon Dilworth. The 2023 annual report of the organization is complete. Producers will be able to see the full financial report and have an opportunity to pay checkoff on cattle sold direct market to conusmers.

Heartland Limousin Asssociation Announces New Hire – Ashley Wiser has been named the magazine editor and social media manager for the Heartland Limousin Association. Wiser is the chief operating officer at a Danville, Arkansas bank and is part of a fourth-generation family farm.

From Farm Broadcasting to Renewable Energy Development Communications – Courtnay Lenz has joined Good Steward Consulting of Albert Lea, Minnesota as an assistant communications manager. The GSC mission is to assist and guide renewable energy development. Most recently, Lenz was a farm broadcaster at KATE Radio in Albert Lea and KAUS Radio in Austin.

Retirement Plans Announced – NDSU Extension Pesticide Program Specialist Andrew Thostenson plans to retire later this year. Thostenson has been with NDSU Extension for 28 years beginning as an agriculture agent in Pembina County and taking over the pesticide specialist role in 1998. The retirement will take effect November 1. NDSU has begun the search for Thostenson’s successor.

SDSU Extension Hires New Livestock Specialist – Addie Womack is a new livestock production and stewardship specialist for South Dakota State University Extension. Womack will oversee the state’s beef quality assurance program. Womack, who is an Arkansas native, is based at Mitchell.

The Dry Bean Scene – NDSU Extension Crops Economist Frayne Olson says dry bean acres are expected to find a good supply/demand balance this year. Acres should be higher than last year. He says in this week’s Dry Bean Scene that prices have held more steady compared to other crops.