ND Hosts Senate Field Hearing – Research and innovation was the focus of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee’s hearing at the Grand Farm Innovation Campus outside of Casselton Thursday. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said good things can happen when the entire ag sector works together. “The federal government facilitated some of these transactions to get public and private entities together, such as Grand Farm; ARS, the ag research arm of USDA and NDSU together. You can develop a really good project like Grand Farm, which is doing a lot for research.” Goehring pointed to newer technologies such as biosensors and their current impact on farm production.

Aflatoxin: A Growing Concern – National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle testified about the importance of funding for aflatoxin research during the Senate field hearing. “Direct losses of corn caused by aflatoxin are estimated at $200 million annually, with indirect losses from byproducts such as distillers grains, further adding to that loss.” While aflatoxin was more common in the South, Wolle said the issue has migrated north. Wolle farms at Madelia, Minnesota.

‘We Need to Do the Right Thing’ – Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman acknowledged the prolonged farm bill process. “What we’ve got to do is reset the farm safety net,” said Boozman. “That’s going to cost some money and we’re trying to figure out how we do that. We don’t need to just do something, we need to do the right thing.” Boozman said the farm bill passed by Congress is in effect for five years and that should not be taken lightly. Boozman was in North Dakota for the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee field hearing.

A Sense of Urgency for the Farm Bill – Due to the uncertainty in the new year, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar stressed the importance of passing a farm bill by the end of 2024. “It would be much better given all the issues swirling around us that are non-rural/non-ag, that we lock in and make sure that we’ve got five years of consistency for our farmers at a very difficult time.” Klobuchar joined North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, Minnesota Senator Tina Smith and Arkansas Senator John Boozman at Thursday’s Senate Agriculture Appropriations field hearing near Casselton, North Dakota.

A History of Collaboration – The Senate field hearing at Grand Farm focused on agricultural research and technology. CHS President/CEO Jay Debertin said the new Grand Farm Ag Innovation Campus is a prime example of that work. “It’s really exciting what some technological advances can do for agriculture” Debertin sees the collaboration that created Grand Farm expands on the region’s long agriculture history.

Keeping Farmers Connected – During the Senate Agriculture Appropriations field hearing, USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small cited broadband and connectivity as vital to the future of precision agriculture. “It is crucial in terms of collecting data, satellite imagery, and other components of more precise applications in the future.” Torres Small said USDA Rural Development took the first steps in the right direction by providing technical assistance to rural areas.

Speculation Mounts for a Stopgap Spending Bill – House Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly considering a continuing resolution that would push back the fiscal 2025 appropriations process into March. The current fiscal year ends September 30^th and passage is unlikely before that. A six-month stopgap spending bill would likely push other issues, like the farm bill, into 2025. Senate leadership favors action on the spending bills during the lame-duck session rather than pushing these issues to the next Congress.

Better System Sought for Tracking Foreign-Owned Farmland – A bipartisan group of 14 senators is asking USDA to streamline the process for disclosing foreign-owned land. This information is now tracked on physical paper through manual data entry. The lawmakers contend inaccurate information has been posted, which undermines the credibility of the information. South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds was the one lawmaker from the tri-state region signing the letter.

Spring Wheat Harvest Paused – Rain shut down the spring wheat harvest for a large share of the past week. “We had just got into spring wheat and durum harvest and now a lot of producers are likely stalled,” said Erica Olson, North Dakota Wheat Commission. “In general, we’ve been hearing very good yields, above average except for in the southwestern and some western areas where they didn’t get as much rain.” Olson reports protein levels in the 12-to-14 percent range.

High Yield and Protein – Scott Huso, Aneta, North Dakota, started his wheat harvest. “We combined about 200 acres and that ran about 80 bushels an acre and test weights were between 62 and 63 pounds per bushel.” Huso also noted that the protein levels were at 14 percent. Huso is pleased with the yield and protein, noting they rarely are at good levels at the same time.

Wheat Harvest Run Complete Haven Harvesting – Jeremy Haven, who is with Haven Harvesting, is now preparing for the fall harvest. “Things look quite good there. We completed our Kansas, Colorado run, moved up to the Pierre (South Dakota) area and had a good go up here. Now we’re just getting ready for fall.” Haven is happy with how his own wheat crop turned out. “The bushels were there. Some quality issues as far as protein, but good test weight.”

Good Yields – Portland, North Dakota farmer Greg Thykeson started combining wheat before the rains hit this past week. “The bushels are there. We’re still hanging on to quality,” said Thykeson. “All in all it looks like it’s going to be a really nice wheat crop.” Thykeson says the spring was ideal for small grains as long as they could keep the disease out of it.

Combines Busy Across Eastern ND – Eastern North Dakota’s small grains harvest is ahead of the rest of the state. “In the eastern third of the state, we’re probably 40 percent done with small grains,” said Kevin Karel, vice president of operations, The Arthur Companies. “I think most of the early wheat is done and we’re just waiting on some late-planted wheat now.” Karel said the protein levels are a little bit below average, but above-average yields should make up for that. “The milling quality looks fantastic.”

Barley Harvest Wrapping Up – Farmers in Munich, North Dakota, like Gary Beck, are finishing up their early barley harvesting. “We finished our barley a couple of days ago. We’re down a few acres, but the barley crop was good on our farm. The yield was good. The test weight was probably a little lighter, probably 47 pounds.” Beck says there’s still late-planted barley to be harvested in the coming days. “Lot of folks didn’t have as many acres as last year, but that’s the story of North Dakota. Early barley from around the county is coming off and there’s still some later barley that isn’t ready yet.”

Beets are Getting Started – Harvest is beginning to ramp up. Grain combining has been underway for a while. “Harvest season is upon us. Some guys will be switching gears and moving into beet harvest,” said Brent Baldwin, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association President. Pre-pile started on Tuesday for some locations. “It’s time to get the factories up and running.” Baldwin says the beets could use some moisture to help finish them. The crop is expected to be pretty good.

Pre-Pile Off to a Good Start – The sugarbeet pre-pile harvest started a week ago. Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Director Harrison Weber expects a good crop. “As we’re getting into it, guys are lifting somewhere around the 20-ton range. I’ve seen averages around 15-to-15.5 percent sugar.” Weber also notes that the rain will likely increase total tonnage but lower the sugar content.

Another Big Beet Crop – American Crystal Sugar Company General Agronomist Joe Hastings is happy with what he’s seeing with the beet crop. “We’ve been taking some sample pulls and they are looking very good. They’re some of the largest we’ve ever had for this timeframe.” Hastings is excited by the quality of crops he’s seen so far. “The root shape’s pretty decent but quality is also looking fairly good right now.”

Larger Than Expected Rye Yields – Crystal, North Dakota farmer Brian O’Toole has harvested his rye cover crop. “Normally, it’s a 40 bushel crop. This year, it exceeded that quite a bit. We are actually overwhelmed with the amount of rye we got off.” O’Toole is expecting good spring wheat yields, but the protein is lacking.

A Difficult Haying Season – Too much rain, too often in May and June was detrimental to pastures and hay conditions. “It was good in that you’ve got moisture levels for forage production, but it really played havoc in hay-making,” said Craig Sheaffer, forage specialist, University of Minnesota Extension. Farmers and ranchers who could not get their hay up in a small window of time ended up losing quality. Sheaffer says this may be the time to look into resources to put hay up at a higher moisture. Sheaffer specifically suggests haylage, baleage or preservatives that allow harvesting at higher moisture levels.

Best Hope is for the Early Planted Crops – Wheat, barley and field peas are being harvested in the Devils Lake, North Dakota area. Rock n’ Roll Agronomy owner Jason Hanson expects yields to end up being better than initially thought. In Hanson’s view, the region has three crops. “We have early-seeded, mid-seeded and late-seeded; regardless of the crop, whether it is corn, edibles, wheat, barley, canola, soybeans, the early (planted crop) will be the best crop and it will just keep going down from that point.”

Soybean Aphid Numbers Continue to Increase – The soybean aphid population along the Red River Valley has increased exponentially in recent weeks.  “Soybean aphid populations have been increasing recently, mainly due to our moderate weather that has provided favorable reproduction conditions when we’re in these moderate temperatures in the mid-70s to low 80s,” said Janet Knodel, NDSU Extension entomologist. Knodel reminds farmers to keep the 250 aphid per plant economic treatment threshold in mind. The recent rains can wash aphids away, but at this time of year, aphids tend to cling to the lower canopies of plants and take shelter from the weather.

Pioneer Agronomy Update – The Pioneer Agronomy Update provides timely crop information. Pioneer District Sales Lead Jesse Moch says the late winter, late planting and cool June have led to recent pest problems. “Soybean aphids have been very prevalent in the past couple weeks.” Another two-to-three weeks of protection is needed to prevent yield loss. White mold has also been an issue in bean fields. “Corn rootworm beetle observations have also picked up over the last week and it is a good time to assess fields now for future plans.” Listen to the latest update online.

Canola Minute – Here’s the latest Canola Minute from the Northern Canola Growers Association. This week, NCGA Executive Director Barry Coleman joins us to discuss the biofuels market. Listen to the report. 

California Change Has Ramifications for Soybean Processing – The California Air Resources Board is considering a change in its rules which would limit the amount of soybean oil eligible for its low carbon tax credits to 20 percent of overall soybean oil production. This proposal is open for public comment through the end of the month. Market analysts are saying this change would be devastating for the soybean processing business.

Soybean Shipment Delivered to Uzbekistan – The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council is working to create a market channel to Uzbekistan for soybeans. Director Patrick O’Leary welcomed the first containers of U.S. soybean meal earlier this month. “This was kind of a trial run, not only from a shipping standpoint, but also to give customers an opportunity to get some U.S. product into their warehouses and rations.” O’Leary says bigger shipments are next on their agenda.

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. This week, Larry Van Lieshout, who is a research specialist with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is talking about the FieldWatch program that allow specialty crop producers and beekeepers to communicate the location of their pesticide-sensitive sites to pesticide applicators. Listen online. 

Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funded – USDA is providing nearly a billion dollars to 26 states for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Program and Rural Energy for America Program. These projects are funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Minneapolis to make the announcement. One of the biggest grants went to Johnson Oil Company of Hallock. A total of $1.1 million will be used to install six E15 dispensers, five B20 dispensers, three ethanol storage tanks and three biodiesel storage tanks at its fueling locations in Hallock and Argyle.

USDA Launches Cattle Market Resource – USDA’s new Live Cattle Data Dashboard is now available. The Agricultural Marketing Service announced the pending launch of this new tool in June. It gives farmers and ranchers the ability to access Livestock Mandatory Reporting live cattle market information in a user-friendly platform. USDA will also begin publishing information on the net premiums and discounts in formula marketing arrangements.

MN Beef Update – Joining the Minnesota Beef Update this week, Minnesota Beef Council intern Baleigh Peterson previews the beef checkoff’s role at the Minnesota State Fair. Volunteers are needed. Listen to the report.

Adequate Feed Supplies – SDSU Extension Feedlot Management Specialist Warren Rusche is satisfied with the feed supply situation throughout the state. “Feed supplies look to be really good. I know there are a few places in western South Dakota where hay supplies might be a little shorter, but most of South Dakota is blessed with abundant, even surplus moisture and that reflects an increased amount of hay supplies.” The corn crop could use more heat to get across the finish line, but Rusche sees good potential for the silage chop.

ND Task Force Considering Model Zoning Ordinance – The North Dakota Model Zoning Task Force met this past week. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said many of the standards being evaluated have not been touched in decades. The task force is studying what has been done in neighboring states and will ultimately propose draft language to the interim committee to be considered in this next legislative session. “We looked at how a lot of different states function and their setback distances,” said Goehring. “Their separation distances were a lot less than ours. Much of our language was developed three or four decades ago and we really needed to update it and consider what newer facilities look like.”

H5N1 Testing to Expand – USDA officials are emphasizing beef and dairy products are safe, but testing for avian influenza is being expanded. Beginning in mid-September, USDA will test culled dairy cattle. Meat coming from dairy cattle will not enter the food supply until test results are known. Nearly 200 dairy herds in 13 states have been confirmed to have H5N1 since March.

H5N1 Cases Likely Exceed Reported Number – Minnesota has had a total of eight reported cases of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cattle. “To my knowledge, many of them are pretty closely related cattle that would have transmitted farm-to-farm,” said Lucas Sjostrom, executive director, Minnesota Milk Producers Association. “Myself, the Board of Animal Health, our state veterinarian and our commissioner of agriculture spoke at Farmfest and we all agreed that we suspect the eight recorded cases are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s really hard to track this disease. The symptoms that we see in cows are the same symptoms that we see every day on dairy farms just from an animal that might be just a little bit sick that’s going to quickly get better. It is a version of the flu after all.”

Colombia Seeks Tariffs on U.S. Milk Powder – According to the National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council, Colombia’s decision to initiate countervailing duties on U.S. milk powder exports is not warranted. A preliminary decision on this trade challenge is expected this fall. Meanwhile, the dairy groups are asking the U.S. government to “leverage all available tools” to prevent this allegation from setting a precedent.

On Track for an Interest Rate Cut in September – The inflation rate has dropped below three percent for the first time in more than three years. On an annual basis, the Consumer Price Index rose 2.9 percent. Inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1 percent in June of 2022. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates 11 times between March of 2022 and July of 2023. Another interest rate reduction is expected in September.

S/D Estimates Released – Soybean ending stocks were the biggest surprise in the USDA report. New crop soybean ending stocks totaled 560 million bushels. That’s up from 435 million bushels in the July report. Corn stocks dropped slightly, but were still in the 2 million bushel range. U.S. wheat ending stocks totaled 828 million bushels while the trade was expecting stocks of 861 million.

MN Corn Matters – Minnesota Corn Growers Association Past President Richard Syverson joins Corn Matters this week. In our weekly update, Syverson recaps Minnesota Corn events at Farmfest. Listen to the report.

Record Yields Forecast – As expected, USDA pushed yields higher in its August crop production report. Soybean acreage totaled 86.3 million acres with a record average yield of 53.2 bushels per acre. Harvested corn acreage is forecast at 82.7 million. The average corn yield rose to a record 182.1 bushels per acre.

Yields May Come Down in Upcoming Crop Reports – Harvested acres and record yields in this past week’s supply and demand report were the major market features. AgResource Company President Dan Basse says the record yields in the WASDE report are a starting point. “Due to foliar diseases and other things, my guess would be we’ll probably see yields come down as the season goes on but it depends on Mother Nature. Crop tours are going to be ongoing in the next couple of weeks so that’ll give us some evidence.”

ND Leads the Nation in PP Acres – North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota are the three states with the highest number of prevented planting acres this year. The Farm Service Agency reported 4.7 million PP acres nationwide. North Dakota reported 858,000 acres. South Dakota had over 571,000 acres and Minnesota reported nearly 451,000 acres. The FSA stated there were 2.6 million acres of PP corn acres, 775 million acres of soybeans and 389,000 acres of wheat.

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 is trading at new highs, which is counterintuitive with the latest economic news. Ag commodities are in the ‘not hot’ category with 52-week lows being seen in many commodities. Listen online to the report.

DTN Digital Tour Sees a Big Crop – The DTN Digital Tour this past week utilized its own proprietary yield models to evaluate the crop. The tour results point to the potential for record corn and soybean yields. DTN estimates Minnesota corn yields at 187 bushels per acre. That compares to USDA’s most recent estimate of 185 bushels per acre. For soybeans, DTN is forecasting a 51.4 bushel per acre yield in Minnesota. That’s up from the 49 bushels per acre estimate from USDA. In South Dakota, the DTN Digital Tour forecast an average corn yield of 167 bushels per acre. That’s five bushels higher than USDA’s most recent forecast. DTN is calling for South Dakota farmers to average just over 50 bushels per acre for soybeans, up from 47 bushels in the last USDA report.

Pro Farmer Crop Tour Underway – The Pro Farmer Crop Tour kicked off this morning. The western leg of the tour started the day in Sioux Falls and will wrap up tonight in Grand Island, Nebraska. Crop scouts in the eastern leg of the tour will spend the day in Ohio before stopping tonight in Noblesville, Indiana. Brian Grete is leading the eastern portion of the tour and is looking for a big crop. “Indiana is expected to be a record crop; Illinois is expected to be a record crop; Iowa is expected to be a record crop; five of the seven crop tour states between the eastern leg and western leg are expecting record corn yields.” Likewise, Pro Farmer’s Chip Flory said he expects a “pretty good” crop on the western portion of the tour. Corn yields are calculated by evaluating ear populations, grain length in inches, kernel rows around the ear and row spacing in each field. Pro Farmer does not estimate soybean yields, but reports on pod counts in a three-by-three foot square.

RRFN Crop Tour Coming Up Next Week – The Red River Farm Network Crop Tour, presented by Pioneer, will be held next week. We’ll begin one week from today in western North Dakota. Throughout the week, the RRFN team will join Pioneer representatives to evaluate crop conditions across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Most of the crop tours making headlines never make their way into key production areas in the northern corn and soybean production areas. For the sixth consecutive year, RRFN and Pioneer will be on the road to provide a perspective on regional crop conditions and prepare for the busy harvest season.

SD Corn Comments – Michael Bishop, who is the superintendent of the Horticulture Building at the South Dakota State Fair, joins South Dakota Corn Comments to talk about the upcoming South Dakota Fair. The fair kicks off on Wednesday. Listen to the update.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, North Dakota State University dry bean breeder Juan Osorno offers an update on the benefits of slow-darkening pinto beans. Listen to the report online,

Join RRFN at Big Iron Farm Show – The Red River Farm Network will be in a new location, near the center of the grounds for the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show September 10-12. Speakers will include World Weather Incorporated meteorologist Drew Lerner, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen and Greg ‘Machinery Pete’ Peterson. Market outlook forums are planned each afternoon. There will also be sessions organized by AgCountry Farm Credit Services and Farmers National Company. Find the entire schedule online.

Dakotafest in Mitchell, SD This Week – Dakotafest begins its three-day run Tuesday in Mitchell, South Dakota. “At noon on Tuesday, there is a new session called ‘Young Producer Programs and Financing Opportunities’ and it will have panelists from USDA explaining the programs available from FSA and NRCS,” reports Niki Jones, show spokesperson. South Dakota Farm Bureau is also sponsoring a couple of forums, including a policy discussion. “On Wednesday, we’re honored to host our entire congressional delegation for an update from DC, so Senator Thune, Senator Rounds and Representative Johnson will be taking on topics ranging from farm bill to trade,” said Krystil Smit, executive director, SDFB. The latest ag products and technology will also be highlighted in the trade show. RRFN will report from Dakotafest starting Tuesday. For the full schedule of events see the Dakotafest website.

It’s All About the Kids – The new Ag Expo Center had its debut at the Brown County Fair in Aberdeen. South Dakota Farmer’s Union believes this facility has helped educate the general public about farming. “It used to be that everybody had at least a grandpa or an uncle or a cousin that was a farmer or rancher and that’s not necessarily the case anymore. Since the 1970s, we’ve lost a lot of farmers and the retention of young people coming back to the farm has gotten even less” SDFU Education Specialist Samantha Bowman said the hands-on learning provided at the Ag Expo Center is a great way for children to learn about agriculture.

MARL Building Leaders – The Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership program has been investing in people for 24 years. “We have 352 people that have progressed through this leadership development program, developing strong and powerful networks and relationships, assisting them in leadership within their families, their communities, their organizations and businesses,” reports MARL Executive Director Brad Schlosser. MARL alumni have gone on to leadership roles at the local, state, and national level. “It’s really powerful.” The newest MARL class has been announced and it will spend the next two years in this leadership development program. Go online to hear the full interview. 

Rail Work Stoppage Likely – The shutdown of Canada’s rail shipments is looming. The Canadian Industrial Relations Board determined a work stoppage by Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railroads would not be a threat to public safety because there are reasonable alternatives, like trucking, available. The CPKC immediately issued a lockout notice to union workers effective August 22. The CN said it would continue negotiations with the union, but asked the labor minister to intervene.

Canadian Rail Stoppage Likely – Unless a last-minute deal is reached, the Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National railroads will lock out Teamster union members on Thursday. The labor contract expired at the end of last year and negotiations have been ongoing. Both railroads have extensive coverage in the United States and CPKC also serves Mexico. Those operations will continue if there is a work stoppage. North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer spoke to Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman on Friday, stressing the importance of preventing a work stoppage.

An Earnings Decline for Cargill – Cargill wrapped up its fiscal year with revenues of $160 billion, down from $177 billion a year ago. Last week, Cargill announced a reorganization a week ago, reducing the number of business units from five to three.

JBS Enjoys Gains in Poultry, Pork Business – JBS is reporting quarterly profits of $315 million. A year ago, the world’s largest meatpacker suffered a loss of more than $53 million. JBS enjoyed gains in its chicken and pork business, but profit margins in the beef division were pressured by tight cattle supplies and a difficult economy.

An Investment in SD Pork Production – The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council has committed $1.2 million towards an expansion of the Swine Education and Research Facility at South Dakota State University. This grant will fund two new wean-to-finish nutrition rooms to the existing complex and double the facility’s research capabilities.

Peterson Farms Seed Production and Profit Series – In the latest Production and Profit Series from Peterson Farms Seed, PFS Lead Agronomist Rick Swenson says there are advantages to being a regional company when it comes to product development. “That’s our niche here; we can really focus on individual townships and counties. We’re not looking at trying to look at stuff across 14 states.” Genetic advancements have been a game-changer in the north. “I’ve said for years and years that 96-day corn pays my bills, but 80-day corn excites me and now I’ve got to say 78-day corn excites me.” Listen to the report.

AURI Update – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute hosts an ag innovation podcast with Dan Skogen that discusses Minnesota agriculture. This week’s AURI Update highlights the use of Minnesota-grown agricultural products to bring new innovative value-added products to the marketplace. Listen to the report. 

Minnesota Ag Weather Network Expansion – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture received $3 million from the Clean Water Fund in 2023 to expand the weather station network statewide. Through a partnership with the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, the MDA weather stations are integrated into the NDAWN system. “We hope to have a station approximately every 20 miles in the agriculture-growing areas,” said John Swanson, a member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association board. The Minnesota Ag Weather Network expansion is designed to bring reliable real-time local weather data and tools to farmers and the public.

Deere Releases 3Q Financial Results – Deere & Company reported net income of $1.7 billion for the third quarter. That’s down from $2.9 billion in the same period last year. Deere CEO John May said the company has responded to weak market conditions by reducing costs and strategically aligning its production with customer needs.

Butler Machinery and CLAAS Diverging – Beginning in early 2025, CLAAS equipment will no longer be sold through the North Dakota-based Butler Machinery Company. CLAAS will open its own stores throughout the region and taking over the parts and service business in 2026. CLAAS and Butler Machinery will host a virtual town hall for all CLAAS equipment owners in the area to answer questions regarding the transition. The timing of the town hall has not been determined.

On the November Ballot – Incumbent Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will face former NBA player Royce White in the November election. In Tuesday’s Primary vote, Representative Michelle Fischbach defeated Republican challenger Steve Boyd with a margin of 65-to-35 percent. A.J. Peters was the lone DFL candidate in the Seventh District. The Eighth District will feature Congressman Pete Stauber against former state representative Jen Schultz. Republican Congressman Tom Emmer will face Democrat Jeanne Hendricks in the Sixth District. In southern Minnesota, DFL’er Rachel Bohman will be up against incumbent Republican candidate Brad Finstad. In the Second District, the primary election winners are Democratic Representative Angie Craig and Republican challenger Joe Teirab.

EPA Ag Advisor Steps Down – EPA agriculture advisor Rod Snyder is leaving the agency. Earlier this year, Snyder was named the first director for EPA’s new Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Snyder had been the EPA’s senior advisor for agriculture since 2021. Previously, Snyder was president of the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, public policy director for the National Corn Growers Association and government affairs director for CropLife America.

Nutrien Promotes Thompson – Nutrien has appointed Mark Thompson as its executive vice president and chief financial officer. Thompson succeeds Pedro Farah, who will remain with Nutrien as an advisor through the end of the year. Thompson has been the company’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer.

Land O’Lakes Hires McBay – Land O’Lakes has named Dion McBay as its director of retail growth services. Most recently, McBay was the vice president of sales for Valent USA. Previously, McBay worked for Bayer Crop Science and Monsanto.

Smith Moves to Valent USA – John Smith has joined Valent USA as its vice president of sales. Most recently, Smith was the director of strategic supplier alliances and procurement for WinField United. Before that, Smith had a 32-year career with Bayer Crop Science.

NDBC Names Communications Specialist – The North Dakota Beef Commission has announced the addition of Rhiannon ‘Rhi’ Wenzel as its new communications specialist. Wenzel is a recent graduate of Bismarck State College and currently continuing her education at Valley State University.

Smith Joins NAFB Staff – The National Association of Farm Broadcasting named Chad Smith its NAFB News Service editor. Smith has been a contract editor for the News Service for more than ten years. In addition to freelance reporting, Smith previously worked for KLGR-Redwood Falls and KWAT-Watertown.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Jim Broten – Dazey, North Dakota farmer Jim Broten has been recognized with the U.S. Grains Council lifetime achievement award. Broten is a former USGC chairman and honored for his work in developing and growing international markets.