RRFN Hosts Crop Tour This Week – The annual Red River Farm Network Crop Tour, presented by Pioneer, is happening this week. The RRFN team will travel throughout North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. We will be joined by agronomic experts from Pioneer to gain a perspective on crop conditions across the region. For the most part, planting was late, but GDD’s got a boost from the early season heat. The crop faced moisture stress and significant insect pressure. The tour will get us geared up for the harvest season and prepared for the 2024 growing season. Join RRFN for coverage this week on-air, online and in social media. 

Pro Farmer Confirms Lower Yields – After wrapping up its annual tour, Pro Farmer is estimating U.S. corn production at 14.9 billion bushels with an average yield of 172 bushels per acre. That compares to the August USDA forecast of 15.1 billion bushels and an average yield of 175.1 bushels per acre. Pro Farmer is looking for a soybean crop of 4.1 billion bushels and an average yield of 49.7 bushels per acre. That’s below the latest USDA estimate of 4.2 billion bushels and an average of 50.9 bushels per acre.

MN Crop-‘Average at Best’ – In most areas, the Pro Farmer Crop Tour found better conditions than one year ago. Minnesota was the exception. Pro Farmer estimated Minnesota corn yields at 181 bushels per acre, down almost five percent from last year. For soybeans, there were 984 pods in a three-by-three-foot square, down 11 percent. Chip Flory led the western leg of the tour and said he was impressed with the crop in southwest Minnesota, but conditions deteriorated as they went east. “It was toast in the southeast part of Minnesota,” said Flory. “One of the questions that we always get in Minnesota is,this crop going to make it before the first freeze happens? The corn crop was dented in southcentral Minnesota. In southeast Minnesota, it could frost tonight and it’s not going to hurt the corn.”  Crop scout Brent Judisch said the crop in southern Minnesota is average at best.

Neck-Deep in Harvest – Spring wheat harvest is underway for Theresia Gille in Kittson County, Minnesota. “We’ve been neck-deep in wheat harvest, which has been all over the board.” Between the hail and lack of moisture, there wasn’t much wheat left in good condition. Despite her wheat taking a beating from a hailstorm, Gillie says yields should be “about average.”

A Crop to Remember – Linton, North Dakota farmer Tom Bernhardt is well into his spring wheat harvest. Proteins are ranging from 16.5-to-18.5 percent. Yield is much better than expected. “I’ve been farming for over 40 years and this is the best wheat crop that I can remember. It’s running 15-to-20 bushels higher than our farm average.”

Average Yields, Below Average Protein – North Dakota Wheat Commission board member Jim Pellman farms near McClusky, North Dakota. Recent moisture brought his harvest to a temporary stop. Spring wheat harvest is 80 percent complete, while his barley harvest just wrapped up. “Yields are about average and quality is below average in the low 13’s.”

Inconsistent Start to Harvest – Harvest in north central North Dakota has been slowed by scattered rains. Dakota Agronomy Partners Ryder location manager Mark Schatz says farmers are making progress. ‘Some guys haven’t started canola, but a lot of farmers have gotten into it.” The crop is highly variable. “Areas can been one-to-five miles away and have a difference of 15 bushels due to who got rain and where.”

Wet Mornings Raise Sprout Concerns in Barley – Ashley, North Dakota farmer Tony Schneider started barley harvest this week, despite fields holding a little bit of moisture from humidity and dew. “It looks really good after we had such a late start, but those million-dollar rains in June helped.” Initial quality and yield reports look to be good. Schneider is a little worried the barley might have sprout damage from the foggy, dewy mornings. “I’m not seeing any sprout damage yet, but it’s beginning to be a concern.”

Rain Delays Harvest – Bowdon, North Dakota custom harvester Mychal Neumiller hit a rain delay south of Billings, Montana. Harvest reports have been excellent. “First year I’ve harvested here, but I’ve heard it’s the best crop locals have had in a long time.” Neumiller’s North Dakota crew is also fighting fog and wet weather. “Fall crops looks really good for that crew but combines haven’t turned for four-or-five days for those guys either.”

Promising Sugarbeet Harvest Ahead – Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative had been in pre-pile harvest since mid-August. Vice President of Agriculture Todd Geselius is looking at a very nice crop. “Our projection is right around 33 tons per acre.” Timely rains have helped the crop. “We’ve had just enough rain to keep things going; these beets are amazing how much drought they can take.”

Pioneer Agronomy Update – Pioneer soybean breeder Dr. Nadia Krasheninnik joins the Red River Farm Network for this week’s Pioneer Agronomy Update to talk about the white mold nursery near Sabin, Minnesota. While a drier summer means less white mold pressure for farmers, the research continues. “We still need to develop white mold tollerant varieties and select only the best ones to go commercial.” Krasheninnik is looking forward to the announcement of a new class of soybean genetics this fall. The full video can be found by visiting the RRFN Youtube channel.

F-R-O-S-T – The season’s first frost and light freezes are possible in eastern Canadian Prairies and the far Upper Midwest in the second and third weeks of September. The preliminary data from World Weather Incorporated suggest a hard freeze is unlikely.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, RRFN visits with NDSU Extension Agronomist Greg Endres on the Carrington Research Extension Center’s upcoming Row Crop Tour. The Dry Bean Scene is sponsored by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, Sharpen Herbicide from BASF, SRS Commodities, and Heads Up Plant Protectants.

Dry Bean Harvest is Just Around the Corner – Forest River Bean Company owner Brian Schanilec says the dry edible bean harvest is not far off in his area. The earlier-planted fields were pushed by drought and leaf diseases. Blight has been a minor issue for farmers. “We have it every year, but I don’t think it will hurt yields that much.”

Uneven Crop Possible – Columbia Grain Dry Edible Bean Manager Cody Michael has seen the dry bean harvest start in the Larimore, North Dakota area. The crop is variable due to spotty rains during the growing season. “Some guys are going to be in the 10-bag range, while others are going to be in the 20-bag range, it depends on when they got moisture.” Michael is worried recent rains could lead to uneven growth stages. “If we get a rain pattern, some of the plants might be dead, but the bottom half could start growing.”

Fall Soil Sampling – Following the small grain harvest, AGVISE Laboratories soil scientist John Breker says it is important to get soil data before moving onto fall tillage. This is especially important for immobile nutrients. “If you try to take samples after a chisel plow has gone through, it gets rough and we get variability in our soil test results from year to year.” Fields that received less rain this growing season will have greater residual nitrogen levels. Breker notes that some early test results are showing over 100 pounds of leftover nitrogen while other readings are as low as 40 pounds. Listen to the full interview with John Breker here.

Crop Advisors Surveyed on Weed Resistance – Seventy-five percent of the certified crop advisors surveyed are moderately or very concerned about the issue of herbicide resistance in the next five years. Cost is seen as the biggest factor in driving farmer decisions on the topic. Iowa State University conducted the survey of nearly 400 certified crop advisors. It also found a perception that fatigue has set in and farmers are sick of hearing about the resistance issue.

NCGA Defends Atrazine Usage – Testifying before an EPA scientific advisory panel, National Corn Growers Association President Tom Haag highlighted atrazine’s role in weed management and the weed resistance issue. Haag, who farms in Eden Valley, Minnesota, said access to atrazine is an important for U.S. corn growers. The EPA is expected to receive the report from this panel in late November.

Administration Implements Restrictions on Malathion – As part of its ongoing Endangered Species Act review of crop protection products, EPA is restricting the use of malathion nationally. The decision was made after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presented its biological opinion. The announcement includes no spray zones, reductions in application rates and the number of applications. Additional action could be taken against malathion by the end of 2023.

New Crop Insurance Proposal Advanced – The Midwest Council on Agriculture has endorsed a crop insurance proposal that would make higher coverage levels more affordable. It would increase the premium support for revenue protection on the 80 and 85 percent coverage levels. “It makes a big difference on what’s affordable to farmers across North Dakota and northern Minnesota, through the Plains, Texas and so on,” said Howard Olson, senior vice president, AgCountry Farm Credit Services. “Farmers in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana are insuring at 80 and 85 percent levels, but when we look at North Dakota and Minnesota, they’re at 70 and 75 percent because it’s just not affordable. Increasing this premium support will make that more practical to do that.” Olson, who is past president of the Midwest Council on Agriculture, said this proposal also calls for an increase in support for the Enhanced Coverage Option. The premium support for ECO is now at 44 percent and the recommendation is to increase it to 80 percent. “It’s been used more in Iowa and Illinois, but we’re seeing a little bit more of it in our area this year with some higher prices on the crop insurance side. Increasing that to 80 percent would make it more affordable and it would actually allow farmers to get up to 95 percent coverage level on an area plan.” Listen to the full interview.

SD Corn Comments – In this week’s edition of South Dakota Corn Comments, South Dakota Corn Executive Director DaNita Murray talks about base acreage in the farm bill.

MFU Minute – Minnesota Farmers Union Climate and Working Lands Director Ariel Kagan joins us to talk about climate resilience practices. Hear more in this week’s MFU Minute.

More Interest Rate Hikes Expected – Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell remains committed to bringing inflation down to two percent. “We have tightened policy significantly over the past year,” said Powell. “We are prepared to raise rates further if appropriate and hold policy at a restricted level until we meet our objective.” Powell spoke at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Conference.

A Different Mindset – The dramatic ups and downs in the corn market may be in the rearview mirror for a while. Advance Trading Risk Management Advisor Tommy Grisafi says that requires a different mindset. “There’s farmers that had a cost of production of $4.50 or $5 and got to sell $7 or $8 corn the last few years,” said Grisafi. “Next year, they may have a cost of production of $4.50 or $5 and sell $5 corn. We’re mentally getting people prepared for what 2024 could look like.” Reflecting on the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, Grisafi said it is obvious the soybean crop needs rain to finish. The Red River Farm Network interview with Grisafi can be found on the Advance Trading YouTube channel.

Canada Stands With U.S. Over Trade Dispute With Mexico – Canada will join the dispute settlement process with the United States and Mexico over the biotech corn. Mexico has banned GM corn for human consumption. Canadian trade and agriculture ministers said they share the U.S. concerns about Mexico not complying to the terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Russian Drones Target Ukrainian Ports – Russia is continuing its assault on Ukrainian grain facilities. Russian drones bombed a port on the Danube River overnight. Private grain terminals were damaged and 13,000 metric tons of grain were destroyed. Drones also hit grain storage facilities at the Port of Odessa. This is the eighth time Russia attacked Ukrainian ports since it dropped out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative last month.

Cabinet Secretary in Beijing – Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is in China to discuss trade and economic issues. Raimondo is the third cabinet secretary to travel to Beijing this summer. These visits precede a meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi in November.

Johnson Reintroduces MCOOL Bill – South Dakota Representative Dusty Johnson introduced the Beef Origin Labeling Accountability Act to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling for beef products. The bill would direct the U.S. trade representative and agriculture secretary to determine a process of reinstating MCOOL that’s in compliance with the World Trade Organization. Johnson says the bill is a step in the right direction to get accurate labels back on products.

Working to Keep Cattle Cool – Extreme heat this past week across much of the country had cattle producers keeping a close eye on their animals. Pete Bakken had steers ready to be loaded out at his feedlot near Beaver Creek, in southwest Minnesota. “Dipping their nose up to about their eyeballs does a lot of good for keeping them cool and just water, water, water consumption.” Using a sprinkler can increase humidity in some cases, but Bakken said they have started them up this past week. Listen to the full interview with Pete Bakken here.

MN Beef Update – In the latest Minnesota Beef Update, Minnesota Beef Council Director of Industry Relations Jon Dilworth talks the checkoff’s role at State Fair.

Helping to Fill the Gap – CoBank released a study that considers how beef on dairy genetics is affecting the supply chain and the beef market. CoBank Lead Animal Protein Analyst Brian Earnest said beef/dairy crosses are helping to fill gaps left by the shrinking U.S. beef herd. “We wanted to explore what it means to utilize more common beef genetics in the dairy industry and the effects on the beef supply chain from the cattle feeders to the packing community.” Earnest is seeing more beef/dairy genetics adopted in recent years.

Federal Milk Marketing Order Reform – A hearing on possible reform of the federal milk marketing orders is underway near Indianapolis. “The last time we had a big process like this was about 20 years ago,” said Stephen Cain, director of economic research and analysis, National Milk Producers Federation. “We’ve developed a big package that we think will help the U.S. dairy farmer, but we’re not the only kids on the block, there’s other groups in there that will have different opinions.” This hearing process is expected to last a few weeks. A recommendation from this hearing will likely happen in February or March and a final decision is expected next summer.

Nominal Change in Milk Production – Milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled just over 18 billion pounds in July. That’s down 0.6 percent from one year ago. In South Dakota, milk production rose 7.5 percent with an additional 14,000 cows added to the state herd. Minnesota milk output is up 0.3 percent, despite a downward trend in cow numbers.

Dairy Talk – Dairy replacement heifers are a valuable component of a dairy operation. Adequate and consistent vitamin and trace mineral nutrition is important to help support optimal growth, health, immunity, reproduction and hoof integrity. Melissa Holz, technical calf nutrition and business manager, Land O’Lakes Animal Milk Solutions and Purina Animal Nutrition, highlights the use of a mineral supplement in the heifer diet in the Dairy Talk podcast.

Raw Milk Raises Concerns – Raw milk sales have been legal in North Dakota since August 1. North Dakota Milk Producers Association President Connie VanBedaf says consumer safety is the number one priority. “We are not against raw milk sales, the more milk consumer drink the better, but we are concerned with the safety of raw milk without any regulations.” VanBedaf cautions consumers to purchase raw milk only from reliable producers who have had their milk tested.

SCN: the Silent Yield Robber – Soybean Cyst Nematode is continuing to move north and west. Peterson Farms Seed lead agronomist Rick Swenson says this is the worst year he’s ever seen for SCN. “As it makes its march up the (Red River) Valley and across North Dakota, we need to make sure we’re testing more than anything,” said Swenson. “That’s the biggest thing; if we’re doing a fertilizer test, I’d love to be doing a cyst test at the same time just to see what’s out there. Get a baseline.” Regarding corn, Swenson said the crop has benefited from the extra GDU’s this summer. “I think some of the corn is going to be ready before the soybeans.”

Evaluate New Technologies on Your Own Farm – Biologicals are one of the fastest-growing parts of agriculture. With an abundance of new biological products on the market, it can be confusing to determine what delivers the best return on investment. “Work with your retailer and see if you can test some of these products or buy some products yourself,” said Nolan Berg, precision systems agronomist, Peterson Farms Seed. “The most important thing is to get a check strip in your field, some area without the product so you can compare.” Berg sees potential with the biologicals that increase the amount of nitrogen available to the plant.

Back to Basics – Peterson Farms Seed Regional Agronomist Kelsey Stumvoll is optimistic about this year’s harvest. “A lot of the wheat has been good and I think we’re going to see a pretty good corn and soybean crop,” said Stumvoll. “There’s gonna be those areas that had some extra stress, but there’s also a lot of really nice looking crops out there.” Much of the research about planting dates and plant populations was done more than 20 years ago. In an interview with RRFN, Stumvoll said these agronomic issues need to be revisited. “There’s a lot of changes in technology, a lot of changes in the genetics of our crops. Yes, we talk about it year-after-year but we also see problems year-after-year so we want to take it back to the basics.” Peterson Farms Seed is hosting its annual field day September 7 at its headquarters near Harwood, North Dakota.

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 talks about the drivers behind the soybean market.

Beet Stock Values – American Crystal Sugar Company beet stock trading is off to a fast start. On August 11, 18 shares were brokered at $5,000 per share. “To my knowledge this is the earliest brokered sale on record,” said Jayson Menke, Acres & Shares broker/owner. “This is also the first time a brokered sale reached $5,000 per share.” The previous high water mark was at $4,900 per share last season. Historically, beet shares are brokered from fall through spring. Previously, the earliest sales had been in late August. In recent years, there have been three active brokers trading shares including Acres & Shares. Additionally, there were an additional 80 shares on August 18th and 21st brokered at $5,000 per share.

India Considers Sugar Export Ban – After a dry growing season and poor yields, India is expected to ban sugar exports for the first time in seven years. India recently implemented a similar ban on rice exports. If the sugar ban happens, it will begin in October. This news is expected to impact benchmark sugar prices around the world.

Tax Management Strategies May Need a Fresh Look – Farmers and ranchers are facing an uncertain economic environment, especially with higher interest rates. Roger McEowen, who produces the Washburn Agricultural Law and Tax Report, spoke at the North Dakota CPA Society Farm Tax Conference in Bismarck. With a possible downturn in farm income, McEowen sees a need to implement different tax planning strategies. “When you throw in the higher grain storage costs, it really changes the game in terms of marketing commodities and your tax strategies,” explained McEowen. “If the current law is allowed to expire at the end of ’25, rates are going to go up and we’re going to lose the QBI (Qualified Business Income) deduction so it may be time to think about pulling some of that income in and taxing it now instead of the heavy use of the deferral strategy that we commonly see with farmers and ranchers.” McEowen will be featured in the Red River Farm Network building during the Big Iron Farm Show. The forum will take place Tuesday, September 12 and will focus on tax and legal issues.

Well Grounded – In the latest Well Grounded podcast, Jaysen Menke from Acres and Shares and Randy Koenen from RRFN visit with Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist Michael Swanson. Rising interest rates and a changing farm economy will eventually influence farmland values. “So much about land is a personal process,” said Swanson. “It’s usually not something you do quickly or based solely on an economic calculation, but if you’re a buyer today it is better to be a very conservative, very discriminating buyer.” Listen to the podcast. Well Grounded is a presentation of Acres and Shares and the Red River Farm Network.

Bids Being Taken at ND’s First Soybean Crush Plant – Green Bison Soy Processing is ready to process this year’s soybean crop. The Spiritwood, North Dakota facility will have the capacity to process 150,000 bushels of soybeans per day. “We’re expecting for the first soybeans to be delivered to Spiritwood the week of September 18,” said Mike Keller, president. Bids are available through July of 2024. North Dakota produces 200 million soybeans each year. “This facility will process upwards of 25 percent of that production on a yearly basis.” Green Bison is a joint venture between ADM and Marathon Petroleum. The Spiritwood plant will produce a soybean oil feedstock that will be further processed at the Marathon Petroleum facility in Dickinson for renewable diesel fuel. Listen to the full interview.

Soy Connext Gathers Buyers From Around the Globe – The U.S. Soybean Export Council hosted Soy Connext in New York this past week. More than 700 buyers from 50 different countries participated in this conference. Northern Soy Marketing Vice Chair Mike McCranie, who farms at Claremont, South Dakota, was fielding questions about the rapidly expanding soybean crush in the United States. “They’re concerned that they won’t have soybeans from the U.S. to crush, but we’re under the impression that if you give us a customer, we will increase our production to fill those voids.” The international soybean meal customers see the increased crush in the United Steates asn an opportunity because there will be an abundant supply of meal.”

NDSGA Celebrates 40 Years – T he North Dakota Soybean Growers Association was established 40 years ago. In 1983, a half-million acres of soybeans were grown in the state, primarily in the southeastern corner of North Dakota. Today, North Dakota is one of the top ten soybean production states in the country with production in the six-to-seven-million-acre range. Bob Sinner of Casselton helped organize the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association and was part of the original board. “When we started, we put together a group of growers up and down the (Red River) Valley and west to the Valley City and Jamestown area,” remembers Sinner. “These are guys that really give a damn and I was honored to serve with these guys that wanted to make a difference.” Sinner remains excited about the soybean industry. “Think about the crystal ball and where our future is, soy will be there.” Listen to the full interview.

Opportunities at Home and Abroad – The North Dakota Soybean Growers Association celebrated its 40^th anniversary with a special event Thursday night in Fargo. Valley City farmer Monte Peterson is a former chair of the U.S. Soybean Export Council. “The lay of the land today is not much different than it has been over the last 20 years, China has been the gorilla in the room out there absorbing most of the soy that’s produced around the world. That’s going to continue for a while.” More than 90 percent of North Dakota soybeans go to the Pacific Northwest to be exported. That is changing with the development of the soybean crush business in the state. Peterson said that also creates the potential expansion of the animal agriculture business in North Dakota. “I just see a lot of opportunity here heading forward.”

‘Everything Counts’ in Ethanol – American Coalition for Ethanol CEO Brian Jennings says blending volumes, market access and clean fuel credits were addressed at the American Coalition for Ethanol Everything Counts Conference. Jennings says the discussion for ethanol market expansion revolved around E15. “We really had a serious of barriers in the last year regarding our goal to get year round E-15 availability in every state.”

Walz Promotes Sustainable Aviation Fuels – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sent a letter to the editor to media outlets, highlighting the efforts to grow the sustainable aviation fuel industry. Minnesota has a new tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel. Walz also touted crop-based biofuels to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.

Rising Diesel Fuel Prices – Diesel fuel futures rose nearly two-and-a-half percent this past week, reaching levels not seen since the end of January. This the ninth straight week of price increases. That’s a trend that hasn’t happened since 1978. The sharp increase in diesel fuel values is also causing retail prices to increase. The national average is $4.36 per gallon, up 12 percent from a month ago.

USDA Awards Specialty Crop Grants – USDA announced $72.9 million has been awarded to 55 states and territories through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Of that, over $1.3 million of funding went to projects in Minnesota, and over $3.3 million to North Dakota. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says this marks over $1 billion invested to the specialty crop industry.

Multi-State Specialty Crop Program Opens – USDA has announced up to $10 million in available competitive grant funding through the 2023 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program. State departments must partner with organizations located in at least two different states to qualify. The grants support projects that address food safety, plant pests and disease, research, and marketing and promotions for specialty crops.

Canola Minute – In this week’s Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman reminds growers to look for Diamondback moth damage.

Potato Wart Worries – An investigation related to the 2021 detection of potato wart in Prince Edward Island was recently completed.  National Potato Council Chief Executive Officer Kam Quarles says infected fields should be pinpointed now. “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency sampled soils around the island to figure out where the disease hit and that sampling is completed now.” With trade still open between Prince Edwards Island and the U.S., Quarles is worried disease movement is possible. “They need to go in and address all of these risk factors and plug any holes where potato wart may get into the U.S.”

Parched Potato Crop Needs Moisture – The potato crop is coming along quite well across the Northern Plains. Extension potato agronomist Andy Robinson says dry weather is having an impact on the non-irrigated potato crop. “There’s no question it’s dry, but the irrigated acres look good.” While the dry weather may have lessened foliar disease pressure, soilborne pathogens take advantage of stressed plants.

Rain Needed for Potato Crop – Northland Potato Growers Association President Donavan Johnson says the crop looks okay. “The amount of tubers per plant has been good,” said Johnson. “From a sizing standpoint, we’d love to have rain to come through and build it up a little bit.” When conditions are too dry, potatoes can bruise during the harvest operation.

Research Highlighted at NPGA Field Day – The Northland Potato Growers Association held its annual field day Thursday. NDSU Plant Pathologist Julie Pasche says soilborne diseases are very difficult to deal with. “You can’t see what’s going on and some of those pathogens stay in the soil.” Following the Hoverson Farms stop, researchers and Northland Potato Growers board members gathered to talk about future research projects and gain input from growers.

Problem Potato Pests – Colorado Potato Beetles require a certain amount of heat to break their winter dormancy. University of Minnesota Extension entomologist Ian MacRae saw the pest show up later than usual this season. “We had that early season heat before it got cold again, so I think that reset their starting clock.” Late season PVY or Potato Virus Y is the biggest concern right now. “It certainly took a leap this last week when we saw a lot more of the aphid species that transmit Potato Virus Y.”

Using Drones to Measure Nitrogen – University of Minnesota Potato Breeder Laura Shannon’s breeding program is focusing on quality traits. With red potatoes, the direction is to improve shape, color, and skinning. “We’re also interested in using drones to measure nitrogen use efficiency for processors.” Shannon is working on the use of drone imagery to develop models that show nitrogen content.

U.S. Potato Exports Break Records – U.S. potato exports reached record value and volume in the past year. Values increased 19 percent to $2.2 billion while export volumes jumped nearly four percent to 3.3 million metric tons. Potato export values increased across all categories. Including frozen, fresh, dehydrated, seed and shipping potatoes.

Planning a Safe Harvest – With harvest 2023 underway NDSU Extension Farm and Ranch Safety Coordinator Angie Johnson is reminding everyone on the road to use caution. Be sure to use hazard lights and turn signals. “A lot of times we don’t realize our equipment lights don’t work until we’re in a situation that we really need them to work. Be aware of your surroundings and watch for power lines as well.” Johnson encourages everyone to slow down and stay safe this harvest season. Hear the full interview with Angie Johnson here.

CLC Research Projects Showcased at Tour – Central Lakes College Ag and Energy Research Center field day took place Friday in Staples, Minnesota. CLC Director of Ag and Energy Cory Detloff said the event highlighted the work being done at the center, including “sessions related to conserving water through precision irrigation, fertilizer rate comparisons for edible beans and using hemp for water quality.”

Bayer Crop Science Launches New Digital Options – Climate FieldView is rolling out new features to analyze the performance of crop protection products and fertility applications. This tool also simplifies the reporting process for the emerging carbon credit programs. Additional enhancements to the FieldView app are expected later this fall.

BASF Announces Liberty Ultra – BASF has introduced its Liberty ULTRA herbicide, Powered by Glu-LTM Technology. This herbicide will control grasses and tough broadleaf weeds in glufosinate-tolerant soybeans, corn, canola and cotton. Registration is expected before the end of the year. A targeted launch will happen in 2024 with a full launch in 2025.

Cargill to Expand Soy Crush Capacity in Brazil – Cargill has made an offer to acquire three soy crush plants in Brazil. This deal needs antitrust approval from the Brazilian government. If that happens, Cargill will own nine soybean crush facilities in Brazil.

RRFN’s Big Iron Forums to be Live-Streamed – The Red River Farm Network has a full slate of forums planned for the Big Iron Farm Show. The schedule includes daily market outlook panels featuring some of the best analysts in the business. USDA Agriculture Meteorologist Brad Rippey, StoneX Vice President of Fertilizer Josh Linville and agricultural law and tax expert Roger McEowen will be on the stage. These forums will be streamed online at YourLiveEvent.com. The forums will be available after Big Iron on the Red River Farm Network YouTube channel.

Jones Picked for FDA Post – Jim Jones has been appointed as the first deputy commissioner for human foods at the Food and Drug Administration. Most recently, Jones has led his own environmental consulting firm. He previously spent more than 30 years at the EPA.

Ag Advisory Committees Appointed – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai have announced the appointment of 130 private-sector representatives to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees.  The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee includes Bill Gordon from Worthington, Minnesota and Randy Spronk of Edgerton, Minnesota. Gordon represents the American Soybean Association and Spronk is serving on behalf of the National Pork Producers Council. Neal Fisher from the North Dakota Wheat Commission and Gary Wertish from Minnesota Farmers Union are on the advisory committee dealing with grains, feed, oilseeds and more. Kevin Price, who is with American Crystal Sugar Company, is a member of the sweeteners advisory committee. Numerous national farm organization leaders are also part of these advisory committees.

MFBF Minute – Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Education Coordinator Pam Debele talks about the MFBF Building at the Minnesota State Fair in this week’s MFBF Minute.

Tveidt Promoted – Sarah Tveidt was promoted to vice president of client services at Aimport Research. Tveidt has been with Aimpoint Research for nearly five years. Previously, she served as the communications director for the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and South Dakota Soybean Association.

Wertman Takes Senior Sales Role with Meristem – Vince Wertman has joined Meristem Crop Performance Group as its senior sales director and will be based in Minnesota. Most recently, Wertman was the technical sales manager for Agrauxine by Lesaffre North America.

Kuball Crowned as Princess Kay – A 19-year-old college student from Waterville, Minnesota is the Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Emma Kuball will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota’s dairy industry. Makenzie Alberts of Preston and Megan Ratka of Cold Spring were selected as runners-up.