Senate Passes Climate, Health Care Bill – The Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a 50-50 tie vote. This bill now goes to the House where a vote is expected at the end of the week. The health care and climate provisions of the $740 billion bill are the centerpiece of legislation. It also includes a 15 percent minimum tax on large corporations.

Budget Reconciliation Bill Includes $40 Billion for Agriculture – The Senate’s Inflation Reduction Act includes nearly $8.5 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, $7 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and $3.25 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program. USDA also receives $300 million to quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from farmland. There’s money for farmers with prevented plant land to grow cover crops. This bill extends the $1 per gallon biodiesel tax credit from 2022-to-2024 and invests in the infrastructure needed for blender pumps. Rural electric cooperatives will receive nearly $10 billion for renewable energy projects, carbon capture and energy efficiency. The Farm Service Agency will also receive $1 billion to help farmers and ranchers with “limited resources.” FSA will pay up to 100 percent of ‘at risk’ loans, up to $150,000. There’s another $750 million for farmers who faced discrimination from USDA before 2021.

Walz & Jensen Clash at Farmfest Forum – The crowd for the 2022 Farmfest gubernatorial forum was reminiscent to 1998 when Jesse Ventura, Norm Coleman and Skip Humphrey were the candidates. The topics ranged from biofuels to broadband and from COVID to the economy. There was a populist approach from both sides. “It’s relatively simple; let farmers farm, let miners mine, let teachers teach and have government get the hell out of the way,” touted Republican challenger Dr. Scott Jensen. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was quick to defend his record, saying “this job entails more than admiring a problem and second guessing.” It was a heated exchange between the two contenders with plenty of red meat for the crowd. As an example, Jensen recieved thunderous applause when he said “over my dead body will Minnesota ever sell farmland to foreign corporations.” Walz supporters cheered when the governor pushed back to criticism over the state pandemic response. “If you truly believe in our people, invest in our children and invest in our teachers, but don’t you dare call us lazy.” A link to the entire forum can be found on the Red River Farm Network website.

Honest Feedback on Farm Policy – Politicians are a familiar sight at Farmfest, especially during an election year. Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Public Policy Director Amber Glaeser appreciates having elected officials and candidates at the show. “This is really boots-on-the-ground and they’ll get really, honest thoughts about inflation, farm programs and everything that is top-of-mind for farmers.’ The farm bill was a frequent discussion point, but Glaser said farmers are also concerned about the economy. “Talking about the cost of doing business, the price of diesel and those kind of things is important.”

Candidates Square Off on Farm Policy – Candidates from four Minnesota congressional districts, including the Seventh District, faced off at Farmfest.Incumbent Michelle Fischbach was asked about the regulatory environment for farmers and said it was out of control. The Republican has introduced a bill to deal with this issue. “We don’t need to make farmers continue to address these regulations, report and you shouldn’t need to hire someone just to handle reporting requirements; it is something we absolutely must address,” said Fischbach.The DFL-endorsed candidate Jill Abahsain said there are very few truly rural representatives in Congress. “Because of that, we have suffered,” said Abahsain. “Rural Minnesota has a ten percent higher mortality rate and die sooner than our urban counterparts because we don’t have medical access like the Twin Cities.” Bull Johnson is on the ballot representing the Legalize Marijuana Now Party. Regarding crop insurance, said Johnson doesn’t see a need for change. “I had a nice conversation with (former Congressman) Collin Peterson this week who is advising me on farm bill issues.” Johnson said Peterson’s advice was to leave the farm bill alone because it is working well. Questions for the candidate panel came from farm leaders and ag media.

A Deep Dive into Farm Bill Funding – With rising production costs, agriculture groups are asking for more money in the farm safety net for the next farm bill. Texas A&M Agriculture and Food Policy Center Co-Director Bart Fischer says an increase in baseline funding is not an easy thing to accomplish. “The ARC and PLC programs amount to three percent of the entire farm bill, whereas the nutrition program is going to be about 84 percent of the farm bill.” If farm groups don’t ask for more money, Fischer says there’s a risk lawmakers won’t pursue it. On the flip side, agriculture received several billion dollars in ad-hoc payments in the last three years. “The safety net inside the farm bill is smaller. It’s time to get back to actually focusing on a standing safety net where we don’t have to rely on ad-hoc assistance.” Hear the story.

Ag Leaders Participate in Farm Bill Forum – The leadership of general farm organizations and major commodity groups shared the stage at Farmfest to discuss the 2023 farm bill. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Don Schiefelbein said the farm bill process too often picks winners and losers. “We want to just come out with a fair bill that does right by everybody,” said Schiefelbein. “New farmers, old farmers, young farmers, white farmers, black farmers, red farmers, every farmer. and we will win.” National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Tom Haag said his organization’s farm bill priorities are crop insurance, the commodity title and conservation. “We all know there is only a certain amount of money we can have,” said Haag. “I wish we could have more, but if we all of a sudden want an increase here, we’re going to rob from Peter to pay Paul.”

A Budget Challenged Farm Bill – There’s been an effort by emerging crops to capture specialty crop funding in the next farm bill. This includes the hemp, wild rice and aquaculture industries. “Both the National Potato Council and Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance have come out in strong opposition to that,” said NPC CEO Kam Quarles. “There’s not enough specialty crop money to go around right now. All of the programs are oversubscribed.” Quarles is bracing for a budget-challenged farm bill. “If that comes to pass, the budget for the farm bill will create winners and losers if you move forward with new programs in other areas.”

Hoeven: A Boost in Reference Prices Needed – North Dakota Senator John Hoeven supports an increase in reference prices for the new farm bill. “Reference prices have to be updated for inflation or they’re not relevant. We’ve had to update this in the past, but clearly, we’re going to it again this time as well.” In an interview, Hoeven told the Red River Farm Network farm groups need to prioritize their farm bill requests. Hoeven did not support the Inflation Reduction Act that passed over the weekend, saying the additional funding may do more harm than good to the next farm bill. “People are going to say that’s $40 billion that got spent on agriculture in those programs, why should we allocate more for an actual farm bill next year?”

Senate Ag Committee Leader Coming to ND – Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman is coming to North Dakota to get input on the next farm bill. There’s no firm date for the visit, but it should happen within the next few weeks. “I’m anxious to come to North Dakota.” There were no major policy changes in the 2018 farm bill. “This time, to be honest, I don’t know what it will look like because I don’t know what circumstances we’ll be facing in the next few months,” said Boozman. “We have a lot of things to work on, but we haven’t arrived at a particular way to solve those problems.”

Fairness for Farmers Comes to Farmfest – The National Farmers Union Fairness for Farmers campaign calls for reform of the Packers and Stockyards Act, improving price discovery, diversifying marketing opportunities and antitrust enforcement. NFU Vice President of Advocacy Mike Stranz applauded the Minnesota Farmers Union for its support of the campaign. “MFU is using Farmfest to unveil the Trust Buster. It is a side-by-side utility vehicle decked out in a wrap about Fairness for Farmers. It’s talking about how farmers receive about 16 percent of all the money spent on food at the grocery store (and) how there is very little competition in ag markets.”

August USDA Reports Coming Up Friday – Total Farm Marketing Senior Market Advisor Naomi Blohm says there may be slight reductions in U.S. yield forecasts in the USDA report. “It’s definitely not a record crop by any means, but I think it’s too premature to say the yield will be substantially lower. We know it’s been so hot in Nebraska and in parts of western Iowa where it hasn’t rained. They’re really struggling there, but a lot of the other areas of the country are doing ok.” USDA is resurveying the Dakotas and Minnesota for an update on planted acres. Blohm says that’s not common and that could be supportive or negative to prices. The Farm Service Agency is expected to release an estimate on prevent plant next week as well.

Optimism Despite Volatile Markets – The AgCountry Farm Credit Services board met this past week in Willmar, Minnesota and made a side trip to Farmfest Wednesday. After meeting with farmers at the trade show and at its customer appreciation picnics in three states,  AgCountry President and CEO Marc Knisely said farmers and ranchers are generally optimistic. “There’s concern about volatility with commodity prices and the availability of inputs, but the attitude has been positive.” Interest rates have increased, but are still at manageable levels. “Even if you go with a floating rate or variable interest rate to start with, you’ll have an opportunity to get a good fixed rate again I think on a lot of these termed purchases.”

Ag Economy Barometer Gets Slight Boost in July – The July Ag Economy Barometer shows an increase in farmer sentiment compared to the June survey results. The July findings reflect more optimism of current and future economic conditions on the farm. Purdue Center for Commercial Agriculture Director Jim Mintert says there’s still a tremendous amount of uncertainty. “There’s unease out there. I think that stems largely from uncertainty from what it will cost to produce products for the upcoming season.” Rising input costs mean farmers are reassessing their cropping plans for 2023. “More than half of the survey respondents said they intend to plant a higher percentage of farmland acreage to soybeans.”

Firm Financial Footing – American Sugar Alliance Director of Economics and Policy Analysis Rob Johansson is concerned what rising input costs could mean for U.S. farmers heading into 2023. “If high input costs move into 2023, that means even tighter operating margins for producers.” Johansson sees some bright spots ahead for all commodities. “After the last few years, producers are on a fairly firm financial footing. Farmers can pay back loans even though we are seeing interest rates increase.”

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 Friday’s jobs report has supported the stock market. For grain futures, Martinson expects to see a lot of volatility. “We have continuing issues with China and Taiwan with sanctions taking place there,” said Martinson. “We also have the shipments out of Ukraine and that will continue to be looked at.” Ultimately, weather will hold the cards for the week.

Sideways – The USDA supply/demand report will be released Friday. “I think we’re going to go sideways up to the report,” said Sterling Smith, market analyst, AgriSompo North America. “I think the report probably isn’t going to be bearish, but global corn stocks could come down quite a little bit.”

Rising Farmland Prices – According to a new USDA report, the value of farmland is continuing to increase. The farm real estate value rose 19 percent in South Dakota, 17 percent in Minnesota and 13 percent in North Dakota this past year. Cash rents were unchanged in North Dakota and up slightly in South Dakota and Minnesota.

China Leads in Way of Ag Exports – China is on track to be the leading international buyer of U.S. agricultural products for the third consecutive year. The total value of exported good to China reached record levels in the first half of 2022. Data published by the U.S. Census Bureau showed U.S. agricultural and related product exports to China reached $17.5 billion from January to June. That’s up 15 percent from last year. Leading the way is beef exports that increased 49 percent from 2021. This makes China the third largest destination for U.S. beef behind Japan and South Korea.

Sugar Industry Meets In Colorado for Sweetener Symposium – Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association President Neil Rockstad says the American Sugar Alliance’s Sweetener Symposium encompasses the entire sugar industry. “It’s an annual event that’s taken a few years off. This is one of the biggest meetings of the year.” Farm policy is just one of the many topics impacting the sugar industry. “The 2023 Farm Bill is a focus. There are many questions about the upcoming November election and how it could change the drafting of the farm bill. There’s questions about the general economy and inflation. What spending will be available? There’s also global politics to think about.”

Undersecretary Highlights Climate and Disaster Aid – Former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson moderated a Sweetener Symposium panel with USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie. Much of the conversation centered around climate smart agriculture. “There’s a lot of concern in agriculture about reducing the carbon footprint and having more sustainable practices,” Peterson told RRFN. “Bonnie said something I’ve heard before, the administration’s approach is this will only work coming from the bottom to the top.” Disaster aid implementation, including the Emergency Relief Program, was discussed. “They had simplified the program and Bonnie thought USDA improved it. I’ve heard different takes on that from different parts of the country, but they’ve changed the program so it’s easier for FSA staff to do the applications. Under the old program, it took five hours per application and now they’ve got it down to 40 minutes.”

Soybean Crush May Change U.S. Feed Dynamic – Rabobank Research Executive Director and Senior Protein Analyst Christine McCracken says the possibility of new soy crush facilities being built in the U.S. will change the feed dynamic for livestock production. It’s not clear how livestock production will expand in the areas that have new soy crush facilities. McCracken says many factors contribute to that decision. “Whether or not it’s a good place to grow hogs and where the packing plants are. We don’t have a lot of incremental slaughter capacity at the moment to be able to expand production.” There’s been discussion about a potential pork processing plant in South Dakota, but “that’s on hold for now.”

MN Corn Issues Call to Action on Atrazine – The Environmental Protection Agency is adopting an atrazine level of concern at up to 3.4 parts per billion. Minnesota Corn Growers Association board member Todd Wentzel says it’s inconsistent with scientific, regulatory data. “There’s a public comment period going on until September 6. I’d encourage producers to submit their comments to EPA regarding that proposal.” Wentzel says many farmers like to use atrazine as a stand-alone product. It’s also an ingredient in many pre-mixes. “I’m concerned about what this will do to the list of tools in the toolbox that we have as farmers to use on our crops to keep them clean. If we lose too many of those herbicides, many times, it means more tillage and that’s not good for the soil either.”

Ergot Identified in North Dakota – Ergot is being reported in barley near the Langdon Research Extension Center in North Dakota. Ergot has a large host range, including all small grains and common weeds like smooth brome grass. With signs of ergot evident in the state, farmers are reminded to check their fields. “The best time to scout for it is in a mature crop,” said Andrew Friskop, plant pathologist, NDSU Extension. “You’ll see dark, hard fungal bodies on the head.”

Keeping an Eye on Ergot – Winter wheat harvest is pretty much wrapped up in South Dakota. South Dakota Wheat Commission Executive Director Reid Christopherson says these next few days of heat will help speed up the spring wheat harvest. “We’re really pleased with the results of the winter wheat harvest. Spring wheat harvest is progressing quickly, but there has been challenges with the straw drying out.” Christopherson says Ergot has been identified in some wheat fields. “Elevators are monitoring for Ergot closely and there has been cases of dockage on a few loads.”

A Harvest Report From Winner, SD – Elk City, Oklahoma-based custom harvester David Misener is finishing up his work on small grains in the Winner, South Dakota area. “The first (oat) field we did was on sandy ground and it was in the 70 bushel per acre range; everything else has been 120 bushel per acre plus. There’s also good test weight.” Misener says the winter wheat he’s typically harvested in the Winner area has been in the 40-to-45 bushel per acre range. “This year, the worst field I did was around 50 bushels per acre, but much of it was 65 bushels per acre.”

Technolgy is Field-Tested – New technology was on display at the Capistran Seed plot tour. “We’ve got hybrid wheat,” said Kevin Capistran. “It’s not a distant thing in the future anymore and we’re excited to see how they may perform in the future.” Soybeans developed through gene editing were also featured. “It’s going to be a part of every seed we see in the future. It’s a cleaner, non-GMO way of introducing whatever you want into the seed down the road.”

ND Winter Wheat Harvest Moves Quickly – Portland, North Dakota farmer Ross Thykeson is wrapping up winter wheat harvest. Harvest started the final week of July. “It’s a nice crop; iIt flowered before we got this heat,” said Thykeson. “I wish we had more winter wheat.” The majority of Thykeson’s winter wheat is going for seed production.

MN Wheat Minute – Minnesota Wheat Vice President of Operations Coreen Berdahl participated in the Wheat Quality Council’s Spring Wheat Tour. Hear about the wheat crop in this MN Wheat Minute.

Follow Wheat Harvest With Soil Sampling – While spring wheat harvest is still a few weeks away, CHS Ag Services Agronomy Department Manager Chris Kolstoe is reminding farmers to think about soil sampling for next season’s crops. “The best time to soil sample is right behind the combine. We usually spread a lot of potassium and phosphorus prior to tillage.” Kolstoe is not expecting any fertilizer supply chain issues going into fall. “We’ve got a good supply plan in place for potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, ammonia and sulfur right now.”

Waiting for Spring Wheat to Dry – Hallock, Minnesota-based custom harvester Rick Sugden is waiting for the spring wheat to dry near Gettysburg, South Dakota. The area has a good winter wheat crop. “It ranges anywhere from 50 to 80 bushels per acre, depending on where the fields caught rain. Coming up through here, it was terrible looking south of Pierre, but right here, it’s nice. There was a lot of heat. Grain was 11 to 12 percent and the straw was green on top.”

ND Barley Harvest Begins – Barley harvest started August 1 for McClusky, North Dakota farmer Kim Saueressig. The barley yields and quality look good. “We had some samples looked at by our local elevator, not the maltsters yet, but it looks like proteins are low, plump is good and the test weights are good.”

When Will a Frost Arrive in the Northern Plains? – World Weather Incorporated Senior Agricultural Meteorologist Drew Lerner says a hard frost and freeze is a concern with the later growing season. “This is the end of a multi-year La Nina. Typically, the tail end of those events have a higher potential for the cold to come down early. Not necessarily earlier than normal, but it happens once and awhile.” Temperatures can move from one extreme to the next fast. “Right now, I want to say we’ll probably get a relatively normal frost and freeze in many areas across the Northern Plains. I don’t think anything will be too terribly early, but I don’t expect it to be an extended growing season.”

Corn Rootworm Being Monitored in the Region – In the Pioneer Agronomy Update, Pioneer Field Agronomist Clyde Tiffany provided information on western and northern corn rootworm. “The western is yellow and black in coloring when you look at the beetle; northerns are green in coloring,” said Tiffany. The two species act differently with the northern corn rootworm can go into extended diapause. “Half of the northerns will hatch in the following soybean crop in a rotation and half of the eggs will hatch two years later when you come back to corn; rotation doesn’t always work with northerns.” Heavy populations of northern corn rootworm have been reported this season. At this time of the year, a network of yellow sticky traps are posted to identify beetle feeding. A YouTube interview with Tiffany is also available on Iron Deficiency Chlorosis.

Planting Conditions May Influence Standability – Corn and soybeans in west central Minnesota were planted in less-than-ideal conditions. Dean Martinson, who leads a Pioneer seed agency in the Dawson/Boyd area, says the corn has been helped by the recent Growing Degree Days. “We did push pretty hard and I’m nervous about some of the areas that really got mucked in,” said Martinson. “If we get a big heavy ear on these corn stalks and have some tomahawk or poor root systems, the corn may be susceptiable to going down if we get wind.”

Corn Matters – Incoming National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Harold Wolle is at Farmfest to discuss the upcoming farm bill. Hear more in the latest Corn Matters, presented by Minnesota Corn.

Focus on What You Can Control – To finish the growing season strong, Golden Harvest Agronomy Manager David Schlake reminds farmers to focus on what they can control. “Stay mindful of any late season diseases that come in, but in a lot of areas, that will probably be minimal.” Schlake says it’s also a good time for farmers to start thinking about 2023. “Evaluate what did I do this year from a management standpoint or a hybrid selection standpoint. Do I want to make any changes for next year? What did I learn from this year?” Hear the story.

Southern MN Crops Need Rain – Golden Harvest District Sales Manager Brian Langeland says crops across south central and southwestern Minnesota need rain. “If you go further west and south toward Worthington, it’s pretty dry. The corn is starting to roll.” The crop was planted a month later than normal. Once planted, the crops came up out of the ground quickly. “Emergence was phenomenal and stands were great. If we’re going to be dry, it’s better to be dry early and get root development.” Hear the story.

Canola Minute – Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman takes a closer look at the canola crop across the Northern Plains in this week’s Canola Minute.

Battling IDC – Iron Deficiency Chlorosis is a symptom of this season’s variable weather conditions. this year, “Higher pH soils, calcium carbonate, excess salts and even excess nitrate from the previous year contribute to that,” said University of Minnesota Extension Educator Dave Nicolai. Growers are advised to consider soybean varieties that are more tolerant to IDC. “Secondly, there are some products on the market that can be banded on at planting; they are in iron chelate form from different suppliers.” Nicoai said improving drainage would also help.

Soybean Aphids Reported in Region – Peterson Farms Seed Lead Agronomist Rick Swenson says the weather during corn pollination was “just about perfect.” Insects are an issue with soybean aphids seen throughout the region. “From South Dakota all the way north to north central North Dakota and especially Minnesota, we are seeing a lot show up.” Swenson was in a soybean field on the day RRFN spoke to him “nd a few of those plants were completely covered.”quick here.”

Don’t Take Out the Beneficials – Farmers may want to add an insecticide with a fungicide application even if the treatment threshold has been reached. University of Minnesota Extension Educator Dave Nicolai says that is a danger because the insecticide will also take out beneficial insects. “Those are the good guys that are out in the field and you might make the situations a little worse if you’re too proactive,” said Nicolai. “I’m a little hesitant on jumping the gun because we want those beneficials out there as well.” With the recent heat, soybean aphids tend to go lower in the canopy making it more difficult to scout. “You certainly cannot do it from the pickup.”

BASF Virtual Field Day – In the BASF Virtual Field Day, BASF Business Representative Bill Olson says dry bean growers have put a lot of work into the crop “and now we have to protect our yield with a good fungicide application.” In addition to the management of white mold, Endura and Priaxor fungicides have plant health benefits. BASF Technical Service Representative Dan Melaas can also be found on RRFN’s YouTube channel with an update on the dry bean crop in central and western North Dakota.

Dry Bean Scene – The dry bean crop has had some great weather this season to get going. Northarvest Bean Growers Association District Representative Joe Mauch give an update on his dry bean crop The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by SRS Commodities, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, and BASF.

MN Beef Update – In the latest Minnesota Beef Update, Minnesota cattle producer Mike Landuyt recaps a few policy highlights from the NCBA Summer Business Meeting.

Cattle Market is Breaking Trends – Fluctuating corn prices and speculation of a high fat cattle market combined have led to steady feeder cattle prices during a seasonally low time of the year. Bagley Livestock Auction Co-Owner Billy Bushelle says bigger runs of grass cattle will start to filter through the barns soon. “We’ll start getting larger runs of grass cattle, which is seasonally early, but it’s not because of grass or pasture conditions. The market is just that strong.” Bushelle says the sell-off of the cow herd last year might bump the prices for this upcoming run. “Overall, we have less yearlings out there than on a normal year. Partially, because of the lack of hay last year, and partially because the market was so strong this spring that it deterred a lot of people from buying some and putting them out.”

Poultry Transparency Rule Comment Period Extended – The USDA’s Ag Marketing Service is extending the comment period for a new poultry transparency rule an additional 15 days, through August 23. The Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments rule requires live poultry dealers share key information to poultry growers regarding financial returns growers can expect from their business relationship with the dealer. Comments may be submitted online.

Parade of Champions: Try Your Best – Jayma Lawson from Staples, Minnesota is a member of the Four Corners 4-H Club in Wadena County and Verndale FFA Chapter. “Every year, I learn more about being a leader, showing the public that raising animals is not just taking care of them every day,” says Lawson. “It’s getting to get up in the morning working with your animals and then bringing them to the show to showcase how you treat these animals.” Lawson says to put your effort in and always try your best. “Sometimes we weren’t always able to get what we needed for my animals, such as show grooming products. I was always told to do what you can and  just know that you are putting your effort into it and you’re always trying your best.” Hear the story.

Parade of Champions: Have Patience – Megan Rodine from Oakes, North Dakota is part of the Dakota Workers 4-H Club in Dickey County and Oakes Sargent Central Ellendale FFA Chapter. Rodine started participating in FFA and 4-H as soon as possible. “I showed beef cattle.” As a livestock showman, Rodine learned patience while working her animals. “When you start the halter breaking process, your animals aren’t always the most cooperative. You have to get used to their comfort zone. They have to get used to being around you. By the end of the show season, you are best friends,” says Rodine. “I think it’s having patience and learning what makes your animals different from others.” Rodine urges 4-H and FFA members to apply for scholarships. “There are many scholarships through 4-H and FFA. If you are involved, I would say fill out the applications, because I know I never wanted to put the time into doing it, but I did. I’ve been thankful for all those donors who have helped me fund my college.” Hear the story.

Looking Back: How the ND Corn Growers Association Began – The North Dakota Corn Growers Association started with a trade policy issue with Canada. In the 1980s, a Canadian Countervailing Duty challenged the corn market. As the issue got bigger, affecting not only corn growers in the eastern United States, but also in North Dakota, the National Corn Growers Association got involved. Page, North Dakota farmer Robert Thompson says NCGA was in expansion mode at the time. “They saw North Dakota picking up acres of corn and multiplying them. We had two senators and that gave NCGA more clout in Washington D.C. We also know corn is king.” The North Dakota Corn Growers Association formed at the Fargo Doublewood Inn in the spring of 1987. Thompson served as the first president of the policy-focused group. According to Thompson, there weren’t even half a million corn acres in North Dakota at the time. That’s changed in the last 35 years. In 2019, North Dakota had more than three million acres devoted to corn production. “It’s not enough to grow the corn, but you also have to find a market for the corn. That was one of the reasons we started the NDCGA.” Hear the story.

Ethanol Expansion a Proud Moment for ND Corn – Kulm, North Dakota farmer and former National Corn Growers Association President Bart Schott says one of the biggest wins in North Dakota is the growth of the corn ethanol industry. There are currently six ethanol plants in the state. “In the latest state legislative session, we got the state fleet to use blended gasoline with ethanol in all the state vehicles. That’s something we’ve been working on for awhile.”

A Future for the ND Corn Growers Association – The current North Dakota Corn Growers Association President Andrew Mauch says a push for year-round E15, trade and the upcoming farm bill will continue to be policy priorities for the association. As Mauch looks to the future of North Dakota’s corn industry, he says it’s all about promoting agriculture. “Teaching, educating and telling our story.”

A Learning Opportunity – Of the 57 spring wheat varieties evaluated during the Grand Forks County plot tour, a large portion are lodged. NDSU Extension Small Grain and Corn Agronomist Clair Keene says Mother Nature should play a role in variety selections. “Especially here where lodging is a more common issue due to the wind.” Keene encourages growers to be open to looking at many varieties when thinking about next year’s spring wheat. “Take a closer look at the NDSU and University of Minnesota Extension variety trial data and make comparisons.”

Learn How Bakery Brands Can Navigate the Wheat Crisis – The Northern Crops Institute hosted another Cereal Innovators webinar on Wednesday featuring Megan Stanton, the associate director of food and drink at Mintel. Her presentation titled, “How Bakery Brands Can Navigate the Wheat Crisis,” explained the challenges businesses are facing due to the wheat crisis and what they can do to continue to reach consumers. Stanton cited the ‘lipstick effect,’ positioning goods as affordable luxury and plan for future supply challenges. This interactive webinar series focuses on new and unique ways to use cereal grains. Topics throughout the series include new processes, information on milling and baking, equipment information and uses for cereal grains grown in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Registration for this event is free of charge and open to the public. For more information to watch the recording of this webinar and to see upcoming webinars, click here.

A Chance to Reflect on the Season – CHS Ag Services General Manage Ryan Anderson says is been a busy spring and summer. “I feel like we’re at a point where we can finally breathe.” Supply chain issues have not been a big issue. “Overall, there may have been a few things short, but big picture, things turned out just fine.” CHS Ag Services hosted a customer appreciation supper at Warren, Minnesota Tuesday.

Education on Safety Only Half the Battle – Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council member Pat Sullivan says the council is working on promoting safety this year through donating rescue equipment. “What better way to help farm families than to provide them with the knowledge of what to do in these situations. We’ve teamed up with a company to do trainings and to give away safety bin rescue tubes.” Sullivan, who serves on his local fire department and EMT squad says communities can fill out an application on their website. “It’s a great way to bring the education to community members. Knowing how to tackle the issue when it comes is half the battle.”

Movie on the Farm on Wednesday – Bertsch Farms, which is located east of Hillsboro, is hosting ‘Movie on the Farm’ Wednesday evening. Jon Bertsch says the night is all about education. “I always wanted to do some kind of outreach for agriculture on the farm to let people experience the farm that don’t get to experience it on a regular basis.” Farm animals, farm machinery and drones will be part of the experience. A movie called ‘Dear Rodeo’ will begin at 7:30. All funds raised Wednesday evening will go to support farmers in Ukraine. More information can be found on the Bertsch Farms Facebook page.

SD Corn Comments – In the latest South Dakota Corn Comments, hear more about numerous upcoming events with the South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

POET Acquires Savannah Transload Facility – South Dakota-based biofuels producer, POET, signed a purchase agreement to acquire the Savannah Marine Terminal rail to container transload facility in Savannah, Georgia. The Port of Savannah is one of the highest volume container ports in the United States. The acquisition includes all equipment and real estate to operate the grain transload facility. This positions POET to send out animal feed products and dried distillers’ grains to several key markets.

Automating the Soil Sampling Process – Precision Planting has launched a new system for professional crop consultants called Radicle Agronomics. The goal is to automate soil sampling and testing. This new platform has three new products. GeoPress can be retrofitted to an ATV or UTV and is used to automate in-field soil sampling. Radicle Lab handles the soil testing without the need for an external lab. Samples can be evaluated with the use of an iPad using Radical Agronomics software. Precision Planting will have this suite of products available for lease this fall and are planning a widespread release in 2023.

Zoetis Receives Expanded Labels for Implant Products – Zoetis announced today it has received expanded label approval from the FDA’s Center for Veterinarian Medicine on three beef implant products. Synovex Choice, Synovex Plus, and Synovex One Feedlot are approved for reimplanting programs in both steers and heifers fed in confinement for slaughter.

Nutrien Releases 2Q Financials – Nutrien reports second quarter net earnings of $3.6 billion. That’s up from $1.1 billion in the same quarter last year. Nutrien Interim President and CEO Ken Seitz said the company expects supply chain issues to persist well beyond 2022. North American sales volume of potash and nitrogen was down from last year due to a short application season.

Tyson Updates Quarterly Financials – Tyson Foods reports third quarter net income of $753 million, which is nearly equal to the same quarter one year ago. Beef sales volume increased one percent. Pork sales rose 1.7 percent and chicken sales were up 2.1 percent. Strong global demand was cited as reason for the increase in sales volume.

Mowers Promoted – The Agricultural Retailers Association has promoted Andrea Mowers to the director of communications and member experience. Mowers has been on the ARA staff for three-and-a-half years.

Augusto Moves to Dairy Management Incorporated – Melisa Augusto is the new director of corporate communications for Dairy Management Inc. Augusto’s experience includes time with the Agricultural Retailers Association, the National Association of Conservation Districts, National Farmers Union and U.S. Grains Council.

Johnson to Work Out of NPPC D.C. Office – Dr. Ashley Johnson is the new director of food policy for the National Pork Producers Council. Most recently, Johnson was a technical service veterinarian for Zoetis.