No End in Sight for Supply Chain Headache – NDSU Extension Ag Finance Specialist Bryon Parman believes it will take time to work through the current supply chain shortages. “There’ll probably be some relief by next year, but I don’t see any relief before planting.” This has been a perfect storm with disruptions at every stage of the supply chain. “When you have bottlenecks at every single stage of the process to get product to its final destination, it just keeps increasing costs over and over again.”

No Quick Fix – According to U.S. Grains Council Chairman Chad Willis, there is no quick fix for the shortage of shipping containers. “China and the countries shipping stuff want to get containers back as soon as possible rather than shipping containers to the Midwest.” Willis, who farms at Willmar, Minnesota, chaired the U.S. Grains Council International Marketing Conference and annual membership meeting. Willis says international buyers are concerned about high fertilizer prices and the impact on corn acres. Corn will be fighting for acres throughout the country. “Something we don’t think about in our neck of the woods is that cotton will be taking some corn and soybean acres in the southern U.S. and that could affect things in the (Red River) Valley and Minnesota area.”

Time Needed to Build Logistical Capacity – According to Northern Crops Institute Director Mark Jirik, the current logistical issues have been building for years. “When you talk about the container issue, that’s one thing. If you look at carrier issues, retirements and some of the regulations that have been pushed through in the last couple years, have curtailed things.” From the U.S. Grains Council annual meeting, Jirik told RRFN efforts are underway to address the supply chain problem. “There’s hope on the horizon, but it takes time to build ships and add capacity.”

Business Hampered by Truck Driver Shortage – The trucker shortage is real, but American Trucking Association Director for Intermodel Motor Carriers Jon Eisen says the labor shortage goes beyond that. “If our drivers have a delay, it can be because the warehouse doesn’t have the people to unload the product and that slows down our efficiency.” Eisen says the trucking industry wants to attract new drivers to the profession. “The average age of an individual entering CDL school is 34. That means they’ve been in a number of different jobs or occupations before they’ve come to trucking.” Federal regulations require drivers be at least 21 years of age for interstate commerce. Eisen spoke at this week’s National Association of State Departments of Agriculture winter conference.

Adjusting to the Glyphosate Shortage – An already tight supply of glyphosate is now tighter. Bayer declared force majeure because of a mechanical failure at the manufacturing plant that supplies a key raw ingredient. NDSU Extension Weed Specialist Joe Ikley is advising farmers to continue to talk to their ag retailers. “If you get a price locked in, make sure you possession of the inventory.” Glyphosate is one of the most important chemistries available for corn, soybean, sugarbeet and canola crop production. “Even with crops like wheat that doesn’t use glyphosate in crop production, we might use that for pre-harvest weed control to make combining easier.”

Current Fertilizer Market Differs From 2008 – Speaking at today’s North Dakota Corn and Soybean Expo, StoneX Director of Fertilizer Josh Linville said fertilizer prices will likely remain high through the first half of the spring season. “After that, it is somewhat of a crap shoot with what happens with imports and production; there are too many variables to call.” The only time agriculture has seen this kind of prices was in 2008. “It was a different market back then,” said Linville. “2008 was a demand-driven bull run and we never had a problem with supply. This one is a supply-driven bull run.”

DOJ Monitoring Farm Input Costs – The Justice Department is prioritizing investigations into companies that manipulate supply chain disruptions to raise prices. With this initiative, the DOJ said it will prosecute violations of antitrust laws, including any agreements to fix prices or allocate markets. The announcement follows comments made last week by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about the need to investigate the increases in ag input costs.

China’s Trade Record Criticized – The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office says China has a long record of violating, disregarding and evading World Trade Organization rules. That position was emphasized in a report to Congress. China has not yet implemented some of the most significant parts of the phase one trade agreement. That includes support for agricultural biotechnology. China has also come up short in its commitment to purchase U.S. products.

USDA Ag Attaché Estimates Puzzles Market Analysts – The USDA Ag Attaché in Brazil is estimating Brazil’s soybean crop at 134.5 million metric tons, larger than USDA’s current estimate. Country Futures market analyst Darrell Holaday is puzzled. “Where we’re at on the Brazilian bean crop is the strangest, I’ve ever seen. CONAB made a big adjustment last week and that’s just not normal; that uncertainty has a lot of people shaking their head, including me.”

Market Prices Are All About Perception – Total Farm Marketing Senior Market Advisor Brian Doherty says perception is more important to the market than yield estimates of the Brazilian crop size. “You’ve got the USDA figures, you’ve got CONAB figures, you’ve got other private estimate figures. When you’re in the throes of the weather market, you get all kinds of things coming at you.” Farmers shouldn’t lose sight that these are very good prices to be selling at. ” My point is $6 corn is still a high price historically for corn.”

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – Soybeans continue to see new contract highs. In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson says the U.S. is enjoying strong soybean demand while Brazil suffers from crop losses. The wheat market is struggling to get any traction. Listen to the report.

Ducks Unlimited CEO Addresses NACD Meeting – Speaking at the National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting, Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam said there must be a balance between conservation and farm profitability. “Farmers have to be rewarded for being better performers in a commoditized world and until we figure that out, none of this is going to work and it won’t move past the press release stage of the science.” Putnam started at DU in 2019 and immediately went to work on an agriculture strategic plan. “The definition of sustainability must begin with economic sustainability or none of the other things are going to come into play.”

30 Million Acres of Cover Crops by 2030 – The National Corn Growers Association, United Soybean Board and National Pork Board want to see 30 million acres of cover crops grown by 2030. The ‘Farmers for Soil Health’ initiative will originally target nine states, including Minnesota and South Dakota. This effort is being done in conjunction with the National Association of Conservation Districts, the Soil Health Institute, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and The Sustainability Consortium.

A Climate-Friendly Fuel? – A study published by the National Academy of Sciences claims corn-based ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel. The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Wildlife Federation. It found ethanol is 24 percent more carbon-intensive than gasoline due to the emissions created when growing the crop. Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper called the study “completely fictional” and developed by “cherry-picked data.”

MN Consumers Respond to Higher Ethanol Blends – A record amount of Unleaded 88 fuel was sold this past year in Minnesota. Sales for the higher-octane, low-carbon fuel approached 87 million gallons. The previous record was set in 2019 at just under 79 million gallons. In addition, E85 sales totaled 12 million gallons. That’s up from 11.4 million gallons for the 85 percent ethanol blend in 2020.

New Congressional Boundaries in Place in Minnesota – There are new Congressional maps for Minnesota. The Seventh District, currently served by Representative Michelle Fischbach, extends from the Canadian border to southwest Minnesota. The Eighth District, currently represented by Congressman Pete Stauber, expanded west and will include portions of Mahnomen, Beltrami, Clearwater and Becker counties. The Eighth District also expands into the Twin Cities metro area. There are also new legislative maps.

Drought Relief Moves Through MN House Ag Committee – The Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee has approved a drought assistance package. This bill is sponsored by Chairman Mike Sundin and includes $5 million for grants and direct assistance and another $5 million for the Rural Finance Authority’s revolving loan program. Clearwater farmer Liz Dwyer testified, saying her family’s small organic produce operation lost $100,000 this past year due to the drought. “As demoralizing as that is I thought we were in the same boat as every farmer around us, but as I watched dozens of new center-pivots go into commodity fields around us, I realized many of our neighbors have been made whole by crop insurance.”  Representative Paul Anderson is the lead Republican on the committee and took issue with Dwyer’s testimony. “Let’s say a farmer has insurance up to 80 percent, that leaves the top 20 percent gone and that usually represents the profit for the year,” said Anderson. “To say that crop insurance whole last year, in my opinion, is not an accurate statement.” The next stop for the drought relief bill is the House Ways and Means Committee.

Petersen: Drought Package Needs to Move This Week – An attempt to attach a DNR drought relief package to a proposal to assist farmers and ranchers is facing opposition in the Minnesota Legislature. The conflict centers on combining assistance for agriculture with support for a state agency. During the Fosston Farm Forum, Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said action is needed now. “We really need to pass that bill in the next bill in the next week whether it has the DNR piece attached to it or not, because it will take months to get checks out to farmers or for farmers to apply,” said Petersen. “We have to do a RFP (request for proposal), farmers have to apply and we have to cut the checks. Even if we do it by March 1, the soonest we’d get money to people would be April 1.” The entire KKCQ Farm Forum can be found online.

Tax Cuts, Not One-Time Checks – With Minnesota’s $7.7 billion surplus, Senate Republicans are seeking tax cuts Deputy Majority Leader Mark Johnson says the surplus means the state is collecting too much money from the taxpayers. “We want to put together a package that hits all Minnesotans in a way that makes sense ongoing and not the one-time checks that have been proposed,” said Johnson. “Eliminating the social security tax is the number one priority, but we also want to lower rates. With a $7.7 billion surplus, clearly the state is taking too much.” During the KKCQ Farm Forum Saturday, the East Grand Forks Republican also addressed the new federal requirements for truckers applying for a commercial driver’s license, drought relief and redistricting. The RRFN interview with Johnson can be found online.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s edition of the Dry Bean Scene, NDSU Extension Cropping Systems Specialist Greg Endres highlights the benefits of strip-tillage for dry edible beans. During this past week’s International Crop Expo, Endres addressed tillage, cover crops and weed suppression in the dry bean slate of seminars.

Minnesota Wheat Source – The Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council was a partner in the International Crop Expo this past week. MWRPC Executive Director Charlie Vogel is our guest in this week’s Minnesota Wheat Source.

Research Funding Sought for Barley Sector – The National Barley Improvement Committee’s top legislative priority is adequate funding for research to mitigate or eliminate the economic risk of major barley pests. A total of $1 million was appropriated in 2021 and another $1 million-to-$1.5 million is anticipated this fiscal year. However, more funding is necessary for the Barley Pest Initiative research to continue. The barley group will be in Washington, D.C. in early March to lobby Congress for these funds.

Updated Research Infrastructure Needed for Potato Research – During the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association Research Reporting Conference, growers considered ways to manage nematodes with cover crops, variety trial results and nitrogen management. NDSU Potato Breeder Susie Thompson said she is looking forward to new potato research labs, including a potato quality lab featured in the new Peltier Complex at North Dakota State University. Construction on the project is expected to begin in the spring. Additional facilities are being considered. “The way the current research building at the NDSU building is designed, to get to potato breeding, we have to walk through spaces where commercial potatoes are worked with and there’s a tremendous amount of risk.”

Fresh Red Potato Prices Stay Strong – United Potato Growers of America President and CEO Mark Klompien says the industry is shifting from red to yellow potatoes. “We saw that in the Red River Valley in the last crop season. Yellow acres were up about 9.5 percent and red acreage was down four to five percent.” Klompien is seeing that trend also happening in other parts of the country. “The yellow market continues to be very strong and growers are seeing very favorable returns. Because of a lower overall red supply, the red potato prices are good, too.”

Seeking Convenience – Potatoes USA President and CEO Blair Richardson has seen a convenience trend amongst consumers. “Consumers are looking for small medley potatoes, pre-packaged things and easy to use at home.” The traditional bags of russet potatoes are still in demand, but “the trend for the younger generations are what can I buy and put on the table today that’s interesting and creative.” Richardson was part of the potato program at the International Crop Expo.

Canola Yields Increasing Year-by-Year – During the NDSU Extension Getting It Right virtual canola research production update meeting, Extension Agronomist Hans Kandel said canola yields have been increasing by just over 17 pounds per year. “The increase was encouraged by two things, the increase in management and the genetic potential.” Planting date remains a key component of high yielding canola. However, optimal planting dates vary by location. “We have planting dates from April to June, and the yield rates will vary by location as well. Carrington had high yields early season, and the trend also applies to Hettinger and Minot. Langon, however, is a bit more forgiving. The yield maintains stability during a good portion of the growing season.”

Canola Minute – In this week’s Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman talks about the research budget approved for the year ahead.

USDA Releases First-Ever Hemp Production Report – The value of hemp production this past year totaled $824 million. Planted acres nationwide totaled 54,000 acres and 33,500 acres were harvested. Minnesota farmers harvested 2,300 acres of industrial hemp. Acreage totaled 1,700 acres in South Dakota and 770 acres in North Dakota.

Ritchison Sees Dry Summer Ahead – Slightly warmer and slightly drier-than-average; that’s the spring and summer outlook from North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network Director Daryl Ritchison. “I think it’ll be a situation where we start out pretty good because of last fall’s rain, but then things just gradually dry up towards the end of summer.” The weather pattern will hinge on the pattern of the jet stream. “As long as we stay with a northwest flow, we tend to be dry.”

Upward Trend Continues in Farmland Values – Farmland values have seen double-digit gains across the Midwest and Northern Plains. AcrePro Farm Agency Managing Partner David Gorder says drought had little or no impact on land sales. “We thought it might in North Dakota going into our fall season, but it proved that buying was strong and didn’t have much of an impact on the eastern part of the state.” There has been interest in land from farmers and the investment community, “but we’ve seen more farmers actually buying the land than investors.”

Farm #s Slip Nationwide – There are an estimated 2 million farms nationwide, down nearly 7,000 from one year ago. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says there are 67,400 farms in Minnesota. That’s down 100 from 2020. South Dakota has 29,400 farms, down 200 from one year ago. North Dakota farm numbers are unchanged at 26,000. The average farm size in North Dakota is just over 1,500 acres. Only Wyoming, Montana, Nevada and New Mexico have larger farms on an average basis.

Sizable Sale for Hub City Livestock – The Hub City Livestock Auction Market had over 8,000 head move through the barn for Wednesday’s sale. Co-owner Steve Hellwig says it was the second biggest sale he’s seen at the Aberdeen market in the last 30 years. “The buyers were here and they were hungry; there was a lot of demand for cattle.” Hellwig says there’s still some time left in the feeder cattle run to move some decent numbers. “We’ve got a couple weeks left yet where we’ll have pretty good-sized sales, probably around 5,000-6,000 head or so until we get to the end of March when it’ll tail off some.”

Demand is Up for Replacement Heifers – NDSU Livestock Economist Tim Petry says you can expect to see larger runs of heifers come through the auction barns. Despite the drought, replacement heifers are selling at good prices. “It was so dry, people were wondering if there was going to be a demand for replacement heifers and there is. I was just watching a sale recently and there were replacement heifers going for the same price as their steer counterparts.”

Minnesota Beef Update – This edition of the Minnesota Beef Update highlights a new national beef advocacy program. This update is made possible by the Minnesota Beef Council and the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association.

Mandatory Price Reporting Language Included in CR – The Continuing Resolution passed by both chambers of Congress will keep the government funded through March 11. This measure also extended USDA’s mandatory price reporting authority. Livestock groups are asking lawmakers for a five-year reauthorization so the availability of this information does not lapse.

Leading with Empathy – Hillary Kletscher Myers began her FFA career as a high school student at Wabasso, Minnesota. In 2011 and 2012, Hillary was Minnesota’s state FFA president and later went on to serve as student body president at Iowa State University. She now works for Cargill, leading the grain origination team over seven states. “When I think about my FFA experience and transfer that to what I do today, so much of it is really about people and leading with empathy.” The ideals gained through the FFA experience last a lifetime. “I value rural communities and my experience growing up in a rural community and FFA taught me to tell that story.” Hillary Kletscher Myers put away the corduroy jacket years ago but continues to support the FFA organization. “There is an opportunity for all of us to recognize that FFA students and the program are the future, and we need to invest in them any way we can whether it is buying fruit when an FFA member wants to sell it to us, donating our money or donating our time.” The full interview can be found online.

Don’t Be Afraid to Step Outside Your Comfort Zone – That advice comes from former Redfield, South Dakota FFA member Travis Hoffman. As a freshman on the crops judging team, Hoffman and his colleagues were challenged by the chapter president to make it into the top three at the state convention. “We made it and that was fun and rewarding.” Hoffman grew up on a third generation Corriedale sheep farm. After graduating high school, Hoffman attended South Dakota State University and Colorado State University to focus on animal science. Hoffman now works as the NDSU and University of Minnesota Extension sheep specialist. He is still involved with FFA, helping with North Dakota’s Career Development Events. “I work closely with the North Dakota FFA Organization as we develop the livestock evaluation CDE’s that we have in March in Minot.” Hear the story.

FFA Offers Something for Everyone – Describing it as a really big goal, former Blackduck, Minnesota FFA member Kurt Benson is proud to have his American FFA Degree, “I was one of only two people in Blackduck to ever receive the American Degree” Benson credits former FFA advisor Ray Grundmeier for his encouragement. Benson currently works as a timber broker and says FFA Organization is more than cows, plows and sows; there’s something for everyone. “You don’t have to be a farmer. I equate some of my success to FFA.” Hear the story.

Lasting Connections Made Through FFA – Former Morris, Minnesota FFA member Brady Wulf raises Simmental cattle on the family farm near Benson. Wulf always wanted to be involved in the FFA. “I got involved in quite a few Career Development Events to start with before becoming a chapter office for three years. I was also a region officer for two years and finished off my career as a state FFA officer in 2014 and 2015.” Wulf says one of the biggest things he took away from FFA were the connections. “I continue to talk with a lot of people I’ve met through FFA. Getting to work with those people as colleagues and do business with people that you were in FFA with is a lot of fun.” State FFA teammate Valerie Earley and her husband Jared helped Wulf launch a custom meat business. “I bounced a lot of ideas off of them on how to get started and how to build a customer base.” Hear the update.

MN FFA Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Announced – The inductees include Pat Dingels of Redwood Falls, who is part of the FFA Foundation Board of Trustees; dairy farmer Charles Krause of Buffalo and Academy for Sciences and Agriculture Executive Director Becky Meyer of Vadnais Heights. The list of honorees also includes Staples-Motley FFA Advisor Kerry Lindgren; former Pioneer sales director Ron Sommers of Northfield; Hawley ag instructor Dave Swanson; University of Minnesota-Crookston associate professor Erman Ueland of Fertile and adult farm management instructor Stan Vander Kooi of Buffalo. The inductees will be introduced at the Minnesota FFA Alumni & Supporters Annual Meeting March 5 in Mankato. RRFN’s Don Wick was inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame in 2004.

FFA and Syngenta Announce Inaugural Executive in Residence Project – The National FFA Organization and Syngenta are working together in an effort to promote equity, diversity and inclusion. An Executive in Residence program has been created with Syngenta’s North America Diversity and Inclusion Lead Brandon Bell serving in this role. Bell will help FFA create a framework to implement and measure the organizations’ strategy and goals.

New License Plate Supports 4-H and FFA – A new Minnesota license plate celebrating agriculture will benefit 4-H and FFA. The image features hands holding seedlings, symbolizing the 4-H pledge of ‘my hands to larger service’ and the rising sun ‘as a token of a new era in agriculture’ that is recognized during FFA ceremonies. Nearly 100 designs were submitted.

Corn Matters – A Corn Trade School will be held in Alexandria, Minnesota March 16. In this edition of Corn Matters, Northern Crops Institute Executive Director Mark Jirik says this event will provide an inside view of trade policy and market development. This event is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council.

City Council Approves Corn Wet Mill Project Development Agreement – The Grand Forks City Council’s preliminary approval of the project development agreement for the Fufeng Group‘s corn wet mill is a step forward for the project. Local farmers showed up to the meeting, with most of them speaking in favor of the project. Grand Forks farmer Paul Spoule (pictured) met with the Fufeng Group on one of their four visits to Grand Forks. Sproule says the company officials said the project needs support from local grain elevators to handle the corn supply. Emerado farmer Jared Hagert said he understood the concerns about the project,but feels comfortable about the vetting process that is underway. “The bottom line is we are an agricultural community, region and state. When the agriculture sector wins, everyone wins.”  Read more about the project.

Deere 1Q Earnings Beat Wall Street Expectations – Deere & Company is reporting quarterly net income of $903 million, down from $1.2 billion in the same quarter last year. Farm equipment sales rose six percent. The price tag for John Deere equipment has increased to offset supply chain costs, but the company says that has not hurt demand.

Revenues Up for CF Industries – CF Industries is reporting the global shortage of nitrogen fertilizer will continue for the foreseeable future. That will keep fertilizer prices high. CF posted fourth quarter profits of $705 million, up from $87 million one year ago.

Fertilizer Demand Boosts Nutrien’s Fourth Quarter – Nutrien reports fourth quarter net earnings of $1.2 billion. That’s up from $316 million in the same quarter last year. Sales rose 48 percent in the retail business segment, with fertilizer sales up 84 percent and crop protection sales up 34 percent.

New Fungicide on the Market – Bayer has announced the launch of Prosaro PRO 400 SC Fungicide. Prosaro PRO has three active ingredients which enhance disease control and better DON reduction.

Tendovo Soybean Herbicide Approved – EPA has approved the registration of Syngenta’s Tendovo soybean herbicide. The new preemergence tool has three sites of action. Tendovo will be available for use this season, subject to state approvals.

Short Stature Corn on the Horizon – Bayer is developing a short stature corn that will be able to handle very windy conditions. Commercial trials will begin in 2023 with 150 farmers testing it out. Bayer says the shorter corn will also make it easier for mid-season fertilizer applications.

McDonald’s Faces Intervention from Activist Investor – Activist investor Carl Icahn is nominating two individuals to stand for election on the McDonald’s board of directors. Icahn said this isn’t a financial issue, but an emotional concern regarding the way pigs are raised. In a statement, McDonald’s said the Humane Society of the United States has already introduced a shareholder proposal on this topic. By the end of this year, McDonald’s plans to source 85-to-90 percent of its U.S. pork from sows in group housing during gestation. That is expected to move to 100 percent by the end of 2024.

Millennial Farmer Addresses ICE Audience – YouTube sensation Zack Johnson has 900,000 followers on his social media platform. Known as the ‘Millennial Farmer,’ Johnson started his YouTube channel in 2016. “The whole idea behind it was to relate to people about what is really happening on the farms across Rural America.” Johnson was featured on the first day of the International Crop Expo, saying everyone has a role in telling agriculture’s story. “Find what fits you and that doesn’t have to be a YouTube channel or social media, but I think it is important that everybody does some sort of advocacy for agriculture. Most people have become disconnected with agriculture and we have a real opportunity.”

Perdue Selected for University Position – The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has named former Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as its chancellor. Perdue served two terms as Georgia’s governor and was the only finalist for the job.

State Conservationist Named – Tony Sunseri is South Dakota’s new state conservationist. Sunseri has spent the last 21 years with the NRCS, including stops in Oregon, Hawaii, California, Washington, Wyoming and Idaho. Former State Conservationist Jeff Zimprich retired at the end of 2020.

Top Producer of the Year – A farm family from Villard, Minnesota is the Top Producer of the Year. Todd and Louise Malecha and their family have a dairy herd, raise replacement heifers and raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa and silage. The award was presented at the Top Producer Conference in Nashville.

Clay Named Endowed Chair in Precision Ag – The South Dakota Corn Utilization Council bestowed Dr. David Clay as the South Dakota Corn Endowed Chair in Precision Agriculture. This is a newly established position at South Dakota State University. Clay has more than 30 years of experience at SDSU related to precision agriculture and soil health.

Hillsboro Farmer Gifts NDSU With Endowed Professorship – North Dakota State University will announce an endowed professorship today, honoring retired soybean breeder Ted Helms. Hillsboro farmer Joel Thorsrud established a legacy gift to the university to support agriculture and the soybean program. The official announcement will be made at the Northern Corn and Soybean Expo.

Appointments Made to Potato Promotion Board – USDA has appointed 33 individuals to serve on the National Potato Promotion Board. That includes Peter Ewing of Big Lake, Minnesota; Joselyn Schlichting of Rice, Minnesota and Leah Halvorson of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

New Chairman in Place for Northern Plains Potato Growers Association – Starting July 1, David Fedje will be taking over as board chairman of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association. The Hoople, North Dakota farmer grows seed potatoes. “I’m honored to have a chance to be in this position. We’re looking forward to a new marketing plan.” During the chairman’s banquet Tuesday night, the NPPGA recognized outgoing chairman Matt VanRay. VanRay grows irrigated processing potatoes near Pingree, North Dakota and served as board chairman the last two years. “It’s been quite a roller coaster ride. There’s obviously been changes, as there should be with any organization.”

VanRay Receives Meritorious Service Award – The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association awarded Pingree, North Dakota potato grower Jeff VanRay its meritorious service Award. VanRay was recognized for helping to build North Dakota’s processing potato industry outside of the Red River Valley. “To get all of our kids back on the farm, we needed a specialty crop and that was potatoes.”

MLBA Hall of Fame Honorees to be Recognized – The Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association has named its 2022 Hall of Fame inductees. Dave Thompson, Doug and Mary Thompson and Steve Pomerenke. Dave Thompson has a registered Holstein dairy herd in Pope County, served ten years as president of the Minnesota American Dairy Association board and also had a leadership role with Select Sires. Doug and Mary Thompson raise purebred French Alpine and Toggenburg dairy goats and have won numerous national awards for their animals. Doug Thompson has also judged goats nationally and internationally. Steve Pomerenke raise Simmental, Angus and Sim-Angus cattle at Fairmont and served in a leadership role with the State Fair 4-H Beef Show. The MLBA Annual Meeting is March 10.

Three Farmers Elected to MPPA Board – Vince Baack of North Mankato, Brandon Schafer of Goodhue and Tim Schwartz of Sleepy Eye were elected to the Minnesota Pork Producers Association board of directors. Leadership roles remained the same with John Anderson of Belgrade as president, Vince Baack as vice president and Adam Barka of Sleepy Eye as secretary.

Four Executive Board Members Elected to MN Pork Checkoff Board – Mike Boerboom of Marshall, Meg Freking of Jackson, Mary Langhorst of Lafayette and Brian Johnson have been elected to the Minnesota Pork Board board of directors. Each individual will serve a three-year term.

Sinner Takes on New Role for Pioneer – Pioneer has announced the addition of Kevin Sinner as a field agronomist in the central Red River Valley and central northwest Minnesota geography. Sinner has been with Pioneer since 2004 and most recently served as the Pioneer field operations manager in Wahpeton.

Hagedorn Passes – Minnesota First District Congressman Jim Hagedorn has died. Hagedorn was serving his second term in Congress and was a member of the House Agriculture Committee. The lawmaker, who was 59, was first diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer in 2019. A primary election has been scheduled for May 24. A special election will be held August 9 to complete the last five months of Hagedorn’s term.