Biden Emphasizes the Importance of Competition – During the Farm Bureau convention in Atlanta, President Joe Biden delivered a video greeting. During those comments, Biden said farmers deserve affordable seed and crop inputs, a fair price for their livestock and the right and ability to repair the farm equipment they own. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalization, it’s exploitation.”

AFBF Delegates Spend Hours Debating Cattle Markets – Farm Bureau delegates gave the organization its marching orders for the year ahead. The newly-adopted policies include a focus on the cattle markets. After several hours of debate, the resolution says Farm Bureau opposes any government mandates that force livestock slaughter facilities to purchase a set percentage of their live animal supply by cash bids. That is in opposition to a proposal made by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer last year. The South Dakota Farm Bureau also proposed support for mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, but that was not approved. RRFN’s coverage of the AFBF convention is sponsored, in part, by the South Dakota Farm Bureau.

Policy Priorities – American Farm Bureau Federation policy now calls for a bump in the reference price for all Title I commodities in the next farm bill. That same resolution also calls for increased commodity loan rates and adjustments in the farm program payment limitations. For dairy policy, Farm Bureau delegates sought more transparency in the federal milk pricing system. The biofuels policy now includes support for renewable diesel.

ND Leads Opposition to 30 x 30 Proposal – The Biden Administration’s 30 by 30 plan, which calls for conserving 30 percent of the nation’s land by 2030, was a hot-button topic during the American Farm Bureau Federation policy session.  Sterling, North Dakota farmer Lucas Lang served as a delegate and says NDFB President Daryl Lies was an integral part of this debate. “It was the feeling of some delegates on the floor that we should drop the strong opposition language to this so (AFBF President) Zippy Duvall could be in the room in those conversations, but here in North Dakota we strongly, strongly oppose it and Daryl (Lies) led the charge to oppose it at the federal level so AFBF will have a strong ‘no’ stance again on our books on that policy.” RRFN’s coverage of the AFBF Annual Meeting is sponsored by NDFB.

More Transparency Sought in Dairy Markets – The American Farm Bureau Federation delegate body is seeking more transparency in dairy pricing. “The producer price difference was one item that was brought up, adding 74 cents to the Class III price went through (the delegate session), said Dan Glessing, president, Minnesota Farm Bureau. “It’s all about trying to make a little better farm market for our producers.” Glessing, who is a dairy farmer, said the H-2A worker visa program was also part of the policy discussion. “We’re trying to get a reliable workforce and an immigration system that works.” Thanks to Minnesota Farm Bureau for your sponsorship of the RRFN coverage of the AFBF convention.

Taking Steps to Ease Supply Chain Disruptions – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the current supply chain disruptions during his address to the American Farm Bureau Federation. “There’s a lot of reasons why we’re faced with the current dilemma and in a strange way part of it is good news in that there is tremendous demand,” said Vilsack. “That indicates that we’re beginning to expand and grow the economy, but when you have that demand it places a strain on the supply chain and after being dormant during the pandemic the supply chain wasn’t prepared for that immediate uptick in demand.”  Action has been taken to ease congestion at the ports and put more truckers on the road. The shortage of shipping containers is also a focus. “We have too many empty containers leaving our ports without having agricultural products in them so we’re working on effforts to incent those containers to be filled with agricultural products.” Vilsack said more announcements will be coming from USDA in the near future.

WHIP+ Details Coming in 1Q – During his address to the American Farm Bureau, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said the $10 billion WHIP+ program for 2020 and 2021 will be rolled out in the first quarter. A simplified application process is anticipated. There is no indication when signup will begin.

Geo-Political Events Influence Agriculture Locally – The United States may be a superpower, but geopolitical events around the world can still significantly impact farmers and ranchers. American Farm Bureau Economist Veronica Nigh uses Russian natural gas as an example. “If the Russians aren’t providing natural gas to the EU and China, those markets aren’t producing the amount of fertilizer they normally would.so what is going on with Russian natural gas is suddenly our problem.” A decision by Mexico’s president to ban biotech corn imports is another event on the world stage that impacts U.S. agriculture. “He’s willing to see the pain in the population to make a political point.” Nigh says 2022 looks to be a good year for agriculture, but these outside influences should be monitored.

Duvall, VanderWal Reelected – American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall and Vice President Scott VanderWal were reelected to another two-year term. VanderWal, is president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau. Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing was elected to serve on the AFBF board of directors.

NDFB Honored for Membership Growth – NDFB received the American Farm Bureau Federation Navigator Award for its membership growth. “We were sixth in the nation in membership growth, growing by over 700 member families this year,” said Missling. “In spite of COVID throwing things at us, our organization has had a strong year again.”

Longtime FFA Advisor Participates in AFBF Convention – During the Minnesota Farm Bureau Convention, Jeff Lindeman was recognized as the FFA advisor of the year. With that recognition, Lindeman was awarded a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention. “Farm Bureau is all-encompassing and brings together those lines that are created where students may be separated from industry.” Lindeman is retired after leading the agriculture program at Chisago Lakes for nearly 40 years.

Reuters: Biden Administration Considers Lowering 2022 Blending Mandate – According to a Reuters report, the Biden administration is thinking about lowering the 2022 ethanol blending mandate below the 15-billion-gallon target in a final rule. In December, the EPA issued their biofuel blending mandate proposal retroactively cutting ethanol requirements for 2020 and 2021, but restoring the blending mandate to 15 billion gallons for 2022.

RFA Reminds Lawmakers Biofuels Can Help Reach Climate Goals – Renewable Fuels Association CEO Geoff Cooper believes electric vehicles are important to reaching the Biden Administration’s goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but biofuels also play an important role in the transition. “When you think about the continued reliance on fossil fuels for electricity generation, the difficulty of electrifying medium and heavy-duty vehicles and other barriers, I think it becomes clear electric vehicles alone will not get our transportation sector to net zero emissions by 2050.” Biofuels have been a challenging conversation with the Biden administration, but Cooper is hopeful. “I think it was encouraging to hear EPA Administrator Michael Regan make the remark that biofuels are going to remain as a central part of the administration’s strategy for decarbonization. It feels like we’re making progress.” Cooper testified during a House Ag Committee hearing on electric vehicles. Hear the story.

Corn Matters – The Minnesota Corn is taking applications for the Innovation Grant Program. Hear more information about how to apply from Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Chairman Brandon Fast in this week’s Corn Matters.

Clean Fuels Podcast: A Midwestern Approach to Clean Fuels Policy – Great Plains Institute President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom and Vice President of Transportation and Fuels Brendan Jordan join Red River Farm Network’s Don Wick to talk about a new clean fuels policy being considered in the Minnesota Legislature, along with the de-carbonizing efforts underway across the country. In the debut of the Clean Fuels Podcast, we learn about an all-of-the-above approach to energy policy. Hear the first episode.

Inflation at Highest Level Since ’82 – Compared to one year ago, U.S. consumer prices rose seven percent in December. That’s represents the fastest increase in prices in nearly 40 years. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has described inflation as “a severe threat” and is preparing for multiple interest rate increases this year.

Net Farm Income Expected to Be Up – AgCentric Executive Director Keith Olander says the past couple years were generally positive for farmers financially. After spending time at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention, there is cautious optimism for the year ahead. “I sense some anxiousness with input costs higher and where regulations are going is unknown with Waters of the U.S. mentioned numerous times here.” The preliminary year-end financial reports are coming into Minnesota’s farm business management program. “When we look at averages, I’m confident net farm income is up because prices are up and yields aren’t quite as bad,” said Olander. “I haven’t seen where crop insurance will come in with harvest revenue (policies), but, overall, I expect net income to rise again.”

A Good Year for Tractor and Combine Sales – U.S. tractor and combine sales enjoyed double-digit gains in 2021. For the year, tractor sales were up more than ten percent. Sales of 100+ horsepower 2WD tractors were up more than 24 percent and articulated 4WD tractor sales were up 18.3 percent. The small sub-40 horsepower tractor sales were up less than nine percent. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers reports combine sales rose 25 percent.

Two Big Supply Chain Bottlenecks Stand Out – Navigating supply chain challenges was part of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association’s virtual meeting on Wednesday. University of Minnesota Ag Economist Michael Boland explains the two big bottlenecks in the system. “The first is the ocean going vessel issue. There are still ships sitting off the port of Long Beach. People are saying this may last all of 2022. Then, there’s trucking. We still lack truck drivers.” Boland says there are ideas being considered in Minnesota to overcome the trucker shortage, but the issue will likely last longer term.

More U.S. Corn and Soybeans in Storage, Less Wheat – USDA made minor changes in the Quarterly Grain Stocks Report. U.S. corn stockpiles as of December 1 are estimated at 11.6 billion bushels, up from 11.3 billion one year ago. Soybean stocks are at 3.15 billion bushels, up from 2.95 billion bushels one year ago. Wheat stocks of 1.4 billion bushels are down from 1.7 billion bushels last year.

Utterback: USDA Reports “A Yawner” – The January USDA reports failed to provide the fireworks many traders were expecting. Utterback Marketing President Bob Utterback calls the reports a yawner. “Traders were preparing for an event once these reports came out, but there’s nothing in these reports wildly outside the norm on domestic or global positions that I’ve seen. It doesn’t seem like there will be a massive bullish or bearish rally in the grain trade.”

ND Corn, Soybean and Canola Harvested Acreage is Record Large – North Dakota farmers harvested a record high 3.6 million acres of corn, up 104 percent from 2020. The average yield was 105 bushels per acre, down 34 bushels from last year. North Dakota soybean harvested acreage was also record large at 7.1 million. Soybean yields averaged 25.5 bushels per acre, down 8.5 bushels from one year ago. Canola harvested acreage was also a record breaker at 1.7 million acres and yields averaged 1,340 pounds per acre. North Dakota dry bean acreage was down 21 percent and production is half of what it was in 2020. Dry bean yields came in at 1,030 pounds. Sugarbeet yields averaged 29.2 tons per acre.

Acres & Shares: Beet Stock Values – According to Acres & Shares owner Jayson Menke, it’s been another steady week of American Crystal Sugar Company beet stock trading activity. Menke says there were 11 brokered sales last week totaling 239 shares all at $4,200 per share.

MN Crop Recap – In Minnesota, USDA estimated corn yields at 178 bushels per acre. That’s down from 191 bushels per acre in 2020. Soybeans averaged 47 bushels, down three bushels from one year ago. Sugarbeet growers averaged 31 tons per acre, up nearly five tons per acre from last year.

SD Yields Decline – South Dakota’s corn crop averaged 135 bushels per acre this past year, down 27 bushels from last year. Soybeans were estimated at 40 bushels per acre, down six bushels from 2020. Oil sunflower yields were at 1,600 pounds; non-oil sunflowers came in at 2,050 pounds.

South American Weather Brings Market Volatility – The condition of the South American crop continues to be a driving force in the corn and soybean markets. NDSU Extension Crops Economist Frayne Olson says the crop is under stress. “Southern Brazil and Argentina have had very, very dry conditions and very hot conditions. There were temperatures recorded of 113 degrees Fahrenheit in some of the central growing regions of Argentina.” Southern Brazil and Argentina are expecting rain and more moderate temperatures, which pressured the grain and oilseed markets. “We’re seeing more market volatility because of the weather conditions and the weather forecast.”

USDA Lowers South American Production Estimates – Due to the lingering drought conditions, USDA lowered South America’s corn production. Brazilian corn production dropped from 118 million metric tons to 115 million metric tons. Argentina’s corn production is now at 54 million metric tons. USDA reduced Brazil’s soybean production estimate from 144 million tonnes to 139 million tonnes. USDA cut Argentine soybean production from 49.5 million tonnes to 46.5 million metric tons in the Supply and Demand report. AgResource Company President Dan Basse says the biggest surprise for grain traders was the drop in Brazil’s soybean production. “It was a record large drop in terms of South American soybean production.” Moving forward, the grain markets will continue to focus on South American weather and U.S. export potential. “If the crops are actually down where we think they’re at, this opens the market to further upside potential, but we need confirmation of that yield data going forward.”

Dry Weather Concerns Linger in Argentina – Dry weather in Argentina is becoming a greater concern. Soybean and Corn Advisor President Michael Cordonnier says the forecast is troublesome. “The soil moisture stress is really building, especially north and east. This past week temperatures were really hot and dry. It was a troubling forecast for Argentina.” Argentina’s soybean planting window is closing. “If this next event is good and there’s widespread rain with good coverage, they’ll plant all of their soybeans and corn. If it is disappointing and dryness follows, I don’t think they’ll plant all of their intended acres.”

Zuzolo: Ethanol Consumption Critical – Grain traders will continue to monitor ethanol demand. Global Commodity Analytics and Consulting President Mike Zuzolo says proposed ethanol mandates are concerning. “The ethanol mandate issue that the Biden administration is reportedly looking at came out right before the USDA reports. I think that carried over with a negative mindset and some fear we could see a lower mandate.” With weak export demand for corn, Zuzolo says ethanol consumption is critical. “Especially in light of the fact you would have had a demand reduction in U.S. corn in January versus December, because of exports, had it not have been for a complete offset and increase in ethanol usage. The trade is wondering about that.”

Market Analysts Not Expecting Major Shift Away from Corn – Corn continues to fight for acres ahead of spring planting. Summit Commodities market analyst Tom Pfitzenmaier does not think the U.S. will see a major acreage switch from corn to soybeans this year because of the higher fertilizer prices. “I think the profitability of corn, especially in the central Midwest, is so strong. I don’t think people are going to change acreage up that much.” Brock and Associates President Richard Brock agrees. “The longer the corn market stays higher, especially if this continues through February, it will lead to more acres. The guaranteed crop insurance prices will be high and even with high fertilizer prices, it will still be profitable to grow corn.”

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – “There wasn’t much hot last week in the markets,” said Randy Martinson, President, Martinson Ag Risk Management. In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson says the outside markets had some positive gains. Wheat was weak this past week with Minneapolis wheat dropping below $9 per bushel.

Renewable Diesel Demand Holds Strong – Margins are good for most ag processing, but significant gains have been seen in oilseeds. “That’s why you’re seeing this explosion of good margins, growth and with the low carbon fuel standards, demand for oilseeds,” says Stephen Nicholson, Global Strategist for Grain and Oilseeds, RaboBank. “When you look at soybeans, North Dakota and Minnesota were the places where basis was the cheapest and there was good transportation to move to the west coast. Companies are seeing the opportunities.” New soy crush facilities may also expand the market for soybean meal.

Canola Minute – How does the growth in renewable fuel demand impact local canola growers? Learn more from Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman in the latest Canola Minute.

ND Soy Crush Facility to Start Accepting Bids in September – Spiritwood Energy Park Association Chief Operating Officer Connie Ova says the joint venture between ADM and Marathon Oil is going well. Green Bison Soy Processing is tearing down the infrastructure at the old Cargill malt barley site in Spiritwood. “They’re still on time, projecting they’ll start take soybeans in September 2023.” Green Bison Soy Processing plans to begin offering bids in September 2022 for fall 2023 delivery. This announcement made last week during a panel discussion at the Winter Ag and Construction Expo in Jamestown, North Dakota. Once completed, the soy crush facility in Spiritwood is expected to crush an average of 150,000 bushels of soybeans each day. North Dakota produces an estimated 200 million bushels of soybeans each year, with the majority being exported. This facility will consume 25 to 30 percent of the state’s soybeans. ADM Vice President Mike Keller, part of last week’s panel, says local soybeans will be used, but ADM can also use rail to supply the plant.

Corn Grower Groups Welcome Fertilizer Study – Twenty-one state corn grower groups, including North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota, commissioned a Texas A&M fertilizer study. This research says the supply chain disruptions influenced the price and supply of nitrogen products. South Dakota Corn Growers Association President Scott Stahl said the threat of tariffs is also concerning. “Four companies control nearly 80 percent of the nitrogen in this country, so this tariff coming in raising the price for something that is imported and sets the benchmark for the rest of the fertilizer market,” said Stahl. “It doesn’t seem to be functioning like a true market should.”

Dry and Wet Years Affect Nutrient Movement in Fields – University of Minnesota Extension Specialist Lindsay Pease studies phosphorus and nitrogen cycling, including the differences between drained and undrained fields. “When we were looking at nitrogen cycling, we saw we were losing more out of our drained plots versus our undrained plots in 2022. For phosphorus, we really didn’t see any difference between the two years because phosphorus is a little sticky.” After evaluating soil moisture, Pease has an optimistic outlook for planting in 2022. “We collected soil moisture in our undrained and drained plots all the way through the summer. What we found was once we got to the end of the season and had more rainfall; it looks like our soil moisture is looking pretty recharged.”

Waterhemp Continues to Expand – NDSU Extension Sugarbeet Agronomist and Weed Control Specialist Tom Peters says waterhemp is more widespread than ever. “I’ve been here since 2014 and I used to drive 140 miles to find waterhemp. Now it’s everywhere. It’s mainly carried by birds and water to new locations.” Peters recommends sticking to recommended weed control practices to get the maximum benefit even in dry fields. Peters was part of last week’s Sugarbeet Research Reporting Session.

Insect Pressure Influences Beet Crop – With chlorpyrifos off the market, NDSU Professor of Entomology Mark Boetel says he’s seen an uptick in the spread of root maggots in North Dakota and Minnesota. “It used to be that they were much more concentrated in the northeast (Red River) Valley, but it’s expanding more than we would like.” There’s insecticide and granular options available for sugarbeet growers. “We’ve seen additive economic and yield benefits with combining seed treatments and granular at planting.”

Hoppers Favor Dry Conditions – University of Minnesota Entomologist Ian MacRae says insect population increases during dry, warm weather. The rapid spurt in population is because the insect body thrives in heat and will grow quicker, therefore consuming more energy. “If we end up with a dry spring this year, you can expect to battle grasshoppers once again. Any of the insects that were high in population at the end of last year are the ones that are predicted to thrive in the event of dry weather going into 2022.”

Dry Bean Scene – The Northarvest Bean Growers Association is hosting Bean Day Friday, January 21, in Fargo. Northarvest Executive Director Mitch Coulter outlines the Bean Day agenda. In addition, Coulter offers perspective of the 2022 acreage outlook in the Dry Bean Scene.

Bean Day is Back – The Northarvest Bean Growers Association Bean Day will be held Friday at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. There will be updates on dry bean management, new varieties, dry bean crop insurance options, value-added crops, succession planning and international trade. Approximately 30 companies serving the dry edible bean industry will also exhibit at Bean Day. Tim Courneya, who was executive director for the association for more than four decades, will be recognized. Registration starts at 8:30 AM and the program begins at 9:15 AM. The Red River Farm Network will broadcast from Bean Day. This special broadcast is sponsored by BASF’s Varisto Herbicide.

Good Years Ahead – The cattle industry is seeing positive prices and that should continue. NDSU Extension Livestock Economist Tim Petry was part of the university’s market outlook webinar Thursday and said the markets are trending higher. “Our highs have been in 2005 and 2015 so if we look at a ten-year cycle and continue on that path, our next cyclical high would be in 2025,” said Petry. “It looks like a couple more good years ahead of us barring some catastrophe.” That same trend is also being seen for feeder cattle. “Our calf crop will be lower than it was last fall and the fall before so as long as demand holds we’ll have fewer to sell and better times ahead.”

MN Beef Update – Building beef demand is key for the Minnesota Beef Council. CEO Kelly Schmidt talks about a few efforts underway to encourage consumers to choose beef. Hear more in this week’s Minnesota Beef Update.

A Record Sale at Napoleon Livestock Auction – Napoleon Livestock had a record number of cattle come through the auction barn Thursday. Napoleon Livestock Auction co-owner Jim Bitz says more than 8,000 head sold in the feeder cattle special sale.  “We actually sold the most cattle we’ve ever sold. Last week we had maybe 4,000 or 5,000 calves come through. The cattle market is really good and we’re probably $100-$200 better a head than a year ago. Most producers are short on feed and that contributed to the large numbers we saw.” The Napoleon market is typically busy through late February and March, but that timeline is different this season. Bitz expects the rush to come in January-February while numbers trail off in March and April. This is due, in part, to the feed shortage and the exceptionally large cow sales this past fall.

U.S. Pork Can Now Be Exported to India – India will now accept U.S. pork imports for the first time. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says this access is the result of two decades of work. As the second-most populous country in the world, the market opportunities in India is significant.

China Maintaining Tariffs on U.S. Distillers Grains – China’s commerce ministry said on Tuesday it will maintain anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on imports of distiller’s grains from the United States. The ministry is expected to review investigations on the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures imposed on distiller’s grains from January 12.

Cyberattack Group Arrested – The Russian government has arrested 14 members of the group that claimed responsibility for the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline and JBS. The IT infrastructure used for the attack has also reportedly been shut down. The attack on Colonial Pipeline disrupted gas supplies from Texas to New Jersey. The cyberattack impacted the servers for JBS’ meatpacking operations in North America and Australia resulting in brief plant shutdowns. Russia made the arrests at the request of the Biden Administration.

Speculation Surfaces Over Scott’s Chairmanship – Politco is reporting dissension on the House Agriculture Committee with some Democratic members wanting to replace Committee Chair David Scott before work begins on a new farm bill. If Scott isn’t replaced, there is also speculation the subcommittee chairs will have a larger role in the farm bill debate.

Supreme Court Bypasses E15 Case – The U.S. Supreme Court will not weigh in on a key issue for the ethanol business. Growth Energy petitioned the court to review the lower court ruling that vacated the Trump Administration’s E15 policy. The EPA approved year-round sales of the 15 percent ethanol blends in 2019, but that was challenged in court by the petroleum industry. At that time, a federal court of appeals determined EPA exceeded its authority in this case.

North Dakota Farm Sues John Deere – A Forest River, North Dakota farm filed a class action lawsuit against John Deere last week for not allowing farmers access to diagnostic hardware if they want to repair their own equipment. Forest River Farms is asking for a trial by jury and ultimately, wants John Deere to be required to make the software available to individual farmers or those who repair farm equipment. The litigation also requests damages for farmers who paid for repairs from John Deere dealers from mid-January 2018 to now.

Summary Judgement Sought in Wetlands Case – A Minor County, South Dakota farmer has filed a motion for a summary judgement in federal court over a wetlands issue. Arlen Foster claims USDA refused to update a wetlands determination after providing new information in 2020. This issue over the wetlands determination has been underway since 2008. A summary judgement would favor either party or dismiss the case altogether without a full trial.

Court May Determine Access to Glyphosate – Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments about the ability for farmers to use glyphosate this past week. Following the oral arguments, a coalition representing agriculture, landscaping and golf courses issued a statement supporting the continued registration of glyphosate. This coalition included soybean, corn, sugarbeet and wheat groups. They emphasized the product’s safety and overall benefit to agriculture.

EPA Advisory Panel Address WOTUS, Pesticides – The Environmental Protection Agency’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee has delivered a list of policy recommendations to EPA  Administrator Michael Regan. Regarding the Waters of the United States, the committee called for the development of a clear definition that is easily interpreted by farmers and ranchers. It calls for exemptions for common features, including farm ditches, prairie potholes and prior converted cropland. The advisory committee also weighed in on the use of crop protection products. It suggests EPA implement a media campaign to educate the public and formalize farmer involvement in the registration and re-registration process.

Endangered Species Protection Now Included in Pesticide Registration Process – Effective immediately, the EPA will evaluate the impact on threatened or endangered species and their habitat before any new active ingredients in crop protection products can be approved. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service will be consulted as needed in this process. The EPA said it intends to provide options for farmers to provide flexibility while protecting the threatened or endangered species.

EPA Renews Enlist Registrations, With Updates – The Environmental Protection Agency issued two seven-year registrations for Enlist Duo herbicide and Enlist One herbicide from Corteva Agriscience. According to the EPA, the new product labels feature robust control measures to protect non-target plants and animals, meet FIFRA standards and comply with the Endangered Species Act. NDSU Extension Pesticide Program Specialist Andrew Thostenson says due to the endangered species concerns one or both products will be prohibited in certain counties. Minnesota and South Dakota both have impacted counties, but North Dakota does not. Enlist Duo is restricted in Clay, Marshall, Polk, Redwood, Renville and Stearns counties in Minnesota. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are restricted in Bennett, Charles Mix, Gregory, Lyman, Mellette, Todd and Tripp counties in South Dakota.

MN Wheat Minute – Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers traveled to Washington D.C. last week for meeting with lawmakers. Executive Director Charlie Vogel has more about the trip in the latest Minnesota Wheat Minute.

Support for Historically-Underserved Farmers – USDA is investing up to $2 million for risk management education for small-scale and historically underserved farmers. Nonprofit groups, universities and the Extension service can apply to the Risk Management Agency for these funds. Those organizations must apply by March 11.

Noem Gives State of the State Address – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem gave her state of the state address. According to Noem, South Dakota has exceptional revenue growth; stronger than expected in December. In the current fiscal year, the state is $116 million above ongoing legislative estimates. Noem would like lawmakers to eliminate a few costs and taxes. This includes fees associated with starting a new business, the elimination of fees for concealed carry permits and eliminating the bingo tax. Noem also emphasized a desire for continued support for the Second Century Initiative, a way to raise money for conservation efforts like preserving pheasant habitats.

Burgum’s State of State Address Scheduled – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum will give his state of the state address on Wednesday. The event will be held at North Dakota State University at 10 AM. The event will be live-streamed here.

MFU Minute – The state legislative session is coming up. Minnesota Farmers Union Vice President Anne Schwagerl has the priorities for the session in this week’s MFU Minute.

MDA Prepares for Upcoming Legislative Session – The 2022 Minnesota Legislative session starts at the end of the month. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said the budget surplus will influence the debate. “There’s a $7.7 billion surplus and more than $1 billion in American Rescue Plan dollars to help industries affected by COVID. As a department, we’re still working on meat processing. We do have a bonding recommendation; a potato grading facility in East Grand Forks is really important for folks who raise potatoes in Minnesota.” Petersen said treated seed will get attention. “If you remember the Nebraska ethanol plant using discarded treated seed in their ethanol, there were many questions about that and it will be brought up this year.” Petersen was part of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association virtual meeting.

North Dakota Grain Dealers Convention Underway – The North Dakota Grain Dealers Association’s annual convention kicked off on Sunday and continues today in Fargo. Executive Vice President Stu Letcher says labor and cyber security are on the agenda. This afternoon’s program takes a closer look at agricultural contracts, grain licensing regulation and more. While it’s not on the official program, new ag processing opportunities in the state have the attention of grain dealers. “They’ll use a lot of soybeans and will need to source them. It’s going to take some volume away, but it may also add volume.” The convention wraps up on Tuesday with the annual business meeting.

Don’t Miss the Wild World of Weeds Workshop – The Wild World of Weeds Workshop is happening in-person Tuesday at the Fargodome. The program features a look at dry bean, sugarbeet, potato and small grain weed management. NDSU Extension Weed Specialist Joe Ikley says there will also be a keynote address from WinField United Senior Research Manager Greg Dahl. “Greg worked at NDSU as a pesticide program coordinator years ago.” New federal regulations will be top-of-mind at the workshop. Last week, the EPA re-registered Enlist Duo and Enlist One for seven years, but limited the use of the products in some areas due to endangered species concerns. A handful of northwest Minnesota counties will not be able to use Enlist Duo. Ikley says EPA’s label changes caught some by surprise. “There are three or four counties in the Red River Valley where we can’t use Enlist Duo, the pre-mix of glyphosate and 2,4D, but those counties can use Enlist One in those counties.”

AgCountry Sends Cash Dividends to Member-Owners – AgCountry Farm Credit Services is distributing a record $76 million cash dividend to its member-owners. This is the third straight year for AgCountry’s one percent patronage goal. Of the $76 million, $67 million comes from AgCountry and $9 million comes from Farm Credit Services of North Dakota. The two Farm Credit groups merged at the beginning of the year.

AgCountry Fielding Questions: Crop Insurance – Farmers are making preparations for their 2022 crop year. With that comes decisions on the type of crop insurance policy that is right for them. AgCountry Insurance Specialist Joel Lysne discusses multi-peril crop insurance on this edition of the Fielding Questions podcast. Lysne discusses the crop insurance options and risk tolerance.

Peterson Farms Seed Offers Identity Preserved Soybean Contracts – Peterson Farms Seed is seeking Northern Plains farmers to grow identity preserved, conventional soybean acres. PFS President Carl Peterson says there are two soybean maturities available for contract that offer a nice premium over the cash market. “We have a 0.7 maturity variety available. It’s maybe a couple of bushels behind the very best new traded products, but the premium makes up for that. Then, there’s an earlier 00.9 variety for the northern area. It’s been doing exceptional in the yield trials. I don’t think, in most cases, farmers will be giving up much yield.” Once the non-GMO and quality standards are met, this will be a take-all contract. Hear the story.

Vive Crop Protection Prepared for ’22 Growing Season – The ag industry is facing product shortages for the upcoming growing season, but that is not a major concern for Vive Crop Protection. According to Vive Regional Manager Vicki Dekkers, the company has all of their active product ingredients secured and production is on track. “We have fungicides and insecticides. The beauty of our products is they can all be mixed together in one tank with fertilizer to be applied in-furrow or be used as foliar products to make things more convenient for the grower.” Hear the story.

Northern Plains Nitrogen Joins Midwest Carbon Express Pipeline – Northern Plains Nitrogen, the group interested in building a fertilizer plant in Grand Forks, North Dakota, will be a part of the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline. The pipeline will send carbon to western North Dakota for underground storage. Northern Plains Nitrogen President of the Board and Managing Partner Darin Anderson says the partnership with Summit Carbon Solutions is a win-win. “Our partnership allows us to produce blue ammonia, a fancy way of saying decarbonized ammonia. As a refresher, any nitrogen fertilizer plant has to make ammonia before they make any other forms of nitrogen fertilizer. We would also be making blue urea, blue UAN and so forth.” Anderson says this project is good for the environment and North Dakota. Northern Plains Nitrogen continues to seek strategic investors for the fertilizer plant. The delay in financing allows the project to become shovel ready with all permits in place.

ADM Signs Letter of Intent for Pipeline – Archer-Daniels-Midland Co has signed a letter of intent with Wolf Carbon Solutions to build a pipeline that would capture, and transport carbon dioxide produced at ADM’s ethanol facilities at Clinton and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The carbon would be stored underground at a sequestration site in Decatur, Illinois, rather than being release into the atmosphere.

Sugar Companies in Court to Support US Sugar-Imperial Sugar Deal – Sugar companies are standing up for the proposed U.S. Sugar acquisition of Imperial Sugar. The Justice Department wants to stop this merger, saying it would reduce competition within the sugar industry. United Sugars, which is a marketing group that includes U.S. Sugar, American Crystal Sugar Company Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative and Wyoming Sugar Company, petitioned the court to allow this merger.

AMVAC and Verdesian Life Sciences to Expand – AMVAC and Verdesian Life Sciences are expanding their relationship to include MicroSync IronClad IDC micronutrient along with MicroSync ZINC micronutrient among crop inputs available through the SIMPAS system. Other SIMPAS partners and collaborators which also includes TRIMBLE and Corteva Agriscience.

ND Beef Feeding ND Kids – Students at Fargo Public Schools enjoyed North Dakota raised and processed beef Thursday. This is part of the state’s Farm to School program and was organized by the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota and the state departments of agriculture and public instruction. USDA created the Farm to School program to connect students with local foods.

A Recap to the ’21 Great Minnesota Get-Together – The Minnesota State Fair reported an operating loss of $1.3 million this past year. That compares to a loss of $16.5 million in 2020 when the fair was canceled due to COVID. Joe Scapanski of Sauk Rapids has been elected president of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society. Sara Donaldson of Minneapolis was reelected as the State Fair board vice president.

MFCF Recognizes Commissioner Petersen – The Minnesota Federation of County Fairs honored Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen with its Friend of County Fairs Award.

Big Iron Farm Show Introduces New Director of Ag Events – Molly Thorne is the new director of agricultural events for the Red River Valley Fair and will oversee the Big Iron Farm Show. Thorne is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a degree in agricultural education. Previously, Thorne had a leadership role with the Farm in the Dell of the Red River Valley in Moorhead.

Place Named MN FSA State Executive Director – Minnesota has new Farm Service Agency executive director. Whitney Place has been with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture since 2012 and most recently served as an assistant commissioner. With this news, Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen announced two new appointments within the department. Former MDA government relations director, Peder Kjeseth, replaces Place as assistant commissioner. Michelle Medina, who has been with the Minnesota Farmers Union the past six years, is the new government relations director. Read more.

Senate Ag Committee Approves Two Nominees – The Senate Agriculture Committee approved the nomination of two future USDA leaders on Wednesday. The nominee for USDA’s Under Secretary of Ag Research and Education Chavonda Jacobs-Young and Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Margo Schlanger will now be considered by the full Senate. The Senate Ag Committee hearing happened last November.

Former Deputy Agriculture Secretary Elected National 4-H Council Chair – Krysta Harden is the new board chair for the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. Harden is the president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Previously, Harden served as the deputy agriculture secretary at USDA.

Retirement for 4-H Specialist – North Dakota 4-H Youth Development Specialist Dean Aakre has retired. Aakre spent nearly 40 years working for NDSU Extension.

Bucko Moves From NPPC to APHIS – As of January 31, Marie Bucko will take over as the chief of staff for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Most recently, Bucko was the science and technology officer for the National Pork Producers Council.

Nicholson Gets Promotion at RaboBank – RaboBank Food and Agribusiness Research Vice President Stephen Nicholson has been promoted. Nicholson is now the global strategist for grain and oilseeds at RaboBank. This change is effective as of January 15.

Larson to Lead U.S. Wheat Associates – As expected, the U.S. Wheat Associates board of directors elected Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks as the chair. Larson will begin her new responsibilities in June. Larson has been a member of the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council for 17 years and served as its chairperson from 2010-to-2012. Oklahoma farmer Michael Peters was elected vice chair and Idaho farmer Clark Hamilton will serve as secretary-treasurer.

A Leadership Transition for RCIS – The head of Rural Community Insurance Services, Mike Day, will retire at the end of March.  Jason Meador, who has a leadership role within Zurich North America, will succeed May. From 1992 through 2015, Zurich was a reinsurer for RCIS and acquired the crop insurance company in 2016.

PLI Class of 2022 Announced – The National Pork Producers Council and National Pork Board have announced its 2022 Pork Leadership Institute participants. There are 18 individuals in this leadership development program including Jason Foster of Garden City, South Dakota and John Giefer of New Ulm, Minnesota.

MCIA Awards Presented at Virtual Annual Meeting – The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association has presented its Achievement in Crop Improvement Award to Wayne Capistran of Crookston. Duane and John Pazdernik of Waubun, Larry Rivard of Grand Forks, Richard Stangler of Kilkenny and Harmen Tande of Moorhead were recognized with Premier Seed Grower Awards. The MCIA honored Andrea Johnson of Farm and Ranch Guide and University of Minnesota barley breeder Kevin Smith.

AURI Adds New Staff Members – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute has added three new staff members. Clay Newton will serve as AURI’s meat innovation specialist. Newton’s background is in product development, meat lab operations, research project management and teaching. Laura Bachmeier is AURI’s new business development director of meat. Bachmeier was previously the Pork Safety Director at the National Pork Board. Lisa Martinez, the new communications director, brings more than 10 years of experience working in marketing and communications.

AURI Update – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute is hosting another Webinar Wednesday on February 9. In this week’s AURI Update, hear more about the upcoming webinar.

MN Beef Council Hires New Business Manager – The Minnesota Beef Council has hired Heather DeLong to serve as the new Business Manager. DeLong will be responsible for administrative and bookkeeping duties, including the maintenance of the checkoff program system, DeLong previously worked for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Former World Ag Outlook Board Chair Dies – Former World Ag Outlook Board Chairman Gerald Bange passed away on Thursday. Bange was the board chairman from 1994-to-2014 and worked at USDA for 43 years.