More Corn, Fewer Soybean Acres – According to the USDA’s June acreage survey, U.S. farmers planted 89.9 million acres of corn this year. That’s down from 93.3 million last year, but slightly more than 89.5 million acres estimated in March. Soybean acres are estimated at 88.3 million acres. That compares to the March intentions of 91 million acres and last year’s 87.1 million acres. Spring wheat acres are at 10.4 million. That’s down from the March report of 11.2 million and well below last year’s 11.4 million acres. USDA is also going to re-survey planted acreage in Minnesota and the Dakotas. These numbers will be released in August.

MN Corn/Soybean Acreage Down From ’21 – USDA is forecasting Minnesota corn acreage at 8.3 million, down 100,000 acres from 2021. Soybean acres total 7.5 million acres, down 150,000 acres from one year ago. Spring wheat in Minnesota is estimated at 1.2 million acres, 40,000 acres more than last year. Dry edible bean acreage is at 195,000 acres, down 23 percent from last year.

Dramatic Change in ND Crop Mix – North Dakota soybean acreage totaled 5.9 million acres, down nearly 20 percent from 2021. Corn acreage is estimated at 3 million acres, down 27 percent from one year ago. A total of 5.4 million acres was devoted to spring wheat in North Dakota, down two percent.  More acres are devoted to sunflowers with oil sunflower acreage up 48 percent and non-oil sunflowers up 62 percent. Barley acreage is up nearly 20 percent. North Dakota farmers planted 1.6 million acres of canola, down ten percent. The planted area for dry edible beans is down 12 percent.

SD Corn Acreage Drops 4% – South Dakota farmers planted nearly six million acres of corn, down four percent from last year. Soybean acreage is forecast at 5.5 million acres, up one percent. The planted area for spring wheat totals 770,000 acres, an increase of seven percent from one year ago. Alfalfa acreage is at 1.6 million acres, up 23 percent.

Quarterly Stocks Report Released – USDA’s Quarterly Stocks report estimated corn supplies on June 1 at 4.3 billion bushels, six percent more than one year ago. Of the total, more than two billion bushels are stored on farm. Soybean stocks totaled 971 million bushels. That’s 26 percent more year-over-year. Of the total, 331 million bushels are stored on farm or 51 percent more than last year. Old crop wheat supplies totaled 660 million bushels, down 22 percent from one year ago. On farm stocks are estimated at 93 million bushels, down 34 percent year from last year.

Resurvey Happening in ND, MN, SD – USDA plans to resurvey crop acres in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. Planting was still underway when the June surveys were conducted. The Money Farm market analyst Luke Swenson says the Agriculture Department went through a similar process a couple years ago. “That year we threw the MFP (Market Facilitation Program) money at them which is basically, plant and we’ll cover your corn seed. We were incentivized to make really bad decisions there.” This year, it was the market that incentivized planting.The Northern Plains can produce a variety of crops, ranging from canola to sunflowers. Those values have also been a factor. It’s been wild with Ukraine basically falling off the map and Russia being exiled from the western world, that black swan is something that not a lot of people could have predicted,” Swenson told RRFN. “Look at a lot of these different crops like, canola or any oilseed is gonna be in high demand.”

A Weak Export Sales Report – Demand concerns continue for the grain markets as exports slow. Van Ahn and Company market analyst Kristi Van Ahn says Thursday’s export sales report was dismal. “I’m concerned we’re deteriorating demand right now. We’ve had poor export sales for the last few weeks.” Van Ahn says demand is influenced by many different things. “We’re coming into an election year. There will be a big balance between a push for ethanol and food security. There are so many unknowns with the markets and the last part of the year will continue to be a roller coaster.”

Crop Watch – Rolla, North Dakota farmer Doyle Lentz got most of his intended acres planted this year. “We started on the worst first and then, actually, it ended up being fairly good. The crops look alright, we just wish it were three weeks earlier.” Lentz says maturity is all over the board. Crops in the Munich, North Dakota area were still being seeded in mid-June, but Gary Beck is happy with their condition. “Everything is late so we have to wait for a long fall and a good, hot summer.” Litchville, North Dakota farmer Mark Formo “We only got a third of the crop in with a lot wet ground and on that third of a crop, we got hail on half of that on June 27,” said Formo. “We’ve got beans that got hammered with that hail.” Hear about other crop conditions in the area in the latest Crop Watch.

Dry Summer Expected in the Northern Plains – North Dakota Ag Weather Network Director Daryl Ritchison is expecting dry conditions to continue across the Northern Plains this summer. “We’ve had severe thunderstorms and wet conditions lately, but about two-thirds of North Dakota will finish June well below average and my summer forecast continues to be dry.” Dry, hot weather can be a concern for an already late crop. “I’m wondering if we go through the latter half of July into August and get more heat during corn pollination. That could affect yields, too.”

Pioneer Agronomy Update – Knee-high corn on the 4^th of July will be a reality for many growers this year. In the latest Pioneer Agronomy Update, Pioneer Field Agronomist J.J. Jahenning says the crop was planted late, but it is catching up. “GDU-wise, believe it or not, from a May 20th plant date to where we are currently, we’re actually 100 GDU’s ahead,” said Jaehnning. “Typically in the month of May, we average right around 300 GDU’s and when you’re missing out on 200 of those that’s a big deal.”  The entire planting season was pushed back by wet weather, but the crop could use another drink. “It’s funny how fast things can change.” In the update on YouTube, learn more about the work being conducted on iron deficiency chlorosis.

Corn Matters – Coming up on Thursday, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association will host a marketing webinar with Kluis Commodities. Hear more about it in the latest Corn Matters.

KS Wheat “Just Okay” – Elk City, Oklahoma custom combiner David Misener is cutting wheat near Hays, Kansas. “The yields are 35 to 45 bushels per acre. I’ve had a few fields that have done better than that, but for the most part, the majority of fields are like this.” The drought hurt the Oklahoma crop “It was not a good year for wheat at all in Oklahoma. A lot of wheat was in the 12 bushels per acre range and those fields were baled or hayed.”

A Break Between Harvests – Grand Forks-based custom combiner Kent Braathen’s crew is waiting for wheat to ripen after wrapping up harvest in Texas and Kansas. “Those (Texas) fields probably only had about one inch of rain during the growing season. The wheat ranges from ten bushels to the mid-30s for irrigated wheat. That crop is probably average.” The crop around Kiowa, Kansas had May rains and was a little better. “Everything we cut there averaged 42 bushels per acre. Some of the wheat had 64 pound test weight; it was a good crop there.”

American Crystal Adds More Acres in Late Planting Season – The late planting season will affect the sugarbeet crop. “When we knew the planting date would be delayed about three weeks, we made the decision to plant another 50,000 acres,” said Brian Ingulsrud, vice president of agriculture, American Crystal Sugar Company. “That gave us the potential to reach our target of 12 million total tons. Unfortunately, the last few weekends have been really windy. Those winds hammered our crop and I’m afraid we’ve lost additional yield from the wind events.”

The Sugarbeet Report – Extremely windy conditions aren’t good for the sugarbeet crop. NDSU and University of Minnesota Extension Sugarbeet Agronomist Tom Peters has an update on the sugarbeet crop. Hear more in the Sugarbeet Report, presented by Amity Technology, H&S Manufacturing, SESVanderHave and REGEV from SummitAgro.

ERP Payments Top $4 Billion – To date, USDA has issued more than $4 billion in Emergency Relief Program funds. That represents 67 percent of the more than $6 billion expected to be paid to farmers in the first phase of the program. Farmers have until July 22 to complete applications.

MFU Minute – In this week’s Minnesota Farmers Union Minute, President Gary Wertish recaps a meeting with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack about the upcoming farm bill.

Trying to Fix Emergency Relief Program Hiccups – The USDA knows there were a few hiccups in the implementation of the Emergency Relief Program. “The AGI-related issues, we’re looking to the flexibility in the regulations for that,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator, Farm Service Agency. “Some of the tax issues where the IRS is defining income, there may not be much we can do other than have a conversation to see if there is flexibility and we’ll work on that this summer.” Ducheneaux says issues with prevented plant will also be addressed. Farmers with crop insurance have until July 22 to complete and submit their forms. FSA will send out pre-filled applications for 9,000 eligible farmers with NAP coverage in mid-July.

Midwest Ag Summit Kicks Off Ag Week in Fargo – The Midwest Ag Summit focused on new technology in agriculture, renewable diesel and the growth in local soybean crushing sector. Regarding policy, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is getting ready for the 2023 farm bill debate. Klobuchar says crop insurance couldn’t be more important right now with the weather extremes. “We have 76 counties in Minnesota in some type of a disaster status. That’s a lot, but I’d like to see a more permanent disaster program.”

Flexibility is Key for More Permanent Disaster Aid – Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie is thinking about ad hoc disaster relief big picture ahead of the upcoming farm bill. “That will be an important conversation. We’re walking into extreme weather swings we haven’t seen before and we need flexibility to support agriculture.” Bonnie was part of the Midwest Ag Summit in Fargo, North Dakota.

Document Disaster Losses – Photos and detailed notes are important when documenting crop and livestock losses. Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator Scott Marlow offered advice for farmers filing applications for USDA disaster programs. “In the moment, you may think I’ll remember this, but it’s always really important to write everything down. I encourage folks to document with a camera all of the losses first and then, start the process.”

Fielding Quesitons From AgCountry Farm Credit Services – In the latest Fielding Questions podcast, AgCountry Farm Credit Services Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs Howard Olson provides a political update. Olson also outlines the activities of the new Midwest Council on Agriculture and an executive-level conference called ‘The Next Five Years.’ Listen to the podcast.

Crop Insurance Remains a Priority – The House Agriculture Committee is in the process of reviewing the current farm programs and preparing for the 2023 farm bill debate. Minnesota Representative Michelle Fischbach continues to hear from farmers about the importance of crop insurance. “We’ve got issues with flooding and with drought; we need to make sure that we have those emergency programs available and they’re able to deliver what they’re supposed to be delivering.” During the Midwest Ag Summit, Fischbach emphasized the importance of communication between the agriculture community and their lawmakers.

Food Insecurity Gets G-7 Response – The Group of Seven nations plan to contribute $4.5 billion to address global food security. More than half of that total will come from the United States. The G-7 leaders met in Austria to discuss the Russian-Ukraine war and the impact on farm production. The White House has also announced efforts to help vulnerable countries deal with price volatility, supply chain issues and the climate.

Register Now for Ancient Grains Conference – The Northern Crops Institute is hosting its first Ancient Grains Conference July 20 at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minnesota. This conference will concentrate on the characteristics and utilization of ancient grains. Breakouts sessions will be available on health and nutrition, industry trends and agronomy. Registration can be done online.

Stolen Grain Confiscated by Turkey – A Russian cargo ship has been detained by Turkish customs officials. Ukraine’s ambassador to Turkey said Russia stole this grain shipment from Ukraine. An investigation is underway.

Ukraine to Impact Supply Chain for Years to Come – North Dakota State University agricultural economist Bill Wilson expects the 2022 Ukrainian crop to be half the size of one year ago. From that, Wilson believes 30-to-40 percent of that ground won’t be planted next year. This dispute is not expected to end soon. “I’d venture a guess this is a four or five year phenomenon because there is a lot of stuff that has to be rebuilt whenever the war ends.” Wilson said Ukraine’s ability to export will be hampered until operations resume fully at the Port of Odessa.

Contract Expires for Dockworkers – Contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association and 20,000 union dockworkers are continuing. The previous contract expired Friday, but both sides said they are committed to keep cargo moving during this time of supply chain headaches. Meanwhile, more than 150 trade groups, including ag groups, have asked the Biden administration to help find a resolution to the labor dispute. This contract covers workers at nearly 30 ports on the West Coast.

Trade Mission Returns from United Kingdom – Deputy Agriculture Secretary Jewell Bronaugh said a goal of the trade trip was to offer a positive impression of U.S. agriculture. Bronaugh said there is hope the trip will lead to resuming formal trade talks with the United Kingdom. “I think we’re all very hopeful there will be a U.S.-U.K Free Trade Agreement. Our job is to set the stage for removing and reducing barriers to trade and the non-tariff barriers. We also have to develop an understanding of how we can knock down some of those walls ahead of a free trade agreement.”

Communicate With Ag Retailers Now For ’23 – With the ongoing problems with Russia and Ukraine, the global fertilizer supply is at risk. Mosaic Crop Nutrition Lead Tryston Beyrer says its not too early to be visiting with crop input suppliers. “Identify crop nutrient needs, based on what your yield levels are, the number of acres that you have and by looking at what their soil tests to build up to our optimum maintenance levels.”

New Regs Proposed for Atrazine Use – EPA has proposed new regulations to limit the impact of atrazine on lakes, streams and rivers. The agency is considering a ban on aerial application. Ultra-low application rates are also being considered. National Corn Growers Association President Chris Edington said agriculture can feed and fuel the world while addressing climate change, but the government shouldn’t take away modern-farming tools, such as atrazine. A 60-day public comment period is underway.

Dry Bean Scene – Northarvest Bean Growers Association President Eric Samuelson recently attended a roundtable with Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, and discusses the Ocean Shipping Reform Act on this week’s Dry Bean Scene. The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by SRS Commodities, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, and BASF.

WSJ Forum Addresses ‘Big Picture’ Issues – The slate of speakers at the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum included Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, agribusiness leaders and celebrity chefs. National Black Farmers Association President John Boyd spoke about farm input costs, saying those costs have tripled in the past year. Panelists also discussed the use of gene-editing technology, claiming a “blockbuster” consumer product is one-to-four years from happening.

The Benefits of Ag Tech – North Dakota State University Vice President of Agricultural Affairs Greg Lardy believes we are on the cusp of having a number of things happening in agriculture that are tech driven. “If you think about the volume of data that will come in through farms and ranches through various sensors or the Internet of things. That system will help spur additional productivity gains.”

Ag Meets Tech at the Cultivate Conference – Scouting robots, sustainable agriculture and the economics of those practices are a few things on the horizon in agriculture. Cultivate Conference attendees like Emerado, North Dakota farmer Jared Hagert are keeping an open mind about new ideas. Hagert says productivity is paramount as ag tech continues to evolve. “Autosteer is probably the largest, grandest scale bench test showing farmers can monitor functions efficiently and effectively in the cab. A lot of us have benefitted.” The ground-truthing that comes with technology like UAV and imaging gives Hagert comfort farm equipment is performing like it should. Hagert says this also allows farmers to be more open to what’s coming next. “I don’t see us going on a large platform with large, autonomous vehicles, but they may start small and build up. Fuel is another area that has my attention.”

Grand Farm Closes on New Land in Casselton, ND – North Dakota-based Grand Farm will start breaking ground on a permanent location this fall in Casselton. Grand Farm Director Brian Carroll says they just closed on the 140 acres of land last week. “We’ll start with fields, but we plan to build an innovation facility, a maker space, a place to have regular gatherings of folks and places where organizations can work and collaborate together,” says Carroll. “On our existing site of 40 acres, we have about 320 projects. We expect to scale that to more in this new location.”

Precision Harvesting in the Future – Precision agriculture allows farmers to pinpoint their fertilizer or weedkiller. During the Bushel Customer Conference, Upstream Ag Insights Editor Shane Thomas said precision harvesting may be the next step. “When it comes to going across the field with a combine, we’re losing generally one-to-four bushels per acre and that can be anywhere from $7 to $30 an acre being left out on the field,” said Thomas. “We may start seeing more computer vision understanding the number of seeds being lost and adjusting on the fly or anticipate what is coming up in different areas of the field.”  Traceability and the ability to connect the value chain is becoming increasingly important. Thomas said the focus on precision storage could be another innovation. “Being able to understand what is happening in a bin or silot regarding quality, the humidity and spoilage.”

Cyber Attacks on the Rise – North Dakota’s Chief Information Security Officer Michale Gregg said the food supply is vulnerable. Agriculture is one-fifth of the output of this country; twenty percent of the economy is agriculture,” said Gregg. “Whey would threat actors go after farming? These guys don’t care, it’s just about how they can make money and who they can make money from.”.Speaking at the Bushel conference, Gregg said it is important to prepare for bad things before they happen.

SD Corn Comments – Conservation methods and tillage options have changed in the last 40 to 50 years. Farmers are more efficient in producing food for the world. Hear more in the latest South Dakota Corn Comments, presented by the South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

Bushel Payments Launched – Technology and production agriculture go hand in hand. Farmers have been driving autonomous tractors and using precision agriculture for many years. “What we’re lacking is the supply chain in the middle,” said Jake Joraanstad, CEO, Bushel. “Paper tickets and the paper checks; that’s the real issue and the farmer.” Ninety percent of all payments to farmers are still on paper check, while in places like Australia, nearly every transaction is done electronically. Bushel Payments launched during the company’s inaugural customer conference. “Bushels Payments allows for a farmer to simply enroll in electronic payments with their facility, get a settlement check up to a $1 million electronically paid and the money moves through our banking system here in the U.S.” The farmer has access to a Visa card on the network and can pay various ag partners online. “It basically changes the way we think about moving money in the ag industry.”

The Canola Minute – Global renewable energy growth will require extra vegetable oil production – that’s where canola oil comes in. Hear more in this week’s Canola Minute, presented by the Northern Canola Growers Association.

U.S. Canola Growers Meet This Week – The U.S. Canola Growers Association will have their summer meeting starting on Wednesday. Past President Pat Murphy from Carpio, North Dakota is hosting the group at the farm. “We’ll start the morning at the research center in Minot around 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. We’ll take a look at the plots at the NDSU North Central Research Extension Center. Then, we’ll look at fields and work our way north.” Murphy says in a typical year, the canola would be flowering by now. This year, that’s still days away, due to the delayed planting season. “The canola looks alright, but there are spots. We’re two to three weeks late in planting.”

A Game-Changer for Oilseed Business – World Perspectives Senior Analyst Mike Krueger says renewable diesel will be a game changer for the global vegetable and fats markets. “There’s a huge change about to happen that I don’t think the market has fully comprehended yet,” explained Krueger. “Businesses are making big expansions in canola and soybean processing plants.” Vegetable oil consumption is expected to increase dramatically. “In the next two to four years, we may have to increase vegetable oil consumption by eight times just to satisfy renewable diesel needs. That will change the dynamics of the oilseed industry, including sunflowers, soybeans and canola.” Krueger spoke at the National Sunflower Association’s Summer Seminar in Grand Forks.

AURI Update – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute’s Fields of Innovation event series continues this month. Hear more about the series this week’s AURI Update.

Innovation is Happening – USDA Agricultural Research Service Acting Research Lead Brent Hulke is focused on growing demand for sunflowers. During the National Sunflower Association Summer Seminar, Hulke told attendees innovation is happening with genetics. “What we’re trying to do within our research unit is take basic discoveries in entomology and plant pathology and other various areas and try to mold our breeding program to incorporate that.” New traits are important. “Insect resistance like the seed weevil, that’s important in South Dakota. We’re working that into the rotation system, coming up with solutions that are going to include that resistance.”

MN Beef Update – Have you heard about the Young Leaders in Agriculture Conference? Get more details in this week’s Minnesota Beef Update.

Cattle Groups Differ on Court Decision – R-CALF USA has issued a statement following the Supreme Court’s denial of its lawsuit challenging the mandatory beef checkoff. R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard said the organization is disappointed, but grateful for the reforms made to the program. Meanwhile, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said the R-CALF lawsuit has taken attention away from beef promotion and research.

Little Change in Swine Numbers – In the USDA Hogs and Pigs Report, all three major categories were very close to pre-report expectations. The total swine inventory was down one percent from one year ago. The breeding herd supply is down one percent from one year ago, but up one percent from last quarter.

Poultry Shows Back on the Schedule – The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has released its temporary poultry exhibition ban. The ban was put in place in April to reduce the risk of spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

MFBF Minute – Minnesota Farm Bureau Leadership Coordinator Rachael Peterson has more details on a new leadership program called the Agriculture Leadership Network. Hear more about this in the latest Minnesota Farm Bureau Minute.

July Fourth Celebration More Expensive – According to an American Farm Bureau Federation survey, the average cost of the July 4 cookout is 17 percent higher than last year. Chief Economist Roger Cryan says a summer cookout meal for 10 people will cost $69.68, about $7 per person. “That’s the biggest increase we’ve had since we began the survey 10 years ago.” Meat prices are higher. In the last year, the price for two pounds of ground beef increased 36 percent. The price for two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast increased 33 percent and the price for three pounds of center cut pork chops increased 31 percent. Cryans says these higher meat prices are due, in part, to inflation.

Canola Project Suspended – The Ceres Global Ag Corporation proposed canola crush plant at Northgate, Saskatchewan has been put on hold. The project was announced in May of last year with an estimated cost of $350 million. In a statement, Ceres said it shut down the project due to inflation and higher-than-projected costs. Ceres is headquartered in Minneapolis.

FMC Purchases Pheromone Insect Control Technology Business – FMC has a definitive agreement to acquire a pheromone research and production company from Denmark called BioPhero ApS. FMC officials said this acquisition highlights its continuing commitment to biologicals technology. The purchase price was $200 million.

First Soybean Industry Trait Stack Coming to North America – Corteva Agriscience, BASF and MS Technologies have come to terms on a trait licensing agreement to develop next-generation Enlist E-3 soybeans with a nematode resistant trait. Pending regulatory reviews, the three companies expect commercialization of the Enlist E3 soybeans with the NRS trait in the late 2020s.

A ‘Key Step’ for HB4 Wheat – In its review a biotech wheat produced in Argentina, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has “no further questions” regarding its safety. Bioceres Crop Solutions developed the drought tolerant HB4 wheat and says the FDA statement is a “key step toward commercialization in the United States.” In a joint statement, the National Association of Wheat Growers and U.S. Wheat Associates emphasized the FDA has not approved any transgenic wheat for planting in the U.S. However, the U.S. wheat groups said they recognize the benefits of modern biotechnology.

Another Term as NSM Chair for O’Leary – The Northern Soy Marketing board has elected Patrick O’Leary of Benson, Minnesota to a second year as chair. Mike McCranie of Claremont, South Dakota was elected vice chair and Dan Spiekermeier of Sheldon, North Dakota is secretary/treasurer. NSM is a coalition of soybean checkoff boards from Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota that focus on marketing northern-grown soybeans to its international customers.

AMPI Announces Leadership Transition – After 38 years with the co-op, Associated Milk Producers Inc. Co-President/CEO Donn DeVelder plans to step down at the end of the year. Sheryl Meshke, who has been co-president/CEO since January 2015, will continue leading AMPI. “We are excited for what is to come and know Sheryl’s leadership will be critical in achieving continued success for AMP member-owners and employees,” said Steve Schlangen, board chairman.

Stene Retires From Valley United Cooperative – After 45 years in the grain and agronomy business, Robin Stene has retired. Most recently, Stene was the chief operating officer for Valley United Cooperative. Stene was instrumental in the building of Alton Grain Terminal and played a key role in the merger of the Halstad Elevator Company and Reynolds United Co-op.