Market Moving News – USDA will release its quarterly grain stocks report and planted acreage report this Friday. We’re at the end of the month and the quarter. Flooding is a reality in portions of the Midwest and Northern Plains while hot weather has been the story in the Eastern Cornbelt and the Southern Plains. The Red River Farm Network interviews more than 25 market analysts each week and features weather reports from the best of the best in ag sector, Drew Lerner of World Weather Incorporated. As we say, RRFN is  ‘Reporting Agriculture’s Business.’

Weather Alert – The National Weather Service says more storms may develop across eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota this afternoon and evening. This system has the potential for severe weather. Heat and humidity will also build throughout the day.

Massive Flooding – Extreme rainfall hit portions of southeastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and northwest Iowa over the weekend. Worthing, South Dakota, which is about 20 miles south of Sioux Falls, received nearly 18 inches of rain. Canton, South Dakota, had more than 13 inches. There was more than eight inches of rain at Mitchell, Chamberlain, Adrian and Windom. Flooding on the rivers and streams in southeast South Dakota and southwest Minnesota is expected to crest today and tomorrow.

Too Much Water – Matt Widboom raises crops and cattle north of Worthington, Minnesota. “There’s a pretty small pocket that now has had over 30 inches of rain from April to the middle part of June,” said Widboom. “The subsoil moisture didn’t have room for any more rain and we got five-to-eight inches. The real trouble started with all of the runoff and ponding.” The infrastructure has suffered. “Our township crews were out early in the weekend and the few I talked to made it eight miles and they marked 38 open culverts that would need repair on the roadways.” The impact on agriculture is significant, but Widboom said it doesn’t compare to the loss of life and the small towns that are still under water in northwest Iowa. Listen to the interview.

A Long Planting Season – The planting season stretched out for nearly three months. Fred Lukens, who farms at Aneta, North Dakota, beat the rain and parked his planter on June 10. “We started planting around the 20th of April and got about 500 acres of barley in before it started raining and it’s been hit and miss ever since,” said Lukens. “On the 7th of June, we still had a third of our farm left to plant and we just finished planting (Monday), but we got it in before the big rain so we’ll cross our fingers and hope we don’t get an early frost.”

N Losses – Heavy rains dumped on Patrick O’Leary’s farm near Benson, Minnesota this past week. O’Leary said nutrient deficiencies will likely be the story going forward. “The soybean crop that is standing underwater seems to be holding its own. The corn is more challenged. We are starting to see nitrogen deficiencies and with the excess rain, it looks like nutrients might be an issue going forward.”

Some Nutrient Tie-Up – Valley United Coop Sales Agronomist Jerry Buckley likes the way the early-planted crop looks in the Ada, Minnesota area. “There was a little bit of stress from some nutrient tie-up with all the rain but overall the crops look really good.” Farmers have dealt with replanting and prevent plant situations. “Most of our problems for replant were from drown-outs due to the moisture stress. We had probably around ten percent of the soybeans that ended up in prevent plant in our pocket.”

Variable Crop Conditions – West Central Ag Services Agronomy Operations Head Brad Fronning covers an area in Minnesota from Ulen to Barnesville. “The crop that’s in the ground looks really good. The corn is at a point where they’re spraying herbicides on it to side dressing, some corn is knee-high already.” The wheat and soybeans are more variable. “With the wet couple of weeks, we have had some drownout spots and waterlogged soils are holding back the wheat crop. As far as soybeans, we are still finishing planting, some herbicides are starting to get applied to the soybeans.”

Canola Minute – Here’s the latest Canola Minute from the Northern Canola Growers Association. This week, Northern Canola Growers Association President Tim Mickelson joins us to discuss what the crop looks like at Rolla, North Dakota. Listen to the report. 

An Early Spring and Timely Rains – Crookston farmer Eric Samuelson has enjoyed a good spring. “We were on the drier side so we got an early start. We have had timely rains and been fortunate to get the work done between the rains. Now we are just waiting for the sunshine to come back.” With the weeds sprayed, fungicides are next on the chore list for Samuelson.

Phenomenal Small Grains – Justin Sherlock farms near Dazey, North Dakota and was fortunate to get his crop in the ground before crop insurance planting deadlines and more rain. “The small grain crop looks phenomenal, especially the wheat and barley. They have loved this cool wet weather. For the row crops, it was so cool that the corn and soybeans sat there and seemed to not grow for a few weeks. They seem to be catching up a little bit now.” Sherlock’s concern going forward is with nitrogen losses due to the wet weather.

80 Degrees and Sunshine on the Wish List – Located at Bremen, North Dakota, Donny Allmaras believes 80-degree weather would cure a lot of the ills with the crop. Allmaras leads a Pioneer Seed agency and covers Wells County, Eddy County, and Benson County. “The southern part of Wells County is super wet; those guys have really had a struggle for most of the season and have lots and lots of standing water,” said Allmaras. “Corn is certainly behind where we would like it to be, it just hasn’t had very many growing degree units. The soybeans are super slow.  All of the small grains look quite good; they like the cooler weather. Pinto beans are really slow; they do not like wet and they do not like cold, we’ve had a lot of both.” After the heavy rains this past Monday and Tuesday, Allmaras said there will be a sizable number of prevented plant acres in the region.

Crops in Decent Shape, Despite Wet Conditions – Rain and wind have been the norm this spring across the region. Ashley Altepeter farms in the East Grand Forks area and received four inches of rain over a two-day window. Despite the soggy weather, Altepeter is pleased with her crops. “We have some winter wheat in that’s looking really good. Canola is good; dealt with beetles in that but we got the crop sprayed. Other than that, our edibles are looking good. If we can get a dry spell, we would see these (dry edible) beans that we just planted shoot up and hopefully, we have a really good crop.”

AFREC: Soil Fertility Minute – Northwest Research and Outreach Center Nutrient and Water Management Specialist Dr. Lindsay Pease joins this week’s Soil Fertility Minute to talk about the annual Crops and Soils Day on July 17th at the NWROC in Crookston. The Soil Fertility Minute is a presentation of the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council. Listen to the report. 

Spuds Not Happy With Soggy Fields – The soggy weather has caused some drownouts and rotting in the potato crop. Potato Extension Agronomist Andy Robinson says this problem is better for potatoes than an adversely dry season. “As a result of all the extra water we’ve received, we are seeing more seed rot and decay. There will be some drownout but the reality is that you’ll have better moisture for the rest of the field.” Robinson said the Colorado Potato Beetles are the bigger problem this year due to the loss of some neonicotinoids.

Standing Water – Heavy rains this spring have been both good and bad for Minnesota farmers. Pioneer Seeds Field Agronomist Nick Schimek says crop conditions have been hurt in central and southern Minnesota due to standing water. “We’re getting to the stage where some of those plants are starting to demand a lot more nitrogen. Those plants are starting to express that with some lower leaf yellowing.” Schimek says that all the moisture received this spring is beneficial, but it’s a matter of getting rid of the standing water.

Weather Impacting Pest Population – University of Minnesota Extension Entomologist Ian MacRae is surprised by what he’s been seeing, or not seeing, in the fields. “It seems to be an unusual year; I’ve had several calls on springtails and a couple of different insects, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” MacRae thinks the rainy, colder weather has played a part in reducing insect activity. He’s also quick to laud that same rainy weather and the resulting lush soil conditions have been beneficial.  “We’re seeing a lot of soil biofauna, which isn’t necessarily bad. Other insects in there are busy breaking down last year’s plant and turning it into nutrients, which is a great sign of healthy soil.”

Pioneer Agronomy Update – In the latest Pioneer Agronomy Update, Pioneer Field Agronomist Larry Lunder discusses the issue of herbicide resistance with a focus on kochia. “It will be critical to rotate crops and use the available modes of action to maintain the control of kochia. Using more than one mode of action will also be critical to accomplish this goal.” Listen to the report. 

Low Wheat Midge Populations, Scouting Still Advised – Soil samples in North Dakota signal low populations of overwintering wheat midge larvae for the 2024 growing season. More than 2,000 soil cores were collected from 22 counties last fall. Only ten percent of those sites tested positive for wheat midge. Even the positive cases were low enough that it would not cause yield loss in spring wheat. Scouting remains important, especially for fields that have been in continuous wheat. The wet weather favors the emergence of this pest.

A Double-Edged Sword with Wet, Cool Conditions – BASF Technical Service Representative Ken Deibert is seeing a few weather-related issues in the small grains. “A lot of recent wet, cooler weather, which small grains typically like, is maybe a little bit too wet right now,” said Deibert. “Wheat may even be turning a little yellow due to these very wet and cool conditions.” Early-seeded spring wheat is beginning to head out, so fungicide applications for fusarium head blight are top-of-mind. Listen to the interview.

Perfect Conditions for Scab to Develop – Bayer CropScience Crop Protection Technical Development Director Kevin Thorsness is fielding a lot of grower calls about protecting cereal crops from fusarium head blight. “This is the ideal situation for head scab to develop when you have a wet micro-climate down in the bottom of the canopy where it stays wet late into the morning and early afternoon and we’re getting showers and dews,” said Thorsness. “All of this is going to set up a perfect storm for head scab to develop and so I think it’d be best to be prepared; put the fungicide on proactively and protect that yield potential.” For more information on the timing of the fungicide application, listen to the full interview with Thorsness. 

Wet Conditions Influence Weed Control – NDSU Extension Weed Specialist Joe Ikley has been getting questions about the efficacy of residual herbicides applied before several inches of rain. “The effectiveness depends on the chemistry or product that we used,” said Ikley. “This determines how much residual herbicides we can expect as we get into the late part of June and early July.” Water soluble herbicides have a faster-leaching potential and are not as capable with the rain in the area. Ikley urges farmers to have an action plan for the fields that had a water-soluble herbicide applied in early May.

Be Vigilant with Weed Control – Weed control has been hampered by the wet and windy conditions this spring and early summer. Syngenta Agronomic Service Representative Jason Snell says pre-emerge applications paid the bills this year by handling the early weed population. Those farmers relying on a post application will need to be aggressive. “You’ll probably need to hit it with the biggest hammer you can swing out there to make sure you get the best control you can.” Frequent scouting is recommended to stay ahead of weeds emerging later. “It may require a second post-pass if the residual you are attempting to lay down doesn’t get to the soil.”

Sunflower Progress Ahead of the Norm – National Sunflower Association Executive Director John Sandbakken says the crop looks very good. “Planting progress is going smoothly and we’re ahead of the five-year average in most states.” Sunflower prices remain resilient following two years of large crops. “The market is adjusting to the new stocks situation and we’re looking forward to a good year.” The NSA Summer Seminar is being held this week in Duluth.

Kansas Wheat Harvest Advances – The Kansas wheat harvest is chugging right along. Kansas Wheat Vice President of Research and Operations Aaron Harries expects the harvest to advance rapidly this week. “Harvest has been moving rapidly, we are ahead of schedule compared to the average,” Harries told RRFN. “We had some rain that stopped harvest for a few days but the weather forecast is hot, dry, and windy for the foreseeable future so I think the harvest will move rapidly.” There is a wide range of yields but the average is better than expected.

An Average-to-Below Average Crop – Bowdon, North Dakota custom harvester Mychal Neumiller was in Pratt, Kansas harvesting wheat this past week. “We will be moving to Leoti, Kansas when we finish here.” Neumiller is seeing average crop yields. “We haven’t seen a great wheat crop with our machines. We have probably seen average to below average, about 30-to-35 bushel wheat is all.”

CBO Squabble – The Congressional Budget Office has updated its ten-year budget outlook for farm and nutrition programs. The CBO estimated that the Commodity Credit Corporation spending authority would total $12 billion for the next ten years, beginning in 2025. That’s far short of the levels included in the farm bill that passed out of the House Agriculture Committee last month. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow said the CBO projections prove the Republican farm bill relies on “magic math and wishful thinking.” In an email response to the Hagstrom Report, House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson said his farm bill passed out of committee while Stabenow has offered no clear farm bill language, funding mechanism or bipartisan support for her proposals.

Farm Bill Negotiations Hampered by Money – Minnesota Representative Michelle Fischbach believes there are fewer differences between the House and Senate farm bill proposals than people might think. “Chairman (Glenn ‘GT’) Thompson is working with Senator (Debbie) Stabenow to make sure that we get it into the conference committee,” said Fischbach. “There’s finer points that maybe have to be put on some of the policy, but I’m excited about it and the fact that we’re improving crop insurance.” Fischbach admits that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done and money remains a factor. “The Congressional Budget Office is holding it up because they are not scoring it properly.”

Differences Remain Over the Farm Bill – The farm bill dominated discussions at this year’s World Association of Beet and Cane Growers annual conference. According to American Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Vice President Luther Markwart, there’s still a lot of moving parts with this legislation. “It’s difficult because of where they’re moving money in and around the bill,” said Markwart. “At the end of the day, both parties and both bodies probably won’t be happy with the end decisions, but they’re going to have to do that in order to get a bill done.”

SD Corn Comments – In this week’s South Dakota Corn Matters, we hear from DaNita Murray, who is the executive director with the South Dakota Corn Growers Association. Murray discusses the House Committee on Agriculture farm bill markup. Listen to the update.

Rounds Promotes MCOOL – South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds is calling on Senate Agriculture Committee leadership to reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef. Mandatory COOL was included in the 2008 farm bill, but was rescinded in 2015 after being challenged by Canada and Mexico. Rounds said more transparency is needed in the beef labeling system.

Drought Conditions Improve – Drought conditions have improved this year. “It was very encouraging to see the spring rainfall,” said Mark Brusberg, chief meteorologist, USDA. “Getting rain in the spring is a bit of a dual-edged sword. They have moisture for germination, but it did tend to slow down fieldwork a bit. Now we’re hoping for warm weather to keep the crops moving along.” Brusberg said the Southern Plains still has trouble spots. “They’ve been getting rain on a timely basis, but the winter wheat crop still isn’t ideal.” Brusberg was in Fargo for the World Beet and Cane Sugar Annual Conference.

Crop Going Backwards – Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative Vice President of Agriculture Todd Geselius says the soggy conditions have started to wreak havoc on the beet crop. “We’re just seeing the effects of all the rain,” said Geselius. “In June, we always worry about this wet weather because root rots set in, mostly Rhizoctonia and some aphanomyces. Those can plague you for the rest of the season; it makes it difficult to have a really good crop when you’re wet during the month of June.”

Sugarbeet Report – In RRFN’s weekly Sugarbeet Report, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Director Harrison Weber provides a perspective on the sugarbeet crop. “We have had spots of excessive moisture.” Listen to the report. 

Pea Protein Trade Dispute – A preliminary investigation by the U.S. International Trade Commission determined China is dumping pea protein on the U.S. market. Montana Senator Jon Tester wrote a letter to the ITC, saying unfair trade practices by Chinese manufacturers have undermined food security and economic security. Tester wants the ITC to continue its preliminary duties to create a more level playing field for U.S. farmers and manufacturers.

EU Imposing Tariff on Ukrainian Ag Product – After months of protests by European farmers, EU lawmakers are beginning to reintroduce tariffs on a Ukrainian farm commodity. Oats will be the first product no longer exempted from the export tax. Sugar is also close to tariff rate quota levels and may be the next Ukrainian commodity to face trade restrictions. The EU ended these tariffs in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Tensions grew as European farmers protested what they saw as unfair trade competition from Ukraine.

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson cites the stock market as one of the areas enjoying strength. “The S&P 500 and NASDAQ continue to have strength, at least trading at the upper end of their ranges.” Cash cattle have also seen record money. “We continue to see trouble on the grains side,” said Martinson.

Another Ugly Week in the Markets – Minneapolis September wheat futures dropped 48 ¾ cents on the week. New crop corn and soybeans declined 17 and 29 ¾ cents respectively. August Feeder Cattle futures were down $3.60 per hundredweight. The nearby U.S. dollar index, the Dow, S&P, gold and crude oil were the few markets with a slight uptick in values. Advance Trading Risk Management Advisor Tommy Grisafi says this upcoming week will be another action-packed week. “It’s the end of June, the end of Q2 and the USDA stocks and acreage report on Friday.” There isn’t a lot to move the market outside of its sideways pattern. “There’s plenty of supply out there and there’s not a lot of fear in the markets.” Watch RRFN’s Don Wick and Grisafi discuss markets, policy and more. 

Federal Government Can Fast Track Green Energy Projects – The Department of Energy is taking public comments through this Monday for phase two of the proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor or NIETC.  There are ten proposed NIETC’s across the country in 12 states, including North Dakota and South Dakota. Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins is calling for federal hearings due to the impact on farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. Hawkins said the Biden Administration’s push for green energy is a fundamental shift in the power sector. “We are seeing reliable sources of power generation go offline, coal and natural gas for instance, faster or more quickly than we are putting intermittent sources, i.e. wind and solar, onto the grid,” said Hawkins. “That is causing problems as we think about power generation and transmission. It means all of us as ratepayers are probably paying more when we flip on the lights.” This proposed corridor includes much of southwestern North Dakota and all but eastern South Dakota. Again, Monday is the deadline to submit public comments to the Department of Energy on this proposal.

Farming for the Future – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Red River Farm Network and the Linder Farm Network to provide information on soil health events and topics. This week, Ed Hegland, a farmer from Lac Qui Parle County, is our guest. Hegland operates a water quality-certified farm and outlines his conservation philosophy in this report. Give it a listen.

Green Energy to be Promoted at Midwest Farm Energy Conference – The theme of this year’s Midwest Farm Energy Conference is ‘pathways to decarbonize agriculture.’ West Central Research and Outreach Center Director of Renewable Energy Eric Buchanan is excited about the discussions about green energy in agriculture. “Many of the conversations will be about green hydrogen and green ammonia,” said Buchanan. “We’re partnering with university folks that are working on using ammonia as a fuel in combustion engines, as a possible fuel in tractors and in grain-drying.” Buchanan says solar energy and the use of seaweed in the dairy ration to cutback greenhouse gas emissions were also discussed. This event is Wednesday and Thursday in Morris.

Good Values for Used Farm Equipment – U.S. tractor sales dropped 11.5 percent in May compared to a year ago. However, the sale of 4-wheel drive tractors increased more than nine percent. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers said combine sales declined nearly 18 percent from May of 2023. True North Equipment President John Oncken said the inventory of used farm equipment is up. “On a national level, there’s a lot of used equipment out there,” said Oncken. “You’ve seen nationally a lot of auctions taking place by dealers of any color.” True North Equipment is a John Deere dealer based in Grand Forks with locations throughout northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Oncken said there are good values available now for used equipment. “There’s cash in the region; I think we all know that and the opportunity to get some well-incented equipment from dealers in our region and us is really positive. It’s an opportunity for buyers.”

Beet and Cane Growers Conference Draws Global Audience – This year’s World Association of Beet and Cane Growers Annual Conference was held in the United States for the first time in 20 years. Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Vice President Harrison Weber was pleased with how the Fargo event came together. “We’ve got 70 growers from 18 different countries around the world here learning about sugar markets, ethanol markets, and the domestic industry here.” According to Weber, the farm bill was a big talking point this year. “Our policy is entwined with the rest of the globe so there were a lot of discussions about the farm bill and its impact.”

Sharing the Language of Agriculture – According to World Association of Beet and Cane Growers President David Thompson, the annual WABCG conference was a great way for farmers around the globe to learn from each other. “This is just a group of farmers getting together and talking about political issues, production issues, labeling and nutrition issues they might be fighting at home. It’s a good collaborative effort to help sustain this industry as a viable industry worldwide.” Though the languages they use may differ, Thompson said they all share the language of agriculture. “We’ve all got the same issues no matter where you’re at.” Thompson farms at East Grand Forks.

Sugar Production Exceeds Demand – Excess sugar supply is pushing world sugar prices down. American Sugar Alliance Director of Economics and Policy Robert Johansson says U.S. sugar prices are following that downward trend. “Brazil had a historic year of production this past year and they’re having another good season this year,” said Johansson. “The overall global supply of sugar is expected to exceed demand by over 5 million tons and that’s softening prices in the world market.” Weather remains a factor in the sugar market. “Hopefully, it’ll be a good year; the (Red River) Valley got a good start.” Johansson was featured at the World Beet and Cane Sugar event in Fargo.

Potato Stocks Report Released – As of June 1, nearly 67 million hundredweight of potatoes were held in storage. That’s up 19 percent from one year ago. The potatoes held in storage account for 15 percent of the 2023 production. According to the USDA report, 3.8 million hundredweight of potatoes were held in storage in North Dakota. That represents 14 percent of last year’s production. In Minnesota, 3.4 million hundredweight was in storage at the beginning of the month, representing 19 percent of the 2023 crop.

Shocking Placements – Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report delivered a bit of a shock in cattle placements. Ever Ag Marketing broker-agent Colton Vondra said the markets will adjust to the report. “Our pre-report estimates came in at 99.4 percent of a year ago and the actual placements came in at 104.3 so we placed a fair amount more cattle year-over-year. The trade could possibly digest that as bearish news.”

May Milk Production Report Released – Milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled 18.9 billion pounds in May. That’s down less than one percent from May of last year. In South Dakota, milk production rose more than ten percent. That has been boosted by the addition of 19,000 cows to South Dakota’s dairy herd in the past year. Minnesota milk output declined 0.6 percent. The number of cows milking in Minnesota dropped 8,000 head over the past year.

Impacts of H5N1 – The H5N1 virus continues to impact the dairy industry and the poultry industry that it originated from. Both industries have different ways of dealing with the virus. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack acknowledges the differences in the ways that the virus affects each industry. “On the poultry side, we’re dealing with a virus that kills so it’s relatively simple. You depopulate the flock, disinfect, and the farmer gets back in business. For dairy, the cows get sick and recover.” Although the protocols are different for each industry, Vilsack ensures that the products of each are safe for consumers.

MN Beef Update – Alissa Holt is in her second year serving as a Minnesota Beef Ambassador. Holt highlights her time growing up on a farm at Little Falls in this week’s edition of the Minnesota Beef Update.  Listen to the report.

Beef Sustainability – Beef cattle’s role in the sustainability story was the focus of a program Friday in Sioux Falls. AgSpire Vice President of Business Development Jared Knock said agriculture can look back on thousands of years of history, but only looks ahead for a short amount of time. Knock, who also has a diversified crop and livestock operation in eastern South Dakota, said it is important to look at the big issues. “It was really the environmental concern about the cattle production, in particular, that I thought was probably the biggest risk factor to there being people on the acres that I’m on today, a hundred years from now or beyond that.” Brady Wulf is part of Clear Springs Cattle Company at Starbuck, Minnesota and said regenerative agriculture is an opportunity to reach consumers. “There’s also a lot of immeasurables like plant diversity, water infiltration, controlling runoff, controlling wind erosion; all things that are a lot harder to measure but things that I can take you out and show you. I think that’s our huge opportunity getting that to a larger audience.”

R-CALF USA Convention Draws Record Crowds – This year’s R-CALF USA Convention in Deadwood, South Dakota drew record crowds. The list of speakers included keynoter Lara Logan, who is a former 60 minutes correspondent. Topics covered at the meeting include the farm bill, beef checkoff reform and USDA’s RFID mandate. According to CEO Bill Bullard, the RFID tag rule is concerning. “We have no problem with the technology, but our objection to the government mandate is the government mandate. We have members voluntarily using RFID ear tags on their cattle and receiving a premium for it, but once the government mandates that all producers use this those members that are receiving a premium will see it evaporate.”

Keeping SD Agriculture on the Offense – Governor Kristi Noem is highlighting agriculture’s important role in South Dakota. The Governor’s Office released a column saying ag contributes more than $32 billion to the state’s economy. It says precision agriculture and value-added agriculture as the key sectors for the South Dakota economy to grow and develop. Noem said she is proud South Dakota has more cows-per-person than any other state. The dairy industry was also cited as one of the state’s fastest-growing economic engines.

Riverview Proposes Major Dairy Operation in RRV – Morris, Minnesota-based Riverview LLP plans to build a 25,000 cow dairy operation in North Dakota’s Traill County, near Hillsboro. The farm will have 100 employees and will purchase corn, silage, straw and alfalfa from area farmers. The project needs to go through the regulatory process. The goal is to be milking cows by 2027.

Another Lawsuit – The Environmental Protection Agency is facing another lawsuit over its vehicle emissions standards for light-and-medium-duty vehicles. The Renewable Fuels Association and National Farmers Union filed a lawsuit in the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals. Last week, the National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Petroleum Institute and a group of car dealerships filed a similar lawsuit.

Plug-in Hybrid Has Advantage Over Battery RVs – A flex fuel-capable plug-in EV costs less but substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions similar to a fully electric vehicle. While EVs are touted as the best solution to reduce the carbon impact behind the wheel, the study by the Renewable Fuels Association favored plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This research, funded in part by the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Board, found the plug-in hybrid overcomes the barriers to the adoption of EVs, including limited driving range, high purchase price, reliability and the limited recharging infrastructure.

MN Corn Matters – With the support of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and other state corn groups, the Renewable Fuels Association has been testing a plug-in hybrid vehicle that was converted to accept all ethanol blends. RFA  spokesman Ken Colombini joins Corn Matters to discuss what has been learned with this project. Listen to Corn Matters.

ND Ag Groups Petition Governor Burgum About E15 Waiver – Three North Dakota ag groups have submitted a letter to Governor Doug Burgum requesting the state be added to the waiver petition for year-round E15 sales. North Dakota was included in the petition when it was first submitted to the EPA before Governor Burgum rescinded the request. North Dakota Corn Growers Association Executive Director Brenda Elmer says circumstances have changed since then and the state could use year-round E15 sales now more than ever. “Inflation has become a point of contention in a lot of consumers’ lives and the precedent has been set with the eight states that are already exempt. So, we’re asking Governor Burgum to allow consumers to make the choice, not make the choice for them.” The other two groups behind the letter to Burgum are the North Dakota Farmers Union and the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association.

ND to Lose a Seat on USB Board – USDA is in the process of adjusting the state representation on the United Soybean Board. Effective 2025, North Dakota would lose a member on the soybean checkoff board and New York would add a member. Valley City farmer Matt Gast is a member of the USB executive committee. Gast cites a large amount of prevented plant acres over two consecutive years for the change. “In those prevent plant years, we did not maintain the necessary production of bushels of soybeans due to the wet weather,” said Gast. “It had nothing to do with the interest in soybeans or anything the state did wrong, it was just the weather impacting how many acres we were able to get planted.” Gast believes this will be a short-term issue and North Dakota will regain a fourth seat in the next reapportionment period. USDA is taking public comment on the change through July 17.

MAELC Listening Sessions Continue This Week – The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council hosts listening sessions every five years to create a statewide blueprint for agriculture, food, and natural resources education. Executive Director Sarah Dornink has the details on the process. “We start with listening sessions to hear from various stakeholders about their thoughts on what’s going well, what are some challenges, what strategies we should employ to try to improve and grow AFNR education,” said Sarah Dornink, executive director. After a series of listening sessions this past week, programs are scheduled on Tuesday in Brainerd, Wednesday in Detroit Lakes and Willmar on Thursday. You can find more information on the MAELC website.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, crop consultant Curt Burns at Stewart, Minnesota talks about dry edible bean acreage and the wet conditions in his region. Burns leads CB Agronomics. Listen to the report. 

Nutrien Ag Solutions Acquires New Biocontrol Technology – Nutrien Ag Solutions has acquired Suncor Energy’s AgroScience assets. This deal consists of patented and patent-pending technologies in the area of biocontrol. The new chlorin-based photosensitizer formulations are expected to launch in certain global markets by 2025 through Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Loveland Products. Product submissions in the U.S. are planned in 2026.

An AI Collaboration for the Seed Business – Syngenta Seeds is collaborating with the AI company, InstaDeep, to accelerate its proprietary trait research. InstaDeep has developed a state-of-the-art language model, AgroNT, to evaluate trillions of nucleotides from relevant crop species. The technology will be used for Syngenta’s corn and soybean seed pipeline.

Grain Terminal Swap – Growmark and COFCO International have come to terms on two grain facilities. Growmark is selling its minority ownership in a grain-loading facility on the Mississippi River near St. Louis to COFCO. COFCO is selling its ownership stake in a Chicago grain warehouse facility near downtown Chicago to Growmark. State-owned COFCO and Growmark have been partners on the Mississippi River site since 2017. This transaction will likely need approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews foreign deals.

Bunge & Zen-Noh Grain Purchase Brazilian Grain Terminal – An international collaboration is buying a stake in a grain terminal at Brazil’s Port of Santos. The Brazilian division of Bunge and the U.S. division of the Japanese agriculture company Zen-Noh Grain have entered a joint venture for this project.

Bid on Beef Platform Launches – Since launching Bid on Beef on June 1, the company has seen excitement from producers and consumers. Amanda Radke, who is a partner at Bid on Beef, is excited to bring this option to producers and consumers. “It’s a place where we are connecting producers with consumers and we’re really putting the shoppers in the driver’s seat. They get to choose the beef cut, the ranch that they purchase it from, and the price through the option process.” The consolidation of the agricultural food supply is the driver for this platform. You can listen to the whole interview here.

Activist Groups File SEC Complaint – The Humane Society of the United States and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The activist groups claim JBS and its subsidiary, Pilgrim’s Pride, are misleading investors about their animal welfare and environmental policies.

UM Students Win DMI New Product Competition – A University of Minnesota team won the Dairy Management Inc. new production competition. The students created Yah-tost, a whey-based cheese spread that offers health-conscious consumers a good source of protein, dietary fiber and calcium. The students are Anandu Chandra Khanashyam, Abrielle Schnurr, Nghi Huynh and Suchismita Roy. They are dairy science students and earned a first-place prize of $10,000. The award was presented at the American Dairy Science Association annual meeting in Florida.

AURI Update – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute hosts an ag innovation podcast with Dan Skogen that discusses Minnesota agriculture. The newest episode will air on July 3 to honor National Ice Cream Month featuring Paul Kirkman, the founder of Victual. Listen to this update. 

Deputy Undersecretary Takes New Role – USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Stacy Dean has accepted a new role. Dean will be the first-ever Carbonell Family executive director of the George Washington University Global Food Institute, which was founded by celebrity chef and philanthropist Jose Andres. This position is named after the family of Nelson Carbonell Jr., an entrepreneur who announced he and his wife would endow the Global Food Institute executive director position with $5 million.

NASS Appoints New Administrator – Joseph Parsons has been selected as the new administrator of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Parsons has been the acting administrator since Hubert Hamer retired at the end of March. Previously, Parsons was an associate administrator.

Durheim Takes Role with California Farm Bureau – A Long Prairie, Minnesota native is the new chief operating officer for the California Farm Bureau. Dan Durheim has been the associate vice president of sponsor relations for Nationwide Insurance for the past eight years. Before that, Durheim worked for the American Farm Bureau Federation and Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. The California Farm Bureau just created this COO position. Durheim was one of 1,100 candidates for the job.

Bratter Begins Consulting Business – Rebecca Bratter has launched her own consulting firm called Chaski Global Strategies. For the past nine years, Bratter has been the executive director of the U.S. Dry Bean Council.

Hunt Elected to NSA Board – Ryan Hunt was elected as an industry representative to the National Sunflower Association board of directors. Hunt is a technical service manager for FMC and is based in West Fargo.

NDSU Extension Hires New Livestock Specialist – Rachel Gibbs has joined NDSU Extension as a livestock specialist for ruminant system management. Gibbs is based at the Hettinger Research Extension Center. The Texas native earned her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University and her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

USB Announces Management Team – United Soybean Board CEO Lucas Lentsch has announced the soybean checkoff’s new management team. Keenan McRoberts is the executive vice president of strategy. Dairy Chatman is the executive vice president of compliance. The executive vice president of finance is Sandi Schwarzen and the senior vice president of marketing is John Jansen. New to the team, Doug Ackerman is the senior vice president of reputation and insights. Regina Cleary is the vice president of board relations and farmer outreach.

Frisch to Serve Another Term – The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council has reelected Tom Frisch as its chair. Frisch farms at Dumont in Traverse County and was first elected to the council in 2019. Ben Storm of Dover was reelected treasurer and Pat Sullivan of Franklin was reelected secretary. Two retiring directors were recognized at the board meeting; Jim Willers of Beaver Creek and Kris Folland from Halma.

Johnson Succeeds Worth at MSGA – Darin Johnson of Wells is the new president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. Brownton farmer Ryan Mackenthun was elevated to vice president, St. James grower Rose Wendinger will move to treasurer and Secretary Kyle Jore of Thief River Falls rounds out the officer team. Johnson succeeds Bob Worth, who is MSGA’s only director to serve multiple two-year terms as president. Worth, who farms at Lake Benton, was elected to represent Minnesota on the American Soybean Association board. The board also reelected Jamie Beyer of Wheaton, Adam Guetter of Wabasso, Chris Hill of Brewster and Jim Kukowski of Strathcona.

Aligning Staff for NAFB Success – With Gardner Hatch now in executive director role with the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, there has been a staff realignment. Micheal Clements will focus on day-to-day operations as the chief operating officer. Seth Ruff’s new title is director of sales and events. Susan Tally and Mary Reder will continue in their roles as controller and membership manager, respectively. Chad Smith will take on additional responsibilities in the operation of the NAFB News Service.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Matthews – Ted Matthews, an agricultural mental health specialist for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, received the Rural Health Lifetime Achievement Award at the Minnesota Rural Health Conference in Duluth. Matthews began working with the Minnesota Farm Business Management Mental Health Outreach Program in 1998.