A War Crime – According to the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Russia needs to safely open the Black Sea for shipments of Ukrainian grain. In his words, it is a ‘war crime’ to have millions on tons of wheat blocked in Ukraine while the world goes hungry. The EU supports efforts by the United Nations to find a way to restart grain shipments out of Ukraine.

More Sanctions for Russia – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address the Group of Seven meeting today by video. The G-7 leaders, including President Biden, announced additional sanctions against Russia over the weekend. A proposal to cap the price of Russian oil was discussed, including plans to create an oil buyers’ alliance for Western nations and their allies.

President Proposes Gas Tax Holiday – President Joe Biden has proposed the suspension of the federal gasoline and diesel fuel taxes for three months. “We want oil companies to use their profits to increase refining capacity rather than buy back their own stock (and) we need gas stations to pass along a decrease in oil prices to lower prices at the pump,” said Biden. “It doesn’t reduce all of the pain, but it would be a big help.” The plan is to eliminate the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel through September. This would cost $10 billion, but Biden wants to offset the loss of highway revenue. The measure needs congressional approval, which is not guaranteed.

Skepticism Over for Gas Tax Break – The Russell Group President Randy Russell says a federal gas tax suspension is not likely to get much support in Congress. Key Democrats criticized this concept in the past. “Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi deadpanned it in the past; former President Obama in 2008 called it a gimmick. I think it has a steep road ahead and I doubt it becomes law.” The infrustructure bill signed into law earlier this year included reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund, funded by the gas tax. “I think they have explaining to do on that point as well as the fact gas prices started rising well before the Ukrainian war.”

Checking the Numbers – According to Soy Transportation Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek, a farmer could save 95 cents per day on diesel costs, depending on usage, under President Biden’s gas tax holiday plan. That comes to about $85 for just the federal taxes over a three-month period. If federal and state taxes are combined, the savings would be $2.51 per day or $226 total over the time of the tax suspension.

Ag Committee Approves Cattle Legislation – By voice votes, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved the Cattle Price Transparency Act of 2022 and the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act. During the hearing, South Dakota Senator John Thune said South Dakota agriculture groups are divided on these bills, but are generally unified about mandatory Country of Origin Labeling. “We label everything in this country, except the thing we put in the center of our plates, beef and pork.” Thune filed amendments to both bills dealing with MCOOL, but did not force a vote during the markup. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow responded to Thune’s decision. “I believe strongly we should be able to figure out a way to do this that relates to WTO compliance.”Both bills will now be considered by the full Senate.

Cattle Groups Split Over Senate Bills – Cattle industry groups are offering a mixed response to the Senate Ag Committee’s passage of the Cattle Price Transparency Act of 2022 and the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act. In a statement, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the heavy-handed mandates will stifle innovation and limit marketing opportunities in the cattle industry. The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association said a vote against the bills are a vote for the status quo and members cannot wait for another calf cycle to get significant market return.

Dairy Competition Addressed in Farm Bill Hearing – During Wednesday’s House Agriculture Committee hearing, University of Minnesota Dairy Economist Marin Bozic questioned the ability of federal milk marketing orders to deliver fair prices to the producer. Bozic said it is very difficult for dairy farmers to switch to a different processor, which influences competition for milk. “If a corn producer wishes to know how different local elevators would pay for corn all they need to do is go online or tune into their local radio station,” testified Bozic. “In contrast, when some dairy producers have asked for milk price benchmarking information, in multiple instances, they faced tacit disapproval or even aggressive legal threats from some dairy processors.” Bozic said the farm bill must also address the long-term implications of dairy policy changes. The drop in fluid milk consumption and the increase in dairy exports were cited as ongoing trends.

Taking Feedback on ’23 Farm Bill – The House Agriculture Committee held the first in a series of farm bill listening session in Arizona over the weekend. Illinois Representative Cheri Bustos chaired the field hearing and said there was one priority in her district. “The #1 thing I always hear about is crop insurance,” said Bustos. “The feedback has been that crop insurance is working.” California Representative Austin Scott said the next farm bill should also consider the numerous ag-related lawsuits in the courts. “If you take dicamba and glyphosate off the market, we can’t use no-till anymore,” said Scott. “We’ve got to come some agreement as we push forward on the next farm bill is making sure the courts take into account the impact on production agriculture and our food supply.”

ND Farmers Union Host Farm Bill Listening Sessions – The North Dakota Farmers Union is hosting a series of farm bill listening sessions. NDFU President Mark Watne says farmers are concerned about the dollars available for the baseline for the next farm bill. “They hope to have the baseline increase so we can enhance programs. We’d also like ad hoc disaster programs to become more permanent.” The farm bill listening sessions will continue through Wednesday. A full schedule can be found on the North Dakota Farmers Union website.

Reform Sought for Conservation Programs – Former USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach believes federal conservation programs should be reformed for climate considerations. At this point, conservation programs, like carbon sequestration programs, aren’t taking into account previous farming practices. “Farmers that are first adopters have already started to do no-till practices, plant cover crops and use bio-stimulants. They’re getting told already by private companies and if we don’t move away from this philosophy, they will get told by USDA, I’m sorry, you’re already doing that so you have to do something more.” Ibach was featured in the South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s ag summit.

USDA Under Secretary Comes to North Dakota – USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small is in North Dakota today. The USDA official will be at the North Dakota Farmers Union with Senator John Hoeven for a roundtable discussion on meat processing and cattle market competition this morning. There will be a roundtable on rural healthcare this afternoon.

Cereal Disease Lab Included in Ag Approps Bill – The House Appropriations Committee has approved Fiscal Year 2023 funding for USDA, FDA and related agencies. One of the projects included in the bill provides $7 million in initial funding for the USDA Agricultural Research Service Cereal Disease Lab at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul. It will pay for the planning and development of the next-generation laboratory facility.

Farmer Worker Bill Introduced – California Senator Alex Padilla introduced a bill to extend overtime pay to farmworkers. If passed, the Fairness for Farmworkers Act of 2022 would extend overtime pay to all U.S. farmworkers who were excluded from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. This legislation established the federal minimum wage and overtime rules.

Crop Watch – With the wet spring, Valley City, North Dakota farmer Darin Anderson planted up until June 20, but his corn acres are down significantly from his original plans. “We only got 60 percent of our corn planted and we changed a few of those acres later to soybeans and a few to late planted sugarbeets; the rest will go to prevent plant.” Anderson says crop maturities are all over the board. “We have early and late planted corn, soybeans and wheat. We have soybeans that have a full trifoliate and soybeans that are just going to start popping out of the ground. It will be a challenge to keep the sprayer cleaned out and on the right crop at the right stage, but the crops look good.” Hear the latest Crop Watch report.

Playing Catch Up – In Minnesota’s Norman County, Corey Hanson is busy spraying corn and wheat, applying fertilizer, and baling hay. Hanson is catching up after a late start to the season. “The hard pounding rain, especially the rain the last week of April, kind of sealed our ground up and we had to work some of our fields six or seven times,” Hanson told RRFN. “We were just kind of nurturing it along so it didn’t ball up and mud up. Wedid get it done, it just it took a lot of fuel and a lot of extra time.” The drought is continuing to impact the pasture ground. “The last two years, we were in $-4 drought and the pastures were browned up at this time with no grass. This year the native grass pastures are not coming back for our cattle. We’re having to stock them lighter and had to get rid of some cows.”

MN Wheat Minute – In this week’s Minnesota Wheat Minute, CEO Charlie Vogel has a growing season update on the spring wheat crop.

NCI Hosts Weather Update Webinar – The Northern Crops Institute is hosting its Market Update-Weather Edition webinar on Wednesday. The webinar will focaus on the three-month weather outlook with Daryl Ritchison, director, North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network. Ritchison will discuss domestic and foreign conditions. This webinar is part of the NCI Market Update webinar series. Registration is free and can be done online.

Heat Crinkle Seen in Potatoes – University of Minnesota and NDSU Extension potato agronomist Andy Robinson is getting reports of heat crinkle in potatoes. The plant is shocked withen sprouts come out of the cool, moist soil and it the hot topsoil. Robinson says plants typically grow out of the heat shock. “Sometimes people think it could be herbicide injury, but it’s really heat injury causing the plants to look ugly. It’s variety specific. For example, Russet Burbank is very sensitive to heat.”

Communicate With Your Crop Insurance Agent – If any replanting needs to happen, Countryside Insurance Agency owner Jennifer Otteson reminds farmers to contact their crop insurance agent as quickly as possible. “An adjuster has to release those acres before a replant. If it is fewer than 20 acres, it is possible farmers can do a self-certification replant, but that notice of loss still needs to be submitted to the insurance company.” Farmers are encouraged to contact their agent even is they are not sure if they have a qualifying loss. “Another thing to remember is in order to qualify for a replant, the 20-20 rule applies. The acres you’re replanting needs to be 20 acres or 20 percent of the unit.” The same would apply following a hail storm.

Acreage Reporting Deadline Looms – Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator Scott Marlow says the deadline to report crop acreage is approaching. “The general deadline is July 15 for most crops, but other deadlines vary. We’ve had a certain amount of prevent plant this year and this is the time when that would be documented.” Marlow says by this point in the season, actual planted acres should be known.

The Sugarbeet Report – High winds took a toll on the newly planted sugarbeet crop. American Crystal Sugar Company General Agronomist Joe Hastings says a few farmers decided to replant. Hear more in the Sugarbeet Report, presented by Amity Technology, H&S Manufacturing, SESVanderHave and REGEV from SummitAgro.

High Court Won’t Hear Glyphosate Case – The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear the case involving the use of glyphosate, leaving a $25 million judgement against Bayer in place. A California man was awarded those damages after claims were made that glyphosate caused his cancer. Bayer was trying to limit its legal liability in similar cases, but the justices rejected that effort. There is another case pending on a related issue. The EPA has said there is no evidence that glyphosate causes cancer, but the Biden Administration advised the court not to take up this case.

Farm Groups Disappointed in Court Decision – Farm Bureau and the corn, soybean, wheat and cotton grower groups have issued a statement, voicing their disappointment the Supreme Court won’t hear the Roundup case. With global food insecurity, the farm groups said they do not want farmers to lose this important tool. Bayer said it “respectively disagrees” with the court decision.

Input Costs Following Energy Market – Energy and input costs have increased exponentially this past year. Agricultural Economical Insights Partner Brent Gloy says the energy market has been a driving factor behind other costs. “It appears like the fertilizer situation has stabilized a bit, but a big part of increasing costs were driven by the energy market,” said Gloy, while addressing the South Dakota Governor’s Summit. “Input costs are likely to increase in the next year unless that energy market stabilizes.”

Inflation Reflected in Rabobank Report – According to the latest Rabobank North American Agribusiness Review, consumer confidence is at a historic low. Inflation and supply chain issues continue to be a worry. The report says the U.S. corn stocks-to-use ratio has been at levels not seen in more than ten years. The Brazilian stocks-to-use ratio is at its lowest point on record. Rabobank says that is “not a recipe for lower prices anytime soon.”

Anticompetitive Practices – Fertilizer prices are still being influenced by the conflict overseas. National Corn Growers Association Director of Public Policy, Trade and Biotechnology Angus Kelly said the organization is asking the government to address the current tariffs on fertilizer. they’re working to relieve fertilizer tariffs. “You have some fertilizer companies who have filed for anti-dumping and/or countervailing duties and what does all that mean beyond the government gobblygook? Well, basically that means they want to put tariffs on overseas fertilizer coming into the U.S. Mosaic’s successfully got tariffs on phosphate,  choking off Morocco’s access to our market, a place where we used to get affordable fertilizer from, but no more and you have CF Industries trying to get tariffs put on urea ammonium nitrates.” Kelly spoke at the Ag Summit in Brookings, South Dakota.

Input Costs Following Energy Market – Energy and input costs have increased exponentially this past year. Agricultural Economical Insights Partner Brent Gloy says the energy market has been a driving factor behind other costs. “It appears like the fertilizer situation has stabilized a bit, but a big part of increasing costs were driven by the energy market,” said Gloy, while addressing the South Dakota Governor’s Summit. “Input costs are likely to increase in the next year unless that energy market stabilizes.”

Recession May Already Be Here – AgriSompo North America market analyst Sterling Smith thinks the U.S. is already in a recession. “I’m going to say something few are willing to say, we’re in a recession in the United States right now. The GDP numbers in the last quarter were negative and we’ll probably have a negative print this quarter as well, at least, in terms of real GDP. ” Smith emphasizes commodity prices, other than in the energy sector, don’t have that much to do with inflation. “Stock market behavior the last few days is giving me an indication maybe we’ve seen a bottom. Typically, when the recession starts to improve, the recession has already hit bottom.”

A Nervous Grain Market – Bower Trading market analyst Ben Kasch says money flow and aversion to risk seems to be driving the grain markets. “It’s a very tricky market. It seems like there are still negative undertows from the equity and energy sell offs” The market remains on edge ahead of the upcoming USDA reports. “There will be quite a bit of rebalancing going into the report.”

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.

Canola Market Moves Lower – The canola market is down more than $111.00 Canadian since last week. Northern Crops Marketing and Investments President Brad Paulson says the weakness in the canola is mirroring the sell-off in palm and bean oil. “Palm oil is really beat up along with soybean oil. Malaysia and Indonesia all of a sudden have lots of palm oil to export. The markets over there collapsed a few days ago.” The energy markets also impact the vegetable oil market. “It is quite a ways off its low again here.”

Acreage Report Out This Week – The trade is anxiously awaiting Thursday’s USDA acreage report. Bolt Marketing market analyst DuWayne Bosse anticipates more prevent plant than USDA’s initial forecast. “We know USDA penciled in some prevent plant, but is it 1.5 million or 2.5 million?” Bosse thinks soybeans may have lost acres nationwide. “Farmers had fertilizer booked, wanting to get corn in and when corn is $7.50, that helps a lot. We planted corn later than we ever have on my farm and our planting window for soybeans was really short.”

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 said it is difficult to find something “hot” in the markets. “What I would say is ‘lukewarm’ is the wheat and soybeans to start the week.” Martinson said the trade will be positioning itself ahead of Thursday’s USDA acreage report. The first half of the year comes to an end this week and a three-day holiday weekend is on the schedule, which will also be reflected in this week’s trade activity.

Grain Shipments Out of Duluth Decline – The Port of Duluth is traditionally the largest export location for northern grown durum and a portion of the U.S. spring wheat crop, but that’s changing. North Dakota Wheat Commission Policy and Marketing Director Jim Peterson says the change is due largely to internal U.S. freight dynamics and the loss of backhauls to and from Duluth. Workers at the Port of Duluth recognize the decline, especially in the last year. Duluth Seaway Port Authority Director of Trade and Development Kate Ferguson says it’s the first-time total tonnage of grain shipments have been this low since the 1940s. “The COVID situation affected us, transportation prices are high and the drought also hurt us,” says Ferguson. “The U.S. dollar, high commodity prices and all of the above affected tonnage.” Ferguson is hopeful global market conditions will help the situation.

Wheat Exports Influenced by Global Outlook – It’s unclear what will happen in the next year for wheat shipments out of the Port of Duluth. NDSU Extension Crops Marketing Economist Frayne Olson says there are two factors affecting wheat movement, the yield potential for the newly planted crop and global wheat markets. “We’re seeing hot, dry conditions in southern Europe and if there are production problems, we could see additional durum from this region going through the Port of Duluth,” said Olson. “Going back several years, North Africa was also a major buyer of U.S. spring wheat, but because of the lower-cost wheat out of the Black Sea region, we lost most of that marketplace.” With Ukraine’s situation, that could change. “The war, supply chain disruptions and concerns about where the North African market could turn to backfill those bushels, I wouldn’t be surprised to see additional wheat movement through Duluth going to either market.”

Adapting to Market Needs – Fewer ocean-going vessels are being loaded with grain at the Port of Duluth-Superior. In the last marketing year, the CHS Grain Terminal in Superior, Wisconsin loaded eight vessels of wheat for export. In the current marketing year, only six vessels are expected to move out of the Port. Meanwhile, the facility is sending out grain via rail to domestic flour mills, which is a more cost-effective option. CHS Terminal Manager Daniel Vandenhouten says the grain is still being used. “People will always need to eat and we’re not going anywhere. It just means we’ll continue to adapt to market conditions, continue to be strategic with what we do with that grain and how we provide the most value to our customers and producers.”

A Future for Shipping Containers in Duluth – Last month’s shipment of pinto beans from Chippewa Valley Bean Company was the first maritime container shipment out of Twin Ports. Lake Superior Warehousing Company President Jon Lamb wants to expand on that. The expansion includes opening up identity-preserved container service at the Port of Duluth-Superior. “Everything with transportation logistics is about having options. While we have great elevators in the market that can do bulk commodities for agriculture, we’re not set up for containerization on the lakes. If we can provide more options, exporters can access more markets.” As options open up, Lamb ultimately sees the Port of Duluth-Superior as a small, niche player. “We don’t want everyone’s eggs. If we could get an egg or two here and there, we can build density of traffic and provide an ultimate solution to help the stressed supply chains.” Hear the story.

Outside the Box Thinking – SB&B Foods President Bob Sinner is interested in efforts to encourage more shipping containers out of the Port of Duluth. Sinner ships food-grade soybeans in container via rail. “As there are fewer carriers in the world running direct routes, big vessels can go into the larger ports and then they can trans-ship to different ports and smaller locations. The same concept could work here.” Containers could be loaded at Duluth and shipped on a small vessel through the St. Lawrence Seaway and on to a bigger port on the East Coast, unloaded and put on vessels in different parts of the world. “It takes outside the box thinking, but it does open up nice ideas and options.”

TransFARMation: Misuse of Prescription Meds is a Rural Threat – Nearly 75 percent of farmers surveyed said they have been impacted by the opioid epidemic. These pain meds may be in your medicine cabinet or bedstand. “Never did I dream when I started working with Farm Bureau 25 years ago that when was out talking about farm safety and farmer wellness I’d be talking about suicides and addiction,” said Ruth Meirick, who leads the Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation. “I probably spend the most time in those two areas when discussing farm safety.” Addiction to prescribed opioids can start within three days. While it can be a scary topic, Meirick said the discussion about addiction and mental welness should be normalized. Learn more in the TransFARMation podcast.

Dry Bean Scene – The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by SRS Commodities, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, and BASF- your season-long, pressure-relief portfolio for growing dry beans. In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist Michael Wunsch tells us about white mold conditions.

Biofuels Continue to Use A lot of Soybean Oil – Biofuels may become the largest use of soybean oil in the next few years, beating out the food and feed segment and exports. That’s according to an analysis from Agricultural Economics Insight economist David Widmar. In 2014 and 2015, biofuels accounted for five billion pounds of soybean oil use. For 2022-2023, Widmar says biofuels are expected to account for 12 billion pounds of soybean oil usage.

Renewable Diesel Market Credited for Soyoil Demand – CHS Vice President of Refined Fuels Jason Schwantz says there is growing interest in renewable diesel. “The diesel fuel market is so large and it will take a chunk of it, but I think we are seeing a run-up in prices due to quite a bit of soybean oil going into that space.” Schwantz says more renewable diesel projects are planned, “but, financially, they have to figure out if they can make it.”

NDSU Extension Hosts Durum Day – NDSU Extension and Eighth Avenue Foods and Provisions hosted Durum Day at the Carrington Research Extension Center. Cropping Systems Specialist Greg Endres says goal of durum research is provide a consistent quality and supply of durum to pasta makers. Research into management strategies, variety and disease management are designed to enhance the quality of durum. “We are focusing on ways to help existing durum growers, but also, entice new durum growers and help them be successful.”

Enter the National Wheat Yield Contest – The National Wheat Foundation is taking spring wheat entries for the National Yield Contest. “Now that farmers are done planting, farmers should be able to enter North Dakota and Minnesota spring wheat into the contest,” said Anne Osborne, project manager, National Wheat Foundation. “The deadline for spring wheat entries is August 1.” The contest is divided into categories for winter wheat and spring wheat. The deadline for winter wheat entries is passed. Read more.

SD Corn Comments – There’s a lot to be grateful for when it comes to food security in the United States. Hear more in this week’s Corn Comments, presented by the South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

Cattle on Feed Up 1% – The number of cattle and calves on feed nationwide totaled 11.8 million head on June 1. That’s one percent higher than one year ago, but below trade expectations. Placements were down two percent and marketings were up two percent. Those figures were also below the range of analyst estimates.

SD Continues to Add Cow Numbers – Milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled 18.8 billion pounds in May. That’s down 0.6 percent from one year ago. Minnesota milk production declined one percent with the state cow herd declining by 9,000 head. South Dakota bucked the national trend and saw milk production increase more than 15 percent. In the past year, South Dakota added 23,000 head of milk cows.

MN Beef Update – Have you heard of the Top of the Class Minnesota Beef Leadership Program? Hear more about the year-long program from 2022 participant Jessica Heiden in the Minnesota Beef Update.

Minnesota Drought Relief Applications Open Up – With applications for drought relief now open, information is available to help farmers with the process. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Peterson says, “The information is right on the front page of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website,” said Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen. “You can see three webinars that farmers might find helpful when applying.” Farmers should have financial documentation ready when applying. Payments are expected to be disbursed at the end of July and early August.

Inflation Blamed on ‘Putin’s War’ – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack shared a recorded message during the South Dakota Governor’s Ag Conference.”The single biggest driver of inflation now is Putin’s war again Ukraine.” Vilsack said USDA is taking efforts to address input costs. “We’re making it easier for farmers to double crop and conserve inputs by expanding insurance and increasing technical assistance. We’re also investing $500 million dollars into a new grant program to support independent American fertilizer production.”

Biofuels Continue to Use A lot of Soybean Oil – Biofuels may become the largest use of soybean oil in the next few years, beating out the food and feed segment and exports. That’s according to an analysis from Agricultural Economics Insight economist David Widmar. In 2014 and 2015, biofuels accounted for five billion pounds of soybean oil use. For 2022-2023, Widmar says biofuels are expected to account for 12 billion pounds of soybean oil usage.

Renewable Diesel Market Credited for Soyoil Demand – CHS Vice President of Refined Fuels Jason Schwantz says there is growing interest in renewable diesel. “The diesel fuel market is so large and it will take a chunk of it, but I think we are seeing a run-up in prices due to quite a bit of soybean oil going into that space.” Schwantz says more renewable diesel projects are planned, “but, financially, they have to figure out if they can make it.”

Ag Innovation Campus Construction is Underway – The first phase of the Crookston campus construction project will continue all summer. “The workers are assembling the building for processing,” says Mike Skaug, board chair, Ag Innovation Campus. “Once the building is assembled, a crew will come in to do inside work. The estimated completion for this first phase of the project is summer 2023. “This is a research facility that has capabilities of processing oils from plants. We are putting in a processing plant first so we can start to generate revenue and then we’ll move onto phase two or three. We’re still hoping we will be able to process 2022 soybeans ahead of the 2023 harvest.”

New Development for the Camelina Business – Sustainable Oils cut the ribbon on a new North America headquarters building in Great Falls, Montana. The facility includes plant breeding and research labs and works with over 100 US farmers to grow camelina, a nonfood oilseed and drop-in replacement for traditional diesel.

MN-Rothsay Released – The University of Minnesota has released a new spring wheat variety called MN-Rorthsay. This variety features a combination of yield, protein, disease resistance and straw strength. MN-Rothsay is seen as an option to replace Linkert in the future. This new variety will be previewed at the Crops and Soils Day July 20^th in Crookston.

A Rebranding for Midwest Poultry Convention – The Midwest Poultry Federation is changing the name of its annual convention to PEAK. The rebranding process began three years ago when it was clear the show was no longer just a Midwest event. The Minneapolis meeting is the largest poultry-specific trade show and convention in the United States. The 2023 show will be April 11-13.

RRFN to Broadcast From Cultivate Conference – The Cultivate Conference is an event “where agriculture and technology collide.” Topics will include ‘the farm of the future,’ sustainability, traceability and farm management. Cultivate is hosted by Grand Farm Thursday in Fargo. The Red River Farm Network will broadcast from the conference and provide social media updates throughout the day. This is being billed as Midwest Ag Week in the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo area with the Midwest Ag Summit, Bushel Customer Conference and Cultivate on the schedule.

Corn Matters – Farmamerica Executive Director Jessica Rollins is working on a capital campaign to expand and renovate existing facilities. Hear more in the latest Corn Matters.

New Dean for South Dakota State University Ag College – There’s a new South Dakota Corn endowed dean at the South Dakota State University’s College of Agriculture. Joseph Cassady, the former head of SDSU’s Department of Animal Sciences, has the job. The previous dean of agriculture, John Killefer, accepted a faculty position with the SDSU Department of Animal Science.

AFBF Names Executive Vice President – Joby Young is the new executive vice president for the American Farm Bureau Federation. Most recently, Young was a partner in a lobbying firm. Before that, he was the chief of staff for Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Young replaces Dale Moore, who announced his retirement in March.

Hettervig Joins NFU Staff – The National Farmers Union has hired Ross Hettervig as its communications director. Hettervig is a Hillsboro native and a graduate at North Dakota State University. Previously, Hettervig was the communications director for the House Agriculture Committee.

ND Ag Teacher Chosen for Teacher Ambassador Program – The National FFA Organization has selected more than 70 ag education teachers nationwide to serve on its National Teacher Ambassador for FFA program. This program provides teachers the tools to share information about FFA and ag education within their communities. Teachers selected for the program are receiving intensive training this summer. Breanna Pastir from the Southeast Region Career and Technical Center in Wahpeton, North Dakota is the only teacher from the Dakotas or Minnesota selected for the program.

Mauch to Lead NDCGA – The North Dakota Corn Growers Association board elected Andre Mauch of Mooreton as the new president. Mauch will assume the role beginning in July.

MN Soy Checkoff Elects Board Members – During their June board meeting, the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council re-elected Joe Serbus of Renville County as chairman of the soybean checkoff. Other leaders on the council’s leadership team include vice-chair Tom Frisch from Traverse County, treasurer Gail Donkers from Faribault County, and secretary Pat Sullivan from Renville County.

Worth Elected MSGA President – Lake Benton, Minnesota farmer Bob Worth is back as president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. Worth replaces Mike Skaug, who stepped down one after one year of leading the association. Darin Johnson, Wells, is vice president, Brad Hovel of Cannon Falls is the new secretary and Ryan Mackenthun of Brownton is the treasurer.

USDA Under Secretary Comes to North Dakota – USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small is in North Dakota today. The USDA official will be at the North Dakota Farmers Union with Senator John Hoeven for a roundtable discussion on meat processing and cattle market competition this morning. There will be a roundtable on rural healthcare this afternoon.