Pockets of Dry Ground and Pockets of Wet – The first day of the Boots on the Ground Tour was spent in the northern Red River Valley. As of Thursday, Campbell Farms at Grafton had about 75 percent of its crop planted. “There are pockets of dry ground and pockets of wet,” explained Greg Campbell. There hasn’t been much heat, but Campbell’s crop has emerged. “Early wheat is coming up and looking really good; our first few fields of potatoes that were planted three weeks ago will be emerging somewhere in this upcoming week.” The ground on both sides of the Red River are either underwater or are saturated. Listen to the full interview online.

Conditions Not Perfect, But Spring Wheat Planted on Gillie Farm – The Boots on the Ground Tour moved east of Hallock, Minnesota to the Theresia Gillie farm. As of Thursday, Gillie had planted all of her spring wheat and about half of the soybeans. It has been a battle to get to this point. “We thought we were going to get an early spring and April showed up with a lot of adverse weather followed by a big waiting game.” Conditions are tougher in western Kittson County, but “for my farm, I’m very pleased with what we’ve been able to get in.” (Gillie finished planting over the weekend). The full interview with Gillie can be found on the RRFN YouTube channel.

Next Few Days Will Be Critical – It’s difficult to be patient in a delayed planting season, but there’s only one shot to get the crop in the grounded. “Before the (Memorial Day) rains, the frost was still coming out of the ground,” said Chris Hong, Hong Farms. “Freezing up wet and as cold as it was, the frost was deeper than you’d think.” Hong, who is based at Buxton, North Dakota, says all but 400 acres were fertilized last fall. “Normally, we try to be 60-to-70 percent fall fertilized, but this year we were close to 100 percent.” Beets are in and edible beans are the priority now. There may be a couple quarters that end up as Prevent Plant, but Hong expects to get everything else planted. The video interview can be found online.

From 95-Day to 80-Day Corn – During a Friday stop on the Boots on the Ground Tour, Matthew Pueppke was still planting corn on his Amenia, North Dakota farm. Relative maturities were adjusted. “We started with 95-day and that’s where we wanted to be,” said Pueppke. “Now, the highest we planted was 85-day and we’re going to be all 80-day going forward.” Pueppke has had Prevent Plant acres in the past and is doing everything possible to avoid going that route again. “That’s why we’re stretching the corn as late as we are so we can get some organic matter back on those acres that were PP.”

Don’t Want to be Collecting PP – As of Friday, Wanzek Farms at Cleveland, North Dakota, had 70 percent of its intended acres planted. “I want to get everything planted, especially with the commodity prices the way they are and I don’t want to be collecting PP if at all possible,” said Ryan Wanzek. Corn planting ended on the Wanzek farm on May 27. “We’re going to end up with about 800 less acres of corn from what we planned and we switched those to soybeans and edibles.”  See the RRFN YouTube interview online.

Now Working on Soybeans and Dry Beans – At Clifford, North Dakota, Brent Kohls says there has been a push on corn planting and the attention has moved to soybeans and dry beans. “With our (Channel) seed dealership business, we’re thinking about 80 percent of corn that was planned on, went in,” Kohls told the Red River Farm Network. “There a little corn-on-corn in fields that were tiled and dried off.” Kohls expects to see a small reduction in soybean acres in the central Red River Valley. “With what what doesn’t get planted and what went to wheat and corn, I think there will be a little less for soybean acres around here.”

Long Days, But End is in Sight – Anthony Mock is on the downward slide for the spring planting season on his Braddock, North Dakota farm.  “We just have some soybeans left to go and we’ll get ’em,” said Mock. “We ended up kicking wheat out of the rotation and just kept rolling with the corn planters.” In addition to corn and soybeans, canola has been planted. “We’ve had wet springs and it has been tough, but the late snow storms slowed us down and set us back. There’s guys in a lot worse shape than we are.” Go online to see the full interview.

A Real Challenge From Mother Nature – Mike Appert is fighting to get the last of his crop planted. “The grain markets were a really pretty good incentive to get it in; we really wanted to get in on time and do it right. It has been a real challenge from Mother Nature, but we’re still trying.” With the late date, Appert gave up on some corn, spring wheat and canola acres. Sunflowers are getting more of that ground. The Hazelton, North Dakota area suffered from drought one year ago and now flipped over to a wet, cold start to this season. The complete Appert interview can be found online.

Washburn Area Would Take a Rain – While many farmers are wary of having rain in the forecast, the Washburn area would welcome the moisture. “We kind of missed that rain over the (Memorial Day) weekend so most people would take an inch of rain here,” said Clark Price. Price who leads River Ag and operates a Pioneer seed agency, said everything was put into good moisture and crop emergence is a positive story. After the drought last year, the green grass is also a positive sight. “We needed this break or we wouldn’t have any cows out west anymore because the hay yards were empty and the pastures really needed to recover.” RRFN’s YouTube channel has the full interview.

From Drought to Persistent Rains – The spring is late, but a lot of seed has been put into the ground in the past week-to-ten days. “Everything was really, really late, but we got rocking-and-rolling and once we did, we didn’t stop,” said Nicole Evenson, president, Trucommunity Bank-Garrison. In the RRFN interview, Evanson said there haven’t been many complaints about the abundant rain this spring after last year’s drought. Jenna Knutson, who is a grain merchandiser for The Arthur Companies at Harvey, North Dakota, says the persistant rains have been a factor. “For intended acres, corn is down in our trade territory just with getting in late and the weather,” said Knutson. “Wheat tends to be up a little bit and and guys are working on getting in just as many beans as they can right now.” Sunflower acres are also expected to be up in the area. Knutson’s interview can also be found online.

Never This Wet, This Late – After a drought last year, the Sykeston, North Dakota area is now dealing with too much water. The ground may look dry at the surface, but Jamie Richter says it is a very different story underneath. “It’s very wet and it doesn’t take much to get struck; if you see a spot that looks wet, stay away from it.” Richter got all of his intended barley acreage seeded and about 70 percent of the corn. The focus is now on soybeans. Richter has never seen a year like this one. “This is my 36th year farming and it was never this wet this late, it is unbelievable really.” Richter shares his thoughts on the ’22 growing season in this video interview.

After 2-3 Inches of Rain a Week Ago, Conditions Shaping Up Again – In the Bremen/New Rockford area, Donny Allmaras says area growers have moved on from corn. “We’re a little light on corn (compared to what was expected), but guys got a pretty good jag of corn in the ground,” said Allmaras. “They were motivated because they either bought or put on fertilizer and that pushed them to get after the corn acres.” Sixty-plus percent of the soybeans have been planted and there’s still spring wheat being seeded. Allmaras, who has a Pioneer Seed agency, is pleased with emergence. “The areas where guys mudded it in looks good. That’s never a great thing to do, but everyone did some of that; the corn looks nice and a few soybeans are out of the ground.”  See the full interview online.

Cold, Soggy Conditions in Webster/Devils Lake Area – Many fields in the Webster/Devils Lake area have standing water. Jason Hanson, who leads Rock and Roll Agronomy, says field conditions are very challenging. “You can see dust flying and that may be the top half an inch or so, but it is mud as far as you want to dig. It is extremely cold soil.” There were high levels of residual nitrogen available after last year’s drought. With the tremendous amount of moisture, how much of that nitrogen is still viable? “Last week on Memorial Day we had anywhere from 1.20 to 2.5 inches of rain so you’ll lose it to denitrification. You’ll need to see what you have because it will impact bushels and if it is barley or wheat, it will impact quality.” The full interview with Hanson can be found on the Red River Farm Network YouTube channel.

The Sugarbeet Report – American Crystal Sugar Company General Agronomist Joe Hastings says sugarbeet growers are making good planting progress. Hear more in the Sugarbeet Report, presented by Amity Technology, H&S Manufacturing, SESVanderHave and REGEV from SummitAgro.

Barley Planting Wraps Up in Portions of ND – Near Newberg, North Dakota, Nathan Boll is done planting barley. “Our farm wasn’t too bad this year, but as a whole, we won’t replenish barley stocks this year to make up for the losses from the drought year.” Boll says Anheuser-Busch is actively seeking additional malting barley acres. “Incentivizing the growers that contracted earlier, the company added bonuses to a few contracts to incentivize those acres to get planted. It’s a valid concern to get acres planted and boost production.”

MN Wheat Minute – Farmers in northwest Minnesota are running out of time to plant spring wheat. Minnesota Wheat CEO Charlie Vogel says growers would like the final crop insurance date to be pushed back. Hear more in the MN Wheat Minute.

Alfalfa Weevils Spotted in South Dakota – With the cool spring, alfalfa weevil larvae development has been slow. However, the larvae has been confirmed in South Dakota. WinField United Forage and Alfalfa Specialist Jeff Jackson says damage can vary by location. “Most years, if you’re south of Interstate I-90, you should probably do an insecticide treatment to protect your first cutting. North of Interstate I-90, you really have to be careful and make a judgment call before your first cut.”

Canola Minute – Northern Canola Growers Association board member Tim Mickelson is busy with planting season. Hear a planting update in this week’s Canola Minute.

Drought Situation Improves in the Northern Plains – For the first time since November 2021, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows less than 50 percent of the U.S. in some type of drought. “The current number is 49.3 percent of the lower 48 states in drought,” said Brad Rippey, meteorologist, USDA. The Northern Plains has a huge improvement in the drought conditions. “During the peak of the 2021 drought, 90 percent of U.S. sunflower production was in drought. That number is dropped to 27 percent by the end of May 2022. For durum wheat, 100 percent of the production area was in drought. That number dropped to 46 percent this year.” For the spring wheat crop, 99 percent of the production area was in drought last year and that has dropped to 25 percent.

Pioneer Agronomy Update – For the crop that is in the ground, Pioneer Field Agronomist Kevin Sinner says it’s important to check the stand. “On corn especially, your stand establishment is probably the most important thing, and you don’t want to be surprised when you’re out in the combine this fall having planted 34,000 (plants per acre) and now you’re only at 26,000. Knowing now is better than later.” The Pioneer Agronomy Update was hosted by Stenvold Ag Service in the Fisher/Thompson area. In the report, Sinner also discusses crop maturity and insect pressure. The entire Pioneer Agronomy Update interview can be found on the Red River Farm Network YouTube channel.

Crop Watch – North of Rugby, North Dakota, Steve Fritel made planting progress before the recent rains came. “The last week of May was good for us and the weather cooperated,” says Fritel. “A few of the fields we looked at and thought there was no way we’d be able to get in to plant and the situation changed 24 hours later.” Farmers in North Dakota’s Pembina County are making progress. “Most everyone is getting more than 20 to 30 percent of the soybeans planted,” says Mark Ramsey, agronomist, M.R. Consulting. “Half of the wheat is planted. Canola is more than 60 percent complete.” Ramsey is not expecting planting plans to change yet. Hear the update.

Watch for USDA’s Acreage Survey in the Mail – USDA is sending out its annual farmer planting survey. National Ag Statistics Service Crops Branch Chief Lance Hoenig is asking farmers to respond. “For any farmers who haven’t had a chance to fill that out, please do so and send it back to us online or in the mail. It will only take a few minutes.” The survey will ask how many acres of each crop got planted. “You can help us make these reports as accurate and valuable as possible.”

Traders Keep a Close Eye on Planting Progress – Summit Commodities market analyst Tim Marsh is surprised grain markets haven’t paid closer attention to unplanted acres in the Northern Plains. “If you do the math on unplanted acres, there was about 1.75 million acres of corn that wasn’t planted by the end of May that would usually be in the ground by now. Some of that ground may go to corn, but the rest could go to prevent plant. It may become a bigger factor as we get closer to the June 30 acreage report.” Marsh is watching today’s USDA Crop Progress and Conditions report closely. “The crop is well behind the normal progress, but the condition ratings are probably going to be average or better.”

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 says the market is being influenced by the latest developments in Ukraine. The EPA decision on renewable fuels is also a positive development.

Rising Energy Prices Threaten Economy – Energy prices continue to skyrocket. Utterback Marketing President Bob Utterback says the higher prices are likely the biggest threat to the economy. “With higher fuel prices, we’ll see a significant increase of costs to the American consumer in all areas.” The risk is consumers will stop buying. “Eventually, I think there will be lay-offs. Once we pass the momentum, the ball will start rolling the other way. This could have bearish implications to the equity markets.”

A Global Famine Warning – Due to Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is warning there is the threat of famine on a global scale. Zelensky claims Russia took at least a half million tons of grain and is preventing Ukraine from exporting grain. The Ukrainian leader said a food shortage could also worsen the migrant crisis and destabilize the economy.

Efforts Underway to End Blockade – A pro-government Russian newspaper is reporting the blockade at the Port of Odessa will be lifted to allow grain exports to leave Ukraine. The Turkish military will clear mines and escort the ships in neutral waters. Russian warships will then accompany the vessels carrying grain to the Bosporus, a narrow waterway that connects the Black Sea with international waters. The United Nations has been working on this effort to avoid global food shortages. U.S. officials remain skeptical and are not planning to lift the economic sanctions against Russia.

Russia Bombs Ukrainian Grain Storage – As negotiations take place regarding the reopening of grain shipments from Ukraine, there are reports of a Russian missile destroying a large grain storage facility. This bombing was in southern Ukraine, near the Black Sea. The military action sent wheat markets higher with traders doubtful about the resumption of trade.

Russian Invasion Complicates Ukrainian Export Picture – From July of last year until now, Ukraine has exported over 47 million tons. That includes 148,000 tons during the first five days of June. Ukraine exported up to six million tons of grain per month before the Russian invasion. In recent months, that total has declined to about one million tons. Ukraine also plans to increase export capacity at its Danube River ports, which would allow grain to move to Romanian Black Sea ports.

Ukrainian Farm Delegation Visits MN – A group of Ukrainian farmers, including Igor Novytskyi, traveled across Minnesota and Iowa last week meeting with Land O’Lakes, Corteva Agriscience, USDA and others. Five to six meetings each day covered the many different needs for Ukranian farmers in the war. “We talked about critical imports for our farmers to help with inputs,” says Novytskyi. “We also talked about pickup trucks because all of our farmers gave pickup trucks to the army. We’ve bought lots of them in Europe, but Europe is almost out of those, but the U.S. has good supplies.” Novytskyi farms 17,000 acres of wheat, corn, barley, sunflowers and soybeans in central Ukraine and operates the largest milling plant in the country. The United Nations has met with Russia to discuss unblocking ports and restarting grain exports in the Black Sea. Novytskyi does not want the UN to cancel sanctions on Russia to reach the agreement. “Nobody will accept this, because Russia did so much bad to Ukraine. We hope and pray to God we can win the war and unblock it ourselves.”

2022 Starts with Record-Setting Land Sales – Farmland values have reached record levels in some parts of the region. “The land market price acceleration that started last fall continued its upward trend through the spring,” said Jayson Menke, Acres and Shares. In the Well Grounded newsletter, Menke said farmers in good cash positions are the predominant buyers of farm ground. In Menke’s view, it is “a seller’s market.”

Real Estate Loan Balances Increasing – Farm real estate debt at commercial banks grew modestly in the first quarter while production loans remain steady. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City says real estate loan balances increased at the fastest pace in nearly four years and drove an overall increase in agriculture lending. The Fed Bank says farm loan performance continued to improve but credit needs may rise as higher input costs weigh on profit margins.

Fielding Questions: Emergency Relief Program – Another round of disaster relief payments are coming to Northern Plains crop farmers with crop losses due to drought in 2020 and 2021. AgCountry Farm Credit Services Vice President of Crop Insurance and Commodity Marketing Education Rob Fronning has more details about the USDA’s new Emergency Relief Program. Hear more about it in the latest Fielding Questions podcast episode, presented by AgCountry Farm Credit Services.

Planting Incentives Under Consideration – More than two weeks ago, farmers and agriculture groups met in Fargo, North Dakota for a roundtable to discuss ways to the late planting season. “We checked in with FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux this last week,” said North Dakota Senator John Hoeven. “The basic concept is for farmers that plant beyond the final planting date, we’d provide some assistance from the Commodity Credit Corporation or other assistance from the USDA to cover the discount they take for each day past the end date. This incentivizes farmers to plant a crop and not take prevent plant.” North Dakota Soybean Growers Association President Kasey Bitz said “the wheels are in motion, but they need to speed up fast.”

EPA Unveils Final Renewable Volume Obligations – Late last week, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized 2022 Renewable Volume Obligations. For 2022, the final RVOs are 20.63 billion gallons, slightly lower than what EPA initially proposed at the end of last year. The 2022 total includes 15 billion gallons for ethanol. Advanced biofuels make up 5.63 billion gallons for the year. “We think these are strong volume metric requirements, consistent with the law,” said Geoff Cooper, CEO, Renewable Fuels Association. EPA also finalized the delayed 2021 volumes at 18.85 billion gallons, higher than the initial proposed volumes. “Much closer to where it should have been.” The 2020 RVOs are unchanged from the proposal of 17.1 billion gallons. Up next, the EPA is expected to release the proposed 2023 RVOs. “What will be different this time around we think is EPA will propose several years at a time,” says Cooper. “For example 2023 through 2025. We hope to see those numbers soon and that EPA can finalize this by the end of the year.”

Additional Actions from the EPA – In addition to releasing the final 2022 Renewable Volume Obligations, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking additional actions support the Renewable Fuel Standard. EPA is denying nearly 70 small refinery exemption waivers. The agency is also on track to finalize a rule by the end of this year allowing canola oil to qualify as an advanced biofuel under the RFS.

Thune Meets With Farmers and Sportsmen – South Dakota Senator John Thune met with conservation and agricultural groups in Aberdeen, South Dakota last week to talk about the conservation title of the farm bill. “We tried to get a sense of how do we get the provisions in the conservation title correct as we think about the upcoming farm bill, especially with everything that’s happening in the world.” Thune said flexibility in haying and grazing Conservation Reserve Program acres is important in South Dakota. “In our part of the world, we’ve had adverse weather conditions, including drought. We want to make sure these programs are flexible enough to be workable and useable.”

AAW Farm Bill Task Force Release Recommendations – The American Agri-Women has released the organization’s farm bill recommendations. This list includes flexibility when dealing with conservation programs, continued support for crop insurance and public research. The American Agri-Women also want USDA to have consistent definitions for the terms ‘rural’ and ‘disadvantaged when dealing with government programs.

Dry Bean Scene – The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by SRS Commodities, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, and BASF-your partner for better dry bean solutions. In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, Chippewa Valley Bean Company President Cindy Brown talks about shipping kidney beans to European markets through the Duluth Port.

AURI Update – The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute has a new Entrepreneur in Residence Program. Hear more about it in this week’s AURI Update.

China Troubled by U.S.-Taiwan Trade Talks – Trade talks between the United States and Taiwan are on the table. This follow’s last month’s announcement the U.S. was working on a trade agreement with 12 Asian countries including Taiwan. The Chinese government is upset with a commerce ministry official saying China “firmly opposes” this cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan. Beijing claims Taiwan is part of its territory and does not support the action taken by the U.S.

ASF Vaccine Developed in Vietnam – Vietnam is first country to develop an African Swine Fever vaccine for pigs. The United States has partnered with Vietnam on this project since November 2019. This vaccine will eventually be available for export, but the timeline was not announced.

Beef Trade Agreement Updated – The United States and Japan have signed an agreement to revise the beef safeguard mechanism. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said this amendment to the U.S.-Japan trade agreement will allow U.S. exporters to meet Japan’s growing demand more reliably for high quality beef. Japan imported $2.4 billion in U.S. beef last year, making it the second largest market for the United States.

SD Corn Comments – Feed is one by-product of corn produced in South Dakota. Dairy cows enjoy it, turning it into milk and other products. Hear more about June Dairy Month in this week’s Corn Comments, presented by the South Dakota Corn Growers Association.

Fair Market Value Sought for LIP – North Dakota Farm Service Agency State Executive Director Marcy Svenningsen says they’re still waiting on a response from USDA on proposed changes to the Livestock Indemnity Program. Farmers are currently receiving nearly $300 under market value for calves through LIP. Svenningsen hopes to get that changed on the national level to meet current market values. “We have submitted a proposal to allow that bottom tier of zero-to-250 pounds to drop off so that the new tier would be zero-to-399 pounds for calves. That would pay out $474 dollars versus $175 for those younger calves.” Svenningsen is not sure whether or not USDA will accept the proposal.

MN Beef Update – Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is the new spokesperson for the Beef. It’s what’s for dinner. campaign. In the latest Minnesota Beef Update, Minnesota Beef Council Director of Industry Relations Royalee Rhoads has more details.

A Groundbreaking at the Green Bison Soy Processing Plant – The former Cargill malt barley plant at the Spiritwood Energy Park in North Dakota is being converted into the state’s first soybean crush facility. With the construction site in the background, farmers and government officials met on Thursday for a groundbreaking event. “They’re moving dirt, making plans and moving forward,” says Josh Gackle, a farmer from Kulm. “It’s an exciting time for soybean farmers.” While there are delays getting construction materials, ADM President of North American Oils and Biodiesel Ken Campbell says the Green Bison Soy Crush facility is still on schedule. “We’re putting up tanks for the refinery and putting up the foundation in the prep area.” When completed, the facility will process up to 150,000 bushels of soybeans each day. “We have an advantage. We started this project early and we’re setting up to be ready in fall 2023.” Hear the story.

Renewable Diesel Demand Driving ND Soy Crush Boom – Marathon Petroleum will take the soybean oil from the ADM soy crush facility in Spiritwood, North Dakota, refine it to make renewable diesel in Dickinson and send it on rail to the West Coast. Marathon Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development Dave Heppner says the states with a low carbon fuel standard drive the demand. “That includes the California market or Oregon and Washington,” says Heppner. “As the production comes online and consumers request a carbon-friendly product, the demand will continue to expand across the nation.” Soybean oil’s role in renewable diesel production is the reason North Dakota has the soy crush plant. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum told attendees if there was a soybean meal-driven market, North Dakota would miss out due to a lack of animal agriculture.

An Opportunity to Grow ND’s Animal Agriculture Industry – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum challenged attendees at Thursday’s groundbreaking event to find ways to remove barriers for agriculture to bring more animal agriculture to the state. “Whether you’re building a turkey barn, a chicken operation or a dairy operation, it costs millions of dollars,” said Burgum. “Rules in the state do not allow two unrelated farmer neighbors to put the capital together to create this kind of operation.” That’s a challenge State Senator Terry Wanzek is thinking about ahead of the next legislative session. “Visiting with a few other legislators attending the groundbreaking, they’d like to sit down and visit again about that and see what can be done.”

Burgum Discusses Border Crossings with U.S. Customs – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is urging the Biden Administration to restore pre-pandemic hours of operation at northern border crossings. In April of 2020, the hours were reduced at the ten U.S. ports of entry into North Dakota. Burgum emphasized cross-border transportation is important for agriculture, tourism and other parts of the economy.

Federal Grant Funds Awarded for ND Rail Project – The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded the North Dakota Department of Transportation $6.7 million. This funding will replace 14.5 miles of rail on the Red River Valley & Western Railroad between Independence and Oakes, North Dakota. North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer said this project will enhance the competitiveness of agricultural transportation in the region.

Local Biofuel Producers Awarded Grants from COVID Market Impact – The USDA is granting $700 million for nearly 300 biofuel producers experiencing losses from the COVID pandemic. In North Dakota, there are five biofuel producers and facilities getting assistance. Hankinson Renewable Energy in Hankinson, North Dakota received $6.7 million. Midwest Energy Group in Underwood, North Dakota received more than $4.5 million. Red Trail Energy in Richardton received more than $4.2 million. Tharaldson Ethanol Plant I in Casselton, North Dakota got $1.3 million and Red River Biorefinery in Grand Forks, North Dakota received a $288,000 grant. At least ten Minnesota companies and co-ops received grants including a $3 million grant for Chippewa Valley Ethanol Co-op and the Minnesota Soybean Processors for $2.7 million. Five facilities in South Dakota received grants including Redfield Energy at $3.7 million.

ND ADD Funds Awarded – Three North Dakota projects have been awarded Agriculture Diversification and Development funding. The projects include an expansion project for Yellowstone River Beef in Williston. There’s money for GP Turnkey Tharaldson to purchase equipment to produce higher-value proteins and corn oil at Tharaldson Ethanol. Hillsboro-based Agassiz Sustainable was awarded funding for its wheat pulping facility. Each project received $250,000. This fund is administrated by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture in association with the Bank of North Dakota.

Corn Matters – In the latest Corn Matters, Minnesota Corn Growers Association Public Policy Director Amanda Bilek takes a look back at the work done in this year’s Minnesota Legislative session.

Minnesota Opens Disaster Relief – The Minnesota Rural Finance Authority Board has declared an emergency for Minnesota counties. This declaration clears the way for disaster loans at zero-interest rates to become available for farmers who may have experienced damage. Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Peterson says most of Minnesota has suffered heavy storms. “Our board authorized funds for the Disaster Recovery Loan program for farmers impacted by the May storms. Farmers are able to partner with their local bank to use that loan.”

Minnesota Farmers Union Minute – Minnesota Farmers Union Government Relations Director Stu Lourey recaps the state legislative session in this week’s MFU Minute

Spring Roundups Highlight Producer Issues – North Dakota Stockmen’s Association President Jeff Schafer says the Spring Roundups nurture face-to-face conversations. “It’s an opportunity where we can have the conversations to develop policy from and take direction from beef producers.” Schafer also gave an update on the Hope After Hailey Disaster Relief Program. Those application opened May 30th. “The foundation and association partnered up and we put $40,000 dollars of relief funds in. I’m excited to announce we’ve almost tripled that amount.” The deadline for Hope After Hailey applications is August 1st.

Finding the Right Balance of Nutrients for Livestock – Varying pasture conditions mean forage nutrients will also differ depending on location. NDSU Extension Livestock Systems Specialist Janna Block says a forage analysis can pay big dividends for a livestock herd. “Even in a drought situation, the forage mineral analysis can be a good investment to know how to supplement. We could be over supplementing minerals.” Vitamin supplements will also improve herd health. “Vitamins are a whole new ballgame and can be provided through mineral supplements.”

Cattle Mineral Nutrition Field Days Coming Up – NDSU and SDSU Extension are partnering up to host Beef Cattle Mineral Nutrition Field Days at NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center near Streeter, North Dakota on Thursday and at SDSU Cottonwood Field Station near Philip, South Dakota on Friday. NDSU Livestock Systems Specialist Janna Block says this is a hands-on event. “We’re kicking things off with a little bit of field work and forage sampling. We’re also demonstrating liver biopsies to assess herd mineral status.” There will also be mineral updates from industry experts.

Busses Filled with FFA Students Head to Fargo – The North Dakota State FFA Convention kicks off today. North Dakota State FFA Advisor Nikki Fideldy-Doll says there is a packed schedule for the students. “We are excited to provide a ton of opportunities for the over 1,400 people in attendance. One of the most exciting things is we have over 15 competitive events where students use skills learned in their ag education courses to apply to the career development events.” There are also networking opportunities available. “The North Dakota FFA Foundation is hosting a career and education fair with over 50 different organizations and business attending.”

Name Change for MOSES – The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, known as MOSES, has announced a name change. The organization is now known as Marbleseed. The group’s tagline is ‘farmer-led, rooted in organic.’

Hormel Releases Q2 Financials – Austin, Minnesota-based Hormel Foods Corporation has second quarter gross profits of $553 million on record net sales of $3.1 billion. Second quarter net income is reported at $262 million. Second quarter sales of Jenny-O Turkey Store products is reported at $792 million, up 15 percent year-over-year. Hormel President and CEO Jim Snee says Hormel’s fiscal second quarter marks the sixth consecutive quarter of record sales.

Glencore Fined for Bribery – Switzerland-based Glencore, the parent company of Viterra Ag Commodity Trading Company, will pay $1.02 billion in fines for bribery charges in the U.S., United Kingdom and Brazil. Glencore will pay the penalties to resolve bribery charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office and the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor’s Office. Read more.

Right-to-Repair Lawsuits Consolidated – A federal judicial panel has consolidated nine of 12 lawsuits filed against John Deere and the right-to-repair issue. Forest River Farms in North Dakota is one of the cases that are part of this class-action lawsuit.

Deere Names New CFO – Deere and Company named a new chief financial officer. Rajesh Kalathur replaces Ryan Campbell effective immediately. Kalathur was most recently chief information officer for John Deere. Campbell was promoted to president of Deere’s construction and forestry division and power systems.

Register Now for NCI Ancient Grains Conference – The Northern Crops Institute is hosting its first-ever Ancient Grains Conference July 20 at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River, Minnesota. This conference explores the characteristics and utilization of ancient grains. There will be a number of presentations and breakout sessions for participants to choose from, including health and nutrition, kitchen demonstrations and industry trends. For more information about the conference and to register online, please visit: https://ancientgrainsconference.com/.

Slater Takes Over Leadership of CGB Enterprises – Eric Slater is the new president and CEO of CGB Enterprises, succeeding Kevin Adams. Adams, who has retired, was the company’s CEO for nearly 20 years. Slater joined CGB in 1988 as an intern and most recently served as the chief financial officer. CGB Enterprises is based in Louisiana and is the co-owner of the proposed soybean processing plant in Casselton.

A New Show Director for Commodity Classic – Commodity Classic has named Maureen Feck as its show director. Feck is now the senior director of meetings and events for True Value Company. Feck will begin her new job July 1.

Resler Succeeds Preisler – The Minnesota Pork Producers Association announced Jill Resler is the new CEO. Resler has been with the organization since 2009 and served as chief operating officer for the last five years. Resler succeeds David Priesler, who retired after 28 years as CEO.

Veteran Farm Broadcaster Passes – Funeral services will be held Tuesday in Omaha for former farm broadcaster Col. Jon Phillips. Phillips, 81, also had a distinguished career trading commodities and as a livestock auctioneer.