Let Us Remember – On this Memorial Day, we remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend this country. We’re blessed to have been born in a country with this legacy. Hundreds died for our freedom. The political divide seems as wide as our country has ever seen. However, Memorial Day is a time to remember we have more that united us than divides us. To our veterans and their families, thank you for your service.

House Ag Committee Passes Farm Bill – In a marathon hearing that started at 11 AM and wrapped up after midnight, the House Agriculture Committee passed the farm bill on a 33-21 vote. All 29 Republican members of the committee and four Democrats voted for the farm bill. There was a fair amount of partisanship during the debate over spending priorities and the Nutrition Title. Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson defended his work. “I’ve had no alternative solutions for funding submitted from the Democratic side of the aisle other than the $5 billion on the Senate side so, my door is open and I am more than happy to work,” said Thompson. “The only reason the pay-fors have not been bipartisan is because, quite frankly, the Democratic Party hasn’t been at the table. Please come to the table or we’re not going to see all these great new innovations.” ‘Pay-fors’ are items that would be used to offset the cost of other farm priorities. In a statement after the vote, Ranking Member David Scott said the bill may have advanced out of the committee, but it will not have the votes needed when it comes to the House floor.

Many Ag Priorities Included in House Bill – The House farm bill includes an increase in reference prices and a chance to update and add base acres. The bill also provides crop insurance incentives for beginning farmers. In response to Prop 12, the House Agriculture Committee’s bill safeguards livestock producers’ ability to market their animals across state lines. Farmers who receive 75 percent or more of their income from farming would see farm program payment limits expand from $125,000 to $155,000. Democratic amendments addressing the restoration of $27 billion in SNAP funding and keeping the climate-smart agriculture conservation dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act were defeated.

Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher – The importance of the farm bill legislation cannot be overstated. “It’s really important stuff and as someone who comes from the third or fourth-largest agricultural district in the country and someone who did rural broadband before coming to Congress, the stakes could almost not be higher,” said South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson. Johnson said this farm bill addresses many of his priorities. “Chairman Thompson has been a good leader of the team.”

Important Farm Safety Net Improvements – National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle is happy with the number of the organization’s priorities that were included in the farm bill. “It has some important improvements to the farm safety net, the Title I program and it doubles the MAP and FMD funding that we were advocating for,” said Wolle. “It has some improvements to crop insurance which was Corn Growers’ number one priority.” While pleased with the general structure of the bill, Wolle knows more work is needed for the bill to pass on the House Floor. “We will have to have bipartisan support so there are a number of those Democratic legislators that will need to be convinced that this is a good bill.”

Differences Seen Over Nutrition Title – After months in neutral, the farm bill process took an important step Thursday by moving through the House Agriculture Committee. The nutrition title was the biggest point of contention. In the hearing, Committee Chair Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson cited a decision by the Biden Administration to increase food stamp spending. “In 2021, President Biden unilaterally, intentionally, and, according to GAO, unlawfully updated the Market Basket to no longer be cost-neutral resulting in a $256 billion addition to the farm bill baseline.” The Georgia lawmaker said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and his team increased SNAP spending “through a rushed process devoid of thoroughness and filled with politics.” Thompson said it is important to remember nutrition spending took a one percent cut in the deficit reduction exercise of 2014, “yet farmers had to face an astonishing 25 percent cut.”

CCC Authority Suspended in House Bill – The Republican farm bill suspends the Agriculture Secretary’s Section 5 authority to use Commodity Credit Corporation funding to offset the cost of increasing reference prices and support crop insurance. Georgia Congressman Sanford Bishop introduced an amendment to remove this language. “Let’s call it what it is, it’s a budget gimmick and we know that restricting the Secretary’s authority won’t get us anywhere near enough money to pay for the farm bill,” said Bishop. “The (Congressional) Budget Office says this provision saved $6.7 billion, not enough to pay for the improvements to our farm safety net or crop insurance.” Missouri Congressman Mark Alford said this issue comes down to fiscal responsibility. “The fact of the matter is, ladies and gentlemen, if we weren’t $35 trillion in debt as a nation it might be acceptable for this (Agriculture) Secretary, any Secretary, to have the taxpayer’s credit card with a $3 billion credit limit, but this Secretary abused this and run up charges of more than $10 billion a year for six years. It’s time to cut up the credit card.” The amendment to remove the CCC restrictions failed.

Dairy Provisions Included in Farm Bill – The National Milk Producers Federation Executive Vice President of Communications and Industry Relations Alan Bjerga said the ag committee’s farm bill provides certainty for dairy farmers over the next five years.The overall support for the dairy industry was evident in the farm bill. “You saw support for dairy in general in terms of some of the trade promotion programs, in terms of maintaining that overall safety net, including ARC and PLC programs, which a lot of farmers who are growing their own crops benefit from.”

Markup Draws Praise From NFU – National Farmers Union Vice President of Advocacy Mike Stranz applauded the process behind the House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill markup. “It’s got some pluses, some minuses, and some question marks, but the process moving forward is certainly a good thing.” Stranz praised the focus on the farm safety net and increase to reference prices, yet raised concerns about the funding for these proposals.

Collin Peterson: Farm Bill Optimism – Former House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson sees a path forward for the farm provisions of the bill. “The way the debate happened did not put anybody into any corners that they couldn’t get out of,” said Peterson. “Most of the divisiveness was over how to pay for this; it was over food stamps; it was over the sideboards on conservation; it was over the CCC. Those are things I think can be worked out.” It will likely be September before this bill advances to the House floor. Peterson, who now leads the Midwest Council on Agriculture, says more work will happen ahead of that vote. “The fact that we got four Democrats that voted for the bill gives us a place to start to build a bipartisan coalition that can get this bill through the floor of the House. There are a lot of Republicans that are going to vote against this on the floor so we’re going to need 20, 30 Democrats at least to get this bill passed.” Listen to the full interview with Collin Peterson.

Partisanship Seen During Farm Bill Hearing – The House and Senate agriculture committees have a reputation for bipartisanship. However, a more partisan tone was seen during the introduction of the farm bill in the House. Georgia Republican Congressman Austin Scott delivered an example of the rhetoric from the majority. “Falsehoods have been perpetuated by activists on the outside and some from the inside, even some from this committee, to try and distract from the fact that they never intended to support a piece of legislation that was a good and robust safety net for American agricultural producers,” said Scott. On the other side of the aisle, Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern’s comments were typical for the Democratic members of the committee. “Do you know who this bill is a win for?” questioned McGovern. “It’s a win for CEOs and C-Suites that have never worked in a field a day in their life; it’s a win for people with luxury beachfront properties and fancy highrise apartments who make their money screwing over our family farmers.”

Lucas Admonishes Colleagues for Thier Lack of Bipartisanship – It was a lengthy farm bill debate with bitterness from both parties’ members. Near the end of the hearing, former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas scolded his colleagues. “As the evening has progressed, we have started to sound a little bit like Government Oversight or Judiciary or some of the other committees where everybody likes to fight,” chided Lucas. “That’s not the House Agriculture Committee. We face enough challenges just doing our work when we are all working together.”

Crop Watch: Hagert Working on Soybeans – On Tuesday’s Crop Watch broadcast, RRFN caught up with Jared Hagert in the Emerado/Northwood, North Dakota area while he was planting soybeans. “Soil conditions are really good right now,” said Hagert. “We have a couple other crops to finish up with navy beans, sunflowers and finish up the last little bit of canola, too.” Hagert is very happy with the spring wheat. Corn stands are good, but the crop was slower to emerge with the cooler temps. What about weeds? Hagert laughed, “weeds like to grow in any season so we’re trying to stay on top of that.”

Not Our First Rodeo – It was a chilly planting day for Brad Thykeson when RRFN stopped at his Pillsbury, North Dakota farm. “It’s flannel shirt weather for sure with that northeast wind, but the beans have to go in the ground and we have awesome moisture conditions to make sure the crop comes up as soon as Mother Nature turns on the heat.” The cool conditions likely will influence emergence. “Well, it’s not the first rodeo for us in North Dakota either because temperatures in the northern tier are always a big wildcard,” said Thykeson. “A year ago, we were in the 80s and 90s and off to the races. This year might be a little slower start, but with the moisture and nice conditions we’re really tickled.”

Crops Planted into Good Moisture – It’s been a long spring, but Erickson Ag Advantage owner Jonathon Erickson is satisfied with the progress. “We got going on April 10, got rain delays, got back in again on small grains at the end of April and we had a really good stretch in the middle of May with a lot of guys finishing up their corn and small grains and got going on soybeans.” The small grains like the cool conditions, but the corn needs heat. When RRFN was with Erickson at Hannaford, North Dakota Tuesday he estimated less than half of the soybeans were planted. “We can get a lot of acres done in a day so if we could just get a stretch here and get going, we could wrap things up.” Erickson said edible bean planting will kick in in the week ahead.

Good Crop Emergence – Cavalier, North Dakota area farmers are seeing a good crop emergence. Joey Safranski says the emergence of his spring wheat was excellent. “We started pretty early and all the early stuff looks great; overall, everything looks tremendous.” Safranski reports excellent soil conditions thanks to all the rain they received. “It’s a lot different than last year,” said Safranski. “Everyone I’ve talked to was able to seed into some really good moisture which makes everything easier.”

Thankful for the Rain – Staples, Minnesota farmer Ben Olander started planting corn in mid-April and is finished. Olander said there are pros and cons to getting corn in the ground so early. “It’s doing really good; the issue that we are going to have is that it will be two-to-three weeks ahead of the rest so spraying will be a bit off schedule.” Overall, the moisture has been beneficial, especially, after last year’s lack of rain. “We are all dry land and deal with a lot of different soil types that tend to swallow a lot of rain.”

WestBred Wheat Report – In the WestBred Wheat Report, WestBred Technical Product Manager Justin Berg offers scouting tips. “Try to get out into those fields maybe once a week through the early part of the season,” said Berg. “In that early scouting, look for weeds, diseases and stand counts on your wheat.” Listen to the report for more timely information about crop scouting. 

Wheat Crop Likes Cooler Start – According to NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist Andrew Friskop, the wet weather is a bit of a question mark for spring wheat. “For those guys that got in right away, things are looking fairly good,” said Friskop. “I think moving forward, we’ll see what the forecast brings, but this is what I call pretty good early season growing conditions.” With all of the moisture, Friskop suggests adding a fungicide application into the tank mix to tackle some early-season disease stress.

Well Grounded – The Well Grounded podcast is a presentation of Acres & Shares and the Red River Farm Network. In this episode, our guest is Joe Mahon, regional outreach director, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Mahon’s tracks several sectors, including agriculture in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and portions of Wisconsin and Michigan. His recent agriculture conditions survey is the focus. The latest Acres and Shares newsletter is another resource on land values and more. Listen to the podcast.

The Sugarbeet Report – In this week’s Sugarbeet Report, RRFN visits with NDSU Extension Entomologist Mark Boetel about the leafhoppers identified in some sugarbeet growing areas in the region. Listen to the report. 

Indiana Planting Delays – Farmers in Indiana have seen heavy rainfalls this spring. Cross Creek Ag Solutions Owner and President, Brad Downing of Howard County Indiana says planting is behind for most of the area. “We are behind, there is no question about it. We have not started in the greatest conditions but it’s not catastrophically terrible either. There is still potential to have a good crop.” Downing says the biggest problem is getting the rest of the crop planted but the fields that were planted early are not in the clear. “The stuff that was planted early was planted in really rough conditions. Some of the rain that we got fixed some of those issues but held us out of getting the rest done. It was kind of a catch-22.”

A Soggy Week – As of Monday morning, another large weather system brought rain from Manitoba south into Minnesota, parts of the eastern Dakotas and into northern Iowa. After a couple dry days, another round of rain is expected in the Northern Plans and Upper Midwest on Thursday and Friday. Checking the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network rainfall totals over the past week, Edmore, North Dakota received 3.35 inches. Langdon, Cando and Casselton all had over 3 inches. Two-plus inches was seen over the last week in Fargo, Grand Forks, Grafton, Ada, Wadena and Rugby. Jamestown received .83.

PP or Mud It In? – With on-again, off-again rains, it may be a challenge for some farmers to wrap up planting on a timely basis. Final corn planting dates for crop insurance are approaching. “We are very mindful that the farmers can take prevent plant and if the market catches wind of that becoming more of a reality that’s when we maybe could see the market push higher to entice farmers to mud it in,” said Naomi Blohm, senior market advisor, Total Farm Marketing. “That’s what happened in 2019 pushing the market that extra 50 cents higher in 2019. The trade is assuming the crop is going to get planted but Mother Nature ultimately dictates the final numbers for us.” The market after the Memorial Day break could be volatile.

Pushing Past Final Plant Dates – Van Ahn and Company analyst Kristi Van Ahn expects farmers to continue to push corn planting past final planting dates. “The Eastern Cornbelt has been an issue with Ohio, Indiana and those areas. They have until June 5 to plant.” Van Ahn cited comments from an Indiana farmer. “Even with that last plant date, he said it still pencils out to push the needle on corn a little bit past that because where you can be selling right now.”

Farm Bill, Markets and More – In ATI Pro Media’s Saturday update, Advance Trading Risk Management Advisor Tommy Grisiafi and Red River Farm Network Farm Broadcaster Don Wick discuss the news of the week. The farm bill certainly is a big part of that conversation. The discussion also includes planting delays, the latest market gyrations and the loss of RFD founder Patrick Gottsch. Watch the YouTube video.

Consult With Your Crop Insurance Agent – For a large portion of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota, the final multi-peril crop insurance plant date for corn was Saturday. May 31 is the deadline in portions of the eastern Dakotas and the balance of Minnesota. Countryside Insurance owner Jennifer Otteson says corn can be planted after the final planting date, but insurance guarantees are reduced. “Your guarantee just reduces one percent a day up to the 25 days,” said Otteson. “Keep in mind if it’s really looking wet and you haven’t gotten your corn in, it would be a good idea to let your agent know and put in a notice of loss or potential preventive planting. If you later decide to put in soybeans instead, that notice of loss is just withdrawn and it’s insured as soybeans.”

An Acreage Shift Possible – The rain delays may push corn acres over to soybeans or other crops. “Look at the major states with Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, Iowa, North Dakota and Minnesota, we’ve got 17.7 million acres left to plant in just those states,” reports Randy Martinson, president, Martinson Ag Risk Management.

Weather Delay Allows Fertilizer Business to Reset – Due to wet conditions, North American nitrogen demand is suffering. StoneX Vice President of Fertilizer Josh Linville said the near-constant rains has kept farmers out of the field, delaying demand for sidedressed nitrogen demand. This is giving the fertilizer industry more time to move product where it is needed when demand returns.

Wet Conditions Hamper Weed Control – It will be a few days before it gets dry enough for sprayers to get across the field. Bayer CropScience Field Sales Representative John Christianson expects weeds to have a head start. “Water volume is going to be critical,” said Christianson “In a lot of cases we’re going to be seeing weeds that are bigger than what we would like to have and like I said, the right rates, the right water volumes, all come into play.” Listen to the interview.

Pioneer Agronomy Update – In the latest Pioneer Agronomy Update, Pioneer Field Agronomist Kristie Sundeen says weeds, such as waterhemp and kochia, continue to be a challenge in post applications. “It is essential that growers take the time to apply pre-emerge herbicide to help eliminate these weeds when they are at their weakest.” Spraying conditions have not been ideal this season, putting more importance on the use of the right adjuvants. Early planted canola is beginning to emerge and flea beetles have already been seen. Check those fields because “flea beetles can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.” Listen to the update online. 

Canola Minute – The latest NDSU Crop and Pest Report includes an update on flea beetle concerns in canola. In this week’s Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman highlights the importance of scouting and treatment. Here’s the report. 

Ethanol Industry Seeks Intervention from the Supreme Court – Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association are petitioning the Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court ruling that denied several small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuels Standard. In the past, these cases have been considered national issues and resolved at the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. This appeals court decision came from a regional circuit court that only covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The ethanol groups claims small refinery exemptions are a national issue and the case should be heard at that level.

Gas Reserves Released – The Biden Administration is releasing one million barrels of gasoline from reserves in the Northeast. The decision is being made to reduce gas prices ahead of the summer driving season.

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, Tom Scholz, a water quality certified producer with all five program endorsements talks about his conservation work. Listen to the report. 

RAPP Funds Allocated – The Agriculture Department is allocating $300 million to 66 organizations under its new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program. This program was launched last fall with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack authorizing $1.2 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funding. Groups receiving RAPP funds include $28.5 million for the American Soybean Association, $21 million for the U.S. Meat Export Council, $17 million for the U.S. Grains Council, $13 million for U.S. Wheat Associates, $10 million for the U.S. Dairy Export Council, $6.5 million for the National Potato Promotion Board and $1.5 million for the U.S. Dry Bean Council.

Ukraine’s Role as an Exporter Diminished – According to a report from USDA’s Economic Research Service, the war with Russia has long-term consequences for Ukrainian agriculture. Before the war, Ukraine was one of the top five exporting countries for corn, wheat, sunflowers and barley. The ERS said the prospects for the next decade are poor. The issues include the ongoing threat of war, shortages in labor and crop inputs and infrastructure damage. The debris from shelling and mined fields also pose a threat to farmers.

Russian Cold Front Hurts Wheat Crop – Weather around the country and the world continues to impact the grains markets. NDSU Extension Crop Economist and Marketing Specialist Frayne Olson said frost in Russia is resulting in a supply shortage and creating market opportunities. “Given the cold temperatures in Russia, the crop is under stress. Those yield losses are already showing up in the marketplace.”s

Watching Weekend Weather – The grain markets will not open until 7 PM Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Abbott Futures President Roy Abbott said traders are spending the weekend digesting the weather maps. “What happens over the weekend as far as actual rainfall and what’s in the forecast? It will probably be a pretty interesting evening.”

MN Beef Update – Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director Kaitlyn Root joins RRFN for the Minnesota Beef Update to talk about the MSCA Summer Tour June 25. This tour will be based out of the Thief River Falls area. Here’s the weekly MN Beef Update. 

May Beef Month: ND Beef Commission Celebrates the Power of Beef – RRFN catches up with North Dakota Beef Commission Director Brian Amundson during this May Beef Month. NDBC is celebrating this special month with promotions, like its Best Beef Burger in North Dakota competition, and the power of beef protein for athletes. “The reality is North Dakota has always been a very strong beef state, it has always been at the center of our plate,” explained Amundson. “We truly understand as an industry the value of having beef in your diet and that’s where our focus has been to ingrain the nutritional significance of having beef in your diet and how it can fuel you.” Listen to the interview. 

Optimism Seen at USMEF Spring Conference – The U.S. Meat Export Federation wrapped up its spring conference Friday in Kansas City. USMEF Chair Randy Spronk, who farms in Minnesota, found a sense of optimism at the meeting. “I’m a pork producer and we’ve come through a very difficult 12-to-14 months and now if you look at the first three months of this year volume is up six percent, value is up seven percent so there is continued demand,” said Spronk. “Everybody on the beef side is looking at when are we going to start retaining heifers so a lot of discussion and opinions on whether that is occurring right now or when that’s going to occur because that’s an important thing to think about here, too.”

Packers Bid Up for Cattle – This past week, cash cattle sold for mostly $187, up $1 from the previous week. The dressed cattle trade ranged from $300 to $304. That’s steady to $5 higher than the previous week’s weighted average. If that $304 average holds, it will be a new all-time high.

Higher Than Expected Marketings – In Friday’s Cattle-on-Feed Report, USDA said marketings in May were up more than ten percent than one year ago. That’s above trade expectations. The overall cattle inventories dropped by less than one percent. Placements were down 5.8 percent, not as big of a drop as expected by trade analysts.

More HPAI Cases in MN – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been confirmed in five commercial poultry flocks in Minnesota. Three of these cases are in Stearns County and one case each in Meeker and Morrison County. Before this announcement, the last confirmed case was May 2.

Second Human Case Confirmed – A second dairy farmworker has been diagnosed with avian influenza. This case is in Michigan.  The first positive finding was in Texas. The Health and Human Services Department said the risk to public health remains low.

Additional H5N1 Help for Dairy Farmers – USDA is expanding its financial assistance package for dairy farmers dealing with H5N1. For the first time, this support includes help for dairy farmers whose herds have not tested positive for the virus but want to take preventative measures. This includes money for biosecurity planning and implementation and reimbursement for veterinary costs for testing and shipping costs.

SD Continues to Add to Its Dairy Herd – April milk production totaled 19 billion pounds nationwide. That’s down 0.4 percent from one ago.  In South Dakota, milk production rose 12.3 percent with the addition of 23,000 cows to the state dairy herd. Minnesota milk output was down a fraction of one percent with cow numbers dropping 8,000 head.

Lamb Volume Sales Rise – The meat marketing agency, Midan Marketing, is producing quarterly reports on lamb sales. The fourth quarter retail report shows a significant volume increase in lamb sales over the previous year. Lamb volume sales are up nearly six percent with most of that happening during the holidays. The report also identified a four percent increase in dollar sales of ground lamb with volume sales up more than eight percent. The American Lamb Board partnered with Midan Marketing in developed this report.

Talking Conservation – The Red River Farm Network debuts the new Talking Conservation podcast. Talking Conservation is a collaboration between RRFN, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. CTIC Minnesota Soil Health Specialist Dan Coffman highlights the Farmers for Soil Health program and a unique cover crop coaches program. An audio version of the podcast can be found at this link and a video version of the interview is available at this link.

AFREC Update – The Agricultural Fertilizer Research Education Council features Northwest Research and Outreach Center Extension Specialist Lindsay Pease in this week’s update. In the AFREC Update, Pease highlights the Annual NWROC Crops and Soils Day July 17th in Crookston. Listen to the report.

Petersen, Roberts Show Support for Bio-Based Economy – Ahead of the farm bill markup, 14 state agriculture officials have sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee leadership about the importance of ag-based manufacturing. Corn, soybeans and other commodities to make products like bio-based plastics, packaging and lubricants. With growth in this sector, the ag officials said the farm bill should be used to reduce confusion over labeling and terminology. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen and South Dakota Agriculture Secretary Hunter Roberts are among the leaders who signed off on this letter.

Lawmakers Learn About a Lack of Competition – A Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs subcommittee focused on lowering food prices and consolidation within the ag sector. Farm Action Chief Strategy Officer Joe Maxwell said consolidation is a threat to farmers and consumers. “Today, four corporations control 85 percent of beef processing; at least 67 percent of pork processing; 60 percent of poultry; 75 percent of the nitrogen fertilizer; two companies supply all of the potash for North America. Two seed companies account for 72 percent of corn and 66 percent of soybeans.” Maxwell said a 2019 fire at a Kansas beef plant idled six percent of beef processing capacity. “Using the fires as an excuse, they were able to push down the price they paid farmers and raised the price they charge grocers,” said Maxwell. “The result was the largest recorded spread between what farmers were paid and what consumers had to pay.”  Subcommittee Chair Elizabeth Warren said the pandemic gave big food companies and excuse to ramp up grocery prices. With the market shock behind us, Warren said these companies are keeping input prices high because they have little competition.

More Domestic Fertilizer Projects Funded – USDA has awarded $83 million through its Fertilizer Production Expansion Program for projects in 12 states, including North Dakota and Minnesota. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said these grants will help increase domestic fertilizer production and strengthen the supply chain. Sustane Natural Fertilizer of Cannon Falls, Minnesota will receive $2.4 million to expand a current facility. There’s also $1.5 million for Ray Farmers Union Elevator Company to expand its dry fertilizer capacity. To date, USDA has invested $251 million in 29 states for this domestic fertilizer program.

MFBF Minute – According to Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Director Education Coordinator Pam Debele, MFBF is hosting a social media contest for youth, ages 11-to-21. This contest is being organized by the MFBF Promotion and Education Committee to highlight the many views of agriculture. Listen to the MFBF Minute.

H-2A Wage Freeze Sought – A bipartisan group of 120 House members sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee leadership, asking for a wage freeze for H-2A guestworkers. The Adverse Effect Wage Rate has more than doubled since 2005. While a more permanent solution is needed, the lawmakers are seeking a pause. The letter contends many farms are in danger of going out of business due to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate.

Ag Labor Report Issued – A new USDA report on farm labor indicates 618,000 workers were hired during the week of April 7. That’s down five percent from the same week last year. Nationwide, farmers paid hired workers an average wage of $18.98 per hour, up five percent from April of 2023. In the Lake Region that includes Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, the average wage rate was $19.90 per hour.

Canola Resistant Varieties and Weed Escapes – Biotech canola weed escapes can survive off the farm, but may gradually lose their pesticide resistance. Arizona State University conducted a large-scale study of GMO canola living along North Dakota roadsides and found the number of wild canola plants declined and the population of herbicide-resistant canola became less over time. This makes it unlikely that volunteer canola can spread its transgenes in the wild long term.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, Michigan State University Dry Bean Specialist Scott Bales offers a perspective on crop conditions in his home state. Dry bean planting progress in other states is also shared. Listen to the report. 

Ag Bill Signed – With little fanfare, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the omnibus agriculture bill heading into the Memorial Day weekend. This legislation includes nearly $3 million to address groundwater issues in southeastern Minnesota, more money to address Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, an extension of the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council and additional funding for Soil Health Equipment Grants. On Thursday, Walz traveled to Hoyt Lakes and signed a bill allocating $30 million for rural emergency medical services.

Environment Bill Becomes Law – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed three bills into law Tuesday, including the Environment and Natural Resources budget bill. Many of the agriculture provisions in the environment bill were removed in the conference committee process at the request of Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Aric Putnam.

MN Corn Matters – Minnesota Corn Growers Association Senior Public Policy Director Amanda Bilek is featured in this edition of Corn Matters and discusses the wild finish to the Minnesota legislative session. Listen to the update.

Communication is Key – The Minnesota legislative session is in the rearview mirror. Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing is happy with the results, praising the strong communication between both parties as a key to the successful negotiations. “They were willing to hear what we had to say and to have a conversation,” said Glessing. “At the end of the day, that’s what we need to do, have more conversations.” Glessing points to the passing of the agriculture and environment bills, and Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation (AGRI) funding as key successes from the 2024 sessions.

APUC Funding Meeting Scheduled For End of May – The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission will meet Thursday in Fargo to consider new projects and funding proposals. Agriculture Commissioner Dough Goehring says APUC has a long history of helping younger, smaller companies expand due to APUC funds. “It’s had a good response,” said Goehring. “We’ve helped a lot of different companies, some that have gone national so, good things come from the program.” Dot’s Pretzel’s was highlighted as an example of that success.

New Preemergent Herbicide Option for Potatoes – The EPA has approved a nationwide label expansion for FMC’s Anthem Flex herbicide for use in potatoes. This option is designed to provide long residual control of more than 30 different broadleaf and grass weed species. Anthem Flex should be applied when at least two inches of soil is covering the emerging potato sprouts and paired with a tank mix herbicide. Farmers may apply this herbicide as a broadcast spray to the soil surface after planting or at drag-off of potatoes before weed emergence.

Layoffs for Deere & Company – John Deere is laying off nearly 200 workers at its Waterloo, Iowa plant effective June 22. That follows a layoff of 300 workers from the Waterloo facility and 150 workers from the Ankeny plant in March. In the last quarter, Deere’s net sales in the agriculture sector was down 16 percent.

Titan Machinery Updates Quarterly Financials – Titan Machinery is reporting fiscal year 2025 first quarter net income of $9.44 million on fiscal first quarter revenue of $628.7 million. Equipment revenue for the quarter is reported at $468 million, parts revenue is at $108 million and service revenue is at $45 million.

A Better Quarter for Buhler Industries – For the first quarter, Buhler Industries reports revenues of over $71 million Canadian. That’s up from $56 million one year ago. Buhler brands include Versatile and Farm King. A majority of the company shares were acquired by a Turkish company, Basak Tractor, at the end of last year.

SD Corn Comments – Jim Woster joins South Dakota Corn Comments this week and wants to congratulate the graduating class of 2024. Listen to the update. 

Antitrust Lawsuit to Continue – A federal court has rejected Agri Stats’ effort to shut down an antitrust lawsuit. The Justice Department claims Agri Stats allowed meat processors to share confidential information to limit supplies and drive up consumer prices. Agri Stats wanted a change of venue or dismiss the case altogether. The federal judge in Minneapolis rejected those arguments and is moving forward with the lawsuit.

Truterra Sees Significant Growth in Acres Enrolled – In the first three years of its carbon program, Truterra paid over $21 million to farmers for the sequestration and reduction of over 1.1 million metric tons of carbon. Truterra President Jamie Leifker said the number of farmers participating in the carbon program grew last year by 58 percent compared to 2022. The re-enrollment rate is over 90 percent. Truterra, a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, works with downstream companies like Nestle to promote sustainable farming practices. Payments are paid based on the actual amount of carbon stored rather than a set per-acre payment. Truterra licenses the farmers’ data. “Data can be a really emotional topic,” said Leifker. “What Truterra centers its effort around is the excellence around how we manage that data and we ensure that the data is owned by the farmer. We’re licensing it for the purposes of creating a carbon asset only and that’s the only right that we have to convey that asset to the downstream customer; the farmer retains the ownership long-term.” Listen to the interview.

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 June 5th showcasing Cannonbelles Cheese. Get the details in this AURI Update and go to auri.org for more. Listen to the audio report. 

Syngenta and Nature Conservancy Extend Collaboration – The Syngenta Group and the Nature Conservancy have renewed their collaboration effort. The two partners began working together in 2009 and entered into a global collaboration in 2018. The new three-year partnership builds on its projects dealing with regenerative agriculture, resource efficiency, soil health and habitat protection.

Wallace to Lead Ardent Mills – Effective July 8, Sheryl Wallace will succeed Daniel Dye as the chief executive officer of Ardent Mills. Wallace is the president of U.S. origination and grain for Cargill. Conagra Brands and Cargill have a 44 percent ownership stake in Ardent Mills with CHS owning the remaining 12 percent.

NAFB Names New Executive Director – Gardner Hatch will serve as the next executive director for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Most recently, Hatch was the strategic marketing lead for Woodruff. He also held public relations and management positions previously at Bader Rutter, G&S Business Communications and Fleishman Hillard. In 2023, Hatch received the NAFB Meritorious Service Award. His first day is June 4. Colleen Callahan has been serving as the interim executive director since January.

Rick Vallery Selected for Transportation Commission – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is appointing Rick Vallery to serve on the state Transportation Commission. Vallery’s entire career has been in agriculture, including work with the South Dakota Farm Bureau, South Dakota Wheat, South Dakota Oilseeds Council, South Dakota Pulse Council, Agriculture Department and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The Transportation Commission determines road construction priorities.

Quail Hopes to be a Resource – The NDSU North Central Research Extension Center in Minot named Lacey Quail as the new livestock management specialist. Quail got her master’s and doctorate at Texas A&M where she studied reproduction management and beef production. “What I’m excited about is using what I’ve been given and what I’ve learned to help others and be a resource for others to reach out to for information.” Quail sees potential in existing crop operations. “We can provide resources and be a source of information for education so the producers know how integrating livestock into that cropping system could benefit not only their land and their resources but also economically.”

SD Couple Endows SDSU Animal Science Position – A Spearfish couple has endowed the Cal and Mary Hayenga Department Head of Animal Science at South Dakota State University. The Hayengas met at SDSU in the 1960s and eventually took over the family farming business. The perpetual nature of endowed funding elevates learning opportunities and program experiences in the animal science department.

Lorang, Hettver Join MN Pork Staff – The Minnesota Pork Producers Association has announced Kate Lorang is its new sustainability outreach coordinator and Kirby Hettver is the director of producer services. Lorang is a 2024 graduate of South Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural communications. Hettver spent the last 15 years farming near Granite Falls and is a past president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.

Larry Mitchell Passes – The former administrator of USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration during the Obama Administration, Larry Mitchell, has died. Mitchell, 68, served as the CEO of the American Corn Growers Association and vice president of government relations for the National Farmers Union. He was also the FSA’s associate administrator of farm programs during the Clinton presidency. Mitchell was also active during the American Agriculture Movement during the 1970s.