Razor Thin Margins in Congress – The Republicans have 222 seats in Congress, while the Democrats have 213. In the Senate, there is a 50-50 split. A shift in just a few seats in either chamber next year would change party control. will determine which party has the majority. “With those margins so close, both the House and the Senate could flip,” said Luther Markwart, executive vice president, American Sugarbeet Growers Association. “We’re seeing what’s happening in the House right now; when you’ve got such thin margins it’s oftentimes difficult to govern and it makes putting a farm bill together rather difficult.” Markwart says sugar policy will again likely be a point of contention during the farm bill debate. Listen to the full interview.

‘Get it Done’ – A one-year farm bill extension is in place, but National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle would like the new farm bill to be passed in early 2024. “GT Thompson, the chair of the House Ag Committee, was talking about trying to mark up a bill in September so I know that the committee staffs have been working on this; it’s time to put it together and get it done.” Funding will be one of the biggest challenges for the farm bill process. “There are improvements that can be made, but most of those come with a price tag so I think that’s something that needs to be sorted out.”

Election Year Politics Influence Farm Bill Process – A one-year farm bill extension gives Congress time to finish this important legislation. CHS Director of Federal Affairs Will Stafford would like to see the bill wrapped up early in the year. “Any farm bill is difficult to get across the finish line and it’s certainly difficult in an election year,” said Stafford. “We’ll have to see as we get closer to an election and polls start coming out a little more firmly for control of the House and the Senate, what that could do.” Stafford said House and Senate agriculture committee leadership are all motiviated to get the farm bill completed on a timely basis.

NDCGA Continues to Push Farm Bill Priorities – The North Dakota Corn Growers Association want the farm bill to be signed in early 2024. “Next year being an election year, you never know how that can impact policy,” said Brenda Elmer, executive director. Budgets will have a major role in the process. “There will be some jockeying among leaders but we’ll be there at the table and hoping to have an imprint.”

Land Values Remain Strong – Despite higher interest rates, Farmers National Company Senior Vice President Matt Gunderson has not seen farmland prices come down. “Prices have been holding fairly decent and so that’s creating a lot of cash out in the country,” said Gunderson. “They’re turning around and redeploying that cash into a hard asset and its land.” The addition of specialty crops to the rotation, such as sugarbeets and potatoes, have a positive impact on land values. Cash rents are also strong. Listen to the full interview.

Rural Mainstreet Index Declines – The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index has dropped to its lowest level in three years. The survey of bank CEOs in the ten-state region found farmland values are holding strong, but the growth in prices has slowed. Higher borrowing costs have had a negative impact on farm equipment purchases. The business confidence index in October dropped to its lowest level since the survey began in January of 2006.

A Good Fall Fertilizer Season – It’s too early to determine if the fall fertilizer season has been a success, but StoneX fertilizer specialist Josh Linville is looking at positive trends. “We’re hearing a lot of good phosphate potash demand,” said Linville. “Anhydrous sounds like it’s pretty good, although some southern states are still a little too warm, but it should be a very very good fall run. Linville is recommending farmers discuss their 2024 crop plan with their ag retailers. Listen to the interview.

Time for Fall Fieldwork – With harvest finishing up, Drew Courtney is pleased to be getting other fieldwork done near Oakes, North Dakota. “Most of the tillage work is getting wrapped up and a lot of fertilizer got done. People are going to be happy to get a lot of these fall projects done that we don’t get to do a lot of times.” Yields have been a pleasant surprise. “We were very happy with the way the crop came off.”

A Difficult Dry Down – Numbers have lightened up, but grain is still coming to town. Columbia Grain grain buyer Ben Nuss, who is the Jamestown area, said the corn didn’t want to dry down this fall. “It was a wetter, wetter corn this year with a lot of 17-to-19 percent moisture, there was nothing super dry coming in.”

Sabin Harvest Nears the End – Tanner Thompson, who is with Prairie’s Edge Agri-Service says the harvest is nearly complete near Sabin, Minnesota. Weather caused some delays throughout harvest. “We had a little snow that slowed guys up for a few days and now we’ve had some drizzly rain.” Dry conditions during the growing season meant yields were down in spots. “We’ve had about an average crop. For soybeans, we were a little drier, so average or below average yields there.”

Mother Nature Stalls Corn Harvest – The harvest has been a tough slog for Washburn, North Dakota farmer Joe Sheldon. “Our area received 14 inches of snow in mid-October and that really slowed things down.” Sheldon says their farm still has some corn standing due to wet conditions. “Farmers have to have a little patient dealing with Mother Nature, but this has been a nice stretch of weather the last two weeks.”

Record Sunflower Yields – National Sunflower Association Executive Director John Sandbakken says the quality of the crop has been very good. “Back in October, USDA projected that both North Dakota and Minnesota would set a record for yields and from the yield reports that we’re hearing, it is definitely the case. Most guys are in that 2,500 pound or higher range for yield.” Sandbakken expects harvest to wrap up within the next couple of weeks if the weather holds.

Biden Congratulates New Argentine President – President Joe Biden spoke by phone with the incoming Argentine president Wednesday. Javier Milei is a conservative with plans to deal with runaway inflation. Biden and Milei spoke about shared interests, including food security and clean energy.

A Regional Perspective on the Changes Happening in Argentina – Innovus Agra President Bret Oelke is home after a weeklong trade trip to Argentina. Oelke, who is a farm management coach, described it as an eye-opening experience. “It’s facinating to learn about the economics production agriculture in an environment where they have 120-to-150 percent inflation per year.”  A new Argentine president was elected over the weekend. Javier Milei  won by a 56-to-44 margin and is promising to overhaul Argentina’s troubled economy. “It was very pleasing to the people we met down there that there is a change in leadership,” said Oelke. “The new president is supposedly more of a free market guy. The challenge is the House and Senate hasn’t changed that much so it will take more time than we’d expect with a shift from the left-to-the right like they have down there.” Argentina is the world’s #1 exporter of soybean meal and soybean oil. Those exports have been restricted as the current administration attempts to hoard dollars.

An Inverted Market – AgriSompo North America market analyst Sterling Smith says interest rates have been climbing and are inverted. “Right now, you can get 5.37 percent overnight if you want to lend the government money and for ten years, you’ll get 4.47 percent. That’s 100 basis points of inversion. That’s abnormal. For it to be normal, we should see these ten-year rates trading at least 60 basis points above overnight which is six percent.” Smith says the inverted interest rate is a sign of recession.

What’s Hot, What’s Not in Markets – In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson said gold is the only commodity showing any strength to start the week. Cattle and grain futures are trending lower. “Part of it is economic and we’re also seeing more rain for South America which is pressuring soybeans and drilled down to pressure the rest of the commodities.”

Production Problems Needed to Rally Soybeans – Northstar Commodity Chief Analyst Mark Schultz thinks it will take some major production problems to push soybeans much above $14. “We’ve probably have taken off maybe 5 million or 6 million metric tons off the Brazil crop, but if you’re gonna start talking about beans going into the $14.50 (per bushel) price level or higher in the futures, you’re going to have to see 10-to-15 million metric tons taken off the crop.”

Ukrainian Ag Infrastructure in Tough Shape – Ukraine’s role as an agricultural powerhouse is being threatened by the ongoing war with Russia. The United Nations World Food Program is reporting 31 documented attacks on Ukrainian grain production and export facilities since mid-July. Nearly all the damage has been on the ports and grain terminals on the Black Sea and Danube River. Before the war, Ukraine was responsible for nine percent of global wheat exports, 15 percent of the corn and 44 percent of the sunflower oil. The UN claims Ukraine may not be able to meet its domestic and export wheat demand for many years.

Wheat Quality Handbook Available From NCI – The Northern Crops Institute’s Wheat Quality Handbook is now available. Written by Dr. Senay Simsek, Department Head, Professor, and Dean’s Chair in Food Science at Purdue University, the handbook has four primary sections. Section one introduces wheat quality and kernel testing, section two covers flour and dough testing, section three covers end-product quality and advances in wheat quality and section four provides a list of references. This book provides a holistic story about the journey of the wheat kernel from field to table. Topics include every aspect of wheat grain science and its importance to growers, processors, and consumers. Order the handbook online.

A Pragmatic Customer – There is tension between the U.S. and China, but Rabobank Global Strategist Stephen Nicholson continues to see potential. The recent soybean sales provide that hope. “China is pragmatic. We had cheap soybeans, so they came to get them.” A big focus for China is food security. “We’re going to have our differences, but let’s not forget they have a lot of people to feed there, that’s a market we need to be conscious of.”

A Stressful Time in Hog Business – Hog prices have not been enough to offset the high cost of production. The stress has been felt throughout the swine industry. “We’ve seen the steepest losses in the industry in more than 20 years,” said Holly Cook, economist, National Pork Producers Council. Cook expects the tough times to continue into 2024. “It’s not just been feed; it’s been the inflation we’re dealing with in the country, labor, supplies, machinery and now higher interest costs.”

Meat Export Guidelines for China Updated – After a ten-month delay, China’s General Administration of Customs has approved 30 U.S. beef and pork establishments for export to China. “This year we hadn’t seen any plant list updates,” said Erin Borror, vice president of economic analysis, U.S. Meat Export Federation. “It was a big sigh of relief.” Borror hopes to see more updates before the end of the year. U.S. pork variety meat exports to China have been strong this year while beef shipments are down 23 percent.

NCBA Looks for Voluntary Animal ID Program – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President-Elect Mark Eisele supports a proposed voluntary electronic identification program. “We’re looking to get the funding through USDA so producers don’t bear the burden of that initially.” According Eisele, EID would help keep the industry moving in case of a disease outbreak. NCBA is also working to keep this program voluntary and a part of the next farm bill. “We’re currently fending off amendments to the farm bill to keep it from being defunded.”

MN Beef Update – Minnesota Beef Council Director of Industry Relations Jon Dilworth discusses the most recent MBC meeting that highlighted current research and programming on this week’s Minnesota Beef Update.

A Milestone for the SD Cattlemen’s Association – The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association will celebrate its 75th anniversary convention and trade show Tuesday and Wednesday in Watertown. SDCA President Eric Jennings expects the resolutions concerning eminent domain and carbon pipelines to generate a lot of conversation. “Even though one of them pulled their permit, there’s still one that’s active so I’m sure we’ll need to work on some policy toward that.” The SDCA continues to work with lawmakers to make changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program in the new farm bill to provide more coverage options for livestock producers.

Prop 12 Compliant Market Data Now Available – USDA Market News is now reporting the market premium for hogs raised in compliance with California’s Proposition 12. These hogs are raised with specific sow housing requirements. Prop 12 takes effect at the beginning of the year, but the National Weekly Direct Swine Non-Carcass Merit Premium report is already available.

Telling Your Own Animal Agriculture Story – Animal rights activist groups are skilled at using pressure campaigns to push their agenda. “The target really feels that they have no other choice but to do what these organizations are saying,” explained Emily Ellis, communications manager, Animal Agriculture Alliance. It’s important for farmers and ranchers to build relationships with lawmakers to become a resource on animal ag issues. Community outreach is also important. “Make sure we’re not letting animal rights groups tell our story for us.”

A Small Drop in October Milk Production – Milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled 17.9 billion pounds last month, down a fraction of one percent from October of last year. South Dakota milk production was up 6.6 percent. Over the past year, South Dakota added 13,000 head to the state’s dairy cow herd. Minnesota milk output rose 0.3 percent with milk cow numbers down 2,000 head from a year ago.

A Changing Dairy Market – American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Roger Cryan is seeing a fundamental shift in the U.S. dairy markets. “There’s been so much construction of cheese plants, it’s led to an ample supply of cheese.” Outside of Mexico, export demand for cheese is weak, but powder and butter demand is strong. “What’s happened is the Class IV price has exceeded the cheese milk value by a good bit.” Reforming the federal milk marketing orders is a goal for many in the dairy industry. That hearing process is continuing in Indiana.

Dairy Issues to Resurface in ’24 MN Legislature – The Walz Administration plans to make dairy policy a priority in the upcoming legislative session. “I’ve had the honor to visit a lot of dairy farms across the state and we know that it’s been difficult for farmers lately,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “We did get a lot of things done this last legislative session, It’s important for us to say that these investments are worthy of reinvestment and continued investment.”

MFU Announces Special Orders – The Minnesota Farmers Union has established its special orders for the next year.  Affordable and accessible healthcare in rural communities is a priority. “Healthcare is important to everybody,” said Gary Wertish, president. Other special orders include investing in climate resilience, addressing the shortage of veterinarians and passage of a comprehensive farm bill. Wertish says the final special order deals with curbing monopoly power and protecting competition and goes to the heart of what MFU stands for. This order also encompasses the right-to-repair. “With three companies controlling major equipment manufacturers, they’re holding farmers captive with the technology that’s in the equipment.”

MFBF Minute – The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation has set its priority issues for the coming year. MFBF Director of Public Policy Pierce Bennett discusses the importance of supporting beginning and emerging farmers. Other priority issues include sustainability, rural vitality, research, energy and resource preservation. Here’s the latest MFBF Minute.

Aussie Trade Opportunities – Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen has had some time to reflect on the state’s recent trade mission to Australia. Petersen said Australia is approximately the same size as the United States. “They really compete with us on things like wheat or cattle, but there are opportunities with the food companies that serve Australia and New Zealand,” said Petersen. “A lot of their beef is grass-fed and they may be looking for higher quality beef in some cases.”

Jurisdictional Battle Has Broad Implications for Farmers – Mahnomen County farmer Dave Vipond applied for an irrigation permit from the State of Minnesota in March and it was approved in August. The day after the permit was issued, the White Earth Nation served Vipond a legal summons with the assertion additional permitting was required to irrigate out of the Wild Rice River on the southwest border of the White Earth Reservation. “The issue isn’t whether we irrigate or not,” said Vipond. “It’s really who has jurisdiction over the farming; we always assumed it was the State of Minnesota and have always followed state rules.” Vipond says the tribe is claiming jurisdiction on and five miles outside the border of the reservation boundary. “If this goes the wrong direction and no one stands up and makes them accountable for this, we could lose a bunch of rights as farmers.” A meeting was held in Bejou, Minnesota to inform farmers, landowners and political leaders about the legal action.

Farm Labor Statistics Updated – There were 776,000 workers hired by farms and ranchers during the week of October 8. That’s down one percent from October of 2022. In the Northern Plains Region, which includes North Dakota and South Dakota, the labor force was down three percent. The Lake Region, which includes Minnesota, was down five percent. Farm workers in the Northern Plains were paid an average wage of $19.37 per hour. In the Lake Region, hourly wages averaged $20.38.

Beet Stock Values – According to Acres and Shares owner Jayson Menke, American Crystal Sugar Company stock reached new all-time highs this past week. There were 110 shares should with 100 at $5,850 and ten for $5,700.

A Record Year for Sugar Production in the North – According to American Sugar Alliance Economist Rob Johansson, it was a challenging your for sugar producers in Louisiana and Texas this past year. “Both had water problems this year, drought in Louisiana and a little bit of difficulty getting irrigation water in Texas.” It was a positive year in the northern sugarbeet areas. “It could be a record year for production. In the (Red River) Valley, it’s goingo to be a good year for the three companies that are there and all the growers.”

MN Corn Matters – Minnesota Biofuels Association Executive Director Brian Werner talks about the increase in E15 use this year in the latest Corn Matters.

Renewable Fuels Industry Expects to Grow – The Renewable Fuels Association is continuing to seek a permanent solution to year-round E15 use. “We’ve been warned by the administration to not bank on having another round of emergency waivers next summer so the legislative fix is top priority,” said Robert White, senior vice president of industry relations. Despite a shift to electric vehicles, White believes there are other avenues for growth. “We’re seeing a lot of different and new uses from sustainable aviation fuel and renewable chemicals. No matter what happens with light duty vehicles, we expect to not only maintain, but grow.”

Expanding America’s Bioeconomy – That’s the new tagline for Growth Energy. Growth Energy General Counsel Joe Kakesh says this rebranding aims to expand the focus beyond ethanol. “It’s about taking advantage of all parts of the plant and contributing to all plant-based and bio-based products.” There is a current focus on making sure the tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act are implemented properly. “We’re there every day with Treasury and all the other agencies to make sure they hear our voice to understand the full climate benefits that our products provide.”

Another Carbon Pipeline Project Abandoned – Wolf Carbon Solutions is withdrawing its permit application in Illinois for a carbon capture pipeline that was going to move CO2 from two ADM ethanol plants in Iowa to a sequestration site in Illinois. Summit Carbon Solutions has had its pipeline permit applications denied in North Dakota and South Dakota. Navigator CO2 Ventures canceled its Heartland Greenway project, which would have taken carbon dioxide from ethanol and fertilizer plants in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa and deliver it to permanent storage in Illinois.

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. Water Quality Certified dairy farmer Angie Walter highlights how becoming Water Quality Certified has enhanced her operation on this week’s Farming for the Future.

A Historic Time for Conservation – In 2023, the Natural Resources Conservation Service made more than $2.8 billion available to farmers, ranchers, and landowners to implement conservation practices. NRCS Chief Terry Crosby says the total will be close to $5 billion next year. “One of the things that was made available through the Inflation Reduction Act was almost $19.5 billion for conservation and then through the farm bill and some of the other things that we’ve had, this is one of those historic generational times. I’ve been working for USDA and NRCS for 44 years and we’ve never had this opportunity before.” There is a focus on new climate-smart projects. However, Crosby is seeing a lot of interest in more traditional conservation programs.

ADM Ups Its Sustainability Game in Brazil – Archer Daniels Midland is expanding its regenerative agriculture program in Brazil. Initially, ADM will focus on three areas; fertilizer use and increased use of biological inputs, no-till farming and cover crops. There is a new pilot program that will collect the carbon footprint on 50,000 acres in Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais.

AURI Update – AURI invites you to the Minnesota Renewable Energy Roundtable either in person or virtually. Hear more details in the latest AURI Update.

CFTC Nomination to be Reviewed This Week – The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider the nomination of Summer Mersinger for another term as a commissioner for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Thursday. Mersinger was first sworn into office in early 2022. Previously, Mersinger served as the chief of staff for CFTC Commissioner Dawn Stump. From 2004 to 2016, Mersinger was an aide to South Dakota Senator John Thune.

Canola Minute – Here’s the latest Canola Minute from the Northern Canola Growers Association. This week, Northern Canola Growers Association communications specialist Lindy Coutts shares information on education tools available to teachers.

Record-Breaking Year for Potato Expo – The Potato Expo trade show in January will have a record number of exhibitors. This event will be January 10 and 11 in Austin, Texas. This year’s show breaks the previous record set in Las Vegas in 2020. The Red River Farm Network will broadcast from Potato Expo.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, RRFN visits with Minnesota Ag Secretary Thom Peterson about a recent trade mission to Australia. The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, BASF, Heads Up Crop Protectants, and SRS Commodities.

Analyzing Field Data – This is the time to look closely at yield maps and start making plans for 2024. According to AgriGold agronomist Chris Ouzts, this data can provide insight not seen from the cab of the combine. “You have so many layers in that one acre that you can stack on top of each other.” Ouzts also expressed the importance of getting soil samples done and using all the tools available to get the most out of your acres.

More Rootworm Pressure This Past Season – The corn harvest is all but done across the country. Dekalb Brand Manager Jamie Horton is seeing varied conditions. “As we look across the whole Midwest, some places were completely dry and some areas got late rains and that certainly helped the yields within our corn.” There was also more rootworm pressure, especially on the corn-on-corn acres. For 2024, Dekalb is introducing the new VT4PRO Technology and expanding its SmartStax PRO lineup. “For VT4 Pro we’ve got six brand-new products across relative maturities and we’ve expanded with six brand-new products as well for SmartStax PRO.” Listen to the full interview.

Biologicals: The Next Evolution in Agriculture – The current buzzword in farming is biologicals, but there are a lot of unknowns. “There’s lots of uncertainty as to what makes them work and lots of questions about getting consistent results so it depends on what you have,” said Sherry Koch, senior technical sales manager, The Mosaic Company. “There’s so many different players in that market today, I think truly in the next four-to-five years a lot of that will get weeded out.” The strains of bacillus used by Mosaic Biosciences is specifically for fertilizer. “It can stay for 18 months, the longest shelf life that I’m aware of in the market today and once it gets into the soil and it reaches that moisture, it kicks it in.” Listen to the interview.

New Financing Option for Your Next Pickup – The Certified Agriculture Group is rolling out Certified Agriculture Dealer Financing. “What makes CADFi different from other financing/leasing opportunities are the irregular payment terms. When we finance/lease any of our equipment on our farm or ranch, we like to have payment terms that match our cash flow.” said Patrick Driscoll, CEO, The Certified Agriculture Group. Farmers and ranchers can go online to register for their AgPack ID number. They can work directly with the dealership or contact Certified Ag Dealer to finance or lease the new or qualified pre-owned vehicle.

New Technologies Seen on Deere Hay Equipment – Technology continues to make farm equipment more efficient. John Deere Sales and Marketing Manager Scott Geier says the new balers are no exception. “Now there’s moisture sensor in the baler, there’s also a weighing system,” said Geier. “Specifically with the weighing system, we can generate yield maps based on the tons per acre or even bales per acre and put those into the John Deere Operation Center and use that data to do variable rate fertilizer.” Deere is working with the University of Clemson to determine savings based putting fertilizer where it needs to go.”

SD Corn Comments – In this week’s addition of South Dakota Corn Comments, we have commentary from Jim Wooster reflecting on the Thanksgiving season.

Departure Pending for STB Chair – Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman will not seek a second term. Oberman’s five-year term expires at the end of the year, but will serve for a few months into 2024.

Agricultural Law Champions Honored – The American Agricultural Law Association has honored David Barrett of Bismarck with its Excellence in Agricultural Law Award for private practitioners. Barrett is the managing partner of Barrett, Easterday, Cunningham and Eselgroth. Barrett is a national expert in grain and feed contracts and was counsel for the National Grain and Feed Association for more than ten years. The Student Scholarship Award went to Taylor Bushelle, who is a third-year student at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law. Bushelle is being recognized for her South Dakota Law Review article on California’s Proposition 12.

AFIA Hires Policy Communications Specialist – The American Feed Industry Association has added Madison Wyman to its staff as its policy communications specialist. Wyman is a graduate of Furman University.

A New Role at NRCS – Tanya Koch has joined Natural Resources Conservation Service public affairs team at a national level. Most recently, Koch has been the state public affairs officer for NRCS in North Dakota.

MN Farmer Among Best of the Best – DTN/Progressive Farmer has named Rachel Arneson of Halstad, Minnesota as one of its Best Young Farmers and Ranchers. The award focuses on farmers with a strong business plan and focus on innovation. “As farmers, we always have to be learning and adapting,” said Arneson. Her role as president of the Halstad Rescue Squad and dedication to community involvement also played into receiving the honor. “Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations so having that training and knowledge not only benefits me and my farm, but my farming neighbors and the people in the Halstad area.”

FARM Excellence Award Presented to AMPI Fieldman – The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management Program has announced the winners of the third annual FARM Excellence Awards. Jim Kauffman, who is with Associated Milk Producers, Inc., was named the Evaluator of the Year.

NAFB to Begin Search for Next Executive Director – After another successful annual convention, National Association of Farm Broadcasting Executive Director Tom Brand resigned. Brand, who has been in this role for more than a dozen years, will serve until the end of this year. Brand has been involved in the NAFB for more than 30 years, including time as a farm broadcaster. The NAFB executive committee will lead the search for the next executive director.

Steffes Passes – Funeral services will be held Friday in West Fargo for Robert ‘Bob’ Steffes, 86. Steffes, who passed away Thursday, founded the Steffes Group in 1960. The Steffes Group is now a nationally recognized leader in the auction industry. In 1972, Steffes was named the World Livestock Auctioneering Champion. Steffes was president of the National Auctioneer’s Association in 1991 and inducted into the NAA Hall of Fame in 1999.