Busy Week – There will be no shortage of news this week beginning with Election Day tomorrow. The Federal Open Market Committee also meets this week and will make an interest rate decision on Thursday. The week caps off Friday with another USDA crop report. Stay with RRFN for all the details and analysis.

Congress Expected to Vote on Ag Policy After Election Day – The lame duck session will be an opportunity for lawmakers to vote on bills impacting farmers. “There’s been chatter about a disaster assistance package for ag and more, due to the hurricanes in the Southeast as well as the wildfires out west,” said Jim Callan, James Callan Associates. “There has also been talk of an economic assistance package that would look at increasing reference prices.” Callan says passing these assistance packages would be easier than a farm bill because of the contentious issues tied to that legislation.

Corn Matters – Minnesota Corn Growers Association Past President Richard Syverson reminds people to vote. “No matter what side of the political spectrum they fall on, I think it is really beneficial because it shows farmers are an engaged voting demographic. Listen to Corn Matters.

A Push for Policy Priorities – There are numerous issues for rural voters to consider at the ballot box. “One of the issues pertinent to this election is the need to have year-round E15 available for sale to consumers in the state of North Dakota,” said Brenda Elmer, executive director, North Dakota Corn Growers Association. “It’s very important to our corn growers, but also North Dakota residents who are enduring high inflation.” State commodity groups have a legislative tour scheduled for Friday for the newly-elected state legislators. “It will be in the Jamestown area and we are going to have them go through Cavendish (Farms) for potatoes and Spiritwood for the ethanol plants and the crush plant there, then we’ll have a farmer panel for discussion.”

For the First Time, H5N1 Confirmed in a Pig – USDA is investigating the confirmation of one pig testing positive for the H5N1 bird flu. This is a unique situation with this animal being on a small backyard farm in Oregon where it was housed with poultry, sheep, and goats. H5N1 has high mortality rates in birds. “We’re now seeing that with these five pigs that were tested, only one was positive and none of the pigs showed clinical signs,” said Dr. Megan Niederwerder, executive director, Swine Health Information Center. “This gives us some indication it could be a low pathogenicity presentation in pigs but it’s only one pig and certainly we’re still learning.” Niederwerder emphasized pork is safe to eat. This incident is a reminder for pork producers to reassess their biosecurity protocols. Listen to the full interview. 

A Low Risk – The detection of avian influenza in a pig is noteworthy, but North Dakota State Veterinarian Dr. Ethan Andress downplayed the impact on animal agriculture in the state. “As long as this remains an isolated incident and we continue down the same path, there should not be much cause for concern.” Andress said the focus should remain on biosecurity and the wild bird population. “At the state level, we know that this virus is in the process of moving south with the migratory birds. The dairy variant, apparently at this point, is not within the migratory birds so it’s mostly monitoring activity across the country. Nothing really has changed with this event as far as what it looks like in North Dakota.”

No Safety Concerns for Consumers – With the first case of H5N1 in swine confirmed in swine, the National Pork Producers Council has a message for consumers. “There is no concern about the safety of our pork supply,” said Lori Stevermer, president, NPPC. The Oregon case came from a small backyard-type farm and not a large commercial swine operation in Minnesota or Iowa. “Influenzas are common in swine and actually there is a fairly robust influenza surveillance program that has been going on for awhile. I think that active and continious surveillance really allows our animal and human health people to respond properly to these situations.” Stevermer, who farms in southern Minnesota, said the pork industry is among the best when it comes to biosecurity.

USDA Steps Up Its H5N1 Surveillance in Dairy Cattle – To prevent the spread of H5N1, USDA is testing raw milk. This surveillance will begin in the 14 states where dairy cattle have tested positive for the virus, including Minnesota and South Dakota. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the decision was made after the rapid spread of bird flu in California dairy herds.

H5N1 Leads to Lasting Milk Production Decline – H5N1’s impact on milk production is noteworthy. “With individual herds, there’s a pretty big dip actually,” reports Jim Salfer, dairy specialist, University of Minnesota Extension. The recovery period for affected dairy cows is longer than initially thought. “It seems like even after a couple of months, cows never quite come back to original production levels so we never quite get that level of milk production back.”

A Grower’s Perspective on HPAI – Kensington, Minnesota turkey grower Erica Sawatzke was part of an impact and issues forum hosted by the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association in Arlington, Virginia this past week. The focus was on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. “Being a turkey producer, something that we have rallied around for almost ten years is to be able to vaccinate our turkeys for High-Path Avian Influenza so that was one of the stronger messages that I brought.” Sawatzke leads the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and sees a need to increase communications between the different livestock species.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist Sam Markell discusses soybean cyst nematode and its impact on dry edible beans. “We would encourage dry bean growers to sample their fields for SCN.” Listen to the show by clicking here.

Soil Moisture Recharge Needed – Despite all the rain that fell on the Northern Plains earlier this year, it was a very dry harvest season. As a result, the soil moisture profile is fairly parched. “It will surprise nobody that really the top say six-to-ten inches is pretty dry,” said NDAWN Director Daryl Ritchison. “If you go deeper than that, most areas are still very moist down there from the rains we had earlier in the year.” It will likely take more than the small rains forecast over the next few weeks, to help restore topsoil moisture. “If you want to get that top, foot of soil with more moisture in it, you will probably need an inch to inch and a half of rain, which is very rare this time of year. Not impossible, but it’s pretty rare.”

Good Stand for Minnesota Sunflowers – Sunflower harvest is well underway for Kennedy, Minnesota farmer Tom Dowdle. “We’ve had to dry them a little bit. They’re coming off around 11 percent moisture and we’re drying them to about nine percent.” Dowdle says the stand was good this year and the sunflowers filled right to the middle.

A Successful Sunflower Harvest – The sunflower harvest is nearing the end. “We’ve still got a few guys that are working on it, probably 70-80 percent harvested across the board,” said Jed Wall, field sales manager, Nuseed. “We’ve had some very positive yields. A lot of guys came in well over a ton.” Wall notes that the sunflowers are performing well, whether they are confection or oil varieties.

Rounding out the Harvest in Western ND – Farmers in western North Dakota are finishing the harvest. “We’re almost done with the corn and definitely on the downhill slide on sunflowers, too,” said Larry Lunder, field agronomist, Pioneer. The yields depend on where you’re at but “anywhere from about 100 bushels (per acre) up to 150 and then, of course, irrigated yields are in the 200-plus (bushels per acre).” For the most part, Lunder is seeing sunflower yields coming in at over a ton per acre. “So as usual, sunflowers find a way to perform regardless of the conditions.”

Spring Rains Paid Off in the End – M.R. Consulting owner Mark Ramsey says the harvest is done in far northeastern North Dakota.”Overall, everybody should be pretty satisfied with what we got for this year of ’24,” said Ramsey. “We got our timely rains in June. Some places a little too much but at the end of the day that really paid off in the end.” With soil temperatures dropping, Ramsey said there are options to control wild oats.

Ahead of Schedule – Shayne Isane, who farms at Badger, Minnesota, is finished with harvest. “We’re very pleased to be done this early in the year. Normally, corn can go several weeks later but it’s good that we have things wrapped up.” Yields came in better than expected. “Prices are pretty poor, but at least we have a good crop.”

A Successful Harvest – The weather has cooperated and Wimbledon, North Dakota farmer Mike Clemens has parked the combine. Clemens’ soybeans came in better than he had hoped. “We started early on the soybeans and it was tough, but they turned out amazing,” said Clemens. “We were really happy with our bean crop this year.”

Yields Down in SW MN/NW IA – Paplow Harvesting finished its harvest run this past week. “The crops we harvested in southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa were down probably 25-to-30 percent compared to last year,” said Paul Paplow. The dry conditions were good for harvest progress but detrimental to the crop. “Some of the crop was a lot drier than what we’d like to harvest, definitely some yield loss there.”

Rain Clouds MIA in Western NoDak – Robert Ferebee, who farms at Halliday, North Dakota, only saw rain once during harvest season. “We just completed the corn crop and the corn was very really poor. We had no rain, we had an inch of rain from July until today.” Ferebee said that wasn’t enough to fill out the ears. .”

Bushels Are There for Corn, Not for Soybeans – Ryan Wanzek, who farms near Cleveland, North Dakota, hopes to finish his corn within the next two weeks. “We haven’t had any harvest breaks, so everybody’s getting pretty tired.” Wanzek is happy with the corn yields but not the soybeans. “All the corn yields have been good. It’s creating a lot slower harvest pace, but that’s a good problem to have,” said Wanzek. “I think most people are a little bit disappointed with the bean yields. We thought we had a record out there and it just wasn’t there; we ran out of sunlight.”

Navigating Crop Challenges – Genetics, environmental conditions and management are the biggest factors for crop production. “The most challenging one is that the environment changes every year,” said Zach Fore, product agronomist, Pioneer. “This year, it looked like if you were pushing maturity that might have been a bad decision and it turned out not to be.” Fore told RRFN there is no right or wrong answer regarding the maturity if the decision is based on the best information available at the time.

Working Through Harvest Delays – For Dazey, North Dakota farmer Justin Sherlock, harvest is approaching the finish line. “We’ve had some delays to our corn harvest. It went really well early on, but there were lots of breakdowns.” There are numerous reports of better-than-expected corn yields in the region. “Most of what we farm is low ground so we had a lot of moisture this year and we’re happy with average; we’ll take it.”

Happy With the Yields – Ag Advantage Consulting owner Jonathan Erickson thinks the corn harvest will be done in the Cooperstown, North Dakota in another week. “It came out dry and for the most part, 16-to-18 (percent moisture) so they’re really happy,” said Erickson. “There was some corn and soybeans that had a significant loss with the high winds, but for the most part guys are pleasantly surprised so that helps in the year-end.”

Tar Spot Concerns – Tar spot has been detected in southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, and southeastern North Dakota. “We haven’t seen high enough levels to cause significant yield loss,” says Dean Malvick, plant pathologist at the University of Minnesota. “That doesn’t mean it can’t cause significant losses going forward.” Some areas in southeastern Minnesota have had bigger issues. “The early infection seems to be critical in the fields where we’re getting the yield loss.”

Corn Leafhopper ID’ed in MN for First Time – This invasive insect is native to Mexico and was first detected in the United States in the 1940s. The insect has expanded since that time. In September, there was a significant infestation on V4-to-V5 corn in a trial plot near the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus. The corn leafhopper is a vector for corn stunting diseases. Seed treatments are considered an effective management tool.

The Bins are Full – For eastern and northern South Dakota the soybeans were just average. “We were kind of hoping for more due to the rainfall we had but I think those soybeans were just sitting in a lot of excess moisture,” said Cody Olson, territory sales manager, Peterson Farms Seed. The corn was decent. “The farmers bins are full and they’re taking the excess to the elevator right away.”

Storing Corn and Hoping for Better Prices – Andy Schott, Kulm, North Dakota, is disappointed in his soybeans. “A lot of them were five-to-ten bushels less than what we expected. We needed above APH soybeans just to break even.” The results were better for corn and Schott said storage will be the name of the game for that crop.

Late Freight – Columbia Grain grain buyer Tyler Stegman is watching the corn harvest advance rapidly. Stegman, who is based at the Arvilla, North Dakota location, says the process of moving dry corn has been a little slow. “Every piece of freight that we’ve had in here has been on the late side, it hasn’t been extremely late, but it’s definitely a week or so behind.”

Grain Elevators Full for Now – Corn is backing up in the system with many grain elevators full from the harvest rush. Advance Trading Risk Management Advisor Tommy Grisafi said it is a timing issue. “Everyone pushed back freight and trains because they said we can’t have a train showing up in September, we may not have a crop,” said Grisafi. “Remember the talk about leaving the corn in the field because it was so wet and letting it dry through the winter? That corn is coming off 15 percent moisture and going right to town.” Grisafi said the cash market will respond when the shuttle trains are on the schedule. “There is a phenomenal crop, but it’s not that it was so big that the elevator system will be overplugged for months.”

A Record Crop for ACSC – The sugarbeet harvest officially ended for American Crystal Sugar Company on October 26. It was a record crop. “It’s about 13.2 million tons or just a tad over that and it looks like we’re going to end up around 32.4 for tons per acre so that will be a record as well,” said Joe Hastings, general agronomist. “For recoverable sugar per acre, I’m thinking we’re going to be second compared to last year but still very good. It was a great year for that too with sugar at about 18.5 (percent).”

Beet Stock Values – American Crystal Sugar Company beet stock is trending at $5,600 per share. According to Acres & Shares broker, Jayson Menke, 232 shares have been brokered the past two weeks at $5,600 per share.

Potato Harvest Nears Completion – Northland Potato Growers Association Executive Director Gary Shields said less than five percent of the crop is left to harvest. “Yield is good. Some varieties didn’t quite size, but overall it was a good crop.” The dry harvest weather was a bit challenging, but the potatoes are in good shape to store for the year.

Tough Start for Winter Wheat – The winter wheat got off to a slow start this fall. “We’ve been extremely dry from about August on,” said Jon Kleinjan, executive director, South Dakota Wheat Commission. Emergence is well behind the norm for this date. “Some places are worse than others, but overall we just need some rain to get the crop going.”

Timing Fall Nitrogen Applications – The optimal time to apply fall nitrogen is when soil temperatures drop below 50 degrees. “There’s wide areas that have not gotten below 50 and that’s 50 degrees at six inches,” says Brad Carlson, extension educator at the University of Minnesota. “We really look at trying to prevent nitrogen from turning into nitrate.” Nitrates are more easily lost, so ensuring the right soil temperature and conditions is crucial to maximize the efficacy of inputs.

Evaluating Soil Tests – CHS Ag Services sales agronomist Mackenzie Derry says most farmers in the Hillsboro, North Dakota area are pleasantly surprised with this year’s crop and are busy planning for next year. “If guys had hailed-out fields and things like that, we’re working through how we would approach next year’s fertility. Are those nutrients going to be available next year? How do we want to approach this?”

MFBF Minute – Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmer and Rancher Committee Chair Jessie Bester is featured in this week’s MFBF Minute to talk about the LEAP Conference. The event will be held in January, but the first registration deadline before December 13. Listen to the report.

Positive Economic Report – According to the Commerce Department, the Gross Domestic Product increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent. That’s below the three percent rate in the second quarter, but above the level expected by industry analysts. The news comes ahead of the November 7th interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve.

Trade Deficit Widens – The U.S. trade deficit increased to $108 billion in September. That’s up nearly 15 percent from a year ago and it is at the highest level since March of 2022. Imports were up as companies stockpiled products due to a threat of a dockworker strike on the East Coast and the Gulf.

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 says the lean hog market continues to put in new highs. “We’re also looking at a very strong vegetable oil market with bean oil trading up to two-year highs and we’re also seeing canola pushing pretty good off the back of a strong palm oil market.” Cattle futures had a tough week last week and that is in the ‘not hot’ category.

SD Corn Comments – Chad Stoterau, an independent hog producer and row crop farmer from Garretson, South Dakota, joins this week’s Corn Comments to talk about Pork Month. This update is made possible by the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council. Listen to the report. 

Economic Power From Poultry – The U.S. poultry industry is responsible for over 2 million jobs and nearly $664 billion in economic activity. The U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers updated its economic impact study. In the state breakdowns, the report said the poultry business has a $29.4 billion economic impact in Minnesota; a $4.4 billion impact in South Dakota and $2.2 billion impact in North Dakota.

Pure Prairie Poultry Politics – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and Minnesota Congressman Brad Finstad are weighing in on the Pure Prairie Poultry bankruptcy, which resulted in the euthanization of a million-plus chickens in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. The lawmakers argued there wasn’t enough oversight of the USDA loans and grants given to the Minnesota poultry processor. Grassley and Finstad sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, seeking answers.

ND Has Resources Available for Animal Agriculture – In the last North Dakota legislative session, lawmakers took action to grow animal agriculture in the state. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said stringent environmental standards are in place, including the setback requirements. A task force is considering changes to the setback distances that would be “less restrictive than they are now, but still more restrictive than what is seen in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.” Goehring said resources are in place to assist animal agriculture operations, including the proposed dairy farms in eastern North Dakota. “Farmers are just bursting at the seams waiting for animal agriculture to show up in their community,” said Goehring. “They just want another market and quite frankly quite a few of them have said they’d love the manure. It’s a nice natural fertilizer that has a lot of bioactivity and a lot of micronutrients for raising a crop so there’s a lot of interest.”

A Firsthand Look at Riverview Dairy – Two major dairies are proposed in eastern North Dakota; a 25,000-cow operation east of Hillsboro and a 12,500-cow farm near Abercrombie. Morris, Minnesota-based Riverview is the company behind these two dairy farms. Riverview is a dairy, beef and crop farm with locations in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arizona and New Mexico. Riverview gave the Red River Farm Network a tour of its 10,500-cow dairy farm in Minnesota’s Wilkin County. More than 100 cows are milked at the same time on a huge rotary parlor. The milk is sold to five different cheese processors. Surprisingly, there were no odor issues on the day of our tour with the manure going to sealed storage lagoons on the farm. Cutting-edge technologies are constantly being evaluated, including a rainwater capture system that promotes self-sufficiency. Riverview is 75 percent employee-owned and has a multi-million dollar impact on the local community. Riverview encourages people to tour their facilities, including Campbell Dairy in Campbell, Minnesota and Waukon Dairy at Gary, Minnesota.

BOAH Downplays RFID Privacy Concerns – Tuesday is Election Day, but it is also the date electronic identification becomes the law for cattle and bison farms. Minnesota Board of Animal Health Senior Veterinarian Dr. Katie Cornille said the BOAH will only use the tags in the surveillance of cattle for possible disease. “These tags can’t be read remotely so there’s no way I can remotely collect any information from the tags,” said Cornille. “There’s no way for us to get any private or any kind of information from those tags.”

MN Beef Update – Minnesota Beef Council CEO Kelly Schmidt joins this week’s update to discuss the Top of the Class Program. This program focuses on future leaders and advocates for the Minnesota beef industry. Listen to the report. 

Increasing Traceability – The goal of the new electronic identification rule is to increase animal disease traceability. The rule does not impact all cattle movement. “It’s mostly your breeding stock that are moving,” said Kaitlyn Root, executive director, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association. “As far as that USDA interstate, we’re looking at about 11 percent of the U.S. cattle herd being impacted by the rule.” Free ear tags are available. “More free tags are coming; for producers who submitted that request to the Board of Animal Health and haven’t received their tags yet, please, be patient and know that they’re coming.”

RFID Legal Battle – R-CALF USA, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance are suing USDA to try and block the mandatory electronic identification rule. The groups claim the current animal disease traceability system works and this change is not needed.

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. Randy Spronk is a water quality certified producer from Pipestone County and talks about the importance of third-party certification. Listen to this edition of Farming for the Future. 

Heavier Cattle at Wishek Livestock – The calves have started rolling into Wishek Livestock Auction in south-central North Dakota. “It seems like they’re coming off a little heavier. I think that’s just because the grass did well,” reports manager Missy Walth. In her view, area ranchers are looking at backgrounding calves to maximize cheap feed and high cattle prices. The yearlings had a good run and were on the heavier side as well.

Lightweight Calves in Demand – The busy season has set in for Tri-County Stockyards and Perham Stockyards in central Minnesota. Lighter calves are seeing top prices this year. “We’re selling 400-550 pound steers bringing $3-to-$3.60 (per pound),” said owner Mitch Barthel. “Historically when I see big runs of calves in the first part of November that weighs on the market. This year, it doesn’t seem to weighing on the market as much.”

Improvements Made to Rugby Livestock Auction – Rugby Livestock Auction is upgrading its facilities. Auctioneer Mike Ostrem says it will improve the experience for its customers. “We did quite a bit of work in the back pens improving what we had there as well as adding some pens,” said Ostrem. “We changed our yard a little bit in the way the alleys run to help expedite the sale and help the flow of cattle throughout the day.”  The decision to make the improvements was based on an increase in headcounts. Rugby Livestock’s weekly sale is on Mondays. A special feeder cattle auction is scheduled on November 11 for Charolais-cross and Black Angus-cross influenced cattle. (Story Credit: KZZJ Radio-Rugby)

Waiting for Harvest to End – The run of new-crop calves has not started for Lake Region Livestock in Devils Lake. “Guys in northeast North Dakota are just finishing harvest,” reports owner Chris Plummer. “As long as this weather stays decent for field work, I think that’ll slow the calf run a bit.” Plummer is uncertain about what to expect for this market. “It’s hard to keep a heifer when she’s worth $1,500 weighing in the middle of the fives.”

Maximizing Corn Stalks for Cattle – Grazing corn stalks after harvest isn’t as popular as it once was, but the benefits remain clear. “For cattle producers, it provides a relatively inexpensive feed source, especially during a time when grass pastures are depleted,” says Heather Gessner, a livestock business management field specialist with South Dakota State University Extension. “From the crop perspective, it helps clean up corn residue and reduces volunteer corn for the following year.” There are several factors to consider when determining rental rates for this arrangement. For more information, visit the SDSU Extension website.

Opportunity Seen in the African Market – The U.S. Meat Export Federation was represented at this year’s SIAL Paris Food Expo. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom sees a lot of opportunity in the African market for U.S. meat. “We definitely see that region of the world as a region that has the ability to expand in a great way. probably more of an immediate opportunity for beef, specifically, beef variety meats. We’re already seeing established business on things like beef livers and beef kidneys in markets like Egypt.”

Talking Conservation with Feikema Farms – A significant rain event ten years ago prompted a change in farming practices for the Feikama family in southwest Minnesota. As we learn from Becky Feikema, the transition was successfully made to strip tillage and cover crops. Feikema also highlights Farmers for Soil Health and a documentary that is sharing the family’s story in a very unique way. Talking Conservation is a presentation of Farmers for Soil Health, the Conservation Technology Information Center, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, and the Red River Farm Network. Watch the interview on the RRFN YouTube Channel.

USDA Responds to Crop and Livestock Losses – USDA is responding to the recent hurricanes and the 2022 drought with a financial shot in the arm for farmers. A total of $143 million in crop insurance indemnities are being made to Florida farmers impacted by Hurricane Milton. There’s also $92 million being made available to livestock producers nationwide who faced increased supplemental feed costs due to forage losses in 2022. Contact the Farm Service Agency to apply for the USDA Emergency Livestock Relief Program payments.

MFU Minute – Minnesota Farmers Union Program Director of Climate and Working Lands Ariel Kagan is featured in this week’s MFU Minute. Kagen talks about hosting the upcoming Green Ammonia Summit in Morris, Minnesota. Listen to the update.

Agtegra Receives USDA Fertilizer Grant – USDA is awarding over $120 million to fund six fertilizer projects through its Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. Agtegra Cooperative in South Dakota is receiving a $3 million grant to build a fertilizer manufacturing facility and to increase its storage capacity. The other projects are in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Washington and Wisconsin.

DOT Awards Funds to Regional Railroad – The Department of Transportation has awarded nearly $21 million to the Red River Valley & Western Railroad Company. The money will be used to replace 25 miles of rail between Gwinner and Oakes, North Dakota, and build two new sidings to hold trains near Casselton.

Outdoor Heritage Fund Grants Awarded – The North Dakota Industrial Commission has approved $2.3 million in Outdoor Heritage Fund matching grants. The projects funded include more than $762,000 to the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust for Working Grasslands Partnership, which gives cost-share funds for landowners to transition CRP acres to grazing. This program is funded by oil and gas production tax revenue.

An Investment in Local Food Systems – USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service awarded over $33.5 million to strengthen local food systems. Over 100 grant projects received the funding. That includes $500,000 for Dakota Angus at Drake, North Dakota to add a value-added farm-to-consumer beef program. Three projects in Minnesota received federal grants. That includes The Good Acre in St. Paul to build opportunities for small-scale, racially diverse produce farmers, receiving over $498,000. The Good Group Minnesota at New Hope was awarded nearly $400,000 to establish an affordable grocery program for underserved local farmers, including farmers of color. Over $305,000 is being provided to the Land Stewardship Project in Minneapolis to build a community-led local food system in west-central Minnesota.

Job Opportunities in Agriculture – Are you looking for a career change? The Red River Farm Network posts job opportunities on our website. The Beltrami County FSA and Kittson County FSA offices have fantastic opportunities available today. November 12 is the application deadline for both positions. Visit the RRFN site for more details.

A Jam-Packed Schedule for Potato Expo – Potato Expo will be held in Orlando on January 9 and 10. “We have over 30 sessions that we’ll be putting on across three stages,” reports Hollee Alexander, vice president of industry relations and events, National Potato Council. “We’re able to have the format of the expo hall similar to the way it’s been the last two years where everything’s in one area so we have the expo stage in the exhibit hall and our breakout sessions all connected to that hall.” Registration can be done online. RRFN will broadcast from Potato Expo.

New BRICS Trading Platform Proposed – The BRICS nations plan to establish a new grain commodities trading platform. After a three-day summit in Russia, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa made the decision to move forward. A key Russian official said this will be one of the world’s largest agricultural markets.

Fielding Questions Featuring David Krenz – In the Fielding Questions podcast, AgCountry Farm Credit Services Market Vice President David Krenz offers year-end reminders for farmers and ranchers as they start preparing for next year. Fielding Questions is a collaboration between AgCountry Farm Credit Services and the Red River Farm Network. Listen to the Fielding Questions podcast. 

The Next Generation of Liberty Herbicide – Liberty ULTRA herbicide powered by Glu-L Technology will be available for the 2025 growing season. BASF Technical Service Representative Eric Schultz said this is the next generation of Liberty herbicide. “BASF has had glufosinate-ammonium as part of the portfolio for a very short time and already went right to work innovating that active ingredient and Liberty ULTRA innovation with the Glu-L Technology and the Liberty Lock formulation,” said Schultz. “All these things put together lead to up to 20 percent better efficacy versus other glufosinate-ammonium herbicides on the market.” In this regio, the Liberty ULTRA tool will be available for glufosinate-enabled corn, soybean, and canola acres. Liberty ULTRA has received approval from the EPA and is awaiting state approvals. Listen to the full interview.

A Grand Opening Four Years in the Making – Syngenta Crop Protection has opened its new North American headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. Syngenta announced it was reassessing its location four years ago and made the decision to remain in Greensboro in 2021. The expansion on the existing campus began in March of 2022. The new space includes upgrades to its 100,000 square-foot laboratory.

Syngenta Group Sales Flat With a Year Ago – The Syngenta Group’s third-quarter sales totaled $6.8 billion. Sales for the crop division business declined three percent with difficult weather affecting the application season. The company said customer buying behavior is shifting toward a pre-COVID pattern with farmers ordering closer to the time of application. The Syngenta seed business enjoyed three percent year-over-year gains.

A Strong Quarter for FMC Corporation – FMC had third quarter income of $1.07 billion, up nine percent from the same quarter of 2023. In North America, revenues increased 48 percent year-over-year driven by strong volume growth. Pricing challenges in Brazil and Argentina were more than offset by volume growth. Globally, profits in the plant health business improved 11 percent with much of that growth happening with biologicals.

Bunge 3Q Results Released – Bunge reported third-quarter net income of $221 million. That’s down from $373 million in the same quarter one year ago. Increased volumes were seen in the grain trading and oilseed processing business segments. Bunge officials said it is still waiting approval from Canadian and Chinese regulators for its acquisition of Viterra. That deal was announced last summer.

Income Rises for CF Industries – CF Industries finished the third quarter with net earnings of $276 million. That’s up from $164 million in the same quarter last year. Nitrogen pricing got a boost in the third quarter due to strong global demand and natural gas shortages. While grain prices are under pressure, CF Industries said the fall application season should be positive in the United States and Canada.

Profits Up for Pilgrim’s Pride – Pilgrim’s Pride finished the third quarter with operating profit of $508 million. That’s up from $206 million in the same quarter last year. The bottom-line for the country’s second largest chicken processor was helped by lower grain prices and strong demand.

Smith Takes Over as NDSU Pesticide Specialist – With the retirement of Andrew Thostenson as the pesticide program specialist at NDSU Extension, Madeleine Smith is now in that role. “Andrew Thostenson has done a great job in building up the pesticide program here at NDSU and providing a solid basis of training and information for folks and I’m excited to take over where he left off.” Smith is already looking ahead to 2025 and some of the issues that will require attention. “There is a lot of activity now from EPA with the Endangered Species Act. We have label changes, the chemicals that are going to come down the road here that are going to be a little bit more complex to navigate than they have been in the past. That’s something that we’re going to try and focus on in our training.” Previously, Smith was a plant pathologist at University of Minnesota Extension in Crookston.

MFBF Announces 2024 Award Winners – The Minnesota Farm Bureau will be presenting its Distinguished Service Award to three individuals during its annual meeting November 23. The honorees are former Minnesota State Fair CEO Jerry Hammer, former USDA Wildlife Services Supervisor John Hart and former University of Minnesota Extension Outreach Director and farm broadcaster Tom Rothman.

ISU Honors Myers – Hillary Myers is being recognized as the Iowa State University Outstanding Young Alumni Award honoree. Myers is the U.S. domestic soybean meal commercial leader for Cargill. She is a former Minnesota FFA state president and current member of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council.

ASA Trailblazer Passes – A former executive director of the American Soybean Association has died. Ken Bader led ASA from 1976-to-1992 and was also instrumental in creating the national soybean checkoff program. A celebration of life for Bader, 90, will be held December 15 in Chesterfield, Missouri.