Inflation Accelerates – The September Consumer Price Index rose 8.2 percent. That’s down from 8.3 percent in August, but above trade expectations. The food-at-home index increased 13 percent over the past year. The index for cereals and bakery goods was up more than 16 percent. The meat, poultry and eggs index jumped nine percent and the dairy product index was up 15.9 percent.

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In this week’s editon of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson outlines the geopolitical events impacting the wheat market. Cattle and hog futures are on the bearish side of the ledger with inflation being a major consideration.

Headline Driven Markets – Following the explosion of a bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, Russia retaliated by bombing civilian areas across Ukraine. StoneX Group Chief Commodities Economist Arlan Suderman says there’s a fear in the marketplace about escalation of this war. “There’s been a lot of talk about nuclear (war). The odds of that are likely small, but the fact it’s being talked about has traders on edge adding risk premium to the markets.”

Competing for Tight Supplies – The U.S. faces tough competition in the export market. Summit Commodities market analyst Tom Pfitzenmaier cites the corn and wheat moving out of the Ukraine at substantially lower prices than the U.S. Gulf. “Brazil is also set to have a record soybean crop; the dollar doesn’t help, because the Brazilian real is dropping, making us less competitive.” Cornbelt Marketing market analyst Sam Hudson says domestic demand is also seizing the supply. “The feeders and processors are getting it now,” said Hudson. “Are we going to cannibalize demand and never get it back because South America will raise more?”

China Returns to the Market – China purchased U.S. soybeans for three consecutive days at the end of this past week. “They’ve been woefully behind and all of a sudden, bam, they come into the markets,” said Jerry Gulke, president, Gulke Group. “It was probably time to buy because Brazil is still three or four months away (from harvesting a crop) so if they need beans, they need to come here.” Gulke is encouraging growers to monitor demand. “China bought beans, they didn’t buy any corn. They’re way behind some of the targets that they have in place and that’s the one to look for.”

No Delayed Pricing – Kristi Van Ahn, market analyst, Van Ahn and Company, is seeing a few grain elevators in the Alexandria, Minnesota area go to a cash-only bid for soybeans. “If you’re bringing in soybeans that are not contracted, they’re being forced to be cashed out or you cannot drop them.” In prior years, Van Ahn said elevators have adopted this policy when the basis was exceptionally wide. “Basis is wide, but not as much as in previous years. Elevators are trying to find a happy medium, saying we can’t get this moved right now.”

Russia Steps Up Its Attack – Russia is hitting Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv with a series of so-called kamikaze drones. Before this strike, similar drones hit a sunflower oil terminal at one of the major Ukrainian port cities.

UN Grain Corridor Deal in Jeopardy – Russian complaints about the humanitarian grain lane puts the future of Black Sea grain and fertilizer shipments at risk. The United Nations helped put this deal together in July to address global food insecurity issues. Russia is now seeking concessions from the UN and Ukraine and may let the agreement expire after the November 19 deadline. The shipping corridor agreement is expected to be discussed during the United Nations FAO meeting this week in Rome.

Ukrainian Official Voices Optimism About Grain Deal – Government officials from Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations met this weekend to discuss the Black Sea grain deal. During the meeting, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said this grain corridor will continue to operate after the current deal expires November 19. Last week, Russian President Putin said the agreement may not be renewed.

Numerous Market Influences in the Black Sea – It is unclear if the Black Sea grain deal will be renewed. NDSU Extension Crops Economist Frayne Olson says this is just one of many dynamics at play in the region. There’s also a bottleneck at Istanbul due to a lack of workers to inspect the grain shipments. “There’s work happening on that now.” The markets are jittery with the USDA reports saying the wheat crop wasn’t as big as expected. There are also uncertainties about the availability of fertilizer. “In the Northern Plains, we don’t buy a lot of that fertilizer, but because the supplies coming out of Russia are lower, it means the competition in the global market for supplies is higher.”

Xi Expands Power – During this week’s Communist Party Congress, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to win an unprecedented third term. Xi kicked off the political event over the weekend. In the speech, Xi addressed numerous topics, including food security and self-sufficiency.

Possible Rail Strike Complicates Northern Plains Grain Movement – Members of the third largest railroad union voted against ratification of the tentative contract agreement with the Class I railroads. Negotiations will resume in hopes of preventing a strike. A strike could happen as soon as November 19. If a work stoppage happens, North Dakota Grain Dealers Association Executive Vice President Stu Letcher says it would likely miss the majority of the Northern Plains harvest. However, a strike would still have some effect on grain movement. Additional rail complications are expected due to the barge backup. “With barge traffic slowing or being restricted, I think that would push more grain to the rails.”

River Shipping Costs Double – With parts of the Mississippi River at record low levels, the cost to ship grain and fertilizer has gone through the roof. The cost to ship a ton of corn from St. Louis to southern Louisiana approached $106 October 11. That compares to $50 at the end of September and $28 one year ago. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing emergency dredging on some portions of the river to accommodate commercial traffic, but there is no end in sight for the low water problem. Another problem is on the horizon with the planned removal of a gas pipeline. A series of closures and restrictions on the Lower Mississippi River is expected through early November.

Dairy Industry Seeks Better Ocean Freight Service – Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel Maffei sat down with representatives of the U.S. Dairy Export Council and National Milk Producers Federation to discuss supply chain issues. The dairy groups emphasized the continuing problems with high costs, unreliable scheduling and the need for better service from the ocean freight system.

Soybean Yield Forecast Adjusted Lower – As expected, the USDA lowered the U.S. corn yield forecast. Yields are estimated at 171.9 bushels per acre, a decline from 172.5 bushels per acre last month. Traders expected soybean yields to be in line with September, but USDA lowered that number to 49.8 bushels per acre. Read the latest crop production report.

A Friendly Soybean Report – Total Farm Marketing Senior Market Advisor Naomi Blohm is slightly surprised with the soybean figure in the crop production report. “The soybean yield at 49.8 bushels per acre was lower than the average trade guess, down substantially from September; this will help keep soybean prices supported.” Blohm described the report as neutral for corn and neutral to bearish for wheat.

USDA Forecasts MN Yields – USDA is forecasting Minnesota corn yields at 190 bushels per acre, up 13 bushels from one year ago. Average soybean yields are expected to total 50 bushels per acre, up three bushels from 2021. According to the crop production report, Minnesota dry beans have an average yield of 2,280 pounds per acre. The sugarbeet yield is forecast at 25.3 tons per acre.

ND Yields Updated – Based on October 1 conditions, North Dakota farmers can expect an average yield of 141 bushels per acre. That’s up from 105 bushels per acre after last year’s drought. Corn acreage is down 26 percent from a year ago. North Dakota’s average soybean yield is forecast at 35 bushels per acre. Dry bean yields are estimated at 1,810 pounds per are. The average sugarbeet yield is 25.7 tons per acre. USDA says canola yields averaged 1,920 pounds per acre.

SD Corn Yields Expected to be Down Slightly From Last Year – In the October crop production report, USDA said South Dakota farmers will have an average corn yield of 130 bushels per acre, down four bushels from last year. Soybean yields are predicted to average 40 bushels per acre, unchanged from a year ago.

Dry Conditions Worsen Across Minnesota and Dakotas – In this past week, the U.S. Drought Monitor expanded the area with severe and extreme drought in southern Minnesota. In North Dakota, a new area of severe drought stretches from McLean to Eddy and Foster counties. In South Dakota, extreme drought has popped up in the southwestern part of the state. The majority of the map for all three states is a mix of color, ranging from abnormally dry to extreme, and in the case of South Dakota, exceptional drought.

Soil Moisture Recharge Worries – The weather across the region has transitioned from unseasonably warm to cold. “Sooner or later, you’ve got to pay the piper.” Drew Lerner, senior ag meteorologist, World Weather Inc., says a very slow moving trough of low pressure is foreshadowing what will be seen in the winter season. Lerner is concerned about the longer-term forecast and the soil moisture profile. “Not only the Northern Plains, but throughout a big part of the key U.S. crop areas. I’m looking at the possibility of less than usual precipitation in certain areas this winter.” Hear the latest weather forecast. 

MN Wheat Minute – In the weekly Minnesota Wheat Minute, CEO Charlie Vogel gives a harvest recap.

Fighting Through the Dust and Dirt – Aberdeen, South Dakota farmer Heather Beaner is wrapping up soybeans. Corn is next on the list. Wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour blew across the area this week. Beaner says they’re powering through the difficult conditions. “We have never had such dusty beans. If we didn’t have autosteer, we wouldn’t be able to stay on the rows at night because the dust is so thick coming out of the hedge. Our beans are just bone dry.”

Winter Wheat Needs Moisture – South Dakota Wheat Commission Executive Director Reid Christopherson says the dryness has hurt winter wheat emergence. “A nice shot of rain would help, but I don’t see that in the near future. Humidity is low, the wind is high and temperatures are cooling off as we head into fall. It’s a wait and see.”

Pioneer Agronomy Update – With little to no August moisture, expectations were muted for the soybean crop. “The numbers are coming in and we’re talking upper 40s-to-50 bushels per acre and all the way up to 70 bushel beans,” reports Kevin Sinner, field agronomist, Pioneer. A big corn crop is coming with many 200+ bushel per acre yields reported. The corn is drying down quickly with the recent wind and warm temperatures. Sinner says the early sunflower yields are also positive. “We know the soil is dry and we know we need a recharge so hopefully Mother Nature can bless us and give us rain after harvest wraps up. See the entire interview in the Pioneer Agronomy Update.

No Bin Buster – Mount Vernon, South Dakota farmer Kevin Deinert says this year’s crop is no bin buster. “Corn has generally been disappointing with yields anywhere from half to one-third of what the typical yields. Soybeans yields are probably half of what they are normally as well.”

Good and Bad Yields – Richard Syverson has his soybeans in the bin and he’s busy preparing for corn. “I’m running around trying to get the dryer ready to go.” The Clontarf, Minnesota farmer says the soybean yields varied widely. “From poor soil where they really suffered for lack of moisture late in the season to places where they had ample soil moisture, I’ve had some of the poorest beans I’ve ever raised and some of the best I’ve ever had all in the same year.” Syverson is president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.

Dried Down – Matthew Krueger says the soybeans are dry coming out of the field. “Probably a little too dry at the moment, but there’s not much we can do about that.” Corn samples are in the 20 percent moisture range. Krueger, East Grand Forks, grew sunflowers for the first time this year. “We would like to poke around and see the moisture content. Ideally, it would be great to get sunflowers harvested before corn.”

Beet Stock Values – According to Acres & Shares broker Jayson Menke, week 82 American Crystal Sugar Company beet shares were traded at this past week at $4,450 per share.

Beets Exceed Expectations – At Crookston, Minnesota, Kevin Capistran has his sugarbeets in the pile. “Versus historical averages, we probably had better sugar content and yields, but given planting circumstances it’s pretty amazing what that plant did this year.”

‘A Good Year for the Farm’ – Saint Thomas, North Dakota farmer Allen Tucker is pleasantly surprised with the sugarbeet tonnage and sugar content. “There was a difficult start to the growing season, but we had plenty of sunshine and moisture and we have an above-average sugarbeet crop that we weren’t expecting.” Tucker’s potatoes and dry edible beans were wrapped up earlier this month. “Beautiful crops with good quality. It’s a good year for the farm, we needed a recovery year and we got it.”

Nearly Done – The end is in sight for the sugarbeet campaign.  “A lot of guys are done,” said Nick Revier, sales manager, SES VanderHave. “I would say by the middle of this next week we’ll pretty much be done and anytime that we can get done before the last week in October, we’re happy.” Sugarbeet yields are average, which is good considering the late planting date. The sugar content improved in recent days.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, Kelly Bean Company location managers for southeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota give us harvest recaps. The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by SRS Commodities, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, and BASF.

A New Perspective on Trade – The White House newly-released National Security Strategy includes a change in trade policy. The report says the United States’ focus on fair and open trade has helped corporations rather than workers. The Biden Administration said it will seek new trade opportunities that protect labor standards and the environment. To combat food insecurity, the Administration plans to keep agricultural markets open, increase fertilizer production and invest in climate-smart agriculture.

Interpreting Biden Trade Strategy – The Biden Administration is taking a different approach to trade. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Executive Director of Government Affairs Kent Baucus says the White House is not negotiating traditional trade agreements involving market access provisions to remove tariffs. “Instead, they’re called dialogues and initiative frameworks where they’re trying to identify non-tariff barriers and some technical barriers to trade,” said Baucus. “In trade nerd speak, that means they’re looking for big segments of market access where they don’t have to deal with tariffs.” Baucus says removing non-tariff trade barriers is important, but so is full market access.

Corn Matters – In the latest Corn Matters, hear more about the Export Exchange with U.S. Grains Council Director of Industry Relations Ellen Zimmerman.

Midterm Elections and the Impact for Agriculture – There’s currently a 50-50 split in the Senate and a narrowly-divided House. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles says the midterm election could change the majority in both chambers. “As we head into 2023, there will be an entirely new Congress and that will characterize what the challenges may be in putting together a new farm bill, the various spending bills and is it still possible to get to an ag labor reform agreement.” Whatever happens with the election,  the farm bill still expires in 2023. “Our job is to givel them the absolute best advice on how to move our industry forward.”

The Farm Bill is Front and Center – Farm groups are ramping up their preparation for the next farm bill. “Trade associations representing all segments of the agriculture and food value chain are starting to look at farm bill priorities, especially with annual meetings coming up,” said Randy Russell, president, The Russell Group. Russell thinks there is more interest in making changes for the next farm bill, beyond just extending the legislation. The need for change is driven by a few factors. “The input costs and inflationary impacts on the cost side of the equation for farmers. I also think there’s going to be enormous focus on this money made available in the Inflation Reduction Act. There’s $20 billion available for ag related conservation programs.”

AFBF Outlines Farm Bill Priorities – That list includes the continuation of current farm bill funding, prioritization of crop insurance, and adequate staffing and resources for USDA technical assistance. “We also believe that transparency is needed in our dairy system,” said Zippy Duvall, president, American Farm Bureau Federation. “We believe that because higher costs of production, it justifies the increase in the reference prices for the Title I commodities to ensure farmers remain economically viable.” The AFBF board of directors unanimously approved the policy recommendations, but the final approval will come during the group’s annual meeting in January.

MFBF Minute – The Minnesota Farm Bureau Annual Convention is coming up. Hear what Minnesota Farm Bureau has planned for the event in this week’s MFBF Minute.

FBN: Adjustments Anticipated for Fertilizer – Over the past two years, urea prices rose nearly 200 percent and DAP prices are up 112 percent. Farmers Business Network has released its first Fertilizer Price Transparency Report. FBN found the high price of fertilizer will cause farmers to adjust application rates and cropping choices. Forty-three percent of the farmers surveyed said their would increase wheat acreage in 2023. Twenty four percent of farmers plan to increase corn acres and 22 percent hope to increase soybean acreage.

High Court to Determine the Fate of Prop 12 – The Supreme Court heard arguments regarding California’s Proposition 12, which mandates stringent housing requirements for pregnant sows. California Solicitor General Michael Mongan said this initiative won’t affect pork markets outside of California. “California voters chose to pay higher prices to serve their local interest in refusing to provide a market to products they viewed as morally objectional.” Department of Justice Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler argued Prop 12 would disrupt interstate commerce and the question of morality should be a state-by-state basis. “This case turns on the fact that the product was produced a certain way out of state before being brought into the state. That is interstate commerce.”

NCBA Denounces Google Feature – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association denounced Google’s new sustainability search feature that provides climate information on cattle production. NCBA President Don Schiefelbein released a statement claiming Google is using its resources to target cattle producers and ignore the science that demonstrates beef’s sustainability and value to the environment. NCBA is urging Google to consider the science of beef production before making the new feature widely available.

MN Beef Update – It’s a busy time of year for both crop and cattle producers. In the latest Minnesota Beef Update, Minnesota Beef Council CEO Kelly Schmidt thanks farmers and ranchers for their hard work this season.

Optimism for Fall Feeder Cattle Run – Aberdeen Livestock Auction co-owner Kevin Larson says first glimpse into the feeder cattle run has left him feeling optimistic. “The market looks really strong for how high our feed costs are, we’re looking at this thing to be more bullish than I expected it to be.” Demand for yearlings were good as the last of those trickle through sale barns. “You see a lot of those really good front-end yearlings around 900 pounds, bringing $1.80 plus.”

The Shrinking Cow Herd – Beef cow slaughter has been on the upward trend for nearly four years. NDSU Extension Livestock Specialist Tim Petry says you can expect cow liquidation to continue. across the U.S. “Fifty-five percent of our beef cow herd is an area of drought. particularly in the Southern Plains where there’s an early movement of calves and the forced liquidation of cows.” The U.S. hasn’t seen cow herd numbers this low since 2014. “That’s certainly going to be supportive of prices in the future.”

Grazing Corn Residue – With harvest going full speed, the option to graze corn residue is on the table for livestock producers. North Dakota State University Beef Cattle Specialist Zac Carlson says it’s a win-win for soil health and as a cattle feed source. “The driver for grazing corn stalks is having optimal fall weather for grazing and managing soil and cattle health.”  Carlson says utilization of cattle on corn stalks looks different on the animal. “For producers that are just weaned with dry cows, those are the optimal animals to put on corn residue.”

Milk Pricing System Scrutinized – Last year, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack requested the U.S. dairy industry get into one room and build consensus to find solutions to the shortfalls in the federal order system. American Farm Bureau economist Danny Munsch says the system hasn’t been updated in 20 years in a major way. “In that time, we’ve gone from a fluid milk-focused market to more of the manufactured goods driving the market and the federal milk marketing order system doesn’t reflect those changes.” Due to other market disruptions, like COVID-19, farmers faced massive negative producer price differentials on their milk check. The AFBF hosted this weekend’s forum in Kansas City.

On Alert for HPAI – According to Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, there’s been 20 positive Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza cases since the summer. “We just hit 100 cases for the year; that’s four million birds.” Petersen said $1 million-to-$3 million is needed from the state to help with mitigation. Minnesota is looking for help from the federal government, too. “I’ve been in a lot of national meetings the last few weeks, making sure we have the supplies to help depopulate those farms and get them up and going as soon as possible.”

Township Zoning Regs Went Too Far – Cass County Judge Wade Webb ruled Howes Township failed to demonstrate the justification for its strict zoning setbacks. The township policy said feedlots must have a one-and-a-half mile setback from residential areas. The zoning requirement was implemented after a large swine operation sought land near Buffalo. North Dakota Farm Bureau sued Howes Township, calling the zoning regulations “overzealous.”

New Faces Coming to St. Paul in ’23 – Ahead of the election, it’s known that 41 state legislators will not be returning to St. Paul in 2023. Agricultural lobbyist Cory Bennett says it will be a time of change. “No matter who’s in control, Republican or Democrat, we’re gonna have new leadership, we’re gonna have new committee chairs, new committee staff,” said Bennett. There is a budget surplus, which will get attention in the upcoming legislative session. 2023 is a budget-setting year which will be a priority. “With that, I think you’re going to hear a lot about taxes and a lot of talk about a bonding bill.”

Support for Repeal of California Clean Cars Rule – Ninety-one candidates running for Minnesota’s state legislature support the repeal of the California Motor Vehicle Emission Standards and signed a pledge to oppose the measure. The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association coordinated the pledge.

NCI to Host Everything Ethanol Webinar – The Northern Crops Institute is hosting the second webinar in its newest series, Everything Ethanol, on Wednesday at 10 AM. Dr. Steffen Mueller, principal economist, Energy Resources Center, will be presenting on GHG and emissions reductions from U.S. produced corn ethanol.  This series of webinars will consider ethanol marketing factors, policy, human health and ethanol. To register and find more information, visit https://www.northern-crops.com/everything-ethanol-webinars/everything-ethanol-steffen-mueller.

World Food Day Recognized – Global food insecurity was a common theme during Sunday’s World Food Day. The U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power released a statement, saying millions are facing unprecedented hunger and malnutrition. Power blamed the effects of the pandemic, climate change, the Russia-Ukraine war and the high prices for energy, food and fertilizer. Power went on to highlight emergency food assistance programs and investments in farm production worldwide.

Consumer Misconceptions – While 98 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned and operated businesses, most Americans believe less than half of the farms are family farms. A survey of 1,000 adults nationwide was conducted by Land O’Lakes. This research found 87 percent of those surveyed are interested in knowing where their food comes from. Millennials were at the top of that list.

Land Values Follow Commodity Markets – North Dakota State University Extension Agricultural Finance Specialist Bryon Parman says the cost of pasture ground has gone up hand-in-hand with cattle prices increasing. “National average pastureland prices jumped 11.5 percent; we haven’t seen a jump in numbers like this since 2014 when the cattle market was hot.” Parman says historically, land values have followed the commodity markets. “The largest single increase for cropland values jumped 14.2 percent from 2021 to 2022. Before this, it was in 2012 to 2013 when corn prices were $6-$8 range and soybeans and corn were also strong.”

Agri-Women to Meet in Grand Forks – North Dakota and Minnesota Agri-Women are hosting their annual Harvest of Knowledge Conference in Grand Forks October 28. North Dakota Agri-Women President Alicia Nord Donnelly says there are three speakers coming to the conference. “Kim Bremer of Ag Inspiration is a nationally recognized motivational speaker talking about ag issues across the country. Our other speaker is the Farm Fit Mama, she’s a South Dakota farmer on a mission to push farmers to better physical and mental health through her online workout program.” The program will also feature an independent financial advisor. In-person registration is an option on Friday, October 28.

Soybean Checkoff Invests in PNW Terminal Project – The United Soybean Board is investing $400,000 in research, analysis and design costs for an expansion at the Port of Gray’s Harbor in the Pacific Northwest. The North Dakota and South Dakota soybean checkoff councils have also invested in this project. The upgrades will allow this terminal to increase soybean meal exports from three-to-six million metric tons. The project should be operational in 2025.

Bayer Hosts Fields of Opportunity Event – Bayer is hosting an event today in Germany, highlighting ways farmers can reduce their ecological footprint while increasing yields. Topics include the development of hybrid wheat and a carbon initiative that provides a revenue stream for farmers for adopting certain farming practices.

Beyond Meat Cuts Jobs – Beyond Meat, which produces plant-based meat substitutes, is cutting 200 jobs and has issued a warning to investors about its revenue outlook. Beyond Meat Chief Financial Officer Douglas Ramsey is also leaving the company. Ramsey was suspended in September after an altercation at a college football game.

Canola Minute – In the latest Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman announces their new partnership with the annual Prairie Grains Conference.

NASDA Elects Officer Team – Wyoming Director of Agriculture Doug Miyamoto is the new president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen is representing the Midwest on the NASDA board. Petersen also chairs the NASDA Rural Development and Financial Security Committee.

Heitkamp to Lead IOP – Former North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp will become the head of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics at the beginning of the year. Heitkamp will replace former Barack Obama senior advisor David Axelrod. This is a nonpartisan institute that holds civic engagement programs for students, a fellowship program and a speaker series.

Former National FFA Officer Takes New Role – Beginning January 1, Dr. Travis Park will take over as the director of agricultural education, the National FFA board chair and National FFA advisor. Park is a professor at North Carolina State University and was the 1992-1993 National FFA president. Park replaces Dr. James Woodard, who stepped down in May.

Roseneau Promoted – As of December 1, American Crystal Sugar Company Director of Agriculture Steve Roseneau is being promoted to vice president of agriculture. Roseneau has worked at ACSC since 1995. Roseneau succeeds Brian Ingulsrud, who is retiring at the end of November.

From Bayer to Pivot Bio – Lisa Safarian is the new president and chief operating officer of Pivot Bio. Safarian has been the president of the Bayer CropScience North American division.

Scoular Appoints Four New VPs – Bill David will oversee renewable energy. Davis has been with Scoular since 2019 and previously worked at Conagra. Chad Gauger is the new vice president of high nutritional value proteins. Gauger joined Scoular last year from Cargill. Sandra Hulm is overseeing pulses, seeds, sunflower and bird food. Before coming to Scoular in August, Hulm was vice president of procurement at Conagra. Joe Thompson is vice president and senior associate general counsel. Thompson has had a role in Scoular’s strategic acquisitions since joining the company in 2018.

Findlay Moves to Rabo AgriFinance – Ryan Findlay is the new regional lead for business development for carbon banking at Rabo AgriFinance. For the past two years, Findlay ran his own consulting business. Previously, Findlay was CEO of the American Soybean Association.

Glaeser Steps Down – The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation has begun the search for a new public policy director. Amber Glaeser, who has been with Minnesota Farm Bureau for ten years, has accepted a position as the state government affairs director at Land O’Lakes.

Bajwa Recognized for Precision Agriculture Work – Montana State University Agriculture Dean Sreekala Bajwa has received the Cyrus Hall McCormick Jerome Increase Case Gold Medal from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Bajwa was nominated for the award in 2019 when she was the head of the North Dakota State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

Grafton to be Honored During Harvest Bowl – During the NDSU Harvest Bowl celebration, former NDSU Vice President of Agricultural Affairs Ken Grafton will be recognized as the Agriculturalist of the Year. County honorees from North Dakota and northwest Minnesota will also be honored November 18.

NAMA Meets in Minneapolis – The National Agri-Marketing Association has presented its marketing communications award of excellence to the head of Bayer’s digital brand experience, marketing and product communications Bob Wilhelm. Lori Hallowell of Bader Rutter received the award of excellence for public relations.

Birkemeyer Elected MBA Vice Chair – Jim Birkemeyer was elected vice chair of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association at the annual meeting this past week in Brainerd. Birkemeyer leads R & J Broadcasting. KRJB-Ada, KRJM-Mahnomen, KKCQ-Bagley and KKCQ-Fosston are Red River Farm Network affiliates.