Favorable Forecast for Fieldwork – As October begins, World Weather Incorporated Senior Ag Meteorologist Drew Lerner says the Dakotas and Minnesota are still in warm mode. “For a large part of central North America, that’s going to be the trend for a good part of the next week to ten days,” said Lerner. “What rain we do get will be brief and light, not doing a good job fixing the moisture deficit in the west.”  A classic weather pattern is expected to evolve later this month with La Nina trying to bring cold weather to the areas. Hear Lerner’s latest weather update.

Dodging a Bullet – Farmers are breathing a sigh of relief in the Perham, Minnesota area. Professional Agronomy Services sales agronomist Brad Guck thinks most crops avoided the frosty temps. “I anticipate the corn and soybeans will do just fine reaching maturity and If you would have asked me that in the spring, I would have thought that was far fetched.” Silage chopping is moving quickly. “Some are finished and others are getting started.”

Corn Approaches Physiological Maturity – Golden Harvest agronomist Adam Aarestad has seen a few corn fields hitting black layer. “Once you hit black layer, you lose about three quarters of a percent a day down to 25 percent moisture. From there on moisture loss is a bit slower.” Aarestad, who is based at Fargo, said most of the corn harvest is still a few weeks out.

Pioneer Agronomy Update – The Pioneer Agronomy Update originated from the Oberon, North Dakota area on Tuesday. This is an area that had spotty frost early in the week. “It is really variable where it hit hard and where it didn’t, but it was not a consistent kill in the area,” explained Donny Allmaras, who operates Allmaras Ag at Bremen. Early soybeans are coming off of the lighter ground in the area where yields were impacted by the dry conditions in July and August. “Now we’re starting to hear yields coming into the 30s and there will be 40 and 50 bushel (per acre) soybeans in the country.” Pioneer Field Agronomist Kristie Sundeen says there’s still wheat and canola standing in the northern part of her territory “so there’s still a lot of harvest left to do.” While the current crop is going being combined, seed sales has already started for the 2023 crop. Watch the video.

Corn Has Dried Down Quickly – It was a good weekend for the soybean harvest. Dekalb Asgrow Technical Agronomist Grant Mehring is excited about the soybean yields, especially in the northern Red River Valley. Corn is also starting to come off. “The corn harvest will probably be a little faster than we thought,” said Mehring. “In some fields, the corn is drying down quite fast. I’ve shelled corn samples of 20-to-21 percent.” The early-planted corn or the crop on light ground are more susceptible to the rapid drydown. “Hand-shell a few samples and push on a few corn stalks, you’ll get a pretty good sense of the integrity of that stalk.” The more brittle corn stalks should be prioritized for harvest.

An Above Average Soybean Crop – Chris Brossart broke into his soybeans last week. “We combined soybeans for a few days before we ran into green ones and before a frost ran through and evened out the beans,” said Brossart. “There’s a few guys trying to wrap up canola and edible beans, but I think later this week soybean harvest will pick up.” Besides a little white mold pressure, Brossart thinks his beans came out above average. Brossart farms at Wolford, which is in north-central North Dakota.

Great Harvest Conditions – Colfax, North Dakota farmer Scott Gauslow just started soybean harvest. “It doesn’t look too bad. Harvest conditions are great.” The corn is maturing. “I hand shelled some (and) the moisture is in the upper 20s. I was nervous the test weight was lighter, but it’s not a train wreck by any means.”

Remember How Far We’ve Come – Crop maturity continues to lag in west central Minnesota, but Noah Hultgren is reminding himself about spring planting. “We were extremely wet and cold in the early spring. Most of June we were still planting corn. It’s amazing how far along the crop got.” Hultgren says the soybeans still have a ways to go. “They’re still a few weeks away for some of them. There are lower areas with green soybeans.”

Dust is Flying Near Drayton – CHS Ag Services sales agronomist Josh Sundby says soybean harvest is just beginning in the Drayton, North Dakota area. “Fields around Drayton are pretty darn good.” The quality of the wheat crop was variable. “There was some sprouting after the rains, but sprouting numbers have dropped. That may also correlate with planting date.”

A Three-Ring Harvest Circus – Mitchell, South Dakota farmer Chet Edinger is managing what he calls a three-ring circus. “We wanted to have one crew on sunflowers, another on soybeans and one planting wheat, but the sunflowers were still wet. We swapped that machine over to corn. There are two machines harvesting soybeans and the moisture on the beans range from ten-to-13.5 percent.” Winter wheat seeding is more than halfway complete. “Every kernel of wheat we’re planting is in dusty, dry dirt. It’s not going to germinate until we get a rain.”

An Average Bean Crop – Stephen, Minnesota farmer Brent Halfmann was working on his dry bean harvest this past week. “We just got started and hope to finish up before sugarbeet harvest. Once that starts, the dry beans will move to the back burner.” Halfmann says the bean crop is about average. “It’s not a huge crop, average to above average.”

Good Quality Navy Beans – Buffalo, North Dakota farmer Randy Melvin was hauling in loads of navy beans to the elevator this week.The navies have been better than expected. “The quality looks great. Moisture ranges from 15-to-17 percent.” It will be a few more weeks until the corn is ready. “I think we may have a good chance at a decent corn crop.”

MN Wheat Minute – In the weekly Minnesota Wheat Minute, Vice President of Research Missy Carlson explains a few cover crop trials underway this fall.

Sugarbeet Harvest Campaign Delayed – Pre-pile sugarbeet harvest started a week ago for East Grand Forks, Minnesota farmer David Thompson. “It’s been going well so far.” Sugar content was described as “okay” ahead of the full sugarbeet harvest campaign. That effort was scheduled to begin Saturday, but that start date has been pushed back due to warm conditions for much of the American Crystal Sugar Company growing area.

Onida Sunflower Crop Recovers From Early Season Storm – Hail moved through the Onida, South Dakota area earlier this summer. Charles Todd’s sunflowers were about 15 inches tall when the damage occurred. “The sunflowers look pretty good even with the 40 percent hail damage we had on them.” The combines are rolling in the early corn and soybeans, but the sunflowers are not mature. “I don’t think any of the sunflowers will be ready for another month. Every field is still really green and we’re still drying down quite a bit yet.”

Wet Corn – NDSU Extension Bio-Systems Engineer Ken Hellevang says farmers should be prepared to dry higher moisture corn this fall. “For the corn just now reaching maturity, it could mean the corn needs to be harvested with a moisture content of 20 percent or higher.” About half of the corn in the Dakotas and Minnesota has reached maturity. “At maturity, corn will have a 32-to-35 percent moisture content; there’s a lot of drying required.”

Dry Conditions Expand – The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows an increase in dry conditions across the Dakotas and Minnesota. In North Dakota, the severe drought in the western part of the state now stretches from Divide to Bowman Counties. Moderate drought is showing up in the central part of North Dakota, with abnormally dry conditions in nearly two dozen counties in the north, east and southwestern part of the state. In South Dakota, moderate drought expanded in the northeastern part of the state. Dry conditions are making their way further north along the western edge of Minnesota, with the majority of the Minnesota RRFN listening area in abnormally dry to moderate drought.

Learn About the Weather Forecast in NCI’s Market Update: Weather Edition Webinar – The Northern Crops Institute is hosting another Market Update: Weather Edition webinar Wednesday morning at 8 AM. This webinar will feature Daryl Ritchison, Director of the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network.  Daryl will discuss his forecast for the coming weeks and the expected impact the commodity markets. Topics will also include the European winter forecast, the South American growing season, and the United States Winter Wheat moisture situation. Register online for this free program.

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In this week’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson says USDA has delivered positive news to the wheat market. “Soybeans are probably the weakest link in the markets right now,” said Martinson. “The Chinese demand isn’t that stellar and we’re going to see harvest pick up here.” Basis is also a concern.

Stocks Report Friendly for Corn and Wheat – In USDA’s Quarterly Stocks report, old crop soybean ending stocks declined, but not as much as traders expected. USDA says there were 274 million bushels of soybeans on hand September 1. The average trade guess was closer to 247 million bushels. Corn ending stocks at 1.37 billion bushels were 120 million bushels below the average trade guess and wheat ending stocks came in at 1.77 billion bushels, slightly below the average trade guess of 1.8 billion bushels.

Small Grains Summary – In USDA’s Small Grains Summary, U.S. wheat production was estimated at 1.65 billion bushels, an increase of one percent from last year. The area harvested for grain is at 35.5 million acres, down four percent from the previous year. Winter wheat production totals 1.1 billion bushels, down 14 percent from last year. Other spring wheat at 482 million bushels, an increase of 46 percent from last year. Durum wheat is at 64 million bushels, up 70 percent from last year. U.S. barley production is estimated at 174 million bushels, up from the revised 2021 total.

A Small Grain Supply Shock – North Dakota Wheat Commission Policy and Marketing Director Jim Peterson says the USDA’s Small Grains Summary production forecast caught the market slightly off guard. Expectations were for steady to higher production compared to August. “Based on what we saw with the Farm Service Agency acreage certification that came out earlier, we had a feeling acreage would drop, especially for durum. When it comes to yields, we had heard disappointment in some areas of North Dakota, but there were also phenomenal yields, but the changing wheat yield to 50 bushels per acre for spring wheat was surprising.” Pre-report estimates for durum were in the low to mid-70-million-bushel range, but USDA tightened up durum production even more. There may be more support in the markets for durum. “In both durum and spring wheat, we are anticipating good demand opportunities if we can break through macroeconomic headwinds, like the strength of the dollar and inflationary impacts.”

State Spring Wheat Production Totals Released – According to Friday’s USDA report, this season’s spring wheat production in North Dakota is estimated at 263 million bushels. That’s up more than 50 percent from last year. Minnesota spring wheat production is up 33 percent at nearly 74 million bushels. South Dakota spring wheat output is up a full 100 percent at 33.6 million bushels. North Dakota’s spring wheat yield is record high at 50 bushels per acre. Minnesota has an average yield of 61bushels per acre and South Dakota averaged 48 bushels per acre.

Ukraine Seeks More Stable Export Channels – Ukraine’s agriculture minister is urging his European Union counterparts to invest in five border terminals and a pipeline for sunflower oil. The border terminals would cost $25-to-$30 million each and the price tag for the pipeline depends on the route. The Ukrainian ag ministry said this system would be more stable and permanent than the temporary humanitarian grain export lane through the Black Sea.

No Consensus for G20 Ag Ministerial – USDA Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh represented the United States at the G20 Ag Ministerial Meeting. The ministerial made several commitments including building a more sustainable food system, tackling climate change and facilitating fair and open trade. One reoccurring theme was the Ukrainian crisis. There was disagreement over the chair’s event summary regarding references to Russia in the war. “Russia and China were present and I’m under the assumption these were the countries who did not agree with the language condemning Russia,” said Bronaugh. “Hopefully, wheat continues to move through the Black Sea to countries that need it most because we don’t know the predictability of Russia.”

A Runoff Vote Necessary in Brazil – There will be a runoff election for Brazil’s presidential election. Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had 48 percent of the vote, while President Jair Bolsonaro received 43 percent. Nine other candidates did not get enough votes to move forward. The runoff vote will be October 30.

Tokyo Trade Mission – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is leading a trade mission to Japan this week. This is a joint effort between the Governor’s Office, the state agriculture and commerce departments and the state trade office.

Farm Profits Could See Record Highs in 2022 – USDA’s Economic Research Service forecast U.S. net cash farm income to increase 8.7 percent from 2021 to 2022. This is the highest-level forecast since 2012. Both cash receipts and expenses are forecast to increase. Cash receipts for farm commodities are projected to rise 14.4 percent from the previous year, their highest level on record. Production expenses are expected to see a 11.3 percent increase. Direct government payments to farmers are projected to fall by 14.3 billion from 2021 to 2022.

Farmland is in High Demand – Farmland values in the region are continuing a trend that was seen last spring. Red River Land Company President Chris Griffin is seeing significant demand. “The farmers’ cash positions are strong after good crops, government payments and the high commodity market.” This is the beginning of what should be a busy time for land sales. “Some of these high prices are bringing out more sales so I think it’ll continue to be quite a bit of volume through the sale season.”

Crop Insurance Option Expanded to MN, IL and WI – USDA has expanded its Post-Application Coverage Endorsement option for corn farmers who split-apply nitrogen to include most of Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. Earlier this year, the Risk Management Agency made the PACE option available to select counties in seven states, including North Dakota and South Dakota. PACE is available as supplemental coverage for Yield Protection, Revenue Protection and Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusion policies.

EPA Decides Not to Regulate Pesticide Seed Treatments – Agricultural groups, including the American Soybean Association, wanted the EPA to deny a petition that would have required more regulation. “It would have had significantly catastrophic results for America’s farmers and the environment,” said Kyle Kunkler, director of government affairs, ASA. EPA is still looking into whether or not the seeds sold are being used in violation of current restrictions.

Waters of the United States Comes Back to U.S. Supreme Court – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments on a case regarding the Waters of the United States. Sackett vs. EPA takes a closer look at how expansive the Clean Water Act is in terms of wetlands. “In 2006, SCOTUS issued a decision called the Repanos case where there was a split amongst the justices on whether or not wetlands could be considered under the Clean Water Act,” explains Kale Van Bruggen, attorney, Rinke Noonan Law Firm. “Four justices said wetlands could only be regulated by the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers if they had a relatively permanent surface connection to downstream navigable waters. One justice said wetlands could be regulated if there was a significant nexus between the wetlands and downstream navigable water.” If EPA and the Army Corps can satisfy one test or the other, the agencies have jurisdiction. “The Sackett appeal aims at whether the new makeup of the court apply with precedence a majority opinion saying only those wetlands with a relatively permanent surface connection can be regulated by the Army Corps and EPA under the Clean Water Act.” The outcome of this case is important to northern agriculture; much of the area farmed is considered prairie potholes. The court decision  is expected by the end of the year. Separately, the EPA is also redefining WOTUS, trying to make a more durable definition. Hear the story.

Surface Transportation Board Hearing Extended – The Surface Transportation Board was scheduled to meet for three days to consider the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern railroad merger. However, the testimony is taking longer than expected. The STB will hear from remaining witnesses today and tomorrow. CP and Kansas City Southern will be able to respond to the comments made during the hearing on Thursday.

Biden, Trudeau Asked to Restore Hours at Ports of Entry – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum joined Montana’s governor and the premiers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in asking President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau to restore pre-COVID hours of operation at the U.S.-Canada ports of entry. In a joint letter, the state and provincial leaders said this change will improve trade activity and reduce inflationary pressure on both sides of the border.

Lawmakers Continue to Challenge Fufeng Project – Fifty members of Congress have sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding the proposed Fufeng corn processing project in Grand Forks. The lawmakers claim the Chinese-owned project is located is near the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which jeopardizes national security. The letter seeks additional information from the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

ND Eminent Domain Bill Proposed – State Representative Rick Becker is proposing legislation to protect private property rights for landowners impacted by the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project. Summit has said it does not plan to use eminent domain, but Becker’s bill would put that into the statute. Becker is a candidate for North Dakota’s U.S. Senate seat.

NRCS Reforms Sought – North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds have introduced legislation to protect private property rights. This bill targets the Natural Resources Conservation Service. If passed, it would prevent the NRCS from entering into permanent easement agreements. It prevents penalties for newly determined wetlands from being imposed retroactively and adjusts the NRCS appeals process.

National Association of Wheat Growers Responds to ND Grain Growers Decision – The North Dakota Grain Growers Association told the National Association of Wheat Growers they would not rejoin the association. NAWG CEO Chandler Goule is disappointed. “We’ve gone through and made a lot of changes North Dakota said they wanted to see. We changed some of our policy making process, how we set priorities and we’ve also changed our dues process,” says Goule. “Financially, the organization is doing fine, but we’d be doing better if we had North Dakota’s voice on our board.” NAWG plans to be represented at the Prairie Grains Conference this winter.

FY ’23 Sugar Marketing Allocations Announced – USDA has announced sugar marketing allotments for Fiscal Year 2023. American Crystal Sugar Company is allocated 2.1 million short tons raw value. That’s an increase of 55,000 short ton from this year. Minn-Dak Farmers Co-op is allocated nearly 402,000 short tons, down more than 10,000 short tons from 2022. For Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, USDA allocated nearly 781,000 short tons. An increase of more than 20,000 short tons from this season. The Commodity Credit Corporation loan rates from refined beet sugar in Minnesota and eastern North Dakota is at 25.17 cents per pound.

Public Input Sought Over Atrazine Use – The National Corn Growers Association has a call-to-action underway. The group is asking its members to submit comments to the EPA about the role atrazine has in agriculture. EPA is considering strict regulations regarding the use of atrazine. Public comments must be submitted to EPA by the end of the week.

USDA Offers New Fertilizer Grants – The USDA is offering $500 million in grants to try and increase domestic fertilizer production. In Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack’s address to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Vilsack said the agency is now accepting applications by independent fertilizer producers. “The awards under the program can be anywhere from $1 million to $100 million. They can span projects that take the next three-to-five years, ready for crop year 2023 and 2024. The first application window goes for 45 days.” The second application period will be a 90-day application period for projects requiring more time.

Canola Minute – In this week’s Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman takes a look at USDA’s oil crops outlook.

Hurricane Misses Key Fertilizer Production Area – Mosaic apparently missed the brunt of Hurricane Ian. Mosaic is the primary producer of phosphate fertilizer in Florida with three plants near Tampa. The hurricane narrowly missed that area. The fertilizer industry is already facing shortages with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis in Europe and didn’t need another supply disruption.

Drought Influences River Traffic – Portions of the Mississippi River between St. Louis and New Orleans are at record low levels. Nearly all of the Mississippi River Basin has experienced below-normal rainfall this summer. With the water so low, shippers have voluntarily cut down to 25 barges per vessel. Typically, tows move 36 barges at a time.

A Port Slowdown – A labor dispute between dockworkers and employers at third busiest port in the U.S. is slowing cargo shipments into and out of the port of Oakland, California. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union started limiting access to workers needed to maintain operations. The disruptions come as negotiations for a new contract enter their fourth month. The ILWU represents more than 22,000 dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports.

Corn Matters – In the latest Corn Matters, hear more about an upcoming marketing seminar Minnesota Corn is hosting with Kluis Commodities on Wednesday, October 5.

October is Co-op Month – A cooperative is an organization that is owned and controlled by its members, who use its products, supplies and services. Self-reliance is a hallmark of the cooperative spirit. This recognition of October Co-op Month is made possible by North Dakota Farmers Union, Associated Milk Producers Incorporated and its Dinner Bell Creamery.

Growth Potential for Hog Production in ND – North Dakota is not widely known for its hog production, producing anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 hogs per year. Yet North Dakota Livestock Alliance Executive Director Amber Boeshans says that is a  selling point to attract new producers. “You cannot put a price tag on biosecurity and in North Dakota, we can put 15 miles between hog facilities without breaking a sweat.” Boeshans says the industry is coming together and saying they we want pig production. “The crop producers and organizations want to see their feed produced in the state fed in the state to animals. We want to capture that value-added.” That’s what the NDLA Pig Conference and Trade Show was all about this past week. Hear the story.

An Option to Diversify – North Dakota’s corn industry is supportive of livestock industry growth in the state. “We produce a quality feed, but I think it will take individual operations that want to diversify and add another member to the farm to see this expansion,” said Jean Henning, executive director, North Dakota Corn Council. “Livestock production is a way to diversify on the farm, not relying on crops only.”

Overcoming Hurdles – North Dakota Soybean Growers Association Executive Director Nancy Johnson says there are barriers to overcome to help pique the interest of hog production in the state. Wednesday’s conference in Fargo focused on ways to overcome those hurdles. “There have been groundbreakings at two very large soy crush facilities in North Dakota. Those facilities will create enough high quality soybean meal to feed millions of hogs.” Lenders were part of the Wednesday meeting. “We certainly have an amazing opportunity for expansion and that’s an economic development opportunity for North Dakota.”

Working Within ND’s Corporate Farming Law – Attendees at the North Dakota Livestock Alliance event acknowledged there are challenges for those hoping to increase livestock production in the state. North Dakota’s corporate farming law is seen as one obstacle. Attorney David Barrett says creativity is key in working within the law. “The corporate farming law has an exception for cooperatives if at least 75 percent of the members are farmers. That’s something we’re looking at to see if that works for some circumstances.”

A Few Surprises in Hogs and Pigs Report – The supply of market hogs nationwide is tighter than had been expected. Those supplies were down 1.4 percent from pre-report estimates. The breeding herd inventory in the USDA quarterly hogs and pigs report was within trade expectations. The size of the pig crop from June-to-August was its lowest level since 2017.

MN Beef Update – In the latest MN Beef Update, meet LeeAnn Waugh, a new member of the Minnesota Beef Council.

Feeder Cattle in Short Supply – Stockmen’s Livestock Exchange at Dickinson, North Dakota will start to see its fall calf run beginning this month with larger volumes coming in November. Co-owner Larry Schnell expects strong demand. “The market looks to be $30 to $40 per hundredweight above a year ago,” said Schnell. “I think there’s going to be a calf shortage no matter what. If they want to fill those feedlots, they’re going to have to get in and bid for them.”

Slaughter Pace Not Sustainable – Last year’s drought in the Northern Plains combined with the current dry conditions in the Southern Plains increased the number of cull cows moving through the auction markets. The U.S. cow herd is record low and DTN Market Analyst ShayLe Stewart is concerned packers will pull back on the slaughter pace. “We have to ask ourselves how much longer are packers going to continue to run above that 670,000 head per week mark if they’re seeing a deteriorating margin?”

Dust Pneumonia Possible – Hub City Livestock co-owner Steve Hellwig expects the fall calf run to begin in the next two weeks. “I’m pretty optimistic about the calf market. We had plenty of moisture earlier this year so the feed and hay is there.” Hellwig encourages producers to have a good vaccination program in place. “There’s been some talk about the rough start for calves and that their lungs may be damaged.” With dry conditions, Hellwig believes dust pneumonia could be an issue.

Anthrax Detected – The SDSU Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the presence of anthrax in a Meade County cow herd. State Veterinarian Beth Thompson says the cattle herd was unvaccinated for anthrax. “Anthrax spores can remain in soil types for a number of years so the infected pasture could be a result of water run-off or cattle grazing too close to the soil.” Anthrax can cause rapid death loss of many animals in a short amount of time. “There is a vaccine available and I always encourage folks to work with their veterinarian.”

New State Veterinarian Ready to Tackle Avian Influenza – The new Minnesota Board of Animal Health Executive Director and state veterinarian Dr. Marion Garcia is on her second week of the job. Garcia started earlier than expected, right as the fall outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza started picking up in Minnesota. “I wanted to start early to get on board cleanly and help out wherever I could.” Garcia says the fall virus is similar to the outbreak in the spring. “It’s a very hot strain, but as long as we put forth the efforts we’re familiar with, we should be able to manage through it.”

Walz Issues HPAI Trucking Executive Order – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is easing trucking regulations to help farmers fight the spread of avian influenza. By waiving strict enforcement of weight restriction rules and hours-of-service requirements, Walz said it will help the depopulation effort and maintain adequate supplies for healthy flocks.

White House Hosts Hunger Conference – President Joe Biden wants to end hunger by 2030. That benchmark was announced during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.  The administration wants an additional 9 million school children to receive free school meals. Moving forward, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said the producers must be part of the conversation. “All of these groups that attended, whether it’s a charity, a non-government organization, whatever it may be, they have to understand it doesn’t matter what they want if they’re not supporting the farmers and ranchers that actually produce the food. That was a discussion point that was missing today.”

Dry Bean Scene – Market development for dry beans is a top priority for Northarvest Bean Growers Association. In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, Northarvest Bean Growers Financial Director Jennifer Hansen tells us about a recent trip to develop trade relations. The Dry Bean Scene is brought to you by SRS Commodities, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, and BASF.

Smithfield Settles Price-Fixing Lawsuit – Smithfield Foods has agreed to pay $83 million to settle a civil lawsuit that alleged the company was involved in a price fixing scheme for its pork business. Smithfield denies the charges, but said the settlement will reduce its cost and legal exposure. Earlier this year, Tyson Foods and Pilgrim’s Pride reached their own deals to settle price-fixing allegations in poultry.

Green Bison Soybean Plant Preparing Bids – The Green Bison Soy Processing soybean crush plant at Spiritwood, North Dakota is making progress. According to President Mike Keller, the project remains on schedule to be ready for harvest 2023. “In the next three months, we’d like to come out and prepare a soybean bid for our local growing and commercial community in the nearby future.” Keller says staff is also being hired for the project. “We are getting them onsite and in the north Fargo ADM office.”

Construction Wraps Up for Milbank, SD RNG Project – Denver-based Biogest America has completed construction of an agricultural biogas plant near Milbank, South Dakota. This facility will collect cow manure from Boadwine Dairy and Mill Valley Dairy for energy production. Once completed, the biogas will be converted into renewable natural gas. A similar announcement was made in early September with a dairy farm near Hurley, South Dakota.

Corteva and Syngenta Face FTC Charges – The Federal Trade Commission is suing Corteva and Syngenta, claiming the two companies had exclusive contracts with distributors that blocked generic products from the market. The two companies disagree with the FTC complaint. A Syngenta spokesperson said these were voluntary customer discounts that have been an industry standard for many years. Corteva officials said its customer marketing programs comply with antitrust laws and there is no basis for the complaint.

High Res Soil Mapping – Syngenta has unveiled one of the world’s highest resolution soil mapping services at a European farm show. This system will detect pH, soil texture, organic matter, carbon, elevation and plant water availability. The Interra Scan service will initially be available only to European farmers.

New Diagnosis and Mapping Solutions for Nematodes – Syngenta Crop Protection has launched the first commercial digital solution to diagnose infestations of plant-parasitic nematodes in soybeans by analyzing photographs taken from satellites. Syngenta will first market this service to Brazilian soybean farmers. This first-of-its-kind innovation came from a multi-year collaboration with Swiss-based Gamaya SA.

A Promotion for Tyson – John R. Tyson is the new executive vice president and chief financial officer for Tyson Foods. Previously, Tyson was the company’s vice president of strategy and chief sustainability officer. Tyson is the son of the Tyson Foods chairman of the board. Stewart Glendinning was the CFO and will become the company’s group president of prepared foods.

Pink at the Pump – Nineteen North Dakota fuel retailers are participating in the Pink at the Pump campaign. The retailers will donate three cents of every gallon of Unleaded88 or E15 fuel to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The North Dakota Corn Utilization Council and North Dakota Ethanol Council are cosponsoring this promotion. This campaign continues throughout October.

Doggett Winds Down NCGA Career – At the end of the calendar year, National Corn Growers Association CEO Jon Doggett will retire. Many things have changed in the 20 years Doggett’s been at NCGA, including the politics in Washington D.C. “That’s one of the reasons I’m leaving. The politics are toxic, mean and nasty and we seem to be running a never ending election.”  Doggett came to Washington D.C. in the 1980s and saw bipartisanship could work. “How do we find the bridges and deal with ethanol policy, ag chemicals or how much money we spend in the farm bill? We need to solve those problems.” Once retired, Doggett plans to pursue policy consulting work. “I’m ready for the next chapter of my life.” Hear the interview. 

Search Underway for a New National Corn CEO – A search committee is starting the process of finding a new CEO for the National Corn Growers Association. According to the NCGA, a decision is expected by late winter or spring of 2023.

Senate Ag Committee Advances USDA Nominees – The Senate Agriculture Committee approved the nominations of one Farm Credit Administration Board member and two USDA officials last week, including the USDA Under Secretary of Trade Alexis Taylor. Later last week, the full Senate approved the nomination of Farm Credit Administration Board member Vincent Logan. The full Senate has yet to confirm Taylor or the nominee for USDA’s Under Secretary of Food Safety Jose Emilio Esteban.

Staff Changes at The Fertilizer Institute – The Fertilizer Institute has announced additions to its staff. Tom Lynch is the new head of government affairs. Previously, Lynch was vice presidentof congressional affairs for the American Short Line and Regional Railroads Association and general counsel for National Tank Truck Carriers. TFI Economist Dr. Harry Vroomen has retired after nearly 30 years with the organization. TFI Director of Market Intelligence Jason Troendle was promoted to the economist role. In addition, Dr. Leanna Nigon was named the director of agronomy. Nigon earned her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Rea Turns Over the CropLife Reins to Lee – Valent President/CEO Andy Lee is the new president of CropLife America. Lee succeeds Paul Rea of the BASF Corporation, who led the board from 2020-2022.

Hebrink Successor Named – Jase Wagner has been selected as Compeer Financial’s next president and CEO. Wagner will succeed Rod Hebrink when he retires in January. Wagner is the cooperative’s current chief financial officer.

Titan Machinery Hires New CFO – Titan Machinery named CNH Industrial Head of Finance Bo Larsen as its new Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer effective December 1. Larsen will succeed Mark Kalvoda, who will stay on in an advisory role through January 15. Prior to serving at CNH Industrial, Larsen served as Director of Finance at Raven Industries.

Haag Takes Helm of NCGA – With the turn of the calendar, Tom Haag of Eden Valley, Minnesota is the new president of the National Corn Growers Association. Harold Wolle of Madelia, Minnesota is NCGA’s incoming first vice president.

Werner Takes Over Leadership of MN Bio-Fuels Association – The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association has appointed Brian Werner as its new executive director. Most recently, Werner was Senator Klobuchar’s deputy legislative director and senior legislative assistant for renewable energy and agriculture. He previously worked for Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson and South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson.

UND Honors Alumni – The University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation presented the Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement and Leadership to six individuals. Two of the award winners have a connection to agriculture, Those honorees are Jody Varberg Feragen, who is the first woman to hold an executive officer position with Hormel Foods, and former North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Sarah Vogel, who won a class-action lawsuit during the farm crisis of the 1980s.

MCPR Recognizes Westrom – State Senator Torrey Westrom has been recognized by the Minnesota Crop Production Retailers as the legislator of the year. Westrom, who is Republican from Alexandria, is chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development, Finance and Policy Committee.

A Promotion for Cunningham – Woodruff has promoted Cindy Cunningham has been promoted to managing supervisor of public relations. Cunningham began with Woodruff in 2021. Previously, she was the assistant vice president of communications for the National Pork Board.

Events Manager Hired at NAFB – Seth Ruff has joined the National Association of Farm Broadcasting staff as its events manager. Most recently, Ruff was the suites and catering manager for Aramark at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

A Future Star of Rodeo – A York, North Dakota student is spending her fall competing on the NDSU collegiate rodeo team. Mika Guty was a finalist in the National High School Rodeo in Wyoming this summer and is one of the top vote-getters as the Future Stars of Rodeo. Even with all these winnings, Guty feels it is important to be humble. “In the rodeo arena, you don’t always win so you have to be a gracious loser and and a humble winner.” Guty is a barrel racer and competes in breakaway roping. She’s done well at the high school and collegiate level, but has bigger aspirations. “The National Finals Rodeo is definitely my biggest goal.”

Minnesota 4-H’er Excels at World Dairy Expo – Megan Ratka of Cold Spring, Minnesota is the top individual judge for reasons in the National 4-H Cattle Judging Contest. The Minnesota team was also the top team for reasons and was ranked third in the overall competition. World Dairy Expo continues through the balance of this week.