Big Iron Farm Show Begins Tuesday – The 43rd edition of the Big Iron Farm Show will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in West Fargo. Hundreds of ag companies will be showcasing their latest products and technology. Field demonstrations and a Wednesday night concert with country star Rodney Atkins are planned. The Red River Farm Network is hosting a full slate of seminars each day. The full line-up can be found online. If you can’t make it to every forum, the seminars will be streaming online.

FAPRI Projects a Further Decline in Commodity Prices – Many of the factors that pushed farm prices to record or near-record levels in 2022 have reversed or moderated this year. The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri made that point in the release of its baseline numbers. If trendline yields happen, FAPRI said corn, soybean and wheat prices will likely decline further next year. The expansion of the biofuels industry is expected to support soybean and soybean oil prices, but the increased crush will push meal prices lower. Regarding the livestock sector, prices for fed cattle and feeder cattle are forecast to peak in 2025. FAPRI said beef production in 2025 will be 2 billion pounds lower than in 2022.

FAO: August Food Prices Decline – World food prices fell to a two-year low in August. The Food and Agriculture Organization Price Index tracks most globally traded food commodities. The index cited a drop in prices for dairy products, vegetable oils, meat and cereals.

Tighter Soybean Carryout Likely – USDA will release the September supply and demand estimates tomorrow. U.S. Commodities President Don Roose says most traders are expecting a tighter soybean carryout number. That will also be reflected in the average yields. “We really can’t lose a bushel from what the government had in the August report, let along two,” said Roose. “That is one that will get pretty dicey pretty fast.” The corn balance sheet is a different story. “It will be harder to get a (corn) carryout under 2 billion (bushels), but it is possible.”

Fertilizer Markets Focus on India and China – Despite turmoil, Russia has still been able to export fertilizer products at higher rates than anticipated. StoneX Director of Fertilizer Josh Linville says news of India making big urea purchases and China slowing down exports has caused markets to jump. Protecting prices or input costs can be complicated. Linville says when you buy an input, sell an output. “If you’re buying fertilizer, sell some grain. That’s the best way to lock in value and not have nearly as much risk on the table as you would just doing one side or the other.” Keeping in touch with your retailer is also important with some continued supply chain uncertainty. “The days of showing up on the doorstep thinking product is just going to be sitting there waiting, I don’t want to say it can’t happen, it’s just more and more difficult.” Listen to Linville at the Big Iron Farm Show on the Red River Farm Network stage, Wednesday, September 13^th at 10:30 a.m.

Drought Stress Seen in ND Corn – NDSU Extension Agronomist Clair Keene describes the state’s corn crop as ‘highly variable.’ While many fields look good, drought stress is also evident. Keene cited ears that are very small or not completely filled out. Low-levels of corn smut are common, which is another indication of drought stress during pollination. Stalks also thinner than normal and may be vulnerable to lodging when the crop dries down. Keene doesn’t expect the top-end corn to push past 200 bushels an acre. “Fair-to-good fields, I’m estimating to be around 120-to-170 bushels per acre; I estimated 80-to-120 bushels on the poor-to-very poor fields.”

‘Cautiously Optimistic’ – Asgrow/Dekalb Technical Agronomist Derek Pruitt likes where this crop is sitting going into harvest. It may be an average soybean crop, but Pruitt expects more from the corn. “I’m cautiously optimistic, it’ll be fun to see what results we get when the combines start to roll.” Because of drought conditions, Pruitt says harvest management will be key for the corn crop. “Make a list of which fields you need to get to take care of first. Some dry corn stalks just won’t be as strong.”

Corn Harvest Imminent in Southern SD – The corn harvest is just a matter of days away in the Winner, South Dakota area. Trent Kubik was expecting a really good crop until heat stress bumped a few bushels. “I still think we’ll have an above-average crop even with it being touch-and-go for a little bit.” Most of the area’s silage corn was chopped the week leading up to Labor Day.

Ready or Not, Harvest is Here – Peterson Farms Seed Territory Manager Paul Bromley says the north-central part of North Dakota has crops on both sides of the yield curve. “The growing conditions have been all over the board. The rains were so unbelievably spotty, so the variability is widespread.” Bromley says the weather has slowed harvest progress in his region. “Mother Nature is only giving us short, brief windows to get it off and after wheat, canola will come off with no delay between soybeans and corn.”

Wheat Harvest is Better Than Anticipated – West Central Ag Services grain merchandizer Randy Zimmerman is surprised with the wheat harvest. “I think guys on the wheat side had better yields than anticipated, especially with the conditions we had early and lack of rain.” Quality has been good with Zimmerman reporting protein around 13 percent. Zimmerman is based at Ulen, Minnesota and will be part of the RRFN market outlook seminar Thursday at the Big Iron Farm Show.

Farmers Estimate Lower Yields – Gulke Group President Jerry Gulke says he believes yield estimates are higher than they should be looking at crops in the corn belt himself. “I personally believe it’s going to be hard to get a soybean number that’s going to be bearish. I think it’s going to be under 50 bushels and closer to 49.” Gulke isn’t sure the USDA report will reflect that yet in the September. Gulke said in a survey conducted by the Gulke Group, most farmers are expecting lower yields for both corn and soybeans this harvest season. Gulke will join Bret Oelke and Betsy Jensen for the Market Outlook Seminar on the Red River Farm Network Stage at the Big Iron Farm Show on Tuesday, September 12^th at 1:30 p.m.

Good Start for Beet Campaign – Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Director Harrison Weber is pleased with the results seen with the pre-pile sugarbeet campaign. Dry early season conditions may have been beneficial for root structure. Disease pressures have also been relatively low. “I attribute it to grower agronomics and genetics,” said Weber. “This crop has been able to be pushed and it’s been fun to see it in action.” Weber also points out that many sugarbeet growers are looking for harvest labor this season. “Napkin math tells us that we need 7,000 to 10,000 (workers) come October 1 at American Crystal alone to help get this crop in.” Those interested who are willing to learn and be safe can find available harvest jobs at sugarbeetjobs.com. Listen to the full interview with Harrison Weber here.

‘A Perfect Storm’ – A dry bean dessicant may have had an adverse effect on sugarbeets this year. Due to last year’s dry fall and the late start this spring, a dry bean defoliant application used in 2022 carried over and reportedly had an impact on the sugarbeets that followed. NDSU and University of Minnesota Extension Sugarbeet Agronomist Tom Peters says it was a perfect storm. “There’s a crop rotational interval where we can safety plant our next crop after putting down applicants and, unfortunately, 2022-2023 was a unique year.” According to Peters, the dessicant application probably wiped out half of the sugarbeet crop in fields with carryover. “The sugarbeets germinated and emerged as normal, but over the course of a week or so, there was a significant loss of stand.”

Soybean Harvest Right Around the Corner – Chris Brossart wrapped up the small grain harvest near Wolfard, North Dakota and is waiting on soybeans and canola. “Barley was better than expected and right around an average yield.” Soybean harvest isn’t far off for Brossart. “We actually combined 130 acres of beans a week ago at 11 percent moisture.”

Optimism for Harvest at Mahnomen – At the West Central Ag Services plot tour near Mahnomen, Minnesota, Sales Agronomist Wade Schoenborn said many growers were surprised to see above average wheat yields. The soybean harvest has started in the early varieties. “We have been fortunate with some timely rains. I think we’re going to see some okay yields in soybeans and good yields on corn.”

Soybeans Turning Quickly Near Crookston – Crookston, Minnesota farmer Dustin Perry is grateful for the rain that came through a week ago, especially after the recent heat stress. After a successful wheat harvest, soybeans are not far off. Perry is cautiously optimistic for the soybean crop. “We’ve got to get into them before we’ll really know, but I think we’re going to have an alright bean crop.”

Making the Bad, Worse; SCN – NDSU Extension Plant Pathologist Sam Markell spoke at the Peterson Farms Seed Field Day and explained that Soybean Cyst Nematode can make other soybean diseases much worse. “We’ve probably had brown stem rot in North Dakota for quite a few years. Until SCN is in the soil and beating up those plants, you don’t see much damage.” Finding varieties that have SCN resistance and crop rotation are key to limiting SCN. Markell encourages growers to visit their county extension office to get free testing kits through a program sponsored by the North Dakota Soybean Council. Hear the full conversation with Sam Markell here.

El Nino Unlikely to Impact ’24 U.S. Growing Season – After three years with La Nina, the world is transitioning to an El Nino. North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network Director Daryl Ritchison expects the El Nino to be a quick burst over the winter months. “By next summer, it is highly unlikely that we’ll see the El Nino conditions so it’ll be neutral next summer,” said Ritchison. “Every year is unique, but El Nino’s are more of a wintertime event so they impact our winters in the United States, but not so much the growing season.” A strong El Nino typically equates to a warmer and drier-than-normal winter in the Northern Plains. Ritchison was a speaker at Thursday’s Peterson Farms Seed field day.

25 Years of Agricultural Weather Expertise Coming to Big Iron – USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey will be on stage at the Big Iron Farm show  Thursday at 10:30. Rippey says his role at USDA is different than a traditional forecaster. “I’m looking specifically at U.S. weather impacts on agriculture so it’s a very narrow, very specialized area of concern.” Rippey has been monitoring agricultural weather for the United States for 25 years. Thursday’s forum will include Rippey’s winter outlook and a conversation about drought, El Nino, La Nina and more.

Fielding Questions – AgCountry Farm Credit Services Vice President of Commodity Marketing Education Rob Fronning joins us for this edition of the Fielding Questions podcast. Right now, livestock is dealing with a demand driven market. Fronning says it’s important to have risk mitigation in place when supply catches up with demand. “There are tools out there to protect these prices for the long term too. The biggest thing I’m concerned about is having some risk mitigation in place and protecting our producers.”  Rebuilding the country’s cattle herd will take time after years of widespread drought in major feeding areas. “People are holding back cattle and breeding them back so cattle aren’t actually hitting the market. They’re trying to rebuild it now, but that takes time.” The Fielding Questions podcast is a presentation of AgCountry Farm Credit Services and the Red River Farm Network.

Managing Resistance – As the soybean crop matures, a flush of weeds that had been hiding under the canopy appears. Wilbur Ellis District Manager Chris Wharam the resistant weeds can be prolific seed producers. There are numerous tools available to the farmer to deal with resistant weeds. “Tillage practices, multiple modes of action, effective chemistries, crop rotation are all tools to manage weed resistance, all things should be on the table to develop a robust weed management strategy.” Wharam said higher water volumes, appropriate adjuvant applications and tank-mix partners are available to extend the residual weed control. Regarding crop protection products, Wharam said said “what was old is new again.” Conventional chemistries used broadly before the advent of glyphosate-tolerant corn and soybeans “have come back into vogue.”

Soybean Disease Moves North – Despite a dry year, NDSU Soybean Plant Pathologist Wade Webster has seen disease pressure in pockets throughout North Dakota. “We’re finding quite a bit of white mold that lined up well with different rainfall events.” Charcoal rot was also found in soybeans this year. This disease is generally less common this far north because it requires high temperatures. Webster says the disease is popping up now that there has been drought stress following hot temperatures in May and June. Webster spoke at the Peterson Farms Seed Field Day to bring awareness to soybean disease issues.

Patchy White Mold – The dry bean harvest has just started in the northern and north-central parts of North Dakota. “Local producers that I’ve talked to say the crop looks quite good, except they were surprised to find a fair amount of white mold in spots,” said Michael Wunsch, plant pathologist, NDSU Extension. Wunsch says white mold has been patchy with a heavier presence mostly found by tree rows. “It wasn’t a high rainfall summer, but we had daytime highs in the 70s and heavy overnight dews.”

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, RRFN visits with Bonanza Bean Grower/Buyer Relations Andy Hacker updates us on harvest and dry bean crop conditions. The Dry Bean Scene is sponsored by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, Johnstown Bean Company, Sharpen Herbicide from BASF, SRS Commodities, and Heads Up Plant Protectants.

FSA Administrator Comes to North Dakota – North Dakota Senator John Hoeven hosted a Farm Bill roundtable in Mandan, with FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. Hoeven says it’s important to have FSA input. “Not only do they administer the farm programs, but they have important input to add.” Other attendees include North Dakota Farm Service Agency Executive Director Marcy Svenningsen and Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring. With western North Dakota having a larger focus on livestock, Hoeven says he wanted perspectives from both ends of the state. “In the valley, the sugar program is important and the crop programs. And while those crop programs are important out west, other livestock focused ones like the Livestock Indemnity Program, Livestock Forage Program, and others need to be strengthened in the next farm bill.”

Mississippi River-A Bad Sequel – Current water levels of the Mississippi River are cause for concern once again this year. Barge companies have announced restrictions on the volume of freight they will load onto vessels. Soy Transportation Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek says it’s an unfortunate repeat of 2022. “Eighty percent of soybean exports occur between the months of September and February,” said Steenhoek. “We really do need our supply chain to be operating on all cylinders.” Some areas of the Mississippi are lower now than they were this time last year which limits barge capacity and increases shipping costs. Steenhoek says those costs are often passed on to producers. For the full conversation with Mike Steenhoek, click here.

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 is watching the dollar closely, while monitoring the lower demand in wheat.

July Beef Exports Decline, Pork on Record Pace – U.S. beef exports took a step backward in July, down 18 percent from one year ago. Beef sales to the top three markets for U.S. beef, which are South Korea, Japan and China, are below the large totals from one year ago. U.S. pork sales are up five percent year-over-year. Mexico is the leading market for U.S. pork and sales continued to be on a record pace in July.

Historic Highs in the Cattle Market – Herreid Livestock Auction owner Kent Fjeldheim says the cattle market is hot right now. Sales for grass cattle have started and demand has been strong. “A lot of these 900 pound steers are up against $2,250-to-$2,300,” said Fjeldheim. “Cattle may be little lighter than anticipated because of the heat and fly situation we had in June.” Where will be the top of the market? “We’re at historical highs now, so I don’t know how much upward potential the market will get, I don’t know how much more steam feeder cattle can pick up.”

Beef Checkoff Group Works with Tighter Budget – The Cattlemen’s Beef Board Beef Promotion Operating Committee wrapped up its meeting in Denver. Vice Chairman Clark Price, Washburn, North Dakota, said the meeting wrapped up quicker than expected. With fewer cattle being sold across the U.S., the budget is impacted. “This year, we happened to be $11 million short of what there were in requests.”

Fewer Dollars to Promote Beef – The Beef Promotion Operating Committee is made up of 20 beef producers from across the country. “We meet once a year to go through authorization requests from organizations that are looking to use beef checkoff dollars for research, promotion or education,” explained Travis Maddock, Davenport, North Dakota. For 2023, there was $38 million to allocate with $49 million of requests. With cow numbers down, there’s less money to work with in the budget. “The beef checkoff is not tied to value; it’s tied to marketing numbers so every year, that pot dwindles a little more with the U.S. cow herd decreasing.” The beef checkoff committee met this past week in Denver.

MN Beef Update – In the latest Minnesota Beef Update, Minnesota Beef Council Business Manager Heather DeLong talks about Ag and Food Day coming up.

FMMO Reform in Sight – The hearing over the Federal Milk Marketing Orders may last well into October. This is the first comprehensive hearing about federal orders in over 20 years. National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern said progress is being made and the modernization of the milk pricing system is in sight.

MN Lawsuit Stayed – A lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, the Clean Fuels Development Coalition and a convenience store trade group will not continue. A federal judge in Minnesota put the case dealing with Minnesota’s Clean Car rule on hold. MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek says a couple questions surfaced. “The first question was if this was the right forum or should we suing the EPA in district court in Washington, D.C. and there is a case out of Ohio that is answering that question,” Smentek told RRFN. “There’s a couple other cases out there with the biggest one being in Texas and it is looking at EPA and if it even has the authority to allow states to do these different plans.”

STB Takes Step to Improve Rail Service – The Surface Transportation Board has issued a proposed rule to provide access to reciprocal switching for rail shippers. STB officials see this as a possible remedy for poor rail service. The proposal would give shippers access to a competing Class I carrier when service falls below the standards established by the STB.

Corn Matters – University of Minnesota Professor Candy Hirsch is studying grain durability and is asking for farmer’s help. Hear more in the latest Corn Matters, brought to you by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.

Tariff-Free Aussie Sugar Lands in London – For the first time in 50 years, the United Kingdom has received tariff-free raw sugar from Australia. A free trade agreement between the two countries was finalized at the end of May. This was a shipment of 33,000 metric tons worth $19 million.

WOTUS Rule Changes Likely – The Environmental Protection Agency released its final WOTUS Rule earlier this month. Rinke Noonan Law Firm attorney Kale Van Bruggen expects to see more changes in the future. “Several administrations have attempted to tackle this issue, but none of them successfully without litigation.” Van Bruggen says it is important to keep in mind that there are other federal and state regulations that impact water and wetlands. “Under the Farm Bill, we still have a Wetland Conservation Act law.” The new rule likely won’t have much impact on Minnesotans, but other states with less regulation could see changes. Listen to the full interview with Kale Van Bruggen here.

MFU Minute – In this week’s Minnesota Farmers Union Minute, Minnesota Farmers Union Government Relations Director Stu Lourey talks about MFU’s fly-in to Washington D.C.

NFU in DC – The National Farmers Union Fly-in is underway this week in Washington, D.C. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other USDA officials are scheduled to speak to Farmers Union members later this morning.

Relationships Nurtured Through NASDA – The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture is meeting in Cheyenne, Wyoming for its annual meeting. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen is wrapping up his time as president of the Midwestern regional association. Petersen sees value in the relationships he’s developed through this group. “We compare notes about what’s happening and what’s important,” said Petersen. “In the Midwest, for example, I work with (North Dakota Agriculture) Commissioner Doug Goehring, Secretary (Hunter) Roberts in South Dakota, Director (Sherry) Vinton in Nebraska.” Common ground can be found on issues ranging from the farm bill to biofuels. Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn is the incoming Midwest Association of State Departments of Agriclture president. North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is vice president.

MN Ag Represented on Trade Mission to Japan – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is in Japan for the rest of this week for a trade mission. Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Andrea Vaubel and House Agriculture Committee Chair Samantha Vang are also participating in the trip. Numerous agriculture groups are also represented, including Farm Bureau, Farmers Union and corn, soybean, dry bean, pork, cattle and bison commodities.

Farmer Sentiment Drops in August – The CME Group/Purdue University Ag Economy Barometer reading fell eight points in August to 115. Purdue University Center for Commercial Ag Director Dr. James Mintert said current economic conditions brought the reading lower. “I think for a lot of people it’s related to the fact that we were seeing lower commodity prices for corn and soybeans.” Input costs were also a concern for those surveyed. “People are maybe starting to worry a little bit about a cost-price squeeze.” Mintert predicts that uncertainty in yields could impact the September reading. Click here for the full interview with Dr. James Mintert.

Strategies for Taxes, Legal, Risk and Wealth – If you’re family is going through a farm transition or if you’re considering succession planning, you’ll want to join the Red River Farm Network at Big Iron. Marissa Nehlsen from the Freedom Financial Group will discuss strategies for tax, legal, risk and wealth. Nehlsen is featured at 3:30 Tuesday and Wednesday and 2:30 on Thursday.

SD PUC Denies Carbon Pipeline Permit Application – The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission rejected the Navigator CO2 permit application for the Heartland Greenway carbon capture pipeline. The PUC’s decision was unanimous. The pipeline was intended to stretch 110 miles across eastern South Dakota. The PUC is scheduled to make a decision regarding Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline permit at a hearing Monday.

Ag Law and Taxes to be Discussed at Big Iron – The Supreme Court made a couple significant rulings dealing with agriculture this year.  One was the Sackett case dealing with wetlands and Waters of the United States. The other big case was the Proposition 12 decision. Washburn Professor of Agricultural Law and Taxation, Roger McEowen says the High Court is expected to hear a case involving the deference issue next year. “I really think for agriculture, the big deal at the Supreme Court level has to do with regulatory agencies. This court, and I think this is a good thing from ag standpoint, is really paring back the power that administrative agencies have and the deference that we give to administrative agencies. They’re throwing more of the policy work back on Congress where it should be.” McEowen will be featured on the Red River Farm Network stage Tuesday at the Big Iron Farm Show. McEowen will be able to answer questions dealing with agricultural law and taxes.

Next 5 Years Conference Underway Today – It’s easy to be lost in the day-to-day activities on the farm and not look strategically into the future. The Northern Crops Institute is taking that longer view with the ‘Next 5 Years‘ Conference today in Moorhead. “When we start doing strategic planning, we really need to look at the next five years and figure out where is the world going and how does that impact our farms and businesses in our region,” said NCI Executive Director Mark Jirik. Speakers today include geopolitical analyst Jacob Shapiro, CHS Vice President of Sustainability Megan Rock and others.

Register Now for NCI’s Next Cereal Innovators Webinar – The Northern Crops Institute is hosting a cereal innovators webinar on Wednesday at 9 AM. This webinar will feature Nachurs Direct Sales Agronomy Specialist Wayne Becker and Nachurs sales agronomist Jill Herold. They will discuss a Growing a ‘Climate for Tomorrow by Building on the Past.’ This interactive webinar series focuses on new and unique ways to use cereal grains. Topics throughout the series include new processes, useful information on milling and baking, equipment information, and uses for cereal grains grown in the region. Register online.

Profits Up for ND Mill – The North Dakota Mill finished the fiscal year with $17.2 million in profits. That’s up from $14.6 million one year ago. Sales totaled $532 million, up from $473 million in fiscal year 2022. Ninety-two percent of total shipments were spring wheat. The Grand Forks-based North Dakota Mill is the largest single flour mill in the United States.

Merger Approved – Members of Valley United Co-op and the Thompson Farmers Elevator Company have approved a merger. As of January 1, the new organization will operate under the Valley United Co-op name. “We’re very pleased with the result of the vote,” said Paul Coppin, CEO, Valley United Co-op, who will lead the new company. Coppin said customers should expect a smooth transition, including continuity of staffing at current locations.

Canola Minute – In this week’s Canola Minute, Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman talks about the upcoming annual Canola Expo in November.

DLF Acquires Corteva Alfalfa Program – Denmark-based global seed company DLF has announced its acquisition of the Corteva Agriscience alfalfa breeding program. This deal includes Corteva’s alfalfa germplasm and breeding program, the Alforex Seeds brand name, trademarks and commercial alfalfa varieties.

NMPF Announces Staff Reorganization – Incoming National Milk Producers Federation President/CEO Gregg Doud began his work this past week as the organization’s chief operating officer. Doud will be in the COO role until current NMPF President/CEO Jim Mulhern retires in January. The dairy group has also undertaken a staff reorganization. Three executive vice president positions were made. Paul Bleiberg will oversee government relations. Shawna Morris is in charge of trade policy and global affairs while Alan Bjerga leads communications and industry relations. Promotions also include David West to chief administrative officer; Stephen Cain to senior director of economic research and analysis; Beverly Hampton Phifer to senior director of FARM Animal Care; Miquela Hanselman to regulatory affairs director. Staff receiving title changes with new responsibilities are Chris Galen as senior vice president of member services and governance and Claudia Larson as senior director of government relations and head of nutrition policy.