Thanks – The Red River Farm Network was in a new, more centralized location during the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show. Attendance for the RRFN forums was impressive. As always, it was great to connect with the best radio listeners in the country. RRFN extends special appreciation to the men and women who were featured in our forums and our sponsors. Thank you.

Stopgap Spending Bill Sidelined – Congress is facing a September 30 deadline to prevent a government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson introduced a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through March. However, it did not have enough Republican votes to pass. A farm bill extension was not included in that stopgap spending bill. A farm bill vote may be delayed until after the election.

A Sense of Urgency – Three-hundred agricultural groups were in Washington D.C. last week to stress a sense of urgency for the farm bill. “I think the important part was that it was one message,” said Kevin Leiser, president, Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers. “We’re still trying to get reference prices raised because who else is going off of prices from ten years ago or better?” Leiser said the trip was short, but powerful. “I think we got our point across.”

MFBF Minute – Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Vice President Carolyn Olson was part of an 11-member MFBF delegation in Washington D.C. this past week to promote passage of the farm bill. Olson is featured in this week’s MFBF Minute. 

NDFU Returns From Annual Fly-in – Twenty-six North Dakota Farmers Union members were on Capitol Hill this past week urging lawmakers to pass the farm bill. “We’re finding even more urgency because prices have collapsed as far as the commodities we sell,” said NDFU President Mark Watne. “You need that farm bill and that certainty to be able to go into your bank or figure out what you’re going to plant to try and weather the low price storm we’re seeing.” In an interview with RRFN, Watne said the stage may be set to pass a farm bill during the lame-duck session after the election. Watne also said the National Farmers Union continues to work on the issue of competition. Listen to the interview.

Addressing Prop 12 in the Farm Bill – Farm groups were in Washington, D.C. this past week, stressing the importance of getting a farm bill done this year. “It’s vitally important for us as pork producers,” said Lori Stevermer, president, National Pork Producers Council. “It addresses Prop 12 and a legislative fix to that potential patchwork of 48 states having different regulations would be detrimental to our industry.” Stevermer is calling on legislative leaders to get their work on the farm bill done this year.

Report Confirms Large Crop – The September supply and demand report is being called ‘very neutral.’ Corn ending stocks were slightly higher than trade expectations, but not enough to significantly impact prices. Corn yields nationally are expected to average 183.6 bushels per acre. Soybean yields are forecast to be record high at 53.2 bushels per acre. AgMarket.Net market analyst Tyler Schau expected the big production numbers. “Iowa and Illinois are going to be the big drivers; they got the crop in early. The early yield reports we’re getting from southern Illinois, northern Missouri (and) southern Iowa are some pretty massive for corn and beans at the moment.” Schau was part of the RRFN Market Outlook Forum Thursday at the Big Iron Farm Show. 

‘I’ States Tell the Story – There were no major surprises in Thursday’s USDA report. “This report came in pretty close to the trade estimates,” said DuWayne Bosse, president, BOLT Marketing. “When I looked at the state-by-state estimates, they did lower Ohio and in some of the Delta which have been very dry in the last month.” Ultimately, the story is in Iowa and Illinois. “As much as we want to move in the averages, it’s those two states and they’ve got record crops.” Bosse joined Ray Grabanski of Progressive Ag Marketing and Tyler Schau of AgMarket.Net in Thursday’s RRFN Market Outlook Forum. 

MN Crop Production Estimate Released – USDA is forecasting Minnesota corn yields to average 183 bushels per acre. That’s down two bushels per acre from the August report and from last year. The soybean yield was left unchanged from August at 49 bushels per acre. USDA also forecast sugarbeet production with Minnesota yield estimated at 29.9 tons per acre, 1.2 tons above 2023.

USDA Projects Bigger ND Soybean Crop – In Thursday’s crop report, USDA said North Dakota soybean production will be up 15 percent and corn production will drop two percent from last year. The average soybean yield is estimated at 38 bushels per acre, up 2.5 bushels from last year. Corn is expected to average 146 bushels per acre, up three bushels per acre from last year. North Dakota’s average sugarbeet yield is forecast at 29.9 tons per acre.

SD Corn, Soybean Yields Up From ’23 – In South Dakota, USDA is calling for an average corn yield of 163 bushels per acre. That’s up 11 bushels per acre from last year. Soybean yields are forecast at 47 bushels per acre, up three bushels from last year.

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 the grain market has had three straight weeks with higher prices. “USDA’s report really wasn’t that friendly; it was more of a neutral to negative report, but the market kind of ignored it and kept going a little stronger.” Martinson said canola is the most bearish market to start this week, hurt by the trade skirmish between Canada and China.

Black Sea Bombing – For the first time since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February of 2022, a civilian grain ship was been attacked on Thursday. Russia reportedly bombed a shipment of Ukrainian wheat that was on the way to Egypt.

A Complicated Demand Scenario – Progressive Ag Marketing President Ray Grabanski was featured in the Red River Farm Network Market Outlook Forum at the Big Iron Farm Show and said the U.S. lost export business when the war broke out in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine need to raise cash to fund the war and have been very aggressive wheat sellers. “I think that our demand has been sapped away because of this whole Ukraine conflict for the last two-and-a-half years.” Many nations that disagree with U.S. policies are, ironically, also its biggest agricultural customers. China is one example. “Now with the flare-up in the Middle East, the United States is on the wrong side of our Middle Eastern customers there so it’s not been good for demand.”

Tit-for-Tat Trade Tensions – China has formally started its one-year investigation into Canadian canola imports. China claims Canada is dumping canola onto the world market, sending the issue to the World Trade Organization. China took action after Canada imposed a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles and a 25 percent increase in steel and aluminum.

U.S. to Impose Additional Tariffs Against China – The White House has new tariffs against China going into effect September 27. The tariffs include a 100 percent duty on Chinese electric vehicles, 50 percent on solar cells and 25 percent on steel, aluminum and key minerals. When Canada imposed similar tariffs on Chinese EVs, China retaliated by accusing Canada of dumping its canola on the world market.

Expanding Market Opportunities – Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen described himself as the state’s agriculture cheerleader. That role includes finding new farm markets for Minnesota commodities. “I’m just always really excited about the possibilities.” Peterson cited countries that offer opportunities, including Morrocco, Japan, Korea, and China. “Whether it’s Bangladesh, Malaysia, or the Philippines, the average age is in the 20s.” Peterson said the state is also finding success in reinvigorating the Port of Duluth. Petersen joined North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring for the RRFN forum at the Big Iron Farm Show. 

A New Gateway for MN Soybean Exports – In a first-of-its-kind event, the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council traveled to the largest seaport in Europe to promote the St. Lawrence Seaway. During the Big Iron Farm Show, MSRPC board member Bill Zurn highlighted this trade mission. “We just had a trip where people went over to Amsterdam and Antwerp; we’re trying to get them to ship stuff into Duluth so we can fill those ships full of soybean meal and ship it back to them or Morocco or someplace like that.” Zurn, who farms at Calloway, is one of the 15 soybean farmers overseeing the state soybean checkoff.

New Crop Soybeans Dip Below $10/Bushel – At one point this past week, November soybean futures dropped below the $10 per bushel mark.  The Money Farm owner Allison Thompson said that left more questions than answers. “Technically, it’s not a very pretty sight for new crop soybeans, especially for guys looking for a harvest delivery and not storing beans.” Thompson said increasing demand is important and expects the markets to keep an eye on the South American weather. Watch the whole market outlook panel with Thompson on the RRFN YouTube page.

Watch Seasonal Market Trends – Total Farm Marketing market analyst Naomi Blohm advises farmers to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves. “Unless there’s a dramatic weather issue with South America or something really unforeseen with the elections, keep abreast of the seasonal situation with prices.” Seasonal price patterns can provide marketing opportunities. “If you’re thinking about cash sales for old crop/new crop that Christmas timeframe is a good one. Mother’s Day to Father’s Day is your next window. You’re busy with life, but  a lot of times that’s when your best marketing opportunities are there so focus on those and be ready to pull the trigger.” Blohm was part of RRFN’s Wednesday Market Outlook Forum.

Increased Feed Demand – During Tuesday’s market panel at the Big Iron Farm Show, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson said U.S. cattle numbers are low, but feedlots are importing calves from Canada and Mexico. “Our feedlots are actually showing bigger numbers than we saw last year because of the imports coming in,” said Martinson. “We are seeing bigger feed demand than we had initially anticipated because we thought we were going to continue to see lower numbers.” Martinson says this is preventing grain prices from falling further. Watch the whole panel with Martinson here.

Exceptional Yields on the Horizon – The 2024 planting season had a staggered start. “It seems like the earlier the corn or soybeans got planted the nicer the crop that we’re going to have, the later the planting might be a little bit more iffy come to harvest,” said Karmen Hardy, agronomist, Proseed. Hardy, who is based in Walhalla, North Dakota, said some areas got too much rain this season. “But, overall, I think we have exceptional yields in the crops to come.”

Barley Makes Malting Quality – Kulm, North Dakota farmer Bart Schott was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the barley this year. “I think all the samples came back good for malting so that was a nice surprise.” None of Schott’s barley was malting quality a year ago. Schott is concerned for some of the row crops because of late planting.”The stand isn’t quite there on the soybeans and the corn came up really spotty in some fields.”

Above Average Dry Beans – The dry bean harvest is getting underway across the region. Johnstown Bean Company General Manager Dylan Karley was harvesting Friday morning. “I’d say we are 60-to-65 percent harvested in the local area and they’ve been running a little bit better than average.” Karley said his area missed out on one of the recent rains that would have helped make the crop outstanding but he was still happy with the crop conditions.

An Interesting Year – The 2024 growing season is nearing an end. “It’s been a very interesting year to say the least,” said Brian Weight, agronomist, Hefty Seed. “We started with an easy, soft winter and it looked like things were going to start early and everything changed. We ended up very late.” Weight, who is based at Lisbon, North Dakota, believes the region will make it through all of September without a frost. “We’ve got corn that’s starting to black layer and we’ve got corn that’s just starting to dent so we’re going to still need a little more time.”

Regional Differences Seen With NoDak Canola Yields – Northern Canola Growers Association Executive Director Barry Coleman is reporting good yields across most of North Dakota. “A few areas in the southwest where they ran short of moisture in some limited areas, yields are down below 2,000 pounds; most of the yields are between 2,200 and 2,600 pounds.”  Lower yields were also seen in the Towner County area in north-central North Dakota. A much better scenario is being seen in the Bismarck area. “Here in Burleigh County, a lot of growers had really good success with canola, 2,400 to 3,000 pound yields.” With harvest continuing, Coleman estimates yields to average in the 1,900 to 2,000 pound range statewide.

Even With Wet Season, an Active Year for Hoppers – Adult grasshoppers were found in 83 percent of the fields evaluated for the NDSU Integrated Pest Management Crop Survey. That’s up from 68 percent last year. The drought area was reduced with the wet early summer conditions, but the grasshopper population remained moderate-to-high in past hot spots, especially in western North Dakota.

Northern Plains See an Increase in IDC this Growing Season – A cooler, wetter growing season has led to an uptick in Iron Deficiency Chlorosis. “We usually will see IDC almost every year in some fields in North Dakota when we’re talking about soybeans,” said Ana Carcedo, broadleaf agronomist, NDSU Extension. “Probably the best management and strategies that I suggest is choosing a variety that is resistant.” Information is key when managing IDC. “Testing your soils, knowing your soils, knowing if you have carbonates is something that will show in your yields.”

Soil Compaction Concern – The wet growing season has some farmers worrying about soil compaction. Traffic in the fields is unavoidable, but things can be done to help reduce the impact. “The name of the game for reducing soil compaction via tires is to maximize your total footprint area,” said Austin Fisher, engineer, Firestone Ag.” A larger footprint spreads the weight of the machine over a larger area.” Fisher said the ultimate goal is to run the lowest possible inflation pressure needed to carry the maximum axle load.  Fisher adds that there are resources available for farmers to find information on picking the right tires to avoid soil compaction.

The Cost of Money – During Wednesday’s market outlook forum, Advance Trading Risk Management Advisor Tommy Grisafi pointed to the cost of money. Interest rates increased dramatically in the aftermath of COVID-19. “The cost of production changed so much. You’d come to a meeting like this hoping we’d say grains go up a little. Twenty-five cents on corn, 50 cents in beans is a real rally, but the clocks ticking on the money part the whole time.” Grisafi said farmers may be “losing way more money from the cost of money than you are from the price of the grain markets being down.” Watch the video.

FCA: Ag Economy Outlook – The Farm Credit Administration has released its quarterly report on the farm financial situation. High corn and soybean yields are anticipated, but the large supplies are pressuring commodity prices. Livestock producers are being helped by cheap feed. The strong financial positions in 2021 and 2022 provided a cushion for the current downturn in the farm economy. With a drop in liquidity, the Farm Credit Administration expects more reliance on operating lines of credit. Year-to-date, the FCA has had earnings of $3.9 billion. That’s up 12 percent from the same period last year.

Interest Rate Decision This Week – The Federal Open Market Committee is meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. A .25 interest rate cut is expected. The announcement will be made on Wednesday at 1 PM.

Equipment Dealers Being ‘Super Aggressive’ – Faced with sizable inventories, farm equipment dealers have been utilizing auction sales. “It really started last year in July with dealers just smashing equipment out to auction,” said Greg ‘Machinery Pete’ Peterson. “The losses they’re taking are massive, but they’re trying to get ahead of it.” While appearing at the Big Iron Farm Show, Peterson told RRFN he had tracked the number of one and two-year-old equipment units sold at auction. “I looked at it through June this year and we were up 74 percent over last year. Compared to 2014 through June, there was a 423 percent increase in dealers putting stuff out to auction. These dealers are being super aggressive.” Visit the RRFN YouTube channel to watch Thursday’s forum. 

A Marketing Reset – After the 2024 crop is harvested, it may be time for a marketing reset. “I always encourage people to have a marketing plan, but it’s an action plan that changes,” said Rob Fronning, vice president of insurance and commodity marketing education, AgCountry Farm Credit Services. In the same forum Tuesday, AgCountry Senior Vice President of Producer Markets Mark Vetter said successful farmers utilize numerous tools, including a breakeven analysis. “I’m not talking about just seed, chemical and fertilizer. You have to drill down into what the expense is going to be for each crop, including family living and income tax expenses divided by your average yield.”

First ACSC Stock of the Season Sold – Red River Land Company reports 25 American Crystal Sugar Company beet stock sales of $5,600 per share and 194 shares for $5,550. Beet stock values finished the spring at record highs of $6,000 per share.

Negative News is Already in Market – With the market bombarded with a big crop and negative news, RRFN asked U.S. Commodities President Don Roose if there is a bullish story to be told. “I think we’ve scored the harvest low,” responded Roose. “It is a La Nina year and southern Brazil and Argentina are dry. If South America weather is a problem, it is a big problem.” Roose said most of the negative news is already baked into the markets. Roose was part of Tuesday’s market outlook panel at the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show. Watch the video.

AURI Update – AURI’s Agriculture Innovation Center is funded through the USDA’s Rural Business Cooperative Service and provides technical and business development assistance for value-added agricultural products. Learn more in this update. 

Tight Margins, Strong Land Market – Good quality farmland in a high-demand area is selling at levels comparable to 12 months ago. “Despite the higher interest rates and commodity prices, we’ve seen surprisingly strong farmland prices,” said Kyle Nelson, an agent for Farmers National Company. There hasn’t been an oversupply of land on the market. “I think inventories are going to stay relatively tight,” said Troy Swee, FNC area sales manager. “The people that are actively trying to buy a farm, I think I’d jump on that and try and get that bought.” Farmers National Company hosted two forums on land values during the Big Iron Farm Show. Here’s a link to the Tuesday forum and this link is for the Wednesday forum.

Farming for the Future – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the Red River Farm Network and the Linder Farm Network to provide information on soil health events and topics. This week, Neal Kittelson with the Department of Agriculture talks about best management practices for applying herbicides. Listen to the update. 

Vilsack: SAF Tax Credits Will be in Place Soon – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack indicates a new clean fuels tax credit program will be finalized before the end of the Biden Administration. This program would provide tax credits for producing low-emission fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel. Speaking to a Growth Energy event, Vilsack said this issue is on the fast track.

Minnesota’s First SAF Fuel Blending Facility Announced – The GREATER MSP Partnership-led coalition has announced Minnesota’s first sustainable aviation fuel blending facility. Flint Hills Resources, in collaboration with Delta Air Lines, is developing the facility at its Pine Bend refinery to blend up to 30 million gallons of neat SAF. A consortium made up of Bank of Americas, Deloitte, Delta and Ecolab plan to purchase the first several million gallons of SAF each year starting in the fourth quarter of 2025. As a one-year milestone, the coalition also announced a grant totaling nearly $17 million to convert a Gevo ethanol facility in Luverne into an alcohol-to-jet fuel facility for SAF production.

Gevo to Acquire ND Ethanol Plant – An ownership change is happening for the ethanol plant in Richardton, North Dakota. Gevo has agreed to acquire Red Trail Energy for $210 million. That price includes the ethanol plant and Red Trail’s carbon capture and sequestration asset. This is a 65 million gallon per year ethanol facility with pore space lease agreements for 5,800 acres in the Broom Creek formulation, sufficient for one million metric tons of carbon capture and sequestration annually. This deal expands Gevo’s future sustainable aviation fuel platform. Gevo is headquartered in Colorado.

Fueling the Future – The Minnesota Corn Growers Association is now part of the Minnesota Sustainable Aviation Fuel Hub. This collaboration includes Delta Airlines, Ecolab, Xcel Energy and other organizations to create a certified sustainable aviation jet fuel. “The goal is to reduce the life cycle carbon emissions in aviation,” explains Marlen Dufault, district field manager, Minnesota Corn. “Corn is a great feedstock for that and we’re working on affordability, abundance, sustainability, and working on infrastructure as well.”

House Passes Foreign Farmland Bill – The House took action to restrict the purchase of farmland by foreign adversaries China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. The bill also adds USDA to the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, which evaluates transactions involving ag land, ag biotechnology and the ag industry. The bill now goes to the Senate, but there is little time left on the legislative calendar.

ND Welcomes Animal Agriculture – Sharing the stage with his Minnesota counterpart, North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring emphasized the opportunity to increase animal agriculture in the state. “We have the land and the space,” said Goehring. “It provides more certainty. You’re not putting everything on rail or on rubber and go someplace.” With two new large-scale dairy farms ready to build in the state, Goehring said he is excited to see the possibilities for animal agriculture in the state. The forum with Goehring and Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen can be found online. 

Beef Checkoff Approves ’25 Plan of Work – The Cattlemen’s Beef Board will invest approximately $38 million into its 2025 beef checkoff plan of work. A dozen funding requests were approved, including over $9 million for promotion, $8.6 million for research, $8 million for foreign market development and $7.5 million for consumer education. The plan of work is subject to USDA approval.

MN Beef Update – Minnesota Beef Council Communications Director Ashley Wulf joins the Minnesota Beef Update to highlight the Build Your Base sports nutrition program. Listen to the report.

Stockmen to Meet in Bismarck – The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association is hosting its annual convention and trade show in Bismarck Wednesday through Friday. “There are a lot of things that are good in our industry right now and I think we need to make a point of that,” said Jason Leiseth, president, NDSA.   Find the whole schedule and how to register on the NDSA website.

Steps Taken for Delisting the Gray Wolf – The Biden Administration has asked the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate the rule delisting wolves from the Endangered Species Act. If approved, this would return control to the states on this issue. Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber said the State of Minnesota should approve a hunt to reduce the size of the wolf population.

CAFOs in Court – The 9th Circuit Court heard oral arguments late last week in a lawsuit seeking stricter regulations for large-scale livestock operations. The lawsuit was filed by Food and Water Watch. In 2017, the court denied a petition for more stringent rules and the environmental activist group wants the court to reconsider. A decision may not happen for over a year.

Building Better Nitrogen – Nitrogen was lost during the wet months of May and June. “That’s going to most likely affect yield,” said Pivot Bio Agronomist Dan Grefsrud. Pivot Bio’s microbial nitrogen compliments synthetic nitrogen sources. “You have another form that you can rely on and if we start moving some of that synthetic (nitrogen) through the profile, our Pivot Bio microbe will still be on the road. It’s a naturally found soil microbe, but we have edited that microbe to fix more nitrogen in the presence of nitrogen in the field so we truly are a more efficient producer of nitrogen.”

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s Dry Bean Scene, Progressive Ag Marketing market analyst Ray Grabanski reviews the dry bean market situation. Grabanski was part of a market outlook forum at the Big Iron Farm Show. Listen to the report. 

Building Your Legacy – Farm succession or retirement planning should be integrated with the tax plan. Bobbi Sondreal concentrates on retirement and succession planning for AgCountry Farm Credit Services. For generational success, Sondreal believes it is important to meet with all pertinent entities, including family. “I get to help with that piece and we work really closely with the tax team because a lot of the things that we’re talking about through is going to affect your tax situation.” Watch the Building Your Legacy forum that took place this past week at the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show. 

A Resurgance for Big Iron – The Big Iron Farm and Construction Show was blessed with “great crowds.” Big Iron CEO Cody Cashman cited new attractions, including the Grand Farm Autonomous Nation event and the construction equipment exhibitors. “I’m thrilled because Big Iron is growing,” said Cashman. “I wasn’t sure when I first took over here in 2020 with COVID, everybody said farm shows are going to get harder. It was, but I’ll tell you it’s resurged. The foot traffic we have had has been phenomenal.”

SD Corn Comments – In this week’s edition of South Dakota Corn Comments, the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council extends its wish to everyone for a great school year. Listen to the report. 

Support for New Farmers in MN – A new grant program is available to new farmers in Minnesota to offset the cost of farm equipment purchases and farm facilities. The Beginning Farmer Equipment and Infrastructure Grant program will provide up to $20,000 to reduce the barriers to their business. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture expects to award a total of $800,000 to pay for farm equipment and farm infrastructure including irrigation, fencing, livestock buildings and greenhouses.

Harvest of Harmony Gala Scheduled – The North Dakota Farm Bureau Foundation is planning a new fundraising event. “We’re having a Harvest of Harmony Gala coming up October 18 in Fargo,” said Megan Hanson, NDFB director of member relations. The money raised at the event will support NDFB Foundation programs, including scholarships, Living Ag Classroom, Young Farm & Ranchers and the Promotion & Education committees. Details can be found online.

Agweek Reports From Big Iron – Agweek evaluated corn and soybean conditions across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa during its recent crop tour. “It was just great to see how everything is catching up after a slow spring start; awesome,” reported Agweek Editor Jenny Schlecht. Agweek was out in force during the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show. Coverage can be found online.

Benefits Seen With Ag Education on a Rural Campus – Mayville State University is now in the fourth year of its agribusiness program. President Brian Van Horn says this program provides coursework, field experience and skills needed for a career in agriculture. “We’re a small rural community surrounded by corn fields, bean fields and sugarbeet fields so it fits perfectly with what these students are interested in learning about,” said Van Horn. “We were just talking about the new dairy that’s proposed to come to Traill County as well. There are a lot of different opportunities for students to learn right there in our county with an immersion educational experience within that community that’s really second to none.” Michael Kjelland leads the agribusiness program. “We take students of all different backgrounds, they could be transfer students or maybe they never finished with the university where they were at before. We really cater to them.”

CHS Returning Patronage and Equity Redemptions to Owners – CHS plans to return $600 million in cash patronage and equity redemptions to its owners in calendar year 2025. Based on business done with CHS in fiscal year 2024, which ended on Aug. 31, 2024, the CHS board has elected to return $300 million in cash patronage and $300 million through equity redemptions to CHS owners. This is the third highest amount of cash returns to owners in CHS history.

NDFB Launches Health Savings Plans – NDFB has launched the North Dakota Farm Bureau Health Plan, offering individuals and families coverage at an affordable rate. The plan offers different options regarding the level of coverage, deductibles, co-pays, out-of-pocket payments, preventative health benefits, dental and vision. “Enrollment is going to start October 1, January 1 is when the coverage begins,” said Jeff Missling, executive director, NDFB. Health care coverage is one of the most significant family living expenses for farm families. “We know for some operations it’s the difference between staying in business or not, or maybe someone working on the farm or taking a job in town.”

Jobs Cut at Syngenta Headquarters – Syngenta has cut ten percent of its workforce at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Up to 150 of the 1,100 positions at the headquarters will be impacted. A downturn in operating profits is blamed.

MN Corn Matters – In this edition of Corn Matters, Minnesota Corn Growers Association District Field Manager Marlene Dufault invited listeners to visit the MCGA booth at the Big Iron Farm Show. Listen to the report.

Dekalb in Partnership with Field of Dreams Site – Bayer has announced a new partnership with the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. Dekalb is the official corn seed for the famous field. In addition to the Dekalb corn surrounding the ballfield, Dekalb receives exclusive naming rights and signage. The filming site of the 1989 movie is a draw for thousands of baseball fans worldwide.

Certis Biologicals Names New President – Certis Biologicals has named Eda Reinot as president and she will soon transition to CEO. Previously, Reinot was vice president for Indigo Ag. Previously, she was with BASF and Becker Underwood. Certis Biologicals is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui and Company.

McCarvel Announces Retirement – During the Mid America CropLife Association Annual Meeting, Executive Director Bonnie McCarvel announced her planned retirement. McCarvel has been at the helm of MACA for nearly 29 years. Previously, McCarvel was the executive director of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. Early in her career, McCarvel was a farm broadcaster at KNUJ in New Ulm. McCarvel is a native of Brewster, Minnesota.

A Fun Ride – Bayer Crop Science Crop Protection Technical Development Representative Kevin Thorsness will retire this fall. During the Big Iron Farm and Construction Show, RRFN visited with Thorsness about his 32-year career with Bayer. “It’s been a fun ride,” said Thorsness. “We’ve seen a lot of technology come to the area that helped to push yields; traited corn, soybeans and canola and the use of glyphosate.” Thorsness said the agricultural landscape also changed in the 1990s when Fusarium head blight devastated regional wheat production. “There’s fewer acres of wheat, but the guys that are growing wheat are putting a lot more into it. Thirty-two years ago, a 45 bushel wheat crop was a nice crop. This year, there were guys who were harvesting well over 100 bushels per acre.”

Boll Selected as AFBF Ag Innovation Challenge Finalist – Crookston, Minnesota farmer Bryan Boll has been named a Top 10 finalist in the 2025 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Boll owns Northstar Lime, which repurposes byproducts from sugarbeet processing to develop a sustainable lime fertilizer. The ten semi-finalists will participate in a virtual pitch. From that group, four finalists will compete at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention.