A Voice for Agriculture – The Red River Farm Network team is home after spending most of the past week in Kansas City for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Annual Meeting. ‘A Voice for Agriculture’ was the theme of the annual convention, highlighting the farm broadcaster’s role in bridging the gap between industry, farmers and consumers. NAFB President Carah Hart honored RRFN’s Don Wick with a President’s Award during Friday night’s banquet. We’re blessed by the relationships we have in this business and that is especially true within the farm broadcast community. In addition to dozens of interviews, RRFN participated in professional improvement and newsmaker sessions. This week, RRFN will be on the road for the Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Farm Bureau and NDFB annual meetings. This is the beginning of a busy winter meeting season. Stay connected with RRFN.

Farmers Weigh Unintended Consequences – With a second Trump presidency, National Farmers Union President Rob Larew expects regulations to be ratcheted back. “We know that there’s going to be a large theme of regulatory reform and deregulation,” Larew told RRFN. “A farmer that gets heavily regulated in a lot of ways, the idea of regulatory relief makes a lot of sense.” However, Larew wants to see a deliberate, thoughtful process. “We want to make sure that we don’t have unintended consequences by rolling back or closing offices that could actually limit our options as farmers for innovative new products, new pesticides, new tools to make sure that we can be as successful as possible. It’s complicated, it needs to be done smart.” Listen to the full interview here:

Cabinet Picks Announced – President-Elect Donald Trump is announcing his cabinet choices at a fast and furious pace. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was chosen as the Interior Secretary and will chair the new National Energy Council. Former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin is Trump’s pick for EPA administrator. Robert Kennedy Jr. was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services, where he will oversee the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control. The USDA cabinet position has not been announced.

Trump’s EPA Pick Has a Track Record With the RFS – Former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. “We know that the EPA head is the most important roles when it comes to the RFS and small refinery waivers,” said Jacqui Fatka, who is CoBank’s lead economist for farm supplies and biofuels. “As we look at the track record of former Representative Zeldin when was in Congress, he was one of the lead sponsors of a bill to repeal the RFS.” Fatka says this may be an opportunity for education about the importance of biofuels. On another topic, agriculture and the sustainable aviation industry are waiting for guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production tax credit from the Biden administration. Fatka is not optimistic about that happening before the end of Biden’s term. Listen online for the full interview.

Work to be Done in this Administration and the Next – In the final days of the Biden administration, the ethanol industry hopes the final guidance on the 45Z tax credit will be released. “We expect it to come out in late January,” said Emily Skor, CEO, Growth Energy. Looking ahead, there is now clarity in terms of the election outcome. “With the Trump Administration, we have to keep in mind this is a president who is very clear he sets the policy and he wants people in the cabinet to implement his policies.” Skor said it is important to remind the new cabinet that Trump supports farmers, ethanol and E15. Listen to RRFN’s interview with Skor.

Future of Biofuels Uncertain – The future of biofuels remains a question mark. “The Trump administration was vocally very supportive of biofuels and production agriculture,” says David Ripplinger, bioenergy economist, North Dakota State University. “That didn’t necessarily translate to pursuing ways in which the RFS would fully benefit or lead to higher uses of biofuels.” Ripplinger says changes to the Inflation Reduction Act could be impactful, but says it would not be an easy task for the new administration.

Biofuels Hopeful for Policy Shift Under Trump 2.0 – During President Trump’s first term in office, there was more focus on fossil fuels over biofuels. Former National Corn Growers Association CEO John Doggett is curious to see if that changes once Trump is back in office in January. “It isn’t what it would have been eight years ago, but he did tell the petroleum industry, basically, what you want, I’ll give you.” On a hopeful note, Doggett cited comments from Exxon officials regarding their commitment to biofuels. “I think we need to continue to push that and American companies will use green energy if it’s priced right.”

Seeking Certainty From Endangered Species Act – CropLife America President and CEO Alexandra Dunn worked in the Environmental Protection Agency during the first Trump presidency. Dunn expects the EPA to be more organized and aggressive during the next four years. “There will be veterans returning who were there the first four years and they’ll come in with things they wanted to get done the first time that didn’t happen and they’ll focus on those,” said Dunn. “I think they will be looking for certainly around the Endangered Species Act how to really get that program to integrate effectively with the Pesticide FIFRA program because they both have to exist together legally, but it’s a challenge.” When the farm bill happens, Dunn is seeking action on its uniformity in pesticide labeling bill, which would prevent states from adding label information that is contrary to the federal standard. Listen to the full interview. 

Speculation Surrounds Tariffs and Agriculture – There are countless theories about what will happen under the new Trump administration. With major increases in tariffs proposed, there is speculation about the impact on agriculture, “but the devil’s in the details on that.” Ron Baumgarten worked on ag issues for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the first Trump presidency. “There’s not some type of blank check that you just come in and do a proclamation that increases tariffs right away.” Baumgarten also said farmers have a friend in the White House. “The administration last time was aggressive about ag and it’s the same thing here.”

Tariff Concerns – The possibility of a trade war with China remains a talking point in the markets. Heartland Investor Services CTA Gene Graner is taking a contrary view. It doesn’t take a lot to put more pressure on the economy of China which is already struggling; they need our business,” said Graner. “They need us to get them back to the negotiating table after President Biden failed to follow through to continue the Phase 2 (trade deal).” Ultimately, Graner believes demand will drive the market.

Stabenow Offers Her Farm Bill Language – Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow has released her 1,397-page farm bill text. With Stabenow retiring at the end of the year, it appears the Michigan senator wants pass the legislation under her watch. Highlights include a permanent disaster program, historic investments in climate-smart conservation practices and $8.5 billion to improve consumer access to nutrition assistance.

Strong Safety Net is a Must – As every day goes by, American Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Director Luther Markwart sees fewer opportunities to pass a farm bill during the lame duck session. “What they’re really going to need to do is get some sort of disaster funding and funding to get growers through the next year or so because you’ve got a lot of you growers without a strong safety net on these major commodities,” said Markwart. “It’s going to be hard to get operating loans so they’re going to have to do something to carry them over.” If the farm bill is pushed into next year, Markwart hopes to see action early in the session. “The agenda is very busy, particularly in the Senate which has to confirm all of these nominees and there’s hundreds and hundreds of those that they’ll have to go through.” Listen to the RRFN interview with Markwart. 

Prop 12 Priority – Congress must pass legislation to fund the federal government beyond December 20 or agree to another continuing resolution. The chore list for Congress during the lame-duck session also includes the National Defense Authorization Act, funding for Ukraine, and disaster legislation. National Pork Producers Council Assistant Vice President of Domestic Policy Chase Adams hopes a farm bill is also part of the discussion. Language dealing with California’s Proposition 12 is part of the House farm bill and is a priority for the NPPC. “That is an existential threat to the pork industry. It’s an existential threat for agriculture at large. If states can pass laws that prohibit the sales of certain ag products based on production or housing standards, that’s really got to be our focus right now.” If it is not addressed before the end of the year, Adams says it will be a priority for the new congress. Listen to the full interview.

Farm Bill Urged for Stability in Tough Times – After two years of anticipating the farm bill, American Soybean Association Vice President Caleb Ragland is pushing for a farm bill yet this year. “We need a strong safety net. We need to keep the crop insurance strong. We need to protect our check-off.” With tight margins in agriculture, Ragland is also focused on the need for stability “so we will continue to fight for that to the bitter end.” Listen to the full interview here:

MFU Minute – Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish joins the MFU minute to discuss the farm bill. Wertish emphasizes the sense of urgency in passing this legislation. Listen to the report. 

Thune Elected Majority Leader – In a secret ballot, Republican senators elected South Dakota Senator John Thune as the next Senate Majority Leader. Thune is in his fourth Senate term and is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Promising Ag Leadership – With the new Congress, the Midwest and Northern Plains will be represented in the Senate leadership. South Dakota Senator John Thune is the incoming majority leader. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will become the lead Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee and North Dakota Senator John Hoeven will chair the agriculture appropriations bill. American Soybean Association President Josh Gackle welcomes these changes. “Whether it’s Thune, Klobuchar, Hoeven, both parties, different states, but there are a lot of regional similarities. They’ve found ways to work together.” Gackle said their agricultural knowledge is important. “It’s going to be a good group of people coming in here.” To hear the full interview, click here.

Minnesota Corn Matters – In Minnesota Corn Matters, Minnesota Corn Growers Association board member Rob Tate highlights the need for the FARM Act to fill the gap until a new farm bill is completed. Listen to the report.

Tie Remains Likely in MN House – It appears the Minnesota House will end up with a 67-67 tie between the Republicans and the DFL. One district remains up in the air with a recount happening on Thursday. If the recount doesn’t change the even split in the House, a power-sharing agreement will need to be adopted.

Analyst Warns Tariffs May Disrupt Fertilizer Exports – StoneX fertilizer market analyst Josh Linville is concerned what additional fertilizer tariffs would mean for U.S. exports. It’s a slippery slope that Linville worries could lead to a trade war with Russia. “If the Trump administration gets into a little tit-for-tat type thing with Russia and we start to see not only phosphate that’s cut off from coming here, but they’ll probably start doing the same thing with potash and nitrogen.” Tariffs aside, there is legitimate concern over a tight supply situation and how it could drive nitrogen fertilizer prices higher and higher.

Too Much Water Early – David Staples had 14 inches of rain in late May and early June on his Halstad, Minnesota farm. “Look at the harvest, there were good spots and there were bad spots and it just mattered where the water sat,” said Staples. “Where it was good, it was really good and where it was poor, it was really poor.” Staples didn’t have any prevented plant, but was replanting corn into mid-June. Staples doesn’t expect any changes in his crop plans for 2025. “You can’t outguess Mother Nature or these markets, they’re a moving target so keep doing what’s working. I’m not going to change and the farms we work with at Airborne Seed and Agronomy are staying the same. There’s a pretty tight rotation up here with the sugarbeets and I don’t see a whole lot changing.”

Wheat in Dormancy – Recent rains will influence the winter wheat crop. “All of Montana, all of North Dakota, maybe the northwestern corner of South Dakota is dormant and then after the next two weeks, we’re going to have dormancy all the way down probably through Nebraska as well,” said Joe Woznicki, Commodity Weather Group. “The rain events over the last several weeks and the upcoming rains have really done a number on improving the soil moisture situation here from the Plains all the way over into the Midwest. Woznicki doesn’t think North Dakota will experience much of a soil moisture recharge this fall.

Soybean Planting in Brazil on Schedule – Brazil is seeing some much-needed moisture, which is helping with soybean planting progress throughout the northern and central ag regions. Soybean and Corn Advisor President Michael Cordonnier says Brazil’s soybean planting is on schedule and crop conditions look good. “Soybeans are 68 percent planted.” The major areas left to plant include far southern Brazil and northeastern Brazil. “Those areas are always the last to plant, so I think the condition of the crop is generally rated in good condition.”

USDA Projects Strong Ag Exports, New Markets in 2025 – Throughout the past five years, U.S. commodity exports surged. Foreign Agricultural Services Administrator Daniel Whitley says 2024 was no different. “We’ve hit records throughout the last four years in terms of exports. This year won’t be a record, but it’ll be right there number two or number three.” Whitley expects that trend to continue in 2025. “I think that we’ve got some new innovative programs to support American agriculture, promote their products around the world, market their products around the world, come up with new markets. The one big one is the RAPP program, the Regional Ag Promotion Program. It’s really designed to help encourage our producers diversify.”

China Ready to Work With Trump Administration – President Joe Biden is in Rio de Janeiro for the annual G-20 summit. Over the weekend, Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In a statement, Xi said “China’s goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged.”

U.S. Agriculture’s Path to Carbon Negative – The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action released a report on the potential for U.S. Agriculture to be greenhouse gas negative. “We wanted to do a study to see what’s possible for U.S. agriculture,” said Kevin Burkum, CEO, USFRA. “In this study, their results are that there is that potential to be net carbon negative.” The study highlighted five main opportunities that have the biggest ability to impact greenhouse gas emissions. Read the full report.

Green Ammonia: Fertilizer of the Future – With a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer used in Minnesota, University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center Director Mike Reese says green ammonia can aid supply of these fertilizers. “You can take wind or solar energy and use water to electrolyze water, produce hydrogen, pull nitrogen from the air and put them together to form nitrogen fertilizer.” The WCROC works on projects like these in order to produce sustainable practices for the future. “We envision green ammonia going beyond nitrogen fertilizer, crossing sectors and coupling those sectors together.”

Make Plans to Attend Green Ammonia Summit – Attend the Green Ammonia Summit on December 10 at the University of Minnesota-Morris to be part of the conversation on clean energy policy, rural economic opportunity and decarbonization in agriculture. The Summit will focus on the opportunities and potential of green ammonia to benefit farmers, communities and the climate. Green ammonia uses renewable energy to create nitrogen fertilizer locally and sustainably. The Summit will bring together farmers, technical experts, policymakers and leaders from cooperatives, utilities and food companies to discuss the future of regionally produced green ammonia. Speakers include Courtney Hall, Senior Director of Sustainability at CHS; Erin Heitkamp, VP of Supply Chain Development at Gevo; Tom Rabaey, Senior Research & Development Manager at General Mills, and Mike Reese, Green Ammonia Research Lead at WCROC. The summit is hosted by Minnesota Farmers Union in partnership with West Central Research and Outreach Center, AURI, Fresh Energy and others. Go online for more information and to register.

Renewable Fuels Exports See Strong Growth – The export market for renewable fuels has shown great growth over the last decade. “Around 12-14 percent of renewable fuels are exported,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association. “Our biggest export market right now is Canada. These countries are recognizing the economic and environmental benefits of using U.S.-produced ethanol.” Listen to the full interview here:

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, Gabi Bolwerk, Extension educator, University of Minnesota, talks about the Soil Management Summit in January. Click here to listen. 

Minnesota Farmers Face Tough Year – Crop farmers are generally in a tough position this year due to prices and yields for some in Minnesota. “We had quite a bit of grain that sat in the bins from January to August and took quite a spill in price,” says Keith Olander, executive director, AgCentric. “It was a generally backwards year.” Olander says changes in balance sheets and equity losses will likely be the story for now.

Fielding Questions – In the Fielding Questions podcast, AgCountry Farm Credit Services Market Education Specialist Cody Didier reflected on the current market environment. “The grain markets are almost over-supplied with bearish news,” said Didier. “It seems any bullish news turns bearish and bearish news is all bearish.” The pressure is linked to the additional moisture coming to the U.S. Cornbelt and across South America. Listen to the podcast. Fielding Questions is a collaboration between AgCountry Farm Credit Services and the Red River Farm Network.

Ag Lender Survey Highlights Tough Times Ahead – The American Bankers Association and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation produce an Ag Lender Survey report annually. “Broadly, the results reflect the trends in the agriculture economy right now,” says Tyler Mondres, senior director of research, ABA. “A lot of the sentiment from our lenders reflected the fact that we’re entering potentially tougher times for America’s farmers and ranchers.” Ag lenders voiced concern about credit quality while farmers are worried about farm income levels and liquidity. See the whole report at the ABA website.

The Challenge of the ‘Average’ Farm Year – Describing an average year for farming is not an easy task. “The challenge with agriculture is that rarely do we ever hit the average year,” says Bryon Parman, agricultural finance specialist, North Dakota State University. Farmers are entering a new year with agriculture in a down cycle. “So make sure we’re making financial decisions based on what we expect going forward, not the best year we had recently.”

Beet Stock Values – American Crystal Sugar Company beet stock trading was slow last week. According to Acres & Shares broker Jayson Menke, only seven shares were brokered at $5,400 per share. “As of Saturday morning, there were 958 shares for sale on broker sites at $5,400,” said Menke. “Based on this volume and only one small sale last week, we could see some more downward pressure on the market.”

Good Yields Across Most Crops This Year – The Red River Valley had a pretty decent harvest this year. “It looked a little rough to get going, but it turned out really quite well,” says Derek Pruitt, technical product agronomist, Dekalb Asgrow. “And I’d say not just on corn, but on most crops, yields were pretty good, pretty respectable, and they were above average in most places.”

Cover Crops Can Thrive in Dormant Seeding – NDSU Extension Crop and Systems Specialist Victor Gomes says there’s evidence that certain cover crops can still be beneficial in drier soil conditions. “It’s something we call dormant seeding. That is when we seed the crop or a cover crop under either a cold soil or a dry soil and then because of those conditions, they do not imbibe water and do not germinate until the spring next year.” Winter-hardy varieties work best in the dormant seeding system. “Keep in mind that not every cover crop species will work in this kind of planting system. Farmers should opt for winter hardy crops like cereal rye, winter camelina hairy vetch, and winter wheat.”

Getting a Head-Start on Next Year’s Crop – Due to low grain markets, crop input decisions for 2025 are under scrutiny. Wilbur-Ellis Field Agronomist Kelsey Schneider is encouraging farmers not to skip normal fertility practices. “Fertility is so important for finishing out grain fill, for standability,” said Schneider. “That’s besides the factor of how much grain removal takes out of the soil so, yeah, with fertility, we can get to the point where we’re skimping too much there.” Supplemental P and K may be needed for the crop to reach its full potential. Soil testing is recommended. “We still have great weather. We’ve had some moisture in a lot of areas now, I think now going forward is a really good time to be pulling soil samples.”

What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets – In today’s edition of What’s Hot, What’s Not in the Markets, Martinson Ag Risk Management President Randy Martinson cites the U.S. dollar and the live cattle market as the most bullish parts of the market. Soybeans are in the ‘not hot’ category. “Soybeans are trading below their support line.” Corn is also struggling. The political news is also influencing the trade. Listen to the report.

Canadian Court Reaffirms Potato Wart Decision – The Canadian Federal Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s 2021 ruling classifying all of Prince Edward Island as infested with potato wart. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles says this ruling validates the NPC view that this is a disease issue and not a trade war with Canada. “The growers on Prince Edward Island had apparently sued their own federal government for taking actions to try to mitigate the disease,” said Quarles. “The court basically confirmed exactly what we have been saying, it’s a phytosanitary issue and  it’s a disease issue. It’s a terrible disease to get in potatoes and you don’t want it spreading throughout Canada or into the United States.” The potato industry continues to wait for the Canadian Government to finalize its potato wart mitigation plan updates.

The Benefit of Pulse Crops – Pulse crops, such as beans and field peas, have advantages in the crop rotation. “They fix nitrogen into the soil directly and improve soil health which reduces the need for nitrogen fertilizers,” said Madison Jacobson, director of marketing, USA Pulses. “Essentially, pulses put their roots down into the soil and the roots are then infected with a bacteria called rhizobia, which is able to convert nitrogen gas from the air into a nitrogen form that the pulse can use to feed itself.”

Drought Impacts Cattle Markets – The cattle markets continue to be strong during generally weaker seasonal pressure. “One of the things I’ve been watching is the drought conditions across the U.S.,” says Tyler Cozzens, director, Livestock Marketing Information Center. “It’s been deteriorating over the last month or two.” With cheaper feed Cozzens expects feeder cattle to continue to come in at heavier weights to compensate for the tighter supplies.

Demand for Calves Defies Fall Trends – Strong demand for calves has helped counteract seasonal pressure in the local cattle markets. “Usually, the end of October and into November is a tough time to sell calves,” says Tim Petry, livestock economist, North Dakota State University. “But this year we’ve seen an increase in the last month which is positive for those selling calves.” Petry unsurprisingly attributes the strength to cheap feed and lower supplies.

Strength in Local Cattle Markets – There’s still plenty of good news in the cattle market. “It looks like the forecast is looking pretty good on the calf market. I think after the first of the year there’s going to be less cattle around on feed in this area, so I do think that there will be a premium on these calves,” said John Fischer, co-owner, Stockmen’s Livestock Exchange, Dickinson, North Dakota. The calves have been coming in a bit lighter than expected, but are still seeing elevated prices.

MN Beef Update – Kaitlyn Root oversees the Minnesota Beef Quality Assurance Program and is featured in this week’s Minnesota Beef Update to highlight the BQA program. This update is made possible by the Minnesota Beef Council and the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association. Click here.

Strong Beef Demand – Beef demand remains strong amid elevated prices. “That’s true demand for a product, when people will pay higher prices and still buy it,” says Greg Hanes, CEO, Cattlemen’s Beef Board. “I think that shows some of the really strong success that we’ve had.” Listen to the full interview here:

Record U.S. Pork Exports – This year has been a record time for U.S. pork exports. “2024 was a really outstanding year for pork, but we need to continue focusing on developing markets other than China,” said Joe Schuele, vice president of communications, U.S. Meat Export Federation “I think that strategy has paid off because we were less dependent on China than a lot of our competitors.” For the red meat sector, tight supplies will be a consideration in ’25. “Volumes might be down a little bit if we start to see herd rebuilding so we look for a good solid year in beef exports and we think we’ll have another record in pork. It’ll probably be modest growth.”

Action Take on Federal Orders – USDA has issued a final decision in its proposal to amend the uniform pricing formulas in all 11 Federal Milk Marketing Orders. The final decision puts forth a package of amendments to update formulas and makes limited changes based on public comments. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Deputy Administrator Dana Coale says the next steps are the most important. “This is where the dairy farmers get an opportunity to vote on each federal order as it has been amended through this final decision. As soon as the final decision is published in the federal register we will begin the referendum process.” Every eligible dairy farmer or dairy cooperative will receive a ballot for each order where they have no pool. Ballots must be returned by December 31st. AMS will be hosting three webinars this month. More details can be found online.

Dry Bean Scene – In this week’s edition of the Dry Bean Scene, Green Valley Bean Company President John Berthold offers a breakdown of dry bean acres in Minnesota and North Dakota. Total dry bean acreage was up 43 percent in the two states. Listen to the report.

4WD Tractor, Combine Sales Drop – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers reports U.S. sales of 4-wheel drive tractors were up 4.8 percent in August compared to a year ago. However, total U.S. tractor sales declined 19.4 percent and combine sales were down 19.6 percent. In Canada, sales of 4-wheel drive tractors increased nearly 30 percent percent in August while total tractor sales in Canada fell 26 percent. Canadian combine sales were down 36.5 percent.

UM Rental Rate Workshops Scheduled – Setting rental rates can include a lot of factors for both the landlord and the renter. “It’s really important to figure out a fair rent and it’s hard for landlords to go down because they always think their costs are continually going up with taxes and such,” said David Bau, University of Minnesota Extension educator. “They probably should go down a little bit next year, but a lot of them will stay the same.” Bau is hosting a variety of farmland rent workshops across Minnesota and virtually. Find more information and register for online versions on the UMN Extension website.

Scholarships Help Fill Teacher Gap – The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council has scholarships available for university students who have shown commitment to teaching agriculture’s next generation. These scholarships are aimed to ease the financial burden and encourage more to pursue the path of agriculture education. Minnesota continues to need more ag teachers in the state. “We’re working at finding more industry people and helping them get trained; they have the technical skills,” said Sarah Dornink, executive director, MAELC, “We quickly get them up to speed to know things like classroom management or how to run an FFA.” Listen to the interview.

Return Ballots for FSA County Elections – The Agriculture Department has mailed ballots to all eligible producers for the Farm Service Agency county elections. Farmers and landowners must return the ballots to their local FSA county office or be postmarked by December 2. 

Job Opportunities in Agriculture – Check out the Job Opportunities tab on the Red River Farm Network website. The Pennington County Farm Service Agency is hiring a full-time temporary program analyst in Thief River Falls. If your business has a job opportunity, contact the Red River Farm Network to reach your future employee.

ND Permit Approved for Carbon Pipeline – The North Dakota Public Service Commission has approved a siting permit for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. This will cover 300 miles across five counties. The PSC vote follows an unsuccessful referendum vote in South Dakota. The pipeline allows ethanol plants to store carbon emissions underground in North Dakota.

Patent Infringement Case Settled – FMC has reached a settlement agreement with Albaugh LLC resolving a patent dispute related to the manufacturing of an insecticide agreement, chloranthraniprole. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Two New Soybean Herbicides From Corteva – Corteva Agriscience has launched Kyber Pro and Sonic Boom herbicides. Kyber Pro contains three modes of action to control over 50 broadleaf and grass weeds in soybeans. Sonic Boom has two modes of action and features extended residual weed control. Both products will be available for the 2025 growing season.

Construction Underway for Jennie-O Project – Jennie-O is expanding its turkey production facility in Willmar. The $30 million project will modernize operations and improve efficiency. The project is expected to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026. Jennie-O is owned by Hormel Foods.

A More Sustainable Big Mac – A collaboration is in place involving McDonald’s USA, Lopez Foods and Syngenta, to improve sustainability in beef production. The goal is to increase feed efficiency and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions for every pound of meat produced. This plan centers around Syngenta’s Enogen corn which contains an alpha amylase enzyme that quickly converts starch to usable sugars. The increased digestibility can increase feed efficiency and help reduce GHG emissions in livestock production.

Illinois Farm Bureau Ousted From AFBF – In a dispute over insurance, the Illinois Farm Bureau has been expelled from the American Farm Bureau Federation. IFB is allowing its affiliate Country Financial to end the Farm Bureau membership requirement for non-farm insurance policyholders. After formal mediation, AFBF ousted the Illinois group. IFB is now suing AFBF.

USB Changes – USDA has announced a final rule changing the makeup of the United Soybean Board reflecting the shift in soybean acreage since 2022. As a result of a required review, North Dakota membership on the soybean checkoff board declines from four members to three, and New York increases membership from one member to two members. Total USB membership will remain at 77 members.

NASDA Welcomes Wade to Policy Position – The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture welcomes Patrick Wade as the new director of Public Policy. Wade will be staff lead for the Plant Agriculture and Pesticide Regulations and Rural Development and Financial Security Committees. Wade comes to NASDA most recently from the Texas Grain Sorghum Producers and got his degree in government and economics from the University of Texas.

Rod Snyder Launches Junction Strategies LLC – Former Director of the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Rod Snyder, announced the launch of his consulting firm, Junction Strategies LLC. Snyder’s firm will focus on agriculture, climate and environmental issues. Snyder’s previous experience includes positions with the Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, National Corn Growers Association, and CropLife America.

New FCIC Board Members Appointed – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed three new members to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation board of directors, Brandon Willis, Ryan Lankford and Donna King. Willis works at Utah State and owns Ranchers Insurance. He was the Risk Management Agency administrator during the Obama Administration. Lankford farms in Montana. King is an insurance representative based in Delaware.

Snodgrass Transitions From Nutrien to Conduit – Eric Snodgrass is now the principal atmospheric scientist for Conduit. Conduit is an Iowa-based commerce and financing technology platform for farmers. For the past five years, Snodgrass had a similar role for Nutrien Ag Solutions. For the past 18 years, Snodgrass taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Snodgrass is a popular speaker at ag events, including RRFN forums at the Big Iron Farm Show.

NDSU Faculty Recognized – The NDSU Agriculture Faculty and Staff Awards program recognized 11 award winners. Honorees include Distinguished Professor Dr. William Wilson with the Eugene R. Dahl Excellence in Research Award; Plant Pathology interim chair Sam Markell with the AGSCO Excellence in Extension Award; Extension sheep specialist Travis Hoffman with the Excellence in Extension Early Career Award. Click here for the full list of award winners.

Harvest Bowl Honors – During the 50th Annual NDSU Harvest Bowl honored retired BNSF Railway executive Steve Bobb. Bobb is a also a 1982 NDSU graduate. Outstanding agriculturalists from 53 North Dakota counties and ten western Minnesota counties were also recognized.

America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers – DTN/Progressive Farmer has announced its latest class of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers. The honorees include Mollie Ficocello, Annie Gorder and Grace Lunski, who lead the 3 Farm Daughters pasta company in Grand Forks. Tanner Hento of Avon, South Dakota is another member of the class. The other award winners are from Washington, Ohio and Tennessee.

New Voices on EPA Advisory Committee – The EPA Office of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced the appointment of 18 new members for the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. “The FRRCC provides independent policy recommendations to the EPA administrator,” said Acting Director Venus Welch-White. “I’m also pleased to announce the addition of 18 new members, including one member from Dazey, North Dakota, Justin Sherlock.” Sherlock joins the 36 other members of the FRRCC in advising the EPA on a variety of topics including improvements to the technical assistance EPA provides to rural communities, outreach and education, and agricultural conservation practices. Listen to the full interview here:

MFBF Minute – Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Vice President Carolyn Olson joins this week’s MFBF Minute to promote this week’s annual meeting. The convention will be in a new location this year. Listen to the report.

Nalley, Jahnke, Howell to Lead NAFB – In 2025, Jeff Nalley of Cromwell Ag Radio will succeed Carah Hart of Brownfield as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. DeLoss Jahnke of RFD Radio Network will serve as president-elect and Delaney Howell of Ag News Daily will take over as vice president. Bob Brunker of J.L. Farmakis is the newly elected representative of the NAFB Management and Sales Council. Ben Nuelle of Iowa Pork Producers Association is the new board representative from the Allied Industry Council.

Halvorson Named FBOY – During the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Annual Meeting, Sabrina Halvorson of AgNet West was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year. Mid-West Farm Report Farm Broadcaster Stephanie Hoff was honored as the Horizon Award winner for career achievement for farm broadcasters for less than five years of experience. Brian Winnekins of WRDN Radio received the Workhorse of the Year Award for his efforts to showcase the importance of AM radio.

A Hall of Fame Career – On Thursday night, Mark Oppold was one of two inductees in the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Oppold is an Iowa native who began his radio career at KMMJ Radio in Grand Island, Nebraska before moving onto WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Oppold voiced the Helming Report, a program now known as the Bottomline Report and can be heard on RRFN. In 2008, Oppold joined RFD-TV, hosting Market Day Report, Rural America Live and numerous live events. “Being recognized by my peers is very humbling,” Oppold said. “I will always be grateful to be able to share the message of rural America across the country.” Oppold was president of the NAFB in 2013 and was named Farm Broadcaster of the Year in 2021.

Lancaster Takes His Well-Earned Place in NAFB HOF – A 50-year broadcast career and the 50th president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting is one of the newest inductees into the NAFB Hall of Fame. “I am humbled and greatly honored,” said Curt Lancaster. Lancaster began his broadcasting career in 1970 in northwest Texas and transitioned to farm broadcasting in 1981 when he joined the Voice of Southwest Agriculture Network. In 2001, Lancaster was asked to create the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. He retired at the end of 2016 after a half-century of broadcasting. The NAFB Hall of Fame was established in 1986. Seventy-nine individuals have joined the Hall of Fame since that time including Red River Farm Network’s Mike Hergert in 2015 and Don Wick in 2018.

Recognizing Excellence in Agricultural Journalism – NAFB’s Doan Award recognizes excellence in agricultural reporting. The 2024 award winner is Spencer Chase. Chase was with Agri-Pulse when he produced the award-winning series and is now with the Corn Refiners Association. Chase is a South Dakota native. This award is named for respected farm broadcaster Stewart Doan, who died suddenly in 2012.

National Honors for Aga – Augie Aga wrapped up his career with the Northern Ag Network on top, receiving NAFB’s Dix Harper Meritorious Service Award. Aga is a Minnesota native who began his career in Montana in 1984. After 40 years in radio, Aga officially retired on Saturday.