WELCOME TO AGWEEK TV, I’M EMILY BEAL.
EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA ARE EXPERIENCING SEVERE SPRING FLOODING.
HEAVY SNOWFALL OVER MUCH OF NORTH DAKOTA EARLY THIS MONTH, THEN HEAVY RAIN AND RAPID MELT CAUSED FLASH FLOODING THAT DAMAGE SEVERAL COMMUNITIES AND FLOODED FIELDS AND DITCHES.
NORTH DAKOTA GOV. DOUG BURGUM HAS DECLARED A STATEWIDE EMERGENCY FOR DAMAGE FROM THE STORM, WHICH INCLUDES SEVERED POWER LINES THAT LEAVE THOUSANDS OF POWER IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE.
THE FLOODING CAUSED AN INCREDIBLE EFFECT NEAR HATTON, NORTH DAKOTA.
STEELE COUNTY DRAINAGE #11 IS USUALLY A CHAIRLESS DITCH ALONG A TOWNSHIP ROAD. BUT NOW IT’S MORE LIKE A RIVER, AS LONG AS A FOOTBALL FIELD AND 30 FEET DEEP.
THE WATER RESOURCES DISTRICT SAYS IT HAD A DOWNHILL STRUCTURE AND A 48-INCH SEWER TO MOVE WATER DOWNSTREAM.
Tor: Flooded ground. Small coves, last year they were dry, this year everything happened, on the frozen ground. He took everything there, there is nothing there, nor do you see that there was a route there.
REPAIRS WILL BEGIN ONCE THE WATER RECOVERS.
WITH MANY FIELDS ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA IMPRINTED ON FLOODING, OR EVEN SNOW, IT’S HARD TO SAY WHEN ROLLING PLANTING WILL BEGIN.
BUT IT STARTS SLOWLY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.
JEFF BEACH NOW JOINS US WITH THIS WEEK’S AGWEEK COVER.
SMALL GRAINS ARE NOT COMMONLY GROWN IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. BUT WHILE OTHERS WAIT TO PLANT CORN, JARED GOPLEN HAS JUMPED INTO THE PLANTATION MAKING SOME WHEAT.
Jared Goplen: IT’S A REALLY DIVERSE STATE AND IT’S FUN TO GO OUT AND TALK TO SOME OF THESE PEOPLE.
JARED GOPLEN IS AN EXTENSION CROP EDUCATOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, BUT HE IS ALSO A FARMER IN SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. ON THAT COLD DAY, HE PLANTED WHEAT IN A TERRITORY PRIMARILY CORN AND SOYBEANS.
Jared Goplen: THERE AREN’T A LOT OF SMALL GRAINS IN THIS AREA, SO OBVIOUSLY WITH SOME OF THESE COLD TEMPERATURES, PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF CORN, YOU KNOW ANY CORN ON EARTH. BUT WITH SOME OF THE SMALL GRAINS, THEY CAN WITHSTAND MANY COLD TEMPERATURES. PROBABLY ONE OF THE FIRST INSURANCES.
GOPLEN ALSO RAISES LIVESTOCK, SO PLANTING WHEAT THAT RIPENS EARLY, AFTER HARVESTING IT, HE HOPES IT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY AN ALFALFA CROP THAT WILL BE USED AS AN ENERGY SUPPLY. HE SAYS THE OTHER BENEFITS OF WHEAT ARE REDUCED COSTS OF FERTILIZERS, HERBICIDES AND PESTICIDES. AND THE ADDED BENEFIT OF BEING AT THE FOREFRONT OF WEED CONTROL.
Jared Goplen: WE HAVE A FIELD WHERE WE REALLY STRUGGLE TO MANAGE WATER HEMP IN CORN AND SOYBEANS, SO WE UNDERSTOOD THAT WHEAT IS PLANTED THERE. SIT IT DOWN EARLY AND YOU’LL HARVEST IT BEFORE WATER HEMP PRODUCES EVEN VIABLE SEEDS, WE UNDERSTOOD THIS TO BE A WAY TO DO IT.
FOR NOW, MOST GROWERS ARE WAITING FOR A WARMER TIME TO REALLY START THINGS.
Jared Goplen: FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK IF WE CAN RAISE THOSE TEMPERATURES A LITTLE BIT, I THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT OF ACTIVITY HERE. WE WILL EVEN BE ABLE TO DO THINGS A LITTLE EARLIER THAN NORMAL, DESPITE A BIT OF HUMIDITY WE EXPERIENCED LAST FALL.
EVEN WITH THE REDUCTION OF WORLD SUPPLIES AND THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE THAT HELPED DRIVE UP WHEAT PRICES, THERE HAS ONLY BEEN A SMALL INCREASE IN WHEAT ACCREATION LOCALLY,
AND AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL.
THANK YOU JEF.
SO FAR, COLD WEATHER AND WET FIELDS HAVE PREVENTED FARMERS FROM STARTING TOPPLANT.
ROB TATE GROWS CORN AND SOYBEANS NEAR CANNON FALLS IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA. HE IS ALSO A CROP INSURANCE AGENT AND SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MINNESOTA CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION.
TATE SAYS HE FINISHED PLANTING LAST YEAR AT THE TIME, THEN NOW SAYS HE WAITS FOR LONG DAYS WHEN HE CAN ENTER THE FIELDS. IN THE MEANTIME, HE MAKES SURE HIS ENTIRE TEAM IS READY TO GO.
Rob Tate: It’s out of our reach right now, and we just have to wait until the situations are right. We can’t get confused, I mean, we need to make sure we do everything we can to get the most productive crop possible.
ON THE OTHER HAND, TATE SAYS HE IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CORN AND SOYBEAN PRICES, DESPITE THE CHALLENGE OF HIGHER INPUT COSTS.
U. S. SENATE IS SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO ALLEGATIONS OF MEAT CONCENTRATOR CONCENTRATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE HELD A HEARING IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK TO HEAR TESTIMONY ABOUT THE CATTLE PRICE DISCOVERY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2022. A NORTH DAKOTA CATTLE PRODUCER WHO SPOKE TO THE AUDIENCE SAYS HE’S NOT SURE THIS SUFFICIENTLY PROTECTS BREEDERS.
Shelly Ziesch: WE NEED TO HAVE MORE COMPETITION, I HOPE IT HELPS. WE NEED TO CREATE MORE REGIONAL AND SMALLER PROCESSORS.
BUT A KANSAS WINNER BELIEVES THE ACT WOULD GO TOO FAR.
Shawn Tiffany: AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE POWER TO CONTROL MARKETING DECISIONS HAS TO REST WITH THE PRODUCERS, NOT AN ADDITIONAL LEVER FOR THE SWEEPERS, WHICH IS WHAT THOSE BILLEES WOULD DO.
THE HEARING ALSO DEALT WITH A SEPARATE BUT RELATED BILL, KNOWN AS THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR’S LAW ON MEAT AND POULTRY. IT WOULD ESTABLISH A COMPETITION INVESTIGATION OFFICE.
THE WINTER STORMS THAT HAVE SWEPT THE REGION MAY HAVE MADE THE CALVING SEASON DIFFICULT FOR MANY BREEDERS. WITH THE LOW TEMPERATURES AND HEAVY ACCUMULATION OF SNOW, CALVES CAN FACE SOME LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS.
Rachel: This is an extraordinarily vital event. Mother Nature has not been kind to us, so much is expected of calves.
Rachel Endecott, the founder of Grey Horse Consulting, has been at the forefront of the devastation that spring snow fall has brought to the state of Montana. Endecott believes that tension will play a vital role in imaginable calf fitness issues as well as respiratory problems.
Rachel: About stress, in this kind of 3 days after this big event. And I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see respiratory disorders with pneumonia.
Gerald Stokka, is an NDSU extension veterinarian and livestock specialist, and a rancher near Cooperstown, North Dakota. He warns his fellow farmers about the health consequences that can occur if the calf does not get adequate nutrients after touching the ground.
Gerald Stokka: This is the year when there may be a follow-up here with some of those disease disorders because if the calves cool down or don’t get up right away to suckle, then the immunity they take in through colostrum, which is the first milk, is not absorbed as well as it should. And then they run a little more risk of getting sick.
For farmers who save their calves from harsh weather conditions, there is now a cash assistance program they can turn to. The livestock payment program provided through the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency is a cattle payment program provided through the U. S. Department of Agriculture’ Farm Service Agency. The U. S. Treasury provides partial payment of the price of cattle lost in the disaster. Zac Carlson, a meat farm animal specialist at NDSU Extension, says farmers want to document the loss by taking photos or videos of the animal.
Zac Carlson: So it’s very important that you have a timestamp, the maximum number of phones time the images. But you’ll have to have that time for that.
BREEDERS CAN CONTACT THEIR LOCAL FSA OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
Katie Pinke: IN THE FUTURE, WE’LL TELL YOU HOW THIS LATE SPRING SPREADS THE HARVEST OF MAPLE SAP AND HITS TREES LIKE THIS.
MANY CASSELTON RESIDENTS HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT A SOYBEAN CRUSHING PLANT IN PLAN, AND NOW THE THARALDSON ETHANOL PLANT JOINS THE OPPOSITION.
THARALDSON ETHANOL COO RYAN THORPE SAYS THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO HAVE ANOTHER AG PROCESSING PLANT ALONE INSIDE. THORPE BELIEVES THIS WILL RAISE THE PRICE OF CORN AND REDUCE ITS PROFITS.
HE SAYS IF IT WAS AT LEAST 30 MILES HIGHWAY, THAT WOULDN’T BE A PROBLEM. THORPE SENT A LETTER TO THE MAYOR OF CASSELTON, DECLARING HIS OPPOSITION.
BECAUSE THARALDSON ETHANOL OWNS MORE THAN 20% OF THE LAND ADJACENT TO THE SITE, 75% OF CASSELTON CITY COUNCIL MUST APPROVE THE PROJECT. THE COUNCIL WILL MEET ON MAY 2.
NORTH DAKOTA SOYBEAN PROCESSORS SAY THE SITE, BETWEEN THE ETHANOL PLANT AND THE CITY OF CASSELTON, IS THE ONLY USABLE LOCATION IN THE STATE.
A FAMILY IN THE LAKE COUNTRY OF MINNESOTA MADE A BUSINESS HARVESTING MAPLE SAP AND TURNING IT INTO FRESH MAPLE SYRUP.
STU PETERSON AND HIS FAMILY RUN “CAMP AQUILA PURE MAPLE SYRUP” AT STAR LAKE NEAR DENT. AS KATIE PINKE FOUND, A FORMER CHILDREN’S CAMP IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR THIS BUSINESS.
Katie Pinke: WHAT STARTED AS A HOBBY IS NOW SUCCESSFUL FARMING IN RURAL MINNESOTA.
The taste of a maple syrup is simply incomparable.
CAMP AQUILA WAS A CAMP FOR CHILDREN FROM THE 1950S TO THE 1970S. STU PETERSON AND HIS WIFE CORINNE BOUGHT IT IN 1983. ACRES OF FORESTED C, WITH THOUSANDS OF MAPLE FOR THE MOST PART.
We have trees!
IN 2000, THE PETERSONS BEGAN TYPING TREES FOR SAP AS A HOBBY.
Stu Peterson: FOR TWENTY YEARS WE’VE BEEN OUT OF CITIES ON WEEKENDS.
I just need to check the gun here, to see how the night worked.
WE STARTED BATHING OUR FIRST TREE IN 2000, WE STARTED OUR OWN SMALL FOOD BUSINESS.
PETERSON’S MAPLE SYRUP COMPANY HAS CONTINUED TO GROW EVER SINCE. THIS YEAR, IT COLLECTED AND PROCESSED ABOUT 8,200 GALLONS OF MAPLE SAP FROM 1,200 TREES. THAT’S ABOUT 240 GALLONS OF SYRUP.
In our year, I think we made 370 gallons.
AND THEY SELL EVERY DROP THEY PRODUCE. ITS OPERATION STILL DOES NOT RESEMBLE THAT OF THE MAIN PRODUCERS IN VERMONT AND NEW YORK.
Stu Peterson: WE ARE LITTLE PEANUTS COMPARED TO THE BIG PRODUCERS. WE HAVE AN INTENSIVE WORKFORCE LIKE WE HAVE IT, AND THEREFORE WE CAN MANAGE IT TO SIZE FOR MY WIFE AND ME, AND FOR THE KIDS WHEN THEY SHOW UP, WHEN THE SAP WORKS.
ALTHOUGH PETERSON DID NOT GROW UP ON A FARM, HE HAD A CAREER IN AG FINANCE BEFORE BUYING THE CAMP. HE SAYS HE HAS SOME THINGS IN COMMON WITH CONVENTIONAL FARMERS.
Stu Peterson: A NUMBER OF MY PREVIOUS CLIENTS IN MY OTHER LIFE WERE BEET OPERATIONS INSUCRE. ET SO THEY HAVE THEIR BIG SUGAR FACTORY, WE HAVE OUR LITTLE SUGAR FACTORY.
No one ever builds a sugar hut enough.
THEY HARVEST IN AUTUMN, WE HARVEST IN SPRING.
PETERSON SAYS MINNESOTA HAS SEEN HUGE GROWTH IN SAP’S COLLECTION AS A HOBBY IN RECENT YEARS.
Stu Peterson: ONLY PEOPLE HIT FIVE, TEN, FIFTEEN, TWENTY TREES, IT’S JUST PHENOMENAL. I CAN’T BEGIN TO ESTIMATE HOW MANY THERE ARE, BUT ESPECIALLY IN THIS AREA, MANY MAPLE TREES, MANY RURAL PLOTS.
PETERSON SAYS THEY KEEP IT AS A BATCH OF NATURAL WOOD, WITH LIMITED SELECTIVE CUTTING. HE SAYS ATTENTION TO DETAIL GIVES SMALL PRODUCERS LIKE THEM AN ADVANTAGE OVER LARGE ONES.
Stu Peterson: THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MINNESOTA TREES, FROM MAPLES TO SUGAR TO OUR SOILS. MINNESOTA PRODUCERS ARE DOING VERY WELL IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS.
NEAR DENT, MINNESOTA, THIS IS KATIE PINKE FOR A WEEK.
ALWAYS GOING, WE TAKE ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE STORIES OUT OF THE AGWEEK SAFE. . . ABOUT ONE OF THE FEW AG PILOT SCHOOLS OF THE NATIONAL.
WITH HEAVY RAIN IN THE REGION LATELY, COULD THERE BE DRIER DAYS?
HERE IS JOHN WITH OUR AGROMETEOROLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES.
AGWEEK TV RECENTLY LAUNCHED ITS 8TH YEAR OF BROADCASTING, AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO “OPEN THE SAFE” AND WATCH SOME OF OUR MOST POPULAR STORIES FROM YEARS PAST.
ONE OF THEM IS THE TIME MIKKEL PATES VISITED AN AG PILOT SCHOOL IN INMADISON, SOUTH DAKOTA.
I flew out before my feet reached the pedals.
MORRIS RIGGIN HAS BEEN TEACHING DRIVERS SINCE THE AGE OF 19. HE STARTED FLYING ABOUT TEN YEARS EARLIER. . .
I’m not on a plane.
THE RIGGIN FAMILY HAS BEEN ON THE AIR FOR ABOUT 100 YEARS. MORRIS’ GREAT-UNCLE WAS A FIGHTER PILOT DURING WORLD WAR I, AND HIS FATHER WAYNE WAS A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR DURING WORLD WAR II. . . BUT AS PLANES GET BIGGER AND MORE EXPENSIVE, INSURANCE COMPANIES WANT BETTER-TRAINED PILOTS. . . .
And that’s how I dedicated my flight school to doing agricultural pilots.
AVIATION AG REQUIRES MANY SPECIFIC SKILLS FOR SAFE OPERATION, IN A BUSINESS WITH NO MARGIN FOR ERROR. . .
Especially with a load on the plane because every time you spin is different. We teach them the basics, you know, how to go on to locate the terrain, how to detect the terrain from the air. Then we teach them how to fly. low.
. . . So that’s the height, about ten feet. . . .
There are only a few people, at the end of the day, who are made to fly low.
You’re talking about a former army helicopter pilot.
He trained as an army-trained Med-Evac pilot, and they go into hot contact zones and shoot them. We flew through the countryside, I gave him a demo tour. On the way home, he looked at me and said, “Enough is enough!He said, ‘I’ve never been so scared in my life!’
Well, it’s a smart little flight. Very comfortable landing.
For Farm Week, it’s Mikkel Pates in Madison, South Dakota.
FOUR THOUSAND AG PILOTS IN THE UNITED STATES IS NOT ENOUGH. THE AVERAGE AGE IS AND AT LEAST TEN PERCENT RETIRES EVERY YEAR.
ALWAYS AHEAD, THE MINNESOTA STATE FFA CONVENTION IS BACK IN PERSON AND BIGGER THAN EVER.
THE MINNESOTA STATE FFA CONVENTION RETURNED IN PERSON THIS WEEK AND BIGGER THAN EVER.
NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND STUDENTS GATHER IN MINNEAPOLIS TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR SKILLS IN GA AND NATURAL RESOURCES. THE CONVENTION HAS BEEN VIRTUAL FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, BECAUSE OF COVID. BUT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATE FFA FOUNDATION SAYS SHE BELIEVES COVID HAS REALLY INCREASED INTEREST IN FFA, AS STUDENTS LOOK FOR SOMETHING TO BELONG TO.
Val Aarsvold: THERE IS NOW A LOT OF MOMENTUM IN OUR PROGRAMS. WE JUST ADDED AND CREATED TWENTY NEW PROGRAMS IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.
WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AGRICULTURE-BASED MINNESOTA LICENSE PLATE THAT WAS UNVEILED AT THE CONVENTION AT NEXT WEEK’S EXPO.
PROTESTERS SAY POULTRY DEPOPULATION IS WRONG. BUT VETERINARIANS SAY DEPOPULATION TECHNIQUES ARE THE HUMAN CHOICE FOR BIRDS INFECTED WITH BIRD FLU.
AND THE AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST BOUGHT A PIECE OF LAND TO ENSURE A FARMER CAN RETIRE WHILE THE LAND IS STILL IN USE.
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