Prevented planting, cover crops, and a wet fall taught farmers across the Midwest a lot of lessons going into 2020. The South Dakota NRCS has put together a short film
In this discussion, farmers and specialists go over some of the lessons learned in 2020.
Wet August 2019 conditions prevented some cover crops from being planted; farmers were left weighing up terminating covers in the fall or leaving them to overwinter and provide spring growth; the perspective of experienced cover croppers on their attitudes to reseeding of covers (e.g., buckwheat) and how they deal with them.
Cover crops and prevent plant acres in 2019; the South Dakota NRCS documented some lessons learned from last year and how they apply to the 2020 crop year. (Photo from NPR.org(
“Growing Resilience” is intended to help farmers and ranchers gain insights into 2020 crop year thinking from eight farmers and several technical specialists from the South Dakota NRCS and SDSU. Filmed in late-February 2020 in Mitchell and Crooks, SD, these recorded conversations offer candid comments on issues they faced on 2019 Prevented Planting acres, and how their soil improvement journey makes their fields more resilient.
These short video stories provide farmers and ranchers with ideas and options to consider now and for future growing seasons. Additional resources, including technical guidelines, are available on our website at www.sd.nrcs.usda.gov > Soils > Growing Resilience with Soil Health.Specialists with the USDA NRCS are respecting social distancing and are available by phone or email for answering questions. Please visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator to find the latest COVID19 operational status and a directory with your local office and employee contact information.
Please feel free to “like and share” on your favorite social media!
Initiated by the USDA NRCS with a Partnership Work Group. Produced by the University of South Carolina in collaboration with the USDA NRCS serving South Dakota.
The views and opinions of the farmer participants expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
Farm debt levels are piling up and it’s getting scarier. Here’s a friendly reminder that the period available for working through some debt challenges has been extended.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is reminding Minnesota farmers and agricultural lending institutions that the state legislature extended the length of mediation available for farmers in the Farmer-Lender Mediation Program from 90 to 150 days. Minnesota farmers that are in debt can renegotiate, restructure, or resolve farm debt through mandatory Farmer-Lender Mediation. Mandatory mediation means that creditors cannot start a proceeding to collect a farm debt against agricultural property until an offer of mediation has been extended and, if the farmer so chooses, completed.
“I want to make sure that farmers and their ag lending institutions know that the mediation period was extended by 60 days to 150 days,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “This is a critical program for farmers – especially now when COVID-19 has caused the closing of agricultural markets. Having sixty more days to renegotiate or restructure debt will be a huge help in many cases.”
Spring weather is never a dull topic of conversation in the Midwest, is it? We went from a fantastic week of mild weather leading up to Easter to a run of below-normal temps and snowfall on Easter Sunday. While it was only a couple inches here in Maple Grove, there were much higher amounts elsewhere. I talked weather with Bryce Anderson of DTN, who says it’s not unusual at all to get snow during April.
“That has certainly happened many times before,” he said. “The heavy snow was certainly unwelcome because it set back farmer fieldwork for a while, probably a week later than they wanted.
This is what spring weather looked like in a good deal of the Central Plains and Midwest when flooding hit farmers hard. The good news in the spring weather forecast this year is the threat of flooding has moderated, depending on where you live. (Photo from curbed.com)
Farmers are certainly chomping at the bit to get spring fieldwork done to get ready for planting. Remember April 15th of 2019 and the big snowstorm that moved through the Midwest? Here on the west side of the Twin Cities, we picked up 17 inches of snow last year. Happy Tax Day, right? However, despite that recent round of spring weather, Anderson doesn’t expect the monumental planting delays we saw last year during one of the roughest springs in recent memory.
Here’s a quick recap of a rough spring in 2019, courtesy of PBS:
“It won’t be a repeat of last year by any means,” he said emphatically. “Despite storm activity that moved through the southwestern and central United States, things were starting to moderate as we headed into the weekend. That colder arctic air we saw come into the Midwest over Easter was very slow in leaving the region, so that’ll also set fieldwork back a bit.”
One area of good news in the spring weather forecast is he’s not as worried about widespread flooding in farm country as he was a month ago. However, the caveat is that it depends on where you live. Still, things have slowed down some on that front.
“It’s not just me saying that either,” Anderson said. “Hydrologists with the Corps of Engineers have said the movement of the higher water throughout the nation’s river systems has been better than they hoped it would be. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble spots.
“The James River Valley that runs through South Dakota and the Red River Valley in North Dakota and Minnesota are still at flood stage,” he said. “In the Delta, there are streams in some portions of the lower Mississippi River Valley where flooding is still ongoing.”
Unfortunately for farmers and folks in those areas, flooding will likely continue in those areas for some time yet. Anderson did say that there likely aren’t going to be any new flood threats that develop in the spring weather forecast for farm country unless there’s a drastic change in the weather pattern. Before the recent run of cold and snow, farmers have gotten some planting done this spring in the eastern Corn Belt.
“There has been some soybean planting in Illinois and Indiana,” he said. “Growers in the western Corn Belt likely haven’t gotten very busy yet. In other areas of the Delta, corn planting is way behind in states like Mississippi and Arkansas. They likely won’t get a lot done after the recent run of storms and rainfall that recently hit southern areas.
COVID-19 has put a serious crimp in the U.S. economy and nowhere is that more evident than in agriculture. More specifically, American hog farmers are struggling to stay on farms because they’re having trouble getting their hogs to market. Big trouble, in fact. Hogs are so far backed up on the farm that producers may have a tough decision to make in the not-too-distant future.
Those of us in the agricultural media don’t often hear the word “euthanize” in press conferences. Unfortunately, it came up multiple times during a press conference hosted by the National Pork Producers Council. As prices for hogs have plummeted, Howard ‘A.V.’ Roth, NPPC President, says things are as bad as they’ve ever been after several years of a depressed farm economy.
Hog farmers are hurting and the “other white meat industry” could be in trouble. COVID-19 has only accelerated a price decline that began almost two years ago during the U.S.-China trade war. Pork farmers are reaching out and asking for help. (Photo from the duluthnewstribune.com)
“We are now an ag sector in dire crisis,” Roth said to reporters. “Farmers are already exiting the business and the damage will only intensify without direct intervention from the federal government.”
Speaking as a hog producer himself, Roth says the pork industry has a list of several things it needs in order to help keep as many farmers in operation as possible. The first item on their wish list would clear out a tremendous amount of stored pork supplies as quickly as possible, plus it would get food into the hands of people who need it.
“Over $1 billion in pork purchases by USDA to clear out a backed-up meat supply, while supplementing food bank programs around the country facing increased demand for food as unemployment continues to rise,” Roth said. “These purchases should come from packaged pork that was intended for restaurants and other segments of the foodservice market.”
In all the years I’ve covered agriculture, I can tell you from firsthand experience that farmers want to make their living from the markets, not government handouts. How desperate are pork farmers to stay in business?
“We need direct payments to producers without eligibility restrictions,” Roth says.
They’re also hoping to see China remove retaliatory tariffs on U.S. pork that are still in place despite the Phase One trade agreement between the two countries. Roth points out that it’s no secret China needs a reliable source of affordable pork after their herds were decimated by the African Swine Fever virus.
“Removing those damaging tariffs would get us back on a level playing field with our international competitors,” Roth says. “Dr. Dermot Hayes, an economist with Iowa State University, says removing those tariffs would allow U.S. exports to China to more than double their current volume.”
How badly does China need pork, one of the most preferred proteins in the Asian diet? Let’s just say that Chinese pork producers, who can’t ever hope to meet their country’s domestic demand, are enjoying some pretty high prices for their products right now.
“While Chinese producers are enjoying record pork values, U.S. producers are facing a dire decision on our farms,” Roth said. “Sadly, it’s true. Without significant assistance, euthanizing is a question that’s going to begin coming up on our farms.
“Let me be the first to say, as a pork producer, we care about our animals,” he added. “The last thing we ever want to do is euthanize even one animal. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Producers may be able to at least push that decision back somewhat, thanks to a recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency. Michael Formica, Assistant Vice President of Domestic Affairs and Counsel at NPPC, says hog housing restrictions have been temporarily relaxed.
“We reached out to EPA to ensure that if we were ever in a situation like the one we face now, producers would have an option to hold animals on their farm,” Formica said. “All of the farms are permitted to hold a certain number of animals. If they exceed those numbers, they have to go through new permitting.
“We asked EPA for a temporary waiver of the thresholds during the crisis we’re facing,” Formica said, “and thankfully, they granted that request a couple of weeks ago. That’s a tool that many farmers can use to hold animals on their farms while additional animals come through the pipeline.”
He says it’s important to point out that’s an advantage for farmers only if they have adequate additional space. If the backup continues indefinitely, they will run out of space and that’s when they have to start culling otherwise healthy animals from their herds, simply because there won’t be enough space to take care of them.
Why is it all piling up on hog farmers so quickly? Nick Giordano, Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Counsel for NPPC, says hog producers were the first to be hit hard by the trade war with China.
“Hog farmers were there at the tip of the Chinese retaliation spear,” he said. “Trade retaliation from two key markets, Mexico and China, in 2018 and 2019, took $20 off the prices that producers received for every hog.
‘Unlike a lot of the other segments in our economy that came into the COVID-19 outbreak with record profits and a full head of steam, our producers were already hurting. This has made a bad financial situation infinitely worse.”
How far have things fallen across the industry? Iowa State’s Dr. Hayes says in just one month, from March 10 to April 10, the pork industry has lost $5 billion in value. Something has to change.
Organic farmers, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture wants to know what’s been on your mind lately. Feels a little like a rhetorical question but let’s go with it. There’s a survey on the way to your mailbox and it’s a great chance to tell the state’s Ag Department wants going on out there on the ground.
The state currently has 800 certified organic operations and they’re all getting a survey in the mail this month. The survey will ask Minnesota’s organic farmers to share both their opinions and experiences in the business these days. The survey will include 27 questions about several important topics, including profitability, production costs and challenges, research needs, marketing, and your overall outlook.
“The insights that organic farmers share helps us to focus programs and resources on areas that will make a difference in their bottom lines,” says Assistant Commissioner Patrice Bailey. “Organic market demand is very strong, and we want to do all we can to help existing and new organic farmers to capitalize on that fact.”
Minnesota’s organi farmers have an opportunity to share their opinions and insights in a survey coming from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. It’ll land in the mailboxes of the 800 certified operations in the state very soon. (Photo from allianceforscience.cornell.edu.)
Organic products just continue to grow in popularity, and not just in Minnesota. The U.S. organic market hit a new record high in 2018, topping out at $52.5 billion in sales. The 2019 Organic Industry Survey from the Organic Trade Association says that’s up 6.3 percent from the previous year.
If you’re a certified organic farmer that doesn’t see a survey show up in the mailbox, contact MDA’s Organic Specialist Cassie Dahl at 651-201-6134 to get a copy of the survey. It’s your chance to tell the MDA what’s going on in the world of organic farming, as well as a chance to offer some opinions on how things can be even better.
The MDA says the survey results will be available on their website this fall.
High school seniors are typically looking toward future career possibilities at this time of year. The sheer number and variety of careers in the agricultural sector of the economy might come as a shock. Erika Osmundson is Director of Marketing Communications with AgCareers.com. She says they posted a whole lot of job opportunities in 2019.
“Last year, we posted 50,000 open positions within agriculture on the site. While production agriculture is key to the world, there is more to agriculture in terms of careers than production, that ‘cows, plows, and sows’ is what we always say.”
The career options in the Ag sector are both blue collar and white-collar jobs.
“Sales and marketing always tend to do quite well. We do a lot of agronomy and research. Animal health is always a good area and tends to have a lot of opportunities. And then, when you look at what really entices young folks to get excited, I think we really have to play up all the technologies growing and evolving within the industry.”
Like most other sectors in the economy, the Ag sector is seeing an explosive growth in technology careers, which is creating demand for a lot of skilled workers.
“The Ag-Tech sector is huge when you start looking at GPS, drone technology, the plant genetics side, some of the traceability stuff. There are just opportunities for a new variety of people. Software developers, IT, process engineers, that type of thing. So, it’s really just expanding.”
AgCareers.com, in conjunction with the Farm Service Agency, put together profiles of more than 250 agricultural careers on the site, just to help career-seekers better understand what was out there in agriculture. Those profiles talk about things like responsibilities with each position, what the future holds for a particular job, and some of the profiles even deal with salaries. She says the salaries for agricultural positions may come as a surprise to some job seekers.
“Even some of those skilled trade jobs, we’re seeing those salary levels continue to rise, just because of the demand. Even in some of those traditional ones where people might not think that the salary would be good, they’re mistaken. But then, you look at some of the business-focused type of roles, the IT, the finance, we’re competitive with other industry sectors out there, and we work in a pretty great industry that’s pretty viable, I mean, we’re even seeing this through the COVID pandemic.”
Agriculture has been deemed an “essential service” by government officials, which means most of the people in the sector can continue to go to work and maintain their careers.. Osmundson says that means the demand for skilled workers is going to be there for the long term.
Drones might not be a topic that a lot of non-farm folks would associate with agriculture, but they are becoming a lot more popular on farms across the country. Drones have been a big topic of discussion recently between the Federal Aviation Administration and farm groups like the American Farm Bureau. This is a copy of an article I just saw in their latest email blast.
The Federal Aviation Administration should revamp its drone proposal to provide flexibility to allow farmers and ranchers who cannot access the internet to continue using drones, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
America’s farmers and ranchers embrace technology that allows them to be more efficient, economical and environmentally aware. Drones are an important precision agriculture tool they use to manage their crops and livestock and make important business decisions, the organization pointed out in comments to the FAA on its drone-related advanced notice of proposed rulemaking.
“Today’s farmers and ranchers are using precision agricultural devices to make decisions that impact the amount of fertilizer a farmer needs to purchase and apply to the field, the amount of water needed to sustain the crop, and the amount and type of herbicides or pesticides the farmer may need to apply,” Farm Bureau said.
Drones are changing the way farmers do business every day on their operations. (Photo from technologyreview.com)
The two main problems with the proposal are: it would ground many drones that farmers and ranchers currently own that do not meet the rule’s specifications and it would prevent many farmers and ranchers from ever operating a drone because of a lack of access to broadband.
Farm Bureau had several suggestions for improvement.
FAA’s proposal would require drones to connect to the internet and transmit their remote IDs. But on the 29% percent of farms and ranches without access to the internet, this would be impossible. And while Congress, the FCC and USDA have acknowledged this problem and are working to increase connectivity for precision agriculture equipment, the proposal fails to take this challenge into account.
“Requiring drones to connect to the internet and broadcast a signal would remove one of the newest tools in the toolbox for farmers and ranchers during a time when they have already seen a drastic 50% decline in net farm income in the last four years,” Farm Bureau said.
Farm Bureau is recommending an either/or approach that would allow the drone to send a remote ID signal through an internet connection if available or broadcast a signal if the internet is unavailable.
As for the limited remote ID requirement, Farm Bureau reiterated its call for FAA to provide an alternative method for operators to signal their location when the internet is not available. Another option is removing the requirement that the drone must connect to the internet since the drone must operate within 400 feet of the ground station and cannot operate beyond visual-line-of-sight under the limited remote ID requirement.
The proposal’s lack of definitions for “internet” and “sufficient signal strength and coverage” is also problematic.
“In rural areas where internet connections drastically fluctuate, drone operators need clarity on internet connection speeds that qualify for the standard and limited remote ID requirements,” Farm Bureau said.
The group’s final recommendation was that the FAA establish a position on its Drone Advisory Committee for an agriculture, forestry and rangeland representative.
“Farmers offer a unique perspective on their use of drones because they often operate a drone in more remote areas. Many of the concerns included in these comments could have been discussed during DAC meetings if there was representation,” Farm Bureau said.
Here’s the complete conversation with Arlan Suderman of INTL FCStone on the commodity markets reaction to the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus headlines and the commodity markets. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the commodity markets this reactive to news headlines on an almost daily basis. While it’s not unheard of, one commodity expert says it’s been over a decade since the markets have been hit this hard by the news. Arlan Suderman is the Chief Commodities Analyst for INTL FCStone, talks about why the news coronavirus headlines seem to be playing havoc in the commodity markets.
“I think that’s a question a lot of people have these days,” Suderman says. “It’s a valid point to discuss.
Arlan Suderman, Chief Commodities Analyst at INTL FCStone says the commodity markets have been hit hard by news reports surrounding the coronavirus, as well as the resulting “fear outbreak” from people all over the world.
“I was initially downplaying the market reaction in January,” he recalled, “before doing some research at the end of that month. This is the type of virus that’s going to trigger a lot of fear in people. When you have that much fear, the fear of the coronavirus headlines will be worse than the threat of the virus itself.”
He points out that when people get afraid, they stay home, they don’t travel, and they don’t go out in public as much. That’s been the case in China as everywhere the disease has hotspot outbreaks, everybody stays home.
“Shanghai, a city of millions of people, is now a ghost town,” Suderman said. “Now we’re seeing pictures of that in lots of other places, including Italy.
“When people stay home and don’t go out, they tend to consume
less food,” he added. “That includes consuming less meat and a lot more
starches. Overall, it does tend to change consumption patterns a lot.”
People also consume less energy in these situations as they aren’t driving a lot while airlines are also canceling flights as people don’t want to travel. Less consumption in the energy markets hurts the biofuels markets as well.
Even things like shipping commodities get much more complicated as people are staying home, thanks to the coronavirus headlines. That’s been the case in China and is becoming prevalent in other countries too.
“People didn’t show up to work,” he said. “Ports become
congested, ships don’t get unloaded, and shipping slows way down. That’s lost
demand you likely don’t get back. You may get some of it back, but not all.
Hemp is being called a “new tool” in farmers’ toolboxes. I’m curious to see what kind of production Minnesota will see during the 2020 growing season. Does anyone have any idea as far as what kind of production we’re looking at this year?
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture wants to remind farmers and processors who want to grow and manufacture hemp to apply for a license before the March 31 deadline.
Anyway, those farmers wanting to grow or process the crop in Minnesota in 2020 must apply for a license with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) by March 31.
This is the fifth year of the state’s Industrial Hemp Program. Last year, 550 people held licenses to grow or process hemp. Over 7,300 acres and 400,000 indoor square feet were planted in Minnesota.
“We believe in the potential of the developing industry,” said Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Whitney Place. “We want to ensure that everyone who would like to grow and process it in Minnesota is able to do so. They simply need to apply by March 31.”
The online application for growers and processors can be found on the MDA website at www.mda.state.mn.us/industrialhemp. Along with the online form, first-time applicants need to submit fingerprints and pass a criminal background check.
The 2018 Federal Farm Bill legalized hemp as an agricultural commodity. Last fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an interim final rule that outlined state and tribal plans for growing the crop. Minnesota is continuing under the existing pilot program in 2020.
Questions about the MDA’s Hemp Program should be sent to hemp.mda@state.mn.us or 651-201-6600.
National Grain Bin Safety Week is February 16-22. Rural Fire Departments spend a lot of time practicing rescue operations in case someone gets stuck in a bin. (Photo from The University of Saskatchewan)
Grain Bin safety. I know you as farmers get tired of the topic. We hit it hard once a year during National Grain Bin Safety Week. But, there’s a reason we in the farm media hit the topic hard. People still get hurt or killed every year, no matter how long they’ve been in the business of farming. Farming is a dangerous profession; the most dangerous in America.
Really, it only takes a moment for tragedy to happen. I can’t imagine what it’s like to know that a family member died by being crushed under a mountain of grain and not being able to breathe. But I know of someone who lived through the nightmare. She’s the current governor of South Dakota.
National Grain Bin Safety week is February 16-22 this year. National Grain Bin Safety Week is a subject that hits home for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who grew up on a farm in Hamlin County and lost her father in a grain bin accident…tape
She says farmers and ranchers work with dangerous equipment every day…tape
While you may not think you have time to slow down, Noem reminds producers theirs aren’t the only lives affected if something tragic happens…tape
Noem encourages producers to evaluate safety procedures and equipment on their farms and ranches and to make adjustments when needed.
Older farmers aren’t the only ones hurt in accidents. Twitter was recently ablaze with sadness over the loss of a young man who’d barely lived around twenty years. It only takes a second for life to change forever. It’s worth taking a few extra minutes to be safe. I know how the grind of farming wears on patience. It’s worth it to your family members to have you come home a few minutes later, especially if it’s the difference between life and death, which it certainly can be.
