Spring Ag

• Family, farming and 4-H • A day for crop health • Record soybean crop expected

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Family, Farming and 4-H The Thome Family Farm of Adams has farmed for 3 generations

By Michael Stoll

mike.stoll@austindailyherald.com

The sun rises over the small town of Adams in Mower County, signifying the beginning of a new day.

And the pigs are hungry.

“The first thing we do is load pigs that are ready for market right away in the morning,” said Matt Thome of the Thome Family Farm in Adams.

The Thome family has been farming in the Adams area of Mower County for three generations. Although the first generation of the Thome family operated a dairy farm, the current generation runs a farrow-to-finish swine operation and raises crops.

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“We feed and care for all the pigs of various ages,” Thome said. “Depending on the time of year, there may be field work, such as planting, harvesting, or tilling.”

Matt’s wife, Amy Thome, works off of the farm, but is no less a part of it. She serves as a co-leader of the local Lucky Clovers 4-H Club, a position she has held for the past four years. The Thome children, Ella, Katie and Will, have been involved with the 4-H Club for five years.

“Our oldest, Ella started in third grade,” Amy said. “Katie started in second grade and Will, our youngest, started in kindergarten.”

Through their involvement with the 4-H Club, the children have learned a variety of lessons, from proper care for animals to public relations for farmers.

“What the kids can accomplish through 4-H gives me a lot of encouragement,” said Amy. “It’s not only for agriculture overall, but for our children to grow, showcase their skills, take care of their animals, and learn life skills. Overall, we’re encouraging kids to be part of something bigger than themselves and showing them that,

although we live in a small town, we can help out and give something back to the community.”

Amy is also grateful for the support of the Mower County 4-H Club.

“We have great representation from the county at the Minnesota State Fair,” she said. “There’s a limited number of state fair trips, and we fill our trips quite easily.”

The Thomes purchase animals to participate in livestock shows through the 4-H Club at the county and state fairs. Amy says the process is a very time-consuming matter.

“The process starts in January and February when baby pigs are born,” she said.

“You need to start caring for the animal and imagine what you’ll be doing in that show ring when the time comes. You have to care for it every single day. You have to feed it, make sure it gets exercise, track and monitor its immunizations, and make sure its getting appropriate nutrition.”

As the livestock show approaches, the physical appearance of the animal becomes a factor.

“A few weeks before the fair, we wash

the pigs on a daily basis to make sure they have clean coats and are shiny and pretty,” Amy said. “They also receive regular haircuts.”

The kids then have to figure out what items they will need for the show.

“You will need a feed pan,” Amy said. “If it’s hot, you may need fans to keep them cool. We want the pigs to be as relaxed and stress-free as possible. We want them to showcase themselves as they naturally are. Stress in an animal is not something we want elevated.”

“You can’t do it half-way,” she added.

Their hard work is not without its rewards. Ella Thome won Reserve Grand Champion at the 2016 Minnesota State Fair in the market gilt (female that has not had babies) category.

Not all of the shows done by the 4-H Club are livestock shows. Katie Thome won Grand Champion of Junior Arts and Crafts at the 2016 Mower County Fair for a second-hand nightstand cabinet she refinished. As part of the contest, she was required to keep track of the materials used, money spent, and do the work herself.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD — SPRING AG

The hard work aside, the shows also teach another valuable lesson: sportsmanship.

“Being a good sport is a big thing,” Amy said. “If you don’t win, then the kid that deserves your congratulations and a handshake because they worked just as hard as you.”

Although livestock shows require so much work, they provide little in monetary gain for the farmers.

“My daughter has a shirt that says, ‘We used to have money, now we have show pigs’,” said Amy with a laugh.

For her, it’s not about the monetary value, but what it provides the kids.

“It’s about having that connection to the animal and our kids being able to learn to be independent and hardworking individuals,” she said. “No matter what part of 4-H you’re a part of, there is a family atmosphere.”

The Thome children, Ella, Katie and Will, have been involved with the 4-H Club for five years, and their family has farmed for three generations.

Photo provided

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THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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Mower SWCD assisting landowners with state buffer law the buffer law.

“It’s been an overall positive A steady flow of agricultural response to the letters,” Gamm producers and landowners have said. “And we’ve had a lot of landstopped by or called Mower Soil & owners come in with compliance Water Conservation District the already there or in the process of past two months getting CRP or due to the new other practices in state buffer law.

“We’ve had a lot of place to address Mower SWCD the buffer need.” landowners come district techC R P, w h i c h n i c i a n A a r o n in with compliance stands for the Gamm, who is already there or in Conservation Recoordinating the serve Program, the process of buffer program is a program in Mower County, getting CRP or typically involvsent more than other practices in ing conserva300 letters in late tion easements place to address January 2017 to of 10 to 15 years. the buffer need.”

Mower CounSince the buffer ty ag ricultural issue emerged, — Aaron Gamm Mower County landowners apSWCD technician landowners have pearing to have land without an e n ro l l e d m o re adequate amount than 4,000 acres of buffer along a into CRP – a sigpublic waterway. nificant number Addressing the needs on about and workload.

400 parcels, the letters included Under the law, the first complimaps and a general overview of ance deadline will be Nov. 1, 2017, Austin Daily Herald

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

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The North Branch of Dobbins Creek in Red Rock Township shows good buffer strips on both sides of the creek. for buffers along public waterways (at least 30 feet of buffer and an overall average of 50 feet on a parcel). If landowners have not taken steps by this fall to address buffer needs, they will be out of

compliance with the state. This could affect their eligibility for future conservation and federal farm programs.

Plenty of options are available to assist landowners with

buffer needs, and Mower SWCD has adjusted its programs to make staff more available for assisting with compliance. The Mower County Board also committed resources in 2017 to Mower SWCD to ensure landowners seeking buffer help can get it from Mower SWCD before the Nov. 1 deadline.

Staff can provide technical assistance for measuring, staking, seeding and layout designing for buffers as well as offer programs that help landowners offset the loss of productive cropland.

More details will be coming out soon for the new round of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in Minnesota that is arguably the nation’s most robust and effective conservation program for long-term water treatment and establishment of wildlife habitat.

CREP is a voluntary program offering landowners higher payments to permanently protect cropland from ever being farmed again.

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Minn. soybean crop expected to be record size this year

Mower Soil & Water, Conservation Service seek ag applicants for last year of MRBI grant

Associated Press

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

ST. PAUL — Minnesota farmers are planning to seed less corn and wheat this year but more soybeans.

It’s a trend playing out in many states, with surpluses of corn and wheat in storage in the U.S. The Agriculture De par tment says in its prospective plantings report that it expects Minnesota farmers to seed 1.3 million acres of spring wheat, down 20,000 acres from last year. Corn acres are expected to be down 450,000 acres to 8 million, the fewest since 2010.

Soybean acres in the state are expected to hit a record, up 9 percent to 8.3 million.

Minnesota’s oat, barley, sugar beet and sunflower crops all are expected to be smaller this year.

Austin Daily Herald

Mower County agricultural producers and landowners in the Root River, Rose Creek and Dobbins Creek subwatersheds are needed for participation in the final grant year of the Mississippi River Basin Initiative.

Through MRBI, Mower SWCD and the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have worked with producers and landowners to implement voluntary conservation practices that improve water quality, restore wetlands, enhance wildlife habitat and sustain agricultural profitability in the Mississippi River basin. These efforts are targeted for high-priority watersheds and ensure the economic viability of cropland and rangeland.

Interested producers and landowners with property in the Root, Rose and Dobbins subwatersheds should contact Mower SWCD or NRCS-Mower County staff this spring to start working on the process for applying by this summer. The application period this year is for implementing projects in 2018 — the final year

of the MRBI grant. Land in MRBI’s targeted subwatersheds is possibly eligible for enhanced cost assistance on practices.

Conservation practices installed by producers will serve to avoid, control and trap nutrient runoff, prevent erosion and provide essential wildlife habitat. These practices benefit the natural resources of the Mississippi Basin and enhance agricultural profitability through reduced input and enhanced soil health, which results in higher soil organic matter, increased infiltration and water-holding capacity and nutrient cycling.

NRCS has identified the Mississippi River basin as a top priority due to water quality concerns, primarily related to the effects of nutrient loading on the health of local water bodies and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico. The 13-state initiative builds on the cooperative work of NRCS and its conservation partners in the basin, and offers agricultural producers in priority watersheds the opportunity for voluntary technical and financial assistance.

Known as “America’s River,” the

Mississippi River is North America’s largest river, flowing over 2,300 miles through America’s heartland to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the centerpiece of the world’s second-largest watershed. The watershed not only provides drinking water, food, industry, and recreation for millions of people, it also hosts a globally significant migratory flyway and home for more than 325 bird species.

More than 50 cities and 18 million people rely on the Mississippi River for their daily water supply. The Mississippi River is the main stem of a network of inland navigable waterways 12,350 miles in length.

Conservation staff in Mower County are passionate about working with farmers to plan and apply conservation on the land. For more information on conservation programs in Mower County, contact Brian DeVetter, District Conservationist, at 507-433-8429 or Mower SWCD staff at 507-434-2603.

For more information or to see maps of the watersheds, visit www.mowerswcd. org.

Minnesota Farm Bureau

Growing a Stronger Minnesota Through • Legislation • Agriculture Education • Ag Promotion • Young Farmer Activities • Farm & Home Safety Education • Members Benefits We exist to serve members because we share the values they hold dear – hard work, love of community, passion for the land and a belief rooted in faith and family.

Join your neighbors and friends in growing your future in Mower County and Minnesota today at www.fbmn.org or by calling (507) 438-5676 or (507) 455-0745.

Mower County Farm Bureau Celebrating 100 Years in 2017 AUSTIN DAILY HERALD – SPRING AG

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

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Southgate teacher’s family is 2017 Freeborn County Farm Family of the Year

By Colleen Harrison

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

ALBERT LEA — The Westrum family of Albert Lea has been selected as the 2017 Farm Family of the Year.

Tim and Jodi Westrum — along with their daughters Lara, 12; Bryn, 8; and Nora, 4 — live on about five acres of land in rural Albert Lea. The couple has been together since they were students at Glenville-Emmons High School and have been married for 17 years.

Tim and Jodi Westrum both grew up with farming as a way of life. Their parents — Ron and Linda Erickson and Dean and Sue Westrum, respectively — raised their children on farms. The Ericksons have had their farmland since 1983, and Tim Westrum’s family has been farming the same land for about 140 years.

“There’s a lot of pride in 140 years, and we want that to continue,” Tim Westrum said.

Tim Westrum grew up helping his father farm, and after he graduated from Iowa State University and Jodi Westrum graduated from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the couple returned to Albert Lea. Tim Westrum’s father helped him gradually rent and purchase land, and the father-son duo now farm together today in Glenville. Tim Westrum said he’d like to eventually farm with his inlaws, as well, who live down the road from them.

In addition to farming and raising their

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The Westrum family of Albert Lea has been named the 2017 Farm Family of the Year. Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune children, Tim Westrum is a sales agronomist at Shell Rock Ag and Jodi Westrum is a first-grade teacher at Southgate Ele-

mentary School in Austin.

Tim Westrum said the majority of the corn he farms with his father is sold to

the Poet Biorefining plant near Glenville.

The soybeans the family harvests are sold to Pioneer for seeding and to local eleva-

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tors to use as livestock feed.

According to Tim Westrum, some of the most important work toward the farming business is done on a spreadsheet — tracking input costs, marketing and break-evens, among other figures.

During the spring, the family’s farming business can require upwards of 80 hours of work per week.

Tim Westrum said the farming industry has changed over the years. With the introduction of more and more technology, there are fewer people involved with the business. As a result, he said local farmers have a much smaller voice in agriculture. He thinks the majority of consumers don’t understand how their food is produced or where it comes from, and he believes it is his and other farmers’ responsibility to educate others about the misconceptions or misunderstandings surrounding the industry.

Eventually Jodi Westrum said she’d like to get more involved with the family’s farming operations, but for the time being she focuses on keeping the house going and managing their children’s schedules.

The Westrums called the nomination “humbling” and “an honor,” and said they don’t know who nominated them.

Tim Westrum sits on the Albert Lea-Freebor n County Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee, but said he was not included in the discussions or voting once the committee knew his family had been nominated.

The Westrums are involved in their church, Bear Lake Lutheran, where Jodi Westrum teaches Sunday school and helps teach a Bible school that is connected to two other area churches. Tim Westrum is the parish’s treasurer, and also sits on the Freeborn County Corn and

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Soybean Growers board. The Westrums’ two oldest daughters are involved in Just for Kix dance classes as well as Albert Lea Figure Skating Club.

The Westrums’ two oldest daughters are involved in the Twin Lakes 4-H and Cloverbuds clubs, with their mother being an adult leader in the club. Lara Westrum is interested in showing animals through the club, so the family will likely get into livestock at some point in the future.

The couple said farming teaches responsibility and encourages a strong work ethic, as there are never any sick days or days off during the busy farming seasons. It also teaches their children about where their food comes from. As farming is something both Jodi and Tim Westrum grew up with, it’s something they’d like their daughters to grow up appreciating, as well.

“Ag for me is my life,” Tim Westrum said. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in.”

To be nominated as the Farm Family of the Year, at least one individual in the family must be a full-time employee earning the majority of their income from farming. The individual should have farmed for at least five years, have some involvement in community organizations, have not previously been an award recipient and should be able to attend the recognition program at Farmfest in August and participate in Freeborn County Farm Family of the Year recognition in March. The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee and the University of Minnesota Extension Service sponsor the award.

The family receives the award today at the annual agriculture luncheon sponsored by the chamber.

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More than 30 pct. of Minn. farmers lost money in ‘16

By Tom Meersman Minneapolis Star Tribune

More than 30 percent of Minnesota farmers lost money in 2016, according to a new analysis by the University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota State.

The average Minnesota farm’s balance sheets are still strong — mainly because of record corn and soybean yields and farmers banking some surplus dollars from a few years ago — but there are obvious signs of financial stress, said Extension Economist Dale Nordquist.

Nordquist said there are always some farmers that struggle to stay in business, but the number in that category grew larger again last year.

“Those extra bushels in the bin saved many of our [corn and soybean] farms from near disaster,” said Ron Dvergsten, a farm management instructor at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

But many farms are now “on the edge” go-

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ing into 2017, and some have had trouble getting operating credit from lenders, he said.

Requests have increased to the extension-run Farmer-Lender Mediation program, where debtors and creditors negotiate with a mediator, Nordquist said, and many farms have turned to restructured equipment or land debt to lengthen payoff terms and free up cash flow.

“When you get down to the bottom end of the scale, 30 percent of the farm operations were minus instead of plus” in terms of net income, he said.

Across the board, from crops to livestock and dairy, farms in 2016 were dealing with lower prices for the second year in a row.

As a whole, median net income for farms in 2016 was $35,636, up from $27,478 in 2015. Net income is the amount from farm operations that covers family living expenses, taxes, reinvestments in the business and retirement.

The median is the level at which half of the farm incomes are higher and half are lower, and is considered a good measure to gauge

financial trends at the state or regional level.

The report indicated that net farm income was strong between 2007 and 2012, and producers used their profits to build up their working capital. But since then farmers have tapped into about half of that working capital, on average, to cover losses and remain in business.

Minnesota Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle said that overall debt-to-asset ratios for most farmers are not a problem yet, but he acknowledged that “times are slimmer” because of the surplus of grain and continued low prices.

“Our ag banking community is working with farmers right now,” Wolle said. “If there’s a place where they can stretch out a loan and get a lower payment for the current year, some of that is happening.”

Also affecting crop prices are the strength of the dollar, greater competition in export markets and bumper crops in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

Nordquist said that state livestock produc-

ers are also feeling the pinch.

They earned record profits in 2014, he said, but that jump-started investment and expansion and subsequently lowered prices. “Now we are seeing the downside of surplus production,” he said.

The analysis found that the median Minnesota beef producer lost more than $11,000 in 2016 after losing almost $10,000 the year before.

Median dairy farm earnings dropped from $45,000 in 2015 to $31,563 in 2016. And the median hog farm lost just over $4,000 in 2016, with the average price of live hog sales dropping 50 cents per pound last year.

The analysis used data from 2,103 farmers in the Minnesota State farm business management education programs, and 103 members of the Southwest Minnesota Farm Business Management Association. They represent about 10 percent of commercial farmers in the state. As farmers prepare for a new growing season, the report said there are some areas of optimism.

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Pot’s cousin explored as viable crop option for Minnesota

By Tom Meersman Minneapolis Star Tribune

Sharp-eyed students at the University of Minnesota might do double-takes this summer if they spot what looks like marijuana plants growing on the agricultural testing fields at the St. Paul campus.

But the dark green foliage with jagged leaves will actually be industrial hemp, a close look-alike and cousin to marijuana that’s useless for getting high, but potentially valuable for certain foods, cosmetics and oil.

Signs will be posted to indicate that the plants are a hemp experiment and not a drug.

The industrial hemp is part of a pilot program regulated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) that’s now beginning its second year and has generated surprising interest.

Last year, seven producers planted about 37 acres of the crop in the state. In 2017, 42 growers will be planting more than 2,100 acres in 26 counties.

Andrea Vaubel, MDA assistant commissioner, attributes some of

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the interest to greater public and farmer realization that industrial hemp is a legitimate crop, and that it’s different from medical hemp or cannabis. Industrial hemp is the same plant, she said, but its delta-9 THC level — which gives marijuana its kick — is less than 0.3 percent.

“You’d have to smoke a whole field of it, and all you’d get is a headache,” she said.

Even though industrial hemp has no value as a drug, it is still considered a Schedule 1 narcotic under the federal Controlled Substances Act and has been illegal to grow since the 1940s.

However, the 2014 Farm Bill allowed states to begin pilot programs to raise industrial hemp as long as they had corresponding laws to regulate it. About half of the states have done so or are moving in that direction.

Vaubel said the goal of the state’s pilot program is to study the growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp.

“We really want to understand if this is a viable crop for Minnesota, and are there markets out there for

farmers to capitalize on,” she said.

“So far we think there are.”

Because of federal restrictions, Minnesota producers ordering industrial hemp seeds must have them delivered to the state agriculture department, which inspects and tests them. The growers also need to apply for state permits, pass criminal background checks and agree to various other conditions during the season and after the hemp is harvested.

Bryan Biegler, a corn and soybean farmer in southwestern Minnesota’s Murray County, said he’s excited about trying to grow industrial hemp for the first time this year. He ordered seed for 5 acres as an experiment, because corn and soybean prices are relatively low and he’s looking for crops that will diversify his operation.

“I’m in a full learning curve on this,” Biegler said. “I know some of the uses for hemp, but as far as planting it and everything, it’s completely new to me.”

Canada has a well-established industrial hemp industry, so Biegler and others are buying seed from

sources there. It costs about $2.50 a pound, he said, or about $125 per acre — not much more than the corn seed that usually costs him between $100 and $120 per acre, depending on the variety.

John Strohfus, who raises hay and cattle and runs a commercial horse boarding operation near Hastings, planted 18 acres of industrial hemp last year. The crop grew well, he said, but there are few places to have the hemp processed into usable products.

To counter that, Strohfus founded Minnesota Hemp Farms, a company that he envisions will help farmers grow hemp and find markets for them to sell it.

“I wanted to be in on the ground floor and be a pioneer in the industry,” he said. “I want to be involved in the branding, product development, processing and subsequent market sales, as well as grain brokerage.”

Part of that development will be learning how and where industrial hemp grows well in the state. Under the pilot program, the University of Minnesota also received the go-

ahead to plant it in its agricultural fields in Rosemount, Crookston and Morris, and possibly on the White Earth reservation.

“We’re going to raise 12 industrial hemp varieties in an experimental design that will allow us to compare how they perform here in Minnesota and in different soil types and locations,” said George Weiblen, University of Minnesota plant and microbial biology professor in charge of the trials.

Weiblen said the focus will be on varieties that produce large amounts of seeds, rather than fiber.

The seeds are highly nutritious, and rich in protein and omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids that are popular among the health-conscious, he said. The hulled hemp seeds can be used as seasonings or on salads, cereal and yogurt, he said, and are sold at health food stores as well as Target, Costco and other retailers.

Hemp seeds also can also be pressed to produce hemp oil, Weiblen said, an ingredient in skin care products like lotions and soaps as well as for cooking oil that’s similar to olive oil.

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A day for crop and soil health Mower SWCD partnering with farmer for field day on cover crops Austin Daily Herald

newsroom@austindailyherald.com

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Mower County is Health Field Day that is helping the growing free to the public, includeducational effort on ing a boxed lunch and the benefits of incorbus transportation. porating cover crops Cover cropping ininto agricultural pracvolves the planting of tices. a second, unharvested On May 26, Mower crop in coordination Soil & Water Conservawith regular cash crops, tion District will join such as corn and soyFinnegan Cover Crop Champion beans. farmers Tom Cotter and Tom Re g i s t e r e d p a r t i c i p a n t s Finnegan, both of Mower Coun- should arrive about 9 a.m. in the ty, to host a Cover Crop & Soil Riverland Community College’s

east campus parking lot tle (Cotter and Finnegin Austin. All will board an farms). a school bus about 9:30 Some of the topics to a.m. to travel to the be covered at the farms farms of Tom Finnegan will include harvesting (Red Rock Township); and grazing of cover Terry & Cindy Hamilcrops; no-till and stripton (Marshall Towntill planting into tership); and Tom Cotter minated cover crops; ( Au s t i n Tow n s h i p ) . no-till and strip-till Cotter Each site will have one planting into terminathour to showcase its use of cov- ed winter wheat; and herbicide er crops in the field as well as for options for conventional corn helping with producing beef cat- and beans.

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Boxed lunches will be provided on the bus while traveling from the Hamilton farm to the Cotter farm. Following the Cotter farm visit, the bus will depart about 1:45 p.m. to bring attendees back to Riverland.

Those interested should register by May 22 with Mower SWCD by calling 507-434-2603 or sending an email to tim. ruzek@mowerswcd.org.

Mower SWCD resource specialist Steve Lawler, a soil scientist, also will be a presenter during the Field Day. The Field Day event is part of an $8,740 grant awarded earlier this year to Lawler and Mower SWCD from the National Wildlife Federation, which named Mower SWCD as a Cover Crop Champion for outreach. The grant also named Tom Cotter and Tom Finnegan, both of Mower County, as Cover Crop Champion farmers.

Cotter and Finnegan, who have kept a busy schedule the past few months with giving presentations on cover crops, incorporate cover crops into their farm operations, both located just outside of Austin.

Lawler has worked closely with Cotter and Finnegan since the Mower Soil Health Team formed in early 2016.

“They really are ideal farmers for this because they’re passionate about cover crops and what that practice can do to help a farm in numerous ways while also benefiting the environment and wildlife,” Lawler said.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program says cover crops offer economic and ecological benefits: •Reducing fertilizer costs.

•Improving crop yields by enhancing soil health.

•Reducing the need for herbicides and pesticides.

•Preventing soil erosion.

•Conserving soil moisture.

•Protecting water quality.

•Helping to safeguard personal health.

Since 2013, NWF has provided support to 42 Cover Crop Champion teams in giving information and farming knowledge on cover crops to local farmers and crop advisors. The program runs mostly in the Upper Mississippi River Basin states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.

Champion farmers generally give presentations in the region on cover crops and soil health to farmers and others. Outreach champions are ag professionals employed by a farm-related organization who support the farmer champion.

Cotter, a fourth-generation farmer, raises corn, soybeans, peas, sweet corn and alfalfa as well as runs a cow/ calf beef operation on his Austin Township farm. In 2016, Cotter and his father, Michael, were Mower SWCD’s Outstanding Conservationists of the Year and were certified through the state’s Ag Certainty water-quality program.

With cover crops, Cotter has increased his farm’s grain quality; reduced chemical and fertilizer inputs; increased water infiltration; and greatly reduced erosion.

“It’s not too late to do our part in saving our environment one acre at a time,” Cotter said. “We need to think about the changes we implement now to secure the land and wildlife for our future generations.”

To succeed in cover cropping, Cotter said networking with farmers is vital. “Cover cropping is a journey I’ve been on for many years,” he said. “I had felt alone until I joined the soil health teams and realized there are other like-minded farmers out there.”

Finnegan is one of those farmers Cotter connected with through cover-crop networking. A third-generation livestock producer in Red Rock Township, Finnegan is a full-time electrician who runs a cow/calf beef operation while also starting in recent years to grow corn and soybeans. In 2007, he and his father, George, were Mower SWCD’s Outstanding Conservationists of the Year.

Finnegan used to rent his land to crop farmers until he started noticing undesirable changes on the ground.

Finnegan chose to start farming his land with a minimum-tillage approach and now covers all his farmed land with various cover crop species that help his beef enterprise and goals for conservation and wildlife, which is a high priority to him as an avid outdoorsman.

“In just a few years, we are seeing a significant change,” Finnegan said of his land near the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center along Dobbins Creek’s north branch.

“Good things are coming for us in agricultural conservation, and cover crops will be a driving part.”

Those interested in the Cover Crop Champion program or having Mower County’s Cover Crop Champion team speak at an event, contact Mower SWCD at 507-434-2603 or go online to: www.mowerswcd.org/CoverCropChampion2017.html.

Tom Cotter looks over a field of green, a example of the use of cover crops. Herald file photo AUSTIN DAILY HERALD — SPRING AG

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Midwestern farm interests closely watching Trump’s ag secretary nominee

By Maya Rao

Minneapolis Star Tribune

WASHINGTON — As Sonny Perdue moves toward becoming President Donald Trump’s secretary of agriculture, Minnesota’s congressional delegation and business leaders are hoping the former Georgia governor’s advocacy reaches beyond Southern farm interests to more Midwestern concerns like poultry and renewable fuels.

Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. senators, who will vote on Perdue’s nomination, voiced particular concern with how the Trump administration would address the avian flu threat, as poultry producers nervously eye new outbreaks in Wisconsin and Tennessee.

Minnesota lost 9 million turkeys and chickens during a 2015 outbreak, devastating rural economies and costing an estimated $650 million.

“We cannot afford an injury to our poultry industry,” Perdue said at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing last week, in response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

The Agriculture Committee voted Thursday to approve Perdue’s nomination, with Klobuchar joining Republicans and all but one of the panel’s Democrats in backing him.

He is expected to easily win confirmation.

Perdue once practiced as a veterinarian, served two terms as governor of Georgia and

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started a global trading company. He was the last of Trump’s Cabinet nominations, and farming constituencies have anxiously awaited his approval. The last three agriculture secretaries were all Midwestern governors — Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Ed Schafer of North Dakota and Mike Johanns of Nebraska — and Midwestern leaders are pushing Perdue to take account of their region.

“I think it’s a really big concern to [Sen. Al Franken] to make sure that the Trump administration is putting a big focus on agriculture and a big focus on rural America, and he’s going to raise a lot of Minnesota issues with the nominee,” said Franken’s spokesman. Perdue met with Franken this week, and a spokesman said Franken found it productive.

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson of western Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the agriculture committee, said he anticipated different regional interests working together.

“There’s not enough of us [in agriculture] to be fighting with each other, the Midwest and the South,” Peterson said.

Peterson said he’s made an effort to spend a lot of time with agricultural constituencies in the South, visiting cotton, rice and peanut farms and bonding over duck and quail hunting.

Perdue has “very big boots to fill” given

Vilsack’s strong record on renewable biofuels, said Tim Rudnicki, executive director of the Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association Inc. He praised the previous commissioner’s push to give Minnesota access to infrastructure partnership money.

“The big issue is whether or not Perdue will pick up where Secretary Vilsack left off ... from my vantage point, it’s an open question,” Rudnicki said.

Klobuchar and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, led a group of more than two dozen senators this month in urging the Trump administration to reject changes to the renewable fuel standard, warning of harm to small businesses and rural areas.

Perdue promised advocacy for a stronger renewable fuel standard under questioning

by Klobuchar at his confirmation hearing.

Perdue’s training as a veterinarian is a benefit to Minnesota’s livestock producers, said Dave Preisler, executive director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association.

Meat, milk and eggs make up 40 percent of the state’s agriculture sales, and the largest market for Minnesota’s corn and soybeans is livestock. Perdue’s background equips him to address food safety and animal disease concerns, Preisler said, also singling out his work in export markets as good for the pork industry.

At his hearing, Perdue spoke on another matter of interest to rural Minnesotans: extending broadband internet connectivity to more rural areas. He said the White House already is looking to the Department of Agriculture for ideas, as the agency has awarded millions in grants for the cause.

“I’d love to see it get done all across this country,” Perdue said.

Looming above Perdue’s ascension to the Agriculture Department are questions among agricultural interests around how his leadership will affect negotiations on the federal farm bill, which is due to be renewed next year.

Peterson said he doesn’t anticipate big changes, though he wants to get more federal help for dairy farmers and increase the Conservation Resource Program, in which farmers receive a yearly payment for not farming on environmentally sensitive land.

Perdue said he’s heard some ideas about how to enhance the margin protection program for dairy farmers. “The volatility of prices we’ve seen in dairy [is] just unsustainable,” he said.

Peterson said he doesn’t expect Perdue to focus on climate change — which is OK with him. “I think the previous administration got a little carried away with some of that stuff,” Peterson said.

AUSTIN DAILY HERALD – SPRING AG