Inside Ag PAGE 2
MINOT DAILY NEWS
ON THE
JANUARY 2016
Center studies winter hardiness of grapes By ELOISE OGDEN
VINE Eloise Ogden/MDN
A vineyard in the garden at North Central Research Extension Center south of Minot, Jan. 8, is one of three sites in the state studying the winter hardiness of grapes.
Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com
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The North Central Research Extension Center, south of Minot, is working on developing the best grapes for winter hardiness. Chris Asmundson, agricultural research technician with the center, keeps track of the numerous grape plants in two vineyards at the center. “We know how many we put in and we know how many didn’t make it,” she said. A large vineyard planted in 2013 is located in an open area south of the center. “The first year we put in about 1,300, the second year we put in 940-something and last year we put in almost 3,000,” Asmundson said. Another vineyard in the garden at the center has about 150 plants and was planted in 2008. Harlene Hatterman-Valenti, high value crop specialist at NDSU in Fargo, oversees the grape project. The grapes are being tested on their winter hardiness in three areas: NDSU in Fargo, the NDSU facility at Absaraka near Fargo and at the center near Minot. “That’s why it’s out there on top of a hill in the wind, in the sun where it’s harsh on purpose because it’s a winter hardiness study,” Asmundson said, referring to the vineyard in an open area south of the center. “We don’t want something that people are going to have to plant in a windbreak. We want something tough and you got to put it where it has to be tough. We want some of them to not make it because we want to know which ones are the best.” An NDSU graduate, Asmundson has a degree in ecology with a minor in biological sciences. The grapes in the garden at the center are from cuttings of plants or clones. “What we have out here is different because these are grown from seed,” she said of the vineyard south of the center. “We take one plant and we take the pollen from that. We pollinate the other plants so we know both parents. Everything out there is a cross so all of them are different instead of being clones,” she said. “There’s grapes that make good wine and there’s grapes that will grow in North Dakota. We’re trying to develop a new variety that will do both,” Asmundson said. The center also has some grapes for jelly. The vineyards have produced fruit. “It’s a long-term project because it will take a grape vine three years before it will produce fruit,” she said. See GRAPES — Page 4
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
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JANUARY 2016
Grapes Continued from Page 2
Submitted Photo
These grapes in the garden at the North Central Research Extension Center near Minot are shown in this photo taken this past summer.
Submitted Photo
These grapes in a vineyard south of the North Central Research Extension Center were grown from seeds in the greenhouse at North Dakota State University, Fargo, and then brought to the center to plant.
Among the center’s grapes, a white grape set fruit that was ready before any of the other varieties. “The really neat part is there is no white wine grape that will grow in North Dakota. We don’t have one, and the first one that we had that developed fruit out there is a white wine grape that was ready before the Baltica. The Baltica is the earliest ripening grape that grows around here. That was really neat,” Asmundson said. Samples of fruit grown at the vineyards are sent to Fargo. Staff can share the rest of the fruit. She said those who grow grapes wouldn’t have to produce wine but many vineyards buy fruit (i.e. chokecherries, rhubarb) that they use when they make their wine. Instead, she said people could grow grapes as a side crop. “They can sell the fruit, they don’t have to have the setup to make the wine. They could harvest it and sell it right away or put it in the freezer,” she said. At the center, the pH and sugar content are tested. “We track their progress because that’s how you can tell when they’re ripe. It’s a formula that includes the sugar content and the pH. Both of those are measured so you know when to pick them,” she said. She noted a Baltica survey is done every year. “They check that one all over the world – Norway, Germany and everywhere. You write down when the leaves first open, when they first flower, when they’re ripe... Actually we are almost exactly the same this last year as Norway was,” she said. All the information from the local center goes to NDSU in Fargo, where it is combined with data from the other two sites. Asmundson said people often stop by to visit when they see her in the vineyard or she will get calls from people asking about grapes. “Some have 10 plants, some have 200. There’s a lot of people who are starting to grow grapes now,” she said. She said the project is being done to develop grapes “that are hardy enough so people can plant them and not have to irrigate, not have to babysit them but just plant them and they will grow.”
Inside Ag PAGE 6
MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
Chris Asmundson, agricultural research technician at the North Central Research Extension Center south of Minot, checks a grapevine in a vineyard in the center’s garden Jan. 8. The center is one of three sites in the state studying the winter hardiness of grapes. Eloise Ogden/MDN
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-By JILL SCHRAMM Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com Turning a profit in 2016 could be a challenge for farmers, according to the agricultural economists. The currently low commodity prices have farmers puzzling over their ledgers, calculating ways to generate cash flow as they prepare to approach lenders for another year’s operating capital. Bob Finken of Douglas, president of the Ward County Farmers Union, said producers face some tough decisions this year. “In general, there’s a lot of concern because with the lower commodity prices and our expenses being so high, things don’t pencil out very well,” he said. “It’s not an easy situation to be in.” Areas where farmers have some control, such as crop inputs and land rent, aren’t offering easy solutions. Reducing inputs such as fertilizer can backfire by reducing yields, while renegotiating for lower land rent could lead to losing the land if the landlord can get a better deal elsewhere, Finken said. He said producers still are doing their final calculations on last year’s prof-
itability going into tax time, and their findings could influence what they do going forward. Farmers who have built extra equity or cash reserves during the good years will be in a better position to get through a down year. Nathan Fegley, Berthold, Ward County Farm Bureau president, said the approach in trying to achieve cash flow will vary for each producer because each operation is different. However, producers will be trying to cut costs wherever they can. “They are probably going to cut back on some inputs, maybe growing some pulse crops that don’t require nitrogen fertilizer,” he said. Ryan Pederson, ag lender at Peoples State Bank in Velva, said it’s not too early for producers to be meeting with their lenders. Developing a plan for this coming year may take more time, he said. Also, new state programs for farmers with cash flow issues are first come, first served. One program of the state bank is the Farm Financial Stability Loan Program. The program is designed to provide below-market interest rates and extended terms to farmers impacted by low commodity prices or below average crop production. The fund has $300 million available. The state bank’s participation amount may be up to 75 percent, not
“They are probably going to cut back on some inputs, maybe growing some pulse crops that don’t require nitrogen fertilizer.” — Nathan Fegley, Berthold, Ward County Farm Bureau president
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“In general, there’s a lot of concern because with the lower commodity prices and our expenses being so high, things don’t pencil out very well.” — Bob Finken of Douglas, president of the Ward County Farmers Union
to exceed $750,000 on chattel or $1.5 million on real estate. To be eligible, a producer must show evidence of a cash flow shortage in 2014 or 2015, have an ability to repay and have an operating line of credit approved for 2016. A loan may be used as working capital or to restructure existing debt. The Bank of North Dakota has other programs to help with refinancing or restructuring debt and to aid farmers with lower net worth or higher debt-to-asset ratios. The bank has a program allowing purchase of government guaranteed loans, with interest rate assistance to borrowers who are experiencing cash flow difficulties. Farmers can access these programs through their local bankers. Pederson said he has just begun meeting with producers and the cash flow situation hasn’t been good. He expects producers will need to use their equity and restructure existing loans, taking out longer term loans that will allocate repayment over more years. He’s also hearing that some producers may decide this is a good time to retire. “I think you will see some guys jump out,” he said. Finken said he’s aware of producers who left farming last year due to the loss of profitability when commodity prices dropped. He said more are likely to make that decision this year. Typically, those pulling out are near retirement or young producers who decide to pursue something different. Todd Vangsness, senior vice president at United Community Bank, Minot, said good management and conservative practices are going to be key for farmers this year. “They need to be communicating with their lender,” he said. “Some key things that we are going to take a look at, and I think is really, really important for every producer, is what their break
even and their cost of production really is. Break it down to a cost per acre and a cost per bushel so they know at what point in time is the right time to market some grain. Break even is going to be a real key thing.” Farmers who are carrying over loans from last year aren’t necessarily going to be in a worse position in requesting a new loan, but total debt, including credit card debt, is a factor lenders will be looking at, Vangsness said. If producers have grain in the bin that they’ve been reluctant to sell at current prices – and many do – it counts as an asset. It can offset existing debt as long it as it provides sufficient collateral, Vangsness said. Vangsness agreed that “They need in some cases, producers to be will need to restructure communicating debt and extend it over a with their longer period to show a better cash flow. Risk manlender” agement through crop and hail insurance also will be— Todd come more important to Vangsness, protect that income stream, senior vice he said. president at He added the profit sceUnited nario also will require that Community Bank, farm families reconsider their living expenses. With Minot the projection for less income, keeping expenses in line likely will mean belt tightening at a household level. Not all is gloom, though. Although fuel makes up a only a small part of input costs for farmers, prices are at unusual lows. Fegley added the low interest rates are another help. As tough as the year looks, farmers continue to be optimists, Finken said. “We always figure that next year will be better,” he said.
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
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Wait and see ... By KIM FUNDINGSLAND Staff Writer kfundingsland @minotdailynews.com Whether North Dakota sees an increase or a decline in Conservation Reserve Program acres won’t be known for several weeks. Regardless, the state will not see a return to the enrollment high of 3.3 million acres of 2007. As of December 2015 there were 1.5 million acres of land in North Dakota enrolled in the CRP program administered by USDA Farm Services. In September of this year 43,000 en-
rolled CRP acres are scheduled to expire and an additional 326,000 acres in 2017. The loss represents approximately a twothird decline from 2007 levels. “There’s no way to tell if we’ll have a gain or a loss this year,” said Jay Hochhalter, USDA Farm Services program specialist in Fargo. “We know how much is coming out but the secretary determines how much to allow back in.” The secretary referred to by Hochhalter is U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. There is a CRP sign-up period currently under way through Feb. 26. “An issue we run into with
any enrollment is that Congress has reduced the national cap for CRP to 24 million acres, about where the nation is right now,” explained Hochhalter. The result is that Farm Services in North Dakota is likely to receive more requests for CRP enrollment than they can possibly accommodate. While countless CRP acres were returned to crop production in recent years due to high commodity prices, a downturn in prices recently may result in renewed interest in CRP. “One primary focus is the economy,” stated Hochhalter. “The rise and fall of commodity prices in the last year is such
JANUARY 2016
for CRP that guaranteed rental rates may be more attractive than in the past.” A similar program to CRP concluded sign-up last November. Called the CRP Grasslands Program, it focused on preserving native grassland or land that had been previously enrolled in CRP and encouraged to stay in grass for livestock production. To date there has been no announcement as to how many acres of CRP Grasslands will be
accepted into the CRP program in North Dakota. CRP Grasslands acres accepted will be reduced from North Dakota’s CRP allotment. Landowners currently applying for CRP can expect a four to six weeks or longer wait after the Feb. 26 deadline before learning whether or not their CRP requests have been approved for enrollment. CRP enrollments vary from 10 to 15 year periods.
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FORMER DIRECTOR
JANUARY 2016
MINOT DAILY NEWS
LOOKS BACK
PAGE 11
Fisher with Extension Service for 22 years By JILL SCHRAMM Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com
A
Agriculture today looks different from 20 years ago, and the North Central Research Extension Center has had its hand in many of the changes. Guiding the center’s development of new crops, new fuels and new farming methods during that time had been the job of Jay Fisher, who retired Dec. 31 after 22 years as director. “The transition to a cutting-edge research facility has happened in this time frame,” Fisher said last month as he prepared to leave the place where he had started his career in 1978 as an area Extension agronomist. In 1990, he became northwest district director for the NDSU Extension Service. “It was the beginning of the next best step in my life,” said Fisher, who became director in 1994. Fisher didn’t quite head to the Extension Service right out of college. After finishing his master’s degree in 1977 at North Dakota State University, he traveled to New Zealand through the International 4-H Youth Exchange, living with 15 predominantly farm families for two weeks each. “We did what they did so I milked a lot of cows morning and night,” Fisher joked. While there, he visited Auckland, a port city, and saw agricultural exports being shipped by containers. The experience planted a seed that spent years germinating in his mind. He recalls taking family vacations to places like Seattle and See DIRECTOR — Page 13
North Central Research Extension Center history Since its founding in 1945, North Central Research Extension Center has had only three directors. Gus Geiszler headed the center from 1945 to 1969, followed by Ben Hoag from 1970 until his death in 1993. He was replaced by Jay Fisher. Geiszler served 24 years, Hoag 23 years and Jay Fisher served 22 years before retiring Dec. 31. The Extension Service currently has an interim director in place while seeking a permanent replacement for Fisher.
Jill Schramm/MDN
Jay Fisher stands in the lobby of the North Central Research Extension Center Dec. 17, two weeks before beginning his retirement as center director.
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
PAGE 13
Ward County Agriculture North Dakota Oilseed Council Improvement Association election in Ward County meeting to be held The Ward County Ag Improvement Association annual meeting will be held Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the North Central Research Extension Center in Minot. The keynote speaker for the meeting will be Mark Gold from the Top Third Marketing Firm out of Chicago. Gold will discuss marketing strategies for 2016 and how to put yourself in a position to capture the opportunities. Two new varieties, registered Joppa Durum and registered ND Genesis, will be
Director Continued from Page 11
filming the containerized shipping operations there. It was much later when he learned then Ward County highway engineer Gailen Narum was mulling a concept similar to the one that had been developing in his mind all those years. “We started working on a port of North Dakota, and I found out that Butte, Montana, was a port,” he said. “I thought if they could be a port, we could be a port.” The result was the development of Minot’s Port of North Dakota, an intermodal facility that transfers containers of agricultural commodities and other products between truck and rail to port cities where they are loaded onto ships for export. Fisher said support of Minot’s mayor at the time, Curt Zimbelman, and the involvement of Greg Johnson, who operates and has expanded the port, helped make the project a success. Fisher continues to serve on the Minot Area Develop-
available to Ward County growers in 2016. Producers who wish to obtain seed should submit a form to the Ward County Ag Improvement Association by Feb. 1 to ensure availability. A $2 per bushel deposit is required when requesting seed. Increase growers for these new varieties were Finken Farms and Seed, Birdsall Grain and Seed, Jeff Krueger, Curt Engelhard and Craig Birdsall. The registered price of Joppa durum is $13.80 per bushel and ND Genesis is $10 per bushel.
ment Corp., which spearheaded the port as well as a nearby agriculture and energy park. He is a past chairman of that board. Fisher and his wife, Marlys, maintain homes in Minot and Riverdale, where he enjoys boating and fishing. Fisher keeps a connection with agriculture through a nephew who runs his family’s home place between Tappen and Pettibone, a son who farms near Wahpeton and a daughter and son-inlaw who farm near Hazen. Fisher, who was familiar with the raising of small grains and flax as a farm kid, has had opportunity to be involved in the introduction of newer crops to the region through his work at the research center. When he arrived, one of the first meetings he conducted was on canola. One of his first contacts with growers included a discussion with a farmer interested in raising sunflowers. Now canola and hybrid sunflowers are commonly grown in the region, and farmers have moved on to add peas, lentils and chick-
peas. Before he left, the center staff had begun working with carinata seed as a food oil source and jet fuel. The center experimented with cellulosic ethanol, going beyond corn and soybeans to research other oilseed crops. “So food, fiber, fuel are the things we continue to work on, and, of course, higher yields and more disease resistance as we keep working to feed the world,” Fisher said. Another change in agriculture has been the shift to no-till and minimum till farming. Fisher recalled speaking at a meeting to farmers who were used to leaving half their land idle. Some of the progressive farmers were moving to crop two years out of three, he said, but he suggested the amount of summerfallow would drop even more drastically. “There was a gentleman who told me I was crazy. But many of the farmers now are doing that,” he said. “This center was an early adopter and experimenter. (Former director) Ben Hoag had a master’s degree in soils and was very interested, as
MANDAN – Sunflower Growers in Ward County are urged to participate in the election of a county representative for the North Dakota Oilseed Council. All sunflower growers who have a definite interest in the membership of the council are encouraged to participate in the election on Feb. 1, 2016, at 1 p.m. at the North Central Research Extension Center, 5400 Highway 83 S, Minot. Each person, landlord, tenant, husband and/or wife, who planted sunflowers in 2015 or intends to plant sunflowers in 2016 and is a participating producer who resides in this county, if present in person, is entitled
was I, in reduced tillage,” he added. “We didn’t know much in the beginning, but with the wonderful farmers that invented and re-invented the drills, along with the companies, we have come a long way. So reduced tillage to grow the same kind or better yields is more the norm for farming now. We were part of that.” The research center also took part in a hydrogen project that used electrical current from nearby wind power generation to extract hydrogen from water and fuel three flex-fuel Chevy pickups operated by the center, Verendrye Electric and Central Power. That program came to an end, and the elctrolyzer acquired from Belgium relocated to a national hydrogen research facility in Colorado to be repurposed at a higher level. Fisher said he had expected hydrogen fuel to catch on more quickly, but due to many factors, including economics, that hasn’t happened. “It’s much cheaper to buy gasoline, and truthfully, we had more horsepower from
to vote and is eligible to be a candidate. The election will be conducted under the supervision of Paige Brummund, County Extension Agent, North Dakota Extension Service. County representatives from District 6 will assemble 11:30 a.m. March 22 at the NDSU Extension Office, Mountrail County, located at 810361st St. NW, Stanley, to elect the district’s member of the North Dakota Oilseed Council. The Oilseed Council was created by legislative enactment to facilitate the production, development, marketing and promotion of sunflower, safflower, rapeseed or canola, flax and crambe.
the gasoline or the ethanol than from the hydrogen,” he said. Still, one never knows what might come from continued research into the future, he said. “You never know when you start something if it is going to take off or if it is just going to be a flash in the pan or someone will take it to the next step,” Fisher said. “That’s our job is to try things, many of which fail.” Quoting the adage that it takes years to become an overnight success, Fisher said agricultural research is a series of failures and successes that ultimately lead to breakthroughs. But it doesn’t stop there. “You are never quite satisfied because there’s more to be learned, more to be discovered, more to be developed,” he said. North Central positioned itself for the work it is doing today with a major addition dedicated as headquarters in 1999. The new “technology transfer center” had offices, meeting rooms and a new concept for the time called interactive television, Fisher said. The fundraising was so
successful that supporters conducted another drive for more than $1 million to construct an agronomy research laboratory with a greenhouse to study weed resistance, breeding and pulse crops. It was dedicated in 2007. With the support of the governor and legislators, the center has added a heated shop, machine storage building, pesticide storage and mixing facilities, a better fuel storage facility, a scale to handle semi-trucks and improved grain-handling facilities. The need now is for a seed conditioning facility. “I am confident it will be built,” said Fisher, who testified for it before the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education shortly before his retirement. He had project supporters from around the region backing him up with their testimony, just as they’ve always been there for the Minot station. “So it’s been just extremely gratifying to land in a place where you have that kind of support to do the things you love,” he said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
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JANUARY 2016
Not just farmers for the future Des Lacs-Burlington FFA program builds farmers and leaders By JILL HAMBEK Staff Writer jhambek@minotdailynews.com Future Farmers of America started at a time when boys were losing interest and leaving the farm. Walter S. Newman, the Virginia State Supervisor of Agricultural Education in 1925, proposed forming an organization that offered farm boys a greater opportunity for self-expression and for the development of leadership. That way, they would develop confidence in their own abilities and pride in being farm boys, he thought. These days, FFA is for both boys and girls and continues to teach that agriculture is more
than planting and harvesting. There are still future farmers in the organization, but there are also future biologists, chemists, veterinarians, engineers and entrepreneurs as well. The FFA chapter at Des LacsBurlington High School has students involved who are not just farmers. FFA adviser Brandon Quam said there are 75 members, a half and half mixture of boys and girls. Not all 75 students are active members, however. The chapter at Des Lacs-Burlington High School has about 25 students who are active members and the other members help out when they can, Quam said. Des Lacs-Burlington’s FFA members do a variety of
service and fun activities. They help set up for Pride of Dakota and help at rodeos and ag shows in the area, Quam said. They also travel to numerous judging contests, he added. For fun, members get to partake in sledding parties or pizza parties at Planet Pizza. Quam said it’s tough to keep kids interested in the organization since there are so many other activities to be involved in, but the chapter mixes fun activities with work activities. “We make them work toward goals and then reward them with fun things,” he added. By pushing the members, the hope is that pushing will bring success, Quam said.
As a way to recruit future FFA members, the high school members will visit the elementary school and try to connect with the younger kids. They try to visit often, he added, even though the elementary school is in Burlington and they have to contend with some distance with the high school being in Des Lacs. A lot of the elementary kids have older siblings or parents who were involved in the FFA program, Quam said, which also helps in recruiting future members. “The more they (elementary students) can see the high school students in FFA dress, the more they can see what it is,” Quam added. He also encourages stu-
dents to try FFA for a short time to see what it’s about. Quam said students in FFA like traveling statewide for contests and becoming friends with peole across the state. While in FFA, students learn leadership skills, which leads to professional growth, he added. “FFA is a building block for the future,” Quam said. “We concentrate on premier leadership, career success and personal growth.” FFA is not just for farmers, he added. Some of the biggest FFA programs are in New York or Chicago, Quam said. A lot of FFA is still agriculture based, he added, but it also has changed into leadership and personal growth so that everyone can relate.
Cattle farmers battle fluctuating winter temperatures WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Every job outdoors gets harder in extreme cold, but few have it tougher than cattle farmers. And it's not just the cold snaps that grind agricultural operations to a churning slog, but also the brief warmups, which are proving difficult for area farmers. "Once you hit 20 degrees, everything takes twice as long - starting equipment; moving cattle. The problem with the fluctuating temperature is it starts and ends with the ground. Last week, everything was mud; now this week, there are frozen, foot-high ruts that you can barely get a tractor over and it could have the cows spraining or breaking their legs," said District Judge Ethan Ward, who works 250 acres of pasture in West Alexander. While farmers saw wide-
spread instances of frostbite last year in sustained, bitter cold - Ward said seven of his calves lost the tips of their ears - veterinary experts at Penn State University are warning the freeze-thaw cycles this winter are increasing the risk of pneumonia and other lung diseases in cattle. "Bovine animals can take cold. So as long as it's a steady, cold winter, they're all right, because they put on thick coats and layers of fat. But they get heat stress, or don't feel like moving, and get stagnant, and the instances we've seen (in the State College area) are not as many frostbite cases, but farmhands are reporting lung diseases. It's not an epidemic, but this warmer winter has brought it on," said Penn State veterinarian Dr. Meggan Hain. "So the things we're recommending are to give supple-
mental vaccines if necessary, and to improve their nutrition," Hain said. Ward agrees with one aspect - providing some sort of super food for cattle. "Cattle aren't supposed to eat grain, so this only a once in a while thing. So we put in molasses in with the corn feed. It's their energy drink. But I can count on my hand the amount of times I've given my cows an antibiotic. Not going to do it. I'm not contributing to the antibiotic-resistant food supply out there," Ward said. Hain said moving the cows to proper shelter is another way to prevent pneumonia. "We have two barns they can run into," said Adam Leech, of Leech Farms, in Hopewell Township, "but anytime it gets around 32 degrees we have to watch. We don't have to herd them, but some-
times they don't want to go inside. As far as nutrition, we try to be proactive with a 'superfood' blend of soy, corn, oat and wheat to really round out their diet when there's no grass." The usual feed - round hay bales - double as bedding for the cows. "I put out three bales for them a day. And I don't care about the 'waste' because they bed down on that. It gives them some insulation," Ward said, alluding to a more extreme solution he tried last year. "I set a couple bales on fire. It was negative-30 with a wind chill and I was really in a bind to keep these black angus cattle warm. So, I found that these things kind of smolder like a cigarette and don't just engulf in flames. That slow, smoky burn - they stood right up
against it," Ward said. Ward said he hasn't had any instances of frostbite or pneumonia this year, but the freeze-thaw cycle might yield another factor: moldy hay. "You have to have cured hay if you want to make sure they don't inhale mold. That might be where these lung illnesses are coming from when it gets warm after a freeze," Ward said. The central problem for cattle farmers is a logistical one - making sure they have enough pasture to roam, and standby pastures they can relocate to once they trot up deep tracks of mud and waste. "It's like the tractor in the ruts. They get stuck, their hooves will get cracked from the mud. You've got to get them to another field before the current one turns into a swamp," Ward said, "and
keeping them moving - that's what I think keeps them from getting lung infections-something the mothers do for their calves since they just want to lay down. It's a struggle, but it's worth it," Ward said. "I don't have to worry about food. I butcher a cow for the year - and would you believe I was almost a vegetarian? I watched the movie 'Moses' and it really affected me. But I felt I was doing good work this way, over the past 30 years. You've got to have something to come home to; to be proud of. Otherwise I couldn't be in that robe. Judge Curtis Thompson is a farmer too, and I just don't know how you go home from the bench without something like this. We're all regular people, farmers, but judges are just regular people, too."
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
PAGE 18
NONPROFIT HELPS FARMERS KEEP WORKING DESPITE AILMENTS
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
F
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Farmers are known for squeezing every last bit of usefulness from things ... including their own bodies. But that's not always easy. "Farmers tend to get arthritis pretty regularly, and it makes it hard for them to do their jobs," said Ned Stoller, an agricultural assistive technology specialist with AgrAbility. Formed in 1991, the Purdue University-based national nonprofit helps farmers find and pay for tools and technology that allow them to keep working whether they are slowed by arthritis, paralysis, amputation or other disabilities. One example of such adaptive tools is a $35 glove that uses Velcro to firmly attach a tool to hands with limited gripping strength. Mark Ziemann, a field sales trainer for K&M Manufacturing, attended the 27th annual Fort Wayne Farm Show with a colleague last week. As they met with dealers, they were trying to decide whether Minnesota-based K&M should rent a booth next year to display products that include steps, handrails, mirrors, warning lights, swivel seats and other products that make older tractors more accessible. K&M's products, which are used by some AgrAbility clients, work with tractors up to 80 years old. Stoller, who works with AgrAbility's Michigan operation, said his office serves about 120 people a year. Anyone who contacts the nonprofit can schedule an evaluation of his daily tasks and what assistance he needs to perform them. Charles and Annette Best were volunteering at the AgrAbility booth, ready to talk with anyone who doubts he can overcome a physical limitation. Charlie, as he's called, lost his left hand in 1967 when he reached into a piece of farming equipment to try to dislodge an ear of corn that was stuck. "He got careless," Annette said, adding that her 87-year-old husband adjusted very well to losing his hand and forearm. See FARMERS — Page 19
AP Photo
In this photo taken Jan. 12, AgrAbility's Ned Stoller tests out a tractor's man lift at the AgrAbility booth at the 27th Annual Fort Wayne, Ind., Farm Show at the Memorial Coliseum. Exhibitors got the chance to present the latest farm technology the industry has to offer along with the area's largest variety of farm machinery equipment in one location.
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
Farmers Continued from Page 18
"When that happened, there wasn't anything like this," Charlie said, referring to AgrAbility and the various tools it procures for clients. Available technology includes a lift that can place even a paralyzed person on the seat of large farm machinery. Ziemann's father could have used such a lift. He farmed into his 70s but eventually had to stop. "The only thing that kept him from working was he couldn't get behind the wheel. He could do everything else" when it came to operating a tractor, Ziemann said.
The Life Essentials-brand lift, which is on display at AgrAbility's Farm Show booth, costs about $12,000. But it's not out of reach for even the most frugal farmer; the AgrAbility staff works with various funding sources to cover costs of technology a farmer needs to keep working, Stoller said. He described his work with disabled farmers as being like a case manager who coordinates services. The average amount spent to make a farmer fully productive is $10,000, Stoller said. Various supporters, including Ziemann, believe that's money well spent. "Most farmers don't want to go on disability or sit around," he said. "They're a pretty hardworking bunch."
PAGE 19
California farmers brace for water shortage despite El Nino FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Farmers in California's fertile San Joaquin Valley are bracing to receive no irrigation water from a federal system of reservoirs and canals for a third consecutive year and looking to El Nino to produce the very wet winter they need. The year kicked off with heavy rains and an above-average snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. The El Nino — a global weather system associated with wet winters in California — may play out nationwide through late spring or beyond, officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say. Another welcomed series of storms is expected to dump more rain and snow on California through Thursday, according to National Weather Service forecasters. While many are celebrating a break to the long dry spell, however, the four driest years on record for California have left their mark, and experts say it will take time for the parched state to re-
cover. "We need a wet winter this winter and next and the following winter probably to get us anywhere close to equilibrium," said Dave Kranz, a spokesman for the California Farm Bureau Federation. State water managers say California's snowpack needs to be at 150 percent of normal on April 1 to signal an end to drought. Friday it was at 110 percent, according to the Department of Water Resources' statewide electronic reading. Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir, remains at half of its historical average for this time of year. Other major reservoirs in Oroville and Folsom that collect and store rain and snowmelt had reached or came close to historical low levels before the winter storms hit. The lack of surface water supplies for irrigation during the drought has forced many farmers to use groundwater to keep their crops alive, drawing down wells and leading many to run dry. Westlands Water District, which
relies on water from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has warned hundreds of farms it serves in the San Joaquin Valley that they may not be receiving any irrigation water yet again this year, said district spokeswoman Gayle Holman. Westlands is the nation's largest supplier of irrigation water, and for the last two years, the bureau's initial allocation was for zero percent of the district's contracted amount. It remained at zero throughout both years. Holman said that this stormy winter has raised hope that in the spring they'll receive some federal water, even if officials at first announce that there's none available. Holman said that by that time it may be too late. "The need for that water is now," she said, adding that any federal water sent to them early in the year would be stored in reservoirs for use when the weather warms and the growing seasons begins. "That's why the timing is so critical."
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
PAGE 21
FAR M I N A B OX : S H I P P I NG C O N TA I N E R S R E U S E D F O R F R E S H P RO D U C E
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BOSTON (AP) — Shipping containers have been turned into housing, art, even playgrounds. Now, a Boston company is recycling them into high-tech mobile farms as part of a new wave of companies hoping to bring more innovation to agriculture. Freight Farms and other indoor agriculture companies are looking to meet the growing demand for high-quality, locally grown and sustainable produce by farming fruits and vegetables in non-tradi-
tional spaces such as warehouses, industrial buildings and containers. They're using hydroponics and other longstanding methods to grow plants without soil and incorporating technology that automates much of the work and reduces waste. "The food system needs to be designed around technology and equipment that's available today," says Brad McNamara, Freight Farms' CEO and co-founder. "It
was designed 100 years ago without the right technology to reach the level that it needs to. The whole system needs to be modernized." The company says its Leafy Green Machine helps farmers produce a consistently bountiful crop — roughly the typical yield of an acre of farmland — while using 90 percent less water, no pesticides, and just 320 square feet of space. Climate controls, automated lighting and irrigation systems,
and mobile apps for monitoring and maintaining crops remotely also allow farmers to grow yearround with minimal oversight. "Starting a farm is a lot to ask of one person," says company president and co-founder Jon Friedman. "So we've put together a system that gives even a novice the tools to produce thousands of plants and get them to market." So far, Freight Farms customers say the benefits outweigh the costs, which include the
$82,000 base price for the 2016 model, as well as an estimated $8,000 to $16,500 a year in electricity, water and growing supply costs. "The beauty of the Freight Farm is in its ease of use and its mobility," says Thomas LaGrasso III, chief operating officer at LaGrasso Bros., a Detroit produce wholesaler that's been growing lettuce in its unit since SeptemSee BOX — Page 23
Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
PAGE 23
Box
In this Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015, photo, Freight Farms co-founder Brad McNamara displays a lettuce seedling inside a freight container converted into a vegetable garden in Boston. The Boston-based company is repurposing shipping containers as mobile farms. Freight Farms sells 320square-foot containers equipped with hightech hydroponic equipment that’s capable of producing the typical yield for two acres of farmland in any climate, and uses 90 percent less water.
Continued from Page 21
ber. "We harvest to meet our customers' daily needs. You cannot have it any fresher." Launched in 2010, Freight Farms is considered a pioneer of container farms. About a half-dozen other companies in the U.S. offer them, including CropBox in Clinton, North Carolina; Growtainers in Dallas; and PodPonics in Atlanta. Freight Farms has sold 54 Leafy Green Machines, with ones already in operation on Google's campus in Mountain View, California; Stony Brook University on Long Island; and Four Burgers, a restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most Freight Farm customers are growing high turnover, compact crops the company recommends — lettuce; hearty greens like kale, cabbage and Swiss chard; and herbs like mint, basil and oregano — and selling them to local restaurants and groceries and at community markets, according to McNamara and Friedman. Jon Niedzielski, who heads the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service
AP Photo
Agency in Massachusetts, says his office has already approved a handful of loans to farmers using Freight Farms' containers. "Efficient, hydroponic systems that need little open space can make a lot of
sense, particularly in urban areas with lots of potential consumers willing to pay top dollar, year-round, for lettuce and herbs," he says. Industry experts caution that upfront costs and annual operational expenses like
electricity for lighting systems that often run 18 hours a day can mean slim profit margins for would-be farmers. But they also suggest technological advances are helping make indoor grow-
ing more feasible. "I think it will take some development to make these systems truly sustainable," says Andrew Carter, an urban agriculture consultant in New York and North American region manager
for the Germany-based Association for Vertical Farming. "But I'm a firm believer in indoor agriculture and small-scale growing and think it will supply healthy, sustainable, and local food."
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Minot Daily News, “Inside Ag”, P.O. Box 1150, Minot, ND 58702
Advice a valuable commodity in down ag market By ANDREA JOHNSON Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
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Many people might think winter is a time for farmers and ranchers in the state to rest, but it is actually a time for them to plan for the year ahead. “We assist farmers and ranchers on anything to do with the financial aspects of their business,” said Rodney Armstrong, a farm management instructor at Dakota College at Botttineau. Dakota College at Bottineau also administers programs in Minot at the Northwest Career and Technical Center and at Rugby HIgh School. In all, the program probably helps between 110 and 120 farmers and ranchers in financial planning. Yearly tuition for the program is $650. A farmer new to the program might meet with an instructor once a month, while more experienced farmers and ranchers might meet with the advisers a few times a year. Armstrong said he helps ensure that farmers and ranchers keep detailed, accurate records for their farm operation. He also analyzes their farm or ranch operation to determine what crops or livestock operations were most profitable. Past years have been profitable, but Armstrong said that will not be the case this year. “It’s not going to be a good year,” said Armstrong. “In general, most crop farmers are going to be happy to break even ... the livestock people, the beef cattle farmers, are going to look better.” Armstrong said livestock prices have started to drop in the last few months, but beef producers might come out better depending on what kind of marketing they did ahead of time. This year also doesn’t
look very promising. “I do know that budgeting for 2016, it’s pretty hard to find any crop that’s profitable,” said Armstrong. “They all budget out to a loss of some kind. On average, it’s looking pretty tough.” Yields of most crops have continued to be good, which counteracts some of the lower prices. Planning for a bad year can be a challenge. Armstrong said he advises his clients to reduce their debt, do their best to control expenses and maintain their working capital. “In some cases, we’re kind of at rock bottom,” said Armstrong, but there are other farmers who might find ways to cut unnecessary expenses and ride out what will be a difficult business year. “There’s no question you can’t cut back input that’s going to take away from your yields,” said Armstrong. “Fertilizer is pretty much a done deal. You can’t cut back on fertilizer.” Armstrong said farmers and ranchers have enjoyed a number of profitable years and it was inevitable that there would be a bad year down the pike. Farmers and ranchers just have to ride out the difficulties. Farm management programs like the one at Bottineau can help them to do so. There are about 15 farm and ranch business management programs around the state. Such programs have been in place in one form or another since the 1970s, said Armstrong. People interested in signing up for the program can call Armstrong at 228-5481; Al Graner in Rugby at 7765089 or BillieJo Shae in Minot at 420-1802. More information about the programs can also be found online at ndfarmmanagement.com
Inside Ag JANUARY 2016
MINOT DAILY NEWS
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Hawaii's last sugar plantation to stop growing sugar
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HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's last sugar plantation is getting out of the sugar-growing business, signaling the end of an industry that once powered the local economy and lured thousands of immigrants to the islands. Alexander & Baldwin Inc. said Wednesday that it will phase out sugar by the end of 2016. Its 36,000 acre-Maui plantation will be divided into smaller farms to grow biofuels and food crops. Some of the land will be irrigated to supply pasture to local cattle ranchers. The company says all 675 people who work for its Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar subsidiary will be laid off. About half will be retained through the end of this year's sugar harvest. "This is a sad day for A&B, and it is with great regret that we have reached this decision," Christopher Benjamin, CEO of Alexander and Baldwin, said in a news release. Alexander & Baldwin was founded by sugar-growing descendants of Protestant missionaries 145 years ago. Today, much of its business focuses on real estate. Sugar and pineapple plantations run by big landowners once dominated Hawaii's economy. Sugar in particular took off after 1876 when Hawaii, which was still a monarchy at the time, won the ability to export the commodity to the United States duty-free. Plantation owners later played a prominent role in running Hawaii after the U.S.backed overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Plantations remained the islands' economic engine until the launch of passenger jet travel shortened the length of flights from the West Coast and triggered a tourism boom. The plantations drew immigrants from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Portugal and elsewhere to work in the fields, giving Hawaii the ethnic diversity still evident today. Benjamin said Alexander & Baldwin "made every effort" to avoid ending sugar growing. But he said it suffered $30 million in agribusiness losses last year and expected further red ink if no changes were made. A&B doesn't have any plans for large land sales, though it may sell some small parcels as it has in the past, Benjamin said. The entire property is zoned for agriculture, and the company plans to keep it that way. It's not yet clear what crops will be grown on the land, Benjamin said in an interview. Sorghum and other grasses have shown promise in research trials conducted at the See SUGAR — Page 27
AP Photo
This April 27, 2010, photo shows structures on the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar plantation in Puunene, Hawaii. Hawaii's last sugar plantation is getting out of the sugar-growing business. Alexander & Baldwin Inc. said Jan. 6, that it will phase out sugar by the end of 2016.
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Inside Ag MINOT DAILY NEWS
JANUARY 2016
PAGE 27
Why Hawaii's sugar plantations have disappeared HONOLULU (AP) — The owners of Hawaii's last sugar plantation say they're getting out of the sugar-growing business. Miles of sugar cane fields once spread across the islands, providing work to thousands of immigrants and shaping Hawaii life. Soon, they'll be gone. Here's an explanation of why sugar grew to dominate Hawaii and why it faded.
Plantations started to close in the 1950s. The pace accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s. U.S. tariff and quota protections for sugar began declining in the decades after World War II amid broader trade liberalization. Plantation workers first began to organize effective unions in the 1930s, which helped build Hawaii's middle class but also made the industry less competitive compared with other countries. Then Hawaii's land values began to spike as the introduction of passenger jets reduced travel times to Hawaii and launched a tourism boom. Many landowners found they could make more money building hotels and homes than growing cane. The last Maui plantation's parent company lost $30 million on its agriculture business last year. La Croix said the end of the sugar industry is a watershed moment for Hawaii but not a surprise.
H
HOW DID SUGAR GET TO BE A BIG BUSINESS IN HAWAII? Sugar was farmed on a relatively small scale in the islands until the U.S. Civil War. But the conflict cut the North off from sugar grown in Louisiana, leading to a surge in imports from Hawaii. In the 1870s, the U.S. and what was then the Hawaiian Kingdom signed a treaty that eliminated U.S. tariffs on sugar and rice and Hawaiian tariffs on cotton and other products. Plantation profits almost doubled. Sugar cane growing expanded further after the U.S. annexed Hawaii and property rights for plantation owners became more secure, said Sumner La Croix, a University of Hawaii economics professor. Acres planted with sugar cane exploded from 15,000 in 1876 to 238,000 in 1941.
HOW HAS SUGAR SHAPED HAWAII? Entrepreneurs from the U.S., Britain and beyond ‚ including several descendants of Protestant missionaries to
AP Photo
This April 27, 2010, photo shows workers cutting sugar cane at Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar, Hawaii's last sugar plantation, in Puunene, Hawaii. The owners of Hawaii's last sugar plantation say they're getting out of the sugar-growing business. Sugar cane fields once spread across the islands, providing work to thousands of immigrants and shaping Hawaii life. Hawaii ‚ got into the business. They brought in laborers from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico and elsewhere for the crushing work of plowing, planting and cutting cane. A distinct language, Hawaiian pidgin or Hawaiian Creole English, emerged as immigrants and Native Hawaiians looked
port Hawaii as it tries to achieve food and energy self-sufficiency. Continued from Page 25 U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, plantation, he said. D-Hawaii, said he was If successful, Benjamin deeply saddened by the said, those plans could sup- news.
Sugar
for ways to communicate. Sugar growers began diverting vast quantities of water from wetter parts of islands to drier areas with arable land. Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar, which ran the plantation that plans to harvest its last cane this year, has been diverting water from 19 streams in east Maui and
"For over 130 years, sugar production on Maui was more than a business, spawning a way of life and generations of hard working women and men who made our state remarkable and
several others in central Maui to irrigate its 36,000 acres. Some of the old plantation irrigation infrastructure today supports housing subdivisions and golf courses on arid land.
WHY HAS IT DISAPPEARED?
great," he said in a statement. Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa said his heart goes out to workers who will lose their jobs, but the change was inevitable. "Fruit trees,
WHERE ELSE IS SUGAR GROWN IN THE U.S.? Sugar cane accounted for 43 percent of the sugar grown in the U.S. last year, with the rest coming from beets, according to data from the American Sugar Alliance. Florida is the biggest producer of U.S. cane sugar, with over 2 million tons last year, followed by Louisiana with 1.5 million tons. Hawaii produced 165,000 tons worth about $83 million last year. Brazil is the world's biggest sugar grower.
taro, bio-mass, papayas, avocados and much more have all gone through trial testing, leaving us very confident that while sugar cane is dead, agriculture will remain very much alive here,"
he said in a statement. Benjamin said the company was providing enhanced benefits and one-on-one assistance to help those being laid off move into retirement or a new job.
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