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ND congressional delegation, farm groups want improved WOTUS policy By ELOISE OGDEN
Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com North Dakota’s U.S. senators provided an update to The Minot Daily News on Waters of the U.S. and its current status. The Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule defines the federal government regulatory control over virtually any waters and many land areas that only temporarily hold water. “We need a Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) definition that respects private property rights, like we put in place with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) under the Trump administration,” said Sen. John Hoeven. “At this point, the Biden administration has moved to repeal the NWPR and reinstate the pre-2015 WOTUS definition, which creates uncertainty for a range of industries, including agriculture, energy and construction, among others. “At the same time, the admin-
Hoeven
Cramer
istration is clearly working toward a new WOTUS definition that will expand the scope of waters regulated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and Army Corps well beyond what Congress intended and authorized under the Clean Water Act. The Obama-era WOTUS rule was wrong for North Dakota and our nation, and we cannot afford a similar overreach from the Biden administration. “Accordingly, I have repeatedly pressed EPA officials, including Administrator Michael Regan, to provide regulatory certainty and support a commonsense, stateled approach to regulation, rather than reviving unworkable, one-
size-fits-all federal rules. I also introduced a Senate resolution to uphold the NWPR and recently joined my colleagues in urging the EPA and Army Corps to suspend their WOTUS rulemaking until the Supreme Court completes its consideration of Sackett v. EPA, a case that is expected to have major implications on the scope and enforcement of the Clean Water Act. It would be irresponsible for the Biden administration to proceed with a rulemaking that could be invalidated or significantly altered as early as this summer. Our efforts are all about making sure that private property rights are respected.” Sen. Kevin Cramer said, “The current proposed rule was rolled out right before I hosted the EPA and U.S. Army Corps for their only in-person WOTUS listening session in Bismarck. North Dakotans were able to express their views about how the Obama Administration’s 2015 rule and the Biden proposal exceed the regulatory authority granted by the Clean Water
Act. The current policy relies on an overly broad ‘significant nexus’ test, which will inevitably lead to federal bureaucrats expanding their jurisdiction over waters traditionally within the sole purview of states. “The Supreme Court will be reviewing the definition of Waters of the U.S. in the next several months and I have urged the Biden Administration to pause its plan to write a new rule until the Court provides more guidance on which waters fall under federal jurisdiction. I applaud the State of North Dakota and affected stakeholders who have participated in the rulemaking process. We are all hoping for sound policy to stop the regulatory ping-pong.” Both the American National Farm Bureau Federation (NFBF) and National Farmers Union (NFU) provided comments on WOTUS to the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. NFBF, in comments submitted to the EPA and Corps on Feb. 7,
said the proposed changes to the Waters of the U.S. rule would reintroduce burdensome federal regulations for agriculture. NFBF and several undersigned organizations recommended that the agencies withdraw the proposed rule. In an announcement Feb. 8, NFU said its submitted comments on the EPA and Corp’s proposed rule to revise the definition of WOTUS under the Clean Water Act urged an inclusive rule-making process. The organization stressed that ambiguity around the definition of WOTUS has presented “ongoing challenges for farmers and ranchers,” and urged the agencies to develop rules that offer more certainty and clarity to farmers as soon as possible. The organization also urged the agencies to consult with farmers and ranchers regularly and consider the concerns of all who will be regulated under updated and new Clean Water Act rules.
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Cattle move toward shelter in the snow on the Virgil Scherr Ranch near the Pierce County town of Orrin.
Rain, snowfall make ‘a big difference’ for Pierce County farmers, ranchers
By SUE SITTER
Staff Writer ssitter@thepiercecountytribune.com
O
ne year can make a big difference in the world of agriculture. Farmers and ranchers in Pierce County hope the 2022 growing season makes a very big difference for them by bringing relief from exceptional drought conditions they saw in 2021. Heavier than normal snowfall in North Dakota reported by the National Weather Service has given Pierce County farmers and ranchers reason for optimism. A Feb. 7 report from the NWS said, “Drought conditions have improved across much of the state. Drought has been completely removed in parts of the James River Valley and eastern North Dakota.” A precipitation graph in the report showed Pierce County received between 150% and 200% of normal rain and snowfall between Oct. 1, 2021, and Feb. 6. Brenden Klebe of the North Dakota State University Extension Office for Pierce County said he’s been monitoring the weather developments closely. “I’m not going to say that’s a total sigh of relief, but it’s a big difference,” Klebe said of the increase in precipitation for fall and winter over the previous year. “Last year, we were in the worst of the worst of the drought. And we’ve seen that with our crops. Even in springtime, farmers couldn’t get their crops growing at all. And the ones that did come up were all over the place. See PIERCE COUNTY — Page 4
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“With this moisture we have now, we can at least start getting back to our even crop,” Klebe said. “That’s the biggest part when it comes to yield sometimes, just to have evenness out there. So, really, it’s going to be a huge boost this spring – a total 180 from last year, I’d say.” The Feb. 7 NWS report bumped Pierce County and Central North Dakota up from its exceptional drought category to “abnormally dry.” The report added drought would persist in the western part of the state, especially in Divide and Williams counties. Climate prediction maps from the NWS forecasted wetter than normal conditions for the rest of February and an equal chance of precipitation or dry conditions in February, March, and April. Klebe said the possible precipitation increase wouldn’t mean farmers and ranchers could expect flooding on their land; however, he advised growers to “be patient” as they managed the change. “I know we’re going to be wetter this spring, but I don’t see it as problematic,” Klebe said. “I think it’s going to come down to being patient and letting the soils
March 2022
“With this moisture we have now, we can at least start getting back to our even crop.” — Brenden
Klebe, North Dakota State University Extension Office for Pierce County
warm up. The last few years, we’ve had such an early start (to the growing season) because of the lack of moisture. Now, we’re going to be getting a later start to it. Let the soil warm up and get a good seed bed going and do the right preparation to let the moisture move where it needs to move. “The biggest thing is not to be working soil bone dry,” Klebe added. “In Pierce County, a lot of people are on the no-till side of things. But the biggest thing is, if you need to be doing some culturing or some minimal till things, all of that helps getting your seed bed ready. “I have no problem with minimal till, but you don’t want to go full-on till when the soil is wet,” Klebe said. Some early snowmelt in February wouldn’t cause a problem either, accord-
ing to Klebe. “Not from what I’ve seen,” Klebe said. “I talked to quite a few guys who see that the snow is now in some of the tree rows and some of the lower areas. They’ve been worked up the last few years and haven’t been seeded in 20 years, darned near. If the moisture’s back there again, we’re going to be back to our normal planting acres instead of those sloughs we were able to go through last year. * “I was just in Harvey this weekend and driving back up, you can already see some bald spots where the snow’s already gone again,” Klebe added. “If that’s any indication, I think the moisture’s going to be sucked up into the ground very fast.” Klebe said ranchers would find relief in spring, too.
“Luckily, this fall, we got that moisture to give our grasses a little bit of a boost before our freeze-up,” Klebe said. “That’s the biggest thing, talking with our grazing experts. It’s knowing how much you graze that pasture. Now that we’ve had this moisture and if you were able to get your cattle off your pasture last fall, you’re going to have much better pastures coming into this spring.” Klebe added, “With fall moisture combined with this snow, if you were conservative with your pastures, you’re going to reap the rewards this spring. “I heard stories (in 2021) about people who had to go all over the place for hay,” Klebe added. “And now, it’s looking like a lot of these cool season grasses are going to get an opportunity to get growing. Last year, we pretty much didn’t get any of those grasses because we were so dried out come spring last year. I think the moisture this year is going to make a huge difference. “At least for the beginning, I’m going to be a lot more optimistic for this year, with what I’ve seen with the moisture and our fall moisture,” Klebe said, looking ahead to spring 2022. “For the first quarter of the year, I’d say there’s a lot better outlook, at least at this time.”
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Report finds 113,502 acres of organic farmland in ND As the force that feeds and nourishes the population, agriculture has evolved to become more efficient, capable of reliably meeting the population’s daily needs. But these efficient practices also come with environmental costs, and many farmers and consumers are increasingly seeking out more sustainable alternatives. As a result, organic farming has increased substantially over the last decade or so. In 2008, the U.S. had 10,903 organic farms covering around 4 million acres of farmland. In 2019, there were nearly 16,500 organic farms on 5.5 million acres. Meanwhile, the sales of organic products
have more than tripled over the same span, rising from $3.1 billion to $9.9 billion. An analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture data by Commodity.com found 113,502 acres of organic farmland in North Dakota, which accounts for 0.29% of all farmland in the state. The North Dakota data showed: – Organic farms as a percentage of farms, 0.45%. – Total organic acreage, 113,502 acres. – Total organic farms, 117 farms. – Total value of organic products sold, $26.6 million. Across the United States, organic acreage accounts for 0.61% of total acreage and
0.81% of all farms. Nearly 5.5 million acres are used organically on 16,476 farms, with $9.9 billion in organic products sold. One location where organic agriculture has taken hold deeply is California. California is home to more than 3,000 organic farms — more than twice the next-highest state — and the total acreage of organic farms in the state totals nearly 1 million acres. Still, organic farms represent only about 4% of California’s agricultural acreage, compared to 17% in Vermont. Within the nearly $10 billion organic food market, milk, chicken, and eggs are the top-selling products. Or-
ganic milk leads all products with sales of more than $1.5 billion. Apples are the top-selling form of organic produce, with $475 million in annual sales. To identify the states with the most organic farms, researchers at Commodity.com calculated the total certified organic acres operated as a percentage of total farmland in each state. Only states with available data from the USDA were included in the analysis. For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, look for the original report on Commodity.com’s website at https://commodity.com/blog/ most-organic-farms/.
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March 2022
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PENCILING A PROFIT Extension projections predict positive bottom lines in 2022
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March 2022
By JILL SCHRAMM
Senior Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com
F
armers can expect higher input costs, and possibly even fertilizer shortages, this year. Even so, higher commodity prices should generate a profit if nature provides the yields, according to budgets released by the North Dakota State University Extension Service. The profitability outlook is improved over 2021, based on the budget calculations. However, Ron Haugen, farm management specialist with Extension, emphasized the budget tools are a guide for producers, who need to input their individual data to truly get accurate numbers for their operations. “I was surprised in doing these budgets. I thought they were going to be all negative because of the high costs. But then, of course, we have the high prices, so that helps,” Haugen said. “Fertilizer costs per acre have had the most increase, See PROFIT — Page 11
A good harvest is a scene area farmers hope to repeat in 2022. Calculations by the NDSU Extension Service indicate producers have opportunity to profit this year if yield conditions are good. File Photo
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even with lower applied rates on soils with higher nutrient carryover. Pesticide costs have also had a significant increase. Seed, fuel, repairs and ownership expenses have also had increases. Cropland rents for most regions are flat.” Agriculture is being affected by supply chain issues, which are behind higher fertilizer costs, Haugen said. In some instances, fertilizer prices have tripled or quadrupled from last year, he said. The profitability of corn, as a heavily fertilized crop, is more greatly impacted by those costs Regional soil tests indicate soils have more nutrients than typical because fewer nutrients were drawn from the soil last year due to the impact of the drought on growth, Haugen said. The 2022 fertilizer costs were held in check to a certain extent by that factor, he said.
H
Projected higher commodity prices in 2022 are offsetting higher costs in a model that features at least average yields and decent quality. Yields used in the calculations reflect a seven-year average from 20142020. “We take the yields from the various counties in the region, and then we throw out the high and the low and average them,” Haugen said. “The (commodity) prices we were using, people may say they’re somewhat conservative, but this is what we thinking that the average farmer is going to get in the next production year. Of course, that’s really a guess, and the market changes every day.” For instance, the Extension’s spring wheat price projection in northcentral North Dakota, which includes Ward County, is $7.44 a bushel, up from the $5.60 projected in 2021. The soybean projected price of $11.35 is up from $10.10. “Also, the budgets estimate
returns to labor and management with no consideration of price and yield variability or risk. A perfect comparison of crops is not achieved because different levels of labor and management and risk exist,” Haugen added. “Specialty crops may show a positive return, but usually have limited contracts and acreages, and also may have higher risk.” However, budget calculations show most crops in all regions have improved profit from the previous year. Based on calculated costs and market revenue per acre, spring wheat grown in the northcentral region shows a return on labor and management of $54.85, compared to $28.41 in 2021. Durum showed even better profitability due to strong market prices. Corn and soybeans could see reduced profitability because of high costs and less of a jump in prices. The return on corn in northcentral North Dakota is projected at $37.91
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Page 11 an acre, down from $48.07 in 2021, although the figure from a year ago doesn’t reflect the impact of a drought that was particularly hard on corn. Soybeans were projected to return $105.54 an acre last year. This year, the projection is $99.61. For counties west of Ward, commodities, including corn, are calculated for improved profitability, with the exception of soybeans. The NDSU Extension-developed budgets are available online at www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/ag-topics/ farm-management/crop-economics/projected-crop-budgets or by searching online for NDSU Crop Budgets. NDSU Extension also offers an updated Crop Compare Program for 2022, which is a spreadsheet designed to compare cropping alternatives. The Crop Compare program is available online at www. ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/ ag-topics/crop-production/ tools/crop-compare.
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䤀渀猀椀搀攀 䄀最 䤀渀琀爀漀搀甀挀攀猀
Submit a “Farm Family’ Submit a “Farm Family’ you you think should be in our think be in our next nextshould issue. Write a short issue. Write a short paragraph paragraph on why this onfamily why this family represent represent the All the All American “Farm American “Farm Family.” If your nomination is is Family. ” If your nomination chosen,they theywill will visited chosen, bebe visited by by an Inside Ag reporter an Inside Ag reporter and will and awill have a story our have story in our nextinissue. next issue. 一愀洀攀 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开 䄀搀搀爀攀猀猀 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开倀栀漀渀攀 ⌀ 开开开开开开开开开开开开开 䘀愀爀洀 䘀愀洀椀氀礀 一愀洀攀 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开 䄀搀搀爀攀猀猀 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开倀栀漀渀攀 ⌀开开开开开开开开开开开开开开 倀愀爀愀最爀愀瀀栀 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开 开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开开
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Feller carries on family tradition near Karlsruhe By ANDREA JOHNSON
Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
KARLSRUHE — Before her parents, Joe and Eva Feller, passed away, Jackie Feller promised her dad she would carry on the family’s tradition. “I said, ‘I will do everything you taught me,’” said Jackie Feller, who still tears up when she remembers her parents. Her father grew small grains and also raised dairy and beef cattle and had continued the operation with Jackie after Eva Feller passed away in 2013. Jackie then carried on the ranching operation five miles east of Karlsruhe alone after her father passed away in 2017. The family rents out the cropland. She said she has been doing her best to keep the promise she made to her dad, with some help from good friends and her nephew when she recently had knee replacement surgery. She said the land has been in the family for over a century. It is sometimes a challenge to run the ranching operation on her own, especially on days like this past winter when the temperatures were well below zero and it was hard to get equipment started because they froze up. Feller admitted that she was scolded by her doctor for trying to do too much too soon after the surgery. She could have waited for her nephew, Josh, to help her, but she wanted to do it on her own. “I’m stubborn like my dad,” she said. She misses her dad a lot and remembers the way he used to come out on the
four-wheeler to check on her when she was working. Now he isn’t there to do that and that can be really tough. But she said her friends and her family also have been a big help, both before and after her dad passed away. Joe Feller was also doing his best to take care of his daughter before his death and had taken steps to make it easier for her to run the operation alone, such as selling off the milk cows and buying new equipment. She enjoys seeing the younger generation start to fall in love with the land and the animals the way she did as a child. Her great-nephew, as a toddler, enjoys coming to the ranch with his dad and watching the cattle, which he calls his “moos.” Feller has always loved animals herself and at one time had considered becoming a veterinarian. She said she used to bring home all the stray cats and dogs when she worked at the Souris Valley Animal Shelter back in the 1990s. She still has two pet Shih Tzus to keep her company. “I want to continue the family ranch,” she said. “I’m proud of it … and what I’ve accomplished.” Feller also has been active in the community. She does some part-time bartending for one of her good friends. In addition to ranching full time, she is a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and is on hand when someone else needs her. While she was talking on the phone with The Minot Daily News, her Submitted Photo pager went off for an emergency and she Jackie Feller has been carrying on her family’s over 100-year tradition of had to cut the interview short and rush farming and ranching. off to respond to the scene.
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Farm Rescue Online tool allows supporters spread producers to report generosity on anticompetitive practices Giving Hearts Day CONTACT Farmers and ranchers now can anonymously report potentially unfair and anticompetitive practices in the livestock and poultry sectors using an online tool the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Justice launched in February. The launch of the new tool, located at farmerfairness.gov, will advance the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, including by creating more competitive agricultural markets that are fairer to producers and consumers. As part of the agencies’ enforcement partnership, the agencies are signing an interagency Memorandum of Understanding to further foster cooperation and communication between the agencies and effectively process the complaints received through the portal. “This new online tool will help USDA and the Justice Department address anticompetitive actions and create livestock and poultry markets that are fairer to our nation’s producers,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I encourage producers who are aware of potential violations of competition laws to submit information to the portal so we can take appropriate action to create more competitive markets in the agricultural sector.”
Complaints or tips will go through a preliminary review by USDA Packers and Stockyards Division staff and Department of Justice staff. If a complaint raises sufficient concern under the Packers and Stockyards Act or antitrust laws, it will be selected for further investigation by the appropriate agency. This action may lead to the opening of a formal investigation. Users can submit information under their names or may submit anonymous complaints. If a complainant provides their personal information, DOJ or USDA staff will only contact them if additional information is needed. To submit an anonymous complaint, users can provide information about the potential violation without including their names or contact information. For any information provided, DOJ and USDA will follow their respective Privacy and Confidentiality Policies. Producers who choose not to use the farmerfairness.gov portal also can submit complaints or tips about potentially anticompetitive practices by emailing PSDComplaints@usda.gov; calling (833) 342-5773; or mailing Stop 3601, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-3601. The meatpacking industry has consolidated rapidly in recent decades. Meanwhile, farmers’ share
Online: farmerfairness.gov Email: PSDComplaints@usda.gov Call: (833) 342-5773 Mail: Stop 3601, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-3601
of the value of their agricultural products has decreased, and poultry farmers, hog farmers, cattle ranchers and other agricultural workers may struggle to retain autonomy and to make sustainable incomes. For example, ranchers received more than 60 cents of every dollar a consumer spent on beef 50 years ago, compared to approximately 39 cents today. Hog farmers fared worse over the past 50 years, as their share of the consumer dollar fell from between 40 to 60 cents 50 years ago to approximately 19 cents today.
HORACE -- Farm Rescue, a nonprofit organization that provides free planting, haying, harvesting, commodity hauling and livestock feeding assistance to farm and ranch families who have experienced a major illness, injury or natural disaster, received a generous boost to operations through Giving Hearts Day. Giving Hearts Day is an annual fundraising campaign that benefits charitable organizations in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. The 24-hour online day of giving allows individuals to maximize their contributions thanks to matching funds provided by generous donors. This year, Farm Rescue supporters raised $90,364 for the North Dakota-based nonprofit, far surpassing the organization’s previous Giving Hearts Day record of $66,081 set in 2021. This year’s sum was provided by 608 donors from 22 states, compared to 533 donors from 21 states during last year’s event. Throughout Farm Rescue’s 2021 operations, 120 families received assistance through planting, haying, harvest and livestock feeding services. The nonprofit also launched a drought relief effort known as Operation Hay Lift, which delivered much-needed cattle feed to ranchers throughout the impacted region. In addition, Farm Rescue reached another important service milestone this past harvest season by assisting its 800th family in crisis. All donations received on Giving Hearts Day will be used to continue Farm Rescue’s volunteer-based planting, haying, harvesting, commodity hauling and livestock feeding efforts in 2022, as more rural families realize assistance following unexpected crises. “A huge thank you to everyone who participated in supporting our mission on Giving Hearts Day,” said Bill Gross, founder and president, Farm Rescue. “Your donation has a direct impact on our ability to continue helping farm and ranch families throughout the region.” Farm Rescue was founded in 2005 and has helped more than 800 families since its inception. The organization’s mission is to help farmers and ranchers who have experienced a major illness, injury, or natural disaster by providing the necessary equipment and manpower to perform time-sensitive services. Applications for assistance are currently being accepted and can be obtained at 701-252-2017 or www.farmrescue.org.
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Logan Gunderson Ag Lender, Farmer
March 2022
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