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Drought may lead to widespread winter-killed alfalfa Drought may lead to widespread winter-killed alfalfa this year. Winter-killed alfalfa may be a widespread problem this year in North Dakota and northern Minnesota because of drought conditions. The northern Plains has been experiencing severe drought since 2020, with alfalfa plants stressed due to a shortage of water. The lack of snow cover and almost two weeks with temperatures below 0 F in February likely has caused alfalfa winterkill. “Alfalfa crowns tolerate temperatures down to 5 F, but without snow cover to insulate alfalfa plants and temperatures dropping below 0 F for at least 10 days in a row in February, alfalfa plants were damaged or winter-killed,” says Marisol Berti, North Dakota State University forages and biomass crops specialist. “Before deciding what the best options are to have enough forage this season, farmers and ranchers must assess the alfalfa plant stands,” says Kevin Sedivec, NDSU Extension rangeland management specialist. Berti recommends walking the entire field to look for healthy, injured and dead plants. Some areas might have more win-
ter-kill than others. Low areas of the field are more prone to winter-kill and injury. First, look at the top of the plant, assessing the number of shoots greening up and the symmetry or distribution of them in the crown. A healthy plant will have many shoots coming from all sides of the crown. A plant with asymmetrical distribution of shoots, meaning shoots growing on only one side of the crown, has winter-injury. This plant will be lower yielding due to fewer shoots, but also some shoots will be developed later and be behind in growth. In newly seeded alfalfa, look for crowns that have been pushed out from the ground 1 inch or more. This is called heaving. Heaved plants will die eventually. Second, dig up a few plants and look at the health of the crown and root. Split the root. A healthy root is turgid and firm, and has an off-white color and little or no crown rot symptoms. If the root looks dehydrated or stringy, it might not be dead but it is injured and likely will die. A less healthy plant will have signs of rot in the crown but also inside the root. A winter-killed plant will have no top growth, and the crown and root will be soft and can
be pulled out of the ground easily. Count the stems of healthy plants or slightly injured plants. Use a 2-foot square frame and divide the number of healthy plants by two. Sample several areas of the field that represent the whole field. Before deciding to keep or replace the stand, consider the stand age. For example, less than seven plants per square foot is considered poor in a 1-year-old stand, while less than four plants per square foot is classified as poor in a 4-year-old stand. Also, research has shown that counting stems (shoots) instead of plants better predicts the yield of the stand, especially in older stands. Stem counts of greater than 50 stems per square foot are considered adequate for 1-year-old stand and greater than 30 stems per square foot are adequate for a 4-year-old stand. “Forage options for winter-killed alfalfa vary depending on the calendar date, timing, urgency for feed, economics and forage yield,” Berti says. “Early identification of the problem will provide sufficient time for the grower to establish a new perennial forage pasture or an annual cool-season forage.”
NDSU Photo
Alfalfa cannot be seeded into alfalfa. Newly seeded alfalfa will die from autotoxins released to the soil by the alfalfa crown and roots. Annual cool-season grasses such as oats or forage barley (awnless) can be interseeded in the alfalfa field and harvested for hay. Barley will do better in droughty conditions than oats. Oats and barley do not grow well once the weather gets hot. Forage options for late summer or early fall harvest include warm-season forages such as sorghum x sudangrass, sudangrass, foxtail millet and pearl millet. Warm-season forages will provide a good alternative to seed after harvesting a cool-season forage grass. “For severe winter-killed alfalfa, establishing perennial grasses is the best option if the field will remain as hay ground,” Sedivec says. “However, perennial grasses will not produce much forage in the establishment year. Meadow brome or intermediate wheatgrass are also more tolerant to drought than annual grasses.” —North Dakota State University Extension
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MAY 2021
Submitted Photo
Kelly and DeAnna Lozensky, who farm near South Prairie, are pictured with their children Paislee, 7, and Nash, 5.
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Lozenskys practice regenerative farming By ANDREA JOHNSON
Staff Writer • ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
STORY ON PAGE 5
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MAY 2021
Inside
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MAY 2021
arming has been a family affair for Kelly and DeAnna Lozensky, who farm in the South Prairie area and have found new business opportunities through no till, regenerative farming and their practice of carbon sequestration. They market their grains on their website at www.guardiangrains.com and through the Bisman Food Co-op in Bismarck. DeAnna Lozensky manages the website and also markets the operation through their social media pages. Kelly Lozensky bought into the farming operation of his parents, Bev and Tim Lozensky, in 1999. “A majority of our acres are located 15 miles south of Minot off Highway 83,” said his wife, DeAnna Lozensky. “We grow ancient grains, hard red spring wheat, yellow peas, yellow mustard and golden flax in our rotation.” She said farming has posed many challenges but they have also discovered that the only thing they really cannot control is the weather. “We spent years farming in a no-till system with extremely high inputs: seed treatments, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides,” she said. “These practices left our soils completely degraded and unable to care for themselves. There was always some type of symptom to treat in our fields: pests, disease, low nitrogen, something was always needing treatment of one kind or another. Along with the inputs came endless hours in the field scouting our crops and treating ‘sick patients’. The cost of ‘intensive’ monitoring made it all the more difficult to turn a profit with average commodity prices.” The Lozenskys decided there had to be a different way of doing things. In 2013, they lost their biggest landlord to a farmer who was willing to pay more rent. “We decided to take a hard look at how we could do a better job on our farm, with less acres,” said DeAnna Lozensky. “It became evident that we needed to start cutting back on our fertilizer costs: enter variable rate nutrient application. We began fertilizing based on soil type and Kelly set up his air seeder to recognize how much fertilizer each soil type needed as he was planting. We were able to start reducing our rates of fertilizer and cutting input expenses. We began to observe areas in the field that required no fertilizer, also had no disease or pest pressure. This intrigued us. We began to realize there was something very important working in the soil
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INSIDE AG that we had been ignoring. A healthy biological soil system can feed the plants, suppress diseases in plants, eliminate pest infestations and produce grain that has more nutrients available that those grown conventionally or in an organic system using no tillage. Our soils, had become addicted to soil amendments, so much so that they could not function without them. We began the process of weaning our soils off of the ‘junk.’” The result is a farming method that DeAnna Lozensky said some call “regenerative.” Their system involves no tillage, no synthetic or organic fertilizers, no insecticides,
“We grow ancient grains, hard red spring wheat, yellow peas, yellow mustard and golden flax in our rotation.”
–Deanna Lozensky
and no fungicide treatments on either the seed or on the leaves of the grains that they grow. “With these practices we take a more natural approach to farming,” said DeAnna Lozensky. “We do a lot of observing and asking questions about what’s going on in our system. We have found through time and patience, our soils are repairing themselves.” She said the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized problems with the current food system and also has provided them with a new business opportunity. “It was clear that consumers, restaurants, bakeries and retailers needed access to grains that were nutrient available,” said DeAnna Lozensky. “For six seasons our farm and our soils benefited from our growing practices (and) we thought it was time that people benefit from the nutrition in regeneratively grown grains rather than having it all commingled
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with conventional grains at the elevator. We decided that for the first time, we would start marketing our regenerative whole grains to somewhere other than just our local elevator.” This past winter DeAnna Lozensky developed the website and reached out to area restaurants and bakeries to gauge their interest in incorporating locally grown, regenerative grains in their menus. “Whole grains can be prepared in a variety of ways,” said DeAnna Lozensky. “They are an excellent source of protein and zinc. Whole wheat can be ground into fresh flour using a grain mill (we carry Mock Mill on our website) for baking.” She said going forward they are most concerned about soil health going forward since the nutrients in the grains they grow are dependent on the soil they are grown in. The Lozenskys want to make sure that the soil is still there for their children, Paislee, 7, and Nash, 5, decades from now. “We learned that the term for our practices is widely known as Regenerative Farming,” said DeAnna Lozensky. “It is not widespread from a grain perspective, but there are more ranches that are going regenerative all the time. This is because of the benefit on the environment and the animals. We have watched webinars, YouTube presentations and read books on regen farming. The pandemic actually made info more accessible. Through Zoom meetings we were able to attend soil care workshops from our home, where as before COVID we would have to travel all across the world to get this valuable info, which we probably would not have done. “Carbon is a huge focus as we can take it from the atmosphere and sequester it safely in the soil where it won’t contribute to climate change and it can help feed our grains.” They have also learned from the practices of organizations such as The Menoken Farm, No Till on the Plains and Regeneration on the Plains. The Lozenskys grow only grain, but other operations that practice these methods farm and also grow livestock. “What we enjoy most is getting to carry on a family tradition of farming and stay rooted. Regenerative farming methods have added so much freedom to our lives both economically and spiritually,” said DeAnna Lozensky. “We are so proud to watch nature and learn how we can do things better as farmers. Sometimes, as hard as it might be, that means doing less and observing more.”
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MAY 2021
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Seeding starts despite challenge of dry conditions By JILL SCHRAMM
Senior Staff Writer jschramm@minotdailynews.com An ongoing drought has farmers in the Minot region taking a closer look at their planting strategies, but they are largely sticking to their crop rotations, according to area agronomy service providers. Jeff Heil, agronomy operations and small grains manager with Dakota Agronomy Partners, Minot, said farmers are used to dealing with unpredictable weather.
“They’ve been doing it their whole life and their whole career so they’ll find a way,” he said. “But I think they’ll just stick to their guns and stick to their rotation.” “No plans have really changed yet,” Chris Tuchscherer, co-owner of Optimum Ag Solutions, Kenmare, said as the calendar turned to May. “A lot of farmers are going to put a crop in the ground because prices are good.” Tuchscherer said producers are finding some moisture deeper in the soil in many instances, prompting them to begin planting See SEED — Page 8
Steve Ibach with United Agronomy watches as wheat to be seed-treated flows from a truck into the seed plant at Berthold May 5. Jill Schramm/MDN
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Seed
MAY 2021
Continued from Page 7
wheat, with soybeans to follow. Because canola is planted shallow, farmers are holding off in hope of rain to wet the topsoil. Tuchscherer said he expects a little more canola and soybeans this year. Heil noted farmers still have time to make decisions because crop insurance allows planting of canola until May 25, and there are varieties of soybeans that can be planted until mid-June. Heil said producers began to commit to their cropping plans in March. Most favored their traditional rotations because it appeared all crops could make money. “There’s no one super shining star. They’re all shining. So it makes it easier for them to decide,” Heil said. However, going into May with no significant moisture,
File Photo
Crop seeding is a rite of spring in the Minot region. Farmers have been making plans around rainfall prospects this spring.
many farmers have taken second looks. “We’re seeing some of our customers back out of their canola orders – for now – hoping for rain, but picking up spring wheat. We’re seeing the same thing with some of the
guys backing off spring wheat and going with flax. So it’s a real mixed bag, but that’s depending on how dry they are,” Heil said at the end of April. “There’s a lot of guys that are patiently waiting and I’m glad that they are, because there’s
really no hurry. With today’s equipment and technology and the genetics that we have, these guys can put a crop in, in normal conditions, within a two-week time frame. Seventy-five percent of their crop can be planted in 15 days.”
Steve Ibach, who manages United Agronomy in Berthold, said some area producers started seeding only to stop temporarily as conditions only became drier. However, in other parts of United Agronomy’s service area, moisture has been enough for farmers who started planting during the last two weeks of April to continue to make progress. Ibach said farmers may lean more toward commodities that come with better insurance coverage, which varies depending on each grower’s situation. However, he also sees potential for more canola and soybeans this year. Producers largely are sticking with their planting plans but may have reduced their expectations, making decisions based on expected lower yields due to weather, Ibach said. If conditions remain dry and yields are lower, it could keep that upward pressure on prices in a market where stocks already are below nor-
mal. “The pressure is going to be steady or upward on a lot of our commodities just because this is a big area that’s dry, not just northcentral North Dakota,” Ibach said. On a positive note, the weather has created a longer seeding window than growers typically see. “We’re somewhat used to having a 15-day window to plant and now we have a 45day window, and growers have the equipment to get it done in 10 if they need to,” Ibach said. “It takes some pressure off.” Extremely high input prices have come with the higher commodity prices. Fertilizer prices are almost doubled from last year, Heil said. Because of pre-purchased inputs and high commodity prices, along with the hope for moisture eventually, agronomists aren’t seeing many farmers cut corners on costly inputs.
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MAY 2021
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PAGE 12
Summer pneumonia can affect calves as early as 3 to 4 weeks old to 3 to 5 months of age. (NDSU photo)
MAY 2021
Submitted Photo
Summer pneumonia in calves a concern Dead or sick calves are a scenario that is reported every year in a number of beef herds in the northern Plains. “A list of all possible causes for this case can be very confusing to producers,” says Gerald Stokka, North Dakota State University Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist. “However, depressed, feverish calves with an increased respiratory rate most likely will fit the diagnosis of ‘summer pneumonia.’” The common question generated by this diagnosis is: Why would nursing beef calves in the pasture with little stress in their lives come down with respiratory disease or pneumonia?
What is summer pneumonia? Summer pneumonia is respiratory disease/pneumonia that occurs in beef calves nursing their dams. The age range of calves affected can be as early as 3 to 4 weeks and from 3 to 5 months of age. Calves are born with little to no immunity and are dependent on receiving a passive transfer of immunity from their dam through colostrum. This passively acquired immunity declines through time, and unless the calf develops active immunity through vaccination or exposure to infectious agents, they eventually will become susceptible to pathogens that can cause respiratory disease. “This is why some calves are susceptible at a very young age (3 to
4 weeks) and other calves become which allows for pathogens to proliferate and gain access to the lungs susceptible later,” Stokka says. of young calves. Conditions leading to Mixing groups together after summer pneumonia calving, such as moving cow-calf Stressful conditions that may pairs to pasture or mixing groups precipitate an outbreak of summer together for heat synchronization pneumonia in nursing calves: and artificial insemination proceCertain weather events can in- dures, can result in cattle re-estabcrease the risk of developing sum- lishing their social order and mer pneumonia. For example, mid allowing the transmission of infecto late spring blizzards or rain can tious agents. When calves are sorted for movdeprive the calf of normal nursing patterns and produce hypother- ing or synchronization programs, mia/chilling in calves. Late spring or they can have separation anxiety summer high temperatures can and nurse infrequently, which inproduce heat stress in cows and creases stress. These organisms are commonly calves, resulting in greater susceptibility to infectious agents. Also, found in summer pneumonia cases: —Bacterial organisms, which indry, dusty conditions can increase susceptibility because the calves’ clude Mannheimia hemolytica, multocida and normal innate, clearing defense Pasteurella mechanisms can be overwhelmed, Histophilus somni
—Viral agents including BRSV (bovine respiratory syncytial virus), BRCV (bovine respiratory coronavirus), IBR (infectious bovine rhinotracheitis) and BVDV (bovine viral diarrhea virus) “Vaccination can be effective in reducing the risk of summer pneumonia when caused by agents for which a vaccine is available,” Stokka says. “However, vaccination in young calves does not equate with a 100% response rate. Nor does it reduce the stress associated with weather, dry, dusty conditions, sorting and mixing. In addition, while some pathogens may have commercially available vaccines, information to evaluate effectiveness is limited.” —North Dakota State University Extension
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Sacrifice area may save grazing resources Establishing a sacrifice area may help prevent livestock from damaging a small farm’s grazing resources
During dry conditions, establishing a sacrifice area may help prevent livestock from overgrazing and damaging a small farm’s grazing resources, a North Dakota State University Extension agent and specialist say. “Overgrazing can lead to weed overgrowth and ultimately will be time consuming and costly to reestablish grass in the future,” warns Penny Nester, NDSU Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Kidder County. A sacrifice area is an area where animals stay at times when pasture grazing is detrimental to land and plants. This area can be in a dry lot pen or a fenced-off area of the pasture. This can be used during times that animals do not need to graze or dormant seasons, drought times or periods of excess moisture. “The goal of these areas is to sacrifice a small part of your resources to ensure the majority of
your land has the rest it needs to stay healthy and productive,” says Mary Keena, Extension livestock environmental management specialist at NDSU’s Carrington Research Extension Center.
To establish a sacrifice area, keep the following factors in mind: Location - Where will you store manure in relation to surface and groundwater? Soil characteristics and structure - Will the soil type be able to withstand continuous hoof action? Does the site drain water well? Where does water flow after a large rain event? Ease of use - Where is the sacrifice area relative to the water source, food storage and manure storage areas? Manure collection - Collecting manure and moving it out of the dry lot area will help reduce
fly infestations. Where is the manure storage area relative to the sacrifice area? If you think long term, how will you manage the manure storage area? Will you compost the manure or will you spread it raw? If you plan to spread the manure as raw material on a pasture, experts recommend you spread a thin layer and refrain from grazing that area so hot weather can disrupt the parasite life cycle. If you plan to spread the manure, will you do it or will you hire a custom applicator? When hiring a custom applicator, do you have the land to spread the manure on and is your manure storage area large enough for the applicator’s equipment? Fly control - How will you manage for external parasites such as flies? Flies lay their eggs in the top few inches of manure and the eggs can hatch every seven days. By keeping your sac-
rifice area clean and turning manure piles in the storage area weekly, you can compost manure and stay ahead of the fly cycle. Space - Does your sacrifice area provide an adequate exercise area? For those who are experiencing small-farm challenges or would like additional tips and information, call your county NDSU Extension agent for resources and help to keep land healthy and productive. Visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/directory/counties for contact information for county agents. A list of North Dakota custom manure applicators, an online composting workshop and the NDSU Extension Horse Management webinar series are available at www.ag.ndsu.edu/lem.
—North Dakota State University Extension
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MAY 2021
Not keen on green: Organic farm criticized for harming land ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without a big food company making promises to deliver products from green, sustainable farms. Turning those promises into reality, though, can be complicated. Take Gunsmoke Farms, a vast property that covers 53 square miles just northwest of Pierre, South Dakota. The food company General Mills, the Minnesota-based maker of Cheerios, announced in 2018 that it would convert the farm to organic production. The company planned to turn it into an educational hub to teach other farmers "how to implement organic and regenerative agriculture practices." Now, some of Gunsmoke Farms' neighbors say that the farm is doing more environmental harm than good, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. Among the critics is Dwayne Beck, a soil scientist who manages South Dakota State University's Dakota Lakes Research Station, lo-
cated forty miles east of Gunsmoke Farms. Beck was skeptical about the project from the beginning. "It scared me, because normally organic (farming) entails lots of tillage, and those soils are very fragile," he says. Farmers often till the soil — breaking it up with tools like chisel plows or disks — to uproot weeds and get land ready for planting. But tillage also tears soil loose from the plant roots that help hold it together, and also breaks down parts of the soil that are most rich in carbon and nutrients. This is especially true of soils where Gunsmoke Farms is located, Beck says. The area developed from an ancient ocean floor, and the soil is full of clay. "Once you disturb it, nothing holds that soil together. It just turns into powder," he says, vulnerable to rain or wind that can carry it away. This used to happen regularly in western South Dakota. Beck recalls dust storms so thick, cars crashed because drivers couldn't see vehicles
just in front of them. South Dakota was one of the places that saw severe soil erosion from wind during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Those dust storms happen less often now because over the past two decades, many farmers in the region abandoned regular tillage. They now use planting equipment that slices into undisturbed soil and places seed in the ground. To control weeds, these farmers use herbicides. But chemical weed control isn't an option for an organic business like Gunsmoke Farms. During the farm's three-year transition to organic status, its managers grew primarily alfalfa, which doesn't require annual planting. In 2020, though, they planted their first crops of wheat and peas, which involved tilling the enormous fields. Months later, Dwayne Beck says his fears were realized. He collected photographs of the damage: small drifts of wind-blown soil in a roadside ditch, and a country road that
disappears into a brown cloud of blowing dust. "The soil that blew out of there, it will never be the same as it was before it blew," he says. It won't have the stability and structure of healthy soil, held in place by the roots of plants. Beck and others who live near Gunsmoke Farms say that non-organic farmers also struggled to control soil erosion in 2020 because of drought and high winds. But the problems at Gunsmoke, they say, were worse. A planting of winter wheat, which was supposed to protect the soil on those fields, failed to grow well. When the Gunsmoke project was just getting off the ground, in 2018, an expert from the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service drew up a soil conservation plan for the farm. That plan called for wide strips of native grasses across the farm to help prevent soil from blowing, and for the steepest slopes to stay covered, most years, with crops like alfalfa that don't require annual plant-
49
ing. Gary Zimmer, an expert on organic farming who collaborated with General Mills in launching the Gunsmoke project, says that he drew up a plan that incorporated many of these measures. But he says much of his plan was never implemented. "It's in a deep hole," Zimmer says, referring to the farm. "I don't know how you get it back out organically. It's hard to farm organically if you do it really well, and have your intensive management. But 30,000 acres, poorly managed, is a really good sign for failure." General Mills doesn't own Gunsmoke Farms, or control it directly. It signed a "strategic sourcing agreement" with an investment firm called TPG, an early investor in Uber, which acquired the land in order to supply General Mills with organic wheat, peas, and other crops. TPG then spun off another firm, Sixth Street, which currently owns Gunsmoke. The investors have hired a series of managers to run the farm.
MAY 2021
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Submitted Photo
Farm Rescue has reactivated “Operation Hay Lift” to haul much-needed hay to ranchers who need hay due to the severe drought. The N.D. Department of Agriculture has also reactivated its Drought Hotline and interactive hay map for to help ranchers in need of hay. Photo from Farm Rescue.
ND Ag Department, Farm Rescue helping with hay needs The North Dakota Department of Agriculture reactivated the Drought Hotline and interactive hay map, and Farm Rescue has ramped up its hay lift program. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring reactivated the Drought Hotline and interactive hay map on April 28. First activated in 2017, the hotline and map are available for ranchers affected by the drought. “Ranchers who need hay, or those with hay to sell or with pasture or hayland to rent should call us at 701-425-8454,” Goehring said in an announcement about the Drought Hotline and interactive hay map reactivation. “We are also appealing to individuals who are available to move hay to contact the hotline.” The interactive hay map is located on the N.D. Department of Agriculture website at https://www.nd.gov/ndda/, then scroll to bottom of page to “News & Announcements,” and then click on “Goehring launches Drought Hotline and interactive map.” Users can click on the icons to retrieve information about available hay, pasture and hayland in their area.
“The map is an effort to make the Drought Hotline information more easily accessible to the public,” Goehring said. “We strongly encourage anyone who fits the criteria of our hotline to continue communicating their needs with us so we can keep the map as accurate and up-to-date as possible.” To contact the Drought Hotline, call 701425-8454 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Callers can also leave a message on evenings and weekends. The service is free of charge. Individuals who contact the hotline are asked to provide their name, contact information and what they need or can provide. An overall lack of measurable rain combined with above average temperatures have caused drought conditions to persist across the state, with 93% of the state in severe or extreme drought as of April 22. Based on the latest crop progress report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the week ending April 25, North Dakota’s topsoil moisture supplies were rated at 80% short or very short. Subsoil moisture was rated at 78% short or very short. Stock water supplies were rated 69% short or very short.
Farm Rescue began ramping up hay relief efforts in April in response to recent wildfires and ongoing drought conditions and in the western Dakotas and eastern Montana. The organization’s “Operation Hay Lift” was once again activated to haul muchneeded livestock feed to ranchers affected by these natural disasters, according to Farm Rescue information. The organization is asking for hay donations, volunteer CDL drivers and monetary gifts to help support the mission, which will be contingent upon available resources. Ranchers affected by wildfire or those operating in D2 (Severe Drought) zones or higher are asked to fill out applications for hay hauling assistance, which will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Ranchers facing challenges due to wildfire and those residing in D3 (Extreme Drought) zones or higher will be given priority on any available donated hay. If the volume of donated hay does not meet the need requested through submitted applications, ranchers may still qualify for hauling assistance depending on proximity to their farm. Applications can be obtained at farm-
rescue.org. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering from these natural disasters,” said Bill Gross, founder and president of Farm Rescue. “Please consider donating funds or hay so we can deliver hope to these families in the midst of crisis.” This will be Farm Rescue’s third Operation Hay Lift campaign in recent history. The organization’s first hay hauling effort began in 2017 in response to previous extreme drought conditions in the western Dakotas. A second campaign was held in 2019, following catastrophic flooding in Nebraska and portions of Iowa and South Dakota. Anyone wanting to apply for assistance, sign up to be a volunteer CDL driver or make a monetary donation can visit farmrescue.org or call 252-2017. If donating online, select “Operation Hay Lift” from the dropdown menu. If sending a check via mail, please include “Operation Hay Lift” on the memo line and address envelope to Farm Rescue, PO Box 28, Horace, ND 58047. Those interested in donating hay, should contact Neil Simons, Field Operations manager, at neil@farmrescue.org or 212-3851.
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Livestock nutrient management important on small farms
Sheep grazing in a pasture in central North Dakota are rotated to fresh grass frequently to help manage the parasite load. Whether small farms have cattle, horses, sheep or goats, having a plan for spring grazing and manure management is important, especially during dry years, according to a North Dakota State University Extension agent and specialist. “Monitoring grazing readiness ensures that grazing starts at the proper time,” says Penny Nester, NDSU Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Kidder County. “Many times, we are tempted to turn animals out at the first sign of green in the pasture. Grazing too early can limit forage production for the rest of the grazing season and hurt plant health for years to come.” She recommends that grazing readiness be based on the develop-
mental stage of the most common or key grass species in the pasture. The recommended plant development stage to begin grazing for most tame grass pasture is at the threeleaf stage. This means that three full leaves have emerged from the main stem of the plant. Knowing the dominant grass species in the pastures is helpful to determine which pasture to graze first in the spring. Cool-season, tame grasses typically start growing first in North Dakota and can handle heavier animal grazing earlier in the season. Rotating animals to fresh paddocks not only allows for management of a farm’s grazing resources, but it also can help lessen nutrient overload from manure and reduce
parasite pressure. Parasites move in a continuous life cycle. Eggs are deposited in manure and through time, those eggs turn into infective larvae. The infected animals are moved to pasture, where they deposit infected manure, and the parasite is ingested and the cycle starts anew. Parasites need cool and moist conditions to thrive. Eggs can hatch in as little as six days and larvae can last as long as 120 days. Egg development does not occur when temperatures are at or below freezing and eggs and larvae are killed when temperatures are hot and dry. Most larvae will be found within the first 2 inches of plant growth from the base of the plant, so managing to ensure overgrazing does
not occur will help decrease ingestion of parasites. “Unfortunately, parasites can go dormant inside the host animal during unfavorable conditions, so while you may not think parasites are an issue during a drought, any change to favorable conditions can result in a rapid flush and quick development from egg to infective larvae,” warns Mary Keena, livestock environmental management specialist at NDSU’s Carrington Research Extension Center. If rotation of animals from pasture to pasture isn’t possible, removing manure daily or weekly from the grazing area is another management strategy. Another method for breaking the parasite life cycle is to use multispecies grazing.
NDSU Photo
Parasites are host-species specific, so if an infestation occurs in sheep or goats, horses or cattle could rotate into that pasture and not be affected by those parasites. Different species also typically eat and select for different plants, which can help extend the forage supply. For those who are experiencing small-farm challenges or would like additional tips and information, call your local county NDSU Extension agent for resources and help to keep land healthy and productive Visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/directory/counties for contact information on county agents. —North Dakota State University Extension
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ADM to build $350 million soybean plant in North Dakota BISMARCK, (AP) — Agribusiness conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland Co. on Monday announced that it will build a $350 million soybean crushing plant in North Dakota. It's the state's first dedicated soybean plant, the Decatur, Illinois-based company and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said. Archer Daniels Midland said the plant and refinery in Spiritwood, in east-central North Dakota, would create 70 jobs and process up to 150,000 bushels of soybeans daily. It's expected to be completed by the 2023 harvest. "The plant will produce soybean meal and vegetable oil for food, feed, industrial and fuel customers, including producers of renewable diesel," the company said in a statement. North Dakota Agricultural Commissioner Doug Goehring said tentative plans call for the plant to be built at a former malting plant facility, and soybean oil from the plant would be shipped to a refinery in western North Dakota to make renewable diesel. Goehring said Marathon Petroleum's Dickinson Refinery recently was retrofitted to refine up to 12,000 barrels of vegetable oil such as from soybeans daily.
In a statement, Burgum, a Republican, called the planned soybean plant a "gamechanger for North Dakota farmers, adding value and expanding the market for this important crop closer to home while also supporting the production of products such as renewable green diesel right here in North Dakota." North Dakota ranked ninth in the nation in soybean production in 2020, producing more than 190 million bushels of soybeans, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Cass County, home to Fargo, was the nation's top soybean producing county as recently as 2018, and Stutsman, Richland and Barnes also have ranked in the top 20 soybean-producing counties in recent years. The idea of building a soybean processing plant in Spiritwood is not new. Two years ago, the Spiritwood Energy Park Association began looking from another business partner to build a plant after a judge's ruling gave the group a path to end its contract with the North Dakota Soybean Processors. The soybean group filed a lawsuit after the energy park pulled out of the deal. The industrial park also is home to an ethanol factory and a coal-fired power plant.
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Farm Rescue plants fields for farmer who suffered setbacks WOLVERTON, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota farmer who broke his back, fell victim to COVID-19 and recently underwent surgery will nonetheless have corn and soybeans to harvest this fall thanks to an agricultural organization that helps those in need. The non-profit Farm Rescue helped Robert Nord plant his fields in North Dakota, not far from his homestead in Wolverton, Minnesota. "Being a farmer we never want to ask for any help and when help is offered we sometimes are hesitant to take people up on it," said Nord, who has been farming for 30 years. Dan Erdmann, program manager for Farm Rescue, said the group was created to help people like Nord. Farm Rescue has helped more than 700 farmer families since its inception in North Dakota in 2005. "Robert has kind of been through the ringer the last few months. He was attacked by a cow which led to a broken back, shortly thereafter he contracted COVID
and shortly after that, just in the last few weeks, he underwent gallbladder surgery. So, he's been dealing with a lot and it's kind of that time of year where you need to be in the field and need to be getting things done," Erdmann said. Farm Rescue volunteer Ron Donahue said he's glad to be able to help others in the farming community. "I grew up on a farm and that's what you do. You help people when they have needs," Donohue said. "So, to be able to come in with very good equipment that's precision equipment it's very accurate and we can cover a lot of acres in a short period of time." Nord told KVRR-TV that he's grateful to receive such support from other farmers. The farm is his family's sole source of income, so getting the crops in on time is a life saver. "It's overwhelming. It's one of those things that it's hard to put into words how thankful we are for their help," Nord said.
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