Inside Ag May 2019

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MAY 2019

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North Dakota State University is conducting research on a potential method to remove brinecontaminated soils. Brine or produced water, is a byproduct of oil and gas production. The number of accidental brine releases has increased over the past years.

Eloise Ogden/MDN

By ELOISE OGDEN

A potential method NDSU project studies using wicking materials to remediate brine-contaminated soils

Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com Accidental releases of brine or produced water, a byproduct of oil and gas production, has increased over the past years.

Brine spills negatively affect the soil and vegetation, impairing their ability to produce crops and forage, according to North Dakota State University officials in Fargo.

NDSU is conducting research on a potential method to remove salts from the topsoil while keeping the soil in place.

A study has been done to determine the ability of using highly absorbent “wicking” materials to draw water and dissolved salts from the soil as permanent salt removal.

Tom DeSutter, professor/program leader of the NDSU Department of Soil Science, a presenter at a brine spill discussion held May 1 at the North Central Research Extension Center, south of Minot, said they have been trying to take some different approaches to how to reclaim soils.

Consisting of water from a geologic formation, injection water, oil and salts, brine has a high salt concentration. According to NDSU information, brine can have up to 10 times the salinity of ocean water.

The high salt concentrations in brine come from salt

deposits in oil-producing formations, as seen in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in western North Dakota. The overall salinity and concentrations of sodium though can vary widely by location and depth of extraction, NDSU officials say.

Brine spill mitigation using the ex situ method of excavation and removal (dig and haul) has been the predominant practice used in the Williston Basin because it is a quick and effective way to remove the contaminant, NDSU officials say.

DeSutter said a student at NDSU has worked on how to bring salts out of the soil as opposed to moving it down through the soil.

“We’ve used a number of wicking materials to saturate the soil and allow the salts to move up into the wicks and then remove the wicks from the soil,” DeSutter said. He said this was done in a greenhouse at NDSU using straw and other wicking materials. He said three of the four wicking materials were able to take up about 80% of the salt in their experiment. The experiment was conducted over a period of several weeks.

“Water always wants to go back up into the atmosphere. We thought as opposed to fighting it and a lot of it is pushed down, actually to bring it back up,” he said.

“We are still in the development stages of identifying a commercial mix to use,” DeSutter added.

He said the plans are to try out the research on some actual spills.

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INSIDE AG Palmer amaranth is starting to pop in the region and can cause serious problems for growers and their yields.

Photo courtesy of Chandra Langseth/NDSU

MAY 2019

Weed watch Palmer amaranth could become a major problem for ND farmers

By ASHTON GERARD

Staff Writer agerard@minotdailynews.com As the days get warmer, farmers are prepping their fields for the next round of crops. With the birds chirping and insects buzzing, it’s good to be mindful of what might be lurking in the fields — weeds.

WEEDS TO WATCH

In 2019, farmers’ biggest challenges are going to be palmer amaranth, wild oats, green foxtail, kochia and horseweeed, according to Brian Jenks, a weed scientist at the North Dakota State University North Central Research Extension Center south of Minot.

“In wheat, we have a number of growers that have resistance to the wheat herbicides we use,” Jenks said. “In fact, there’s quite a few growers that are very limited on what they can use.”

Wild oats and green foxtail are giving growers trouble as they are resistant to Group 1 and Group 2 herbicides.

Crop consultants have also come to Jenks from the Rugby area to report that controlling kochia and horseweed has become a “disaster.”

“They’re resistant to glyphosate, or Roundup, so they’ve got to find other ways to control it,” Jenks said. “Those are very widespread now across the state, it’s very common to have resistance to glyphosate.”

The weed that has been looming for some time now has been palmer amaranth, and with the type of crops being grown in the area, the options to control the weed becomes very slim.

LOOMING THREAT

In January, palmer amaranth was added to the noxious weed list because of the potential economic hazard it can be. What was typically found in the southwest region of the United States has made its way to the Midwest and has been found on farms in North Dakota.

“It just grows so fast and, for a number of reasons, is hard to control,” Jenks said. “It’s not in this area but it could be.”

To help get growers familiar with palmer amaranth before it becomes a problem, NDSU Extension Service puts out a weed guide every year and made palmer amaranth the “Weed of the Year” in 2014 and 2015. They wanted the awareness out there to help stop the spread and save growers time, energy and money

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MAY 2019 when they could stumble upon it in their fields.

“Since 2014, we’ve been talking and preaching to people about palmer,” Jenks said.

In the five counties they found palmer amaranth last year, growers and crop consultants that found it were aware enough to bring it to their research center and ask questions.

“That’s what we want to happen here in the northwest part of the state is people be aware so that if we catch it early, we can respond rapidly and have a chance to eradicate it,” Jenks said. “If a grower has it but he doesn’t say anything to anybody, it can spread over his whole farm.”

The weed has been found as close as Leeds, about 90 miles east of Minot, and throughout the southeast part of the state. So far, it has been spread from feed screenings or equipment coming from within the Midwest.

The most important thing

growers can be doing to prevent palmer amaranth is to ask questions. It’s important to ask where the equipment or screenings are coming from and if they have been in an area with palmer amaranth.

“The big challenge with it is that it grows so fast and … it is very prone to resistance,” Jenks said. “This weed became very resistant very quickly to many of the herbicides we use or if we get it, it may already be resistant.”

According to Jenks, there was a grower in McIntosh County that had one palmer amaranth plant in his millet field that was able to spread.

There are others that have witnessed the spread of palmer amaranth through screenings they receive for their livestock.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot by purchasing these screenings that are already contaminated,” Jenks said.

“The Minnesota Department of Ag did an inspection and they found up to 250 seeds of

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Photo courtesy of Brian Jenks/NDSU

ABOVE: The petiole of the palmer amaranth plant, shown in this photo, is longer than the leaf.

This feature is a key identifier of palmer amaranth.

Photo courtesy of Chandra Langseth/NDSU

RIGHT: This uprooted palmer amaranth plant has been propped up against an SUV as a size reference. They can typically grow to 6 to 8 feet in optimum conditions. palmer per one pound of screenings.”

In optimum conditions, palmer amaranth can grow one to three inches per day and can grow to be around 6 to 8 feet tall. It has reduced the yield up to 91 percent in corn and 79 percent in soybeans.

“One plant can produce up

to a million seeds,” Jenks said.

“So it spreads easily and fast.”

Jenks noted once the weed reaches about 3 feet tall, it becomes almost impossible to control. If palmer amaranth is seen in a grower’s farm, the best thing they can do is contact their local NDSU Extension agent.

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Wyoming researcher in pursuit of earliest cereal crops LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — If Thomas Foulke has his way, some of the oldest domesticated crops in the world will help grow a new industry in Wyoming.

Foulke, a senior research scientist at the University of Wyoming in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, is leading an effort called the Wyoming FirstGrains Project. The project aims to develop a niche industry around growing “first grains,” which Foulke described as the earliest domesticated cereal crops, among them Emmer wheat, spelt, barley and einkorn.

“People were making bread from wild grains before they even domesticated it,” he said. “There was something about bread and something about wheat that was really important to early humans.”

The idea for growing spelt and Emmer wheat in Wyoming came to Foulke when he was traveling in France as part of a study-abroad program with his department.

While reading a book about historic meals in the Middle Ages, he came across a word he didn’t know. Its English translation was “spelt.”

He began wondering why no one grows spelt in Wyoming, and then began to wonder if it would be possible to start growing it.

Spelt is a species of wheat that has been grown for more than 7,000 years. Emmer wheat was cultivated even earlier.

Today, such species are specialty crops gaining a reputation as alternatives to traditional wheat.

Their unique flavors and nutritional profiles have caught the eye of bakers, brewers and health-conscious consumers, who are willing to pay a higher cost.

“We’re seeing people willing to pay a little more for a little better quality,” Foulke said. “They don’t want the standard monoculture.

We’re trying to move into the market early and establish a brand and establish a supply chain so that we can provide this to market.”

In 2018, Foulke received support from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, along with $50,000 in development funding from UW’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which aims to empower innovative projects. He created marketing materials around the name “Neolithic Brand,” planted a few acres of grain and went looking for partners.

In conjunction with UW research farms in Lingle, Powell and Sheridan, the First-Grains Project produced about 20 acres of spelt and Emmer wheat last year.

One reason the two crops fell out of favor with growers — and they do have some history in Wyoming — was because most of their grains don’t thresh free of their hull upon harvest like some types of modern wheat. Thus, they need to be dehulled before they’re ready for milling.

“When mechanization came about, because there’s an extra processing step, mechanization by-

passed these crops,” Foulke said.

Foulke was unable to find anyone to dehull the products at scale and is planning to purchase the necessary equipment. He also needs to purchase a mill in order to grind the grain into flour, but that will have to come in the future with additional funding.

Meanwhile, he partnered with Wyoming Malting Company in Pine Bluffs, which is working out the process of malting the novel grains. Colorado has more than 300 craft breweries that could be interested in what they produce.

“They have a thick hull, so the normal (malting) processes don’t work very well, and that’s part of the experimentation process,” he said.

He also gave grain to Wyoming bakers to test out, include Alibi Pub and Solstice Acre Breads in Laramie.

Alibi owner Kerri Smith said she uses spelt and Emmer wheat, milled in-house, in several types of

bread. She appreciates having a Wyoming producer for those products.

“It’s nice to have somebody local that’s actually growing it in your backyard and not have to source it from California or Oregon,” she said.

She said she enjoys baking with the specialty grains because they’re more flavorful than common wheat, and customers appreciate the difference.

“They’re definitely the loaves that sell the quickest for us,” she said.

At Solstice Acre Breads, Blake McGee plans to use both types of grain this summer, when he’ll sell bread once a week at the Thursday Local Market. McGee works at the University of Wyoming during the school year.

He’s been baking with spelt for a while and used it in a loaf he sold at a pop-up sale this spring.

“Our customers really liked it,” he said.

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MAY 2019

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MAY 2019

Although some early planting occurred in the Minot region, it appears overall that planting was generally a few days behind normal.

This photograph was taken southwest of Minot on May 10.

Kim Fundingsland/MDN

Planting conditions vary widely

By KIM FUNDINGSLAND

Staff Writer kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com BERTHOLD – “It’s been kind of a weird year,” responded Beau Ferguson, United Agronomy, when asked about the current planting season.

Weird seems to be a pretty good description of what is happening on the countryside this spring. Some growers put their seed in the ground early while others, perhaps just a few miles distant, had to delay their planting.

Why? The best answer, but not the only answer, is related to soil moisture. In the Berthold area producers were generally pleased with the amount of moisture in the ground as they began planting. However, said Ferguson, conditions varied widely.

“I don’t know what normal is anymore,” said Ferguson.

“In some areas planting was done a lot earlier depending on moisture from last fall. Some growers got in about as early on some stuff as we’ve ever seen.”

Not everybody was able to get into the fields and plant crops, mostly spring wheat, earlier than expected. The North Dakota Agriculture Department recently reported that seeding of all crops in the state is “behind or well behind the average pace.” That assessment differs from what has been taking place this spring in the Berthold area.

“We are quite a bit earlier than the rest of the state,” ex-

plained Ferguson. “For the most part, before that late snowfall, there was hardly any activity which helped us as far as having fertilizer available before everybody got going all at once.”

At the time of this writing, which was the second week of May, Ferguson said most of the growers planting wheat had completed that task and that the “guys are getting started on canola.” He added that moisture conditions, which have been adequate in the Berthold area, can be depleted very quickly due to wind and warm temperatures.

As for a preference in crops this year, Ferguson said both moisture and price has caused many growers to shun soybeans in favor of other crops.

“Soybeans took a pretty good hit over the last couple of years and that has continued,” remarked Ferguson. “They need a lot more late season moisture and that has held a lot of people off this year.”

That planting conditions in the Berthold area this spring are much different from elsewhere in the state is evidenced by the May 9 N.D. Agriculture Department crop report. The report stated sugar beet planting, primarily in the eastern part of the state, was only 17% completed. That compares to 62% on the same date a year ago.

Topsoil moisture supply statewide is listed by the N.D. Agriculture Department as 90% adequate to surplus and subsoil moisture at 80%. Pasture and range conditions are rated mostly fair to good statewide.

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MAY 2019

TerraClear announces $6.1M financing round, leadership additions to automate rock picking in agriculture BELLEVUE, Wash. – TerraClear Inc., a robotic ag-tech company, announced the closing of a $6.1 million funding round, bringing total capital raised to more than $13 million since inception in December 2017.

Madrona Venture Group led the round with participation from existing investors. The company integrates machine vision, aerial sensing, and advanced robotics in an end-to-end solution for farmers to clear rocks from their fields. The company will use the new funds to accelerate hiring, product development, and testing.

Agri-business is a $5 trillion global industry in which automation is an increasingly critical factor. TerraClear is working at the intersection of advanced technologies and the automation needs of the industry to improve farming processes in innovative

ways. Important but low skilled jobs like picking rock are prime candidates for automation. The majority of crop production is done on large-scale farms with big machines that operate fast – placing a premium on uptime.

Rock removal prevents machine downtime from damage incurred when rock meets implement.

As part of the funding round, Madrona Managing Director Matt McIlwain will join TerraClear’s board of directors. ”Brent is a visionary leader and he and his team are drawing on their deep understanding of both the life and work of a farmer as well as expertise with robotics and software-enabled machine learning to change how fields are cleared and planted. TerraClear has brought the right team and tech together to bring an important solution for farmers closer

to market.”

“A primary key to successful companies is a world class team,” said Brent Frei, founder and CEO. “Nearly doubling our available cash, gives us the freedom to continue to recruit the very best people as we press for faster growth. This financing adds Matt McIlwain and his Madrona team to our board.

Matt has been key in many of the most successful tech companies in Seattle, and is someone I trust implicitly to make us better. And, we add Rhodes Scholar and former Navy SEAL, Trevor Thompson, to the role of president. Trevor’s wide-ranging 14year career consists of leading world-class teams through exceptionally complex and highstress environments.”

TerraClear recently opened a lab and test facility in Grangeville, Idaho, to engage

2018 farm numbers in the Dakotas drop from previous year

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with large-scale farmers on a regular basis and test their implement in field conditions.

“Expanding our facilities into farm country where we have ready access to 10s of thousands of acres and dozens of innovative farmers for testing and development is very important,” says Frei. The Camas Prairie is a source of much innovation in farming tech, including 95% of combine self-leveling technology.

“The market is huge and we’re laser-focused on building exactly what farmers need to make their lives easier,” said Frei. “At Smartsheet, we started with a clear problem in a giant market – how can we help people manage work more effectively. In many ways, the problem and market we are tackling at TerraClear is as big and even more straightforward.”

BISMARCK (AP) — Farms continue to disappear off the Dakotas landscape, especially smaller ones.

The federal Agriculture Department reports that total farm numbers in 2018 dropped by 300 in North Dakota and by 400 in South Dakota. North Dakota had 26,100 farms and South Dakota 29,600.

That mirrored the national trend. The number of U.S. farms dropped 12,800 from 2017, to slightly more than 2 million.

In the Dakotas, the biggest drop in farm numbers was among those with less than $100,000 in annual sales.

While the number of total farms in the Dakotas decreased, the amount of land in farms and ranches was unchanged in both states.

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MAY 2019

Aspen Aquaponics is successful farm operation

By ANDREA JOHNSON

Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.com Keith Knudson of Bottineau is involved in aquaponics in both of his careers.

At Dakota College at Bottineau, he teaches horticulture. The two-year college offers an aquaponics program that draws students from all over.

In the program, students learn about aquaculture, which combines aquaculture – raising marine and freshwater aquatic plants and animals – and hydroponics, or how to grow plants in water or things other than soil, according to the college website.

When he isn’t teaching students, Knudson runs the farm operation Aspen Aquaponics.

Knudson said he started raising fish in his shop in 2001. That year, he raised 1,000 perch and 2,000 walleye. Those fish were released into a local lake the following year in 2002.

He has raised fish every year since 2001. He raises approximately 400 fish annually, specializing in perch, rainbow trout and bluegills.

The fish are used to stock ponds across the state. Back in 2012, he also started raising tilapia.

In 2009, he added vegetables to the operation. He uses water from the fish tanks to feed the vegetables that he grows. He says it is extremely efficient and operates like a closed circle.

He has a heated greenhouse at the farm. He grows all sorts of vegetables year round, including herbs, greens, strawberries and winter vegetables in the winter and in the summer he

Submitted Photo

Examples of other herbs that are grown throughout the year delivered fresh to restaurants.

Submitted Photo

Tomotoes are grown year around in Keith Knudson’s aquaponics operation in Bottineau.

Submitted Photo

Onion seed are started in February and then transplanted outside in May.

grows tomatoes, peppers, herbs and warm weather plants.

The tilapia are also grown for human consumption and he sometimes travels to farmers markets with his wares.

He will also have an intern working with Aspen Aquaponics this year.

There are many career opportunities for people studySubmitted Photo ing there. Students can earn Submitted Photo Lettuce and bok choy are grown mainly in the either an associate degree or Rainbow trout, perch and blue gills are raised a certificate in one of the re- winter season. during the winter and then are stocked in ponds lated fields.

throughout North Dakota.

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MAY 2019

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dŚĞ ŶĂŵĞ ͞ĚƵƌƵŵ͟ ĐŽŵĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ >ĂƟŶ ǁŽƌĚ ĨŽƌ ŚĂƌĚ͕ ĂŶĚ ĚƵƌƵŵ ŝƐ ŝŶĚĞĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŚĂƌĚĞƐƚ ŽĨ ǁŚĞĂƚƐ͘ dŚŝƐ ǀĂƌŝĞƚLJ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ŝƚƐ ůĂƌŐĞ͕ ĂŵďĞƌ ŬĞƌŶĞůƐ͕ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ĐŚŽŝĐĞ ĨŽƌ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ƐƉĂŐŚĞƫ͕ ůĂƐĂŐŶĂ ĂŶĚ ŚƵŶĚƌĞĚƐ ŽĨ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƉĂƐƚĂ ƐŚĂƉĞƐ͘ KŶĞ ďƵƐŚĞů ŽĨ ĚƵƌƵŵ ŵĂŬĞƐ ĂďŽƵƚ ϮϭϬ ƐĞƌǀŝŶŐƐ ŽĨ ƉĂƐƚĂ͘ WƵůƐĞ ĐƌŽƉƐ ʹ ĚƌLJ ƉĞĂƐ͕ ůĞŶƟůƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŚŝĐŬƉĞĂƐ ʹ ĂƌĞ ĂŵŽŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŽůĚĞƐƚ ĐƵůƟǀĂƚĞĚ ƉůĂŶƚƐ͕ ŐŽŝŶŐ ďĂĐŬ ƐŽŵĞ ϭϬ͕ϬϬϬ LJĞĂƌƐ͘ WƵůƐĞƐ ĂƌĞ Ă ĨŽŽĚ ƐƚĂƉůĞ ŝŶ ŵĂŶLJ ƉĂƌƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͘ ZŝĐŚ ŝŶ ƉƌŽƚĞŝŶ͕ ĨŽůĂƚĞ ĂŶĚ ĚŝĞƚĂƌLJ ĮďĞƌ͕ ƉƵůƐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĂůƐŽ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ĂŶŝŵĂů ĨĞĞĚ͖ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽƚĞŝŶ͘ DĞŵďĞƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůĞŐƵŵĞ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͕ ƉƵůƐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĂŶ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƌŽƚĂƟŽŶĂů ĐƌŽƉ ƐŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞLJ Įdž ŶŝƚƌŽŐĞŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐŽŝů ĨŽƌ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ƉůĂŶƟŶŐƐ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĞĂƐŝůLJ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝnjĂďůĞ EŽƌƚŚ ĂŬŽƚĂ ĐƌŽƉ͕ ƐƵŶŇŽǁĞƌƐ ǁĞƌĞ ƌĂŝƐĞĚ ŚĞƌĞ ďLJ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ /ŶĚŝĂŶƐ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ϭϴƚŚ ĐĞŶƚƵƌLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉůĂŶƚ ǁĂƐ ƚĂŬĞŶ ƚŽ ZƵƐƐŝĂ ǁŚĞƌĞ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ ĐŽŵŵĞƌĐŝĂů ǀĂƌŝĞƟĞƐ ǁĞƌĞ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉĞĚ͘ EŽƌƚŚ ĂŬŽƚĂ ĨĂƌŵĞƌƐ ŐƌŽǁ ƚǁŽ ƚLJƉĞƐ ŽĨ ƐƵŶŇŽǁĞƌƐ͗ ƚŚĞ ůĂƌŐĞ ƐƚƌŝƉĞĚͲƐŚĞůůĞĚ ǀĂƌŝĞƟĞƐ ƵƐĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƐŶĂĐŬƐ ĂŶĚ ĨŽŽĚ ŝŶŐƌĞĚŝĞŶƚƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƐŵĂůůĞƌ͕ ďůĂĐŬͲƐŚĞůůĞĚ ǀĂƌŝĞƟĞƐ ƵƐĞĚ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ Žŝů ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌ ďŝƌĚƐĞĞĚ͘ ^ƵŶŇŽǁĞƌ Žŝů ŝƐ ƵƐĞĚ ĨŽƌ ĐŽŽŬŝŶŐ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͘ DŽƐƚ ƐƵŶŇŽǁĞƌ Žŝů ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ h͘^͘ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ EƵ^ƵŶ ǀĂƌŝĞƚLJ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ŽƉƟŵĂů ŚĞĂůƚŚ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐ͕ ďĞƩĞƌ ƚĂƐƚĞ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉĞƌŝŽƌ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝƐ ƚƌĂŶƐͲĨĂƚ ĨƌĞĞ͘ EŽƌƚŚ ĂŬŽƚĂ ƚƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂůůLJ ůĞĂĚƐ ƚŚĞ ŶĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƐƵŶŇŽǁĞƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƟŽŶ͘ Source: www.nd.gov/ndda

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MAY 2019

Grazing too early can decrease forage production, warns NDSU Specialist In an effort to get them out of muddy lots, many producers turned livestock out on grass earlier than normal this spring. While this decision likely enhanced herd health, it can have long-term impacts on grasslands if supplemental feed is not provided, says Miranda Meehan, North Dakota State University Extension livestock environmental stewardship specialist.

“Grazing forage too early in the spring can be costly in terms of total forage production during the entire grazing season,” Meehan says. “Grazing before grass plants reach the grazing readiness phase causes as much as a 60% reduction in herbage production, which can reduce stocking rate and animal performance.”

The timing of grazing readiness depends on a number of factors, including the species of grass, available moisture, weather and past management.

As a result of these factors, the

NDSU Photos

Despite what seemed like a late spring, grazing readiness seems to be on track across North Dakota.

Turning livestock out on grass too early can have long-term impacts on grasslands. exact timing of grazing readiness can vary across a state and from pasture to pasture.

To address this variability and help landowners identify grazing readiness in their areas, Meehan is working with Ex-

tension agents across the state to monitor grazing readiness this spring.

“Grazing readiness for most domesticated pasture is at the three-leaf stage, whereas grazing readiness for most native

range grasses is the 3 1/2-leaf stage,” she says.

In North Dakota, most coolseason native range grasses typically reach grazing readiness in mid- to late May, which is the recommended time to

begin grazing native range. Domesticated grass pastures, such as crested wheatgrass and smooth brome, reach grazing readiness two to four weeks earlier than native range, permitting grazing in late April to

early May. Despite what seemed like a late spring, grazing readiness seems to be on track, Meehan says. According to monitoring data, domesticated pastures in much of the state are ready to be grazed. Cool-season native grasses, which dominate rangelands in much of North Dakota, are on track to reach grazing readiness in early June.

“It is important to monitor grazing readiness of your pastures prior to turnout,” she says. “Because of the ecological and economic impacts of grazing native rangeland prior to grazing readiness, the rangeland may take years to recover if livestock are allowed to overgraze for many years in a row.”

For more information on determining grazing readiness, contact your county Extension office, visit https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/naturalresources/ gearing-up-forgrazing or search for “NDSU gearing up for grazing.”

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MAY 2019

PAGE 19

'Mountain of sand' spread across Nebraska farms after floods OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska landowners are seeking new solutions for a millions-year-old phenomenon.

Tons of sand, sediment and silt — some in dunes as high as 10 feet — have been scattered across the eastern half to two-thirds of the state by the March flooding.

In some areas, washed-out cornstalks are 3 to 4 feet deep. Tree limbs are in piles and topsoil has been washed away.

"We have a mountain of sand piled up," Valley farmer Ryan Ueberrhein said to the Omaha WorldHerald.

Sediment from Nebraska's rivers and streams has been deposited on nearby flooded land for millions of years. Now U.S. Department of Agriculture officials, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension specialists and extension educators are trying to figure out what to do with it.

They're racing against the clock because farmers need to plant and ranchers need grass pastures to graze their cattle.

Sixteen percent of the corn crop is planted, which is slightly ahead of last year but behind the 23% five-year average.

Some ranchers may have to use the land they can, supplement their herds with hay to make up for the loss in production and deal with sand issues later in the summer.

Eight inches or less of the sandsediment mix can usually be tilled

AP Photo

Ryan Ueberrhein holds a handful of sand as he stands on a pile of it that once covered his field April 29, in Valley, Neb. The sand, which he is having hauled away, was dumped there by floodwaters in March.

into the soil with the right equipment, extension educator John Wilson said. But for others with much larger amounts, it may require removing sand and stockpiling it along the edge or in the corners of fields. In extreme cases, it might be too costly to do anything but leave it.

"If you have 3 to 5 feet of sand, that might be the new normal," said Brad Schick, an extension educator based in Nance County.

That's where people like Daren Redfearn come in. He's an extension forage specialist at UNL, and he and his co-workers are looking

into what can be planted to stabilize the massive amounts of sand that can't be moved.

"Especially those that border rivers and waterways, so they can serve more as a levy next time something like this happens," he said.

There is no recipe to speed the process, he said.

If it's too costly or labor intensive to remove the sand, native prairie grasses could be one answer, providing stabilization.

Landowners could consider planting annual forages for a temporary fix this summer, Wilson

said, then work on sand issues before doing a dormant seeding late in the fall or seeding next spring.

"Establishing anything in the 'sand dunes' this year will be challenging because of the soil texture and lack of soil structure and organic matter," Wilson said.

Redfearn said owners need to think about their plans for the affected areas, both in the short term of five years and longer.

"The obvious solution was to haul it off, but if that's not affordable," he said, "then what is the next best thing to do, given what you're working with?"

Information from what was done after the floods of 2011 is available for landowners, but it doesn't cover all of the same issues.

It's going to be a learning experience for everyone, Ueberrhein said.

"This is all new to me."

The 34-year-old, who farms about 2,000 acres with his dad, brother and a neighbor, has sand and cornstalks washed up on his land from the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers. And trash.

"Chairs, shelves, soccer balls, a sled, 2x4s, 2x6s," he said. "You name it and we can probably find it. It's just a mess. We're trying to figure out what to do with all that."

Anything that has landed on a property now belongs to the owner, and they must find a home for it.

It's illegal to dump any type of fill material into U.S. waters without permission from the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers. There are exceptions, so the best approach is to call a Corps regulatory office and talk to a project manager about the need for authorization.

Ueberrhein said 5 to 10 acres on one 80-acre piece of his land was covered in sand 2 to 4 feet deep. He hired Barger Grading of Bennington to bulldoze the sand into piles.

After removal, it will be used for filler for other flood projects.

The sand was deeper than expected, making the job more expensive, but Ueberrhein said it had to be removed so he could properly plant his corn.

He has no idea what the final price tag will be.

"It's not going to be cheap," he said. "You have multiple trucks, a bulldozer and a loader. It gets pricey in a hurry. It's an extra expense you hadn't planned on."

Other farmers along the Missouri River have piled up or windrowed sand along the edges of a field or in a pivot corner and won't haul it away.

"They sacrificed a few acres of production so they could farm the rest of the field without the sand deposits," Wilson said.

Ueberrhein said he's one of the lucky ones. He was recently able to start planting, unlike many others across the state.

While the situation has been difficult, Ueberrhein said everyone he knows is approaching it with a positive attitude.

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MAY 2019