Embracing AI in the ag sector
WORTHINGTON — Happy New Year everyone. My grandma used to tell me that as I aged time would go faster, it seems her theory may be correct. 2024 zipped right by and I am still trying to write 2024 on my checks half-way through the month of January.
There also is a theory out there called “forty chances.” This theory assumes a farmer gets 40 years to succeed and build his farm legacy.
Howard Graham Buffet stated it this way: “The whole concept behind ‘Forty Chances’ is really a mindset. If everybody thought they had to put themselves out of business in 40 years, you had 40 chances to succeed in what your primary goals are, you would probably be more urgent and you would be forced to change quicker.”
This article is about new agriculture technology. There has been a lot of change starting in vegetable production and those changes are creeping into all of agriculture production at a rapid pace. Most production
methods today are trying to use Artificial Intelligence (known and stated as AI) to improve efficiencies and develop new programs to run and operate machines.
Agricultural robots, drones and machines are expected to play a key role in the future of farming, helping to increase food production, reduce waste and improve sustainability. Here are some examples in production today found on the internet and locally that not everyone is aware exists.
• Spray drones were used in our area last summer to spray saturated fields and pastures that vehicles and tractors could not drive across. These drones use RTK technology to locate the property perimeter and then spray an entire field from border to border in a pattern style operation. Minnesota West actually acquired a drone in the ag department and uses the drone for education and training purposes.
• Mega robots in California strawberry fields use AI from laser and 3-D data provided by cameras and infrared images to detect fruit maturity and health. They use RTK global positioning to stay on the rows. Some of these robots are even charged
with solar panels attached to the robot and can run the full day on the attached solar panels. The robots identify how the fruit hangs and the colors needed for maturity and then positions itself so the ripe berries can be picked robotically.
• Weeding robots in vegetable fields use manmade electrical lighting strikes to kill weeds identified with optic lenses. These robots are charged by solar panels as well.
• The autonomous tractor is hard for us in the Midwest to accept. Seeing a tractor driving down the road or in a field with no cab or driver just seems hard to comprehend. There are also autonomous combines and sprayers being developed on experimental farms today. They are run from an office computer and also have no cab or actual driver.
• Nissan has created a water robot that swims in the water and eliminates pest plant growth by mimicking the movement of a duck’s web feet in rice paddies.
• Farmbot robots can plant a variety of different seeds in a raised flowerbed. It can water plants by species needs, identify and weed out weeds from the vegetable bed and harvest a garden
bed by each plant variety that it has planted. This requires zero effort for a fresh garden of numerous vegetables.
• Lely milking robots are actually present in this area and in full production use. The cows enter the machine on their own and the machine identifies each cow by its ear tag or ear chip and records daily health data on each individual cow as many times as the cow is milked each day. It washes the cow udder, applies the milker and milks the cows while it records the milk produced and the feed stuffs the cow ate in the milking stall while being milked.
• Iron ox indoor hydroponic robots are an indoor robot. In one year, they can produce the equivalent of 30 acres of vegetables outdoors on a one-acre indoor plot. It takes two robots to accomplish this feat. One moves the individual trays around in the facility while the other robot plants, weeds and harvests the produce both using AI as their source of programming and operations. These robots have advanced learning programs called on-the-go AI programming that detect fungus and insect pressure
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warmer
graze in a field on the Five Pine Cattle Co. farm operated by Matt and Amanda Altman. Jan. 21, 2025. Tim Middagh / The Globe
Bau to retire from regional Extension position
BY JULIE BUNTJER The Globe
WORTHINGTON — After 26 years with University of Minnesota Extension, with the past 20 years being based at the Extension Regional Office in Worthington, Ag Business Management Educator David Bau is retiring at the end of February.
During his career, Bau traveled across Minnesota to present workshops to ag land owners and renters about farmland rental rates, presented hundreds of ag marketing programs and worked with dozens of farmers in the southwest Minnesota adult farm management program.
Now, he is looking forward to putting his knowledge to use in his own farm business.
“I bought the family farm. That was my lifetime goal,” Bau shared, noting that the rural Redfield, South Dakota land — in family ownership since 1902 — was owned by his siblings. The farm his mother grew
up on remains intact, and he now owns the farm land around the homestead where his dad grew up.
While Bau doesn’t plan to do the farming himself — he’s intending to be a landlord — he is excited to have the land and keep it in the family.
“My granddaughter is the sixth generation,” he said.
Bau, who grew up just down the road (Interstate 90) to the east in Truman, said his family farmed land in both Minnesota and South Dakota. The South Dakota property was farmed by the family until his junior year in high school, and then another man stepped in and rented the land for the next 48 years. That’s the property Bau now owns.
Bau earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ag economics from South Dakota State University in Brookings. He’d initially considered being an ag loan officer and
I’ve been doing over 100 workshops a year and I’ve been working with marketing groups since 1999. It helps me keep aware of the economics in true life by working with all those groups.
— David Bau, U of M Extension
living on a farm, but his career took a few different turns.
He worked as an ag statistician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington state for two years before moving back to the Midwest and serving as a loan officer for a bank in dairy country for nine years. When the bank was in the process of being sold,
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David Bau
Nitrogen management, economics focus of Strategic Farming program launch
WORTHINGTON — The sixth season of “Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops!” launched Jan. 8 with a discussion on nitrogen management given current crop and input economics. Fabian Fernandez, Nutrient Management Specialist and Brad Carlson, Extension Water Quality Educator, joined Extension Crops Educator Dave Nicolai, for a discussion around this critical nutrient.
Looking back at 2024
STAHL U of M Extension
2024 was a year of extremes. The season initially started out dry and farmers were hoping for an early planting season. Then it rained, rained, and rained some more, making timely planting elusive for many.
Excessive precipitation resulted in widespread N losses. Drainage issues were marked by yellowed corn in many fields. Although yields were respectable and even decent in some fields, yields were significantly lower than hoped for in others. Greater N mineralization than normal early in the season impacted the amount of N that was available for the corn crop later in the season. In-season rescue N applications helped in some cases, but weather conditions created many challenges for N management in 2024. The year’s experiences also helped confirm some key guidelines in N management.
Fall urea applications fall short
Fernandez discussed University of MN research conducted across the state comparing applications of urea in the fall compared to in the spring. Multi-year trials showed that on average, more N was needed to reach the maximum return to N and to achieve the best yields with a fall urea application than a spring urea application.
An average of 12, 16, 35 and 47 more pounds of N/ac were needed to reach the maximum return to N when urea was applied in the fall compared to in the spring at Lamberton, Morris, Waseca, and Crookston, respectively. It is also important to note that corn yield was higher when urea was applied in the spring than in the fall, with the advantage ranging from an average of 5 bu/ac at Morris to 13 bu/ac at Lamberton for spring application over fall application. This means that yields were greater with with a lower N rate when urea was applied in the spring than in the fall. Additional trials indicate that anhydrous ammonia is the most reliable source of N when N is applied in the fall.
Spring-applied ESN can help
How has urea performed compared to ESN (Environmentally Smart Nitrogen), a controlled-release product, when applied in the spring? With ESN, each urea granule is coated with a water-permeable polymer coating. As the soil warms, more N is released into the soil. ESN applied preplant has performed fairly well in wet conditions. In 2024, where there was an extreme amount of moisture in June, there were likely still some losses of N with ESN. ESN did help reduce N losses, though, compared to urea. Fernandez recommends ESN be applied either preplant or very early sidedress (before corn reaches the V2 stage) to reduce the risk of there not being enough time for N release before the crop needs it. More details on ESN can be found in the article “Are controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer products worth the cost.”
Sidedressing
N most
likely to pay only in special situations
Although the concept of “spoon-feeding” the crop has been discussed and promoted by some, the bottom line is that the nutrient just needs to be there when the crop needs it, otherwise yield can be hurt. Applying N twice means you double your application
/ Lizabeth
University of Minnesota Research compared the effect of timing of urea application (fall versus spring) at four locations (Crookston, Lamberton, Morris and Waseca) on the maximum return to nitrogen (MRTN) rate and yield.
costs too. In 49 site years of research conducted across the Midwest, in most cases no advantage was seen when N was applied in a split application vs in a single application. Where an advantage was found to applying N in a split application, there tended to be a specific situation such as the field was undrained, the soils were sandy, or conditions were very wet. In wet years, for example, split applications resulted in less N being needed.
Research trials also highlight the impacts of soil drainage. In University of Minnesota research conducted from 2014 to 2019, regardless of timing, undrained soils needed an average of 28 lb N/acre more than drained soils to optimize yield. In drained soils, preplant applications were adequate, and less N was required to optimize yield compared to a split application. In wet
years, drained soils were more productive and profitable than undrained soils. Split applications can be better, however, for undrained soils.
Research is also showing that splitting your N application doesn’t improve crop intake or increase the amount of N that will be available for the next crop.
The most profitable farms have lower fertilizer costs
Using FINBIN data (anonymous data generated from farm financial reports from the MN farm business management program), Carlson found that the top 20% of farms in profitability spent about 20% less per acre on fertilizer than the bottom 20% of
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LIZABETH
Contributed
Stahl
Runck takes on new role in beef education
BY JULIE BUNTJER The Globe
WORTHINGTON — Melissa Runck moved into her new office at the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Center earlier this month in Worthington after being hired to fill a statewide educator role in beef production systems.
Runck is no stranger to the area, having served two years as a 4-H Program Coordinator in Nobles County, followed by 10 years as a U of M Extension ag production systems educator for Pipestone and Murray counties.
In her new role, Runck will specialize in beef production, which best fits her background and expertise. The Egan, South Dakota, native earned her bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University, and completed her master’s in beef production specialization with a minor in ruminant nutrition through the U of M while working in Pipestone and Murray counties. She has now started taking PhD courses through the U of M.
“I’m really looking forward to just focusing on beef,” Runck shared.
The position opened up nearly a year ago, when Eric Mousel moved into a beef specialist role with the U of M that is more research-focused. It was the first time in 11 years the position became available, and Runck was encouraged to apply.
While her new role is quite broad, dealing with beef production from farm to plate, she will also be able to reach a wider audience with statewide travel to reach cattle producers where they are.
“(My role) is more focused on Extension teaching and a small research part,” Runck said, noting that she and Mousel are the two statewide beef educators. “We will continue to work with local educators and be the content experts … helping (local educators) teach the programs.”
Runck will also be involved in research projects, specifically production of dairybeef crossed cattle and associated animal health. Crossing dairy with beef cattle has become quite common in the beef industry,
but has also resulted in higher instances of liver abscesses among crossed cattle.
“I want to do more dairy-beef programming,” she said. “I’d like to be more intentional about doing in-person programs — calf-care, genetics, taking care of these calves and how to raise them, (and) liver abscesses in beef-dairy cross (cattle).”
Runck said a lot of research is being done on liver abscesses in the crossbreds to determine whether it’s a genetic issue or management.
“It slows the packer chain down when we have to deal with these,” she said of the abscesses. “(We need to discuss) what management practices could they be doing to potentially alleviate some of these issues.”
While Runck will do more travel in her new job, she also intends to bring more beef programming to the greater southwest Minnesota region.
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Nobles County 4-H presents awards
BY JULIE BUNTJER The Globe
WORTHINGTON — The Nobles County 4-H Achievement Banquet was conducted earlier this month, with awards presented to numerous youths and adults affiliated with the program.
This year’s Friend of 4-H award went to Matt Widboom, Worthington, while the Business Friend of 4-H was presented to First State Bank Southwest.
The “I Dare You” award, presented each year to youth leaders who have excelled in their leadership, was given to three young women — Macy Vanderlinden of the Clovers, Grace Barber of the Elk Tip Toppers and Liv Vander Kooi of the Okabena Bees.
Whitney Henning was honored as an Outstanding Youth Leader in her local club, the Grand Prairie Rockets.
Nobles County 4-H Scholarship recipients included Grace Barber, Elk Tip Toppers; and Kaylee Taylor, Rushmore Central Hustlers.
Young Achievers — an award presented to younger 4-H members who are excelling in leadership and 4-H activities — were Kendall Bullerman, Grand Prairie Rockets; and Violet Vander Kooi, Okabena Bees.
Also recognized were 4-H members who have now graduated from the program. They include Lance Gordon and Wesley Widboom, Elk Tip Toppers; Jocelyn Horn and Micah Bullerman, Grand Prairie Rockets; Vince Vanderkooi, Okabena Bees; and Brookelyn Oddson and Kaylee Taylor, Rushmore Central Hustlers.
Additional special awards presented during the evening were the Scrapbook Award, given to Bethany Dykstra and Nasiah Groenewold of the Clovers 4-H Club. The Secretary’s Book award went to Makenna Boltjes of the Rushmore Central Hustlers, and the Treasurer’s Book award was presented to Gretchen Lefdal of the Grand Prairie Rockets.
Each year, Nobles County 4-H also presents awards of excellence to 4-H members who did exemplary work with their 4-H records. Recipients of these awards, by club, are as follows:
Cloverbuds (pre-4-H)
Amarra Baumgartner, Sydney Bremer, Vincent Correll, Rebekah Tarus and Colton VandeKamp.
Clovers
Jasmine Noerenberg: Participation record, Crafts record; Beef record; Woodworking record
Elk Tip Toppers
Samuel Bents: Participation record; Sheep record
Nelson Tarus: Participation record
Grand Prairie Rockets
Kendall Bullerman: Participation record; Crafts record
Whitney Henning: Participation record; Crafts & Fine Arts record; Dairy record; Food record; Goat record; Purchased Clothing record; Rabbits record; Woodworking record; Youth Leadership record
Alana Steve: Participation record; Crafts & Fine Arts record; Food & Nutrition record; Public Presentations record
Quinn Steve: Participation record; Needle Arts record
Indian Lake Progressives
Bristol VandeKamp: Participation record; Food Preservation record; Fashion Revue record; Sewn NonGarment record; Sheep record
Okabena Bees
Ava Vander Kooi: Participation record; Crafts record; Dairy record; Exploring Animals record; Fashion Revue record; Food Preservation record; Indoor Gardening record; Poultry record
Liv Vander Kooi: Participation record; Child & Family Development record; Crafts record; Creative Writing record; Dairy record; Fine Arts record; Flower Gardening record; Food Preservation record; Food Revue record; Foods
Contributed / Alana Steve
The "I Dare You" award was presented to Macy Vanderlinden (left), Liv Vander Kooi and, missing from photo, Grace Barber.
Contributed / Alana Steve Matt Widboom, Worthington, was honored with the Friend of 4-H Award.
Stephanie Dykstra and Micah Bullerman, Grand Prairie Rockets; Ryder Hohensee, Indian Lake Progressives; Colby Darling and Charlie Hieronimus, Okabena Bees; and Kaston Clarke, Graham Lake Braves.
Five completed years of 4-H work: SouKyra Groenewold and Peyton Kilker, Clovers; Clara Hietbrink, Katherine Flynn and Miles Hein, Elk Tip Toppers; Aiden Timmer and Alea Ross, Grand Prairie Rockets; Cortland Nystrom and Rhett Nordby, Okabena Bees; Payslee Correll, Makenna and Brylin Boltjes, Rushmore Central Hustlers; and Holden Clarke, Graham Lake Braves.
Three completed years of 4-H work: Jillyan Baumgartner, Marriah Becker, Hank Behrends, Elly Fisher, Grayson Gruis, Graham Hansen-Henning, Raeya Hietbrink, Bryleigh Hodapp, Esme Nordby and Emma Stude, Cloverbuds; Ava Olson, Austin and Gretchen Lefdal, Grand Prairie Rockets; Autumn and Bree Luinenburg, Okabena Bees; Zakiah Groenewold, Rushmore Central Hustlers; and Madilyn Jo Bollin, Clovers.
One completed year of 4-H work: Lucy Anderson, Amarra Baumgartner, Alayna Bents, Sydney Bremer, Claire Brown, Joanna Crowley, Zayne Groenewold, Paige Gruis, Henlee Hansen-Henning, Kyla Hietbrink, Jackson Hodapp, Stella Mahoney, Analiya Miranda, Joel Miranda, Elizabeth Standafer, Katherine Standafer and Rebekah Tarus, Cloverbuds; Liam Bullerman, Grand Prairie Rockets.
Cloverbud Graduates: Jillyan Baumgartner, Marriah Becker, Sydney Bremer, Hank Behrends
record; Herb Gardening record; Indoor Gardening record; Landscape Design record; Nutrition record; Performing Arts record;
Photography record; Purchased Clothing record; Quilting record; Team Demonstration record; Upcycled Clothing record; Youth Leadership record.
Violet Vander Kooi: Participation record; Dairy record
Rushmore Central Hustlers
Payslee Correll: Beef record
Izaiah Groenewold: Participation record, Beef record
Kaitlyn Taylor: Participation record; Foods & Nutrition record
Kaylee Taylor: Participation record; Crafts & Fine Arts record; Needle Arts record
Kelsey Taylor: Participation record; Crafts record; Foods & Nutrition record
Membership recognition
10 completed years of 4-H work: Noah Gravenhof and Ava McCoy, Elk Tip Toppers; Quinn Steve, Drew Wempen,
Graham Hansen-Henning, Adalyn Hein, Raeya Hietbrink, Bryleigh Hodapp, Lilly Milbrandt, Joel Miranda, Tytus Robinson and Emma Stude.
Adult Leadership awards
2023-24 Adult Club Leaders: Shawn Noerenberg and Tara Kilker, Clovers; Micah and Alyssa Hietbrink and Jesse and Heather Flynn, Elk Tip Toppers; Doug and Katie Clarke, Phil Clarke and Brad Baumgartner, Graham Lake Braves; Sara Henning and Janice Bullerman, Grand Prairie Rockets; Laura Schuett and Samantha VandeKamp, Indian Lake Progressives; Erin Hoffman and Rita Vander Kooi, Okabena Bees; and Rachel Snyder and Chandra Rowland, Rushmore Central Hustlers.
Silver Clover (5 Years of Adult Leadership): Wendy Baumgartner, Kendrick Bickett, Janice Bullerman and Kaia Darling.
4-H Federation recognition
The 2023-24 slate of Nobles County 4-H Federation officers and adult leaders were recognized and thanked for their service. The officer team included: Jocelyn Horn, president; Quinn Steve, vice president; Emma Hietbrink, treasurer; Liv Vander Kooi, secretary; Whitney Henning, officer at large; and adult leaders Laura Schuett (advisor
to the treasurer), Micah Hietbrink, Monica Horn and Theresa Steve.
Contributed / Alana Steve Whitney Henning was honored as an Outstanding Youth Leader in her local club.
Contributed / Alana Steve Young Achievers were presented to Kendall Bullerman (left) and Violet Vander Kooi.
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and eliminate the pests and fungus diseases with proper treatment of tillage, chemical or both, if needed.
These are just a few examples I found locally and with internet searches about robots, machines and drones that modern America is currently using to experiment and improve business operations.
What are some of the advantages of these new technologies? They can reduce labor, reduce operating costs and increase total product production due to mechanical errors being smaller than human errors. There is a downside to these new technologies as well. It’s not all instant profits and a golden road. Initial purchase costs are higher than normal equipment costs. There is a learning curve to operations and new training will be required.
Change is hard in any business, but with change comes progress. As we advance knowledge and technology with AI and experiences, there are bound to be improvements and increased efficiencies. Accepting potential changes is the first step toward new successes.
Economist Carl Jung is quoted in business articles, “We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”
In my language that means you have to talk the change before you can walk the change. Another well know business economist, Andrew Ng, stated “We’re making this analogy that AI is the new electricity. Electricity transformed industries: agriculture, transportation, communication, manufacturing.”
If farmers truly only have 40 years to farm, why would anyone want to wait to become more efficient and effective? Wanting to improve in the new year should be a goal for all of us, but especially for those in farming and business who also have money investments on the line.
America is known worldwide for its abundant safe food supply, so next time you see a producer, thank them for what they do. Adapting new technology to farming won’t be easy in the next decade, but it will keep America abundant in safe food.
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farms. From 2016 to 2023, this amount varied from 15 to 33%.
Since the data is anonymous, one can’t look at the farmer’s specific practices to see what might be driving the difference, but several management practices are likely involved.
Applying too high of a rate of nitrogen fertilizer is one likely factor. U of M fertilizer guidelines are based on hundreds of research trials, conducted over many years and sites. If your application rates are greatly above these, do you have a valid reason why?
Consider that N rates may be higher to mask bad application choices (e.g. applying urea in the fall, applying N when it is too warm). There are also many products on the market that claim to be “more available” or have “enhanced efficiency.”
Unfortunately, research has not clearly shown these products to work consistently and they are an added expense. Evaluate if variable rate technologies, which can increase your expenses as well, are helping yield or not. A more detailed discussion can be found in the article “Are you overspending on fertilizer”.
Listen to a recording of this program at: z.umn.edu/strategic-farming. Join us for future Strategic Farming: Let’s talk Crops sessions!
The University of Minnesota’s “Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops!” webinar series, offered from 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesdays through March, feature discussions with the experts to provide up-to-date, researchbased information to help farmers and ag professionals optimize crop management strategies. For more information and to register, visit z.umn.edu/strategic-farming.
Thanks to the Soybean Research and Promotion Council and the Corn Research and Promotion Council for their generous support of this program.
RuNCk
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“With me being here in southwest, I know what is the most relevant and pertinent for producers out here,” she said. “I don’t think we’ve had enough feeder calf focus. I hope to bring some of those programs back.”
Runck will help lead Cow-Calf Days, which includes an event Feb. 5 at Minnesota West Community & Technical College's Pipestone campus. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. in Room 103 and continues until approximately 1:30 p.m. There is no fee to attend and will include four speakers on a variety of topics related to beef cattle and calving.
She also plans to implement more artificial insemination schools for cattle producers. Runck said she offered the training two years ago in Pipestone and has several lists of producers who want to take the class. It hasn’t been offered by Extension for a while, and semen companies don’t have the staff time to train producers, she said.
“I’m hoping to do something this fall on the farm,” she said. “That’s the best and safest way.”
Runck will continue to lead the virtual Beef Quality Assurance certification programs — something she’s worked with for the past five years statewide, and has plans to continue providing beef webinars throughout the year.
I’d like to be more intentional about doing in-person programs — calf-care, genetics, taking care of these calves and how to raise them...
— Melissa Runck
Runck grew up helping with her family’s cow-calf operation raising Angus and Hereford cattle. About 15 years ago, she and her husband Scott — the Nobles County Soil and Water Conservation District manager — brought some cows from that herd to their rural Avoca farm and started up their own cow-calf operation with Hereford and Simmental breeds. Their focus is on selling breeding stock.
Scott, a native of Fairfax, grew up on the family farm growing crops and raising hogs in a farrow to finish operation. Together, the couple has one daughter, Henley, 6, who is in her first year as a 4-H Cloverbud member through U of M Extension.
Runck will typically work from the Worthington Regional Office on Mondays and Tuesdays, and will work on the road or from home the remainder of her week. She can be reached at mkrunck@umn.edu or via phone at (507) 372-3904.
Deer, elk and wolf depredation remain near top of Cattlemen'sMinnesota priorities
BY MICHAEL JOHNSON Agweek
With groups working to expand Minnesota’s elk herd, an expanding wolf zone and a deer herd that continues to cause damage to farm and residential areas alike, Minnesota cattle producers have their hands full of concerns in 2025.
The Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association in December had their annual conference and set their priorities for the coming legislative year.
One effort to assist cattle producers is a proposal to increase abatement funds for those hit by deer depredation, according to Kaitlyn Root, Minnesota State Cattlemen's Association executive director. Those funds can be used for such things as fencing to keep deer out of hay storage areas. The current one-time payment of
$5,000 for fencing is insufficient, Root said, as fencing costs are significantly higher.
“Our producers are hit pretty hard during the winter,” Root said. “Especially when the deer get hungry, they're turning to the farmers and ranchers feed, and it can be a pretty detrimental loss. And these producers are not receiving any funding for that lost feed.”
While increasing funds to assist producers with losses would help, Root said efforts must also be made to control wildlife populations. She said there is a need to increase out-of-season hunting permits for producers to control the population of deer. The association will be working with the DNR and Minnesota Department of Ag to work on that issue in 2025.
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Bau applied for a position with University of Minnesota Extension.
“There was an opening in Slayton and Buffalo,” he said. “Buffalo was close to where I lived, but Slayton … offered me the job.”
He and his wife, Sue, relocated to Slayton and still reside there today.
Bau worked from the Extension office in Slayton until the regional office opened in Worthington in 2004. A good share of his time, though, was spent presenting workshops around the state.
“I really do enjoy doing the workshops,” he said. “I’ve been doing over 100 workshops a year and I’ve been working with marketing groups since 1999. It helps me keep aware of the economics in true life by working with all those groups.
“In Extension, I’m out for the public’s good — it’s a lot different dynamics (than banking),” he added. “I enjoy the time working with the public.”
In mid-January, Bau was heading back to southwest Minnesota after leading a workshop in Carlton, 20 miles south of Duluth.
“I used to (cover) the whole state, but we have someone now in Brainerd and Moorhead
who has been doing the northern part for two years,” said Bau, adding that the additional ag business management educator reduced his workshop travel to the southern twothirds of Minnesota.
“I’m the marketing person though, so when they want marketing, I get to go wherever,” he added.
During those workshops, Bau primarily talked to producers and landowners about farm transfers and farmland rents. The programs were well-attended, and the information valuable to producers.
Each year, Bau also produced a Farm Resource Guide for the public — his last one just completed a week ago.
With Bau’s retirement, U of M Extension plans to fill the position. However, there’s no guarantee the person will be officed in Worthington, he said.
Having wrapped up his last marketing meeting earlier this month, Bau spoke briefly about the current economics for farmers related to corn and soybean production.
“We can really see a 10-year pattern in pricing for corn and beans,” he said.
Going back to 2011, prices rose for three consecutive years, followed by seven consecutive years of price declines. They rose again in 2020 and 2021, reaching record levels in 2023, and then began a decline again in 2024.
“It would be the next seven years it won’t be a very good time for pricing,” Bau said. “The prediction is $10 beans and $4 corn for many years into the future — not profitable years.”
Government aid will help farmers weather the prices for the 2024 crop year, and Bau noted that President Donald Trump gave money back to farmers in 2018. Whether that will happen again is unknown.
“Right now the outlook is pretty poor for farmers on the corn and bean rotation,”
Bau said, adding that if they kept capital from the good years to make sure they survive the next low cycle, they should make it through.
What’s changed is that the world markets are at play now more than ever, with Ukraine as the third largest exporter of corn, and South American countries ranked second and third.
“It’s not just the United States and what happens to our prices,” he said.
Despite the bleak forecast for corn and soybean production, Bau has invested in land and is ready to make the lifestyle change.
His wife retired a year ago from Murray County Central, where she was a high school science teacher. They have three grown children — a son who works as a physical therapist in Sioux Falls and is married with a daughter, a son who teaches social studies at the Worthington Learning Center, and a daughter who is completing her residency in New Hampshire to become a doctor. She and her husband are expecting their first baby in April, which means Bau and his wife will be making a trip there in the spring.
“It’s been a pleasure working with farmers and the community,” Bau said of his career in Extension. He will retain ties with the University, continuing to serve southwest Minnesota and Murray County as a Master Gardener.
HEADS UP
POWER LINES ARE HOT!
• Know the clearance height of all farm equipment. To be safe, keep all objects at least 10 feet away from overhead lines.
• NEVER attempt to raise or move a power line. If you’re operating equipment that touches a line, stay where you are and have someone call the utility.
• If you must leave the equipment, jump as far as you can so that no part of your body touches the equipment and the ground at the same time.
22636 US Hwy. 59 - P.O. Box 788 Worthington, MN 56187-0788 800-776-0517 Website: nobles.coop
Short Course to feature management of dairy-beef crossbreds
ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Feedlot producers should plan to attend the 2025 Dairy Beef Short Course March 25 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
This year’s program features unique aspects of managing dairybeef crossbreds such as implants, vaccinations, early calf nutrition, and feedlot economics. Iowa State University Extension Beef Specialist Beth Doran said that while dairy-beef crossbreds differ from straight-bred beef cattle, they have some positive aspects.
BETH DORAN ISU Extension
“However, dairy-beef animals can provide opportunities for cattle feeders such as source verification and pen uniformity.”
The Dairy Beef Short Course features a broad range of topics and speakers, including the following:
• Update on Implants by Zachary Smith, South Dakota State University
• Vaccination Management by Jennifer Spencer, Texas A&M University
• Preparing Dairy-Beef Calves for the Feedlot by Gail Carpenter, Iowa State University
• Research on Dairy-Beef Crossbreds in the Feedlot by Garland Dahlke, Iowa State University
The short course will be held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, and runs from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The agenda and other details are available on the I-29 Moo U website here https://i-29moou.com/ dairy-beef-short-course.
Registration will be available online beginning Jan. 31 here https://go.iastate. edu/DBSC25 Fee is $75, plus $15 if a printed copy of the proceedings is desired. Student fee is $20. Registration closes March 14.
“Dairy-beef crossbreds tend to have more marbling and better yield grades, although on average there is more sickness and greater carcass price discounts,” she said.
Cattle ConCerns
CONTINUED FROM J9
Root notes that there is no claims process for producers to submit their losses for deer damage; it’s simply absorbed by the producer. That’s an unfair situation for producers, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association president Jake Thompson said.
“Because, I mean, it's not real fair to have a department that collects licenses for hunting these things, but then doesn't help pay the feed bill when it comes to keeping them alive,” Thompson said.
The Minnesota DNR has a Wildlife Damage Management Program that offers up to $1,500 for damage to stored forage other than silage or grain and $3,000 for stored silage or grain, and up to $5,000 in damage abatement materials per eligible specialty crop grower.
Elk expansion
Concerning elk, Root said Minnesota Cattlemen are proposing an increase from $155,000 to at least $300,000 for abatement. This increase comes as the Minnesota DNR works towards introducing a portion of the elk herd from northwest Minnesota to an area of the Fon du Lac Indian Reservation near Cloquet, Minnesota.
The proposed increase comes as producers had claims of more than $260,000 last year, according to Thompson. That was enough overage to have to pull from the wolf budget.
“We have producers in northern Minnesota where elk are coming through, and they're
• Economics of Dairy-Beef in the Feedlot by Melanie PimentelConcepcion, Michigan State University
• Hoof Lameness in Feedlot Cattle by Sara Erickson, TELUS Agricultural
Contributed / Minnesota DNR Elk destroying fences or plundering crop fields remains an issue for producers mostly in northwestern Minnesota, where the state's largest elk herd roams.
really doing a lot of damage to the fence and the crops,” Root said. “So we feel that we need to increase those funds because in past years, the money has actually exceeded $155,000 and that's just not right — especially when the DNR is talking about increasing elk herds and transferring elk herds.”
Last legislative session when there was talk of increasing elk herds, the Cattlemen's Association pushed back and demanded more management of the herd. The result was that the elk herd in Kittson County will be managed to increase the herd size by 30%, other herd populations will remain steady, and the Cattlemen received $50,000 towards an elk study. That study is active
The Dairy Beef Short Course is offered by the I-29 University - a collaboration of Iowa State University, University of Nebraska, University of Minnesota, and South Dakota State University, and sponsoring organizations.
For more information, contact Doran at (712) 737-4230 or email at doranb@iastate.edu.
and they are working with the Department of Ag and the DNR to find the source of deer and elk depredation issues and hopefully find a solution. Once complete, the study report will be presented to the Minnesota Legislature.
Thompson said trying to make producers whole through reimbursing losses is unrealistic, as the losses are likely hundreds of millions each year. He hopes to come up with solutions that better manage the herd, better equip producers to prevent losses and find ways to feed these herds away from farm land.
“Try and help find some funds so that DNR can maybe put in some food plots on some of their own acreage, which help lessen the amount of depredation that's happening on stored feed or growing feed during the summer,” Thompson said.
Wolf listing
Wolves continue to be “out of control in northern Minnesota,” according to Root. The association continues to push to see wolves delisted from the federally protected threatened species list and managed by individual states. Currently, wolves can only be killed in defense of human life. State and federal trappers can capture and kill wolves that threaten livestock or pets.
The latest wolf population estimate released by the Minnesota DNR was about 2,900 wolves in 2023.
Thompson said he experienced his first calf loss to a verified wolf kill last spring. Thompson ranches near Barnesville,
Contributed / Beth Doran Dairy-beef crossbreds will be the subject of an upcoming short course in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Minnesota, in an area he said isn’t yet considered part of the wolf range.
Other association priorities
Both Root and Thompson mentioned that there are proposed changes to feedlot regulations. They said they are committed to limiting over-regulation of feedlots.
Thompson had a chance to record his thoughts on the importance of beef in diets, which will be presented among other comments as part of a national listening session on dietary guidelines. He was thankful for the opportunity and hopeful it has impact.
“I feel that it's great that we can represent Minnesota and have a say, a little bit of a say, or at least give our opinion on how we think some of the dietary guideline updates are,” Thompson said. Getting rid of beef from diets is outrageous, he said.
Mikkel Pates / Agweek file photo Deer peer among the bales near Lehr, North Dakota.