2 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022
TODAY’S FARM
New Farm Service Agency state executive director hails from Okabena BY KARI LUCIN The Globe
ST. PAUL — Long before President Joe Biden appointed her Farm Service Agency executive director for the state of Minnesota earlier this month, Whitney Place was learning about agriculture at Southwest Star Concept School and on the family farm. “I definitely credit growing up in Okabena for the reason I got into agriculture,” Place said. As a child, technically Place lived in town, but she spent a lot of time on the family farm in Sioux Valley, where her grandmother, Verlene Place Walsh, still resides. Her father, Keith Place, was an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor at SSC, and he still farms today. “I took a lot of agriculture courses. I also took a lot of science classes,” said Place, sharing that the school had a greenhouse, allowing her interest in plant sciences to grow and flourish. After graduating from SSC, Place earned a bachelor’s degree in applied plant science and a master’s degree in science, technology and environmental policy from the University of Minnesota. Since 2012, she has been working for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in various roles, most recently as assistant commissioner. Her new role as executive director of the Farm Service Agency began Jan. 18.
Whitney Place. “I’m really, really grateful and honored to have been selected and to be able to serve in this way,” Place said. “I’ve worked really hard the last decade in Minnesota government, and hopefully I’ve built some strong relationships with farmers and agricultural organizations.” Minnesota agriculture covers a vast array of crops, livestock and other products, and as the executive director of the Farm Service Agency, Place will lead an organization serving farmers in all 87 counties. Farmers can visit one of the 72 service centers
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across the state to access programs from the Farm Bill, meaning that Place will be in direct contact with farmers on the ground, coordinating with them and getting them involved in FSA programs. “Minnesota has a lot of diverse crops across the state and a lot of different geography,” Place said. “In my previous job at the (Minnesota) Department of Agriculture, I really got out to see a lot of the state, and I’m really hoping to do that in this position too.” FSA has a wide variety of programs. It’s where farmers sign up for crop
insurance and access loans. There are dairy programs and programs to help transition to organic farming. Place’s first priority in the new position will be to provide excellent customer service to farmers, with the ability to respond quickly to any market or natural disasters, she said, noting that last year Minnesota experienced its biggest drought in 30 years. Many programs also exist to help farmers who have lost market opportunities due to COVID-19. She also hopes to ensure that the Farm Service Agency is delivering programs to — and being welcoming to — everyone, including women farmers and farmers who are black, indigenous or people of color. “There is a spot for everyone in agriculture,” Place said. She is also interested in environmental policy. The Farm Service Agency oversees some of the conservation programs from the Farm Bill, such as the Conservation Reserve Program and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Place hopes to make sure those continue, but also that they are promoted in a way that works for farmers. “It’s really an honor to get to join the Biden-Harris administration, and any farmers can contact me at any time if they have issues with FSA programs,” Place said. To contact Place, email whitney.place@usda.gov.
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Century Farm application process under way THE GLOBE ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Century Farm recognition program, sponsored jointly by the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau, has begun accepting applications from farm families who are celebrating 100 years or more of continuous farm ownership. The application deadline is March 7, and must be received by the Minnesota State Fair by that date (this is not a postmark deadline). Qualified applications received after March 7 will be considered for 2023. To qualify as a Minnesota Century Farm: Ź The farm must be at least 100 years old by the end of 2022, according to abstract of title, land patent, original deed, county land records, court file in registration proceedings or other authentic land records. (Please do not send supporting documentation, only the completed application.) Ź The farm is family-owned for 100 years or more. Family is defined as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, first cousins and direct in-laws (father, mother, brother, sister, daughter, son-in-law). Ź Family ownership must be continuous, however continuous residence on the farm is not required. Ź The farm should consist of 50 or more acres (intrastate Minnesota). Ź The farm must be currently involved in agricultural production. A farm may be recognized only once. To apply, download a
copy of the application at https://assets.mnstatefair.org/pdf/22-centuryfarm-app.pdf. Once completed, the application must be mailed to: Minnesota State Fair, Century Farm Program, 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul, MN 55108. Qualifying farms will receive a personalized certificate of recognition, signed by the Governor of Minnesota, the President of Minnesota Farm Bureau, and the President of the board of the Minnesota State Fair. A metal Century Farm sign will also be awarded. Recognition ceremonies are handled by the local county fair. If your county fair does not have a ceremony, your certificate and sign will be sent directly to you in June. Only one sign and certificate will be awarded per farm. While the Minnesota State Fair does not conduct a recognition ceremony during the state fair, new honorees are invited to visit the Minnesota Farm Bureau booth during the fair, where your application may be viewed and you may request a special commemorative Century Farm rosette.
Sesquicentennial Farm Program Minnesota Farm Bureau also honors Minnesota families who have owned their farms for at least 150 years, are at least 50 acres in size and are currently involved in agricultural production. For information on Sesquicentennial (150 years) Farm Program, contact Rachael Peterson at rachael.peterson@fbmn. org or 651-768-2151
TODAY’S FARM
THE GLOBE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 | 3
&HUWLĆFDWLRQ The new norm of doing business ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Recently, I went to renew my driver’s license and learned a lot. By May 3, 2023, I will need a REAL ID (gold star) driver’s license if I want to book a commercial flight. To get this kind of license, I had to provide additional documentation as to who I was. So, I hunted up my original birth certificate, social security card, voter registration card and a couple of billing statements. The experience reminded me that the cattle business is much the same way. Certification has become the norm in doing business. Major packers and many livestock auctions now require feedlot suppliers to be Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified. Why? Consumers want assurance that the beef
BETH
DORAN
ISU Extension Beef Specialist
they eat is raised with attention to animal welfare, environmental stewardship and food safety. If BQA certification can address their questions and expand international markets for beef, this is a positive. Plus, it benefits the producer because better management improves cattle performance and ultimately, profitability. Beef Quality Assurance Transportation (BQAT) is another certification program that emerged three years ago. To deliver cattle to a major packer, the hauler must be BQAT
certified. This applies to commercial trucking firms and to private producers who deliver their cattle to a packer with their own truck or trailer. There are three benefits to BQAT certification
— to increase transporter safety, to deliver cattle in a timely manner, and to provide the most comfortable transportation of the cattle. All three of these objectives benefit the animal, the transporter and
the producer. Stay alert because there is a new certification program on the horizon — the U.S. Cattle Industry Feed Yard Audit. This will be a standardized audit conducted by
the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. It is a detailed and comprehensive audit that encompasses a review of feedlot records, protocols, animal observations, processing and facilities. My advice is to download a copy of the manual and recordkeeping forms from https://bit.ly/33UtxWI and begin gathering the documentation that is required. One major packer has acknowledged that they will be adopting the new audit. Gazing into my crystal ball, I predict that certification will not go away. Consumers want to be assured, and if that is what it takes to sell beef, the beef industry is more than capable of meeting their needs and expectations.
TODAY’S FARM
6 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022
THE GLOBE
Southwest Minnesota farmland values increase 6.4% in 2021 WORTHINGTON — The annual survey of farm land sales in 14 southwest Minnesota counties is completed, and farmland values are again on the rise. The survey, conducted by University of Minnesota Extension, gathers information on sales of bare farm land to non-related parties recorded during the first six months of each year. Land values had steadily increased until 2014. After reaching record high prices in 2013, the upward trend was broken when prices declined in 2014. That decline continued through 2017. While land values increased in 2018, they remained constant in 2019 and declined again in 2020. The summary report for this annual survey is available at your county’s University of Minnesota Extension office. This year, the increase across the 14 counties averaged 6.4%. The average southwest Minnesota land price was $6,780 in 2021. Farmland prices decreased in four counties — Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin and Rock — but increased in nine counties from 2020 to 2021. There was a lot of variability in the numbers from 2020 to 2021. The largest increase was in Lincoln County with an increase of 64%, while Martin County experienced the largest decrease, at 15.9% for sales that met the bare farmland to non-related party transaction requirements. Pipestone County had the highest average sale price of $9,008 per acre, and Lac qui Parle the
DAVID
BAU
University of MN Extension
lowest at $4,719 per acre. The average Crop Equivalency Rating (CER) for the 14 counties was 68, with the highest price per CER in Pipestone County at $100.27 and the lowest in Lincoln County at $67.30 per CER. The assessed values were lower than actual sales price with the assessed value at 80.34% of the sales price. Historically, the assessed value would be 75% to 80% of the sales value. Three counties experienced average sales prices that were lower than the assessed values in 2021, while 11 counties experienced average sales prices that were more than the average assessed values. The lowest percentage was 69.6% in Lincoln County. Sales vary within a county each year, and land location may have an effect on these average values. The quality of the land sold within a county may also be a factor in the wide swings in the prices from year to year. The number of sales in each county varies greatly from year to year. The 6.4% increase is above historical increases of 1% to 2%. For the last 10 years, there have been large percentage changes. In the eight years before 2014, prices increased at an annual rate of 15.3%. But from 2014 to present, the average change has been -4.6%, until a large increase in 2021.
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Source: Dave Bau/University of Minnesota Extension
There are several factors that have an effect on land values. Farm incomes, grain prices, interest rates, return on other investments and 1031 exchanges are often mentioned as reasons for the increase. Farm profits were weaker in 2013 and have been negative since 2014 with lower commodity prices. There were good to record profits in the southwest Minnesota Adult Farm Management program, from 2005 through 2012. During 2013, half the farms in adult farm management in southern Minnesota lost money on corn production. Average incomes improved in 2019 and 2020, and were higher in 2021. If the average farmer had losses from 2014 through 2018, this would soften local demand for land from farmers. Interest rates have stayed relatively flat and land rental income is comparable or
higher than what an investor can earn from treasury bills, bonds or certificates of deposit at financial institutions. The stock market also increased in 2021. The 1031 exchange is for farmers or property owners who have land in an area of increased value, due to location to city or development. Rather than pay taxes on large gains from the sale of those lands, they purchase like-property or
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other farmland at a more reasonable price, which increases rural farmland demand. The reason for increases or decreases in farm land sale prices is a combination of all of these factors. If you would like a copy of the 2-page document on the trends in farmland sale prices, contact your county Extension office. The direction farmland values will take depends on several factors. Supply and demand will determine
this. The simple return on investment, which is determined by rental rates, will determine how competitive farmland is compared to other investments. This will determine the value for farmland. Corn and soybean prices were high in 2021 and remain high at the start of 2022. This should have an impact on profits, farm rental rates and eventually farmland values. The government program payments decreased in 2021.
Jess Donkersloot Highway 59•Slayton, MN 56172 507-370-1912
TODAY’S FARM
THE GLOBE
Myron Meyer holds a clear box labeled M.G.M Honey, with honeycomb inside.
BEEKEEPING From Page 1
Over the 10 years of beekeeping, Meyer has had up to 12 hives — a number he said was way too much work. While commercial honey producers are likely to have over 1,000 hives and ship them nationwide, Meyer is happy with the nine hives he currently has under his care and even plans to reduce down to two over the next couple of years. “I’m 80 years old,” Meyer said. “I do this as a hobby … I’m getting to find that I cannot do the work that needs to be done with (the hives).” In the summer, Meyer takes the bee hives and places them throughout Nobles County, in areas where there are lots of wildlife and flowers. Then,
usually around the first or second week in August, when the bees have completed their own harvesting, he begins the process of extracting honey. “When you harvest your honey, you have to be sure you leave 70 to 140 pounds of honey in the existing hive,” said Meyer. “They use that through the winter to survive… So you cannot take all of the honey. Normally I get about 30 to 50 gallons of honey a year depending on how many hives I have out there.” Meyer removes frames — called honey supers — from the boxes where bees store honey, and removes the wax caps from the honey cells. He then uses an extractor to remove the honey from the cells within the frame. He has three granddaughters who come and help him out during this process, and after, the honey is jarred and ready
to go. “Most of it I just give away,” said Meyer. “I’m not in it to make money. It’s a hobby … it just gives me something to do.” By September, all of the hives are brought back to Meyer’s home, where he puts up a wind barrier to protect the bees, and wraps the beehive before winter sets in, leaving only a few openings for ventilation. “The bees are alive all winter,” said Meyer. “They’re moving around the home. They don’t hibernate. What they’ll do is form a cluster … and that cluster will move around to where the honey is.” At the center of this cluster is where the queen is kept. The other bees keep her warm and protected throughout the winter once temperatures start to dip below 50 degrees, Meyer said. As long as they
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022 | 7
Tim Middagh / The Globe
have enough honey, most of the bees survive. There’s a lot of work that comes with beekeeping, and a lot to be aware of. Meyer said that learning about all of the different diseases and pesticides out there that can affect bee colonies, so it’s important to know your stuff. “Really,” Meyers ends with, “it comes with years of experience.”
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Meyer and his three granddaughters stand around a cylindrical honey extractor.
8 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022
TODAY’S FARM
LYNDY PHILLIPS HUMORIST & ENTERTAINER
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2022 BIG TOP TENTS & EVENTS
LUVERNE, MINNESOTA SOCIAL HOUR AT 6PM STEAK DINNER AT 6:30PM FOLLOWED BY OUR ENTERTAINER. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT DOOR $25/PLATE.
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