Harvest 2015

HARVEST Fall 2015

A special supplement to The Daily Republic and Advisor.

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HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

Corn production is down, but quality remains solid

In this edition ...

Outlook: County-bycounty harvest projections......................... A4 Trade agreement: State exports could be boosted.................... A3 Soybeans: Yields up, prices still down...... A7 Battle lines: Legislative fight over labeling looms....... A10

On the cover Cover design by Stacey Schleich/Republic.

MetroCreative photos.

Corn jumps after forecast reduced for yields in US

By MEGAN DURISIN and JEFF WILSON Bloomberg News

Matt Gade/Republic

Corn yield predictions for this year dipped from their August forecast, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture officials.

East River fields helped by timely rains, experts say

By EVAN HENDERSHOT The Daily Republic

Waves of gold and green corn crops are popping up throughout South Dakota as harvest approaches, but you may notice less corn than years past.

According to the August report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, corn production is down 4 percent in the United States from 2014. The decrease in the country’s corn production

could be the result of plummeting corn prices.

With corn prices having dropped by about $2 per bushel since 2013, some corn growers are transitioning acreage typically used for corn into more stable products.

One Fulton farmer has done just that in 2015 by experimenting with other crops.

Tom Bannwarth, of Mitchell, farms about 4,000 acres in Fulton

with his four brothers. In previous years, the Bannwarths have planted approximately 3,100 acres of corn, but declining sale prices have led the brothers to drop that number by 600 acres and replace part of the corn crop with milo.

Many farmers like the Bannwarths have realized the rising input costs involved with planting corn, as well as the declining return on investment.

Bannwarth said this realization

may account for the declining national corn production.

While corn prices have steadily hovered around $3 per bushel for the past year, Bannwarth still expects a good crop in 2015 thanks to his decision not to cut input costs.

Bannwarth said many try to cut fertilizer, chemical, seed and equipment costs to boost their revenue — at the detriment to See DAKOTA, Page A3

CHICAGO — Corn futures jumped the most in a month after the U.S. government reduced its forecast for domestic production, citing lower yields after excessive rain across parts of the Midwest.

This year’s harvest will be 13.585 billion bushels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said recently, down from its August estimate of 13.686 billion bushels.

While the latest projection is higher than the 13.484 billion-bushel average of 33 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News, it still reflects the impact of recordhigh amounts of rain in Illinois, See NATION, Page A6

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HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

A3

Trade agreement could boost state agriculture exports

By EVAN HENDERSHOT The Daily Republic

Evan Hendershot/Republic

Tom Bannwarth inspects an ear of corn in early September on his Fulton farm.

DAKOTA

Continued from Page A2

crop quality.

Although he reduced his total corn acreage in 2015, he said crop quality is still high. Bannwarth said the good weather and decision not to cut too many input costs helped his product.

“My dad always said plan for a good year,” Bannwarth said. “We don’t really change anything, except we’re trying some milo out and seeing how that’s worked.”

Bannwarth, who took over his father’s operation with four of his brothers eight years ago, said his Fulton farm was fortunate to miss the hail that damaged corn in nearby Mount Vernon.

He was also satisfied with the mid-80s temperatures throughout the summer, which he called ideal growing conditions.

Growing conditions weren’t perfect in 2015, according to Bannwarth, but he still expects a good crop come harvest in early October.

“We caught some pretty good rains in July and August,” Bannwarth said.

“But I think from last year we might be down just a touch. I think we just caught a couple more good rains last year, but you never can tell until you get out there.”

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For the acres that are out there, farmers are going to be happy with what they see.

Reno Brueggeman, SD Corn Utilization Council

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Reno Brueggeman, president of the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council, agreed with Bannwarth about the growing conditions for the eastern half of the state in 2015.

“We’ve had very timely rains and plenty of it,” Brueggeman said. “But when you get west toward Pierre, the quality starts to decrease a bit. You get along off to Sully County and Potter County and it’s in pretty rough shape.”

Brueggeman, who farms in Miller when he’s not serving with the Corn Utilization Council, said every farmer’s corn production this year will likely be determined by whether they were hit by hail.

“It all depends on the stage that you got it, but there’s a lot of hit-andmiss hail areas if you drive around the state,” Brueggeman said.

Hail does the most damage, Brueggeman said, during tasseling, which could have an impact during pollination and ear development stages.

Farmers like Bannwarth were able to avoid that hit-and-miss hail, and

Bruggeman guessed those farmers would be satisfied with their crops.

“For the acres that are out there, farmers are going to be happy with what they see,” Bruggeman said.

As far as the flat corn prices, Brueggeman said his organization is working to combat the stagnation.

He said the Corn Council is looking for new usage of corn, but corn production in the nation and the state will come down to which crops are more profitable for farmers. Right now, corn is not the most attractive crop.

Even as national corn production levels dropped by 4 percent, the National Agricultural Statistics Service still predicts 2015 to be one of the highest yields on record. As long as South Dakota avoids a wet fall or early frost, Bruggeman expects a quality year for the state’s corn crop.

“We were lucky we had good growing conditions and timely rains, and hopefully yields will offset some of the other challenges that we face in price,” said Brueggeman.

Providing Flexible Ag Financing

South Dakota’s top industry might have the chance to grow rapidly with the help of a new trade agreement.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership has been in negotiations since 2009, but many hope to wrap up the 12-country trade agreement this year to boost America’s ability to export goods.

One of those who hopes to complete the agreement is South Dakota Rep. Kristi Noem.

In an August interview with The Daily Republic, when Noem made a trip back to her home state during Congress’ recess, she said the TPP would provide “huge benefits” for South Dakota. Noem, a Republican, said one out of every three acres harvested in the state is already exported outside of the country, and this trade agreement could help generate new revenue for South Dakota’s agriculture industry.

“When we get these new trade agreements, we have a lot of potential to grow our economy and businesses that are here,” Noem said in August.

The trade agreement includes the U.S., Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, a group of countries representing about 40 percent of the global gross domestic product.

According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the agreement would eliminate tariffs and barriers to participating nations in an effort to promote “more seamless and efficient” trade.

Noem said several people have approached her in support of the agreement that could help support the state’s approximately 28,500 farm-related jobs.

She also said many of the trade agreement’s critics do not realize that 95 percent of the world’s economy operates outside of the U.S. and that trade agreements help reach those global markets.

South Dakota’s U.S. Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds, both Republicans, also support the agreement. Rounds said the TPP has the potential to create more than 500,000 jobs in the United States, increase agricultural productivity and could add billions to the nation’s economy.

Thune supports the removal of tariffs on South Dakota products.

“American goods, including South Dakota’s agriculture products, oftentimes face heavy tariffs and unjustified regulations when they are shipped overseas, putting them at a significant disadvantage,” said Thune. “It is important, both for agriculture producers and our economy, to remove these barriers, which is why negotiating the strongest possible Trans-Pacific Partnership must be a priority.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, countries where the U.S. has free trade agreements saw food and agriculture exports grow significantly, and they claim the TPP will have similar benefits.

Two crops that might see increased sales if the agreement is passed are soybeans and wheat. Soybeans accounted for $1.2 billion in exports from South Dakota in 2013, with Japan being a particularly large destination for the crop. If the TPP is approved, high tariffs will be cut and could offer more opportunities for South Dakota soybean exporters.

Because of the heavily exported soybean harvest in the state, the South Dakota Soybean Association’s Executive Director Jeremy Freking supports the proposed agreement.

“In a state like South Dakota, where we export over 60 percent of our soybean crop, increasing market access would have a significant impact on our state’s soybean growers, boosting the local economy and creating jobs as home,” Freking said in an email.

South Dakota also exported about $421 million in wheat in 2013. According to the Department of Agriculture, wheat faces high tariffs in Japan, which could also increase exports to the region.

Noem hoped the trade agreement would help increase the presence of American products in the global market.

“You can walk into almost any store in South Dakota and see products made from virtually every other country in the world, but if you go to China, Japan or even Canada and go into their stores, you see very few things made in the United States,” Noem said.

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HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

County-by-county harvest outlook

TRADE

Continued from Page A3

Matt Gade/Republic

Sunflowers are pictured in early September.

Spotty rains, hail cause varying yields in area

By The Daily Republic

It just depends.

That’s the consensus on what crop yields look like in southcentral and southeastern South Dakota this year.

Spotty rains and rampant thunderstorms throughout the summer left some farmers with much-needed timely rains, others with barely enough, and still others with varying states of hail damage. That leaves a wide range of yield predictions, from wheat yields topping out at 65 bushels per acre in Hutchinson County, to a dry spring shutting out winter wheat in other areas like Brule

and Buffalo counties.

In early to mid-September, The Daily Republic canvassed its print circulation area to gather yield and other harvest predictions. Following are summaries of that information.

management field specialist with the SDSU Extension Mitchell Regional Center.

“And some suppliers said seed prices will not be decreasing next year, though that’s what the farmers need.”

Davis said silaging is in full swing. Some corn and soybeans are already being combined.

Even though some farmers took damage to their fields over the summer months due to harsh weather, the yields will still be good, but estimates were not available.

“The timing wasn’t right for the rain,” Davis said, “so it was hard for guys to get

Aurora Farmers are expecting an average to above-average yield for corn, soybeans and alfalfa in Aurora County, but due to input costs, Jack Davis said farmers have lost profitability and will be looking for ways to cut costs next season.

“Cash rent is a concern,” said Davis, a crops business

quality hay up this year.”

Davis said at this time, prices for crops are low in anticipation of a large crop to be harvested, but “we’ll see if that holds or not.”

despite spotty rainfall. He said rainfall has varied widely across the county.

“That’s been the story of the year. Just depends on which one you caught,” he said. “We didn’t get those widespread rainshowers.”

Despite the variance, he said timely rains helped corn, and some August rains helped fill out soybean pods in the county.

Those timely rains also helped with the hay crop this year.

He said it’s still too early to predict crop yields, saying farmers haven’t yet hit the fields to harvest.

Bon Homme It’s too early to tell specifics, but Bon Homme County farmers are expecting above-average crops this year.

David Charles, county executive director for the Bon Homme County Farm Service Agency, said the major crops for Bon Homme County are corn, soybeans and hay. He said corn looks good this year,

See OUTLOOK, Page A5

But many South Dakota farmers have concerns with the TPP negotiations.

Matt Sibley, a legislative specialist with the South Dakota Farmers Union, said protections against foreign currency manipulation are nowhere to be found in the prospective trade agreement.

“We don’t argue that it will have the potential to open up a number of markets for our products, which is good because we’re always looking for more place to market our products, but where we differ is we’re looking at the lack of language on currency manipulation,” Sibley said.

Foreign countries, including some involved in the TPP, have been accused of currency manipulation to devalue their currency to lower the cost of their exports. This can make foreign products more affordable and attractive to importers while making U.S. products seem expensive in comparison.

Sibley also said that currency manipulation, due to a decreased interest in less affordable U.S. products, can slow job growth in South Dakota’s rural communities.

Sibley said this stance on the TPP comes directly from the farmers union members.

“All of our policies are generated from the bottom up, so that has been one of the issues that our membership has felt pretty strongly about,” Sibley said.

Sibley said the S.D. Farmers Union has had discussions with Noem about the proposed agreement, and members hope to continue that dialogue during a September meeting with Noem and some union members.

If it’s not agreed upon in the upcoming months, the TransPacific Partnership could enter its seventh year of negotiations on the controversial trade agreement.

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OUTLOOK Continued from Page A4

Brule According to Jim Anderson, executive director of the Farm Service Agency for Brule and Buffalo counties, the sunflowers this year are the strongest crop. He predicts 3,000 pounds per acre.

“Farmers in the area have said it is the best sunflower crop they have ever had,” Anderson said.

Besides above-average grain sorghum (75 to 100 bushels per acre), other crops will not be as plentiful this year.

“Most of the winter wheat failed,” Anderson said. “It was replanted to corn and soybeans.”

Corn could be anywhere from 50 to 150 bushels per acre, he said, depending on where you are in the county. Some areas were drier than others.

“Soybeans are probably better than what people think, anywhere from 35 to 65 bushels per acre,” Anderson said.

Brule County has suffered enough from drought this year to call on the emergency water program for assistance.

“The dams and dugouts are dry,” Anderson said. “There was no runoff, and most are relying on rural water or wells.”

Brule County farmers have been managing a few pests this year as well, including grasshoppers, weevils and grubs, which can be a detriment to acres of crops.

“The grubs are really a problem,” Anderson said. “They are hard to deal with, but sometimes you have to let mother nature run her course.”

Buffalo Farmers in Buffalo County planted more feed crop for cattle this year due to a good livestock market and low grain prices.

Brian Baum, agronomist with Wheat Growers, estimates 45 bushels per acre for soybeans and 130 bushels per acre for the corn crop.

“Winter wheat was taken out due to a dry spring, so we are seeing more sunflowers and feed crops,” Baum said.

Grasshoppers have been an issue for Buffalo County crops, and again, Baum said commodity prices are very expensive, leaving farmers the last to make their cash.

“The sad part is, even with a good yield, you still might not make any money,” he said.

Charles Mix Charles Mix County reported similar conditions to Bon Homme, citing conditions as mostly good across the county.

“Our county is pretty large,” said Ruth Bergin, acting county executive director for Farm Service Agency in Charles Mix County.

Corn and soybeans are the biggest crops for the county, Bergin said. She said there is also some hay production, and a little wheat. Bergin said it’s too early to give yield estimates, but she’s received positive reports from farmers in the Geddes area.

That area received timely rains to help its crops, she said.

Other areas weren’t so lucky, she said.

Rainfall varied in the Lake Andes and Platte areas, and harsh weather caused some damage elsewhere. Some of the bean fields north of Wagner, for instance, were hit by hail.

Bergin said corn and beans are drying down well, and farmers hope to start harvest around Sept. 20.

Davison

A farmer works a field on Sept. 9 northeast of Mount Vernon.

than last year overall,” said Jack Davis, crops business management field specialist for SDSU Extension in Mitchell.

Davis said the two most common crops growing in Davison County are corn and soybeans, but there are high numbers of alfalfa and other forages as well.

According to Davis, crops in western Davison County will likely produce smaller yields.

“In June, there was quite a bit (of bad weather) out in the western part of the county,” Davis said. “Yields out west will be less.”

Douglas Douglas County’s crops look pretty good this year, according to Charlene Bietz, county executive director for Farm Service Agency in Douglas County.

Bietz did not have yield estimates, but said corn and soybeans — the county’s largest crops — will probably be average or above average this year.

She said the western part of the county was a little dry, but timely rains did help producers putting up hay. Bietz said it was a good year for alfalfa, with most farmers getting three cuttings. Some got up to four cuttings, which she said doesn’t always happen.

“It’s been a pretty good year here,” she said.

Gregory Everything is in place for a big corn crop in Gregory County, maybe the best in years, according to Becky Zirpel, who is the Gregory County executive director of the Farm Service Agency office in Burke.

She pointed to the county’s varying qualities in soil as being the primary indicator of what happens with the season’s harvest.

In the better areas, between 100 and 150 bushels per acre is possible, while 100 bushels per acre in the more sandy soil is being forecast.

“We do have pretty good crops throughout the whole county,” she said. “This has always been such a diversified county when it comes to soil. And when you look at productivity, it’s a whole balance between where there’s good soils and whether or not there’s been rain. It can vary a lot.”

On soybeans, some places could see 45 bushels per acre, while others could be closer to 30 bushels per acre.

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Hanson Heidi Rients, district conservationist for Natural Resources Conservation Service in Davison and Hanson counties, said Hanson County farmers could see yields between 140 and 170 bushels per acre for corn and 40 to 50 bushels per acre for soybean.

“One thing I know is a little different this year is we started out dry,” Rients said.

“The last couple months have been drier than normal in spots, the rain has been really spotty, and hail isn’t helping.”

Rients said one area could get over 3 inches, and another could get none at all.

Yields can also vary greatly depending on different soil management practices, which can change yields not only field to field, but inch to inch within a field.

Still, Rients is hopeful for a favorable yield overall.

“I think it’s one of the better years that we’ve had,” Rients said. “It’s not the best year we’ve ever had, but I think it’s better.”

Rients said she thinks most farmers are optimistic, unless their crops were hailed on.

Crops look strong in Hutchinson County, experts say, helped by timely rains and mostly mild weather.

Donna Webb, county executive director for the Farm Service Agency in Hutchinson County, said the wheat harvest averaged 50

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to 52 bushels per acre, with the best yield topping out at 65 bushels per acre in the county.

She said she expects the corn crop to yield from 180 to 220 bushels per acre, while soybeans should yield around 55 bushels per acre.

“Things look great out there,” she said, adding that the soybeans are starting to turn nicely.

Hay also did well this year, with some producers turning out a fifth cutting — four is typically the most in one season — though, she noted the third and fourth cuttings weren’t exceptional. She said hay yields were 4½ to 5 tons per acre in some places.

Like other counties in the area, Webb said some of the rains were spotty, which left some parts of the county more dry than others, particularly on its southern edge.

She said the county also saw a couple of hail storms knock down crops in isolated areas.

Jerauld Recent showers in Jerauld County have put farmers at ease, according to Brian Baum, agronomist with Wheat Growers.

He estimates 45 bushels per acre for soybeans and 145 bushels per acre for the corn crop.

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location for alfalfa production, and some locations didn’t turn out to be as strong as they thought. The high average this year is 3 tons per acre and some farmers are now starting in on their third cutting.

Zirpel said winter wheat turned out to be an odd crop this year, with farmers either failing completely or finding great success.

For the latter, some are seeing 75 bushels per acre. The variation in yields could be from the fall before.

“We had dry conditions and heavy winds,” she said. “I’m not really sure why some of it failed, but I’m sure it has something to do with the ground it’s on and how it was handled.”

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Overall, corn and soybean yields are expected to be fairly high, but there could be large variations throughout the county due to early summer storms.

Farmers in Davison County will likely see corn yields of more than 140 bushels per acre and soybean yields of 40 to 45 bushels, according to Heidi Rients, district conservationist for Natural Resources Conservation Service in Davison and Hanson counties.

“I would say that we’re looking better

Matt Gade/Republic

“Proud to Serve the Area Farmers”

A6

HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

OUTLOOK Continued from Page A5

Like Buffalo County, more farmers in Jerauld County have planted feed crops this year because the livestock market is good, Baum said.

Though the crop will yield some nice results, farmers might still have some issues breaking even. More than spotty hail and the grasshoppers chewing on pods and eating silks, Baum said farmers are plagued by high commodity prices.

“Farmers are hesitant about what to do for next year,” Baum said.

High cash rent and an increase in fertilizer costs are going to make breaking even tough this season.

“It’s very scary,” Baum said. “If it stays like this for another two years, it will be hard for farmers to keep going.”

Baum said farmers need cash rent to come down, fertilizer prices to come down, commodity prices to at least stay where they are, and all other inputs need to come down, too.

Farmers in Jerauld County are no strangers to using manure in their fields, but Baum said unless they are close to a feedlot, it isn’t feasible from a budgeting standpoint.

Jones It’s been a big year for sunflowers in Jones County, which farmers frequently turned to earlier this year when they were looking for a profitable crop.

“We’re going to have a really big crop,” said Levi Newsam, who is the facility manager at Dakota Mill and Grain’s Murdo location. “They look really good with both the corn and sunflowers. We’ve had plenty moisture, that’s for sure.”

Kraig Henrichs, the acting manager at Midwest Cooperatives in Draper, said the timely rains have made the difference.

“Between the good moisture and the warm weather since there, we’re in pretty good shape,” Henrichs said.

Newsam said some fields will be late, because some farmers were caught in a dry spell in the spring and tried to wait it out.

“It caused some people to change what they were going to plant,” he said. “Right here locally, some things are behind. Milo is still green in some spots, and

some are quite a ways out.”

There are few soybeans in Jones County, so corn is expected to be the big row crop again this year. Newsam guessed there would be some 100-plus bushels per acre fields of corn.

He said sunflowers will take a jump mainly because there have been more acres planted in Murdo and Draper areas this year.

“They’ve just done exceptional, and we’ve had a lot of fields that are doing pretty good,” he said.

Lyman A variety of crops were planted in Lyman County this year, and according to Bob Fanning, all will have a pretty strong yield.

Fanning, sales agronomist for Country Pride Coop in Winner, estimates 100 bushels per acre of corn, 2,000 pounds per acre of sunflowers, 30 to 40 bushels per acre of soybeans, and anywhere from 80 to 100 bushels per acre of grain sorghum.

“In general, crops look very good,” he said.

The sunflowers have had adequate rainfall, according to Fanning, and most of the fields are weed free. Weed control, fertility and good insect control generally lead to better yields, he said.

“There were a few storms this year, but they were early enough to not affect the crops that much,” he said.

Though the yields are good, farmers are concerned about high input costs.

“I think it will affect what farmers put in next year,” Fanning said. “Corn is a good crop for a lot of people, but with the input costs being pretty big and the cost not much more than three dollars a bushel, it’s hard to raise any money to pay the bills.”

Miner Yields are expected to be lower than last year in Miner County, but officials believe corn and soybean numbers will still be higher than the statewide average in 2014.

“An estimate of corn is 120 to 170 (bushels per acre), which is down from last year,” said Susanne Odden, county executive director of the Miner County Farm Service Agency. “Soybean, they’re thinking in the mid-40s, like 45 or so bushels to the acre.”

The average statewide corn

yield in 2014 was 142 bushels per acre, and the average soybean yield was 40 bushels per acre, according to numbers provided by iGrow, a service of SDSU Extension.

Odden said there is a large amount of silage being cut because the hay crop was half its normal level or less. Pasture grasses are short, so Odden said everyone is planning to wean animals early.

Odden also said the winter wheat performed well this year.

“We had somebody report 80 or 90 bushels (per acre),” Odden said.

McCook Farmers should be able to expect good yields in McCook this year, according to the Farm Service Agency in McCook County.

Leah Turgeon, county executive director for FSA in McCook County, said the primarily corn-producing county can expect anywhere from 160 to 200 bushel-per-acre corn yields.

For soybeans, farmers should be able to expect between 40 and 50 bushels on average.

“Everything is looking good in McCook,” Turgeon said.

Turgeon said these yields would be a little better than last year, thanks to cooperative weather.

“Moisture in most of the county has been good and timely,” Turgeon said. “We always have areas that are lacking, but for most of the county, we’ve had good rain to sustain the crop, pending no bad weather.”

Turgeon said farmers were optimistic on the harvest but were disappointed on the prices.

Although prices haven’t stumped as low as the late ’90s and early 2000s, according to Turgeon, “we wish we could do something to get them raised.”

Sanborn Yields in Sanborn County are likely to fluctuate greatly from farm to farm, according to Owen Anderson, county executive director for the Farm Service Agency in Sanborn County.

Farmers in Sanborn County grow many crops, including wheat, oat, corn silage, sunflowers and alfalfa, but Anderson said the most common were corn and soybeans.

Anderson’s county committee, which discusses farm-based

issues in both Sanborn and Jerauld counties, determined that yields from the coming harvest will be “wildly variable.”

“We’re going to have some pockets where we’ll have extremely good yields, and we’ll have some pockets that have zero to poor,” Anderson said.

Anderson said isolated incidents of hail and drought have caused crops on some farms to grow less than other crops, some of which are very nearby.

Since the season started out dry, not every farm was exposed to a necessary amount of moisture. Anderson said he’s also heard farmers talking about a high number of grasshoppers in the fields.

Last year, the average corn yield in Sanborn County was 130.7 bushels per acre, and the average soybean yield was 41.1 bushels per acre, but yields are not likely to be that high this year.

“I would guess our yields are going to be lower than last year overall,” Anderson said.

Tripp Big yields seem possible in Tripp County, according to Mike Trosen, who is the CEO of Winner-based Country Pride Cooperative.

He said based on some of the silage that has already been cut, yields of 175 bushels per acre are possible.

“That would be excellent. And I think people would certainly be happy with 150 bushels, as well,” he said.

Tripp County started out dry in the spring which, paired with cooler weather, affected the winter wheat crops. But good rains in the area have set the table for what could be a very strong crop.

It’s too early to know what sorts of yields will come from soybeans, he said, but beans, milo and sunflowers all look good.

“All of the row crops look good, and we’re going to have a challenge to handle them all,” he said.

Because of the potential for this season, Trosen said all of Country Pride’s locations are preparing for a big crop. That could include putting corn on the ground again — which is not ideal, but sometimes necessary.

“Right now, we’d rather have too much corn than not enough, and even though harvest is still a bit away, we want to be ready,”

NATION

Continued from Page A2

Indiana and Ohio in June.

“Today’s cut in corn yields is the beginning of further reductions,” Steve Nicholson, a vice president of food and agriculture research at Rabo AgriFinance Inc. in St. Louis, said in a telephone interview. The USDA “is beginning to recognize the damage earlier wet weather did to the crop. Supply is tightening up and will get smaller.”

Corn futures for December delivery rose 3.4 percent to close at $3.87 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, the biggest gain for a most-active contract since Aug. 10. Earlier, the price touched $3.875, the highest since Aug. 12.

Rice futures for November delivery advanced 1.3 percent to $12.83 per 100 pounds after reaching $12.90, the highest in almost a year. This week, the grain jumped 5.9 percent, the most since October 2011. The USDA cut the forecast for this year’s domestic crop by 7.6 percent from August.

Wheat futures for December delivery rose 1.5 percent to $4.85 a bushel after reaching $4.855, the highest since Sept. 2. This week, the grain climbed 3.7 percent, the most in two months.

Corn yield forecasts were reduced in states including Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana and South Dakota, according to the USDA. The estimate for Illinois, the second-largest U.S. grower, was raised.

Corn production last year rose to a record 14.216 billion bushels.

The grain is the biggest U.S. crop.

U.S. corn reserves on Aug. 31, the end of the marketing year, will be 1.592 billion bushels, the USDA said, compared with the August estimate of 1.713 billion.

Analysts expected 1.609 billion.

The government reduced its forecast for world inventories to 189.69 million metric tons from 195.09 million tons last month.

That’s lower than the 193.32 million forecast by analysts and would mark the first reduction in global stockpiles in five years.

Inventory estimates were reduced for the European Union and Brazil.

Smaller corn supplies can boost costs for ethanol refiners, which buy the grain to make fuel. Meat producers use the grain in livestock feed. The U.S. is the world’s largest grower.

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A7

Soybean yields up, prices still down Growth slower than last year, projections at record high levels

By JAKE SHAMA The Daily Republic

Soybeans in South Dakota are growing slower than last year, but projected forecasts are at record levels.

From information provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, soybean yields in South Dakota are expected to reach 45 bushels an acre.

If this forecast is realized, yields this year will match those in 2014, the record high in the state.

Dale Smith, a 68-year-old soybean grower with a farm southwest of Mitchell, was optimistic about the coming harvest.

“This year, we’re probably gonna have a pretty good year,” Smith said.

Smith thinks his soybeans may yield 35 to 40 bushels per acre, but he said it’s still too early to tell. Those numbers are a little under his average, but with how dry his farm has been, Smith said he’s satisfied.

Smith said he is more worried about low prices.

“The crop is good, but the prices are down. That’s the concern,” Smith said.

“The yield is not going to make up for it.”

Smith said prices have been dropping over the past two years due to high yields being produced around the nation, and he’s been told they will likely stay low for a few years more.

According to NASS, soybean prices rose slightly in July, but they still remain near their lowest level since 2010. The price of soybeans in July was $9.96 per bushel, a small increase from $9.58 in June. Prices have been dropping all year, starting at $10.30 per bushel in January.

The average price for soybeans in 2014 was about $12.50 per bushel, while prices were closer to $14 per bushel in 2012 and 2013. NASS only had information available as far back as 2010, when the average price for soybeans was $9.97 per bushel.

Nationally, 96 percent of this year’s soybean crop had emerged by July 12.

By that date last year, 100 percent of the 2014 crop had emerged, according to a NASS crop production report from Aug. 31.

By Aug. 2, 81 percent of this year’s soybean crop was at or beyond the blooming stage, 3 percentage points behind last year. But 54 percent of

Matt Gade/Republic

A soybean field east of Mitchell is pictured.

the soybeans were at or beyond the pod-setting stage, equal to last year and ahead of the five-year average.

Ninety-three percent were setting pods or beyond by Aug. 30, according to a NASS report from Sept. 11.

As of Aug. 30, 63 percent of the soybean crop was reported in good to excellent condition, 9 percentage points below the same time last year, the most recent report said.

Based on predictions made on Aug, 1, nationwide production is expected to reach 3.92 billion bushels, with an average yield of 46.9 bushels per acre, down 0.9 bushel per acre from last year. Area for harvest is forecasted to be a record 83.5 million acres, nearly one percent higher than 2014.

The projected yield was made possible in part thanks to favorable weather conditions throughout the Great Plains and the South.

In July, one area of south-central South Dakota received between 200 and 400 percent of the normal precipitation level. This is an area that includes parts of Gregory, Brule and Charles Mix counties.

The rest of southeastern South See SOYBEANS, Page A9

USDA unexpectedly raises soy forecast

By ALAN BJERGA Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Agriculture Department unexpectedly raised its forecast for the country’s soybean crop this year as favorable weather boosted yields.

The agency lowered its projections for corn production by less than analysts predicted.

U.S. farmers will harvest 3.935 billion bushels of soybeans, matching the high end of estimates from analysts surveyed

by Bloomberg, according to USDA figures released recently in Washington.

Production of the oilseed was a record 3.969 billion bushels last year. Analysts forecast a 2015 crop of 3.841 billion bushels. The department raised its forecast yield for soybeans to 47.1 bushels per acre from 46.9 bushels, compared with the average analyst estimate of 46.1. Supplies in the year ending Aug. 31, 2016, will be

450 million bushels, compared with 470 million predicted a month ago. The average analyst estimate was 424 million.

Cool weather in the Midwest, the main production region for the nation’s two most-valuable crops, reduced stress on crops during a crucial period for developing plants, the USDA said. Rainfall late in the month aided crops in the upper Midwest, “which experienced a nearly ideal growing season,” the USDA said in a monthly report.

Corn farmers will bring in 13.585 billion bushels of the grain this year, less than the 13.686 billion estimated a month ago.

Supplies in the year ending Aug. 31, 2016, will total 1.592 billion bushels of the grain, less than the 1.713 billion predicted in August, the USDA report showed. Analysts projected production this year of 13.484 billion bushels.

A8

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A9

World awash in soybeans

US farmers losing out to Brazil in global crop export market

By JEFF WILSON Bloomberg News

Jake Shama/Republic

Dale Smith, 68, of Mitchell, inspects his soybeans, which are nearly ready to be harvested.

SOYBEANS

for Midwestern corn and soybeans,” the NASS report said.

Thunderstorms have cropped up sporadically over the summer, but Smith said this year’s spring was uncharacteristically dry.

“We were so dry until May 1,” Smith said. “We just skimmed by with moisture.”

Smith’s farm hasn’t been struck by hail or heavy storms this year, but

Continued from Page A7

Dakota received more than 150 percent of the usual precipitation.

Nationally, widespread showers created the third-wettest July in the last two decades.

“Frequent showers and near- to below-normal temperatures maintained generally favorable conditions

it also hasn’t received much rain, which usually results in lower yields.

Smith said he has noticed more grasshoppers this year than usual due to the dry spring, but they aren’t a severe problem — yet.

“If we had year or two of dry springs like that,” Smith said. “The numbers aren’t that high, but they could be in a few years if nature doesn’t take care of them.”

American soybean farmers are beginning to harvest what’s expected to be their second-biggest crop.

At the same time, they’re seeing their share of the global export market shrink, reflecting the growing interdependence of Brazil and China in agricultural trading.

Brazilian production is also booming, adding to a worldwide glut. And while the country’s economy languishes, a weaker currency is helping it compete internationally, particularly in China, the biggest soybean buyer.

“There is a huge financial incentive for Brazil to ship as much as possible of its record harvest because of the dollar strength,” Bill Tierney, the chief economist at AgResource Co. in Chicago, said. “The U.S. window of exclusivity for shipping soybeans is shrinking.”

The U.S. Department of

Agriculture is expected to say domestic production will total 3.841 billion bushels, 20 percent more than the average for the prior 10 years, according to a Bloomberg News survey of 33 analysts.

When combined with reserves left over from the record crop of 2014, total U.S. supply this year will be the biggest ever. Soybean futures are down 14 percent in 2015, and hedge funds are betting that prices will fall further.

U.S. exports for delivery before Aug. 31 have dropped 38 percent from a year ago, according to USDA data.

Purchases of American soybeans by China plunged by more than half in the period.

Overall, China is buying more soybeans. It imported 7.78 million metric tons last month, up 29 percent from a year earlier, with most of that coming from Brazil.

July imports were at a record, customs data show.

Harvest marathon under way in Upper Midwest Good start in North Dakota town

By JONATHAN KNUTSON Forum News Service

REYNOLDS, N.D. — Harvest in much of the Upper Midwest used to be a sprint, an all-out August burst in which farmers rushed to take off their wheat and other small grains.

Now, harvest in big chunks of Agweek country is a marathon, a multi-month commitment that begins with wheat and ends in December with corn and sunflowers.

That evolution is evident here in Reynolds, N.D., a quintessential Upper Midwest farm town.

Reynolds, population 300, strad-

dles the border of North Dakota’s Grand Forks and Traill counties in the fertile Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.

“When it was mainly wheat, harvest seemed to happen all at once. Now, it’s so spread out. It just goes on and on. You go from wheat to edible beans to soybeans to sugar beets and finish off with corn. You can’t sit back and relax.

The next crop is coming,” says Paul Coppin, manager of Reynolds United Co-op grain elevator, the town’s dominant business.

Its 50 full-time and 35 seasonal employees are spread among loca-

tions in Buxton, Hatton, Mayville, Portland and the main facility in Reynolds.

Farmers in the elevator’s trade area raise many crops, including wheat, barley, dry beans, soybeans, sugar beets, corn and sunflowers.

Ag economists say growing a number of crops adds diversity and reduces risk.

But doing so also lengthens the harvest season.

On the cool, sunny mid-September morning that Forum News Service visited Reynolds, wheat harvest was wrapped up and the edible bean and pre-pile sugar beet harvest were underway.

The pre-pile beet harvest allows the area’s sugar beet cooperatives to start their factories and prepare

for the full-scale harvest that will begin in early October.

Wheat harvest “was really good.

Yields were great, protein (content) was good. And it went off without any rain delays, which is unusual in this area. It was a quick, seamless harvest,” Coppin says. “But price-wise, it (wheat) isn’t where it should be.”

The otherwise successful wheat harvest has another downside, too. The paucity of August rains, which helped wheat harvest, hurt still-developing soybeans.

“For a really good soybean crop, you need rain in the middle of wheat harvest. And we didn’t get it,” Coppin says.

“We’ve had 2 to 3 inches in the last two months,” he says. “It was

Dates for fifth annual South Dakota Local Foods Conference announced for Nov. 6-7 at resort in Deadwood

Event meant to continue dialogue through in-depth sessions SIOUX FALLS — Save the date for the fifth annual South Dakota Local Foods Conference, which is scheduled for Nov. 6-7 at Cadillac Jack’s Resort in Deadwood.

The Local Foods Conference is sponsored by a collaboration of partners such as SDSU Extension, South Dakota Specialty Producers Association, South Dakota USDA Rural Development, Dakota Rural Action, the South Dakota Small Business Administration and the South Dakota Department of Agriculture.

The conference is meant to continue the dialogue on local foods among producers, growers, consumers, school nutrition programs, grocers, restaurants and resource providers.

The local foods movement is gaining momentum around the nation

and this conference offers timely information on business, marketing and production.

Other components of the event include local food meals, a local food panel of successful stories, a vendor show, and producer and resource provider networking.

Nov. 6, a Friday, will consist of a number of sessions focused on marketing topics including farm to school and Community Support Agriculture (CSA’s) and production topics such as berries, season extension, honey bees and organic production.

Additionally, Nov. 6 will include in-depth sessions on reservation food projects and business development for farm enterprises.

Nov. 7 will include Keynote Speaker Marty Travis from Stewards of the Land Food Hub in Illinois.

In-depth sessions on Saturday will include the topics of food hubs, food safety, and farm transitions/estate planning.

South Dakota Specialty Producer Association members and Dakota Rural Action members can participate in the two-day conference for $65 or attend a single day for $40.

Non-members are invited to attend at $75 for the complete conference or for $45 per day.

Registration information can be obtained by visiting http://www. iGrow/events or contact Christina Zdorovtsov at christina.zdorovtsov@ sdstate.edu or at (605) 782-3290.

Follow the South Dakota Local Foods Conference online https://www.facebook.com/ SouthDakotaLocalFoods.

— Source: SDSU Extension

enough to sustain the crop, but we lost some yield potential on the late crops. In (early) August, we were looking at a potentially really big bean crop. Now it’s just average,” The early September heat wave also worked against soybeans, at least the ones without sufficient moisture. The unseasonable warm helped corn, however, he says.

In any case, the long, drawnout harvest is the new norm, and farmers and other agriculturalists are accustomed to it now, Coppin says.

“We’ve been down this road before,” he says. “We know what to expect. Yes, we finished with the wheat. But it’s still harvest time. So bring it on.”

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A10

HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

Battle lines drawn as legislative food fight over labeling looms

By CAREY GILLAM Reuters

Combatants in a national food fight over labeling genetically modified products are gearing up for a showdown in the U.S. Senate, campaign leaders said on Sept. 8.

The tactics range from old-fashioned lobbying to modern social media campaigns, and both sides say it is too early to tell who will prevail. “I feel like we’re in the final battle now,� said David Bronner, a California business owner and leading backer of mandatory labeling for foods made with genetically engineered crops, also known as GMOs. Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s

Magic Soaps, said in a phone interview he has purchased $250,000 in advertising space in several national publications to identify what GMO critics see as concerns about GMO crops, and to challenge what he called a “smokescreen� promoted by corporations and others who say GMOs and the pesticides used on them are safe.

Bronner has already spent well over $2 million on efforts to pass GMO labeling laws in several states. His new ad buy includes advertorials in The New Yorker, The Nation, Forbes and other publications.

Leaders of the Just Label It movement say consumers want mandatory labeling so they can make informed choices about con-

suming foods made with GMOs. They have been meeting with senators, armed with 50,000 signatures from consumers the group said support mandatory GMO labeling. The group said last month its “#ConcealOrReveal� hashtag reached more than 9 million people through social media.

On the other side, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which represents more than 300 food companies, is also lobbying lawmakers hard and using social media. GMA and many top agricultural companies say GMO crops are as safe as conventional crops, and say mandatory labeling would result in unnecessary costs and confusion for consumers through an unworkable patchwork of state laws.

“This issue is a five-alarm fire for our industry,� GMA Vice President Michael Gruber said in a phone interview. “We need to get this resolved before the end of the year.�

Gruber said a U.S Senate agriculture committee is expected to take up the issue late this month.

The association wants to see the Senate approve a measure like the one passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July that creates a national, voluntary standard for labeling and blocks mandatory GMO labeling, including pre-empting a state labeling law set to take effect next year in Vermont.

Gruber said leaders from 500 different organizations supported the House measure and many are

Crop production a mixed bag New USDA report sees both increases, declines

By JONATHAN KNUTSON Forum News Service

FARGO, N.D. — Production of some of the Upper Midwest’s most important, albeit lesser-known, crops will rise this year, the federal government predicts.

Farmers will raise more spring wheat, barley, durum and dry edible beans in 2015 than a year ago, according to the Crop Production report released at noon Sept. 11 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The report — which provides an early, preliminary look at yields, harvested acres and production — generates the most attention nationally for its estimates of corn, cotton and

soybean production. But its predictions for production of other crops grown in the Upper Midwest are noteworthy, too.

Nationwide, corn production is forecast at 13.6 billion bushels, down 4 percent from a year ago, reflecting what NASS thinks will be fewer harvested acres and lower yields.

Minnesota and North Dakota farmers will raise more corn this year.

South Dakota producers will raise less, a drop in harvested acres more than offsetting higher yields.

U.S. soybean production is pegged at 3.94 billion bushels, down slightly from 3.96 billion bushels a year ago. That reflects a decline in yields that more than offsets an increase in harvested acres.

Minnesota and South Dakota farmers will raise more soybeans this year, North Dakota producers less. The North Dakota decline is the result of

both lower yields and fewer harvested acres.

Predictions aren’t available yet for many of the crops grown in the Upper Midwest. The list includes, lentils, canola, flax and sunflowers.

But the new report projects increases for some regionally prominent crops, with the estimates based on higher yields, more harvested acres or both: • Spring wheat — 621 million bushels, up from 595 million bushels in 2014. • Barley — 209 million bushels, up from 176 million a year earlier. • Durum — 76 million bushels, up from 53 million a year earlier. • Dry edible beans — 29.3 million hundredweight, up from 29.2 million hundredweight a year ago.

The estimates, which NASS emphasizes are preliminary, reflect conditions on Sept. 1 and are based on interviews with 11,000 farm operators nationwide.

3 C’s of Ag Financing

USDA, DOD launch ag education effort WASHINGTON — Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden and Dr. Susan Kelly, director of the Department of Defense’s Transition to Veterans Program Office, announced on Sept. 14 the integration of agriculture into the career training and counseling programs Service members receive as they transition out of the military. Information about USDA resources and programs will now reach 200,000 transitioning Service members every year. “Rural America disproportionately sends its sons and daughters to serve in the military. When Service members return home, we want them to know that rural America has a place for them — no See VETERANS, Page A12

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also reaching out to senators.

The debate over the safety of GMOs heated up in March when the World Health Organization’s cancer research unit classified glyphosate, the key herbicide sprayed on genetically modified crops, as “probably� cancer-causing for humans.

Glyphosate residues have been detected in food and water. GMO labeling proponents say concerns about glyphosate are a key reason GMO foods should be labeled.

Last week regulators in California, one of the largest U.S. farming states, said they are moving to list glyphosate as potentially cancer-causing. The California Environmental Protection Agency is taking public comments on the move through Oct. 5.

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Too many amber waves of grain?

Bloomberg News photo

A combine harvester drops grain into a waiting truck at Bolshiye Achasary village in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. The plunge in oil prices that has ravaged Russia’s economy and pushed the ruble down 45 percent in the past year has helped make the country’s wheat exports more competitive and eroded the buying power of energy-rich grain importers like Nigeria and Mexico.

Wheat glut erodes US exports as cheap Russian grain wins buyers

By WHITNEY McFERRON and ANATOLY MEDETSKY Bloomberg News

Oil isn’t the only commodity where the largest producers are fighting for market share in a world awash with supply.

Russia and the United States, two of the biggest wheat exporters, are going head-to-head in a battle for customers. Russian shippers, with the advantage of a weak currency and falling freight rates, can undercut most competitors, selling their grain about 16 percent cheaper than cargoes from the U.S. While American dominance in the global market has been shrinking for two decades as output expanded from the Black Sea

region, long-standing buyers of supplies from the U.S. are shifting more purchases to Russia.

The plunge in oil prices ravaged Russia’s economy and pushed the ruble down 45 percent in the past year, the biggest drop of any currency. That helped make the country’s exports more competitive and eroded the buying power of energy-rich grain importers like Nigeria and Mexico.

“Russian wheat is far cheaper,” said Gafai Ibrahim Usman, charge d’affaires at Nigeria’s embassy in Moscow. “There will be more and more wheat imported from Russia.

Nigeria’s mostly rural society can barely afford to buy products made from American wheat.”

Competition for market share

is intensifying after back-to-back bumper harvests worldwide left silos bursting. The largest stockpiles in almost 30 years, according to the International Grains Council, are pressuring wheat prices from Chicago to Paris and Russia’s port city of Novorossiysk.

Wheat entered a bear market last month and fell to as low as $4.63 a bushel on on Sept. 4, the weakest level since May 5, on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and once the top U.S. wheat customer, has cut purchases by almost half in the past five years.

The Black Sea region including Russia and Ukraine now contributes 17 percent of its imports, from 1 percent two years ago,

according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mexico reduced wheat imports from its North American neighbor 7.5 percent last season, and sales are down 29 percent since the current marketing year began June 1, USDA data show.

The Black Sea region has increased market share in Mexico to 12 percent from zero in the past two years, the department says.

The Baltic Dry Index, a gauge of freight costs, is down 22 percent in the past year, signaling lower costs for shipping Russia’s crop.

Russian wheat has maintained a discount to competitors, with prices about $34 a metric ton less than U.S. supply, according to data from the IGC and

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“It’s clearly a price issue as much as anything,” said Amy Reynolds, a senior economist at the IGC in London. “The Black Sea region has good-quality grain at a good price, and prices in the U.S. do appear to be too high to be justified.”

Both U.S. and Russian shipments have gotten off to a slow start this season, with traders in Russia grappling with an export tax that went into force July 1.

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SDSU Extension to host Ag CEO, lenders during Oct. conferences BROOKINGS — SDSU Extension will host Ag CEO Ag Lenders conferences in three South Dakota communities during the month of October.

“Ag lenders value up-todate and timely market, financial and production information. Having this knowledge helps them better assist clients regardless of the situation. Acquiring this knowledge takes time and effort, but the payoff is having a solid working relationship with clients,” said Jack Davis, SDSU Extension crops business management field specialist.

Davis explained that like the chief executive officer of any corporation, an ag CEO is a manager and visionary for their ag enterprise.

“SDSU Extension works with farmers and ranchers on their way to becoming an ag CEO by focusing on a systems approach to farm and ranch business planning,” Davis said. “Ag lenders play an important role in

WHEAT

Continued from Page A11

expects will be shipped by the U.S., which has seen its share of global exports drop to 16 percent from almost 30 percent in 2008, USDA data show.

Even as it loses market share, U.S. shippers maintain a geographical advantage in their own backyard. The wheat trade is divided roughly by region, with the Black Sea and Europe supplying most of the grain for major buyers in the Middle East and North Africa, the U.S. and Canada dominating in Latin America, and Australia supplying much of Asia.

While Mexico has cut

VETERANS Continued from Page A10

matter where they’re from,” said Harden. “This expanded collaboration between USDA and DOD will help to ensure that returning service members know that there are a wide variety of loans, grants, training and technical assistance for veterans who are passionate about a career in agriculture, no matter their experience level.”

“Our transitioning service members leave the military with a variety of essential skills — including leadership and discipline — that could be directly applied to a career in agriculture,” said Kelly.

Every year, approximately 200,000 service members

the creation of successful ag CEOs. SDSU Extension recognizes that ag lenders are important components of successful farm and ranch operations.”

This one-day conferences will focus on South Dakota land values, cash rent trends, calf backgrounding costs, beef feedlot issues, crop costs/South Dakota farm’s financial trends, grain market analysis and outlook, macroeconomic analysis and livestock market outlooks and analysis.

A discussion session will be included in each day’s conference wherein program needs, as they relate to producers and lenders, will be discussed.

SDSU Extension Regional Center (2001 E. Eighth St.) Registration for this conference is $75 and includes lunch.

Agenda

Rapid City, Oct. 15, at the SDSU West River Ag Center (1905 Plaza Boulevard) Aberdeen, Oct. 20, at the SDSU Extension Regional Center (13 Second Ave. SE) Sioux Falls, Oct. 22, at the

• 8:30-9 a.m.: Registration • 9-9:55 a.m.: S.D. land values and farm financial trends • 9:55-10:45 a.m.: Grain market analysis/outlook • 11-11:15 a.m.: Backgrounding budgets • 11:15-12:15 a.m.: Macroeconomic outlook • Lunch • 1-1:30 p.m.: Focus group discussion • 1:30-2:15 p.m.: Beef feedlot update/discussion • 2:15-3 p.m.: Livestock market analysis/outlook For more information, contact Davis at Jack.davis@ sdstate.edu or (605) 9957378. To register for the event, visit http://iGrow.org/ store/.

— Source: SDSU Extension

purchases, it remained the No. 2 buyer of U.S. wheat last year after Japan. Cheap Russian wheat makes sense now, but Mexico is unlikely to make a long-term shift away from U.S. grain, said Vince Peterson, vice president for overseas operations at the U.S. Wheat Associates lobby.

The countries share a 2,000-mile long border and free-trade status, with U.S. wheat shipped south by rail.

Nigeria, however, has become a “competitive crossroads” for the U.S. and Russia because it’s a similar nautical distance from both suppliers, Peterson said.

Shipments from Russia to Nigeria more than doubled last season to 721,000 tons,

according to researcher OOO ProZerno.

“We’re still maintaining a good market there, but no question it’s been eroded,” Peterson said by phone Aug. 21 from Arlington, Va. “Probably more Russian wheat is going to find its home in Africa.”

The U.S. has seen its market share eroded before as Russia became a more dominant exporter during the past 15 years. Egypt’s state-run grain buyer once sourced 90 percent of its imported wheat from the U.S. That had dropped to 7 percent by last season, while Russia accounted for 25 percent, according to Egypt’s General Authority for Supply Commodities.

complete the Transition Assistance Program as they prepare for civilian life.

This partnership will help to ensure returning service members know about the incentives for military veterans in USDA programs, and the ways USDA can support military veterans and their families, from farm loans to conservation programs to nutrition assistance to rural rental housing and homeownership opportunities.

Veterans can also visit www. usda.gov/veterans, a website designed to educate them about USDA programs.

Since 2009, USDA has provided $438 million in farm loans to help more than 6,482 veterans purchase farmland, buy equipment and make repairs and upgrades. Microloans, which offer smaller amounts of

support to meet the needs of small- or niche-type farm operations, have also grown in popularity among veterans. Since it was launched in January 2013, USDA’s microloan program has provided more than $22.6 million in support to help 1,083 veterans grow their farming businesses.

The announcement reflects USDA’s continued commitment to assisting veterans as they start or expand farming and ranching operations, in order to strengthen the American economy and provide livelihoods to our returning veterans. Today, more than 5 million veterans live in rural areas, a higher concentration than in any other part of the country.

— Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

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USDA offers help to farmers, ranchers affected by wildfires WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds farmers and ranchers affected by the recent wildfires in Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington State that USDA has programs to assist with their recovery efforts.

The Farm Service Agency can assist farmers and ranchers who lost livestock, grazing land, fences or eligible trees, bushes and vines as a result of a natural disaster. FSA administers a suite of safety-net programs to help producers recover from eligible losses, including the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, and the Tree Assistance Program.

In addition, the FSA Emergency Conservation Program provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought. Producers located in counties that received a primary or contiguous disaster designation are eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Compensation is also available to producers who purchased coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which protects non-insurable crops against natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses or prevented planting.

“Wildfires have caused devastating losses for many farmers and ranchers,” said FSA Administrator Val Dolcini. “Over the past several years, wildfires have increased in severity, intensity and cost as the fire season has grown longer, and drought and increased tem-

HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

Scientists say it’s been 500 years since California has been this dry

By DARRYL FEARS The Washington Post

Reuters photo

A firefighter watches a tree burn on Sept. 12 as the Butte fire rages near San Andreas, Calif. The fast-moving wildfire in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains grew overnight, destroying homes and threatening about 6,000 residences, fire officials said at the time.

peratures contribute to dangerous conditions. Natural disasters such as wildfires are unavoidable, but USDA has strong safety-net programs to help producers get back on their feet.”

The Natural Resources Conservation Service can assist producers with damaged grazing land as well as farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who find themselves in emergency situations caused by natural disasters. The NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program provides financial assistance to producers who agree to defer grazing on damaged land for two years. In the event that presidentially declared natural disasters, such as wildfires, lead to imminent threats to life and property, NRCS can assist local government sponsors with the cost of implementing conservation practices to address natural resource concerns and hazards through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

“After natural disasters

such as wildfires, it is critical that farmers, ranchers and forestland owners have financial and technical resources available to protect their natural resources and operations,” said NRCS Chief Jason Weller.

“Conservation practices protect the land and aid recovery, but can build the natural resource base and may help mitigate loss in future events.”

Farmers and ranchers with coverage through the federal crop insurance program administered by the Risk Management Agency should contact their crop insurance agent to discuss losses due to fire or other natural causes of loss. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA service centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator.

When wildfires destroy or severely damage residential property, Rural Development can assist with providing priority hardship application processing for

single family housing. Under a disaster designation, RD can issue a priority letter for next available multi-family housing units. RD also provides low-interest loans to community facilities, water environmental programs, businesses and cooperatives and to rural utilities.

For the first time in its 110-year history, the Forest Service, part of USDA, is spending more than 50 percent of its budget to suppress the nation’s wildfires.

Today, fire seasons are 78 days longer than in the 1970s. Since 2000, at least 10 states have had their largest fires on record. This year, there have been more than 46,000 fires. Visit https://go.usa.gov/3eDeF to learn more about USDA disaster preparedness and response.

For more information on USDA disaster assistance programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.

To find your local USDA service center, visit http:// offices.usda.gov.

— Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

B1

Researchers knew California’s drought was already a record breaker when they set out to find its exact place in history, but they were surprised by what they discovered: It has been 500 years since what is now the Golden State has been this dry.

California is in the fourth year of a severe drought with temperatures so high and precipitation so low that rain and snow evaporate almost as soon as it hits the ground. A research paper released Monday said an analysis of blue oak tree rings in the state’s Central Valley showed that weather conditions haven’t been this dire since the 1500s. That was around the time when European explorers landed in what became San Diego, when Columbus set off on a final voyage to the Caribbean, when King Henry VIII was alive.

“The results were astonishing,” said Valerie Trouet, an associate professor at the University of Arizona who was a senior author for the study. “We knew it was an all-time low over a historical period, but to see this as a low for the last 500 years, we didn’t expect that. There’s very little doubt about it.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Other authors include Soumaya Belmecheri, a research associate at the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree Ring

Research, Eugene R. Wahl, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate data center and David W. Stahle, a professor in the Geosciences Department at the University of Arkansas.

The National Science Foundation, the Department of the Interior and the Swiss National Science Foundation funded the work.

In a statement, Nature said the “findings highlight the critical condition” of California’s reservoirs and groundwater, where water the state needs for municipalities and agriculture is stored.

Both of those sources are slowly being drained with little precipitation to replenish the rivers and lakes that supply them.

The small amount of moisture stored in plants and the soil is quickly evaporating into the state’s dry atmosphere, exposing the parched ground to lightning strikes that spark wildfires. California has experienced about a thousand more wildfires this fire season compared to last, including two that are currently raging in the northern part of the state.

California is having its “second-busiest season in a decade,” said Stanton Florea, a spokesman for the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region, which manages 21 million acres of wildlands in California.

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Stone Drum, AFX Rotor, Chopper, Chaff Spreader,

75 ft. Boom, 750 gal., 12.4x42 Tires, EZ-Guide

Yield Monitor, Crary Grain Tank Ext.

500 Controller, EZ-Steer Autoguidance, 3-Section

2004 Case IH 2366,

Shutoff

1,857 hours,

2004 Demco HT1000 Sprayer, 60 ft., 1,000 gal.,

30.5x32 Drive Tires,

13.6x38 Tires, Raven 440 Controller

Field Tracker, Rock

2013 Schaben Sprayer, Trailing, 110 gal., 18 ft.

Trap, Stone Drum, Chopper, Chaff Spreader, Yield

SCOTT SUPPLY 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTS AND SERVICE SPECIALS Earn a $10 Case IH Reward Card for each Tiger Point purchase.

Minimum purchase requirement of five Tiger Points needed to qualify for this offer.

Before you put them away for the season...

,000 VERY $1 E R O F 00 PLY’S SAVE $1 OTT SUP C S IN T ROUGH SPEN NOW TH P O H S TRACTOR EMBER 30TH SEPT

IS HARVEST OON! COMING S rvice e se Schedule combin costly NOW to avoid r! downtime late

Sprayer inspection and winterization special:

$31900 Spend $1,250 or more on CNH genuine parts and service, and RECEIVE NO INTEREST FOR 120 DAYS - or Receive $75 PERKS STATEMENT CREDIT when you use your CNH Industrial Capital Productivity Plus.

2010 NH L175 Skid Steer Loader – JUST TRADED!

2009 Case IH 2020 30 ft., 3 in. Cut

2008 NH L170 Skid Steer Loader – JUST TRADED!

2007 Case IH 2020 30 ft., 3 in. Cut

(2) Unverferth 630 Grain Wagons, 630 bu., Duals

2006 Case IH 1020 30 ft., 3 in. Cut

2011 Rem 2700 Grain Vac, 225 hours

2002 Case IH 1020 25 ft., 3 in. Cut

2006 Westfield MK130-71 Plus GLP 13 in. x 71 ft.

Auger, Low Profile Swing Hopper, Electric Hopper

Tracker 2005 Case IH 2212 12R22, Hyd. Deck Plates, Field Tracker

Low Profile Swing Hopper

Used Balers

Koyker Super 85C 8 in. x 71 ft. Auger, Swing Hopper Unverferth HT30 30 ft. Header Transport

0% for 5 Years!

2008 NH BR7090, Net Wrap, Endless Belts, 1000 PTO 2012 H&S 14-Wheel V-Rake, High-Capacity 2005 NH BR780, Auto Wrap, Laced Belts, 1000 PTO Hesston 3986 14-Wheel V-Rake 2004 NH BR780, Net Wrap, Laced Belts, 1000 PTO

8250 850 bu.

SALE $35,350

1015 1,000+ bu.

SALE $46,250

Discharge, 3-pt.

Baler Inspection:

2004 Case IH RBX562, Laced Belts, 1000 PTO

1995 Case IH 1300 9 ft. Sicklebar Mower, 3-pt.

$18500

2003 NH BR780, Bale Command, Laced Belts, 1000

2013 Cub Cadet GTX2000 Lawn Mower, 20 hp, 116 hours, 42 in. Deck, Shaft Drive Hydro, Factory

PTO

Warranty

2001 NH 688, Auto Wrap, Laced Belts, 1000 PTO 2000 NH 688, Auto Wrap, Laced Belts, 540 PTO

2004 Cub Cadet Z-Force 44 Lawn Mower, 20 hp, 44 in. Deck

1992 Case IH 8480, 540 PTO

605-996-7704 1-800-952-2308

2008 Cub Cadet 4x4 UTV, 31 hp, 404 hours, EFI

“Where Service Means More Than The Sale Itself” TR9-3W 9-WHEEL RAKES $

Truckload Sale!

3750XL 375 seed units as low as $22,995 *add $1,995 for scale

2013 Farm King 755 7 ft. Finishing Mower, Rear

2004 NH BR780, Auto Wrap, Laced Belts, 1000 PTO

includes measuring belts for correct length

2800 W. Havens Mitchell, SD

$7,195

Low Profile Swing Hopper, Hyd. Power Swing Harvest International H1082 10 in. x 82 ft. Auger,

1989 Case IH 1063 6R30

Open-Concept Helix Reel

AWS42 42 ft. SALE

Mover 2003 Westfield MK130-71 GLP 13 in. x 71 ft. Auger,

1986 Case IH 3650, 540 PTO

www.scottsupplyco.com

Used Miscellaneous

(3) 2010 Case IH 2020 30 ft., 3 in. Cut

2005 Case IH 2208 8R30, Hyd. Deck Plates, Field

+ materials

*Parts and service promotions are cash or CNH Industrial Capital Productivity Plus only.

Boom, Electric Controls

Monitor, Maurer Grain Tank Ext. – JUST TRADED!

MKX 10x73 GLP MKX 10x83 GLP MKX 13x74 GLP MKX 13x84 GLP MKX 13x94 GLP MKX 13x114 GLP

$10,369 $11,925 $17,431 $22,999 $22,085 $28,654

NOW 4,750

VRX

SALE $23,850

1460 - 14-Wheel, 60 in. Rake Wheels

(1) RA142 420 cu. ft.

IN STOCK!

*limited to quantity on hand *other sizes available

HT8 8 ft. Hay Tedder

NOW $4,450

$39,950

NOW $16,795

1660 - 16-Wheel, 60 in. Rake Wheels

NOW $18,250

24 ft. Hay Feeder

NOW $4,950 *add $825 for inserts

996-7704 1-800-952-2308

www.scottsupplyco.com

2800 W. Havens Mitchell, SD

www.scottsupplyco.com 2800 W. Havens • Mitchell, SD 996-7704 • 1-800-952-2308

www.scottsupplyco.com

www.scottsupplyco.com

996-7704 • 1-800-952-2308 2800 W. Havens • Mitchell, SD

996-7704 • 1-800-952-2308 2800 W. Havens • Mitchell, SD

996-7704 1-800-952-2308

www.scottsupplyco.com

2800 W. Havens Mitchell, SD

B4

HARVEST SEPTEMBER 2015

An ear of corn is pictured in early September in a Mitchellarea field.

Time is almost ripe for ...

harvest Photos by Matt Gade/Republic

A farmer works a field just north of Ethan recently.

Large round bales of hay are pictured in early September.

A soybean field east of Mitchell is pictured in early September.

Week of warm, dry weather helps S. Dakota crops mature

Twenty-two percent of the crop is in the ground, compared with 13 percent at the same time last year and 15 percent on average.

The barley harvest is virtually done, at 99

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — A week of warm, dry weather in South Dakota has advanced

the maturity of crops including corn and soybeans.

The Agriculture Department says in its weekly crop report that the favorable weather also helped with winter wheat seeding.

percent complete.

Pasture and range conditions in South Dakota are rated 57 percent good to excellent. Stock water supplies are 77 percent adequate to surplus.

C M Y