“Since 1976, Where Farm and Family Meet” +12 BU./A. ADVANTAGE XL ® 5313 (GEN.) *
© 2019
P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002 • (800) 657-4665 www.TheLandOnline.com • theland@TheLandOnline.
Januar y 11, 2019 Januar y 18, 2019
vs. Dekalb and Pioneer in 874 head-to-head comparisons in Minnesota. Includes farmer plots, Beck's research, and third-party data. *®XL is a registered trademark of Pioneer. XL® brand seed is distributed by Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Inc.
www.BecksHybrids.com
Home Grown!
Virnig Manufacturing has turned the skid loader into agriculture’s Swiss army knife
K O LO DE
INfoSr Iyour card!
on i t p i IN r subsc ST MAIL ITING U ECEIV YOU M P R ND! E E K TO THE LA
PLUS INSIDE: Swine & U, Hagen & hemp, the MN AG EXPO and more!
PAGE 2
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
In with the new, out with the old?
P.O. Box 3169 418 South Second St. Mankato, MN 56002 (800) 657-4665 Vol. XXXVIII ❖ No. 1 32 pages, 1 section plus supplements
www.TheLandOnline.com facebook.com/TheLandOnline twitter.com/TheLandOnline
Cover photo by Paul Malchow
COLUMNS Opinion Farm and Food File Cooking With Kristin Table Talk The Bookworm Sez Swine & U Calendar of Events Mielke Market Weekly Marketing Auctions/Classifieds Advertiser Listing Back Roads
2-4 4 6 7 8 14 18 23 24-25 27-31 31 32
STAFF
Publisher: Steve Jameson: sjameson@mankatofreepress.com General Manager: Deb Petterson: dpetterson@TheLandOnline.com Managing Editor: Paul Malchow: editor@TheLandOnline.com Staff Writer: Dick Hagen: rdhagen35@gmail.com Advertising Representative: James McRae: jmcrea@TheLandOnline.com Office/Advertising Assistants: Joan Compart: theland@TheLandOnline.com Deb Lawrence: auctions@TheLandOnline.com For Customer Service Concerns: (507) 345-4523, (800) 657-4665, theland@TheLandOnline.com Fax: (507) 345-1027 For Editorial Concerns or Story Ideas: (507) 344-6342, (800) 657-4665, editor@TheLandOnline.com National Sales Representative: Bock & Associates Inc., 7650 Executive Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55344-3677. (952) 905-3251. Because of the nature of articles appearing in The Land, product or business names may be included to provide clarity. This does not constitute an endorsement of any product or business. Opinions and viewpoints expressed in editorials or by news sources are not necessarily those of the management. The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The Publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of any monies paid for the advertisement. Classified Advertising: $19.99 for seven (7) lines for a private classified, each additional line is $1.40; $24.90 for business classifieds, each additional line is $1.40. Classified ads accepted by mail or by phone with VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Classified ads can also be sent by e-mail to theland@TheLandOnline.com. Mail classified ads to The Land, P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002. Please include credit card number, expiration date and your postal address with ads sent on either mail version. Classified ads may also be called into (800) 657-4665. Deadline for classified ads is 5 pm on the Friday prior to publication date, with holiday exceptions. Distributed to farmers in all Minnesota counties and northern Iowa, as well as on The Land’s website. Each classified ad is separately copyrighted by The Land. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Subscription and Distribution: Free to farmers and agribusinesses in Minnesota and northern Iowa. $25 per year for non-farmers and people outside the service area. The Land (USPS 392470) Copyright © 2019 by The Free Press Media is published biweekly by The Free Press, 418 S 2nd Street, Mankato, MN 56001-3727. Business and Editorial Offices: 418 S. 2nd Street, Mankato, MN 56001-3727, Accounting and Circulation Offices: Steve Jameson, 418 S 2nd Street, Mankato, MN 56001-3727. Call (507) 345-4523 to subscribe. Periodicals postage paid at Mankato, MN. Postmaster and Change of Address: Send address changes to The Land, P.O. Box 3169, Mankato MN 56002-3169 or e-mail to theland@ TheLandOnline.com.
A new year brings with it reflections of Culling programs from the farm bill the past and resolutions to improve the will take time and political haggling. We future. By now you have probably seen have five years. Let’s get started. numerous top-10 lists of everything Do farmers and ranchers raise too much under the sun for 2018 and just as many product? I know I’m going to take heat for forecasts for 2019. Not to be left out, I’d this, but a basic principle of economics is like to contribute to the pile with a few supply and demand. What is the point of thoughts of my own. record-setting production when grain bins Over the recent years, the agriculture are full and milk prices are plunging? I LAND MINDS community has been voicing the same often read reports of hog producers begconcerns: markets for our products; ging for markets. Turn the page and I read By Paul Malchow health care — both medical and menabout ever-expanding hog operations tal health; transportation; internet and their impact on the environment. accessibility; the well-being of our If the U.S. Department of Agriculture rural communities; and the increased announced tomorrow there would be aging of those engaged in farming. No one seems to 10 million fewer acres planted in soybeans in 2019, be disputing these issues and farm organizations wouldn’t the price go up? across the line agree these are real concerns. So Add to this a very confusing matter of trade with why does agriculture continue its downward slide? other countries. It is projected the United States will A well-trotted-out statistic states farm income is import $121.5 billion worth of agriculture products in down 50 percent over the last five years. Yes, agri2018. Now I realize there are products not readily culture’s economy has always been cyclic with available in this country to meet America’s demand strong years and lean years, but half-a-decade with — bananas for instance. But a Detroit News report no good news in sight indicates less of a cycle and from this fall stated, ”Between 2013 and 2017, accordmore of a trend. ing to the U.S. Commerce Department, American Which brings me to the idiom, “Desperate times imports of Turkish tart cherry juice concentrate call for desperate measures.” I am not an economist increased 89 percent to $8.2 million. The Cherry or marketing genius or even a farmer. All I see is the Marketing Institute reported Turkish tart-cherry status quo isn’t working and a quick fix isn’t going juice concentrate represented nearly 55 percent of all to ride into town on a white horse. Some of these U.S. consumption in 2016 compared to just over 12 proposals will literally take years to implement and percent for domestic production.” Michigan cherry will cause financial hardship. But we already have orchards are disappearing much like dairy farms the financial hardship with nothing to show for it. throughout the United States. (Wisconsin alone lost over 600 family dairy farms in 2018.) Assured, the One of the bigger disappointments in 2018 was cherry market is a small slice of U.S. agriculture, but the “new” farm bill. Granted, legislation needed to it does show import practices should be examined. be enacted in order for producers to have a clearer picture of agriculture policies, but little if anything Political candidates from all sides agreed this fall “new” resulted from months of political squabbling. that healthcare is a critical element in helping to I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now: The farm bill improve the profitability of farm families. There is a is too big. Ensuring Americans have access to prop- strong sentiment that universal health care is the first step on a slippery slope to socialism and the er nutrition is not farm policy. It is a health issue. cost of such a program would cripple U.S. taxpayLand conservation and water quality certainly ers. Here’s a news flash: the cost of health care is affect farmers, but these are environmental issues. already crippling U.S. taxpayers — even the healthy Let the farm bill address farming. ones. Hardworking people are losing their homes A leaner farm bill should be easier to garner bi(and farms) because they can’t pay mortgages and partisan support. To my knowledge, President high medical bills. The high cost of health insurance Trump’s signing of the 807-page, $867 billion (that’s is forcing families to roll the dice in hopes they can billion with a ‘b’) farm bill did not even receive men- get by without it. This is an insane situation in the tion on network evening news. This says something most powerful country on the planet. of a country where a $4.5 billion border wall See LAND MINDS, pg. 7 attracts daily attention.
OPINION
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
18 — AURI: Industrial hemp progress will be slow 20 — Soybean, corn growers ready with 2019 MN AG EXPO edition
THERE’S EVEN MORE ONLINE... @ TheLandOnline.com • “Calendar of Events” — Check out The Land’s complete events listing • “E-Edition” — Archives of past issues of The Land
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 3
BETTER. SMARTER. STRONGER. DAIRYLAND. Dairyland Seed has added several talented team members from NuTech Seed and Prairie Brand. Together as one, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been. We now offer growers even more advanced product options, even smarter seed innovation and an even greater commitment to your success. And as we grow, we will continue to be who we’ve always been— boots-on-the-ground, hands-in-the-dirt, treat-you-like-family, there-whenever-you-need-us partners and friends. Welcome to the better, smarter, stronger Dairyland.
©2019 Dairyland Seed Co., Inc. All rights reserved. ®Dairyland Seed and the Dairyland Seed logo are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Dairyland Seed is a seed affiliate of Dow AgroSciences. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
BENTON CO. Scott Heilig, DSM 320.250.4545
CHIPPEWA CO. Andrew Bristle 320.981.0047
Gerry Maleska 320.249.2180
CLAY CO. Thomas Livdahl 218.790.1435
BIG STONE CO. Stock Service 320.760.3564 CARVER CO. David Richter, DSM 320.248.1794
DOUGLAS CO. Bruce Wussow 320.766.8548 GRANT CO. Matthew Brunkow 320.760.1560
Contact your local Dairyland Seed rep today! LAC QUI PARLE CO. MCLEOD CO. OTTER TAIL CO. Nathan Buer Justin Luthens J & L Nutritional 507.828.6998 320.583.6960 Consulting 218.346.7487 Craig Buss MARSHALL CO. 320.582.2323 Brad Lunke PINE CO. 218.686.9378 Scott Walbridge Tom Maiers 320.630.8175 320.583.4564 Argyle Seed 701.741.8234 Doug Brown MILLE LACS CO. 320.980.5459 Nathan Wesolowski Jason 218.779.2711 Obermeyer, DSM POLK CO. 612.655.4879 Fosston Tri Co-op 218.563.3735 MORRISON CO. David Gadacz Roed Seed Sales 320.224.6185 218.686.0263
STEARNS CO. David Eibensteiner 320.429.0844
TRAVERSE CO. Justin Tritz 320.760.8690
Lyle Schefers 320.293.0056
Jeff Peterson 320.760.9832
Luxemburg Feed Service 320.290.8260
Chad Birchem, DSM 320.815.8980
SWIFT CO. Steve Gades 320.760.0396
WILKIN CO. Minn-kota Ag Products 218.643.6130 Friederichs Seed 218.643.5612 WRIGHT CO. Gerald Larson 763.286.2788
PAGE 4
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
A note to readers of The Land: Please return The Land subscription card Dear Readers, The Land takes great pride in bringing you agricultural news along with entertaining articles and photos in each issue. Every week, our staff strives to do our best to make this happen, but we need your help. In order to keep subscription rates low and make sure The Land remains a “voluntary pay” magazine for farmers who qualify, we need all of our readers to take a moment and help us out. Please fill out, sign, date and return the subscription card in the handy postage paid envelope which we inserted in the paper today. Also, be sure to check the boxes which relate to your farming operation. Your signed card is how we prove our readers
want to receive The Land. In order to qualify for lower postage rates, the post office requires verification that readers are requesting the publication. Plus, local and national advertisers — whose support is essential — want to know that The Land is being requested by readers and that it is not just being mailed to a mailing list. As a bonus, everyone who sends in a subscription card will have a chance to win $400 in cash. On March 8 we will draw a winner from all of the subscription cards that we have received up to that point. We will only use the phone number or email address to contact you if you win or if we have a problem with your subscription. We will not sell your private information! We do not share phone numbers or email addresses.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out and return the 2019 subscription card. Please remember to sign and date it at the bottom. A special thank you goes out to those who qualify for a free subscription and pay for it anyway. It really helps. We respect and appreciate The Land readers and we look forward to serving you in 2019. Sincerely,
Deb Petterson General Manager, The Land
Knowledge is harder to come by than opinion Epistemology is what we on the farm better bull, not the worse one. called “a $10 word.” The reason is as clear as the corn and At $10, though, it’s underpriced because calves in front of us: knowledge (provably epistemology (the study of what we true beliefs) makes our lives, community believe, what is true, and the evidence we and world, better and more fulfilling. have to justify that truth and belief) covMy father had an oft-used phrase when ers a lot of ground. someone’s facts matched his own farmIn short, epistemology is the study of earned knowledge: “You better believe it,” knowledge. FARM & FOOD FILE he’d say with emphasis. Dad wasn’t a philosopher, he was a dairy farmer. But That topic sounds drier than last sumBy Alan Guebert he did hold truth, belief and evidence mer’s straw until you test it on youralmost on par with another trinity. self. For example, is global warming real? How do you know? Are GMOs Sometimes, though, when pressed for unsafe? What are your facts? Will soytime or caught off-guard, we use only bean prices rally into spring? What’s your evidence? part of our knowledge — usually the belief part (we call it our “gut”) to make judgments. Whether the That’s what I mean. Easy answers evaporate choice turns out good, bad or indifferent, it usually when you’re required to supply hard evidence to yields “evidence” that either reinforces our beliefs or prove what you believe is true. There is no shallow changes them. end in the old epistemological pool. Wherever you jump in, the water’s deep. At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. Still, the “truth” you use to justify your answers; Today, however, fact (evidence) has lost ground to and, say, the “truth” I might use to answer the same its two knowledge partners: truth and belief. questions; should not differ — even though our Without fact, knowledge quickly becomes dogma — “beliefs” very well could. or as the Oxford English Dictionary explains, the “arrogant declaration of opinion.” Facts, after all, are facts. And if your evidence proves my beliefs are either suspect or wrong, then Which is exactly what my brothers and I your ideas, policy and laws — your knowledge — is (Lutherans by birth) excelled at in daily school bus more than likely right and mine is more than likely arguments with the Catholic neighbors. Both sides wrong. As such, I need to alter my beliefs. were strong in belief, weak on evidence, and void of truth. But that never stopped either of us from arroThis is exactly the way it works on the farm and ranch every day. If one seed corn variety consistent- gantly declaring that some of us were ultimately headed upward while others held tickets southly out-yields another, we buy the winning seed, not bound. the losing one. If one bull sires bigger calves that gain weight better than a second bull, we buy the Today we are told our politics are just as “tribal.”
OPINION
Maybe, but tribal doesn’t get at the true core of what has recently frozen politics and is now freezing government. That core is today’s widening gap between what is fact-based truth and what is dogmatic belief. If facts are downplayed, disregarded or disparaged, knowledge — along with effective policy and functional government — is lost. That’s not how we do things in rural America. Farmers and ranchers constantly ask questions, dig for more information, and share new ideas as they search for the best way — the best knowledge — to move their farms, ranches and families forward. As such, farmers and ranchers are everyday philosophers steeped in epistemology because they know that dogma, or belief without evidence, won’t raise a crop, wean a calf or repay the banker. That takes hard knowledge and hard work. You better believe it. The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the United States and Canada. Past columns, events and contact information are posted at www.farmandfoodfile.com. v
Letters to the editor are always welcome. Send your letters to: Editor, The Land P.O. Box 3169 Mankato, MN 56002 e-mail: editor@thelandonline.com All letters must be signed and accompanied by a phone number (not for publication) to verify authenticity.
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Steele County Fairgrounds FOUR SEASONS CENTRE 1525 South Elm Avenue Owatonna, Minnesota
PAGE 5
Free Parking Free Admission
Thursday 9AM - 5PM Friday 9AM - 5PM Saturday 9AM - 4PM Free Ag Seminars Go to our website:
www.tradexpos.com to see a full list of speakers and seminar topics
MN FFA SILENT AUCTION
PAGE 6
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
These recipes using leftover treats never get stale hands. Once the crumbs have been pressed firmly My house is currently overflowing with into place, bake the crust in the preheated oven for Christmas cookies and candy. From 8 to 10 minutes, or until warm, fragrant and lightly Krumkake, to frosted sugar cookies to toasty. Let the crust cool completely before filling. candy canes, we have it all and lots of it. This crust can be stored, well wrapped, in the Now that Christmas is over, we’re a litfreezer for up to one month. tle sick of all these treats, but what can n we do with them? Why, transform Christmas cookies and candies into other Cookie butter is as good as it sounds — creamy, delectable desserts, of course! COOKING decadent and just plain awesome. Why not use your WITH KRISTIN favorite leftover cookies to make this tasty spread? This recipe uses leftover cookies and makes a The recipe uses Biscoff cookies, but peanut butter delicious crust out of it. There’s nothing better than By Kristin Kveno or short bread cookies would work as well. homemade pie crust — especially when it’s made out of cookies. Cookie Butter www.craftsy.com/cooking/article/homemade-cookie-butter-recipe/ Cookie Crumb Pie Crust www.craftsy.com/baking/article/make-cookie-crumb-pie-crust/ 16 ounces caramelized biscuit cookies, such as Biscoff (this is about two packages of Biscoff cookies) 2 cups finely crumbed cookies (measurement after crumbling, 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar not before) 4 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 stick butter, melted 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Up to 1/4 cup sugar (optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor or by pinch of salt hand, finely crush your cookie crumbs. Place the cookie crumbs 1 tablespoon honey (or molasses) in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until completely 2 tablespoons melted butter incorporated. The mixture will turn more solid, as though if you 1 cup water made it into a clump with your hands, it would mostly stay In a food processor or a blender with food processing capabilitogether with a few crumbs crumbling off. If desired, add sugar ties, crush the cookies until they become fine crumbs — as if to taste. Stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9-inch pie plate. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up you were going to make a cookie crust with them. Stop processing and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. the sides of the pan, using either a rubber spatula or clean Give them a mix, and then add the honey (or molasses) and butter. Mix until combined. The mixture will still be slightly coarse, but with each mix it will become creamier. If using a processor, add the water a little bit at a time with the processor running, until it has reached a creamy consistency. This is really when the mixture will come together into the creamy consistency. If using a blender, add a little water and then mix until incorporated, stopping the blender for each addition. You can grind fully for a very creamy texture, or leave it a little “crunchy.” You may not use all of the water. Keep in mind that as the mixture sets it will become more firm. Because the processor will have warmed the ingredients a bit, the mixture may be a bit warm. It may be pourable. Pour into an airtight container, using a rubber spatula to get any last bits. Store in the refrigerator. The cookie butter will become more firm as it chills. n We have candy canes everywhere! While they looked mighty cute hanging on the Christmas tree, you can only have so many candy canes before you get a little sick of them. Don’t throw them away! Instead, try this recipe that uses these peppermint sweets to create candy cane marshmallow masterpieces! Candy Cane Marshmallows www.playinwithmyfood.com/home/2012/12/02/candy-canemarshmallows About 25 2-inch mini peppermint candy canes 4-1/2 teaspoons unflavored Knox powdered gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 3/4 cup sugar 255 16th Street South 1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided St. James, MN 56081 1/4 cup water pinch salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cup confectioners sugar 1/2 cup cornstarch Lightly coat an 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray. In a small heatproof bowl, mix together the gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add 1/4 cup corn syrup. Microwave the gelatin until completely melted, about 30 seconds, and add it to the corn syrup in the mixer. Set the mixer on the lowest setting and keep it running. In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir together the sugar, the remaining 1/4 cup of the corn syrup, 1/4 cup water and salt. Bring to a boil and attach a candy thermometer. Boil until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F. Take off heat and very slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium high and beat another 5 minutes. Beat on the highest setting for another 2 minutes, and then beat in vanilla. Quickly pour it into the prepared pan and smooth it evenly into the corners. Mix confectioners’ sugar with cornstarch. Sift a light layer of this coating over the top of the marshmallow and allow to set up for at least 6 hours in a cool, dry place. Crush candy canes in a food processor. Once the marshmallow has set, loosen it from the edges of the pan. Invert onto a work surface dusted with the coating mixture. Cut into whatever size pieces you like. Dip the sticky edges in crushed candy cane. The candy canes have a tendency to break down and become sticky after one day, so dip them the day you plan on serving them. n I love a good trifle. The beauty of a trifle is that it’s easy to throw together and it looks amazing! I had to give this recipe a try — especially because it features the scrumptious combination of gingerbread and eggnog. This trifle certainly did not disappoint! Christmas Gingerbread Trifle www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/christmas-gingerbread-trifle/ 1 package (14-1/2 ounces) gingerbread cake/cookie mix 2 cups cold 2 percent milk 2 cups cold eggnog 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant French vanilla pudding mix 1 package (5 ounces) gingerbread man cookies 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed Prepare cake mix according to package directions and bake using a 9-inch square baking pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, whisk milk, eggnog and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes or until softset. Arrange nine cookies around sides of a 4-qt. glass bowl, using a third of the cake cubes to stand cookies upright. Top with a third of the pudding and whipped topping. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake, pudding and whipped topping. Refrigerate, covered, 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, top with remaining cookies. If you’re getting bored of all the cookies you have leftover this holiday season, then give these recipes a try. Your old cookies and candies are ready for a new tasty makeover! Kristin Kveno scours the internet, pours over old family recipes and searches everywhere in between to find interesting food ideas for feeding your crew. Do you have a recipe you want to share? You can reach Kristin at kristin_kveno@yahoo.com. v
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 7
Collection of ornaments is a collection of memories There are many things ter who came to us in the the German people have summer of 2005. Even brought us westerners. But though she returned to her even advanced German homeland a year later, she engineering could not have is still an active part of our thought up or designed family, thanks to technolosomething as everlasting, gy, electronics and the as popular, or as full of Wright brothers. meaning as the tradition of Several cross-stitched a simple Christmas tree. TABLE TALK ornaments remind us of the While that tradition By Karen Schwaller birth of our children. Many started there, it spread others were gifts when our across the world like reindeer on stechildren were born: a mini pink stockroids. The result shows every ing hat and a baby’s picture book December as families around the ornament when our daughter was world gather to choose that perfect born; a stuffed momma bear holding tree, bring it home and help it feel the two little cub bears the year our twin love. Fully adorned and with young sons were born; among so many eyes gazing upon it in anticipation Christmas keepsakes. and wonderment, it becomes the heart Ornaments made by the (then) clumof the home at Christmas time. sy preschool and elementary hands of For those with real trees, many an our children were given to us with big, expletive has been uttered as husbands proud smiles as they brought them and fathers contort themselves underhome from school and church. neath the tree to wrestle it into the We have an ornament that my husstand and make sure stands straight. band made when he was in elementaOnce in place, the holiday can actually ry school—a candy cane holder shaped begin as ornaments and decorations like a horse’s head, made of (now come out of storage into the light of aging) red felt. It’s priceless and so day, and the tree transforms into a ves- special we have that memento of his sel of memories and tradition. childhood after all these years. Our Christmas tree holds memories Both of his parents have left us now, of people who have entered and left but we have ornaments which were on our lives. A couple of ornaments are in their Christmas tree for years — one memory of my father who left us in of them announcing their 50th wed2009. ding anniversary. There are ornaments to remind us of A large red friendship ornament our German foreign exchange daughhangs at the bottom of our tree. It was
Ag’s needs are many LAND MINDS, from pg. 2 While on the subject of higher taxes, there is much gnashing of teeth concerning the condition of our roads and bridges. The collapse of the bridge on Interstate 35 in Minneapolis took place over 11 years ago. At that time it sent off alarms on the condition and safety of the roads we drive on every day. Yet funding to remedy the situation continues to be similar to getting blood from a turnip. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has voiced support of a gas tax increase to provide more funding for transportation. But this is a short-term band-aid at best. Electric cars continue to make headway in our society and I expect their use to increase in the not-so-distant future (also bad news for corn producers).
Finally, the not-so-distant future has caught and passed rural America in the form of high-speed internet and broadband connectivity. The internet is no longer a luxury fad, but an integral part of succeeding in business and education. Small progress is being made in some areas thanks to USDA grants, but the needs far exceed the solutions. Yes, all of these things cost money and lots of it. My question is, what are the alternatives? Do we whistle in the dark and “hope” things get better? By investing now in these serious matters we are at least creating “hope” and a sense of heading in a positive direction. Paul Malchow is the managing editor of The Land. He may be reached at editor@TheLandOnline.com. v
given to me a few years ago by one of my best friends who now spends her Christmas holidays in prison. It reminds me of happier times, and now it serves as a reminder that true friendship never ends — and that in the eyes of Christ, we are worth more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. One special ornament is made out of the repair pins used after one of our sons broke his arm in kindergarten. We brought the pins home and tied a red ribbon around the plastic container they came in. That one reminds us anything precious can be broken. There are ornaments that boast of sisters, our farm, family, 4H, and ornaments from some of my former religious education students, which I treasure. One ornament says simply, “Silent Night.” It gives me special joy, knowing my sister has the one much like it
that hung on our family tree all the years we were growing up. She secretly shed tears of joy the year Mom gave it to her. It was always her favorite one. Mom knew. Some of our ornament hooks were hand-made by my husband in the early days of our marriage when money was a little more scarce at Christmas. Those hooks are among the first ones hung every year as the tree is decorated, and reminds us that less really can be more. There are ornaments that move and lights that give the tree a soft, mesmerizing glow. A handful of gifts below it remind us that we are rich, if only because we have family and friends. It’s a wonderful life. But sometimes it takes a simple evergreen tree to remind us of it. v
Performance - Consistency - Trust
NEED SEED? Your Family-Owned Seed Source For over 90 years We strive to provide our customers with a high quality product accomplishing this through quality production, processing and conditioning. We offer fair and competitive prices to everyone without the hassle of early pay or quantity discounts. All of our customers are important to us no matter the size of the order.
507-246-5032 of St. Peter, MN www.andersonseedsmn.com
PAGE 8
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet” ADVERTISEMENT
AM1 – Optimum® AcreMax® 1 Insect Protection System with an integrated corn rootworm refuge solution includes HXX, LL, RR2. Optimum AcreMax 1 products contain the LibertyLink® gene and can be sprayed with Liberty ® herbicide. The required corn borer refuge can be planted up to half a mile away.
AMRW – Optimum® AcreMax® RW Rootworm Protection system with a single-bag integrated corn rootworm refuge solution includes HXRW, LL, RR2. AMRW-R – Optimum® AcreMax® RW Rootworm Protection system with a single-bag integrated corn rootworm refuge solution includes HXRW, RR2. Do not spray with Liberty ®. Not all seeds in the bag are tolerant to Liberty herbicide.
AM – Optimum® AcreMax® Insect Protection system with YGCB, HX1, LL, RR2. Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above-ground insects. In EPA-designated cotton growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax products.
AMX – Optimum® AcreMax® Xtra Insect Protection system with YGCB, HXX, LL, RR2. Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. In EPA-designated cotton growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax Xtra products.
®
YGCB, HX1, LL, RR2 (Optimum® Intrasect®) – Contains the YieldGard® Corn Borer gene and Herculex® I gene for resistance to corn borer.
YGCB, HXX, LL, RR2 (Optimum® Intrasect® Xtra) – Contains the YieldGard® Corn Borer gene and the Herculex® XTRA genes for resistance to corn borer and corn rootworm.
AQ – Optimum® AQUAmax® product. Product performance in water-limited environments is variable and depends on many factors, such as the severity and timing of moisture deficiency, heat stress, soil type, management practices and environmental stress, as well as disease and pest pressures. All products may exhibit reduced yield under water and heat stress. Individual results may vary.
HX1 – Contains the Herculex® I Insect Protection gene which provides protection against European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, western bean cutworm, lesser corn stalk borer, southern corn stalk borer, and sugarcane borer; and suppresses corn earworm. HXRW – The Herculex® RW insect protection trait contains proteins that provide enhanced resistance against western corn rootworm, northern corn rootworm and Mexican corn rootworm. HXX – Herculex® XTRA contains the Herculex I and Herculex RW genes. YGCB – The YieldGard® Corn Borer gene offers a high level of resistance to European corn borer, southwestern corn borer and southern cornstalk borer; moderate resistance to corn earworm and common stalk borer; and above average resistance to fall armyworm. LL – Contains the LibertyLink® gene for resistance to Liberty® herbicide. RR2 – Contains the Roundup Ready® Corn 2 trait that provides crop safety for over-the-top applications of labeled glyphosate herbicides when applied according to label directions. Herculex® insect protection technology by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred. Herculex® and the HX logo are registered trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC. YieldGard®, the YieldGard Corn Borer Design and Roundup Ready® are registered trademarks used under license from Monsanto Company. Liberty®, LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of Bayer.
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Author’s account of donkey-raising might make you cringe A dog just wouldn’t do. “Smart Ass: How a Donkey Challenged Cats make you achoo! Me to Accept His True Nature & You don’t want a bird, Rediscover My Own” turtle, goldfish, and nothing that hisses. Nope, the petMargaret Winslow by you want is much more c.2018, New World Library unique, and in the new $16.95 / $25.50 Canada book “Smart Ass” by Margaret Winslow, you’ll 277 pages THE BOOKWORM need to be stubborn SEZ about it. Three years and thousands By Terri Schlichenmeyer of dollars later, Winslow’s When she was just patience had thinned. Caleb had learned three years old, Margaret few commands, was still balky, and had taken to Winslow saw a burro in a Christmas catalog, and nipping and kicking. He was capable of seriously for many Christmases afterward, she begged her hurting someone. He’d done it to Winslow. parents for the pet. Alas, she got a stuffed donkey one year, and it sufficed. Caleb needed a new home. But who would take a shonky donkey? Fast-forward a few decades and Winslow was a professor, a geologist, and was married to an oceanOne of two things is going to happen when you ographer who was often gone for months at a time. read “Smart Ass.” Either you’re going to love it, or She was thinking about “the next phase of [her] you’re going to hate it. There is no in-between. life,” when she recalled seeing donkeys and children You’ll fall into the first category if you’ve ever had while in the Dominican Republic. They reminded a pet that exasperates you to the point of screaming her of her childhood desire. — making you love the animal even more. That nevWinslow loaded up on donkey-related publications er-give-up feeling of Love Despite runs fiercely and started researching. through this book, and author Margaret Winslow’s The first time she saw Caleb, she was shocked. He stories are easy commiseration. The ending here was pure white and “huge” with long, furry ears and will give you heart. a cacophonic bray that carried far. He was a jester But beware. Here’s the second camp, and it’ll and a pester, charming and goofy — but with make you cringe. Winslow writes about the use of that well-known stubborn streak firmly in place. crops, whips, sharp spurs, and a bit that she acknowledges hurt her donkey. That, too, runs Winslow was in love. She paid for Caleb and a saddle, and took both to an upstate New York stable throughout the book and while they’re common, and maybe even needed, it doesn’t make them easy to that specialized in training donkeys. She left him read about. Hee-naw. there, dreaming of long rides in idyllic meadows astride her “trail buddy.” Decide what you can handle before you proceed on this delightful-but-wince-worthy tale of stubborn At mid-winter break, she returned to the stable love. Animal advocates can pass on “Smart Ass.” and prepared to learn how to ride her donkey. That Animal lovers, burro in. was when Caleb showed Winslow just how headstrong he could be. In the ring, he was disruptive at The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. She lives best, bruising at worst; but her stubbornness was in Wisconsin with three dogs and 10,000 books. v stronger than his. She found another stable, closer to home, and dug in for more lessons.
Compeer scholarships available PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. ®, TM, SM Trademarks and service marks of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. © 2018 PHII. PION8CORN053_legal_VA
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America, Compeer Financial’s corporate giving program, is offering scholarships to 120 students this year. High school seniors from a rural background or pursuing post-secondary education in an agricultural field are encouraged to apply. Each scholarship recipient will receive $1,500 to offset educational expenses. Qualified applicants must live in Compeer Financial’s 144-county territory and have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Recipients
will be selected based on academic achievement, agricultural and community organization involvement and essays. Students can find the scholarship application at Compeer.com. Applications can be emailed to scholarships@compeer.com or submitted in person at a local Compeer Financial office. The deadline for applications is March 15. This article was submitted by Compeer Financial.v
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 9
ABUNDANT PRAISE FOR ABUNDANT YIELDS.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2018 NCGA YIELD CONTEST WINNERS.
RANK
NAME
CITY, STATE
PIONEER® HYBRID/BRAND*
YIELD (BU/A)
Irrigated 1st
Roger Huhn
Litchfield, MN
P0533AM1™
263.62
2nd
Paul Beskau
Hastings, MN
P1151AM™
260.06
3rd
David Kolb
Paynesville, MN
P0589AM™
259.88
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) yield contest for your exceptional results! Visit pioneer.com/NCGA for a complete list of results.
*All Pioneer products are hybrids unless designated with AM1, AM, AMRW, AML, AMT, AMX, AMXT and Q, in which case they are brands. The foregoing is provided for informational use only. Please contact your Pioneer sales professional for information and suggestions specific to your operation. Product performance is variable and depends on many factors such as moisture and heat stress, soil type, management practices and environmental stress as well as disease and pest pressures. Individual results may vary. PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. TM, ®, SM Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. © 2018 PHII. PION8CORN053_5732
PAGE 10
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Book is a guide to keeping rural communities strong By TIM KING The Land Correspondent Doug Griffiths’ book, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community,” is full of brilliant ideas on how to wreck your town and drive the young people away. More importantly, it’s packed with ideas and strategies on how to invigorate our communities and make them sparkle. And that’s his point. Most of us want to make our communities better places to live but we often unwittingly develop attitudes that do the opposite. Griffiths writes, for example, that throughout his youth and early adulthood he heard his dad, a Canadian rancher, say over and over again that there is no future in agriculture. His dad was creative and drilled the same message into his son a multitude of ways. Prices are too low. Input costs are too high. Weather is too unpredictable. And on and on. But in his heart, his dad wanted his son to take over the ranch. “When I returned from the university with my first degree, my dad asked me if I was interested in taking over the ranch. I was amazed that he had the gall to look surprised when I said ‘no,’” Griffith writes in his chapter called “Don’t Engage Youth”. “Over generations in agriculture, we have developed a mindset that the smartest children go off to the university and do something … smart. The less intelligent children have to stay back and . . . farm,” he continues. Even though we generally want to encourage young people to live in the small communities of their origin, that negative virus has also infected the stories many of us tell youngsters, Griffiths, a former member of the Canadian Parliament, says. “We express much the same mindset for our rural communities. The smart ones are supposed to leave for the university and won’t, in fact shouldn’t, be back. The ones who can’t do anything else stay,” he writes. These stories are not true, Griffiths (who eventually did return to ranching) writes, but if we keep telling them to the young people we’ll make them true. Our attitude will determine our reality. So, if we want to fail at killing our
communities, Griffiths suggests we should take a close look at our attitude and the stories that we tell youngsters about agriculture and small town life. His chapter on young people also give tips on how to engage high school students and listen carefully to the young adults who have honored us by choosing to live in our community. He gives the readers solid
ideas for farm and small business succession planning as well as community leadership succession. He even provides some ideas on real and interesting work experience programs for high school students. Griffiths obviously doesn’t want us to kill our communities. He wants to get our attention. Then he wants us to examine our attitudes toward our communities. Finally, since he believes most of us truly want to make our towns better places to live, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” is rich in ideas to do so. In a chapter called “Shut Out Your
Griffiths: Reach young people where they are By TIM KING The Land Correspondent The Land asked Doug Griffiths, a Canadian rancher, former member of Parliament, and author of “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” a few questions about his book. The Land: You talk about STPs or the Same Ten People syndrome. Those are the people who volunteer for everything. Bless those STPs, but a lot of small towns have that problem. The STPs do burn out after a few years. What are some good strategies for a community volunteer coordinator to develop a deep pool of volunteers so people won’t burn out? Griffiths: This question could warrant another book, but I have a few tips to offer. We all have busy lives, so if you want to prevent burnout and fatigue stop having meetings for the sake of having a meeting. Honestly, most people are happy to help and will do a job while they are busy, but they don’t want to run everything, and they don’t want to keep going to meetings to plan. Also, if you want to engage the next generation, you need to reach them where they are. I had a community lament that young people weren’t coming to their meetings and volunteering, but their method of reaching them was to put up posters on the bulletin board by the post office. No young people are reading the post office bulletin board! Speak their language where they are and give them the reigns.
The Land: You don’t like coffee shops. How come? Politicians and the media lead us to believe coffee shops are the font of small town wisdom? Griffiths: I don’t like traditional coffee shops much. I love the one I go to, with music and art displayed. Most of the coffee shops that I refer to are places where grumpy people gather to complain, criticize, and often spread gossip. Of course, that is exactly where politicians and media need to be, to hear what the issues and the problems are that plague a community. However, if you are looking for solutions you have to go to the helpers and the positive people, and most often they are too busy to waste time sitting in a coffee shop complaining about what everyone is doing wrong. The Land: We’ve seen a number of small businesses close because the owners wanted to retire but couldn’t find any one to sell to. Of course that happens to a lot of smaller family owned farms also. How can a community that relies on small businesses and farms develop a business succession program that guides these retirement aged people in passing on their businesses? Griffiths: I would suggest the best way to start a succession plan is to engage those who would succeed you. That means talking to young people and sincerely asking them what they want to be and do. That may lead to the chance to connect businesses with See GRIFFITHS, pg. 11
Seniors” he encourages us to examine our thinking about our community’s elders. “Most of us, however, tend to view our seniors as just easy-going and cordial folks. They are rarely given due consideration when it comes to planning for the future. They are often viewed as relics of the past. Don’t be fooled. They are a dangerous group, and under the right circumstances can cause a riot of success within your community,” he writes. To tap the potential riot of success that is represented by the seniors in our towns, Griffiths suggests hiring a community volunteer coordinator. The coordinator could survey seniors to determine their strengths, interests, and availability and then connect them to projects small and large. He suggests that the volunteer coordinator not only compile a list of willing seniors, but that the coordinator connect those seniors with willing and energetic youth volunteers. “There seems to be a natural complement between the energy the younger generation possesses and the wisdom of the older generation. It makes them very effective together. It is as though the young respect the wisdom of the old, and the old respect the energy of the young . . . There is a natural alliance there that makes them an effective team in your community,” Griffiths writes. Griffiths’ thirteen chapters of “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” are packed with ideas on how not to kill your community with provocative titles like Shop Elsewhere, Don’t Cooperate and Don’t Attract Business. “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” is loaded with tips and ideas to help bring success to your town and community. But at its core it’s not about tips and ideas, but about carefully examining our attitudes. “Of all the things affecting our lives every day, we can only control our attitudes. With the wrong attitude we can easily turn blessings and opportunities into failure. With the right attitude we can turn challenges into opportunities, and opportunities into success. There’s a quote that reads, ‘Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right,” Griffiths writes in the book’s conclusion. You can order “13 Ways to Kill Your Community” from Griffiths’ web site www.13ways.ca, Amazon, or Biblio. com. v
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 11
Increasing interest could make hemp a common sight By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer WILLMAR, Minn. — Charles Levine is a three-year grower of hemp on his Carver County farm. His operation, Hemp Acres LLC is located just outside of Waconia. On July 27 Levine hosted a tour Charles Levine of his hemp facilities and a discussion on the formation of a hemp initiative. Both Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute were on the scene. I caught up with Levine at a Nov. 15 hemp workshop in the community room of the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative. Levin said the purpose of the July 27 meeting was to gauge interest of local farmers – plus organizations and individual entrepreneurs – on the growing market of industrial hemp. “The more people I talk with, the more convinced I am that hemp fields will soon become a reality across the Minnesota landscape,” said Levine at this Nov 15 event. Obviously, the commodity price crunch is becoming a key driver. But also, thanks to talented and informed specialists within MDA and AURI, the knowledge bank about industrial hemp keeps expanding. Guys like Levine are contributing. “Everywhere I go – as soon as I start talking about hemp – people become intrigued. There’s no doubt
talk about growing hemp is spreading. This turnout here in the Willmar area is good evidence,” Levine related. And he’s very much aware more in-state processing facilities are needed to jumpstart hemp into a significant crop on the Minnesota farm scene. “My priority is the building of my own processing plant,” said Levine. “And if I need other investors as we expand, so be it. Right now I’m starting small with just enough equipment to harvest and process my own crop,” Levine’s farm has 70 tillable acres – all seeded to hemp this year. He’s transitioning into organic production and uses hemp as his first crop in this transition with grass/alfalfa mix for the next two years. Why organic? The value of his hemp crop essentially doubles. Levine estimates his hemp yield at about 1,200 lbs. per acre. At current organic values of $1.10 per pound, that’s $1,320 gross revenue per acre. With his 70 acres, potentials get into that $92,400 category. Find a manufacturer doing some interesting new product uses of hemp and market potentials multiply. Already, lawn furniture – even guitars have been fabricated from hemp. Levine grows Canda, an industrial hemp foodgrade protein and oil variety. X59 is another variety he’s considering for his 2019 acreage. “It’s a good variety with some of the same flavor profiles as Canda,” he explained. “It’s a favorable seed for food
grade production.” Because of hemp’s vigorous early growth, weeds are not an issue providing you have ample nitrogen fertility. And hemp stems are strong. “If you are straight cutting, you’d want to disc that field to assist the decomposition process,” recommended Levine. “It has such a durable stalk I’ve heard of tires being punctured.” By 2020, Levine is very hopeful of at least 2,000 acres of hemp being grown in Minnesota. And if processing facilities keep expanding, hemp acres will multiply significantly. “My company, Hemp Acres, has a goal to become a marketing hub for area hemp growers. I am the first Minnesota-licensed cleaning, processing and packaging company going from seed to finished food safe consumer products,” summed up Levine. Hemp Acres was a small hobby farm when purchased in 1974. In 2016, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture adopted a hemp growing program and Hemp Acres was born. “We are paving the patch for a variety of growing harvesting, storing and processing techniques that we want to share with other farmers and merchants interested in being part of the cannabis boom,” said Levine. Levine can be reached at (612) 240-5440; or via email at Charles@hempacresusa.com. The Hemp Acres website is www.hempacresusa.com. v
Stop being negative Specialist...in the Design, Installation and Sales of GRIFFITHS, from pg. 10 young entrepreneurial minded folks. Of course, that also means your entire community needs to stop being so negative and critical of itself. Stop saying, ‘if you want success you need to leave town’, ‘you are too smart to take over the farm’, or ‘if you have ambition you will be leaving here,’ and then wonder why so many young people want to get out of town. Your words and your attitude convince them to leave. The Land: It seems the main theme of your book is that certain attitudes foster success and other attitudes foster failure. That makes sense. But do you really believe that people who always blame others, for example, are going to change their negative attitudes?’ Griffiths: This is a broad question that encourages me to lump everyone into one group. Frankly, I think people can change. Half the time they don’t realize the impact their negativity and blaming nature have on their own lives and those around them. Once they see the impact they can change. Of course, some will, and some won’t. We are in control of our destiny. The best part about trying though, is that you thin the herd of negativity and you inoculate the rest of the population against their negativity and blaming attitude. People stop listening to them and that is just as effective as changing them because they lose their power and authority. Then everyone else can get back to building a community that is enduring and prosperous. v
OFF LOAD TRAILERS!
507-359-4230
www.courtlandwaste.com
• 6” & 8” Systems • Up to 3700 GPM Unload Time • 30’ Booms • Radio Remote or Manual Controls
PAGE 12
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Virnig Manufacturing: From mom and pop to modern By PAUL MALCHOW The Land Managing Editor RICE, Minn. — The Christmas season is a celebration of modest beginnings in a manger to events which changed the world. Dean and Lois Virnig are far too modest to put themselves in such lofty company, but their journey from a two-car garage in Pierz, Minn. to a gleaming manufacturing complex in Rice, Minn. in a 30-year span is a blueprint for any fledgling industry. Virnig Manufacturing combines state-of-the-art technology with a family atmosphere while keeping a keen eye on sustainability — not only for the company, but for the health of the planet we live on.
has since upgraded to cutting with lasers. The computer-driven lasers allow for a more precise cut while at the same time getting the most parts out of a piece of steel. Scrap is almost non-existent. “Tariffs have been a struggle,” admitted Virnig, referring to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. “We don’t have any problem getting the steel, but we’ve seen a 30-40 percent price increase. So getting the most we can out of each piece of steel is more important than ever.” Virnig uses a combination of robotic welders and skilled welders for the assembly process. Once that
Once the welding is complete, each unit is placed on a hanging conveyor system. The units are then cleaned, coated, painted and dried.
Photos by Paul Malchow
Virnig uses robotic and manual welders for production. This bucket features open spaces which allow the operator to see better when the bucket is raised.
“We see some copying of our designs by other manufacturers,” said Director of Sales and Marketing Bryan Virnig. “It’s somewhat disappointing, but it also tells us we’re doing something right. Plus, we feel our quality is unmatched by anyone.” From raw materials to the finished product, Virnig’s products move from station to station in the manufacturing process. Virnig said the company uses high yield strength plate steel and round stock. At minimum, Grade 50 steel plate is employed for all attachments. Grade 50 yield strength means the steel can withstand 50,000 pounds of stress per square inch before the steel becomes permanently deformed. For high-stress areas, Grade 80 plate is utilized. Virnig said most other manufacturers use a Grade 36 steel. “You would never know the difference just by looking at it,” he said, “but the 50 Grade gives us better performance and longevity of the product.” Virnig used to cut its steel with plasma cutters, but
Virnig specializes in engineering and manufacturing skid steer attachments. Farmers and ranchers are finding the skid loader’s versatility and ability to operate in tight quarters to be a valuable tool in their operations. With over 80 products in its catalog, Virnig is making these compact dynamos even more useful. Virnig’s product line includes several different buckets, snow handling attachments, forks, brush cutters, augers, a tree puller, trencher and manure handling equipment. The company employs three full-time engineers and designs all of the products it Virnig’s paint system is actually a powder which is sells. baked on during the final process. The powder helps Virnig eliminate hazardous chemicals and the excess ON THE COVER: Virnig Manufacturing Director of powder is sucked back into the system to be used Sales and Marketing Bryan Virnig stands in the comagain. pany’s large production area.
Still on the conveyor system, these rock buckets are ready to be added to Virnig’s inventory. step is complete, each unit goes through a large washer which removes any loose particles. A conveyor carries the units through a drying system after which each unit is covered with a phosphorus coating. During the painting process, the paint sticks to the phosphorus and not the metal itself. This helps protect the units from rust. The paint is applied to the units as a powder. By using powder, Virnig Manufacturing reduces the environmental footprint through the elimination of hazardous chemicals and a 96 percent reduction in water usage. A positive/negative charge adheres the powder to the steel. A vacuum system sucks the excess powder back into the supply, so very little goes to waste. The powder is literally baked onto the steel. Each unit comes out of the dryer completely cured. “We have what we call the ‘south Florida test’” said Virnig. “We leave products sitting in the sun all day long for two years. We feel the dry coating paint offers better fade resistance.” Speaking of south Florida, although Virnig’s sales are strongest in the Midwest, the company is making See VIRNIG, pg. 13
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 13
Dean and Lois Virnig started the company in a garage VIRNIG, from pg. 12 inroads in markets in Florida, North Carolina and Massachusetts. “Our products feature a universal hook-up, so they’ll work on any skid steer,” said Vernig. “Our sales run about 50 percent for agriculture and 50 percent for construction.”
manufacturing skid steer attachments and dump trailers — subsequently changing their name to Virnig Manufacturing, Inc. High product demand warranted additions in 1994, 1997 and 1999. Finally, in 2001, the Virnigs decided to build the manufacturing facility in Rice. In 2010, an additional facility was constructed across the parking lot from their current shop to add more workspace. A 28,000 square foot expansion, which included the automated wash bay and powdercoat paint system, was completed in 2014. A major development in Virnig’s expansion took place in 2017 when the company installed a 500 kw solar power system. 40 percent of the plant’s Bryan Virnig examines one of the company’s rock electricity will now come buckets as it comes out of the dryer. The bucket’s from the solar panel roofdesign, incorporating rows of cut sheet steel for top. strength and lightness, was created by Virnig engineers. “It looks very simple, but it’s quite revolutionThe system was put in ary,” Virnig said. “We were the first to do that style. place with help from a Now they all look like this.” U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy for America Program grant. The 1,800-panel system was designed by St. Paulbased company Innovative Power Systems, and the installation was completed by Oxbow Sunworks out of Stillwater, Minn. Virnig said the solar system, which powers the laser cutters and This brush cutter is quickly becoming one of Virnig’s welders, makes business more popular items. and environmental sense. The amount of Agriculture and construction were the basis of Virnig’s modest beginnings. carbon dioxide reduced by the solar Dean and Lois Virnig started Virnig panels will be equivalent to the amount Manufacturing and Welding out of a created by burning 520,000 pounds of garage outside of Pierz in 1989. The coal or powering 70 homes. “It’s nice to Virnig’s first business was repair work see our (electric) bills are lower even for local farmers and construction com- though we’re putting out more prodpanies in central Minnesota. Word of uct,” he said. the Virnigs’ quality work traveled fast Dean and Lois are still actively and the Virnigs saw their little busi- involved in running the family business grow quickly. Within five years of ness which now is home to 83 employopening the doors, Dean and Lois ees. The company recently added 18 moved from their makeshift shop into a workers. Virnig said the company’s larger building and expanded into
Steady expansion of space has allowed the company to maintain plenty of elbow room and a safe working environment. most valuable resource is its experi“We’re known in the area as a preenced, professional staff — totaling ferred employer,” Virnig admitted. “We more than 425 years of experience have a good worker pool. Quality peowithin the company. ple bring in quality people.” v
Building A Bin Should Be Simple, Right? Are You Tired Of.... • No Communication? • Additional Costs & Surprises? • Crews Not Showing Up? • Excuses, Lies & No Return Calls? • Picking Up After Bin Crews? • Lack of Quality & Care? inter
W nts Are u o c s i D Here!
We Know You Have More To Do Than Babysit & Pickup After Bin Crews. You Simply Want A Competitive Price On A Quality Grain Bin! You Need It Installed Correctly, Done On Time, And A Contractor That Answers Your Phone Call For Service & Questions.
TrusT In 50 Years Of HappY CusTOmers! CALL US TODAY OR VISIT WWW.AGRI-SYSTEMS.COM LITCHFIELD, MN (800) 246-6094
mdoering@agri-systems.com
COTTONWOOD, MN (507) 530-2365 bjeseritz@agri-systems.com
PAGE 14
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Plan in place to keep Minnesota’s swine production secure In every size and type of pig production system, health is the utmost concern. American pig farmers have learned the fine details of recognizing, treating, vaccinating against and avoiding familiar diseases in swine. What would happen in the event of a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak? Nationally, Secure Food Supply plans have been developed for milk, poultry, beef and pork. The purpose of the Secure Supply plan is to provide livestock producers with a workable continuity of business plan should an FAD occur. In the event of an FAD outbreak, livestock movement would be restricted, and preparation for such a catastrophe is the best way to ensure that producers could continue to move animals on and off of the farm and move products to market. The Secure Supply plan also prepares producers for cooperating with animal health officials in the event of an outbreak, and provides consumers with confidence that their meat, milk and egg supply is safe. Minnesota’s preparation Over a year ago, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health appointed Buffalo veterinarian Dave Wright Minnesota’s coordinator of the Secure Pork Supply plan. During 2018, Dr. Wright has met with producers, veterinarians, packers and producer groups to help them learn how to participate in the program. The University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine has worked extensively with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health in evaluating outbreak scenarios, and creating response plans and risk assessments. In May 2018, Dr. Wright organized the fundamentals from the National Pork Board’s securepork.org website into seven steps. Minnesota swine producers can use these seven steps to organize a farmspecific Secure Pork Supply plan. During the summer, University of Minnesota Extension swine educator Sarah Schieck put the seven steps into an online format and distributed one step weekly for seven weeks. Producers had the opportunity to construct their own SPS plan on their own time, one week at a time. The online Seven Steps is still available https://z.umn.edu/SPSsevenSteps. The seven steps to participate These seven steps to participate were developed to assist Minnesota swine producers to construct their own SPS plan for each of their sites. They are intended to offer producers a simplified step-by-step protocol to guide them through the participation process while referencing the SPS website at www. securepork.org. Step 1: Familiarize yourself with www.securepork.org Step 2: Validate your premises. Obtain a premises ID number. Print a map. Step 3: Locate and compile records, logbooks, certificates of veterinary inspection and standard operating procedures.
UniversityofMinnesota
EXTENSION
SWINE &U
Step 4: Enhanced Biosecurity Part 1 — Introduction to the biosecurity plan template. Step 5: Enhanced Biosecurity Part 2 — Create and label a premises map. SWINE & U Step 6: Enhanced By Diane DeWitte Biosecurity Part 3 — Biosecurity protocols. Step 7: Foreign animal disease training and response. A shining star within these seven steps is that many of the components of the Secure Pork Supply plan already exist. The swine producer’s Pork Quality Assurance Plus documentation of the care of their pigs contains written movement and biosecurity protocols. These existing records can easily be used in the farm’s SPS plan. Premises ID number (PIN) The national premises ID number is a unique seven-character identifier assigned to a premises where pigs are produced, kept or moved through. Each state’s Board of Animal Health manages the identification program and assigns the PIN for producers. National PINs are not specific only to swine. Premises where any food animal is raised can have a PIN. Today, more than 95 percent of swine premises use the national PIN. The pork industry is striving to reach 100 percent adoption of PINs. Not only will PINs on every pig farm provide pinpoint accuracy to reduce disease spread, but PIN use demonstrates a superior traceability system to the United States’ international trade partners. PINs are a key component of the Pork Quality Assurance Plus site assessment, and many packers require a PQA+ site assessment as a condition of sale. Since January 2015, all sows and boars sold into the food chain must have an ear tag containing the farm’s PIN. PINs are also required by many major swine shows and exhibitions. To obtain a PIN, producers can contact the Minnesota Board of Animal Health at www.bah. state.mn.us/register-your-premises/ or call (651) 201-6816. Familiarization with foreign animal diseases Part of the Secure Pork Supply plan wants swine farm personnel to become familiar with the three most common swine foreign animal diseases: Foot and mouth disease; Classical swine fever (formerly known in the U.S. as hog cholera); and African
swine fever (ASF). Note that FMD, CSF, and ASF are not public health or food safety concerns. Meat will still be safe to eat. However, these diseases are very contagious in swine, and each team member on the pig farm should be able to recognize clinical signs. Currently, swine producers are asked to keep a daily observation record of their pigs. Doing so will help provide timely documentation in the event of a disease outbreak. If suspicious signs are observed, farm personnel will be asked to collect oral and nasal swab samples to submit for testing. Any suspicions about pig health should be reported to a veterinarian immediately. SPS workshops in Minnesota University of Minnesota Extension personnel and Dr. Wright hit the road across southern Minnesota in November and December to provide the SPS message face-to-face. The Secure Pork Supply workshop for producers had two goals: Help producers develop their own farm-specific SPS plan with the least amount of inconvenience to them; and send producers home with their SPS plan under their arm. The workshops provided participants with a printed map of their site on which to complete Steps 2 and 5 and sent them home with “STOP” biosecurity signs for their farm gate and barns. Laminated posters detailing symptoms of the three foreign animal diseases were also supplied to producers. Additional Secure Pork Supply workshops for producers have been scheduled in January to cover areas in central Minnesota. Swine producers and affiliated industry personnel are welcome. The first workshop takes place on Jan. 14 at the Pine Country Bank, 750 County Road 21, in Rice, Minn. The second workshop will be held on Jan. 29 at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 State Hwy 329, in Morris, Minn. The registration fee is $15 and while registration is preferred, it is not required. Participants may register and pay online at , or by telephone at (507) 389-6714. Swine producers are encouraged to take some time this winter to put together a Secure Pork Supply plan. The SPS is voluntary. Countless hours and thought have gone into preparing the pig community for continuity of business in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak. As one of the workshop participants responded, “Be ready!” Diane DeWitte is an Extension Educator specializing in swine for the University of Minnesota Extension. Her e-mail address is stouf002@umn.edu v
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 15
Weak markets have growers eyeing industrial hemp By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer WILLMAR, Minn. — With many farmers struggling to make a buck, might becoming a hemp grower be a potential breakthrough? Such was the intrigue of a Nov. 15 breakfast workshop at the Kandiyohi Power Cooperative community room. The topic: Industrial hemp value chain! But don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. We asked Harold Stanislawski, Project Development Director of Minnesota’s Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, “Are we on the verge of something that could dramatically change the landscape of Minnesota agriculture?” Stanislawski responded, “I think it’s a little premature. But we certainly are on the verge of better understanding how this crop might fit into the Minnesota landscape. It will have limited acres initially, but when we get everything figured out I think this crop provides the opportunity for tremendous diversification in food, fiber, feed and CBD (medicinal usage). Suffice to say, you’re on the right track learning about hemp now.” There appeared to be lots of interest at this workshop — especially among younger farmers. Noted Stanislawski, “You can see here today … we’re all over the board. And the crop can be grown anywhere in Minnesota’s farming zones. Northwest Minnesota has some unique advantages. It’s a little cooler up there. The heavier soils of the Red River Valley would be good. We had one of the larger pilot fields at East Grand Forks two years ago. The yield was phenomenal.” But one caution: there is no established hemp processing industry yet in Minnesota. However, Hultgren Farms in northern Kandiyohi County planted 40 acres of organic industrial hemp last year. Explained Nate Hultgren, “We had some certified organic acres. But we sort of burned ourselves out doing kidney beans, so we started looking at some organic options. Also, we had weed problems on that field. I had read about industrial hemp doing a really good job competing against weeds. Hemp gets up above the weeds and screens them out. We thought, if this is our last year organic on that piece of ground, why not try hemp?” “ I thought our first year effort went okay. We used a few YouTube videos and talked to a couple growers. We heeded all the warnings and did it exactly as we were told. Yields netted about 1,000 pounds and for organic that’s okay. Plus it was on irrigated soil so that helps.”
Join The Land Online! Facebook.com/TheLandOnline Twitter.com/TheLandOnline
Photo by Dick Hagen
Nate Hultgren planted 40 acres in organic industrial hemp last year. “Our first year effort went okay,” he said.
Hultgrens had signed a marketing contract for $1.07 per pound — about twice what conventional hemp is going for. “We had a contract with Legacy Hemp at Prescott, Wis. where they are building a processing facility. They are a Kentucky firm who’ve been in business for some time. We shipped some totes to a customer lined up by Legacy. They said our hemp looked really good. After screenings, about 93 percent of our crop made contract.” And there will be a few more hemp acres for the Hultgrens in 2019. Another 20 acres of organic ground is going into hemp. “Yes, it’s very competitive against weeds,” Hultgren admitted. “We drill plant in seven-inch rows, so it’s dense right from the get-go. Fertilize it properly so it gets off to a fast start and once its about a foot tall, weeds are no longer an issue. It leaves them in its track. It’s like overnight the stuff is four feet tall. We seeded June 10 and harvested Sept. 20 or so. Moisture was at 19 percent. We put it in a bin, put a lot of air to it and we rotated it in the bin (that’s draining the bin and refilling it again). We were real intense about managing that moisture. Got it down to 9 percent moisture. It’s a different behavior when it’s in the bin.” And a possible soil remedial tool also? Hultgren acknowledged that’s a big if. “We’re sugar beet growers and we know beets remove organic matter. So it would be nice if hemp could act like alfalfa and rebuild some of that soil structure. We’re doing a lot of tillage experimenting to keep residue on our fields. Most farmers are doing that with cover crops. But it looks like hemp is so tough it can be a great soil holder after harvest. It could act as a cover crop even
though it’s no longer alive.” Nate, his brother Noah and his parents are progressive in agriculture. “We’re used to growing these crops such as beets and edible beans that require some extra headaches. So growing hemp wasn’t above the realm of what we’ve done before. Yes, we got some chatter about growing marijuana. My hired men thought maybe they could make some extra money if they pocketed some of this stuff,” chuckled Nate. But he added that once you learn about the science of hemp and understand this is a different strain than what is used for the drug culture. Industrial hemp is a distant cousin to marijuana, but with extremely low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol — the chemical that produces a ‘high’. A potential hemp grower as this meeting said his level of confidence for planting hemp in 2019 depends upon the passage of the next farm bill. Commented Rick Squibb, Renville County, “With the right language in the next bill and a market in this area, we likely would try hemp next year. Like most farmers, we desperately need an alternative crop because it looks like corn, soybeans, even sugar beets won’t be good money next year either.” Right now he’s thinking 80 acres for their first venture with hemp. The University of Minnesota has been plugged into feral hemp and cannabis genetics research for several years. Dr. George Weiblen heads up this team which includes agronomic hemp variety trials for the Minnesota Department of Agirculture pilot program. Twelve of the highest-yielding oilseed varieties from Canada are being tested for suitability in Minnesota. For more information, check the MDA website www.mda.state.mn/hemptrials. v
507-826-3463 507-383-4931
LG Seeds Stax to Conventional Financing Options Available
Also: Insecticides & Fungicides, Nurse Trailers, Liquid & Low Salt Fertilizer, LG Seeds, Traeger Smoker Grills, Telescoping Flag Poles and Enduraplas Poly Tanks
IT PAYS TO SHOP AND COMPARE PRICES
• Chris and Holly Dahl •
27296 730th Avenue - Albert Lea, MN 56007 www.dahlfarmsupply.com
PAGE 16
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Advertisement
Helping Farmers Succeed ™
ARE NEMATODES ROBBING YOUR FIELDS OF YIELD? NEMATODES ARE SILENT KILLERS in a farmer’s field, causing damage that can’t always be seen and robbing yield along the way. When trying to combat these difficult pests, farmers need solutions that offer impactful results.
symptoms do occur because of significant infestation, they are often sporadic and imitate other production related issues, like drought stress or fertility deficiency. Controlling nematode populations early can greatly diminish the potential for yield loss.”
“Damage to plants occur when nematodes feed on roots, which can heavily impact plant growth. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always develop above-ground symptoms,” says Jim Schwartz, director of PFR and Agronomy for Beck’s Hybrids. “Even if above ground
Prevalent in both corn and soybeans, there are many types of nematode species. Ectoparasite species exist in the soil and may move around and “graze” on roots. Endoparasite species spend most of their lives feeding inside the roots. Different species are more popular in different soil types, for instance, ectoparasitic species are more common in sandier soils. No matter the species, all nematodes can lead to moisture and nutrient uptake restrictions and lead to yield-robbing diseases, like root rot.
A NEW LEVEL OF SEED PROTECTION Beck’s newest addition to Escalate®, NEMASECT ™, offers farmers an effective way to manage nematodes in their fields. • As a biological, it’s safe to handle and safe for the environment • Multiple modes of action against the most common nematode species: lesion, stunt, dagger, and stubby root • Controls nematodes within 24 to 48 hours • A broad spectrum nematicide with activity on many soildwelling insects • Delivers an additional yield protection advantage of 12.2 Bu./A. in corn and 3.5 Bu./A. in soybeans**
Each year, nematodes are responsible for more than $3 billion loss due to crop damage*. While many nematode species feed on both corn and soybeans, soybean specific species do not typically feed on other plant types. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) infestations can cut yields as much as 30 percent and not only cause stunting, yellowing, early death, reduced nodulation and lower yields, but can also serve as an entry point for other diseases. SCN is the number one cause of yield loss in soybeans and is prevalent in majority of the soybean acres in the United States. Schwartz says the most critical time to control nematodes is in the first 30-45 days the seed goes in the ground. NEMASECT™ controls nematodes within 24 to 48 hours and impacts both egg and juvenile nematode populations for up to 60 days. But this revolutionary nematicide doesn’t stop there. With its multiple modes of action, it also acts as a powerful insecticide and has activity on many soil-dwelling insects. Management practices like crop rotation, eliminating winter annual weed species, planting resistant varieties, planting early, minimizing growth stresses, and using seed treatments can all aid farmers in the fight
“Damage to plants occur when nematodes feed on roots, which can heavily impact plant growth. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always develop aboveground symptoms.” against nematodes. Farmers should take advantage of the tools at their disposal to control damaging nematodes and protect yields, especially when one offers the effectiveness of NEMASECT. A revolutionary nematicide and insecticide, NEMASECT comes standard as part of Beck’s Escalate® seed treatment on corn and soybeans. The best part? It comes at no additional charge, so it’s putting even more money back into farmers’ pockets. Farmers can be confident their crops have an added defense against nematodes and insects, and can look forward to additional yield protection. *Society of Nematologists. “Information on Nematology.” 2018. Web. https://nematologists.org/resources/information-on-nematology/ **Corn results from two-year field trials at 50 locations (2016 and 2017) vs. competitive standard. Corn trials conducted in nematode infested fields in NE, MN, MO, IA, IL, IN, OH and AL. Soybean results from two-year field trials at 124 locations (2016 and 2017) vs. competitive standard. Soybean trials conducted in nematode infested fields in IN, IL, IA, OH, WI, MN, NE, KY, VA, NC, GA, AL, LA, MS, AR. Individual results will vary based on nematode pressure in each field.
powered by
TM
Beck’s is an industry leader in providing the corn, soybean, wheat, elite alfalfa, small seeds and other tools farmers need to succeed. NEMASECT™ and Escalate® are trademarks of Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Inc.
BecksHybrids.com/Escalate
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 17
PAGE 18
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Hemp a ‘many splendored’ new cropping opportunity By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer WILLMAR, Minn. — The 2014 farm bill defined industrial hemp for the first time and allowed states to develop research pilot programs to study the growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp. In 2015, the Minnesota Industrial Margaret Hemp Development Act became law Wiatrowski and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture became administrator of the industrial hemp pilot program. Optimistic about hemps future is MDA’s Industrial Hemp Program Coordinator Margaret Wiatrowski. At a Nov. 15 workshop in Willmar, Minn., she commented, “Things are changing so fast it’s hard to keep up. It’s been crazy the number of people contacting me about wanting to grow hemp. “In 2016 we had eight applicants and seven license holders who grew only 38 acres. In 2017, applicant number were 42 with 38 license holders and 1,210 acres. In 2018, 45 growers, 700 acres and about half were CBD producers with intentions of more revenue per acre. Just this October there were 40 applicants with 80 percent planning to grow for CBD extraction. “We’re into our fourth year and it seems the public has now accepted hemp and its various derivatives. Yet I still have people calling saying they just found out they can now grow hemp.” “People are really doing things right now with the grain and fiber side of hemp production. The CBD side, the medical/medicinal stuff, I think will continue to exist in this legal gray area of confusion until the feds take action. It’s in peak popularity right now. Everyone’s talking about it because of the ‘big bucks’ inference. But I think that will level off and then the other uses of hemp will catch-up.” Wiatrowski is much aware additional help will be needed to coordinate this program in view of the incredible expansion likely to happen in 2019. “Right now I’m doing all of the licensing and 80 percent of the inspections,” she admitted. “Fortunately, four of our Minnesota seed inspectors are expanding their duties to also work with me. Hopefully a new hire will be on staff by January.” Certified seed sources for grain and fiber type varieties developed in Canada and Europe are available. “We have a list of both Canadian and European certified seed producers. (Wiatrowski’s phone number is (651) 587-6795). “The CBD stuff comes from various U.S. sources. However, these are not certified, not really regulated and much less reliable.” Hemp seed comes in 50-lb. bags. “The CBD stuff is being sold by the seed up to $4 per seed!” Wiatrowski said. “Canadian seed will be around $2.50 per lb. — higher for imported seeds from Europe, like about $4 per lb.” Grain production utilizes a seeding rate of about 30
lbs. per acre — 60 lbs. for fiber production because you want dense stands of vertical growth with little branching. For medicinal purposes, the CBDs are spaced 4-5 inches apart because the intent is a really wide and bushy plant, said Wiatrowski. DNA analyses of the seed is being done by Dr. Weiblen in the University of Minnesota Plant Science Department. His studies are to determine if THC and the CBD levels of the plant can be predicted through DNA analyses before it even starts growing. “Get that technique perfected and it could potentially revolutionize how we do the testing,” said Wiatrowski. “We may not need go and visit every field. We would just test the seeds prior to planting. That’s exciting.” Wiatrowski sees a bright future of Minnesota grown hemp. “I think what’s ahead for the really technical grade fibers like making tiny semiconductors from the tiny fibers of the hemp plant ... for use in computer chips and cell phones. It’s way beyond my comprehension, but thinking of making computers from hemp fibers – that is really cool.” Strict regulations apply for those considering hemp as a crop possibility. Individuals must first get a license through MDA to grow or process hemp. That involves a criminal history background check and precise field locations. Also at the end of the growing
season, licensees are required to report agronomic, processing and marketing findings. Wiatrowski said the application process cost is $350 per year for five acres or less. Over five acres, the fee is $550 and with additional fields even more. If you want to be a processor only, the yearly fee is $250. License holders grow hemp predominantly to harvest grain for oil and animal or human food consumption. Some also process the stalks for fiber usage in textiles, animal bedding, building materials and landscaping. The fiber is extremely durable. A 12-inch insulation panel made from hemp stalk residue has an R80 insulation rating! Industrial hemp may even have value in the beer brewing industry. Already, three Minnesota brewers are substituting hemp for some portion of hops used in their brewing process. Industrial hemp is defined as Cannabis sativa L with a delta-9 THC content of 0.3 percent or less. All fields are sampled within 30 days of harvest by MDA inspectors. Plant samples are tested for delta-9 THC concentrations to insure compliance with the statutory industrial hemp definition. v
Calendar of Events Visit www.TheLandOnline.com to view our complete calendar & enter your own events, or send an e-mail with your event’s details to editor@thelandonline.com. Jan. 21 — Small Grain Winter Workshop — Morris, Minn. — Program is designed to help farmers determine if small grains can work on their farm and in their rotation. Topics include production agronomics, variety selection, disease identification, fungicide use, equipment and economics. — Contact Jared Goplen at (320) 589-1711 ext. 2128 Jan. 22 — Building Profits and Soil Health Workshop — Alexandria, Minn. — Topics include building soil while improving yields and profits; financial considerations of soil building; cover crops; rotational grazing; reduced tillage and no-till. A panel will answer questions and share experiences. — Contact Robin Moore at rmoore@landstewardshipproject.org or (320) 269-2105 Jan. 22 — Palmer Amaranth Summit — Falcon Heights, Minn. — A morning session will be largely informational presentation – experts summarizing the latest work on this invasive weed and its impact on Minnesota agriculture. An afternoon session will be take the form of a working discussion group. — Contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Jan. 22 — Farm Transition and Estate Planning Workshop — Goodhue, Minn. — Workshop will fea-
ture information on farm goal setting, family communications, business structures, mechanisms for inheritance and transition, estate taxes, and other basic concepts such as retirement planning. — Contact Megan Roberts at meganr@umn.edu or (507) 389-6722 Jan. 23 — Farmland Rental Workshop — Waseca, Minn. — This workshop will answer any questions you have about farmland rental rates in Minnesota. The workshop will go over historical rates for farmland in the area and the rental rates for pasture land and other types of farmland. The presenters will help farmers, landlords, and professionals use data-driven decisions to determine a fair price for rental. There will also be time to ask any questions about farmland rental. — Contact David Bau at bauxx003@umn.edu or (507) 360-0664 Jan. 25-26 — Emerging Farmers Conference — St. Paul, Minn. — Topics include organic options for soil fertility; how to find land to farm; understanding USDA programs and resources; cover crops; chickens for meat or eggs; growing healthy transplants; growing mushrooms; organic options for pest management. — Contact Emily Squyres at (651) 433-3676 Jan. 29 — Secure Pork Supply Workshop — Morris, Minn. — Participants will complete an SPS plan and learn how to monitor their herd for disease. — Contact Diane DeWitte at stouf002@umn.edu or (507) 384-1745
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
WED
JAN 23RD
MN AG EXPO 2019
NOON 12:30PM - 1:15PM
JANUARY 23-24 VERIZON CENTER MANKATO, MN Don’t miss this lineup of speakers and sessions! Register at mnagexpo.com
8AM - 5:30PM 8AM - 10:30AM 7:30AM - 9AM 9AM - NOON 10AM - 10:45AM 11AM - 4PM 11AM - 11:45AM
1:45PM - 2:45PM 4PM - 5:30PM 5:30PM - 6:45PM 7PM - 11PM
THU
JAN 24TH
7AM - 3PM 8AM - 4PM 8:15AM - 9AM 9AM - NOON 10AM - 10:45AM 11AM - 11:45AM 12:30PM - 2PM
PAGE 19
Registration Open Exhibitor Set Up MN Corn PAC Breakfast MCGA Delegate Session & Annual Meeting MN Ag in the Classroom Learning Session Trade Show Open Profinium Learning Session Charitable Remainder Trusts for Agriculture Producers with Wade H. Abed II, J.D. Boxed Lunch Beck’s Hybrids Learning Session A Fresh Perspective on Old Agronomy with Jim Schwartz, Director PFR & Agronomy The Benefits of On-Farm Solar Energy Sponsored by Blue Horizon Energy MCGA Reception & Silent Auction Dinner featuring Jim Wiesemyer, Pro Farmer Sponsored by MN Corn & MN Pork Beano & Vino Casino Night
Event Center Reception Hall Banquet Hall West Meeting Room 245 Event Center Meeting Room 247
Trade Show Floor Meeting Room 245
Trade Show Stage Reception Hall Banquet Hall Mankato City Center
Registration Open Trade Show Open Event Center US Farm Report with Tyne Morgan Trade Show Stage Sponsored by Profinium MSGA Delegate Session & Annual Meeting Banquet Hall West Gislason & Hunter Learning Session Meeting Room 245 Estate and Succession Planning with Attorney Kaitlin Pals Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa Meeting Room 247 Learning Session Banquet Hall
2:30PM - 3:30PM
Food for Thought sponsored by MSR&PC Lunch featuring Colonel Parker Schenecker Closing Keynote Sponsored by Asgrow
3:30PM - 6:00PM
Bayer Dicamba Training for Applicators
Banquet Hall
Trade Show Stage
RESEARCH STAGE • AURI RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTER 2ND FLOOR WEDNESDAY 10AM Corn & Soybean Researchers 11:30AM Weed Resistance Panel UFC, U of MN, MDA - Panelists TBA 2PM Corn & Soybean Researchers
THURSDAY 9AM Corn & Soybean Researchers 10:30AM Open Session 2PM Corn & Soybean Researchers
PAGE 20
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Opportunities abound at the 2019 MN AG EXPO JANUARY 23 & 24 MN AG EXPO brings together Minnesota’s corn and soybean farmers, agribusiness and university researchers at the Verizon Center in Mankato, Minn. The Trade Show is full of companies with emerging technologies, equipment specials, and new information. Companies showcase their latest products and equipment as part of the annual trade show. Networking Opportunities are endless at MN AG EXPO. From dinners featuring top notch speakers to receptions with plenty of time to gather the best information from fellow farmers, you can make the most out of your time at MN AG EXPO, and find valuable new connections. Educational Sessions on hot button issues affecting your farm operation are abundant this year. From understanding your insurance needs to mental health and rural America, we have it all covered at this year’s MN AG EXPO. Change the way you think about your farm and the impact to your bottom line.
MN AG EXPO Schedule of Events
Wednesday, January 23
7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Minnesota Corn PAC Breakfast Reception Hall The PAC Breakfast is a PAC fundraiser for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Minnesota Corn Growers Association Delegate Session and Annual Meeting Banquet Hall West 10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Minnesota Ag in the Classroom Learning Session — Engaging K-12 Students Meeting Room 245 Presented by Keri Sidle Find out resources you can use to tell your agricultural story with students and teacher through Minnesota Ag in the Classroom. Keri Sidle is an education specialist with Minnesota Ag in the Classroom.
Verizon Center Mankato, Minn.
There’s something for everyone at the Expo Welcome to the 2019 MN AG EXPO, Minnesota’s premier indoor agriculture trade show! The two days will be packed with a robust industry trade show, sessions on hot button issues affecting farmers, and annual meetings for the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. The issues and challenges which affect farmers every day are the focus of this year’s EXPO. Sessions this year include a wide variety of topics ranging from renewable energy, value-added agriculture products to a U.S. farm report panel and the latest developments in checkoff-funded research. Simply put, there’s something for everyone who farms or works in agriculture at the 2019 MN AG EXPO. We encourage you to forge new relationships with your fellow farmers and network with a variety of agribusiness while you are here. With plenty of new and returning exhibitors this year, the trade show provides a perfect opportunity to build connections for the success of your farm operation. 2018 was marked by tariffs, uncooperative weather and low commodity prices, challenging our farmers throughout a turbulent year. In 2019, we are looking forward and starting fresh, while building a strong foundation for the future. For decades, MN AG EXPO has been a winter reunion for our agriculture community, a chance to renew and jumpstart relationships. This year aims to be the best one yet. We have more than 70 exhibitors from all walks of agriculture, including a full slate of speakers and panelists. And don’t miss our speaker for Thursday’s lunch, Col. Parker Schenecker. His moving story of courage, love, loss and gratitude is one that will stay with you long after the Colonel has shared his story. Col. Schenecker will remind us that even in today’s farm economy, agriculture will rebound, adapt and emerge stronger. While you’re walking the trade room floor at MN AG EXPO, be sure to visit the MSGA booth and visit with our farmer leaders about why joining our joining our organization is a sound investment in your operation, for today and tomorrow. As we look to the future of agriculture in Minnesota, MN AG EXPO continues to be the place for farmers to learn, connect and grow to support their farming operation. We’re turning the page in 2019, and hoping you’ll join us along the way. Enjoy your time at MN AG EXPO! Michael Petefish President Minnesota Soybean Growers Association
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Trade Show Opens Event Center 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Charitable Remainder Trusts for Agriculture Producers — sponsored by Profinium Meeting Room 247 Join Profinium for a learning session with Wade H. Abed II, J.D. Learn how to give your family the ability to selling land, livestock, or equipment to avoid or defer tax on the sale and potentially generate lifetime income fore retirement. Abed is Vice President of Trust and Corporate Council for Profinium Financial. 12 noon Boxed Lunch Trade Show Floor 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. A Fresh Perspective on Old Agronomy — Sponsored by Beck’s Meeting Room 245 Join Beck’s Hybrids for the learning session “A Fresh Perspective on Old Agronomy” with Jim Schwartz, Director of Practical Farm Research and Agronomy for Beck’s Hybrids 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. The Benefits of On Farm Solar Energy — Blue Horizon Energy Keynote Panel Trade Show Stage Join Blue Horizon Energy for a keynote panel to learn more from farmers implementing and using on-farm solar energy as part of their operation. 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Minnesota Corn Growers Association Silent Auction and Reception Reception Hall 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Dinner featuring Jim Wiesemyer, Pro Farmer — Sponsored by Minnesota Corn Growers Association Banquet Hall Wiesemyer is a Pro Farmer policy analyst. 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. Beano and Vino Casino City Center Hotel - Poolside Join the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association for an evening of fun! Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the door.
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
MN AG EXPO Schedule of Events
Thursday, January 24
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Trade Show Open 8:15 a.m. – 9 a.m. U.S. Farm Report with Tyne Morgan Trade Show Stage Watch a special taping of the U.S. Farm Report. The panel will feature Sue Martin of Ag & Investment Services; and Duwayne Bosse, a market analyst with the Bolt Marketing Team. Tyne Morgan is host of the U.S. Farm Report — a magazine-style program which focuses on news in the agriculture and agribusiness industries. 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Delegate Session and Annual Meeting Banquet Hall West
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Gislason and Hunter Learning Session — Estate and Succession Planning Meeting Room 245 Join Attorney Kaitlin Pals of Gislason and Hunter for a learning session on estate and succession planning for farm families. 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa — Learning Session Meeting Room 247 Join Ken D. Ripley and Ryan Benes for a discussion on precision solutions
and RAMP within the agriculture insurance industry and the benefits for your farm operation. Ripley is a strategic account manager and Benes is a district sales manager for Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa. 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. Food for Thought with Colonel Parker Schenecker Banquet Hall Gather for a lunch featuring speaker Colonel Parker Schenecker who will speak on learning how to move beyond tragedy and keeping promises, because you said you would. Colonel
Check out the AURI research and innovation center
Stop in at the second-floor research area to learn from the various corn and soybean researchers from University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, Iowa State University and North Dakota State University. Learn from farmers about their on-farm research projects. Speakers will discuss some of the hot items in soybean and corn research. David Nicolai is a University of Minnesota Extension Educator in Crops and Coordinator of the Institute for Ag Professionals. He will be on the panel on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 11:30 a.m. in the research center. Other panel members include Andrew Lueck who had roles within weed science with Monsanto, North Dakota and Minnesota State Extension. Lueck currently owns an independent agricultural contract research company, Next Gen Ag, in Renville county, Minn. Also on the panel will be Dan Miller — a field sales agronomist with United Farmers Cooperative.
PAGE 21 Schenecker was a senior leader and strategist in the United States Intelligence Community — responsible for support to the U.S. defense and counter-terrorism efforts in the Middle East. While on a quick deployment to Afghanistan, Schenecker learned his children were murdered by their mother. Immediately upon returning from deployment and after laying his children to rest, Parker made a promise to remember how his children lived, not how they died and began his philanthropic efforts in earnest. 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. The Future of Digital Agriculture with John Jansen, Vice President of North American Agronomic Services at The Climate Corporation — Sponsored by Asgrow Trade Show Stage Join Jansen for a vision of what the future of digital agriculture looks like for the industry. 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Bayer Dicamba Training for Applicators Banquet Hall
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WINTER DISCOUNTS NOW! Winter Discounts are going on now, call to get your project on our 2019 calendar. GRAIN HANDLING & DRYING
EQUIPMENT
GRAIN STORAGE SITE DESIGN REPAIR & NEW CONSTRUCTION 24 HR. SERVICE Professional / Product Knowlodge / Dedication To Service
Buffalo Lake, MN (320) 833-2228 www.ksmillwrights.com CRANE SERVICE 24 HR REPAIR SERVICE
• Site Prep • Tile Repair • Silo Removal • Demo and Grove Removal • Driveway Layout/Construction • Trucking/Hauling of Aggregate Materials
PAGE 22
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
MN AG EXPO Exhibit Hall and Exhibitors 360 Yield Center................................. 60 Acceleron Seed Applied Solutions....... 87 Adrian Seed Company - Low MuTech.. 44 Ag Spray Equipment........................... 25 Agassiz............................................... 28 AgFocus............................................. 40 Agnition.............................................. 73 AgSolutions........................................ 64 AgVend................................................. 9 AgXplore............................................. 32 American Lung Association................. 92 AURI................................................... 93 BASF.................................................. 79 Bayer.................................................. 84 Beck’s................................................ 65 Blue Earth Soil & Water Conservation District................. 45 Blue Horizon Energy............................ 80 CFS.................................................... 67 CHS.................................................... 23 Connect the Grey................................ 34 Country Enterprises............................ 88
Dekalb / Asgrow................................. 86 Ellingson Companies........................... 24 Environmental Tillage Systems........... 71 Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance of Iowa............................................... 36 Gislason & Hunter............................... 76 Gold Country Seed.............................. 62 Green Energy Products....................... 29 GreenSeam......................................... 13 Heads Up Plant Protectants Inc........... 89 Hefty Seed.......................................... 55 Hewitt Drainage Equipment/Hewitt Precision Insights................................ 90 Houston Engineering........................... 27 Indigo Ag............................................ 99 Irrigators Association of Minnesota..... 43 ISG..................................................... 72 K&S Millwrights.................................. 54 LandProz............................................ 63 Linder Farm Network.......................... 96 MARL............................................... 101 Mathiowetz Construction.................... 69
ELLINGSON IS YOUR WATER MANAGEMENT PARTNER FROM CONCEPT TO CONSTRUCTION. Leveraging in-field experience, data and technology, our full-service solutions help you make more informed decisions about the water on your land. • Land Assessment • Planning and Design
• Drain Tile Installation • Mapping and Record-Keeping
To learn how a water management plan can maximize productivity on your operation, visit EllingsonCompanies.com or call (888) 527-2294.
Max Systems LLC............................... 19 MEG Corp........................................... 17 Midwest Recycling Solutions............... 12 Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program.......................... 70 Minnesota Agriculture Water Resource Center................................. 42 Minnesota Corn Growers Association.. 58 Minnesota Farm Bureau...................... 56 Minnesota Farmers Union................... 15 Minnesota FFA Foundation................ 100 Minnesota Soybean Growers Association......................................... 22 Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council.............................. 46 Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence...................................... 77 MN Ag in the Classroom...................... 95 Mycogen/Dow.................................... 97 Northern Soy Marketing...................... 91
Novel Energy Solutions......................... 8 Perten Instruments / University of MN.21 Pioneer............................................... 10 Prinsco............................................... 98 Profinium............................................ 18 Proseed............................................ 102 Renk Seed Company........................... 31 Rinke Noonan..................................... 20 SB&B Foods........................................ 35 Sentera............................................... 30 Snell Motors......................................... 1 Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance...... 11 Steffes Group Inc................................ 26 SunOpta............................................. 52 The Land magazine............................ 53 Titan Pro SCIL....................................... 3 U.S. Meat Export Federation................ 66 University of Minnesota Dept. of Agronomy.............................. 38 Ziegler Ag Equipment............................ 6
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 23
USDA loans, grants on hold during government shutdown This column was written for the marketto see livelier spot trading activities in ing week ending Jan. 11. the forthcoming football season.” Week two of 2019 became week three of n the partial government shutdown and The spot butter price ended the week at hope for an end was nowhere in sight. $2.2575 per pound, up three-quarter The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cents on the week and 9.75 cents above a monthly World Agricultural Supply and year ago, with 11 cars sold. Demand Estimates report, scheduled for Post-holiday cream availability has cenJan. 11, was the latest casualty of the MIELKE MARKET tral butter churns fully engaged, says shutdown. The report would have includWEEKLY Dairy Market News, as producers work to ed the USDA’s latest estimates on U.S. By Lee Mielke build springtime inventories. Some promilk production and milk prices as well ducers suggest the amount of cream as crop estimates. The last time this clearing into plants this week was happened was October 2013 and the higher than it has been in three report was eventually canceled. years. Butter sales are somewhat Monthly U.S. trade data from the Bureau of steady. Census, which was due to be released Jan. 8, was also not published. The Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperative’s newsletter editor, Bob Gray, says, December U.S. milk checks will be “There will be a delay in writing the new rules for woefully inadequate; but subsesethe Dairy Margin Coverage Program. USDA loans quent milk checks will be considerand grants will not be processed as well.” ably better — especially in those n areas with high Class I or Class IV The week saw block cheddar fall to $1.37 per utilization. The dairy industry has pound on Jan. 9, then rebound and close Jan. 11 at undergone some painful pruning in $1.41. This is down three-quarter cents on the week 2018, but those producers who and 4.5 cents below a year ago, as traders anticipatmanaged to survive could enjoy a ed the Jan. 15 Global Dairy Trade auction. more prosperous new year. The barrels finished at $1.2450, down 5.75 cents, — Sarina Sharp, “Daily Dairy Report” 2.75 cents above a year ago (when they tumbled 17.25 cents), and are 16.5 cents below the blocks. “Butter market analysts suggest butter prices Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading put six cars of were expected to be slightly lower than they curblock into new hands on the week and 28 cars of rently are, as market prices hold in and around the barrel. low $2.20s. Early year positivity have some contacts Dairy Market News reports that cheese production suggesting 2019 may be as bullish, if not more so, continues aplenty though the milk price narrative than 2018,” says Dairy Market News. has changed. This week’s spot milk prices ranged Western butter inventories are in “build stage.” from $2 under to $1 over, whereas New Year’s week Butter makers are shifting into more bulk producprices were wholly discounted. tion but also have significant orders from retailers “Sales reports from most producers point to a bull- refilling store shelves. Demand appears to be seaish push,” says Dairy Market News, but “Some sonally strong for both bulk and print butter and expect schools and restaurants are simply refilling handlers say milk components have remained their stocks, and the uptick may be short-lived once strong and there is plenty of cream for churning. establishments and schools are replenished.” Cheese n markets remain somewhat quiet and while some Lots of eyes have been on the powder markets regional producers relay their inventories are balwhich strengthened in the last three GDT auctions. anced, nationally stores are heavy. CME Grade A nonfat dry milk closed the second Western inventories remain abundant for the Friday of January at $1.03 per pound, up 5.5 cents most part, except for a few exceptions. “Cheese sales on the week, 36.25 cents above a year ago, and the are quiet to very active depending on the processor. first time it topped $1 per pound at the CME since More mozzarella is clearing through the retail chanJanuary 2017. Ten carloads found new homes on the nels for pizza manufacturing. Cheese exports to week. Asia are up while orders from Mexico are stable. The Daily Dairy Report’s Sarina Sharp wrote in However, supplies exceed current orders.” the Jan. 4 Milk Producers Council newsletter, Higher components in farm milk and plenty of “Lower milk output in parts of the United States milk in the west means cheese productivity is growand Europe is reducing milk powder production and ing, warns Dairy Market News, adding more to curglobal demand seems to be on firm footing.” She rent stocks and cheese outputs are likely to further adds, “China imported 67.9 million pounds of skim increase in the near future, “so market players hope milk powder in November, 69 percent more than a
MARKETING
year ago and the greatest volume ever for November. Chinese whole milk powder imports reached 87.7 million pounds, which is up nearly 30 percent from November 2017. Through November, China imported 11 percent more SMP and 6 percent more WMP than it did in the first eleven months of 2017. As China struggles to modernize its dairy industry without forcing contraction, imports are expected to remain robust.” Sharp also warned that December U.S. milk checks will be “woefully inadequate,” but “subsequent milk checks will be considerably better — especially in those areas with high Class I or Class IV utilization.” She says, “The dairy industry has undergone some painful pruning in 2018, but those producers who managed to survive could enjoy a more prosperous new year.” Not having projections from this month’s WASDE, Class III futures, as of Jan. 10, projected a 2019 Class III average at $15.83 per cwt., up from $14.61 in 2018 and compares to $16.17 in 2017. FC Stone dairy broker Dave Kurzawski wrote in his Jan. 9 Early Morning Update, “If co-ops in the country have better returns from NFDM/butter production, that will take some milk away from producing surplus cheese. Overall the past few years Class IV has continued to maintain discounts to Class III due to the weak NFDM market, but that may be changing after a multi-year bear market cycle.” Kurzawski adds that Mexico is back in the market and the past 12 months saw Mexico’s NFDM/SMP imports rise 9.1 percent at 344,820 metric tons. But Mexico re-exported close to 54,000 tons to Venezuela in the form of humanitarian aid, “So, most of the increase in SMP exports to Mexico in the past two years has been because of their aid to Venezuela which is in economic and political turmoil.” One more factor on powder: Jan. 8 was the close of the 30th European Union SMP tender which was offering 102,590 metric tons. December’s tender saw 60,537 metric tons sell at a minimum price of about 76 cents per pound with today’s FX rate of $1.15 euro/U.S. dollar. The latest tender resulted in 80,242 metric tons of SMP being sold, which is about double what many people expected and draws down EU intervention stocks to just 22,000 metric tons. “For those counting, that means EU tenders have moved 380,000 metric tons of SMP in 12 months,” according to Kurzawski, and many expect EU’s stocks to dwindle down to zero by the middle of 2019. n Meanwhile; HighGround Dairy’s director of market intelligence, Lucas Fuess, speaking in the Jan. 14 Dairy Radio Now broadcast, said “the un-thawing” of trade relations with China is good news for U.S. farmers and included the release of the trade data itself which had been withheld since last April, plus U.S. rice was exported to China for the first time ever. See MIELKE, pg. 26
PAGE 24
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
MARKETING
Grain Outlook Corn market is leaking air The following marketing analysis is for the week ending Jan. 11. CORN — Well, it’s official. The January World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, quarterly grain stocks, and winter wheat seeding reports will all be delayed until after the government reopens. The longest shutdown has been 21 days, which we matched on Jan. 11. Add to that the absence of any export sales reports and here we sit in the $3.72.5 to $3.84.5 per bushel trading range we’ve been in since Dec. 19. The sign up for the Market Facilitation Program will be extended for the same number of days the government was closed. PHYLLIS NYSTROM Demand news was scarce, but CHS Hedging Inc. there was chatter China would St. Paul be in the market for U.S. ethanol or DDG’s. Nothing materialized from the trade talks and there was nothing to suggest business was done in the export numbers. Weekly ethanol production pulled back 1 percent to its lowest level in nine months, down 11,000 barrels per day to 1.0 million bpd. Ethanol stocks increased 100,000 barrels to 23.3 million barrels. Margins were down a penny to a negative 5 cents per gallon. Conab refreshed their Brazilian corn production forecast this week with a small increase to 91.2 million metric tons. Safras was higher at 93.4 mmt, and Agroconsult came in at 95.6 mmt. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in December was using 94.5 mmt. The Rosario Grain Exchanged put Argentina’s corn crop at 44 mmt vs. 42-43 mmt last month and the USDA’s 42.5 mmt outlook. China’s corn estimate for this year’s crop caught up to their previous revisions, putting it at 257.3 mmt vs. 215 mmt previously. The last USDA estimate was 256 mmt. China cut their 2018-19 corn import forecast from 2.5 mmt to 1.5 mmt. Neither update was unexpected by the trade. Weekly export inspections continue to be reported, despite the government shutdown. Corn inspections were 19.7 million bushels, a big disappointment to trade expectations for 25.6-39.4 million bushels. This was the lowest of the marketing year. Cumulative exports are up 61 percent from last year, but for the last five weeks they have been below the 46 million bushels we need to average to hit the USDA’s 2.45 See NYSTROM, pg. 25
Cash Grain Markets
corn/change* soybeans/change* St. Cloud $3.26 +.07 $8.01 +.13 Madison $3.23 -.02 $7.93 +.06 Redwood Falls $3.23 -.04 $8.00 -.02 Fergus Falls $3.09 -.05 $7.67 -.02 Morris $3.17 -.05 $7.80 -.02 Tracy $3.26 -.04 $7.93 .00
Grain Angles Quarters, dimes and pennies
New Year’s resolutions are often times made to make or a break a habit. Most of these goals are meant to help make us better as a person and Average: $3.21 $7.89 increase our longevity. While these goals are made for ourselves, it’s important to take the time to ana Year Ago Average: $3.09 $9.16 lyze habits of our operation and refresh those goals. Grain prices are effective cash close on Jan. 15. Take the time to reflect on the successes of the past year, and areas of opportunity. It’s important to ask *Cash grain price change represents a two-week period. yourself what small changes or habits you can make on your operation to capitalize on. What may seem like just cents can make an impact in the long run and really add up to increase the longevity of your operation. When looking at ways to make your change add up, consider these four key steps as you begin a new year. CARMEN MICHEL The livestock markets feel as if we had continued Decision-making driver. Compeer Financial trading in the holiday style while we moved into the Officer Routinely updating financial first week of the new year. For the most part, all Waite Park, Minn. records is crucial for your operatraded very sluggish — appearing to wait for some direction from the consumption results from the tion’s financial health. A balance Christmas and New Year period. The cattle complex sheet and income statement allow you to reflect on your operation’s strengths and opportunities of the seemed to move in the opposite past year. Hone in on these areas. It can be helpful direction from the hogs during to discuss your balance sheet and income statement that period. The question now with your lender to have another viewpoint on how becomes, is this the direction the year went. Keeping records each year can allow these markets will continue into you to reflect on where the operation has been and the first part of the new year? where it is headed. Cattle have appeared to estabOne of the most crucial metrics to know is your cost lished some sort of a top in the of production year over year. Knowing your operarecent trade during the first week tion’s cost of production will help in the decisionof 2019. Cash has slipped as well JOE TEALE making process by allowing your break-even to drive Broker as the beef cutouts after a fairly the decision. This keeps emotion out of the decision Great Plains Commodity good increase in the last part of and allows your quarters, dimes and pennies to stack Afton, Minn. December. Weather has played a up more effectively. I recommend getting started on significant role as wet conditions in many major feedlots are very sloppy with mud- honing in on your numbers with Compeer’s margin caked cattle. The fact that we are in January now, manager, which can be found on compeer.com. weather will continue to play a major role — espeMaximize the return on your hard work. The cially if temperatures begin to drop as they normally hard work you put into your operation shouldn’t be do in the next two months. held back by costs which are stealing your quarters, Beef production has been increasing through the dimes and pennies. While cutting necessary costs can past several months and has pressured the beef cut- negatively impact your return, it’s crucial to analyze outs and as a result, packer margins have tightened. the impact of every dollar spent on your operation. This could set the tone for a further defensive action When doing so, keep your cost of production numbers in the bidding process by the packers. Of course, a handy to aid in the decision-making process. main ingredient in this scenario will continue to be Your ‘change’ can add up by negotiating your input the demand for beef products. If demand remains costs (feed, fertilizer, chemical, seed, etc.) with dealstrong, the downside in price will then be limited. ers. Another key area to evaluate is your land base Producers should be aware of changes in market con- costs. Although it can be tough to give up rented See TEALE, pg. 26 See MICHEL, pg. 25
Livestock Angles Beef production is increasing
Information in the above columns is the writer’s opinion. It is no way guaranteed and should not be interpreted as buy/sell advice. Futures trading always involves a certain degree of risk.
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 25
Ag market focus will be on government shutdown NYSTROM, from pg. 24 billion bushels export forecast. If and when we get a WASDE report, the trade is anticipating the U.S. corn carryout at 1.694 billion bushels, down from December’s 1.781 billion-bushel forecast. World carryout is expected to average 307.32 mmt vs. 308.8 mmt in December. The average trade guess for Argentina’s corn crop is 42.39 mmt and for Brazil 94.31 mmt. Outlook: For the week, March corn gave back over half of last week’s gains. This week, March corn was 4.75 cents lower at $3.78.75, July fell 4 cents to $3.94.25, and December dropped 2.5 cents to $4.01.5 per bushel. South American weather and China will continue to be driving force in nearby price direction. SOYBEANS — It’s sort of surprising how dependent we get on government reports — even though at times we question their accuracy. Without any progress on getting the U.S. government up and running, the market’s attention focused on South American crop estimates. Conab published their newest Brazilian soybean production number at 118.8 mmt but left their export forecast at 75 mmt. This was down 1.3 mmt from their previous estimate, but not low enough against trade expectations. Brazil last year produced a record 119.3 mmt of soybeans. The market slumped lower on the figure and posted double digit losses on the day of the announcement. For comparison, other Brazilian soybean production estimates also updated this week: Safras at 115.7 mmt, Agroconsult at 117.6 mmt, and AgRural at 116.9 mmt. The last USDA number was 122 mmt. Southern Brazil’s rain profile is improving, but the northeast
MARKETING and central areas need more rain. However, in Argentina the weather has been favorable for the corn and soybean crops, despite areas that received heavy rain and may need to be replanted. Nothing concrete was announced at the conclusion of the three days of trade meetings (they were extended one day before the original time frame) in Beijing, but the word was good progress was being made. Reportedly, a Chinese official will be traveling to the United States in the coming week for additional talks, and again more talks are rumored to take place at the end of the month. Some in the trade have already assumed China has bought up to 5 mmt of U.S. beans. But who knows without confirmation from the USDA? If true, and we see the announcement at a later date, it may have limited impact on prices. Others believe they not only have bought U.S. beans, but they have bought all they will buy. Even without the tariff in place, U.S. soybeans are priced at a premium to Brazilian soybeans. There is also the unanswered question of how much China’s demand has fallen due to the African swine fever across their country and their push to reduce protein feed levels. Is China’s economy suffering more than ours from the trade war? China’s PPI rose just 0.9 percent in December vs. an increase of 2.7 percent in November. This was the largest month-to-month decline since late 2015.
Weekly export inspections were 24.7 million bushels and neutral to the trade. Inspections need to average about 35 million bushels per week to achieve the USDA’s 1.9-billion-bushel export target. The average trade guess for the next WASDE report, whenever that is, for U.S. soybean carryout is 904 million bushels vs. 955 million bushels in December. World soybean carryout is estimated to average 114.36 mmt vs. 115.33 mmt in December. The average trade outlook for Brazil’s soybean crop is 120.13 mmt and 55.29 mmt for Argentina’s bean crop. Outlook: The daily closes in March soybeans were like a seesaw this week, up one day, down the next, throughout the week. For the week, March soybeans lost 11.25 cents to settle at $9.10.25; July dropped 9.75 cents to $9.36.25; and November declined a nickel to $9.52 per bushel. There are many unanswered questions in the soybean market and it doesn’t look like we’ll get any firm answers anytime soon. Until then, the bulls want to be fed daily. March soybeans have set up a trading range of $8.80 to $9.30 per bushel awaiting something new to happen with South American weather or China. Nystrom’s Notes: Contract changes for the week ended Jan. 11: Minneapolis March wheat managed a small quarter-cent gain to close at $5.70. Chicago wheat was 2.5 cents higher at $5.19.5, while Kansas City fell 1.5 cents to $5.04.5 per bushel. Crude oil rallied $3.63 to $51.59, ULSD jumped 11 cents higher, RBOB rose 5.25 cents, and natural gas was 5.5 cents higher. The U.S. dollar index dropped 490 ticks. v
For marketing news between issues ... visit www.TheLandOnline.com
Knowing your break-even is vital to 2019 decision making MICHEL, from pg. 24 ground, you need to analyze your break-even against your rental price agreements to ensure it’s a healthy relationship. Does your break-even price support what you are paying for rented ground? Negotiating rent or forgoing a piece of ground allows your quarters, dimes and pennies to add up. Another way to stockpile your cents is to scrutinize your repairs and replacements. While sometimes it seems easier to get a new piece of equipment when a piece breaks, will a repair work as a solution, or will additional required repairs down the road be more costly than replacing it now? Lastly, it is important to liquidate assets that aren’t working as hard as you are. Review your balance sheet and analyze whether an asset, such as equipment or land, is generating enough revenue to hold its place. Consider ways to change how you have typically performed a task with that asset if you are working harder than it is. Liquidating these assets will not
only provide a one-time pile of change, but can increase the return on your hard work in the future. Market your product. The hard work you put into production should be awarded by investing time and analysis into how you are selling your product. Whether you are selling grain, milk, meat or another product, you should be mindful of how you are selling your product and who the intended buyer is. Now more than ever, it’s important to be proactive about the sale of your product. Make a New Year’s resolution to be proactive in the marketing of your product. Ask your elevator if you can place a sell order for your grain, or learn more about how you can lock in a floor with the new dairy revenue protection program; or discover ways you can lock in prices at the slaughter plant. Marketing changes can save you quarters, dimes and pennies. Structure your operation. I always encourage the clients I work with to scrutinize the debt structure of their operation. I urge you to discuss this with your lender, consultant or advisory team to look for
ways to best use your debt to provide working capital needed in today’s environment and in the long run. Ask your trusted advisor to review if there are ways to fix in long term rates to minimalize future business risk. Be sure to know your interest costs to help drive decisions and ensure your debt structure meets your operation’s cash flow. Knowing your break-even to aid in decision making can allow you to maximize the return on your hard work and market your product effectively. Discussing your structure of your operation can aid in saving you money. While it’s much more comfortable to continue to run your operation the same year after year, growth and comfort often do not coexist. Challenge yourself to make a New Year’s resolution for your operation, and use your break-even to exploit ways to save and add up those quarters, dimes and pennies in both savings and profit For additional insights from Michels and the Compeer Financial team, visit Compeer.com v
PAGE 26
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Butter sales are up, inventories beginning to climb MIELKE, from pg. 23 But, while U.S. dairy exports to China are “doing well, considering the economic issues that China has had the past several months,” the big concern is the new competition. The United States, New Zealand, and Europe have traditionally been the biggest suppliers of dairy products to China. Other countries showed up in this latest data including South America and Belarus, so market share will have to be fought for, he said, and the United States will have its work cut out for it to gain back those markets. Fuess concluded, “The United States can compete on a very strong level. However, as is apparent with trade around the world, it’s never a sure thing.” Dry whey saw little change, closing Jan. 11 at 49.5 cents per pound. This is up a half-cent on the week and the highest since October 22, with three sales reported. n Down on the farm, milk production patterns the week of Dec. 31 tended to follow the trend of recent weeks, according to the USDA’s weekly update. Production is increasing in most areas of the west, but others report steady volumes. Mild winter conditions inspire increased milk output in the central region. Output is steady to increasing in the northeast and Florida, with declines in the mid-Atlantic, and unchanged in the southeast. Manufacturing plants are at or near capacity in many locations across the United States. Trucking shortages and freight costs are an issue, prompted by the need to redistribute seasonally heavy fluid supplies. Bottle milk sales remain weak in a few markets, but increasing in others, as schools re-open and consequential re-filling of Class I pipelines occur. Fluid cream markets are in the same situation as fluid milk, heavy volumes and lower prices. Churning is becoming more active. n In politics, the Wisconsin-based American Dairy Coalition called on President Trump to liquidate surplus cheese in storage. An ADC press release stated U.S. dairy farmers are “in a crisis” and “As
MARKETING each week passes, an increasing number of hardworking dairy families are going out of business. Many of us feel helpless and we struggle to support our families. Some have even required food stamps to put food their tables. We very much appreciate your recent assistance, but we need milk prices to rise. We want to become profitable, but due to the uncertainty created by lingering retaliatory tariffs, we only see a slight, if any, rebound anytime soon.” “Our milk price has dropped nearly 40 percent over the last four years,” the ADC charged. “Cheese exports from the United States to Mexico are down more than 10 percent annually and shipments to China have fallen almost 65 percent annually. If this isn’t bad enough, the industry faces onerous and costly dairy regulations, as well as a shortage of workers, making it hard to find a way each day to stay in business.” The ADC adds, “Despite assistance to offset the negative impacts of milk prices due to the implementation of tariffs with Mexico, Canada and China, more action is needed. Currently, 1.4 billion pounds of American, cheddar and other types of cheese are sitting in cold storage throughout the United States. With the price of milk at a record low, it is necessary that this surplus be liquidated to jump-start the industry. It is estimated that 40 million Americans struggle with hunger and food insecurity. Stored dairy in the form of cheese provides an excellent source of nutrition for families who do not know where their next meal will come from,” the ADC argued. n Speaking of hunger, one of the affected programs of the partial government shutdown has received a reprieve. A Jan. 9 USDA press release stated, “When USDA’s funding expired on Dec. 21, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for January were fully funded. States have already received that money and have been distributing it to participants. Since the lapse in appropriations, USDA has been reviewing options available for funding February benefits
World hog inventories are declining TEALE, from pg. 24 dition and watch the weather conditions and protect inventories if needed. The hog market has improved in the past couple of weeks as the cash trade has seen some advance in prices paid by the packers. At the same time, pork cutouts seen to be stabilizing around $70 cwt. with product movement remaining fairly consistent. This has seen the futures market improve ever so slightly giving some promise for potential price appreciation. The African swine fever is still inflicting the Asian
continent giving rise to the fact that world inventories may be declining. If that is true, the U.S. exports may see an increase in the months ahead which of course would help in price appreciation of hog prices overall. Because we are in the full throes of winter now, weather could also become a factor if temperatures drop significantly and or if snowfall becomes heavy in production areas. It would appear the next few weeks could determine the overall direction of hog prices for the next few months. Producers are urged to pay close attention to market developments and protect inventories if necessary. v
without an additional appropriation from Congress.” President Trump directed U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue to announce a plan to “ensure that low-income Americans have access to the nutrition they need, despite the inability of Congress to pass an appropriations bill that safely secures our borders. The plan provides full benefits for participants in SNAP for the month of February.” “USDA is working with states to issue February benefits earlier than usual and will rely on a provision of the just-expired Continuing Resolution, which provides an appropriation for programs like SNAP and child nutrition to incur obligations for program operations within 30 days of the Continuing Resolution’s expiration. USDA will be reaching out to states to instruct them to request early issuance of SNAP benefits for February. States will have until Jan. 20 to request and implement the early issuance. Once the early issuances are made, the February benefits will be made available to SNAP participants at that time,” says USDA. “USDA has also ensured the other major nutrition assistance programs have sufficient funding to continue operations into February. The child nutrition programs, including school meals and after-school programs have funding available to continue operations through March. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children has prior year funding which USDA will begin to provide states this week to facilitate February benefits.” n Lastly, new data from a national survey commissioned by the National Milk Producers Federation and released Jan. 10 finds that consumers, by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, want the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to enforce existing regulations and prohibit non-dairy beverage companies from using the term ‘milk’ on their product labels. FDA is soliciting public comment regarding front-of-package dairy labeling regulations through Jan. 28. The national survey, conducted by IPSOS (a global market research and consulting firm), found that 61 percent of consumers believe FDA, which currently defines ‘milk’ as the product of an animal, but doesn’t enforce that labeling rule, should restrict non-dairy beverage companies from using the term ‘milk’ on their product labels. Only 23 percent said FDA should not limit the term ‘milk’ to dairy products, while 16 percent were uncertain.” “Consumers have spoken, and they are clear in their desire for FDA to enforce its own rules,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “FDA must listen to their voice and end deceptive labeling by plant-based beverage manufacturers.” Lee Mielke is a syndicated columnist who resides in Everson, Wash. His weekly column is featured in newspapers across the country and he may be reached at lkmielke@juno.com. v
THE LAND — JANUARY 11 /JANUARY 18, 2019
Employment
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Have you renewed your subscription to The Land?
WANTED: Full time help on beef cows, swine and grain farm. 507-829-9678 or 507423-5340
Real Estate Sell your land or real estate in 30 days for 0% commission. Call Ray 507-339-1272
Real Estate Wanted WANTED: Land & farms. I have clients looking for dairy, & cash grain operations, as well as bare land parcels from 40-1000 acres. Both for relocation & investments. If you have even thought about selling contact: Paul Krueger, Farm & Land Specialist, Edina Realty, 138 Main St. W., New Prague, MN 55372. paulkrueger@edinarealty.com (612)328-4506
Your ad could be here! 507-345-4523
Give Mike Keefe a call for a free market analysis of your farmland. Office: 507-216-2432 Cell: 507-208-8969 www.keefeauction.com mike@keefeauction.com 1601 Cty Rd. 7 NE Dover, MN 55929
Having an
www.pbofmn.com 2518 Superior Dr., NW #103 Rochester, MN 55901 507-282-1700 • 888-835-8141 Fax: 507-288-8141
Prime Kandiyohi County Farmland Listing -S1/2 of Section 26, St. John’s Township of Kandiyohi County -320 Deeded Acres -236 Quality Tillable Acres -An additional 36 acres of CRP (excellent hunting) -Crop Production Index 89+ -This farm has tile and very good drainage.
www.FladeboeLand.com
Call Broker: Kristine Fladeboe Duininck 320-212-9379
AUCTION? Advertise it in The Land Call 507-345-4523
PAGE 27
AUCTION COMING SOON! Prime Farmland In Swift County 153.21 +/-Deeded Acres 146.32 +/- Tillable Acres in Swift County Land Location: 2 miles North of DeGraff, MN NE ¼ Except 5.58 +/- Acre Bldg Site, located in Section 17, Kildare Township - Farm has been surveyed - Spring Possession - Farm is tiled & has good drainage
www.FladeboeLand.com
USED TRACTORS
HAY TOOLS
‘03 Versatile 2310, PS ..................................... $85,000 ‘12 Buhler 280...............................................$109,000 NEW Massey GC1715 w/loader ............................. Call NEW Massey 7722 FWA CVT ................................. Call ‘05 CIH MX210 ................................................ $79,000 NEW NH T4.75, T4.90, T4.120 w/loader.. ...... On Hand NEW NH T9.645, w/Smart Trac ........................... SOLD NEW NH Workmaster 60, 50, 35’s/loaders ... On Hand NEW NH T8.410 ................................................... SOLD NH T8.275, 495 hrs ....................................... $145,000 NH T8.300 ........................................................ Coming ‘08 NH 8010 .................................................. $110,000 ‘99 NH 9682 .................................................... $67,000 ‘96 White 6175 FWA....................................... $49,500 Allis 185................................................................ SOLD Kubota L245 2wd ...............................................$6,500
New NH Hay Tools - ON HAND
TILLAGE Bins & Buildings FOR SALE: 10,000 bushel grain bin, floor and fan included. Phone 507-327-8101
Farm Equipment Haybuster 2660 bale shredder, demo, full warranty, list $27,400, now $21,900; Haybuster 2564 w/blower, $16,900; JD 469 baler, salvage or repair, B/O. 320-5433523 We buy Salvage Equipment Parts Available Hammell Equip., Inc. (507)867-4910
Call Broker: Kristine Fladeboe Duininck 320-212-9379
14’ Sunflower 4412-05.....................................$32,500 10’ Sunflower 4412-07 .................................... $31,000 ‘95 JD 726, 30’ ................................................ $21,500 10’ Wilrich QX2 37’ w/basket.......................... $38,500 Wilrich QX 55’5 w/bskt..................................... Coming CIH 730b cush. w/ leads ................................ $19,500
PLANTERS NEW White Planters ....................................Let’s White 8182 12-30 w/liq ................................Let’s ‘12 White 8186, 16-30 w/liq. fert. .................Let’s ‘11 White 8516 CFS, Loaded .......................Let’s White 8186 16-30 w/liq ................................Let’s
Deal Deal Deal Deal Deal
CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
New NH W80C wheelloader .......................... On Hand New NH E37C mini excavator ....................... On Hand New NH E26C mini excavator ....................... On Hand New NH track & wheeled skidsteers............. On Hand NH 230 w/cab & heat ...................................... $37,900
COMBINES
‘12 Gleaner S77 ................................................ Coming Gleaner R65 ................................................... $105,000 ‘12 Gleaner S77............................................ $205,000 ‘03 Gleaner R65 ............................................... Coming ‘98 Gleaner R62 .............................................. $79,500 ‘98 Gleaner R62 ...................................................... Call Gleaner 3308 chopping corn heads ...................... Call NEW Fantini chopping cornhead ........................... Call Geringhoff parts & heads available
MISCELLANEOUS
NEW Salford RTS Units .......................................... Call NEW Salford Plows................................................. Call NEW Unverferth Seed Tenders .............................. Call NEW Westfield Augers ........................................... Call NEW REM VRX vacs. .............................................. Call NEW Hardi Sprayers............................................... Call NEW Riteway Rollers .............................................. Call NEW Lorenz Snowblowers ..................................... Call NEW Batco Conveyors ........................................... Call NEW Brent Wagons & Grain Carts ......................... Call NEW E-Z Trail Seed Wagons .................................. Call NEW Rock Buckets & Pallet Forks ......................... Call REM 2700, Rental ................................................... Call Pre-Owned Grain Cart ................................... On Hand
All Equipment available with Low Rate Financing (507) 234-5191 (507) 625-8649
smithsmillimp.com Hwy. 14, 3 miles West of Janesville, MN
Mon. - Fri. 7:30-5:00 • Sat. 7:30-Noon
PAGE 28
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Polk Equipment, Inc.
Public
AUCTION TRACTORS 2011 JD 8285R, IVT, ILS, 2400 HRS 2012 JD 8285R, IVT, MFD, 2100 HRS 1997 JD 8200, PS, MFD, 4800 HRS 1997 JD 8100, PS, MFD, 4050 HRS 2007 JD 7630 , PQ, TWD, LDR, 1488 HRS 2005 JD 7820, PQ, MFD, 4120 HRS 2004 JD 7420, PQ, MFD, 1480 HRS 2013 JD 6170R, PQ, MFD, 1400 HRS 2007 JD 6430P, PQ, MFD, LDR, 1300 HRS 1993 JD 4560, PS, MFD, 6400 HRS 2014 JD 5100E, CAH, MFD, LDR, 4320 HRS 2009 JD 5083E, CAH, MFD, 3260 HRS 1967 JD 4020, OS, TWD , LDR 2005 JD 3520, HST, LDR, 1400 HRS 2006 JD 3120, HST, LDR, 750 HRS 2011 CIH STEIGER 500, BB, GUIDANCE 2900 HRS 2007 STEIGER 480 QUAD, BB, GUIDANCE, 3900 HRS 2005 STEIGER 425, BB, PS, 5500 HRS 2013 CIH MAGNUM 340, PS, SUSP, 1796 HRS 2014 CIH MAGNUM 290, PS, MFD, 1300 HRS 2010 CIH MAGNUM 305, PS, MFD, 1600 HRS 1999 CIH MX200, PS, MFD, 3280 HRS 1998 CIH MX170, TWD, PQ, 3870 HRS 1999 CIH 8920, PS, MFD, 3850 HRS 1994 CIH 7220, PS, MFD, 8100 HRS 1981 1H 786, OS, DIESEL , 5200 HRS 2014 FARMALL 95C, OS, MFD, 770 HRS 2014 FARMALL 75C, CAH, MFD, LDR, 700 HRS 2011 CHALLENGER MT675C, MFD, CVT, 2247 HRS 2006 NEW HOLLAND TG305, MFD, PS, 7900 HRS 1990 VERSATILE 946, BB, 5900 HRS 2015 KUBOTA BX25D, LDR, BHOE, 150 HRS 2013 KUBOTA M126GX, CAH, MFD, 854 HRS COMBINE & HEADS 2000 JD 9650 STS, RWA, 2600-1567 2012 CIH 3408, HDP, KR 2005 CIH 2206, HDP, KR 2010 FANTINI 6R30 CHOPPING 2002 JD 893, HDP 1996 JD 893 2014 CIH 3162, 35FT DRAPER CIH 2020, 35FT, 30FT CIH 1020-20FT-15FT JD 635F 2008 MACDON FD70-40 , JD HOOKUP NUMEROUS HEAD CARTS RIPPERS & CHISELS 2012 KUHN 4850 -18 DOMINATOR-VERY NICE KRAUSE 4850-18 DOMINATOR
JD 512 5SH RIPPER W/HARROW CIH 2500 9SH PULL TYPE RIPPER CIH 2500 5SH RIPPER-LIKE NEW 2014 LANDOLL 2131-23 SHANK DISC CHISEL CIH 6500 9SH DISC CHISEL SUNFLOWER 4211 7SH DISC CHISEL FIELD CULTS & FINISHERS SUNFLOWER 6333-31 FINISHER SUNFLOWER 6332-20 FT FINISHER JD 2310 33FT FINISHER KRAUSE TL6200- 1FT FINISHER KRAUSE 6150-15FT FINISHER SUNFLOWER 5035-32FT CULTIVATOR CIH TM200 30FT CULTIVATOR-NICE WILRICH 3400-27FT CULTIVATOR JD 980 40FT CULTIVATOR PLANTERS & DRILLS 2012 KINZE 3600 L 6R30 LIQ- VERY NICE 2009 KINZE 3600 12R30 DRY 2010 KINZE 3600 12-23-NICE 2013 KINZE 3500 8-16 2008 KINZE 3500 8-15 2003 JD 1770NT 16R30 LIQ, FPU 2000 JD 1760 12R30 LIQ-NICE WHITE 6100 6R30 DRY 2009 JD 1990CCS 30FT 15” AIR SEEDER 2000 JD 1560 15 FT NT DRILL GREAT PLAINS CPH-1500 15FT NT DRILL JD 450 DRILL CIH 5300 DRILL W/FERT 21X7 IH 510 DRILL 18X7 BRILLION SSB10 !OFT SEEDER-CLEAN DISC & VT’S 2013 GP 3000 TURBO MAX-750 ACRES 2012 LANDOLL 7431-26FT-LOW ACRES 2011 SUNFLOWER 6630-32FT 2015 MCFARLANE SPR-1040 40FT SPIRAL CHOPPER-EXCELLENT SUNFLOWER 1434-33FT RF DISC JD 637 26.5 FT DISC KRAUSE 7300 18FT RF DISC CIH 3900 28FT DISC-VERY NICE PACKERS & HARROWS BRILLION XXL-184 46FT PACKER-LIKE NEW BRILLION XL144-32FT PACKER BRILLION X-108 23FT PACKER BRILLION WL360, 30FT CULTIMULCHER1500 ACRES BRILLION ML80 15FT CULTIMULCHER 2004 JD 970 28FT CULTIMULCHER UNVERFERTH 1225, 51 & 47FT UNVERFERTH 1225, 37FT UNVERFERTH 225 31FT-NICE
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
Monday, January 28, 2019 9:30 A.M. EST www.polkequipmentinc.com Online Bidding & For Photos Polk Equipment, Inc. 6407 North State Road 15 Leesburg, Indiana 46538 • 574-453-2411
2014 UNVERFERTH 1225-30FT UNVERFERTH 220-37FT HAY & FORAGE 2015 NH RB450 BALER- 39 TOTAL BALES 2011 KRONE VL500 BALER W/NET3000 BALES 2012 NH 7230 DISCBINE 2007 NH 1411 DISCBINE RHINO BF10 RAKE-LOW ACRE NH 256 RAKE FRONTIER 6010 RAKE HAYBUSTER 2650 BALE PROCESSORUSED 1 TIME H&S 310 SPREADER JD 785 PUSH SPREADER MOWERS BUSHHOG 12720 MOWER-NEW BUSHHOG 12815 MOWER-VERY NICE JD HX20 MOWER JD HX15 MOWER BUSHHOG TD 1500 FINISH MOWER FRONTIER GM2072 6FT FINISH MOWER ARTSWAY 240B 20FT FLAIL MOWER IH 100 SICKLE MOWER WAGONS & CARTS KINZE 840, TARP, SCALES KINZE 640, TARP PARKER 838, TARP BRENT 470 UNVERFERTH 430 W/BRAKES CONSTRUCTION 2016 BOBCAT T870, CAH, 2SPD, HI-FLO, 1460 HRS 2015 BOBCAT S630, CAH, 2SPD, HI-FLO, 1960 HRS 2014 BOBCAT S550, CAH, 2SPD, 2092 HRS KUBOTA SVL75, CAH, 2 SPD, 500 HRS VOLVO MCL00C, CAH, 815 HRS KUBOTA KX121-3ST, 995 HRS DEERE 310SG , MFD, EHOE, 4/1 BUCKET, 2800 HRS DEERE 410E, MFD, EHOE WACKER RD11 ROLLER ATTACHMENTS WOODS SS96-2 SNOWBLOWER LOFTNESS 8FT SNOWBLOWER FORD 788B 8FT BLADE HARLEY T6 RAKE-LIKE NEW WOODS 8000 CHIPPER KELLY 50 BACKHOE HENKE 14FT SNOWBOX ACS JD TELEHANDLER 96” BUCKET
LEMME 4/1 BUCKET 12FT SNOW BOX JD MS84 SCRAPER MISCELLANEOUS 13 DALTON 9SH APPLICATOR-LIKE NEW JET STREAM 11SH APPLICATOR KONGSKLIDE 1000 GRAIN VAC GARFIELD 14FT SCRAPER HARDI 500 SPRAYER 40FT BOOM WILMAR 765 SPRAYER 80FT BOOM JD 400 15FT ROTARY HOE IH 720 7X18 ASR PLOW IH 720 5X18 ASR PLOW JD 2600 4X PLOW KVERLAND 3X PLOW AC 3X16 PLOW WINPOWER 50/30 GENERATOR WINPOWER 45/25 GENERATOR WOODS SS96-2 SNOWBLOWER LOFTNESS 8FT SNOWBLOWER JD 148 LDR
TERMS: Cash or Good Check on the day of the Auction. NO EXCEPTIONS
ONLINE BIDDERS SHOULD PRE-REGISTER 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE at www.polkequipmentinc.com
Local Motels in Warsaw, Indiana
•Wyndham Garden - 574-269-2323 •Comfort Inn - 574-269-6655 •Holiday Inn Express 574-268-1600 •Hampton Inn - 574-268-2600
Local Airport:
Warsaw - 5 miles
Major Airports:
South Bend or Fort Wayne - 50 miles
LUNCH WILL BE SERVED BY SCOTTY’S PIG ROAST CHURCH DOING DESSERT AND COFFEE
ALL ITEMS must be removed from the lot by February 8, 2019 • NO CONSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED! EVERYTHING SELLS! DIRECTIONS: 5 miles north of Junction US 30 & SR at Warsaw or 9 miles south of Junction US 6 & 15 at New Paris, 50 miles northwest of Fort Wayne, 50 miles southeast of South Bend, 110 miles from Chicago and Indianapolis.
NOTE: Due to early printing, there will be additions and deletions • NO SALES after January 5th, 2019 • AUCTIONEERS: Mike Berger AU#0870052 • Gary Olsen AU#01031658 • Kelly Hoffman AU#1010019 • Jeremy Edwards AU#09100129 • Gary Horras, Ringman • Steve Feldman, Clerk
THE LAND — JANUARY 11 /JANUARY 18, 2019 Tractors
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Planting Equip
Cattle
Swine
Krause 5430 Drill, 30’, front 7 bred Black Sim/Angus due FOR SALE: Yorkshire, Hampfold, markers, 7” spacing, in spring to easy calving to shire, Duroc & Hamp/Duroc Pro Openers, excellent con- Final Answer bull, selling by boars, also gilts. Excellent the lb, market price. Also, 10 selection. Raised outside. dition, $22,000. (507)459-5151 Black Polled Yearling Sim/ Exc herd health. No PRSS. Angus bulls, easy calving, Delivery avail. 320-760-0365 Wanted good disposition. $1,995 for choice. 50 yrs of AI breed- Spot, Duroc, Chester White, ‘13 Case IH Puma 185 CVT, ing. (Epic Renown 10 Speed) Boars & Gilts available. 1291 hrs, tractor number All kinds of New & Used farm Riverside Simmentals Ger- Monthly PRRS and PEDV. equipment disc chisels, field ZDBS06282, rear tire size Delivery available. Steve ald Polzin 320-286-5805 18.4R42, front tire 16.9R28, cults, planters, soil finishers, Resler. 507-456-7746 Frontlink Front hitch 11,000 cornheads, feed mills, discs, balers, haybines, etc. 507lb w/ PTO 1000 RPM, also has joystick for the hyd, sus- 438-9782 Miscellaneous pended cab, HD suspended WANTED: JD 780 or 450 mafront axle, extra lift capacity FOR SALE: IH gas 446 truck on rear hitch - 110 mm cyls, nure spreader, for parts or motor, recent re-manufachigh capacity hyd pump, 4 good. Also, 4R JD 7000 plantture, $1,100. 507-956-2667 rear remotes & 3 electron- er. 320-630-8131 ic mid-mount valves. (507) 530-1645
Classified line ads work! 507-345-4523
WANTED
Livestock
NEW AND USED TRACTOR FOR SALE: Black Angus PARTS JD 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, bulls also Hamp, York, & 55, 50 Series & newer trac- Hamp/Duroc boars & gilts. tors, AC-all models, Large 320-598-3790 Inventory, We ship! Mark Heitman Tractor Salvage 715-673-4829
Tillage Equip FOR SALE: Case-IH field cultivator 4800, 26’ with harrow, used on low acres, very nice, $6,650. Please call 507-8472710
H HHHHHHHHHHHH H H H WEEKLY H H AUCTION H H H Every Wednesday H H H Hay & Straw H H 4:30 PM H H Homestead H H H H Sales, Inc. H H HWY 15 N, HUTCHINSON, MN H H H 320-433-4250 H H homesteadsalesinc.com H H HHHHHHHHHHHH H
USED PARTS LARSON SALVAGE Good selection of tractor parts - New & Used All kinds of hay equipment, haybines, balers, choppers parted out. New combine belts for all makes. Swather canvases, round baler belting, used & new tires. 6 miles East of
CAMBRIDGE, MN 763-689-1179
We Ship Daily Visa and MasterCard Accepted
AUCTION COMING SOON!
Pope County Farmland & Rec Land Watch website for more info 252± Deeded Acres
Parcel 1- 180± quality tillable acres in Pope County Parcel 2 - One-of-a-kind bldg. site overlooking water w/a wooded hunter’s paradise. 70± acres.
www.FladeboeLand.com
Call Broker: Kristine Fladeboe Duininck 320-212-9379
DAMAGED GRAIN STATEWIDE
We pay top dollar for your damaged grain. We are experienced handlers of your wet, dry, burnt and mixed grains. Trucks and vacs available. Immediate response anywhere. CALL FOR A QUOTE TODAY
PRUESS ELEV., INC. 1-800-828-6642 If you’re having a Farm Auction, let other Farmers know it! Upcoming Issues of THE LAND Southern MNNorthern MN Northern IA Feb. 1, 2019 Feb. 15, 2019 * Jan. 25, 2019 Feb. 8, 2019 Mar. 1, 2019 Feb. 22, 2019 Mar. 15, 2019 Mar. 8, 2019 Mar. 29, 2019 Deadline is 8 days prior to publication. Indicates early deadline, 9 days prior to publication.
*
PAGE 29
Steffes Auction Calendar 2019
For more info, call: 1-800-726-8609 or visit our website: SteffesGroup.com Opening January 18 & Closing January 23 Online Steffes Auction - 1/23, Upper Midwest Locations, Timed Online Auction Tuesday, January 22 at 12PM Quality Tested Hay Auction, Steffes Group Facility, Litchfield, MN Opening February 1 & Closing February 6 Online Steffes Auction - 2/6, Upper Midwest Locations, Timed Online Auction Tuesday, February 12 at 12PM Quality Tested Hay Auction, Steffes Group Facility, Litchfield, MN Opening February 15 & Closing February 20 Online Steffes Auction - 2/20, Upper Midwest Locations, Timed Online Auction Wednesday, February 20 at 10AM Smith Farms LTD Farm Auction, Sawyer, ND Tuesday, February 26 at 10AM Brad & Glenda Johanson Farm Retirement Auction, Wheaton, MN Tuesday, February 26 at 10AM Quality Tested Hay Auction, Steffes Group Facility, Litchfield, MN Opening February 26 & Closing March 5 at 11AM Lorang Farms Realignment Auction, Mt. Vernon, SD, Timed Online Auction Opening February 26 & Closing March 5 Jason Leer Farm Retirement Auction, Wolford, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening February 26 & Closing March 5 Gary Bacher Retirement Auction, Wolford, ND, Timed Online Auction Wednesday, February 27 at 10AM Keith Axtmann Farm Retirement Auction, Rugby, ND Thursday, February 28 at 10AM Johnny Herr Farm Retirement Auction, Sawyer, ND Friday, March 1 at 10AM Roger Walkinshaw Farm Auction, Argusville, ND Wednesday, March 6 at 10AM Jaeger Farm Retirement Auction, Balfour, ND Tuesday, March 12 at 12PM
PO Box 3169 • Mankato, MN 56002 Phone: 507-345-4523 or 800-657-4665 Fax: 507-345-1027 Website: www.TheLandOnline.com e-mail: theland@TheLandOnline.com Ask Your Auctioneer to Place Your Auction in The Land!
Quality Tested Hay Auction Steffes Group Facility, Litchfield, MN Wednesday, March 13 at 10AM Aglron West Fargo Event, Red River Valley Fairgrounds, West Fargo, ND
PAGE 30
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
irst Your F or f Choice ds! ie Classif
Place d Your A Today!
Livestock, Machinery, Farmland... you name it! People will buy it when they see it in The Land! To submit your classified ad use one of the following options: Phone: 507-345-4523 or 1-800-657-4665 Mail to: The Land Classifieds, P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002 Fax to: 507-345-1027 • Email: theland@TheLandOnline.com Online at: www.thelandonline.com DEADLINE: Friday at 5:00 p.m. for the following Friday edition. Plus! Look for your classified ad in the e-edition.
South Central Minnesota’s Daily News Source
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
26
27
28
29
30
32
33
34
35
36
*
31
*
THE FREE PRESS
1
25
• Reach over 150,000 readers • Start your ad in The Land • Add more insertions • Get more coverage
The ad prices listed are based on a basic classified line ad of 25 words or less. Ads running longer than 25 words will incur an added charge.
CHECK ONE: Announcements Employment Real Estate Real Estate Wanted Farm Rentals Auctions Agri Business Farm Services Sales & Services Merchandise Antiques & Collectibles Lawn & Garden Feed Seed Hay Fertilizer & Chemicals Bins & Buildings Farm Equipment Tractors Tillage Equipment Planting Equipment Spraying Equipment
Hay & Forage Equipment Harvesting Equipment Grain Handling Equipment Livestock Equipment Wanted Free & Give Away Livestock Poultry Dairy Cattle Swine Sheep Goats Horses & Tack Exotic Animals Pets & Supplies Cars & Pickups Industrial & Construction Trucks & Trailers Recreational Vehicles Miscellaneous
NOTE: Ad will be placed in the appropriate category if not marked.
Now... add a photo to your classified line ad for only $10.00!!
THE LAND (Includes 1 Southern & 1 Northern issue)
1 run @ $19.99 = _____________________________ 2 runs @ $34.99 = _____________________________ 3 runs @ $44.99 = _____________________________
Each additional line (over 7) + $1.40 per line per issue = _____________________________ EXTENDED COVERAGE - must run the same number of times as The Land FARM NEWS (FN) - Serving farmers in Northwest Iowa, 21,545 circ. THE COUNTRY TODAY (CT) - Serving farmers in Wisconsin, 21,000 circ. THE FREE PRESS (FP) - Serving south central Minnesota, 19,025 circ.
PAPER(S) ADDED (circle all options you want): FN CT FP $7.70 for each paper and $7.70 run each issues x $7.70 = _____________________________ STANDOUT OPTIONS (THE LAND only) $2.00 per run: = _____________________________ Bold Italic Underline Web/E-mail links
Border $10.00 each per run Photo (THE LAND only)
= _____________________________ TOTAL
This is NOT for businesses. Please call The Land to place line ads.
= _____________________________
Name ____________________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________ City ___________________________________State_________ Zip__________ Phone __________________________________________ # of times _______ Card # ____________________________________________________________ Exp. Date__________________
CHECK
Signature _________________________________________________________
SORRY! We do not issue refunds.
ADVERTISING NOTICE: Please check your ad the first week it runs. We make every effort to avoid errors by checking all copy, but sometimes errors are missed. Therefore, we ask that you review your ad for correctness. If you find a mistake, please call (507) 345-4523 immediately so that the error can be corrected. We regret that we cannot be responsible for more than one week’s insertion if the error is not called to our attention. We cannot be liable for an amount greater than the cost of the ad. THE LAND has the right to edit, reject or properly classify any ad. Each classified line ad is separately copyrighted to THE LAND. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.
THE LAND — JANUARY 11 /JANUARY 18, 2019 Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
PARMA DRAINAGE PUMPS New pumps & parts on hand. Call Minnesota’s largest distributor HJ Olson & Company 320-974-8990 Cell - 320-212-5336
REINKE IRRIGATION Sales & Service New & Used For your irrigation needs 888-830-7757 or 507-276-2073
Thank you for reading The Land!
Sell your livestock in The Land with a line ad. 507-345-4523
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Miscellaneous Winpower Sales & Service Reliable Power Solutions Since 1925 PTO & automatic Emergency Electric Generators. New & Used Rich Opsata-Distributor 800-343-9376
Please recycle this magazine.
4WD TRACTORS ‘13 JD 9360R, 1970 hrs, 1000 PTO, pwr shift, 620x42 tires & duals .............................................................................$150,000 ‘13 NH T9.390, 2557 hrs, pwr shift, 1000 PTO, 480x50 tires & duals, susp cab ..........................................................$120,000 ‘11 NH T9.390, 905 hrs, pwr shift, 4 hyd valves, hi-flow, HID lights, 480x50 tires & duals ........................................$120,000
PAGE 31
LOADER TRACTORS ‘04 JD 7320, MFWD, cab, air, 3pt, 540/1000 PTO, 2 hyd valves, JD 741 ldr w/QT bkt & joystick ......................................$49,000 ‘09 NH TV6070, bi-directional, 3543 hrs, cab, air, 3pt, 540/1000 PTO, 2 hyd valves, NH ldr w/84” bkt ............................$52,000
COMBINES
‘14 C-IH Steiger 370 HD, 7052 hrs, 1000 PTO, big hyd pump, 710x38 ‘13 JD S660, 1066 sep/1598 eng hrs, 4x4, 2630 display, tires ......................................................................................... $79,000 Contour-Master, chopper, long unloading auger, 20.8x32 tires ‘98 C-IH 9370, 4000 hrs, pwr shift, 4 hyd, 650x32 tires &
& duals ........................................................................$139,000
duals ...............................................................................$49,000 ‘13 JD S660, 892 sep/1180 eng hrs, Contour-Master, chopper, ‘90 Ford 876, 12spd, 8253 hrs, 520x38 duals...................$25,000
TRACK TRACTORS
ADVERTISER LISTING Agri Systems ................................................................ 13 Anderson Seeds ...............................................................7 Beck's Hybrids .................................................... 1, 16, 17 Courtland Waste ............................................................ 11 Dahl Farm Supply ......................................................... 15 Dairyland Seed ...............................................................3 Doda USA ......................................................................6 Ellingson Companies ..................................................... 22 Fladeboe Auctions ................................................... 27, 29 Homestead Sales ........................................................... 29 K & S Millwrights ........................................................ 21 Keefe Auction ............................................................... 27
‘15 C-IH 500 Quadtrac, 2750 hrs, 36” tracks, cab susp, HID lights, Pro 700 monitor & receiver ...............................$175,000 ‘15 C-IH Rowtrac Quadtrac, 918 hrs, 1000 PTO, 80” spacing, 4 hyd valves, hi-flow ....................................................$155,000 ‘14 C-IH 350 Rowtrac Quadtrac, 1865 hrs, 1000 PTO, 120” spacing, 18” tracks, 4 hyd valves, hi-flow ...................$152,000 ‘14 C-IH 340 Magnum Rowtrac, 290 hrs, lux cab, susp front axle, 18” belts, 6 hyd valves, 1000 PTO, 3pt .......................$180,000 ‘04 Cat Challenger MT 755, 4844 hrs, 16” tracks, 3 pt, 1000 PTO, 88” track spacing, JD ATU ..........................$65,000
ROW CROP TRACTORS ‘12 JD 8235, 2WD, 1235 hrs, pwr shift, 3pt, 1000 PTO, 4 hyd
520x38 tires & duals ...................................................$135,000 ‘04 JD 9760, 2268 sep/3460 eng hrs, Contour-Master, chopper, 480x42 tires & duals .....................................................$54,000 ‘01 JD 9750, 3013 sep/4156 eng hrs, Contour-Master, chopper, 520x38 tires & duals .....................................................$42,000 ‘01 JD 9650 STS, 3014 sep/4325 eng hrs, Contour-Master, chopper, 520x38 tires & duals .......................................$39,000 ‘00 JD 9650 STS, 2645 sep/3623 eng hrs, single point hookup, chopper, bin ext. ............................................................$42,000 ‘14 C-IH 5130, 660 sep/928 eng hrs, rock trap, chopper, tracker, 700 monitor, 900x32 single tires .....................$132,000 ‘15 C-IH 6140, 810 eng/685 sep hrs, rock trap, chopper, tracker, pro 700 monitor ...........................................................$149,000 ‘11 C-IH 5088, 1541 sep/1743 eng hrs, rock trap, chopper, tracker, 30.5x32 single tires. ..........................................$88,000 ‘11 C-IH 7120, 2200 eng/1610 sep hrs, rock trap, chopper, tracker, 600 monitor, 520x42 duals ...............................$95,000
valves, 18.4x46 duals, extra clean...............................$110,000 ‘10 C-IH 8120, 2250 eng/1650 sep hrs, rock trap, chopper, ‘16 C-IH Magnum 180, MFWD, 1046 hrs, CVT tranny, 3pt, 1000
tracker, 60 monitor, 520x42 duals..................................$92,500
PTO, 4 hyd valves, 18.4x46 rear singles .......................$82,000 ‘09 C-IH 7088, 1275 sep/1807 eng hrs, rock trap, chopper, ‘13 C-IH Magnum 290, 1250 hrs, 1000 PTO, 3pt, 4 hyd valves, big pump, 480x50 tires & duals, front duals & wgts...$110,000 ‘12 C-IH Magnum 260, 1784 hrs, susp front, 1000 PTO, 3pt, 4
tracker, HID lights, Pro 600 monitor, 520x42” duals .....$92,000
CORN HEADERS
hyd valves, 480x50 rear tires & duals, front duals ........$99,000 ‘13 Drago 6R30 chopping, fits JD combine............................$25,000
Larson Implement ................................................... 29, 31
‘04 C-IH MX285, 5540 hrs, 4 hyd valves, 3pt, 1000 PTO, 10 front ‘09 Drago 6R30 chopping, fits JD combine ........................$19,000
Minnesota Soybean ....................................................... 19
‘87 C-IH 3594, 8526 hrs, 24 spd, 3 hyd valves, 1000 PTO, 3 pt,
North American Farm & Power Show ...............................5 Pioneer Corn ............................................................... 8, 9 Polk Equipment ............................................................. 28 Pruess Elevator ............................................................. 29
wgts, 18.4x46 tires & duals, fresh eng OH ...................$59,000
20.8x38 duals .................................................................$21,000 ‘13 NH T8.360, 1200 hrs, lux cab, 1000 PTO, 3pt, 4 hyd valves, 480x50 tires & duals, complete auto guide syst...........$105,000 ‘06 NH TG210, MFWD, 4240 hrs, pwr shift, 540/1000 PTO, 3pt hitch, 4 hyd valves, 380x46 rear tires & duals, 380x30 front
‘06 Drago 8R30 chopping, fits flagship C-IH combine .............$14,500 ‘13 C-IH 3408 8R30, hyd deck plates, fits flagship combine ....$21,000 ‘08 C-IH 2408 8R30, hyd deck plates, fits flagship combine...$12,500 ‘02 C-IH 2208 8R30, hyd deck plates, fits older 1600-2000 series C-IH combines ...............................................................$11,500 ‘83 JD 643 6R30, low tin, oil drive ..................................... $6,500
tires & duals ...................................................................$56,000
TILLAGE
Schweiss Doors ............................................................. 27
‘03 NH TG230, MFWD, 3346 hrs, pwr shift, 540/1000 PTO,
Smiths Mill Implement .................................................. 27
‘11 Versatile 305, MFWD 690 hrs, 3pt, 4 hyd valves, 1000 PTO, ‘08 JD 512 5 shank disc ripper ...........................................$11,500
Steffes Group ................................................................ 29
HID lights, 480x46 tires & duals ....................................$95,000 JD 980 field cultivator, w/ JD harrow ................................$10,500
507-345-4523 • 800-657-4665 PO Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56001 www.thelandonline.com
Mega flow hyd, 4 valves, 3pt, 380x46 tires & duals......$59,000 JD 512 5 shank disc ripper .................................................. $9,500
LARSON IMPLEMENTS 5 miles east of Cambridge, MN on Hwy. 95 763-689-1179
Look at our website for pictures & more listings: www.larsonimplements.com
PAGE 32
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — JANUARY 11/JANUARY 18, 2019
This week’s Back Roads is the work of The Land Correspondent Tim King. Photos by Jan King.
S
Pining for tranquility?
ome time during this decade, the Norway pines in the Preachers Grove overlooking the east arm of Lake Itasca will celebrate their 300th birthday. The state park plaque on the edge of the narrow road that winds past the grove says the trees likely germinated following a fire sometime during the decade of the 1710s. That’s the way it is with Norway (or otherwise known as red) pines. They thrive as part of an ecosystem of regular fires. Fire is their friend because it burns away the underbrush that steals the sunshine from the Norway seedlings. The seedlings need to get as much sunshine as possible so they can grow fast and get their branches out of the way of the next fire that passes through the neighborhood. They need to self prune their branches so they are out of reach of the flames and they need to develop tough scaly armor-like bark to protect them from the heat as the fire passes quickly under them. The bark of the pines at Preachers’ Grove didn’t quite get tough enough before the next fire. Perhaps they were 50 or 60 years old when a fire came
crackling down the hill towards the lake. You can see the fire’s effect on the scarred trees some 200 years later. Some of the trees are still scorched black on their trunks wounds; while other fire scars are grey and lichened. But the trees survived. A hundred years ago, in 1920, a group of preachers felt that the cathedral-like space under the Norway pines was the right place for a convention. While the breezes sighed through the already-ancient trees, the ministers gazed out over the lake and sent their prayers and wishes for a kinder world skyward. Preachers Grove was, even then, a place where one felt they truly understood what was deserving of our prayers and what wasn’t. Today, even when the big park is busy with speeding bicyclists and splashing swimmers, Preachers Grove is a quiet place of peace suited for contemplation. You can go there and shut out all sound except the chatter of squirrels and calls of ravens. You can wonder about the nature of suffering and the capacity to heal and go forward. Just put your hand on those old fire scars and see what the trees tell you. And you can lean against one of these ancient beings and ponder your past and pray for the world’s future. v
Lake Itasca, Minn.
Page 4 - January 11/January 18, 2019
THE LAND, Advertising Supplement
Insulate your HOG barn:
© 2019
Jan. 11/Jan. 18, 2019
Proper insulation prevents condensation and rust.
greener world solutions CALL E HEDUL TO SC E A FRE ATE ESTIM
855-612-8038 www.greenerworldsolutions.com A Minnesota Family-Owned Business
MN LIC BC639351
(800) 657-4665 www.TheLandOnline.com theland@TheLandOnline.com P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002
S P O H S S N R BA S D E SH S E M HO
SPRAY FOAM INSULATION
greener world solutions CALL E HEDUL C S O T E A FRE ATE ESTIM
855-612-8038 www.greenerworldsolutions.com A Minnesota Family-Owned Business
www.greenerworldsolutions.com
MN LIC BC639351
Page 2 - January 11/January 18, 2019
THE LAND, Advertising Supplement
THE LAND, Advertising Supplement
January 11/January 18, 2019 - Page 3
Insulate your BEEF barn:
Insulate your DAIRY barn:
Spray foam prevents condensation and rust.
Spray foam prevents condensation and rust.
Call for more info:
Call for more info:
855-612-8038 33908 128th Street Waseca, MN 56093 www.greenerworldsolutions.com
MN LIC BC639351
855-612-8038 33908 128th Street Waseca, MN 56093 www.greenerworldsolutions.com
MN LIC BC639351
Page 2 - January 11/January 18, 2019
THE LAND, Advertising Supplement
THE LAND, Advertising Supplement
January 11/January 18, 2019 - Page 3
Insulate your BEEF barn:
Insulate your DAIRY barn:
Spray foam prevents condensation and rust.
Spray foam prevents condensation and rust.
Call for more info:
Call for more info:
855-612-8038 33908 128th Street Waseca, MN 56093 www.greenerworldsolutions.com
MN LIC BC639351
855-612-8038 33908 128th Street Waseca, MN 56093 www.greenerworldsolutions.com
MN LIC BC639351
Page 4 - January 11/January 18, 2019
THE LAND, Advertising Supplement
Insulate your HOG barn:
© 2019
Jan. 11/Jan. 18, 2019
Proper insulation prevents condensation and rust.
greener world solutions CALL E HEDUL TO SC E A FRE ATE ESTIM
855-612-8038 www.greenerworldsolutions.com A Minnesota Family-Owned Business
MN LIC BC639351
(800) 657-4665 www.TheLandOnline.com theland@TheLandOnline.com P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002
S P O H S S N R BA S D E SH S E M HO
SPRAY FOAM INSULATION
greener world solutions CALL E HEDUL C S O T E A FRE ATE ESTIM
855-612-8038 www.greenerworldsolutions.com A Minnesota Family-Owned Business
www.greenerworldsolutions.com
MN LIC BC639351