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.

Feb. 17 — Nitrogen Smart Meeting — Parkers Prairie, Minn. — Program consists of a three hour training on how Nitrogen behaves in the environment and how this affects nitrogen fertilizer management, as well as environmental concerns. Contact Brad Carlson at bcarlson@umn.edu or (507) 389-6745. Feb. 19 — Small Grain Workshop — Cold Spring, Minn. — Topics include production agronomics; variety selection and economics; plus an open-forum discussion on related topics and experiences. — Contact Joe Krippner at (320) 980-2915.

Feb. 19 — Small Grain Workshop — Mora, Minn. — Contact Jared Goplen at (320) 589-1711 Ext. 2128. Feb. 19 — The Scoop on Soils Class — Morris, Minn. — Learn how to choose the proper growing media for your containers. Tips provided in fertilizing, watering and disease control. — Contact Esther Jordan at ejordan@umn.edu or (320) 589-1711 . Feb. 27 — Nitrogen Smart Meeting — Pine City, Minn. — Contact Brad Carlson at bcarlson@umn.edu or (507) 389-6745..

Compeer Financial organic bridge loan

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Compeer Financial, a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative based in the Upper Midwest, has announced the launch of a new loan product that provides financing options for farmers transitioning their conventional grain operations to certified organic.

“When farmers transition all or part of their operation from conventional production to certified organic, they are more likely to experience an initial decline in cash flow due to changing yields and increased costs related to the adoption of new organic farming practices,” said Paul Dietmann, senior lending specialist at Compeer Financial. “Our organic bridge loan addresses these specific needs, helping farmers to bridge cash flow shortfalls during the organic transition period.”

With Compeer’s organic bridge loan, clients pay only interest on their loan for the first two to three years, with a declining balance operating loan while they are working toward organic certification. The loan converts to a standard five-year intermediate term loan with fully amortized principal and interest payments after a client has achieved organic certification. Learn more at compeer.com/. This article was submitted by Compeer Financial.v

Feb. 28 —Nitrogen Smart Meeting — Annandale, Minn. — Contact Brad Carlson at bcarlson@umn.edu or (507) 389-6745.. March 2 — Nitrogen Smart Meeting — Willmar, Minn. — Contact Brad Carlson at bcarlson@umn.edu or (507) 389-6745.. March 4 — Farm Transition and Estate Planning Workshop — Olivia, Minn. — Topics include farm goal setting, business structures, business succession, estate planning and retirement and family communication. — Contact Megan Roberts at meganr@umn.edu or (507) 389-6722. March 5 — SFA Midwest Soil Health Summit — Elk River, Minn. — Stay on the leading edge of regenerative agriculture by attending this summit. — Contact Jason Walker at jason@sfa-mn.org. March 7 — Gardening Education Day — St. Joseph, Minn. — Breakout session topics include landscaping, lawn care, vegetable and soil, pest control, container gardening. Vendors on hand to offer a wide variety of services. — Contact U of M Extension at (320) 255-6169 ext. 1 . March 10 — Produce Safety Rule Training — Willmar, Minn. — Topics include produce safety regulatory requirements; best practices related to worker health and hygiene; crop inputs and soil amendments; domestic and wild animals; water use and testing. Training is required for farms covered by the FSMA produce safety rule. — Contact U of M Extension at (651) 539-3648. March 10 — Irrigation Clinic — Glenwood, Minn. — Topics include introducing regenerative ag to a conventional operation; soil health; irrigation and water quality research in central Minnesota; and variable rate irrigation technology. — Contact Holly Kovarik at (320) 634-5327. March 11 — Farm Transition and Estate Planning Workshop — St. Cloud, Minn. — Topics include farm goal setting, business structures, business succession, estate planning and retirement and family communication. — Contact Megan Roberts at meganr@ umn.edu or (507) 389-6722. March 12 — Dairy Farmers Night Out: Nutritionist Panel — Winthrop, Minn. — Insight on how to manage current and future feed inventory and answer questions about nutrition-related challenges. — Contact Karen Johnson at ande9495@umn.edu or (320) 484-4303. March 14 — Farmer to Farmer Fruit and Vegetable Growers — Dassel, Minn. — Connect with fellow fruit and vegetable growers to reflect on the 2019 growing season, share insights and new ideas, learn about ongoing research in fruit and vegetables. — Contact Natalie Hoidal at hoida016@umn.edu.

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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.

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.

AMT – Optimum ® AcreMax ® TRIsect ® Insect Protection System with RW,YGCB,HX1,LL,RR2. Contains a singlebag refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. The major component contains the Agrisure ® RW trait, the YieldGard ® Corn Borer gene, and the Herculex ® I genes. In EPA-designated cotton growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax TRIsect products.

AMX – Optimum ® AcreMax ® Xtra Insect Protection system with YGCB, HXX, LL, RR2. Contains a singlebag 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.

AMXT (Optimum ® AcreMax ® XTreme) – Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. The major component contains the Agrisure ® RW trait, the YieldGard ® Corn Borer gene, and the Herculex ® XTRA genes. In EPA-designated cotton growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax XTreme products.

Q (Qrome ® ) – Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. The major component contains the Agrisure ® RW trait, the YieldGard ® Corn Borer gene, and the Herculex ® XTRA genes. In EPA-designated cotton growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Qrome products. Qrome ® products are approved for cultivation in the U.S. and Canada. For additional information about the status of regulatory authorizations, visit http://www.biotradestatus.com/.

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.

RW,HX1,LL,RR2 (Optimum ® TRIsect ® ) – Contains the Herculex I gene for above-ground pests and the Agrisure ® RW trait for resistance to corn rootworm.

AML – Optimum ® AcreMax ® Leptra ® products with AVBL, YGCB, HX1, LL, RR2. Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above-ground insects. In EPA-designated cotton growing countries, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax Leptra products.

AVBL,YGCB,HX1,LL,RR2 (Optimum ® Leptra ® ) – Contains the Agrisure Viptera ® trait, the YieldGard Corn Borer gene, the Herculex ® I gene, the LibertyLink ® gene, and the Roundup Ready ® Corn 2 trait.

HX1 – Contains the Herculex ® I Insect Protection gene which provides protection against European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, 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.

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.

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.

Agrisure ® and Agrisure Viptera ® are registered trademarks of, and used under license from, a Syngenta Group Company. Agrisure ® technology incorporated into these seeds is commercialized under a license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG.

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 Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. © 2020 Corteva. PION9CORN075

By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer Emeritus MINNEAPOLIS — At almost any farm show exhibit hall you can find a growing number of solar panel vendors — and the Minnesota Pork Congress in Minneapolis was no exception. Faced by tight margins, farmers are looking for any way to trim expenses, and energy costs are a big one.

I caught up with Barry Thompson of Blue Horizon Energy at the Jan. 28-29 Pork Congress and asked, “Is solar energy growing more rapidly than any other energy source?”

Thompson replied, “Gosh, I would think so; but I don’t track others so I don’t know what they are doing. Commercial sites utilizing huge wind turbines perhaps generate more sales volume. But at least 90 percent of our sales are in agriculture. Yes, some commercial buildings also, but they too may be in agricultural supply business.”

Do your farm sales also generate electricity into the area grid? “Most of our farm installations are for their own supply,” said Thompson. “The net metering law in Minnesota limits sales into the grid to 40 kilowatts maximum. The display panel here at our booth is a 39.6 kw on the DC side.” (The installation on display at the Blue Horizon booth was installed for Mike Buer of Grove City, Minn. He has six tracking units which were installed five years ago this fall.) “These are dual access tracking installations. These panels turn to the sun each day.”

Said Buer, “I believe my Blue Horizon Energy solar system has matched my expectations. I wanted to make a long-term investment that would benefit our farm, but also our three children in the future. I am thankful we chose Blue Horizon Energy. The entire process — from beginning to end — was easy. I recommend their services to anyone wanting to lessen their electrical energy costs on their farm.”

Tracking panels generate about 35 percent more yield than stationary panels. “Pointing at the sun all day 365 days of the year boosts the productivity of these solar units,” stated Thompson. “Yes, these foggy days of late February lessen the energy being generated, but the solar rays are still being captured. You can get sunburned even on a cloudy day you know. Solar radiation is a constant occurrence whenever you have sunlight.”

Thompson said all Blue Horizon Energy panels are U.S. built. “Most are Panasonic made in New York. We also buy from a Florida supplier.” Obviously energy cost savings drive most solar installations. But Thompson points out that for multi-generational professions like farming, farmers realize their families can benefit too. “Yes, the farmer will enjoy a big tax shield. When he retires, someone down the line can enjoy that energy production as well.” Barry Thompson

So is solar energy now the dominant source of renewable energy? Thompson hesitates briefly saying, “I don’t know where we stack up against other sources — such as the continual increase in wind turbines along the Buffalo Ridge corridor and a few other selected wind energy farms. Yes, wind installations have a higher energy yield, but you’re not going to get the wind to blow everywhere. Yes, there are certain areas in Minnesota with better wind reliabilities; but for the most part, anywhere in Minnesota you get good to very good solar gradients.”

Are solar installations seasonally oriented? “It kind of is,” said Thompson, explaining “…farmers during the winter months have time to do business planning. They often figure what they are going to build in 2020 so we do a lot of our work in the spring and late winter. Before they get into their fields we have most of our inquiries. Then once into summer when they get a chance to take a breather, we do a lot of meetings on energy talk. By then, people have a little better ‘crystal ball’ look at how their season might work out. They’re doing some more tax planning and that is often a big reason farmers get into solar energy. Even later in the year, when some farmers realize they may want to get rid of a tax problem, they call us up again. We call this a ‘solar coaster’ effect. They’re up and down in business cycles so we respect those issues. They’re not going to have time for us sometimes and we understand that. I grew up on a farm so can relate to these ups and downs, thus our slogan of the ‘solar coaster’ effect!”

So what’s the payback on solar installations? “We tell our farmers it’s usually in that 7 to 8-year time frame,” replied Thompson. “By then you’ve got a positive ROI (return on investment) and only costs are yearly insurance payments on your installation. But most importantly, you’ve made a major — sometimes even total elimination — of your electrical costs from your local utility.”

What’s the life span of solar panels these days? “The panels we’re using have a 25-year guarantee from Panasonic Solar which says your panels will still have a 90.76 percent of what it did when brand new. We like to say 40 years is realistic, however. To someone who puts in a system in 2020, if they did another in 2030, it might perform a little better; but the 2020 one is now paid off. That’s when your out-ofpocket expenditures for electrical energy are essentially over. Yes, things will evolve. There will be changes. There will likely be improvements, but your 2020 installation will still be doing what it was forecast to do,” summed up Thompson.

Founded in 2009, Blue Horizon has now delivered over 400 turn-key energy systems. They can design and install systems engineered to fit a particular requirement.

For more information, visit the Blue Horizon website at www.BlueHorizonEnergy.com. Thompson can be reached via email at Barry@bluehorizonenergy. com; or by phone at (952) 944-5900. v

HATS.

To succeed in farming, you have to wear many hats. Congratulations, not just to

the NCGA corn yield contest winners, but to all farmers. Pioneer is proud to work

alongside you in the most complex and rewarding industry on earth.

OFF.

2019 NCGA CORN YIELD CONTEST RESULTS

RANK WINNER CITY, STATE PIONEER ® HYBRID/ BRAND *

CONVENTIONAL NON-IRRIGATED**

2

LOWELL FABIAN SAINT CHARLES, MN P0688 q™

3

TROY FIELD MINNESOTA LAKE, MN P0688 am™

STRIP-TILL, MINIMUM-TILL, MULCH-TILL, RIDGE-TILL NON-IRRIGATED*

2

DAVID SWENSON MABEL, MN P0589 am™

NO-TILL IRRIGATED

1

KEVIN BAUER HASTINGS, MN P1244am™

3

TOM & BOB LEIDENFROST PIERZ, MN P9492 am™

STRIP-TILL, MINIMUM-TILL, MULCH-TILL, RIDGE-TILL IRRIGATED

2

ROGER HUHN LITCHFIELD, MN P0589 am™

3

JOSEPH HOPKINS BUFFALO, MN P0421am™

CONVENTIONAL IRRIGATED

1

2

3

CURT HALER HASTINGS, MN P0720q™

GARY BESKAU HASTINGS, MN P1244am™

PAUL BESKAU HASTINGS, MN P1151am™

YIELD (BU/A)

280.85

279.06

273.06

297.87

210.94

249.74

243.83

278.08

259.68

259.38

For the full list of National Corn Growers Association 2019 National Corn Yield Contest winners, visit pioneer.com/NCGA.

*All Pioneer products are hybrids unless designated with AM1, AM, AMRW, AML, AMT, AMX, AMXT and Q, in which case they are brands. **Corn Belt States: IL, IN, IA, MN, MO, OH, WI. 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 Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. © 2020 Corteva. PION9CORN075

By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer Emeritus ST. CLOUD, Minn. — While attending the Minnesota Organic Conference in St. Cloud on Jan. 9, my first visit was with a long-time farming friend, Sherman Schueler. His early start was dairy farming with emphasis on quality forage — especially alfalfa.

Schueler, who lives in Minnesota’s Kandiyohi County, was attending this big organic farming event because he’s now in the process of becoming a certified organic farmer.

However, the spring of 2020 could be a bit of a challenge for Schueler. “All of the mechanical tillage we had planned didn’t work because Mother Nature wouldn’t let us into our fields,” he explained. “We rented a flamer. I now recognize that for us organic farmers, a flamer plays the same role as a sprayer when it comes to weed control in corn.”

Schueler rented his flamer from an organic farmer last year. The same guy is now building an 18-row flamer for Schueler Farms this year. And though he admits to being a rookie of weed control, with flaming he’s learned the important point is to be out there when weeds are young. “We can broadcast flames at about 5 to 6-inch corn and also come in at 2-foot corn and flame in the row under the canopy.”

Schueler got out of military service in 1972, so credits 1973 as his start-up year in farming. He related, ”My brother had the dairy going, so I got into hogs and corn/soybean crop production. Then the 80s hit. Things got really difficult in farming. I was already a licensed commercial airline pilot, so thankfully I got back into the aviation world and flew for Sun Country Airlines for 18 years. Sherman Schueler

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See SCHUELER, pg. 14 “That helped provide the financial resources to build a 250-cow free stall dairy operation. We became a corporate farming business. And we also learned that we were feeding our cows into oblivion if we continued the directions of the feed company we were working with. So we had to break from their program and find our own way. That set us up to learn what it’s like to work with nature rather than against nature.”

And that was Schueler’s gradual transition into the intriguing world of becoming an organic farmer. After bowing out of being a dairy farmer in 2011, he went into the production of commercial hay. “And I quickly learned that hay is not much more profitable than growing corn. Maybe not quite the same cycles, but it put us right at the edge of making money,” chuckled Schueler. He didn’t have a pre-arranged lineup of hay-buying dairy farmers. Instead, he relied on the proven marketing expertise of Steffen’s Auctions in Litchfield, Minn. tinue this turkey manure fertility program using some organic fertilizers to fill in the gaps. “When we were dairy farming, cow manure was the primary source of fertility. So our soils have good organic matter content.”

His organic corn hybrid seed will likely be purchased from Byron Seeds of Indiana since he is already a Byron dealer. Schueler says several seed outfits offer organic seed corn. He intends to be planting 95-day hybrids or earlier.

He’s optimistic about marketing. “Right now there is a strong demand for organic corn. This winter I’ve been trucking various feeds and it seems there isn’t enough organic corn to fill the demand. I’m convinced at this stage the market for organic corn for this broiler industry is insatiable and will stay above conventional corn markets for quite some time.”

Schueler said a big majority of organic corn is now being imported. “And we don’t know the validity of this imported corn.”

Glen Borgerding of Ag Resource Consulting in Albany, Minn., confirms that about half of the organic corn being used in America is imported — mostly from South America and Asia. “But there is definitely a push within the food trade industry for more organic corn produced by American farmers. More consistent quality would be the reason,” said Borgerding.

He observes a change occurring right now across the corn belt for getting more farmers producing organic corn, soybeans and oats. “Organic wheat is softening right now,” he said. “Organic corn with our customers is the most consistent and dependable crop. And pricing looks good … $8 to $10 on corn. However, five to 10 years down the road could be a different scenario.”

According to Borgerding, about 70 percent of their clientele are into organic farming. He noted several other agricultural service companies are now getting into organic farming information services. “This is rapidly becoming a consumer-driven industry. And that is why the emphases is on American farmers becoming the major provider of these organic grains. I would see imports of organic corn declining. Invariably, in the food business, whoever can deliver the cheapest will be the provider.”

Schueler has some concerns about the equipment costs of getting into organic row crops. “At this stage, our plans are to get into cover crops and eliminate fall tillage entirely. We’re going to do like the Amish farmers where most tillage is just ahead of the corn planter. We’ll be using cover crops as a good green manure crop.”

“Cover crops are key! We’ll use them to activate our soils with greater biological activity just before we plant.“

“Yes, I’m much aware of a growing choice of cover There is definitely a push within the food trade industry for more organic corn produced by American farmers. More consistent quality would be the reason. — Glen Borgerding Ag Resource Consulting So why now the ambition to get into organic farming and the production and marketing of organic corn? Schueler related that several years ago an Olivia area farmer called him. He knew Schueler already was into commercial hay production and suggested they get into organic pea farming.

“But I cautioned him — saying it takes three years to get certified and we’ve been using commercial fertilizers and have been spraying for weevils so getting certified would take some time. He didn’t call me back, but his call made me think about this business of organic farming. So I researched organic sweet corn. That looked pretty good. Then last year I came to this organic farming conference and a farmer told me, ‘Don’t go into sweet corn. It’s much more profitable to grow organic field corn!’ So I did some more research and found that to be true. Also, that works into our system where I can hire a neighbor whom we’ve worked with for many years to do our planting and harvesting.”

So how many acres of organic corn this year? Schueler says he plans for 250 acres and his goal is corn yields of 150 bushels per acre. This past year his 70-acre field of organic corn only produced 135 bushels per acre. “But at $8 a bushel, that isn’t too bad.” After three years of commercial hay production, Schueler sees the only significant change to get certified will be a switch from commercial fertilizer to turkey litter for fertility. Once organic, they will con-