Cooking With Kristin

New year, new goals. One of those for me is to eat more vegetables. I love a nicely-prepared veggie, so I looked high and low to find these tasty dishes. Each one offers the healthy benefits of vegetables, but with the bonus of lots of lovely flavors.

Broccolini is a vegetable with a funny name and excellent taste. The dish mingles this veggie with capers for a unique way to get your greens! Broiled Broccolini and Capers

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Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet n with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the oil, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Add the seasonal Think spring. This recipe makes that easy to do with carrots, fresh mint, almonds and parsley. The unique combination brings a hint of spring to the table even amid these cold winter months. florets to the baking sheet. Spread them out, facing Roasted Carrots with Spring Pesto as many of the flatter edges onto the baking sheet https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/ so that they brown nicely. a35904732/roasted-carrots-with-spring-pesto-recipe/ Roast until the edges are crisp and brown and the 1/2 cup raw almonds insides are tender, 20 to 35 minutes, give the cauli- 3 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 2-3 inch pieces and quartered flower a stir to promote even browning. Serve topped lengthwise https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/ with scallion and a squeeze of lime juice. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil a33943545/broiled-broccolini-and-capers/ n 2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 bunches broccolini On a nice summer day, corn on the cob is hard to beat. This 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste 2 cloves garlic, chopped comes close to that freshness. Frozen corn can be used in this cup fresh mint 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon capers, drained 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon, red wine vinegar Heat broiler to high with oven rack 4 inches from heat. Toss together broccolini, garlic, oil, capers and red pepper (if desired) on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and black pepper. Broil until lightly charred, three to four minutes. Toss with vinegar. recipe during this time of year. This light salad has a zip thanks to the charred corn, jalapenos and cilantro. Charred and Raw Corn Salad Charred and Raw Corn Salad Recipe | Bon Appétit (bonappetit. com) 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 6 ears of corn, husked, kernels cut from the cob 1 small shallot, cut into rings 1 red chili (such as a Fresno or red jalapeno), slice into rings 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 cup fresh parsley 1 lemon Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Spread the almonds in a small ovenproof skillet or on a small baking sheet and roast, stirring once, until toasted, about 7 minutes. Let cool completely. Divide the carrots between 2 baking sheets. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to each baking sheet and toss. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the carrots are tender and browned around the edges, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put the toasted almonds in a food processor and pulse until coarsely n kosher salt ground. Add the mint and parsley; with the motor running, drizzle Cauliflower is a versatile veggie, but it can NEVER be a bowl of rice, pizza or mashed potatoes. So, let’s celebrate this veggie in its proper form. Roasting it brings out the flavor, and chili and lime add some sass. 3 tablespoons whole-milk Greek yogurt 1 once finely grated Parmesan (about 3 tablespoons), plus more for serving 1/2 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems, coarsely chopped, divided in the remaining ½ cup olive oil and process until fairly smooth. Grate the lemon zest into the food processor, then pulse to combine. Season with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer the carrots to a large platter. Add the pesto and toss well. Squeeze the lemon juice over the carrots and toss. Chili Lime Roasted Cauliflower Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet, preferably cast iron, Let’s make eating your vegetables not only cool https://www.inspiredtaste.net/42872/chili-roasted-cauliflower/ over medium-high. Add one-third of corn kernels and cook, undis- but delicious in 2022 with these delectable recipes! 1 medium head cauliflower (about 1 ¼ pound), cut into small flo rets 2 tablespoons olive oil, grape seed oil or neutral-flavored oil - turbed, until lightly charred underneath, 1-2 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, occasionally tossing, until lightly charred all over, 2-3 minutes longer. 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 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt Meanwhile, mix shallot, chili, lime juice and the remaining 3 you have a recipe you want to share? You can reach 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder tablespoons oil in a medium bowl: season with salt. Let sit at least Kristin at kkveno@thelandonline.com. v 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 5 minutes or up to 1 hour to let the shallots soften slightly. Add charred corn, remaining corn kernels, yogurt, 1 ounce Parmesan, and half of the cilantro; season with salt. Toss to combine.1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 scallion, ends trimmed and finely sliced 2 to 3 lime or lemon wedges

COOKING WITH KRISTIN

By Kristin Kveno USDA announces new insurance option Corn farmers who “split-apply” nitrogen now have and Revenue Protection with Harvest Price Exclusion another option for insurance coverage. The U.S. policies. The first sales closing date to purchase Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency insurance is March 15. recently announced the details of its Post Application Coverage Endorsement for non-irrigated corn. To “split-apply” nitrogen, growers make multiple fertilizer applications during the growing season PACE provides payments for the projected yield rather than providing all the crop’s nitrogen requirelost when producers are unable to apply the post ments with a single treatment before or during nitrogen application during the V3-V10 corn growth planting. This practice can lead to lower input costs stages due to field conditions created by weather. and helps prevent runoff and leaching of nutrients PACE is offered in select counties in 11 states, into waterways and groundwater. including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, To learn more about PACE, visit https://rma.usda. Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South gov/en/Topics/Conservation. Dakota, and Wisconsin. It is available as supplemental coverage for Yield Protection, Revenue Protection, This article was submitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. v

By DICK HAGEN

The Land Staff Writer Emeritus

OLIVIA, Minn. — With nearly 30 years of friendship here in Minnesota’s corn capitol, Ed Baumgartner and I are indeed ‘old fixtures’ in this exciting world of agriculture. Baumgartner left the corporate seed industry world in 2005 to pursue the development of Ed Baumgartner 3rd Millennium Genetics. In 2013, Baumgartner Agricultural Science and Service was formed and in 2017 BASS Hybrids were introduced. In 2019, BASS moved into its current facility to begin operations as a stand-alone business: treating, packaging and warehousing their own seed.

It’s now Dec. 21 and its cold (like about 14 F) and windy — 20 mph west/northwesterlys whipping across our prairies as I chat with Baumgartner in his Olivia office.

The Land: You’ve created markets in the Dakotas, Minnesota, western Iowa and Nebraska … plus overseas in Kazakhstan. Where do you see 3MG in the future world of corn?

Baumgartner: Most exciting is our growth into U.S. markets — against the odds I would say. Lots of very competitive GMO seed firms out there these days and here we are, a non-GMO seed company, and making progress. Plus, price-wise, we’re a better option. Changing 25 years of mind set is what we’re actually doing. It’s exciting!

We talk Durayield traits … naturally occurring traits selected from within the corn genome. Durayield traits are additive, so each generation will be better. Durayield products can be grown at lower plant populations per acre and more efficiently use available water and nutrients. Cost-conscience corn farmers certainly can relate here.

Consider this: A 200 bushel per acre crop uses about 600,000 gallons of water per acre. One acre of corn releases approximately 4,000 gallons of water per day in evaporation. Corn uses nearly 3,000 gallons of water for each bushel of yield. It takes 27,154 gallons of water to irrigate one acre of land with one inch of water. And 200 bushel per acre corn requires around 22 inches of water during the growing season.

The Land: So is durability a key ingredient in the genetic progress of BASS hybrids?

Baumgartner: Absolutely. The ability to survive under difficult conditions is always paramount. I got a terrific reminder this fall when I attended a dealer/ customer meeting. This customer said to me, ‘Ed, I need to apologize because I didn’t believe what you told us your products would give us five more days waiting for a rain compared with other products. You gave me seven days and I caught the rain. And I had a corn crop this year whereas my neighbor didn’t.’ Talk about motivation to go back out and keep working! And this farmer was emotional when he shared his comments … something you seldom see in farmers these days.

The Land: What develops durability in your corn hybrids?

Baumgartner: It comes from specialized plant breeding methods including managed stress environments with lots of time looking at individual corn plants. This also enables us to measure levels of tolerance to biotic and/or abiotic stresses occurring during the growing season.

In my early years I would throw away test locations that didn’t give us certain parameters of statistical analyses, and I would ask myself why? This hot, droughty season we had two North Dakota test plot locations right in the middle of the darkest red (most intense drought) areas: Rugby and Minot. And I wondered, what now? However, when I combined our Rugby and Minot plot data together, I could see the data was very tight. They mirrored each other as to which products did well. And that tells me good products are good products. Plus, this correlated with field notes made when checking those plots during the growing season.

The Land:So was this extremely droughty season a continued learning experience — even for you research guys?

Baumgartner: Most certainly. It tells us we’re on the right track. Even with all these doom-sayers saying climate change will disrupt the ability of American crop farmers to feed the world, I don’t believe it for a minute. We just have to get smarter and keep working. Climate has been changing since we started keeping track of it. How do we know if it’s better today or worse? We really have no idea. We’ve had ice ages; we’ve had ages warmer than we’re heading right now. What spot in time are we right now? No one can say. The problem with we humans is we don’t like change.

The Land: Because of the extreme costs of fertilizer, will there be less corn planted in 2022?

Baumgartner: We’ll likely see farmers trying some things they normally wouldn’t do. We’ve been brought up that nitrogen and corn are ‘symbiotic’ … the more nitrogen, the more corn. So now we’re asking — and our customers are asking — What can these new hybrids do if they aren’t fed so well? And I think we’ll be surprised. We may find these new products don’t need as much nitrogen as we’ve been led to believe. I’ve been watching yields continue to go up with differences in methodology rates and lower application rates. The days of spring application of all your nitrogen I think are history. That would be better for the environment too. Yes, I would like to see more farmers feeding that crop only when needed. If that were to happen, I think we could likely get by with half the nitrogen we currently use with corn. Yes, this could mean spoon feeding three to five times. Yes, application costs and equipment will factor in here. But don’t ignore the basic fact that these newer hybrids just don’t need the heavy feeding we’ve accustomed ourselves into believing!

Also, application costs aren’t nearly as expensive as the fertilizer itself. Yes, it may take a leap of faith from farmers. Figuring costs for that extra 10 to 12 pounds of nitrogen with each ‘spoon feeding’ vs. total costs on a spring only ‘half-as-much’ application is the debate.

The Land:So might this also nourish a reduction in planting rates?

Baumgartner: Our philosophy is contrary to the rest of the seed industry. The industry continues to promote more plants per acre — which of course leads to buying more of their seed products too. But understand that as you keep increasing the size of your factory, you’re also increasing the needs for

See BAUMGARTNER, pg. 11

2022 ROCK NOBLES

Getting together with others for our region look like in the next a cup of coffee at the local café can year,” GreenSeam Director Sam produce quite the conversations. Ziegler said. “Why let others or Weather, politics, and the local small pieces of information tell our sports teams are always mainstay story. By all pitching in we can do topics. The good-humored banter a much better job of sharing this which goes back and forth leaves important information.” everyone feeling good as they go about the rest of their day. The “State of Ag” research provides data to see year-over-year

But there are other things hap- trends and new aspects in the agripening as a result of those conver- culture realm that could possibly sations that most people do not be addressed by stakeholders. The even realize is actually going on. survey data and focus group disThe learning taken from each cussions from the 2021 “State of other during those conversations helps Ag” brought to the forefront barriers conpeople gain knowledge and form opinions cerning talent, policy, mental health and — such as which seed is best, or what til- Covid-19 businesses face every day. In ing company is better; what regulations addition, opportunities were highlighted are coming down the pipeline that will around entrepreneurship, business develaffect the farms’ bottom line, or how to opment, commodity prices and advancing plan for next year with current commodi- technology. ty prices. There is a lot of informal education happening every day. As an example, the 2021 “State of Ag” report found there were three dominant

The ability to capture all those conver- issues which threaten businesses’ ability sations which take place in the cafés and to grow the most. Regulations/policy was local bars amongst the farmers and peo- the top concern while employment issues ple in agriculture would be priceless. Just think came in second and taxes third. The results were about the impact of how the combined knowledge of different than the previous year as the data was colall these individuals could have on the region, mak- lected prior to the pandemic. The concern about reging it a much more productive and stronger agricul- ulations/policy was still first, but significantly ture economy. increased in 2021 with more Covid-19 restrictions

This is what GreenSeam is working to do. and increasing supply chain issues. Not unexpected, employment also had a big increase — jumping

The ringing in of the new year brings the kickoff of GreenSeam’s “State of Ag” report. Three years ago, GreenSeam identified a gap in information and data as it pertains to the agriculture sector. Thus, it developed an annual report to address the gap called the “State of Ag.” The report consists of two parts: focus groups with participants from across the state and a survey which is distributed statewide as well. The data and comments are analyzed and summarized, then shared with the public, legislators and businesses.

“The importance of this report is to represent our businesses and tell the story of what topics are holding our businesses back or what the growth of

TALENT IN THE GREENSEAM

By Shane Bowyer Scan this QR code to take the 2022 State of Ag survey. Intern in the

Jalen Heintz

Polk City, Iowa

School: Iowa State University

Major: Double majoring in agronomy and agricultural studies

Internship company name:

Crystal Valley

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Monday, February7,2022

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SocialHour6pm,Steak Dinner 6:30pm FollowedbyHumorist &Entertainer,Lyndy Phillips How did you learn about your internship?

I learned about Crystal Valley’s internship program through Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences career fair. I was lucky enough to be selected for an interview and was hired on as an agronomy sales intern.

Have you always wanted a career in agriculture?

I originally started my collegiate academic career in nursing from fourth to second. Securing a skilled workforce has been an issue in the agriculture industry for a number of years. However, once again the current state of the pandemic further increased the need.

GreenSeam and researchers from Minnesota State University, Mankato started collecting data for the next “State of Ag” data at the MN AgExpo and would be grateful if you would help by sharing your thoughts on the current ag issues and opinions. If you would like to participate in a focus group at a selected time and location, please contact either Sam Ziegler at GreenSeam or Shane Bowyer at Minnesota State Mankato.

To take the survey now, please enter this link in an internet browser: https://greenseam.org/survey

“We need to show the picture of all businesses involved in ag. The farmer, processors, supply chain, professional services and more,” Ziegler said. “Agriculture ripples through our entire community and our goal is to capture the opportunities and challenges our industry faces.

Talent in the GreenSeam focuses on developing talent and promoting careers in agriculture and food. Dr. Shane Bowyer is the Director of AgriBusiness and Food Innovation in the College of Business at Minnesota State University, Mankato and is on the GreenSeam Talent Committee. He can be reached for comments or talent ideas at shane. bowyer@mnsu.edu. Sam Ziegler can be reached at sziegler@greenseam.org. v

school. I quickly realized that my passion for helping others was not fit for the medical field. I grew up showing livestock and have always had a passion for agriculture — especially the preservation and education of the public about it. I decided to switch my major and attend Iowa State to study agronomy, where one day I hope to be an agronomist where I will help area growers.

I have chosen to stay in the ag field because there are no other job sectors that come close to the community that the ag sector holds. The community aspect grants many opportunities for people to learn from others. This connection is what draws me into the ag sector of the workforce. My driving factor and passion is for agriculture and everything in it, and I would not want to be in any other field of work. The ag field is a constant learning environment giving me the opportunity to grow every day to help growers make the best decisions that they can make.

What is your favorite animal? 1.cattle; 2. dog; 3. sea turtle

What is your favorite food?

Prime rib; 2. potatoes; 3. blueberry muffins

Who is your favorite musical artist/band?

Pecos and the Rooftops; 2. Koe Wetzel; 3. Read Southall Band

BAUMGARTNER, from pg. 9

more fertilizer, more water. We say go less. We say, ‘Let’s make those plants produce more bushels per plant’ … rather than more plants per acre to produce more bushels. So I suggest to farmers, look for plants with more flex so you can reduce both planting rates and nitrogen rates also. This is based on lots of plots and field data results over the past decade. And the overall soil health and economic squeeze of today’s agriculture makes this all much more relevant today.

The Land: With lower plant populations, does that induce your corn plants into multi-eared tendencies?

Baumgartner: Initially we selected away from inbred lines with two-eared tendencies because they would tend to go barren under stress. But with our research methods today, we’re noting the more stress you put under a corn plant, the more likely multi-eared plants also. So then the effort becomes let’s see if we can increase the size of those ears. Bigger ears per plant certainly is a yield bumper also.

Tropical corns grow much taller and frequently have multiple ears. But super-tall corn just doesn’t work these days … plus Mother Nature still has that occasional tendency with super wind storms too. So strong stalks girded with a heavy and deep root mass just simply works that much better. And now we see value in fewer plants per acre … in essence, having a ‘smaller factory’ on each acre while also cutting costs in fertilizer and minimizing a water crunch in a droughty season.

The Land: Why is creating drought tolerant corn important?

Baumgartner: First, we believe farmers should have corn hybrids that can get through dry periods without yield loss. And the best mechanism to achieve this is with a much larger root mass to extract water; which also leads to more soil nutrients being pulled into the plant. And that’s why drought tolerant corn has a tendency to yield more.

Second, even though the current school of thought is that the corn plant cannot be made more water use efficient, we think it can because we have seen it happen. And when a plant is more efficient in water use, it is also more efficient with nutrient use.

Third, we have learned that rolling corn is drying corn. The old school of thinking is this is the plant protecting itself. This is false. The most heat and drought resistant hybrids do not roll very easily. Instead, they tend to grey and maybe wilt a bit, but not roll. The longer a plant goes without rolling, the more heat and drought tolerant it will be. v

Clean Water Funds linked to lake, stream improvements

Clean Water Funds from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources supported conservation work which contributed to some lakes, rivers and streams earning a spot on the list of waters slated to be removed from the state’s impaired waters list in 2022.

Fifty-three lakes, and segments of rivers and streams, are proposed for delisting. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval finalizes that status. The MPCA draft noted 13 of the 53 could be directly tied to a particular restoration effort.

Following are a few examples where Clean Water Funds from BWSR played a direct role in restoration work. Clean Water Fund grants require a match. Total project costs may draw from local, state and federal funding sources.

Pope Soil and Water Conservation District Manager Holly Kovarik, who serves on the Clean Water Council, considered the bigger picture that might unfold as more projects targeting impaired waters are implemented across the state.

“The goal is to move that needle of progress towards improvement in our resources, and this is what we may see in the future, on a grander scale,” Kovarik said.

In Chisago County, the proposed delisting of School Lake, one of 20 in the Chisago Lakes Chain of Lakes, is not tied to a specific restoration effort.

Chisago SWCD Water Resource Specialist Casey Thiel said few grantfunded projects were completed directly on School Lake. Communitywide projects have included increased street sweeping and improved stormwater control.

“It’s more mindset and behavior changes is what I think is happening there,” Thiel said. “All of the lakes that we’re actively working in are seeing improved water quality. That’s kind of as good as it gets. It’s a little bit better each year.”

Birch Lake, a 150-acre lake with a township boat launch and swimming beach northeast of Big Lake, saw water quality improve as a result of five targeted stormwater retrofits installed from 2016 through 2018. A $70,005 Clean Water Fund grant Sherburne SWCD received from BWSR in 2016 supported the Big Lake Township project, which keeps an estimated 10 pounds of phosphorus and 3,000 pounds of sediment out of the lake annually.

“It doesn’t have a tremendous amount of development on it, so you enter the lake and you kind of get this sense of it being out in the middle of nature. The shoreline is in a very natural condition all the way around the lake,” said Dan Cibulka, Sherburne SWCD senior water resource specialist.

Listed in 2006 as nutrient-impaired for aquatic recreation, Birch Lake had experienced occasional late-summer algae blooms. But it was close to meeting water quality standards. The SWCD used local capacity dollars from BWSR to fund additional shoreline restorations.

Outlet Creek, which flows from Lake Minnewaska across rolling farmland and glacial hills to Lake Emily southwest of Starbuck, was listed in 2012 as impaired for aquatic life. The creek lies within the Lake Emily watershed, the focus of four Clean Water Fund grants from BWSR.

A $38,160 Clean Water Fund grant award in 2015 supported water quality assessment and project prioritization. Implementation grants followed in each of the next three years. Thirtyfour of the 54 erosion control practices — most of them water and sediment control basins — backed by a $287,500 grant in 2016 directly affected Outlet Creek. All 27 water and sediment control basins backed by a $162,500 grant in 2017 affect Outlet Creek. Those projects combined keep an estimated 2,237 tons of sediment and 2,565 pounds of phosphorus out of the creek annually.

Situated in downtown St. Cloud, surrounded by a park and encircled by a paved walking path, 8.5-acre Lake George draws paddlers and ice skaters. For two decades, the Stearns County SWCD and city of St. Cloud have worked together to improve water quality and clarity of the nutrientimpaired lake.

Early projects included 2002’s shoreline naturalization and stabilization. The most recent, backed by a $697,000 Clean Water Fund grant the SWCD received in 2019, constructed an underground regional stormwater management structure in 2020. Designed to trap and remove sediment and nutrients from runoff before it enters the lake, it targets a 47-acre drainage area and will reduce phosphorus by an estimated 27 pounds and sediment by 7 tons a year.

This article was submitted by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. v

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