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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Is there anything better than a fish dish? Corn and soybean grower looks ahead to 2022 crop year; and a new book is filled with Minnesota history
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Corn on another continent 418 South Second St. Mankato, MN 56001 (800) 657-4665 Vol. XLVI ❖ No. 8 24 pages, 1 section plus supplements
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COLUMNS Opinion Farm and Food File Deep Roots Cooking With Kristin Talent in the GreenSeam Green & Growing Mielke Market Weekly Marketing Auctions/Classifieds Advertiser Listing Back Roads
2-4 4 5 6 7 11 12 15-16 17-23 23 24
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Publisher: Steve Jameson: sjameson@mankatofreepress.com General Manager: Deb Petterson: dpetterson@TheLandOnline.com Managing Editor: Paul Malchow: editor@TheLandOnline.com Staff Writer: Kristin Kveno: kkveno@thelandonline.com Staff Writer Emeritus: Dick Hagen: rdhagen35@gmail.com Advertising Representatives: Dan McCargar: (507) 344-6379, dmccargar@thelandonline.com Deb Petterson: dpetterson@TheLandOnline.com Office/Advertising Assistants: Joan Compart: theland@TheLandOnline.com Lyuda Shevtsov: 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 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, 418 South Second St., Mankato, MN 56001. 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. $49 per year for non-farmers and people outside the service area. The Land (USPS 392470) Copyright © 2022 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, 418 South Second St., Mankato MN 56001-3727 or e-mail to theland@TheLandOnline.com.
“What we bring to the table is common mind even further. So Ed left the corposense!” rate world in 2005 to pursue his dream of starting his own seed company. That comment by Ed Baumgartner, president of 3 MG Seeds in Olivia, Minn. “We started 3rd Millennium Genetics succinctly illustrates why this seed comin Puerto Rico in 2005,” he said. “Being pany is thriving in the highly competitive able to pursue insect and drought tolerAmerican seed industry. And perhaps ant breeding methodologies in an enviamazing …. his company produces and ronment where we could be creative was markets ONLY non-GMO hybrids! The truly liberating! We have developed sevLAND MINDS unconventional conventional is the mareral proprietary non-GMO methodologies keting message of 3MG. to move tropical corn genes into temperBy Dick Hagen ate corn.” And thus the BASS identiDuring a March visit at his Olivia ty: Baumgartner Agricultural Science office, Ed explained, “At BASS Hybrids & Service. we believe in maintaining the integrity of corn as nature intended. Why make life more It seems to be working. Ed said their seed corn complicated than it already is by adding genes from sales for the 2021 growing season doubled the preother species? But just because we choose to sell vious season and 3MG sales are already about 50 only conventional hybrids does not mean those percent ahead of last year! hybrids have to be developed like they always have So based on current world issues, what’s the been. We combine our time-honored values — like impact on his seed efforts in Kazakhstan? being stewards of the land — with new technologies Responded Ed, “One word: negatively! Though indethat allow for faster development of tougher corn. pendent of Russia, Ukrainian currency has taken a And this unique combination has resulted in the beating. When I left in December their tengu development of a new kind of hybrid: The (Unkrainian currency) relative to the U.S. dollar was Unconventional Conventional!” 425 to one U.S. dollar. Today, it is now 520 per dollar I’ve known Ed for 40-plus years since moving to — so a 20 percent loss in value in just the past two Olivia myself in 1975. And chatting with Ed is months. And that’s making our seed costs to their always a pleasure — whether talking corn, farmers 20 percent more expensive also. Plus ferMinnesota Gopher football, or politics. But a partic- tilizer shortages, pesticide shortages and higher fuel ular treat is talking agriculture and farming in costs also. And shipping has come to a halt. We’ve other parts of the world like Kazakhstan, a goodgot five seed containers en route to Kazakhstan sized country in southwest Russia where some which may not get there in time for planting this farmers are now growing BASS hybrids the spring. Three seed containers have made it so far … “American way” thanks to Ed’s influence. but five still to arrive. Usually takes 60 to 65 days; but right now, who knows?” Because of communist government, innovative agriculture has lagged in Kazakhstan. They simply Each seed container is 1,000 units of seed (about don’t have a legion of ag industry people teaching 41 pounds per unit, so about 4,400 pounds of seed and training farmers like we do here in America. per container). If every container arrives, about 18,000 acres of Kazakhstan corn could be planted to “We’re into our third year with these farmers … BASS hybrids in 2022! but we’re making progress,” Ed admitted. So much so that Ed and his wife Betsy now routinely live a According to Ed, corn planting is an April/early few weeks each year in Kazakhstan. “Great people,” May event in Kazakhstan also. “Like us, it’s northEd claimed. “Eager to learn and always thanking us ern hemisphere; so by April 25 Kasakhstan farmers for the help in learning more about growing corn better be rolling also.” the American way.” Ed also noted Kazakhstan farmers tend to be ‘risk Ed was born on a farm just south of Olivia and adverse’ so they simply use less fertilizer. “Also, recalls detassling experiences — riding a frontthey don’t have crop insurance like we do here; nor mounted detassling rig with three other young kids bankers eager to help. So their question is more ripping out tassels as the machine slowly traveled likely, ‘How conservative can we be and still raise a each seed production field. Ed remembers two rows good crop?’ Even so, they were planting more seeds per detassler, so 16 rows per trip through the field. per hectare (2.5 acres) than I thought they should At that time, both RBA Seeds and Keltgen Seed be. But some of that is because of poor quality seed were headquartered in Olivia so seed fields were so they overplant as a precaution. Also, the prevailabundant. ing mindset is to plant more seed to get more yield. And seed is less expensive than fertilizer. But it After graduating from the University of takes a while to make believers about some corn Minnesota in Agronomy/Plant Genetics, Ed growing techniques here in America. They’ve been returned to Olivia to work at Keltgen Seed in 1984 in Research and Development. Supervising Keltgen reared in a communist environment of only doing what they are told to do. So our U.S. system of Seed’s Puerto Rico research station in a tropical See LAND MINDS, pg. 11 environment stimulated Ed’s research inquisitive
OPINION
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
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2,500 gallons of water per bushel of irrigated corn is ‘too much’ In a recent telephone conversation, a southwest Kansas farmer casually noted he had stopped growing irrigated corn some years back because “it cost too much.” Curious, I asked what it cost to irrigate an acre of corn in his arid, cattle-feeding-andcorn-hungry corner of the state. “It wasn’t the money,” he quickly explained, “it was the water.” FARM & FOOD FILE Most years, he said, he had applied By Alan Guebert about 18 inches of water per acre to produce a 200-bushel crop. “That was about
2,500 gallons of water per bushel and I just thought that was too much. So I went back to wheat and milo.” Right now, most ag irrigators from Boston to Bakersfield are either laughing out loud or snickering quietly at this farmer for not doing what most would have done: keep irrigating. Or, in this case, use 10,000-year-old groundwater to grow a subsidized commodity crop in an increasingly arid
OPINION
Letter: We need to help Ukraine To the Editor, The number 1 problem for the world is not climate change — it is PUTIN! What we are doing to help Ukraine always seems to be “too little — too late.” For the past year our country should have continued to be self sufficient in all forms of energy — particularly crude oil, natural gas, and the piping of these products. If we had done this we would not have purchased 230 million barrels of crude from Russia to fund Putin’s War and we would have had these products to supply our European allies to
reduce their dependence on Russia. In addition, we could be using more corn and soybeans to produce ethanol and biodiesel which would be cleaner for our environment by reducing carbon emissions. These two bio-fuels are also salable to our European allies. We need to do everything possible to help the brave Ukrainian people in their fight to save their country and democracy. We need to act quickly. Gene Smallidge Hastings, Minn.
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region of the country to likely feed a meat animal or an ethanol plant. And, legally, the snickerers are right. In almost every agricultural area in the nation, there are no laws to keep farmers, ranchers and agbiz from using their Stone Age water to grow, process and market any 21st century crop they choose — even if it takes 2,500 gallons to grow one bushel of corn or one gallon to grow one, likely-to-be-exported almond. So far, that is. As public awareness of private water use grows, so does the pressure on how local, state and federal governments allocate today’s dwindling supplies. More importantly, because of agriculture’s overall thirst (70 percent of water usage worldwide is sucked up by farming and ranching) agriculture is the biggest, fattest, slowest target in every effort or idea to re-allocate it. This year’s building drought only adds urgency to those calls. In fact, on April 4, the U.S. Drought Monitor released an updated map which shows “76.7 percent of the North American Great Plains” experiencing dryness that ranges from “Abnormally Dry,” the lowest level, to “Drought-Exceptional,” the highest level. That means virtually every agricultural acre west See GUEBERT, pg. 5
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
There’s no limit when catching these delicious recipes they’re almost done. Add the corn ears and sauI just returned from spring break with sage, and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Remove the the family in Santa Barbara, Calif. Dutch oven from heat. Add the raw shrimp and Known as the American Riviera, Santa cook for 1-2 minutes or until opaque. Be very careBarbara’s coast is full of beautiful beachful not to overcook the shrimp. Drain the mixture es and breathtaking views of the Santa immediately (reserving 1/2 cup of the broth for Ynez Mountains. We loved the time at serving). Place all of the ingredients on a platter or the beach as well as hikes on the footsheet pan, drizzle with melted butter (and some of hills. the reserved broth if desired), lemon juice, sprinkle The more fishing-adventurous memCOOKING with additional Old Bay seasoning, ground black bers of my family went out to the WITH KRISTIN pepper and garnish with chopped parsley. Channel Islands off the coast of Santa By Kristin Kveno n Barbara on a fishing excursion. They caught rockfish, whitefish, lingcod and sculpin. Sometimes the most delicious way to enjoy seafood is in dip We enjoyed a variety of fresh seafood on our vaca- form in a hollowed-out bread loaf. The crab, sour cream and tion. Now that we’re back in Minnesota, I wanted to cream cheese combination is a tasteful trifecta of flavor. make a few seafood dishes that would harken back Baked Crab Dip those wonderful memories. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/baked-crab-dip/ It’s one pot of delicious8 ounces cream cheese, softened ness! This shrimp boil fea2 cups sour cream tures shrimp, sausage, corn 2 cans (16 ounces each) crabmeat drained, flaked and cartilage and potatoes along with lots removed or 2 cups flaked imitation crab meat of seasonings to create one 4 green onions, thinly sliced pleasing pot. 2 round loaves (1 pound each) sourdough or Italian additional sliced green onion (optional) Shrimp Boil assorted fresh vegetables, crackers and/or toasted bread cubes https://littlesunnykitchen.com/ shrimp-boil/ In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream; mix well. Fold in crab, cheese and onion. Cut the top third off 16 cups water each loaf of bread carefully hollow out bottoms, leaving 1-inch 2 lemons divided shells. Cube removed bread and tops; set aside. Spoon crab mix1 red onion peeled and cut ture into bread bowls. Place on baking sheets. Place reserved into 4 wedges bread cubes in a single layer around bread bowls. Bake uncov4 cloves garlic minced ered, at 350 degrees until the dip is heated through, 40-50 min1 tablespoon Old Bay seasonutes. Garnish with green onion if desired. Serve with assorted ing fresh vegetable, crackers or toasted bread cubes. 1.5 pounds baby red potatoes halved, sliced lengthwise (or n medium potatoes quartered) Who doesn’t love a salmon filet? It’s heart-healthy and deli1 tablespoon salt cious. This recipe calls for a honey-glaze on the salmon which 4 ears of corn each cut into 4-5 pieces add a spectacular splash of sweetness. 14-16 ounce smoked andouille sausage sliced into 1-inch slices 1.5 pounds large shrimp peeled and deveined, tails left on Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted https://www.thechunkychef.com/honey-garlic-glazed-salmon/ ground black pepper to taste salmon: 2 tablespoons parsley chopped 4 (6 ounce) salmon filets To a large pot or Dutch oven, add water, lemon wedges, onion, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt garlic and old bay seasoning. Give the mixture a quick stir, bring 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to a boil over medium-high heat and add the potatoes. Season 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika with salt and cook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes or until 1/4 teaspoon blackening seasoning sauce: 3 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons olive oil 6 garlic cloves minced 1/2 cup honey 3 tablespoons water 3 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon sriracha 2 tablespoons lemon juice Pat salmon dry, then season with salt, pepper, paprika and blackening seasoning (if using). Set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position, then preheat broiler.
Add butter and oil to a large, oven-safe skillet over med-high heat. Once butter is melted, add garlic, water, soy sauce, sriracha, honey and lemon juice and cook 30 seconds or so, until sauce is heated through. Add salmon, skin side down (if using salmon with skin), and cook 3 minutes. While salmon cooks, baste frequently with sauce from the pan by spooning it over the top of the salmon. Broil salmon for 5-6 minutes, basting with sauce once during the broil, until salmon is caramelized and cooked to desired doneness. Garnish with minced parsley if desired. n With the Lenten season upon us, fish fries are a popular Friday night event. You don’t have to leave your home to enjoy that flakey fish in a light and crispy batter — just give this beer battered recipe a try.
Beer Battered Fish
https://www.savoryexperiments.com/fish-fry-beer-battered-fish/ 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying 24 ounces cod fish fillets, cut into 8 pieces 1-1/2 cups flour, divided 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons fine sea salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 egg, lightly beaten 12 ounces light beer tartar sauce cocktail sauce Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you can use a large Dutch oven or cast iron skillet. Rinse fish and pat dry. Leave whole or cut into smaller pieces. Combine 1 cup flour, garlic powder, paprika, fine sea salt, baking soda, ground black pepper in a shallow dish, stirring to combine. Stir egg into dry ingredients. Gradually mix light beer until a thin batter is formed. Toss filets in 1/2 cup flour and tap off excess, this helps the batter stick. Dip fish fillets into the batter and immediately drop into hot oil. Work in batches to not crowd the pan. Turn once to ensure all sides are lightly brown and crispy, approximately 3-4 minutes per batch (although this will be dependent on the thickness of your filets as well). Transfer to a wire rack on a backing sheet to drain. Set into a hot oven to keep warm. Serve with cocktail or tartar sauce. Whether you’re enjoying some locally caught fish or seafood from far off oceans, treat your taste buds with one of these tantalizing recipes. 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 kkveno@thelandonline.com. v
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
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Are field rocks a nuisance or a blessing? The number of rocks which surface picked up over the course of many generfrom deep beneath the topsoil of a field ations. Out of many of these rock piles, that has been slumbering for months is those who cared for the land before us, always astonishing to me. A field that has constructed the very foundations of their been cleaned up, taken care of and homes and barns. These rocks became “tucked in” after harvest can birth and the foundation on which their livelihoods become home to scores of rocks by spring. and families were built. I am amazed when I think of the farmers Are these rock piles much different of generations past and how physically than the altars built by Abraham, Isaac, DEEP ROOTS taxing it was to hand-pick rocks. Jacob, Moses or other forefathers of the Although farming practices have changed By Whitney Nesse faith? Altars made of uncut stones piled and rock picking looks much different on top of one another, signifying a place now, I imagine one would be hard pressed to find a for all succeeding generations to stop and remember farmer whose beginnings do not include rock pickthe things that God had done in the past. ing. Even the most seasoned farmers who hire Perhaps this year, instead of grumbling at the ambitious neighbor kids to do their rock picking for rocks that break our planters, become lodged in our them will still find themselves hopping out of the finishing baskets, shear off shovels on our cultivacab of their tractors and picking up a stray rock tors and try our sanity, we can look at them differhere and there. For as much of a nuisance rocks can be, I have an intriguing thought. I think of the farmer — the steward, the caretaker of the land — and how the farmer bends low, face towards the ground, breathing in deeply, filling his nostrils with the earthy and GUEBERT, from pg. 3 unmistakable scent of soil, surrounded by land that of the Missouri River in the United States and the the farmer owns, but is merely lent by God himself. majority of the productive Canadian provinces from the Great Lakes through the Rockies begins the One by one, over and over, the farmer bends low, 2022 growing season with either “abnormal” dryface to the ground picking up rocks that the land ness or much worse. births with each spring season. California, the biggest U.S. agricultural state by How similar is the farmer’s posture when toiling far, already faces unprecedented pressure to restrict under the sun to the posture of the tax collector in the synagogue who could not lift his eyes to heaven water usage. as he humbled himself before the Lord (Luke 18). Already, a recently announced joint state/federal Could it be that God, in his mercy, allows these project hopes to spend some of its nearly $3 billion rocks to continually surface in order to offer the to keep 824,000 acre feet of water, or 268 billion galfarmer the opportunity to humble himself over and lons, in the state’s rivers and out of northern over across thousands of farm acres? California rice fields. I think of the rock piles growing larger and larger Alarmingly, however, even though 268 billion gal— added to year after year. How they are strategilons is a massive amount, it will only supply 1.6 cally placed so they are easy to access, yet out of the million California households — in a state with 14.4 way. Rocks of every shape, size and color have been million — with enough water for one year. And
ently. What if we choose to take a moment each time we bend low, to humble ourselves before the Lord? What if we choose to see those rock piles as altars for the Lord — a place to remember his faithfulness and thank him for giving us the opportunity to steward the land? Or maybe we will find a greater appreciation for the backbreaking work past generations endured that has now become the foundation on which our very own livelihoods are being built. My hope is that with each passing year, as more and more rocks find their way to the surface, I will allow myself to be humbled before the Lord, be reminded of his faithfulness, and to deepen, enhance and grow my sense of gratitude for the generations gone before me. Whitney Nesse is a sixth-generation livestock farmer who is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She writes from her central Minnesota farm. v
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that’s if the plan succeeds. The rest, and the state’s 4.4 million businesses, will continue to scramble for whatever else can be begged, borrowed, or… Today’s rapid climate change will make it worse. Already, forecasters suggest 10 percent, or 500,000 acres, of California’s productive San Joaquin Valley need to be permanently fallowed “by 2040 to achieve sustainable water usage.” Who wants to tell those about-to-be-fallowed farmers that their water will soon be someone else’s? Not me; but those farmers — and, sooner than later, every U.S. farmer and rancher — will face similar news. As such, my Kansas farmer friend might just get the last laugh. 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
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
Ag education experience is a rewarding one Editor’s note: This month’s “Talent pivotal point in my life. My passion TALENT IN THE GREENSEAM in the GreenSeam” column comes for education flourished in this By Anna Buckentine courtesy of Anna Buckentine. environment. I couldn’t believe I was able to come to work every day I never thought I wanted to be a and talk with visitors about Minnesota’s agriculteacher. A career as an agricultural education teachture, food systems, and natural resources. er was a fleeting thought during my sophomore year at the National FFA Convention. I was swept up in The following fall I was working part-time for my the passion at the Teach Ag booth and thought that college instructor on his vegetable farm, where his this was it. planted ideas came to fruition. When the world shut However, when I returned home and fell back into down in 2020, mine opened up. I decided that agriculture education was the career I needed to pursue a routine, the warm and fuzzy feelings retreated, and I found myself with a typical high schooler men- and that the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities tality. “Who would want to spend their entire career was going to support me. in a high school” was what I thought to myself. I began feeling that ag ed was my home. I spent my fall and spring semester between work at the My senior year was quickly approaching, and I Children’s Museum, classes, and field observations was faced with the same choice of every young perwith ag programs around the state. These schools son: what to do after graduation? I knew I was continued to strengthen my passion for agriculture, bound for more schooling, but didn’t know what or and I was beginning to see how the classroom was where. After a few scrappy ideas and a modest colan environment where I can thrive. lege tour, I was accepted and registered for my fall semester at South Dakota State University in purCome summer 2021, I was once again an intern, suit of a degree in Agribusiness. but this time for the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council, placed in Mankato, Two weeks into my semester, I knew that Brookings, S.D. was not my home; and I transferred to South Central College in North Mankato, Minn. I was lost, but I knew that I needed to keep moving forward. To my surprise, South Central College was the beacon of hope I so desperately needed. I fell back in love with American agriculture and learning — something I had not felt since my sophomore Olivia Spande year of high school. Uptown Minneapolis, Minn. Once again, my graduation was approaching, and I was faced with a choice: what next? I knew agriSchool: Minnesota State culture was where I needed to be; but didn’t believe University, Mankato that industry was for me. Thankfully, I was blessed Major: Family Consumer Science to have an instructor (who now is my inspiration with an emphasis in food and and role model as a teacher) plant a few ideas in my nutrition with a minor in mind early on. He knew I belonged in the classroom Agribusiness and Food Innovation. and continued to pester me about it. Just like in high school, I couldn’t imagine why anybody would Have you always wanted a want to be a teacher. career in Ag? Before I could graduate, I was required to comI always knew I wanted a plete an internship in agriculture. Rather than career in food since I was a child. working in the industry like my peers, I landed a I used to come home from eleposition as the Farmyard Intern for the Children’s mentary school and watch the food network. Some of my Museum of Southern Minnesota. This came to be a favorite memories are in the kitchen with my mom. When I
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came to MSU I knew that I wanted to study food and nutrition; but I didn’t find my Agribusiness minor until last year. This minor is the perfect counterpart to my degree because it’s the business behind food and it also has many creativity courses geared towards making you think outside of the box. What type of internship are you looking for? After I graduate from MSU, I’m charging full speed ahead into the culinary world. I plan to go to culinary school at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver B.C to get my associates in culinary arts. I plan to use these degrees to establish myself as a freelance commercial food stylist. I searched for a food styling internship and was able to secure
Minn. I spent my summer with the newly resurrected Mankato ag program, and the Southern Agriculture Center of Excellence. These brief three months gave me my first taste of life as an ag teacher, and ever since I’ve been all in. January 2022 arrived, and I began student teaching at Dassel-Cokato High School. Currently, I have taken over two classes: Animal Science and Floriculture. By the end of my experience, I will have taught a full course load, survived SAE season, and experienced my first State FFA convention as an advisor. After years of frustration, doubt, and worry, I have finally found a home within agricultural education. Nevertheless, this journey is far from over, in fact, it has only just begun. 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. v one in Minneapolis with Amalia Moreno-Damgaard — a professional chef, food stylist, food editor, author and entrepreneur. What are you interested in learning more about you that have not learned in your classes? In this internship, I am excited to network and make connections with people in the food industry so that I have connections that I can come back to after culinary school that will hopefully offer up some amazing opportunities. What skills do you hope to develop? I hope to develop my public speaking skills and social media management skills. I will be doing some hands-on food styling projects which will expose me to how the food styling world operates. I will also be able to get a one-on-one lesson with a local food photographer so I can learn the basic principles of food photography and ultimately start taking pictures of the food I style so I can build a portfolio independently. What has surprised you about college? Something that has continued to surprise me throughout my college journey is how supportive and helpful my professors are. I came into college with a sort of “it’s me against the world” mindset. No one will hold your hand in college that’s true — it’s an independent journey. However, in my own personal experience here at MSU, my professors have offered me lots of advice and understanding I previously thought was unattainable. I urge anyone struggling to try MavPass or go to your professor’s office hours! What is your favorite animal? Longhair Siamese ragdoll kitties are so cute and sweet! What is your favorite food? I love Bao! Who is you favorite musical artist/band? My favorite band right now is Big Thief!
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
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Geographic encyclopedia is a catalog of bygone places By TIM KING The Land Correspondent “Minnesota Place Names: A Geographic Encyclopedia,” which weighs in at 718 pages (including a 67-page index of place names), was first written by Warren Upham in 1920 under the title “Minnesota geographic names: their origin and historic significance”. The Minnesota Historical Society published it and then put out revised and expanded editions in 1969 and again in 2001. The ’69 edition contained 15,000 separate entries of names and researchers bumped that up to 20,000 for the 2001 edition. Among those 20,000 entries are the names, and the stories behind the names, of every township and county in the state. For example, if you live in Cottonwood County, you likely know your county is named after the river of that name. What you may not know is Cottonwood is the English translation for the Dakota word waraju, which is what those first peoples called the river. The French called it by the same name; only they said it in their language, Riviera aux Liards. There is more to the story of the history of the name of the place called Cottonwood County and there are similar stories for the other 86 Minnesota county names. What’s important to remember is this book is not a history of Chisago County, for example, but
simply a history of its name. It’s worth noting that Chisago is two syllables of a three-syllable Ojibway word (Ki-chisago) which is what those first people called that area’s largest lake. The book is organized alphabetically by county. Within each county are all its townships, which total 2,275 of them statewide. Goodhue County, for example, has 21 townships. Goodhue County’s Featherstone Township, to give another example, “derived its name from William Featherstone who, with a large family settled there in 1855,” the Encyclopedia writes. “A post office was located there in 1858 - 63,” the book continues. The Encyclopedia catalogues hundreds, if not thousands, of these shortlived post offices sprinkled across Minnesota in places that continue today as small villages or crossroads with a house or two. But some of these places have disappeared altogether and their names may only be remembered by a few elders or forgotten entirely - except in the historical record of the Encyclopedia. There was, for example, a post office in a place called Harlin in Jackson County from 1892 to 1900. The place was in sections one and two, and was even platted in 1888. Does anyone in Jackson County remember anything about this place? Some of the post offices, such as Elm in Enterprise Township in Jackson County, are just referred to as farmers post offices. The Elm post office was open from 1894 - 1901.
Farm Resource Guide available The Farm Resource Guide for 2022 is now available at many University of Minnesota Extension county offices across the state. The resource guide includes a variety of farm business management information. Topics include custom rates: what to charge for planting, etc.; average farmland rental rates by county; flexible rental agreements; lease forms for cash rent and share rent arrangements; farmland sales information; charges for custom feeding, commodity storage, leasing buildings and various bin rental rates, including leasing a dairy barn
and machine storage; pasture rental rates and tree timber values; marketing information, along with recent cost trends for Minnesota; and feedlot rules and information on manure agreements and easements. The Farm Resource Guide is available via e-mail for $25 plus sales tax; on a CD for $29 plus sales tax and postage; and hard copy format for $3 plus tax and postage. Contact your local Extension office for details. This article was submitted by University of Minnesota Extension. v
Elm is lucky in that the record indicates roughly where it was. Egly, in Todd County, served as a post office from 1880 to ’84. But neither Upham nor the researchers that followed him could determine where Egly was. There is a hint in Todd County’s Streams and Lakes section (each county has one) because there is an Egly Creek in the north central townships of the county. So, what is this 102-year-old book for? In my case, I learned more about my township and county by reading the sections dedicated to them. Knowing the names of places — even those that no longer exist — makes me more at home here. But the book has historical and research value as well. According to the Minnesota Historical Society it is “… a rich reference for historians, linguists, geographers, folklorists, genealogists, and those interested in the origins of place names.” Several years ago, Erik Moore, the head of the University of Minnesota
Archives, was cataloguing the Department of Botany’s photographs of the flora of Minnesota which were taken between 1899-1903; and the Bell Museum of Natural History glass plate negatives, the first portion of which is dated 1898-1900. He found that a number of the photographs were described as having been taken at places no longer on current maps. He gives Holmes Station as an example. It’s not on the maps, but Upham has it in Polk County in the Red River Valley. “If I ever lost my reference copy of this book, or if the companion website ever became inaccessible, my work on the Exploring Minnesota’s Natural History grant would be extremely curtailed,” Moore wrote. The web site is not currently available; but the hard cover book can be found in your public library, book stores, or the Minnesota Historical Society Press. v
Now is a great time to take advantage of the 100% Bonus Depreciation on farm buildings.
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
Annexstad steers the Nicollet/Sibley corn, soybean growers By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer Emeritus WINTHROP, Minn. — Anticipation of spring planting produced a great turnout at the March 24 annual banquet of the Nicollet/ Sibley County Corn and Soybean Growers at the AgQuest Activity Center in Winthrop, Minn. A super Brett Annexstad meal by Hahn’s Dining filled the room ahead of the 12:15 p.m. keynote speaker Lynn Ketelson — who certainly didn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for the latest on farming issues, ag politics or E-15 fuels, this 40-year voice of the Linder Farm Network delivers. Lynn not only informs farmers and consumers about what’s going on in the ag world, he also shares detailed and sometime humorous things (rushing into women’s outdoor potty at FarmFest) when telling the remarkable story about American agriculture. A new acquaintance for me at this March 24 event was Brett Annexstad, 34 years of age and chairman of the Nicollet/Sibley Corn and Soybean Growers Association. He said because of fewer farmers on the Minnesota landscape each year, corn and soybean growers a few years back decided a merger into a single organization made sense. And today, Annextad chairs this organization and they are achievers
indeed — handing out $10,050 in scholarships just the past two years. The Annexstad farming operation sits in the St. Peter, Minn. area. Brett is a North Dakota State University graduate, loves the challenges of farming, and credits his dad, Grant, for much of his intestinal fortitude about the continual challenges in being an American farmer. “I grew up with my dad raising hogs in the ‘90s, plus of course corn and soybean crops … and that’s where our hearts still are,” Annexstad said. “Yes, farming has been financially solid the past couple of years; but we’ve also been through many difficult years. However, it certainly feels good to see $7 corn prices these days!” Any particular concerns for this young achiever? Annexstad admits to anxieties about current trends in grain markets, saying, “Ultimately you’re going to price yourself out of market demand. So we have to recognize $7 corn is not here to last. We have to be ready for the ‘down times’ also — because we know they’re coming someday.” Annexstad said he does some forward pricing of his corn and soybeans. “It’s difficult without having anything yet planted. Most important at this stage is having most of our inputs already covered so we’ve got a pretty good understanding of our production
costs even before we plant. We’re about the same acres of each crop again this year. And thanks to years of conservation technologies, we pretty much know soil health field by field. Also, our hog operation greatly reduces purchases of commercial fertilizer.” Yes, the Annexstadts are aggressive in corn production. Routine planting populations are now in the 35,000-36,000 plants per acre range. I’ve known Grant Annexstad (Brett’s dad) for many years; so I was comfortable asking Brett about his thoughts on the upcoming elections in November. “As farmers, we watch elections closely,” he admitted. “Biofuels are very important to us and we’re weary how the current administration is handling this issue. Sure, we’re thinking this election could generate positive actions on biofuels. Yes, because of Ukranian issues — plus a growing interest in America again becoming self-sufficient on energy — I think E-15 mandated as the new standard for Minnesota and national fuels would be great. And that would also require education of the populace so everyone understands why E-15 is the greatest benefit for all.” v
Extension training for dealing with loss
ROCHESTER, Minn. — University of Minnesota Extension will offer training to professionals who work with farm families experiencing stress, loss or tough decisions for their family or business. The program is called “A changing way of life: Ambiguous loss and farming.” Trained facilitators will receive all the materials needed to provide the program and are asked to offer the program to three to five farm families by July 31.
Answers located in Classified Section
Training will be offered at three locations: April 26 at the Extension regional office at 1961 Premier Drive, Sakatah Trail Room, Mankato, Minn.; April 28 at the Extension regional office at 3601 18th St. S., St Cloud, Minn.; and April 29 at the Clay County Family Service Center building, meeting room 4, 715 11 St. North, Moorhead, Minn. All sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and will include lunch. There is no cost to attend, but preregistration is required. Register by visiting z.umn. edu/ALtrainingreg. Registration is due four days prior to the scheduled training date. Ambiguous loss is an unclear loss without closure. In its wake, people may not be able to address needs or problems. Loss of land, livestock, changing markets and even relationships can be ambiguous losses that lead many to feel “stuck.” For more information, contact Emily Krekelberg at krek0033@umn.edu or (612) 756-3977. This article was submitted by University of Minnesota Extension. v
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
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Swenson Gardens specializes in ‘showstopper’ peonies By WHITNEY NESSE The Land Correspondent HOWARD LAKE, Minn. — In Japan, the peony is known as the humble king of flowers and can be found throughout the country — not only in ornamental gardens but also displayed in traditional Japanese artwork. Keith and Becky Swenson of Swenson Gardens in rural Howard Lake, Minn. share the same affinity towards peonies. You will find peonies in their decorative landscaping and interior design; but their love for peonies grows much deeper than that. Not only do Keith and Becky own and operate a fullyfunctioning peony wholesale and retail farm and website, but they are also cutting edge peony botanists who breed, hybridize and develop the historic, eyecatching blooms. Keith Swenson is the son of a dairy farmer from Wisconsin and has always loved the agricultural industry. “[Keith’s] dad and grandma grew peonies and he’s always loved peonies,” shared Becky. In 1998 Keith decided he wanted to grow peonies “but I don’t want pink, red and white like you see everywhere. I keep hearing rumors of purples, yellow, and coral.” Keith connected with Roger Anderson of Ft. Atkinson, Wis. Anderson hybridized the world famous Bartzella peony and has been a mentor to Keith and Becky for many years now. It was Roger who encouraged Keith to start growing peonies commercially, noticing Keith had the desire and agricultural background that it takes to be successful, explained Becky. Swenson Gardens was born, and is now entering their 20th year of commercially growing peonies. In 2002, Keith and Becky leased one and a half acres of land near Delano, Minn. and planted their first commercial, bare-root peonies. “As we saw that this business was growing, we knew that we wanted to have people on site. [The land in Delano] wasn’t a good fit,” Becky said. “So we started looking for a place where we could have peonies, the farm, and our home on the same spot.” Through a series of events with land sales and splits, auctions and buyer fall-out, the Swensons were able to purchase a 40 acre farm near Howard Lake, Minn that was the perfect fit. “It was a total answer to prayer!” exclaimed
Photo submitted
Becky and Keith Swenson sit in front of one of the farm’s five peony fields. The couple grows 150 varieties of the popular plant which they sell as bare-root stock.
Becky. Swenson Gardens now has five fields where they grow 10,000 to 12,000 peonies in about 150 different varieties with five different bloom styles. The Swensons began their farm chemical free and it remains so 20 years later. “We are the ones crawling through the fields on our hands and knees. Our kids were little, four and six, when we began and we didn’t want them handling chemicals. That’s just how we started and we kept it that way,” said Becky. Swenson Gardens now employs about seven seasonal workers, usually teenagers, who help weed and tend the peony fields as well as assist in the harvesting or digging of the peony roots in the fall, splitting and washing the roots and shipping the bare roots to customers. “We really want these students to be better workers for a lifetime. We want to help them develop better work habits here. We want them to be successful,” Becky added. June is one of the busiest months for Swenson Gardens. Not only is June the month peonies bloom and they host field days, but it is also the time Keith and Becky spend much time behind a camera. “[June] is the time that we are taking photos for the whole year
because we actually have a product,” explained Becky. The Swenson’s spend long days in the fields capturing photographs of the hundreds of varieties of peony blooms at each stage. Because Swenson Gardens only sells the bare root product, the photos of the blooms are imperative to their web-based business. Their website features photos of each variety at different bloom stages.
shared Becky. Zabel takes the collected pollen and applies it to the carpel of another predetermined parent plant. In the fall, the seed pods of the bred plants are collected and the viable seeds are sorted and planted. “The rate at which those germinate is pretty low, so you start with a lot of seeds,” explained Becky. “The ones that actually grow and produce a bloom are even fewer.” What Swenson Gardens is looking for in the new blooms are showstoppers. Becky said the common colors, like white, are discarded because there are so many of those on the market. They are looking for blooms with striking colors, different from what is already available. They are also hybridizing “peonies that don’t flop” Becky said chuckling. Almost all of their peonies are bred for stem strength so they do not need to be staked. August through October are equally busy months. That time is spent cleaning up the fields, making sure they are weed free. It is also the time where they are digging, dividing and shipping bare root peonies. Using a tractor with a tree spade, peony roots which have been maturing for three to five years are extracted from the ground and transferred to a shed equipped with washing stations to clean the root systems. Then, the leathery peony roots are divided, carefully tagged for accuracy, and stored in peat. The bare roots are then shipped priority mail (because they are perishable) to buyers. Planting also happens in October and all of the newly-planted root systems are covered with mulch or straw to protect them during the first winter. “Mature plants do not need mulching,” Becky said. Interestingly, peonies cannot be
June is also the time of year plant breeding takes place. “When the buds are just starting to get soft, like marshmallow stage, our hybridizer, Dan Zabel, will peel the petals off, collect pollen, dry it for a little bit and then he’ll take those bags of pollen that he’s numbered and then go around and do the same thing on another variety,” See SWENSON, pg. 12
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Flowers are a specialty crop for former dairy farm By WHITNEY NESSE The Land Correspondent GLENCOE, Minn. — Agriculture is a diverse, multifaceted industry with many avenues of interest. One can go from being a full time dairy farm one year to being a specialty cut flower farm two years later. Dawn Schauer would know — because that is precisely what she did. In 2019, two short years after Dawn and her husband said goodbye to their dairy herd, Milkhouse Flowers, a speciality cut flower farm, was birthed. “In 2017, we decided to sell the cows and expand on our (heifer raising). So that left my day, morning and night, wide open,” said Dawn. After a while of hemming and hawing, her interest in floristry led her to take classes in the Twin Cities for floral design. During one of her classes, Dawn struck up friendly conversation with a classmate. “She told me that she grew all of her own flowers and designed them,” added Dawn. Immediately, Dawn recalls having a lightbulb moment thinking, “I could do that!” Upon returning home, she shared the idea of growing and designing her own flowers with her husband Tim, who agreed that Dawn should try it. So in 2019, after finishing her classes, working part time for a florist for a year, and slowly beginning to grow her own flowers, the Schauers had an official beginning of Milkhouse Flowers. As you may have already guessed, Dawn has set up shop in the milkhouse of their old dairy barn. Milkhouse Flowers offers over 50 different varieties of cut flowers every season. Dawn shared that of those flowers, 40 percent are perennials, 40 percent are annuals and 20 percent are tubers and bulbs like dahlias, gladiolus and tulips. “We start 90 percent (of our annuals) from seeds and the other 10 percent I order as plugs,” said Dawn. A plug is a young plant that comes in a three inch, cylinder shaped, plant growing medium. Every one of the 20,000 or more seeds Dawn plants is germinated in the milkhouse using heat mats and a germination chamber. “I do rent greenhouse space north of town. So once the plants are up and established, they go over there to grow until I can bring them home, harden them off, and put them in the ground,” she added. Hardening plants started indoors is the process of preparing them for outdoor planting. Planting begins in mid-February with perennials that can be started from seed. From there, Dawn said she starts snapdragons (which are slow to grow). “What we do is succession planting. Every three weeks we start snapdragons so we have fresh snapdragons all summer long. Sunflowers, we seed every week so we have a fresh supply of them. There are 10 varieties that we do succession with so that we always have a supply.” Succession planting lasts until mid-July. Dawn also said there are some varieties of flowers she does not plant in succession because of the length of time it takes them to grow or their lack of heat tolerance.
Photo submitted
Dawn Schauer holds a few of the 20,000 seedlings which will make up the cut flower crop at Milkhouse Flowers.
and delivering bouquets, and supplying local florists and grocery stores. Harvesting blooms is more intricate than one may think. Between 6 and 7 a.m., the folks at Milkhouse Flowers are out in the field, looking for flowers on plants that have not yet bloomed, but are still closed. It is important to cut and harvest the flowers before they fully open, exposing their pollen; because once pollinated, their vase life is cut much shorter than flowers that are unpollinated. Once cut, the stems are submerged into a hydrating solution and brought inside of the milkhouse to cool down. Once cooled, the stems are placed into a holding solution and placed in a large walk-in cooler which is housed in the retired dairy barn. Dawn has a goal of getting her flowers out to her customers in two days or less. “Probably 50 percent of my flowers are sold through our subscription and just locally. Typically mid-May through October we run a full time floral shop,” Dawn said. Milkhouse Flowers offers a seasonal, cut flower subscription where the subscriber gets weekly or biweekly bouquets that include fresh, colorful blooms which can be either delivered or picked up at the farm. About 40 percent of the blooms are sold to floral shops within a 60 mile radius of Milkhouse Flowers. The last 10 percent is sold as grocery store bouquets. If there are any flowers remaining, Dawn makes small bouquets to take to area retirement facilities and the local food shelf. After the first frost, Milkhouse Flowers begins their fall clean up. This includes rolling up landscape fabric, cleaning up perennial beds, any fall tillage that is needed and digging tubers. Immediately following fall clean up, Milkhouse Flowers is preparing to host classes on spruce pot arranging and wreath making in November. Dawn said that she purchases specialty greens and spruce tips from a wholesaler for her classes. She then spends December making holiday table arrangements to sell using leftover greens from the spruce pot and wreath making classes. And finally, in January, Dawn takes a much needed rest and begins planning for the upcoming season. The road is not always easy for Dawn. “Weather is our biggest challenge. We are subject to whatever comes.” Dawn added that the high temperatures of June and July are specifically hard on the new seedlings, as they dry out so quickly. Thankfully, Milkhouse Flowers is equipped with a drip irrigation line which helps protect her crop from drying out. The drip irrigation line is also infused with a 5-10-5 fertilizer which helps promote stem length and strength as well as bloom size. Good soil health is vital for Dawn. She said that each fall she samples the soil in her field to get an accurate measurement of nutrient presence and deficiency. She also adds aged cattle manure to her field
“April gets busy!” Dawn exclaimed. Her time is spent potting and repotting plants which have outgrown their plugs before the ground is ready for planting; and splitting, dividing and potting Dahlia tubers. By mid-April, work begins outdoors on Milkhouse Flowers’ one and a half acres. “Where our annuals go, we till. We bought a small garden tiller that hooks up to a smaller garden tractor and that we do in spring and fall,” she said. Landscape fabric is used as a weed barrier in the annual beds. Dawn said that she has a metal template laid out on top of the landscape fabric and heat is used to melt holes into the tarp where the plants will be put in. “We reuse that fabric,” Dawn continued, “once the holes are burned, we’re good. We roll it up in the fall and reuse it in the spring.” Milkhouse Flowers uses multiple templates with different spacing, depending on the flowers that will be planted and what they need. “We do go through and weed those little holes probably twice until there is a canopy.” Once the flowering plants canopy, there is less weed pressure. In her perennial beds, she uses shredded corn stalks for walkways and weed barrier. Dawn added that using the landscape fabric and shredded corn stalks cuts down the time spent weeding immensely. “We hope to have our first cuttings by the end of May or beginning of June, depending on how warm of a spring we have.” Dawn and her team of two seasonal employees — as well as her husband and sons (who she says are very helpful) — spend June through the first frost harvesting flowers, designing See MILKHOUSE FLOWERS, pg. 12
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
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Try these annual flowers to add beauty to your garden Annual flowering plants will be sold in Geraniums are an annual which may be various stores in the coming months and started from seed indoors, grown during are an easy way to add color to our garthe summer and then overwintered dens. indoors. Their colors range from white, to pink, salmon, orange, red, fuchsia and Annuals are flowering plants which live lavender. There is even a very dark varifor one season only. Their blooms become ety that appears black. They may also be seeds which will drop off the plant when bicolored. Geraniums have a distinctive mature and many annuals will easily GREEN AND scent, and some varieties are known as reseed themselves. GROWING scented and smell like citrus, peppermint, Some of the frequently grown annuals By Linda G. Tenneson pineapple, and other pleasant odors. are the following. Petunias are very easy to grow, bloom Marigolds range in shades of pale yellow to dark from spring to frost and have a pleasant fragrance. orange. They will grow in sun, survive in moist or They range in size from miniature to grandiflora dry soil, and don’t need a lot of fertilizer. Marigolds which may be three or four inches wide. Some have a distinct odor which repels deer and rabbits. spread easily and are called “wave” type petunias. While they are often planted around vegetable garPetunia seeds are very small and require 10 to 12 dens to repel pests, this doesn’t always work. weeks to germinate, so they are harder to start French marigolds grow 6 to 12 inches tall with sin- indoors from seed. gle or double bloom petals, which may be up to two Zinnias come in a wide range of colors and sizes inches wide. African marigolds are the biggest plants and are another easy to start indoors from seed. The and may reach 3 to 4 feet tall. Their blooms may be blooms may have a single or double row of petals up to five inches wide. Signet marigolds are six inch- and appear all summer long. The stems may be es tall or less, have a single row of petals and are short or tall depending on the variety. edible. They may be used as a salad garnish. Coleus, a member of the mint family, has small
unimportant blooms, but it is grown for its colorful leaves. Most varieties prefer shade, but a few new ones will tolerate full sun. The leaves come in various color combinations and patterns in green, yellow, pink, red and maroon. The University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center horticulture display garden in Morris, Minn. is one place to visit and view the 2021 top ten performing annuals. These plants have been evaluated from hundreds of cultivars for desired characteristics and disease resistance. The top ten selections from previous years of testing at Morris are also listed on its website. All annuals require a lot of sunlight, water and drainage. Some are more adaptable to growing in heavy clay soil and all will improve with fertilizer and compost. The University of Minnesota yard and garden website contains much detailed information and pictures of these and other annuals to grow in our gardens. Linda G. Tenneson is a University of Minnesota master gardener and tree care advisor. v
3MG Seeds focuses on hybrids for the livestock producer LAND MINDS, from pg. 2
me into talking about Durayield Traits which we select from managed stress environments and Extension educators, seed company agronomists, extreme stress breeding in our special breeding and the entire ag service industry that both teaches plots in both the Dakotas, plus Minnesota, and sells to farmers is unknown to Kasakhstan Wisconsin and Iowa. farmers. But right now, everything is upside down “Durayield traits are additive; so each generation in Kazakhstan. And until the Ukranian situation gets settled, this topsy-turvy environment will likely of Durayield will be better than the previous. So no need to worry about pest adaption as Durayield continue over there too.” hybrids evolve into the market. So now my sales “Creating drought-tolerant corn has always been pitch: Durayield products can be grown at lower our ambition,” Ed went on to say. “This simply populations per acre vs. other products to achieve means hybrids that can get through dry periods maximum yield. They allow for more efficient use of without yield loss. We have found various mechaavailable water and nutrients, have natural insect nisms to achieve this. The most common being a tolerance, have natural droughts tolerance, and larger root mass to extract water. This also means have no market restrictions because these are conmore nutrients are also pulled into the plant. And ventional hybrids. that’s why drought tolerant corn has a tendency to Summed up Ed, “Our business is more focused on yield more because of this single dynamic. Also, the livestock producer. So that’s why — as an indethrough controlled breeding work we are finding pendent seed producer — we decided to develop differences in the efficiency of the corn plant such more than just a high-yielding #2 yellow dent corn. as water efficiency. And when your corn is more We want improved grain quality in the corn prowater efficient, it’s also more efficient in nutrient duced for the end user — whether a food grade use. And that’s a win-win for the farmer and the application or a feed for livestock. So our question environment. often deals with silage corn, or grain corn. It’s a ”Also, the old school of thinking was rolling corn highly competitive market. And that’s why brand leaves indicated dying corn. But not necessarily so. names mean a lot these days. And for us to build We’ve learned heat and drought-resistant hybrids the BASS brand name takes effort, time and comdo not roll very easily. Instead, they grey and wilt. parative data that tells and supports our story.” And the longer a plant goes without rolling, the Sure, Ed admits to the continual urge to make more heat and drought tolerant it is. This was especially evident this past season with exceptional heat what you already have even better. “To some extent and drought conditions in many areas. Which leads you are continually making adjustments in this
very challenging business. But no longer are there ‘hard lefts’ or ‘hard rights.’ Our first decision was the biggest and providing out to be the best: no GMO’s. And we’ll always be working on delivering personalized seed for the grower. That explains why we are working more with livestock farmers because most of our products have higher protein and oil percentages in the composition of the kernel. And the livestock farmer knows these factors contribute very directly to their livestock revenues. Knowing the nutritional value of our products is how we successfully market to the livestock farmer, or to neighboring farmers who sell their corn to area feedlot operations.” He concludes, “We’re not selling a lower price seed. We develop everything we sell. We’re not selling 30-year-old hybrids dressing them up with some genetically modified organisms. These are brand new products from our very competitive research trials. And if they aren’t better, we wouldn’t be putting them into the market.” Dick Hagen is the staff writer emeritus of The Land. He may be reached at rdhagen35@gmail.com. v
Letters to the editor welcome.
Send your letters to: Editor, The Land 418 South Second St., Mankato, MN 56001 e-mail: editor@thelandonline.com All letters must be signed and accompanied by a phone number (not for publication) to verify authenticity.
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
Dairy prices mixed during first week of April
This column was written for the marketing week ending April 8. The U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its estimate for 2022 milk production in April 8’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, citing expected higher dairy cow numNews and information for Minnesota and Northern Iowa dairy producers bers. lion pounds, but was up 11.8 million pounds down 2.5 percent. MIELKE MARKET Price forecasts for cheese and butter or 3.9 percent from February 2021, ending WEEKLY Dry whey stocks climbed to 63 million pounds, up were raised from the previous month on four consecutive months that cheddar out6.4 million or 11.4 percent from January, but were tighter stocks and firm demand. NonBy Lee Mielke put was below that of a year ago. 6.9 million pounds or 9.9 percent below those a year fat dry milk prices were raised fractionButter churns produced 183.6 million ago. ally while whey prices were lowered, as U.S. prices are expected to become competitive with pounds, down 10.4 million pounds or 5.4 percent Nonfat dry milk output totaled 171 million from January, and 2.7 million or 1.4 percent below a pounds, up 700,000 pounds or 0.4 percent from international prices. Milk price projections were year ago — the eighth consecutive month output also raised. January, but was down 12.6 million or 6.9 percent was below a year ago. Year-to-date, butter stands at from a year ago. Year-to-date, powder was at 341.3 2022 production and marketings were estimated 377.7 million pounds, down 4.6 percent from a year million pounds, down 10.6 percent. Stocks climbed at 226.3 and 225.3 billion pounds respectively, up ago. Butter stocks were down 26 percent from to 288.8 million pounds, up 27.2 million pounds or 300 million pounds on both. If realized, 2022 proFebruary 2021. 10.4 percent from January, but were down 54.9 milduction would mirror output in 2021. Yogurt output totaled 373 million pounds, down lion pounds or 16 percent below those a year ago. Meanwhile, U.S. cheese vats “got milk” in Skim milk powder output fell to 29.6 million February, despite milk output being down 1 percent 2.1 percent from a year ago, with year-to-date output at 745.9 million pounds, down 2.7 percent. pounds, down 13.8 million pounds or 31.8 percent from February 2021. The Dairy Products report Dry whey production fell to 75 million pounds, from January, but were down 2 million or 6.4 pershows total cheese production slipped to 1.109 bildown 5.4 million pounds or 6.7 percent from cent below a year ago. Year-to-date, skim milk powlion pounds, down 5.3 percent from January, but January and 300,000 pounds or 0.4 percent below a was up a bearish 6.3 percent from February 2021. See MIELKE, pg. 13 year ago. Year-to-date is at 155.4 million pounds, Cheese stocks were up 2 percent from a year ago, according to the month’s Cold Storage report. Cheese output for the first two months of 2023 totaled 2.3 billion pounds, up a hefty 4.7 percent from the same period a year ago. roots. If that crown stays consistently wet in the soil, SWENSON, from pg. 9 it’ll rot. It’s called crown rot and the plant will die,” Italian cheese totaled 469.9 million pounds, down planted in the same spot immediately following a she explained. 6.7 percent from January but 6 percent above a harvest because the plant will not thrive. Becky said year ago. Year-to-date, Italian stands at 973.5 milThe only day the Swensons water is the day they their practice is to harvest the bare roots, fertilize lion pounds, up 5.3 percent from a year ago. plant bare roots. Becky said that by keeping the root with cow manure, and plant a cover crop of mixed dry, it causes the root system to send out feeder roots American-type cheese, at 444.4 million pounds, annual grasses. Swensons then allow the ground to was down 5.8 percent from January but 4.3 percent lie fallow for three years. According to Becky, this very quickly which helps with plant vigor and disabove a year ago. Year-to-date output, at 916 million provides challenges in managing the land well — yet ease resistance because of the fast growth. pounds, was up 1.7 percent. Mozzarella output it also helps with soil health, minimizes erosion and Swenson Gardens invites the public to come and totaled 360.8 million pounds, up 4.4 percent from a suppresses weeds. walk through the peony fields when they are in full year ago, with year-to-date at 755.6 million, up 4.9 Another challenge they face is proper drainage. bloom during the month of June. “We just love sharpercent. Peonies do not like wet roots. “We have to be really ing peonies with people! Come and enjoy the peoCheddar, the cheese traded at the Chicago careful how we steward those fields. We’ve got some nies!” Becky offered. Field days are free. Mercantile Exchange, totaled 312.3 million pounds, really low spots and peonies don’t like water. They You can find out more about Swenson Gardens on down 20.2 million pounds or 6.1 percent from like to stay fairly dry. That is because the root system their website, www.swensongardens.com, as well as January’s output, which was revised down 4.9 milhas two parts to it. Thicker roots, a crown and feeder social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.v
Swensons enjoy showing fields to public
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Schauer has added tulips to offerings MILKHOUSE FLOWERS, from pg. 10 each year to help boost nutrients and organic matter. Another challenge all specialty cut flower farmers face is making sure there is a market. “(Cut flowers) are a perishable crop. I can only hold them so long and then they need to move.” The future looks bright for Dawn and Milkhouse Flowers. She hopes to add her own hoop house in the future to extend her growing season and she will
continue to add different varieties of flowers. For instance, Dawn said she planted 500 tulip bulbs for the first time last fall which will hopefully allow her to offer flowers earlier in the growing season. For more information on Milkhouse Flowers you can find them online at www.milkhouseflowers.com and Facebook. You can also look for Milkhouse Flowers’ telltale milk bottle logo featuring Dawn’s favorite flower, the zinnia, at your local grocer. v
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
MILKER’S MESSAGE www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 13
Global slowdown in milk production has worsened MIELKE, from pg. 12 der was at 73 million pounds, up 8 percent from a year ago. Chicago-based StoneX Dairy Group stated in its April 4 “Early Morning Update,” “When we peel back the layers it either looks like the USDA has overstated cheese and butter production or understated February milk production.” n Concern over the falling global milk supply wasn’t enough to pause the slippage in the Global Dairy Trade auction. Event number 305 saw its weighted average fall 1 percent after slipping 0.9 percent on March 15. Traders brought 47.4 million pounds to market, down from 51.5 million on March 15, and the smallest since May 18, 2021. The average metric ton price fell to $4,981 U.S., down from $5,039 in the last event. Anhydrous milkfat led the declines, down 2.5 percent, after it inched up 0.4 percent last time. Butter was off 0.6 percent following a 1.8 percent descent. Whole milk powder was down 1.5 percent after dropping 2.1 percent, and lactose rounded out the losses, off 0.6 percent. Buttermilk powder led the gains, up 6.3 percent, after not trading last time. GDT cheddar was up 2.7 percent after inching 0.3 percent higher, and skim milk powder was up 1 percent after a 1.6 percent rise on March 15. StoneX Dairy Group says the GDT 80 percent butterfat butter price equates to $3.1258 per pound U.S., down 3 cents, after losing 5.7 cents on March 15, and compares to CME butter which closed April 8 at a bargain $2.7825. GDT Cheddar, at $2.9355, was up 2.7 cents, and compares to April 8’s CME block cheddar, a steal at $2.32. GDT skim milk powder averaged $2.0859 per pound, up from $2.0615. Whole milk powder averaged $2.0558 per pound, down from $2.0849. CME Grade A nonfat dry milk closed April 8 at $1.8225 per pound. n February U.S. dairy exports looked strong except for the powders. Cheese, exports totaled 72.6 million pounds, up 9.2 percent from February 2021. HighGround Dairy attributes the strength to demand from a variety of countries, led by Mexico, up 5 percent, then South Korea and Japan. Year-todate cheese exports are up 12.4 percent and up 10.8 percent from two years ago, according to HighGround Dairy. Butter exports hit 11.2 million pounds, up 46.3 percent, and the strongest February shipments since 2014, according to HighGround Dairy. Year-todate, butter exports were up 37.3 percent and up 222.6 percent from two years ago. Nonfat dry milk-skim milk powder exports, at 139.7 million pounds, were down 11.5 percent.
February was the third consecutive month they were below a year ago, “negatively impacted by port congestion and shipping challenges,” says HighGround Dairy, even as U.S.-sourced product remained a value buy versus other global exporters. Year-to-date exports are down 8.8 percent but are still up 21.6 percent from two years ago. Shipments to Mexico were down slightly, 5 percent, says HighGround Dairy, but Southeast Asian demand was mostly healthy with exports up 8 percent to the Philippines, up 30 percent to Malaysia, and 10 percent to Thailand. China saw a sharp 82 percent increase. The United States exported 32.5 million pounds of dry whey, down 20.1 percent, as shipments to China were down 59 percent. However, demand from Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan helped offset some of the declines. Year-to-date, dry whey exports are down 26.6 percent from a year ago but up 0.8 percent from two years ago. Fundamental data is a “mixed bag,” according to Matt Gould, analyst and editor of the Dairy and Food Market Analyst newsletter. Speaking in the April 11 “Dairy Radio Now” broadcast, Gould said cheese and butter exports are soaring because “the cheapest products in the world are in the United States” and international customers are calling U.S. suppliers — sometimes for the first time — to secure product. Milk output in Europe is faltering, Gould said, and supplies have contracted. The invasion of Ukraine has caused disruptions for grains and fertilizers, subduing our biggest competitor in the world, Europe, and preventing them from supplying those international customers; so they’re coming to the United States. That’s good news for America’s dairy farmers, Gould said. However, powder exports were down in February and we’re seeing surprisingly strong dairy production in the United States. Both are a concern. We would likely be exporting even more if port congestion wasn’t still an issue. Gould said practically every U.S. exporter has lost sales because of it. However, the shut downs in China are actually helping improve the situation — though it might just be a temporary improvement, he concluded. n Dairy prices entered second quarter mixed. The cheddar blocks fell to $2.2625 per pound on April 4, but rallied to an April 8 close at $2.32. This is up 2.5 cents on the week and 49 cents above a year ago. The barrels closed at $2.3675, up 11.5 cents on the week, 67.5 cents above a year ago, and an inverted 4.75 cents above the blocks. There were nine cars of block that traded hands on the week at the CME and 21 of barrel. This week’s narrative was similar for Midwest cheesemakers from the past two weeks, reports
Dairy Market News. Some plants continue to run lighter schedules, adding to maintenance, due primarily to staffing shortages. Others are clearing more of the milk that would normally flow to other plants. Spot milk at midweek was mostly discounted, although some was at Class. Cheese demand remains steady to busy. Cheddar and pizza cheese producers relay that buyers have been more active in recent weeks. Cheese inventories are moving well. Spot butter closed April 8 at $2.7825 per pound, up 7.25 cents on the week and 90.25 cents above a year ago, with 19 sales reported on the week. Cream is expected to tighten due to the approaching spring holidays, but butter producers continue See MIELKE, pg. 14
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
Forward marketing: ‘Don’t sit on your hands doing nothing’ By DICK HAGEN The Land Staff Writer Emeritus WINTHROP, Minn. — When asked about the current mood of farmers this spring vs. their attitudes in spring of 2021, AgQuest’s Vince Stool commented, “I think it’s a different optimism. Today we’re in the midst of better commodity prices which helps mitigate higher input costs. This past season, in this immediate area, we were blessed with very good crops. Current commodity markets support some good bottom lines; however, risks are always involved. Farmers are cautiously optimistic … the basic nature of famers every spring. They understand maintaining a profit is their key to existence.” Founded in 1992, AgQuest specializes in agriculture financing, crop insurance, property and casualty insurance and leasing. They are headquartered in Morgan, Minn. I visited with Stool at the March 24 Sibley/Nicollet County Corn and Soybean Growers’ annual banquet at United Famers Coop in Winthrop, Minn. Stool is a money management guy with AgQuest. So from me, this logical question: Do you encourage forward pricing when markets suggest it’s the thing to do? Stool didn’t hesitate, saying, “I know some lenders don’t want to be involved in the marketing option; but I like to educate. I like to make certain our farm clients understand all their tools available so I’m not afraid to encourage them if I know they are at a certain level of profit margin. I use the analogy that when the plate of cookies comes around, just maybe you should take at least one cookie — because the next time it comes around that plate might be empty. I’m not saying sell everything, but I’m also saying don’t sit on your hands and do nothing. It simply boils down to manage your risks.” So is the very competitive nature of farmers generating that ugly word ‘greed’; or is that inevitably the capitalistic nature of American agriculture? Stool responded, “You hit the nail partially on the head because of our capitalistic society. That’s some of the freedoms this system gives us. I love the freedoms this country has afforded to so many people … so I want to make certain we don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. And I certainly don’t want to squash capitalism if that comes with the cost of us losing our freedoms. But these freedoms come with some responsibilities too. It’s fair to say the vast majority of agriculture is about sustainability — making certain we are doing something about the next generation too. There are some large farms upwards of 15,000 acres. But if that mega farm is supporting five farm families, then everything is okay to me.” Stool’s father is an immigrant from Holland. “My parents are both immigrants. My dad came to America in 1953 to evaluate if U.S. agriculture was an opportunity. He didn’t see his homeland providing much future. He was here two years and decided, ‘I think I can make a go of it here in America.’ So he
want back home and married his girlfriend and then brought her to America. They started in the Mankato area at Easton (Minn.) Some families in that area sponsored them — including finding a farm residence which led to some crop-share farming. And then in the fall of 1968 they moved to the Winthrop area, bought an operating farm which has now moved into the second generation with my older brother Harry.” Have you been back to Holland? “Yes, indeed. One of the gifts from our parents to all of us kids was a gift trip back to Holland. There were 11 of us — eight sisters and three boys. My dad raised crops and had some hogs. When I was real young we had some sheep too. But it was a hog operation then and still is today. I was back there in 1978 when I was 12 years old. Holland is still an independent country; farmers own their property. There is some similarity to Canadian cooperative milking operations; but in general, farmers in Holland today operate in a capitalistic economy.” So how to you envision the future of American agriculture — especially for the younger ‘wannabe’ guys? “I would say they are prudent,” replied Stool. “Some financial assist from parents or in-laws is certainly helpful. They certainly can access tools to assist them such as various young farmer programs; or beginning farmers programs; even crop insurance packages such as offered through AgQuest here at Winthrop; and there’s a wide plethora of lending agencies out there also. And thankfully, here in America, there are multiple generations to support the next generation coming on.”
“As I look around, I don’t view any successful farmer today who hasn’t made it without some help of some kind. We can be very sensitive to subsidies and government assistance; but when you boil it down it often amounts to personal assistance. Even my dad, who came to America with $250 in his pocket, still needed some help. There’s nary any farmer today who didn’t have some other outside help that assisted in getting started.” So what guide stones enabled your father to come here and carve out a new career as an American farmer? Stool paused slightly, then commented, “Dad ultimately let the economics tell him what to do. He also had a deep faith and I’m certain he took his prayers to God; because he once told me, ‘Son, the Lord will open doors and the Lord will close doors.’ And the door was open when he and my mother moved to Winthrop. But there was also a great community in the Easton area which supported my parents when they originally settled in that area … taught them the ropes as to ‘this is how you do this in America.’” “My mom and dad were driven by a very strong ethical foundation and a strong faith in God. Their premise: just do the right thing, even when it may not be the most popular, good things will come. Plus my dad had a strong work ethic. The times my dad literally broke his back doing the manual labor to make himself successful, provide for his family, and grow food for the other people of this world; that has spilled over to every one of his children today and we too are most grateful.” v
Cream supply expected to tighten 8 of 86.75 cents, and is a half-cent above a year ago. There were eight sales reported on the week at the to churn what cream they get. Regional butter mak- CME. ers continue to find locally sourced cream and some The Margin Watch detailed February milk output from the West. Butter demand remains hearty but and cautioned, “While the pace of the decline in spring demand was slower to pick up, according to milk production slowed in February, high feed costs some. Food service has been particularly busy in and increased operating expenses will likely temper recent weeks. Bulk butter remains tight and at prepotential expansion. New Zealand milk production miums. Export demand has notably picked up, also continues to decline due to similar pressures as according to Dairy Market News. February milk collections plunged 8.2 percent from Cream has tightened in recent weeks, but remains last year or 159,000 metric tons to 1.773 million available. Butter demand is steady at food service metric tons. The drop represented the steepest yearand trending higher at retail. Export demand is over-year decline in percentage terms since March steady but port congestion prevents selling greater 2019 and was the seventh straight season-over-seavolumes. son monthly drop.” Grade A nonfat dry milk saw an April 8 finish at In the week ending March 26, 64,200 dairy cows $1.8225 per pound, losing 2.75 cents on the week, were sent to slaughter, up 100 from the previous but still 61.75 cents above a year ago, with 16 cars week, but 1,800 head or 2.7 percent below a year sold. ago. Dry whey fell to 59 cents per pound on April 4 Lee Mielke is a syndicated columnist who resides (the lowest CME price since Oct. 4) but closed April in Everson, Wash. His weekly column is featured in 8 at 63.5 cents per pound. This is up 2.5 cents on newspapers across the country and he may be the week, 23.25 cents below its record peak on Feb. reached at lkmielke@juno.com. v MIELKE, from pg. 13
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 15
MARKETING
Grain Outlook Corn jumps out of the gate last week The following marketing analysis is for the week ending April 8. CORN — The week began with a bang when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the largest daily export flash sale since December! China bought 26.6 million bushels of old crop corn and 16 million bushels of new crop corn in their first significant purchase of old crop U.S. corn since May 2021! This may be the first sign that China needs to replace previous purchases Ukraine may not be able to execute. During the week, new contract highs were set in corn contracts except for the nearby May contract. The April World Agriculture PHYLLIS NYSTROM Supply and Demand Estimates CHS Hedging Inc. report was neutral; but prices St. Paul rallied in post-report trading into the weekend on cool, wet U.S. weather. The report didn’t give long position holders any reason to change their opinions. The April WASDE report was for old crop only. The 2022-23 balance sheets won’t be released until the May report. The 2021-22 balance sheet had limited changes with feed usage lowered by 25 million and ethanol raised 25 million for no change in ending stocks at 1.44 billion bushels. The average trade estimate was 1.415 billion bushels. The average farm price was increased by 15 cents to $5.80 per bushel. World ending stocks were higher than expected at 305.5 million metric tons compared to 300.9 mmt estimated and 292 mmt last year. China’s imports were slashed 3 mmt to 23 mmt. The USDA attaché in China expects corn imports at 24 mmt this year and 20 mmt next year. Ukraine’s corn production for 2021-22 was unchanged at 41.9 mmt; but exports declined 4.5 mmt to 23 mmt. The USDA raised Brazil’s corn crop 2 mmt to 116 mmt and increased exports 1.5 mmt to 44.5 mmt. Safras and Mercado is forecasting Brazil’s corn crop at 118.15 mmt and Conab at 115.6 mmt. Conab raised its Brazilian export number by 2 mmt to 37 mmt. The USDA left Argentina’s corn crop at 53 mmt with exports unchanged at 39 mmt. The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange left their Argentine corn estimate at 49 mmt with 21 percent of the harvest complete compared to 23 percent on average and 17 percent last year. Their corn crop was rated 21 per-
Cash Grain Markets corn/change* Stewartville Edgerton Jackson Hope Cannon Falls Sleepy Eye Average:
$7.11 $7.55 $7.57 $7.45 $7.19 $7.49
+.31 +.66 +.67 +.48 +.57 +.64
soybeans/change* $15.81 $15.96 $15.85 $15.92 $15.96 $15.98
-.20 +.37 +.21 +.07 +.27 +.36
$7.39
$15.91
Year Ago Average: $5.55
$13.58
Grain prices are effective cash close on April 12. *Cash grain price change represents a two-week period.
cent good/excellent and down 11 percent from the previous week. Weekly export sales were within expectations at 30.8 million bushels for old crop and 5.7 million bushels for new crop. This brings total old crop commitments to 2.14 billion bushels which are down 18 percent from last year and fulfills 86 percent of the USDA export outlook. We need to average 15.2 million bushels of sales per week to achieve the USDA’s forecast. New crop sales are the highest for this date since 2013-14 at 101.2 million bushels. Weekly ethanol production fell to its lowest in five weeks, down 33,000 barrels per day to 1 million bpd. Ethanol stocks saw their first decline in five weeks with a 626,000-barrel decrease to 25.9 million barrels. Both production and stocks fell more than expected. Net margins were down 7 cents to just a penny per gallon. Weekly gasoline demand rose 63,000 bpd to 8.6 million bpd. In the calendar year 2022, gasoline demand is up 5.2 percent vs. last year.
discounts. They are, however, honoring existing contracts. Shanghai went into total lockdown as Covid cases increased. The USDA released its first crop report of the year. U.S. corn planting was 2 percent complete as of April 3 which was on par with the average. There was no planting done in the “I” states or Minnesota. By mid-April, U.S. corn planting is usually 5-10 percent complete. Brazil’s corn harvest is nearly complete and just slightly ahead of last year. CRP signup in the United States — which ended March 11 — showed only 1.8 million acres of the 4 million acres in expiring contracts were re-enrolled. New contracts of 800,000 acres were offered. The net effect would be 1.4 million fewer acres in CRP in this enrollment period, i.e., more acres into production. Agricultural Secretary Vilsack has stated opening CRP land to production is not a viable option; but did not rule out emergency haying and grazing. Seventy-five percent of the CRP acres are non-prime land and drought conditions are a factor this year. Additional cases of bird flu were reported in the United States this week. It was estimated that 72 commercial and 48 backyard flocks across 24 states were found to be infected affecting 3 million birds. JPMorgan said commodities could surge as much as 40 percent if investors shift allocations to raw materials at a time of rising inflation. Outlook: Now that the April WASDE is behind us, our attention will be increasingly focused on the U.S. weather and developments in Ukraine. The forecast through the first half of April looks cool and wet for the Midwest. If these conditions prove accurate it doesn’t bode well for additional corn acres to be planted. However, if the weather turns drier and warmer we could see prices retreat slightly. The downside for corn should be limited by the USDA’s projected decline in U.S. acres, strong demand for U.S. corn, uncertainty in Ukraine, and the lack of “early” U.S. corn planting. December corn continued to make fresh new contract highs during the week and ahead of the WASDE report. December 2023 corn has closed higher for 15 consecutive sessions! A rising tide raises all boats and farmer selling has slowed down as prices have climbed higher. Until an event changes the money flow out of commodities, the downside looks limited for now. Keep an eye on planting progress and any signs of a ceasefire in Ukraine. For the week, May corn rallied 33.75 cents to $7.68.75, July jumped 39 cents to $7.60.75, and December 2022 was 28 cents higher at $7.16 per bushel. The new contract high in July corn is $7.64 and $7.17.75 in the December contract. The new high in December 2023 is $6.44.25 per bushel. The markets will be closed on April 15 in observance of Good Friday and will reopen on April 17 at
The West prepared this week to initiate more sanctions against Russia for the atrocities discovered when Russian troops pulled back to regroup and after they attacked storage facilities and ports in Odessa. Russian coal imports into Europe have been banned as well as Russian access to European ports. Germany said it will stop using Russian fuel “as quickly as possible.” APK-Inform estimated the cost of Ukraine shipping grain to Romania’s Constanta port at $133-$166 per ton vs. $40 per ton to deliver to Ukrainian ports before the invasion. Ukraine exported 1.1 mmt of corn in March vs. 4.1 mmt exported in February. Projections for declines in Ukrainian acreage this year range from 21 percent to 50 percent. Their ag ministry is on the low end and estimated 1.5 million acres of spring crops had been planted by April 1. Other countries in the International Energy Agency will release 60 million barrels of crude oil, following the U.S. announcement last week of 180 million barrels over the next six months. China is refraining from buying into new crude oil contracts with Russia despite deep price See NYSTROM, pg. 16
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.
PAGE 16
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
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NYSTROM, from pg. 15 their usual time. SOYBEANS — Soybeans found buyers this week after the $1.27.5 sell-off in the previous week and the prospect of a prolonged war in Ukraine. Soybeans recovered approximately 83 percent of those losses and have made their way back into the trading range we traded in for most of March. The April WASDE report was viewed as neutral overall; but underlying demand, questionable U.S. weather, and uncertainty surrounding Ukraine combined to attract buyers back to the market for the week. The November 2023 contract traded to a new contract high at $13.90.75 per bushel in postreport trading. The WASDE report for the 2021-22 crop year increased exports by 25 million bushels, seed 4 higher, and residual 3 million bushels lower. After rounding, ending stocks at 260 million bushels are down 25 million bushels from last month and 2 million bushels lower than the average trade estimate. The average farm price was steady from last month at $13.25 per bushel. World ending stocks came in at 89.6 mmt vs. 88.8 estimated, 90 mmt last month, and 103.1 mmt last year. China’s exports were cut 3 mmt to 91 mmt. The USDA cut Brazil’s soybean crop 2 mmt to 125 mmt and their export from 85.5 mmt to 82.8 mmt. Conab lowered its Brazilian soybean production forecast by .4 mmt to 122.4 mmt. They cut exports by 3 mmt to 77 mmt. Brazil’s soybean harvest is 80 percent complete vs. 76 percent last year and last week. It’s estimated Brazilian farmers have sold 55 percent of this year’s soybeans vs. 72 percent sold by this time last year. Strength in the Brazilian real and high inflation have kept their sales limited. The USDA kept Argentina’s soybean crop at 43.5 mmt and exports at 2.8 mmt. The BAGE sent a warning that recent frosts may result in a smaller than estimated Argentine soybean crop which they are forecasting at 42 mmt with 9 percent of the harvest complete vs. 13.6 percent on average. Argentina’s
truckers are threatening a strike on April 11 unless demands for an increase in grain freight rates are met. The National Sunflower Association believes U.S. acres will be up 20 percent this year vs. the USDA’s forecast for a 10 percent increase. Ukraine was the leading exporter of sunflower oil which won’t be the case this year. Weekly export sales were neutral with 29.4 million bushels for old crop and 11 million bushels for new crop. Old crop total commitments are 2.06 billion bushels and running just 7 percent behind last year. We need only 2.4 million bushels of sales per week to hit the 2.09 billion bushel target (pre-April WASDE estimate). New crop sales commitments of 311 million bushels are a record for this date. Outlook: Demand for U.S. soybeans remains strong, and more export sales are expected to be announced next week after rumors of more business getting done this week. Possible frost losses in Argentina, a smaller Brazilian crop, good Chinese demand, money guys buying commodities, and higher U.S. exports should keep soybeans supported. Many traders will be looking for further cuts to ending stocks on next month’s balance sheet. We will also get our first look at the 2022-23 supply/demand sheet on the May 12 WASDE report. Wide swings and ranges have become the norm, so buckle up and manage your risk. For the week, May soybeans rallied $1.06.25 to $16.89, July surged $1.01.25 to $16.68, and November 2022 was 88.75 cents higher at $14.95.5 per bushel. November 2023 soybeans reached a new contract high this week at $13.90.75 per bushel. Weekly price changes in July wheat for the week ended April 8: Chicago wheat jumped 74 cents to $10.58.25, Kansas City was up 96.25 cents at $11.10, and Minneapolis ran 57.25 cents higher to $11.22.5 per bushel. The wheat balance sheet saw a decline in feed of 10 million, exports down 25 million, and ending stocks up 25 million at 678 million bushels. The average farm price was a dime higher at $7.60 per bushel. v
MARKETING
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
PAGE 17
Spring Consignment Auction Saturday, April 30th - 9:30 am Mages Auction Site 55780 St Hwy 19, Winthrop, MN Ring 1 - Live & Online Simulcast - Machinery & Vehicles Saturday, April 30th - 9:30 am Tractors, Farm Machinery & Equipment: White 2-105 tractor, 3pt, PTO, hyd, rock box; Allis Chalmers 190XT; ‘80 Ford M1900 tractor, FWA, turf tires; JD 4400 combine, 4161 hrs, diesel; JD 216 bean platform, 16’; Farmall M, NF; ‘75 International grain truck; Case 1818 skid steer, 1964 hrs, gas w/ mat bucket & bale spear; Bobcat skid steer, new tires, new seat, open cab; ‘85 Kiefer 16’ livestock trailer; Top Air TA800 sprayer, 800 gal T-tank, 60’ X-fold boom, 440 Raven control,100 gal rinse tank, self leveling boom, foam markers; Duetz 8-row planter, 3 sets of plates incl round seed; IH 25’ field cultivator; Wilrich 24’ field cultivator w/ walking tandems, 3-bar harrow; Case IH 800 plow, 10 bt, w/ coulters, auto trip reset; JD 5-bottom plow; JD 450 4-bottom plow; Glencoe 11-shank chisel plow; JD 230, 22’ disk; JD 18’ disk; IH 490 disk; NI 3622 manure spreader; NI 3626 manure spreader, slop gate; JD 780 swather w/ transport cart; Vermeer 504 round baler, 540 PTO; rnd bale feeder; Notch bale wagons on MN & Gehl running gears; 8’ x 24’ throw rack w/ built in bale conveyor; Roose hyd trailer, 16’ w/ center divider; JD 6-row stalk chopper; Westco 8” x 60’ auger; Speed King 6” x 60’ auger; Feterl 6” x 50’ auger; AP & GSI 4.4 ton bulk bins; McKee 720 snow blower, PTO, 2-stage; Allied snow blower, 2-stage; Vehicles, Motorcycles & Trailers: ‘04 International 4300 truck, 321912 mi, 24911 hrs, bare rear chassis; ‘00 Chevy Blazer, 182000 mi, new tires, sunroof; ‘06 Yamaha V-Star 650, 4364 mi, new battery, saddle bags; Honda 1100 Goldwing, new tires, new battery; ‘04 Felling 16’ skid steer trailer; Ring 2 - Online-Only - All Other Items Ring 2 Bidding Ends: Saturday, April 30th - 4:00 pm Payment & Pick-up: Monday, May 2nd - 9 am to 5 pm Lawn & Garden: ‘98 JD 345 riding mower, 645 hrs; JD RX73, rear engine riding mower, new drive belts; Husqvarna LGT48DXL riding mower, 73.5 hrs; Cub Cadet LTX1046KW riding mower; Snapper SR1030 riding mower; Craftsman self-propelled mower, rear bagger, new transaxle; Murray push mower, rear bagger; Snapper self-propelled mower, mulcher; JD 826D snow blower, electric start; Fimco pull behind yard sprayer; utility trailer; Jiffy Ice model 30 ice auger; Shop & Tools: Lincoln arc welder; EZ Load ladder rack for cargo van; pick-up tool box; work bench; aluminum ladder; hand tools; power tools; yard tools; Guns, Ammo, Appliances, Furniture, Toys, Antiques & More! see magesland.com for complete terms & details.
Area Neighbors Auctioneer: Matt Mages, 507-276-7002 Lic: 52-21-018 Auctioneers: Lar r y Mages, Lafayette; J oe Maidl, Lafayette; J oe Wer sal, Winthr op; John Goelz, Franklin; Ryan Froehlich, Winthrop. Broker/Clerk: Mages Land Co & Auction Ser vice, LLC Terms: 10% Buyer ’s Premium. 15% Buyer’s Premium on Online items. Everything sold “AS IS”. Everything to be paid for immediately after the auction. Sales tax, license & registration fees may apply on some items. Fire arms buyers must have valid drivers license. Not responsible for accidents. Lunch & restroom on grounds.
magesland.com
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www.thelandonline.com —”Where Farm and Family Meet”
Steffes Auction Calendar 2022 For more info, call: 1-800-726-8609 or visit our website: SteffesGroup.com
Opening April 11 & Closing April 18 at 12PM David & Judy McCollum Farm Retirement Auction, Mahnomen, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 11 & Closing April 21 at 10AM Mcleod County, MN Land Auction – 77+/- Acres, Hutchinson, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 13 & Closing April 20 at 1PM Bulk Fuel Storage Tanks & Equipment Auction, Gary & Winger, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 13 & Closing April 21 at 10AM K&J Family Farms Inc. Equipment Realignment Auction, Carrington, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening April 13 & Closing April 21 at 1PM Meeker County, MN Land Auction – 214+/- Acres, Litchfield, MN, Timed Online Auction
Have an upcoming Auction? Talk to your auctioneer or call our friendly staff
at 800-657-4665 to place your auction in THE LAND
theland@thelandonline.com or www.thelandonline.com
McLeod County, Minnesota
REAL ESTATE AUCTION
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 10:00 AM
REAL ESTATE SELLS: VIRTUAL ONLINE
Opening April 15 & Closing April 20 at 10AM Online Steffes Auction – 4/20, Midwest Locations, Timed Online Auction Opening April 18 & Closing April 25 at 10AM Doug & Marilyn Stein Farm Retirement Auction, McVille, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening April 18 & Closing April 26 at 1PM Clarence Pronschinske & Sons Inc. Dairy Cattle Retirement Auction, Arcadia, WI, Timed Online Auction April 20 at 11AM Buffalo County, WI Dairy & Land Auction – 1260+/- Acres, Arcadia, WI Opening April 21 & Closing April 28 at 12PM Skaurud Grain Farms Excess Equipment Auction, Gary, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 21 & Closing April 28 at 7PM Richards Inc. Trucking Auction, West Fargo, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening April 22 & Closing April 26 at 12PM Online Hay Auction – Quality Tested, Litchfield, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 22 & Closing April 26 at 1PM Radermacher Farms Inventory Reduction Auction, Monango, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening April 22 & Closing April 28 at 7PM Goodhue County, MN Land Rental Auction - 261± Acres, Wanamingo, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 26 & Closing May 3 at 12PM Polk County, MN Land Auction - 56± Acres, Fertile, MN, Timed Online Auction Opening April 26 & Closing May 3 at 2PM Watford City, ND Commercial Property Auction, Watford City, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening April 26 & Closing May 3 at 3PM McKenzie County, ND Land Auction 197.19± Acres, Alexander, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening April 26 & Closing May 3 at 7PM Brandt Brothers Farm Retirement Auction, Binford, ND, Timed Online Auction April 29 at 10AM Two Party Farm Equipment Auction, Waubun, MN Opening May 3 & Closing May 10 at 7PM City of Fargo Fleet Equipment Auction – Ring 1, West Fargo, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening May 3 & Closing May 10 a 7PM City of Fargo Impound Vehicles Auction – Ring 2, Fargo, ND, Timed Online Auction Opening May 6 & Closing May 11 at 10AM Online Steffes Auction – 5/11, Midwest Locations, Timed Online Auction
10 TAXABLE ACRES± SELLING IN 1 TRACT Open House: Wed., April 20th • 10 am - 2 pm Physical Address: 19463 Walden Ave, Hutchinson, MN Farm site is located west of Hutchinson, MN. From Hwy 7, turn south on Walden Ave. Property is one mile south, on west side of the road. 10 acre building site. 2,548 square foot home built in 1973. 3 Bed / 3 Bathroom. Attached 1 stall garage is 14’x26’. 100 amp breakers. Forced air furnace new in 2020. Water softener is owned. Electric water heater. Block foundation, vinyl and brick siding, asphalt shingles. Appliances included in sale. Farm site is a dairy farm with numerous outbuildings. Can be used for livestock or personal/boat/RV storage. Machinery and dairy equipment sold separately on online auction.
NO-RESERVE
EQUIPMENT AUCTION
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 12 Noon
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022 Real Estate Wanted
Bins & Buildings
WANTED: Land & farms. I SILO have clients looking for Take-down & clean up dairy, & cash grain operaSpecializing in silos tions, as well as bare land in congested areas. parcels from 40-1000 acres. FULLY INSURED Both for relocation & invest507-236-9446 ments. If you have even thought about selling con- Stormor Bins & EZ-Drys. tact: Paul Krueger, Farm & 100% financing w/no liens or Land Specialist, Edina Re- red tape, call Steve at Fairalty, 138 Main St. W., New fax Ag for an appointment. Prague, MN 55372. 888-830-7757 paulkrueger@edinarealty.com (612)328-4506
Farm Equipment
Feed Seed Hay OPEN Pollinated Seed Corn. Produces more high quality silage on less acres than hybrid. $67/bushel plus shipping. High feed value grain. Located at Teutopolis, IL 217-857-3377 or 217-343-4962
1830 Case IH 12R30” row cult, $6,750; Case IH 5300 grain drill, 24’ tandem unit, $7,500; Case 5100 12’ grain drill w/ grain seeder, $7,500; Husqvarna MZ 52 lawn mower, new cond, $3,975; Rock bucket, 78”, $1,050; Buckeye tiling machine, B/O. 507-2400294
Fertilizer & Chemical
2013 Kubota F3080, commercial lawn mower, 3 cyl 30HP diesel, 4WD hydro, 1364 hrs, FOR SALE: FAST 24R22” 60” tilt up fabricated deck, side dress applicator for ap- steering wheel steer, bought plying liquid fertilizer. Olivia new, nice, always shedded. MN. 320-894-4489 $14,750/OBO. 507-440-1990
Bins & Buildings FOR SALE: GSI 30’ top dry grain bin, fan and burner needs replacement. Good condition. You take down. $4,900. 507-327-6430
FOR SALE: Tractor tires with rims, used once, as duals, front Titan 8-16, $700/ pr; rear Armstrong 14.9-26, $1,200/pr. $1,800 for all. They are off of front & rear of JD 4710. 612-581-5002
Thank You Farmers!
ITEMS WILL SELL FROM THE FARM NEAR HUTCHINSON, MN
EQUIPMENT SELLS: TIMED ONLINE GRAND MEADOW $600,000 Beautiful turn-key acreage with 4 BR 3BA rambler, 5 sheds, abundant fencing and pasture on approx. 18.7 ac. MLS#5718863 NEW LISTING! STEWARTVILLE: $549,900 location 4 BR 2 BA picturesque rambler STEWARTVILLE: $575,000. Great location 4 BR Great 2233 BABeautiful picturesque rambler GRAND MEADOW $600,000 turn-key acreage with LISTING! 4 BR 3BA on MOWER COUNTY: Approx. Ac. MLS# 6175747 NEW on approx. 24 acres.approx. Oversized stall garage with2 2fencing storage sheds 24 25acres. Oversized stall garage withjust 2 storage sheds justac. minutes to rambler, sheds, abundant and pasture on approx. 18.7 MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 80 Ac.REDUCED! MLS#6175774 LISTED & PENDING! minutes to Rochester! MLS# 5716953 LISTING! Rochester! MLS# 5716983 PRICE MLS#5718863 NEW LISTING! STEWARTVILLE: $575,000. Great location 4 BR 2 BALISTED picturesque rambler GRAND MEADOW $600,000 Beautiful turn-key acreage with 4 BR&3BA rambler RACINE: $299,000. 3BR, 1BA, on 10-acres. MLS# 5701169 PENDING INSPECTION: WED., APRIL 20TH • 10 AM - 2 PM MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 74 Ac. MLS# 6175794 PENDING! on approx. 24 acres. Oversized 2 stall with 2 storage 5 sheds, abundant fencing and pasture ongarage approx. 18.7 ac. sheds just MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 193-acres. MLS# 5695397 PENDING HIGHLIGHTS: Selling CaseIH MX170 MFWD tractor, manure minutes to Rochester! MLS#35 5716953 NEW6160091 LISTING! PENDING! COUNTY: Approx. MLS# MLS# 5718863 PENDING! MOWER COUNTY:OLMSTED Approx. 120-acres. MLS# 5705409Ac. SOLD equipment, yard & shop items, goat milking equipment, feeding RACINE: $299,000. 3BR, 1BA, on 10-acres. MLS# 5701169 PENDING RACINE: $299,000. 3BR, 1BA, on 10-acres. MLS# 5701169 PENDING COUNTY:MOWER Approx. 108-acres. 5705429 COUNTY:MLS# Approx. 52 Ac.SOLD MLS# 6162644 LISTED & PENDING! equipment, bulk milk tanks & antiques. Full listing isMOWER available MOWERonCOUNTY: Approx. 193-acres. MLS# 5695397buyers!” PENDING online. RACINE: 10,000 sq. ft. building 2.12-acres. Multiple uses! MLS# 5247299 “Need listings! We have qualified MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 120-acres. MLS# 5705409 SOLD MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 193-acres. MLS# 5695397 PENDING MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 108-acres. MLS# 5705429 SOLD Full Farm Management Services BRYANT KRANZ (507) 251-4811 MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 120-acres. MLS# 5705409 including Rental Government Programs & SOLD Environmental Issues RACINE: 10,000Rates, sq. ft. building on 2.12-acres. Multiple uses! MLS# 5247299 including Rental Rates, Government Programs & Environmental Issues Representing Attorney: Sene Zupke | Kraft Walser Law Office MOWER COUNTY: Approx. 108-acres. MLS# 5705429 SOLD 131 Main St S, Hutchinson, MN 55350 | (320) 523-1322 Randy Queensland • 507-273-3890 • randy@lrmrealestate.com RACINE: 10,000 ft. building on 2.12-acres. Multiple uses! MLS#5247299 Fullsq.Farm Management Services Ryan Queensland“Ne •including 507-273-3000 • ryan@lrmrealestate.com Auction Managers: tings lis ! W ed Full e ha Rental Rates, Government Programs & Environmental ve qualifServices Farm Management ed buyers!Issues ” Real Estate: Laura Posl (320) 262-4893 Grand Meadow, MNRates, • 800-658-2340 including Rental Government Programs & Environmental Issues Randy Queensland • 507-273-3890 • randy@lrmrealestate.com Equipment: Allen Henslin (320) 979-1808 Randy Queensland•• 507-273-3000 507-273-3890 ••randy@Irmrealestate.com Ryan Queensland ryan@lrmrealestate.com Randy Queensland • 507-273-3890 • randy@Irmrealestate.com Ryan Queensland • 507-273-3000 Grand Meadow, MN •••ryan@Irmrealstate.com 800-658-2340 Ryan Queensland • 507-273-3000 ryan@Irmrealstate.com Grand GrandMeadow, Meadow,MN MN••800-658-2340 800-658-2340
Kranz Dairy
Full Farm Management Services
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022 Farm Equipment
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
Farm Equipment
FOR SALE: FAST 24R22” JD 953 wagon gear/Hiniker side dress applicator for ap- 195-bu barge-box, hyd hoist, plying liquid fertilizer. Olivia 30/9.5 tires, side swinging rear door on barge box, MN. 320-894-4489 great looks/shape, $2,300. Int’l 986 tractor, 3 pt hitch, Bossworth-630 sickle mow18.4x34 tires, 60%, 3350 er (China), category one . hours, 2 rear hyd outlets. three-point hitch, 63” bar, 540 PTO, great looks/shape, r 507-236-9168 $500. 507-440-5151 www.thelandonline.com . McCormick Deering cream JD 520 20’ 3pt drill, 10” spac- separator. 507-236-9168 ings, hyd markers, $5,750; We buy JD 569 round baler, net & Salvage Equipment twine wrap, mega wide pickParts Available up, large tires, w/ preserHammell Equip., Inc. , vative applicator, $17,750; (507)867-4910 n Horovac 1000 gal liq tender, ; w/ 235x16 tires, $3,750; WilWinPower 25/15 power takeoff / Rich 12x30 flat fold cult w/ driven generator, mounted - shields, $2,450; EZ Trail 1384 on 2 wheel cart. 125’ power - 13T running gear w/ 14Lx16.1 cord. Both Items used very k tires, $1,450. 320-769-2756 little. 507-236-9168 e -
P , , t .
s / , y D
LAND AUCTIONS
April 15
April 22
Only registered bidders may attend
For property brochures, contact Hertz at 507-345-LAND (5263) WWW.HERTZ.AG 151 St. Andrews Court #1310, Mankato MN 56001
#07-53
GREATER MINNESOTA TWO-CYLINDER CLUB 30th Annual
FIELD DAYS, SWAP MEET, TOY SHOW AND HORSE SHOW May 7 & 8, 2022 Morrison County Fairgrounds Little Falls, MN Saturday Events:
Antique Tractor & Garden Tractor Pulls 12 Noon, Pedal Tractor Pull 11 AM Horse Show 10 am – 6 pm Jam Session, Silent Auction, Kids Activities
Saturday & Sunday: Swap Meet & Toy Show Show Featuring:
Styled Letter Series Tractors All Brands John Deere vs Cub Cadet Garden Tractor Displays Snowmobiles: Celebrating John Deere’s 50th and Arctic Cat’s 60th Anniversaries, Arctic Cat vs Polaris Displays All Tractors, Gas Engines, Snowmobiles Exhibits, Musicians and Vendors Welcome Info: 320-393-JDJD (5353), www.gmntcc
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www.thelandonline.com —”Where Farm and Family Meet”
If you’re having a Farm Auction, let other Farmers know it! Upcoming Issues of THE LAND Southern MN/ Northern IA April 29, 2022 May 13, 2022 May 27, 2022
*
Northern MN April 22, 2022 May 6, 2022 May 20, 2022 * June 3, 2022
Deadline is 8 days prior to publication. Indicates early deadline, 9 days prior to publication.
RETIRING FARMER 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 4x4, reg cab, 42,516 one owner miles, oil changed every 2000 miles, vortex engine, non-smoker.......$42,500 Ag Chem SS874, 90' booms, A/R, 1335 actual hrs, boom level, excellent condition.......$89,900 John Deere 750 no-till 20' drill, 7,5'' spacings, markers, Kasco fill auger, new bearings 100 acres ago, ½ speed sprocket, 2 pt hitch, excellent.................................................$24,900 John Deere 4430, 7014 hrs verified, excellent, 134 A/C, good rubber...........$24,900
418 South Second Street • Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-345-4523 or 800-657-4665 Fax: 507-345-1027 Website: www.TheLandOnline.com e-mail: theland@TheLandOnline.com
Deutz-Allis 21' center fold disc, nice shape.................................................$3,500 2022 Gehl VT 320 track, skid loader, 115HP, 195 hrs, 18 month warranty left............$89,900
Ask Your Auctioneer to Place Your Auction in The Land!
507-251-2685
LIVE & ONLINE | NO-RESERVE
VIRTUAL ONLINE
MONTEVIDEO, MN LARGE ANNUAL
Renville County, Minnesota
SPRING INVENTORY REDUCTION AUCTION
LAND AUCTION
Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 11:00 AM
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 9:30 AM PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 3134 EAST HWY. 7, MONTEVIDEO, MN
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022 Tractors
‘57 Farmall 350 gas, 1574 hrs, ‘58 IH tandem disc, 10’, 7” new Firestone 13.6-38/600-16 spacing, new Firestone tires, tires, pwr steering, IH fend- IH 2/way hyd cyl lift, great ers, whl wgts, 12 volt elec, looks/shape; $3,300; ‘54 Mcpulley, 3 valve hyd, fast hitch Cormick collector 34-30 fast w/ depth gauge, dual rear/ hitch 3/14 plow, 2-pc shares, frt hyd-outlets, IH WF, looks ripple coulters, great looks/ new/great shape. $12,500; ‘59 shape, $1,200; ‘59 JD CCA JD 630 gas, 1536 hrs, new field cult, 11’, 6” spacing, Firestone 16.9/34 Good Year new Firestone tires, 2-way 9.5L-15SL tires, pwr steer- JD hyd cyl lift, great looks/ ing, 12-volt elec, dual hyd/ shape. $1,100; ‘66 JD collecdual rear outlets, 3-pt hitch, tor F145H 3-pt hitch plow, JD dual light fenders, JD JD adj hitch w/ JD 2-way WF, looks new/great shape, hyd cyl, new Firestone rear $13,500. 507-440-5151 & gauge tires, 2 way JD hyd cyl lift, 3/14 HS400 bottoms, NEW AND USED TRACTOR ripple coulters, great looks/ PARTS JD 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, shape, $1,250 507-440-5151 55, 50 Series & newer tractors, AC-all models, Large Your ad Inventory, We ship! Mark Heitman Tractor Salvage could be here! 715-673-4829 507-345-4523 Looking for something special? Put a line ad in The Land and find it! Call 507-345-4523
DAMAGED CORN We pay TOP dollar for damaged corn in any condition. We have trucks & vacs available. Call or Text David 507-327-8851 Eric 507-317-5227
FOR SALE: Wil-Rich 2500 36’ field cultivator, good condition, sweeps are 70%, shanks in good condition, 4 bar harrow, $2,500/OBO. 507384-7321 FOR SALE: Case IH 496 24’ disk, 9” spacing, 21” blades, no welds, asking $9,500. Case IH silage blower #56, asking $400. 320-583-7062 JD 3710 6 bottom pull type AR vari-width plow. Also, Stanhoist all steel barge box with hoist 10T gear. Both excellent. 320-260-2028
35.25 SURVEYED ACRES
INSPECTIONS WILL BE WELCOMED ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE AUCTION DURING AMERICAN SURPLUS BUSINESS HOURS
GENERAL INFORMATION: 15+ used and demoed Ice Castle fish houses (loaded with many options), portable storage buildings (various sizes), tools, furniture, carpet & flooring, fish houses and RV doors, ice fishing and building supplies, lumber (various dimensions and lengths), new 6 1/2 hp gas portable air compressors. Additional
Tillage Equip
SELLING IN 1 TRACT
The McCall farm is located north of Hector, along County Road 22 and is further described as being located in Section 34, T-116-W R-32-W, Brookfield Township, Renville County, MN.
information available online at: www.SullivanAuctioneers.com
American Surplus
3134 East Hwy. 7, Montevideo, Minnesota (320) 269-5428 | www.icecastlefh.com
Auction Managers: Frank Roering (320) 290-8490 LaDon Henslin (320) 894-5959 & Allen Henslin (320) 979-1808
The land represents hunting/recreational land & an old gravel pit which offers whitetail deer, goose & other wildlife hunting.
Rita McCall Estate
Representing Attorney: Sene Zupke | Kraft Walser Law Office 107 N 9th St, Olivia, MN 56277 | (320) 523-1322 Auction Manager: Allen Henslin (320) 979-1808
Answers for Veggie Garden Word Search
Do you have an upcoming auction?
Talk to your auctioneer or call our friendly staff at 507-345-4523 or 800-657-4665 to place your auction in The Land – or visit us at www.thelandonline.com
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
Have you renewed your subscription to The Land?
Planting Equip
”2000 - 1760 JD planter, 12R30” , wing fold, 250 monitor, also t has precision row shutoffs, - & e-sets, no 2020 mon includt ed, Yetter trash whips, 3 bu, , 1.6 bu & dry insect boxes, / $22,500. 507-430-2946 A ,FOR SALE: Grass seed aty tachment for 20’ Case IH drill, $1,000/OBO. / grain - Knight 252 bu manure , spreader w/ slop gate, 540 y PTO, $1,500/OBO. 507-227r 2251 d ,JD1520 drill, 15’, 10” rows, downpressure, / hydraulic mounted on JD1570 coulter cart, very good, $14,500/OBO (or best offer) (952) 367-7226
WANTED
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.
John Deere 1765 corn planter; 12 row 30”, liquid fertilizer; shark tooth row cleaners; 350 monitor. Great shape. 0 (507) 828-5030 dMcCormick Deering end gate , seeder. 507-236-9168 4 -
’ , e g
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www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
1-800-828-6642
TRACTORS NEW NH T4.75, T4.90, T4.120 w/loader On Order NEW NH Workmaster 60, 50, 35’s/loaders On Order NEW NH 25S Workmasters ...…......…. On Order NEW Versatile DT610 ……….....…… IN STOCK NEW Massey Tractors ........................... On Order NEW Massey 4710 w/loader …............ April 2022 3-New Massey GC1725 ……..................... Just In 17’ NH T4.75 w/loader ……....................… Just In 18’ NH T4.75 w/loader ............................... Just In
Classifie d ad dea line d li
ne is noon o n Mond ay
R h -
• 5/8” drum roller wall thickness • 42” drum diameter wall thickness • 4”x8” frame tubing 3/8” thick • Auto fold
MANDAKO 12’-60’ LONG ROLLERS
FOR THE BEST DEAL ORDER NOW!
GREENWALD FARM CENTER Greenwald, MN • 320-987-3177 14 miles So. of Sauk Centre
PLANTERS White 6531 31R-15”…..................................… Just In Taking 2023 New Spring Orders COMBINES NEW Geringhoff chopping cornhead ................... Call ’89 Gleaner R60 w/both heads ........................ $15,500 Gleaner R50/320,630........................................ $13,500 Gleaner R6 w/20’................................................ $9,850 Geringhoff parts & heads available
TILLAGE MISCELLANEOUS ’11 Sunflower 4412-07 .............................. $28,000 ’06 CIH MRX 690 .................................... $16,500 NEW Salford RTS Units ........................................ Call CIH 490 30’ disc .......................................... SOLD NEW Unverferth Seed Tenders .............................. Call CIH 730B w/leads ..................................... Coming NEW Westfield Augers .......................................... Call NEW REM VRX Vacs. .......................................... Call NEW Hardi Sprayers ............................................. Call NEW Riteway Rollers ........................................... Call CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT NEW NH L318/L320/L328 wheeled units ....... On Hand NEW Lorenz Snowblowers ................................... Call NEW NH C327/C337/C345 track units .......... On Order NEW Batco Conveyors ......................................... Call NH L228 low hours ..................................... Just Traded NEW Brent Wagons & Grain Carts ....................... Call NEW E-Z Trail Seed Wagons ................................ Call NEW Rock Buckets & Pallet Forks ...................... Call HAY TOOLS Pre-Owned Grain Cart .................................. On Hand New Disc Mowers - 107,108,109 New Horsch Jokers ................................................ Call New Disc Mower Cond. - 10’, 13’ New Wheel Rakes - 10,12,14 NOW HIRING PARTS TECHS New NH Hay Tools - ON HAND
Thank You For Your Business! (507) 234-5191 (507) 625-8649 Hwy. 14, 3 miles West of Janesville, MN
Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5:00 • Sat. 7:30-Noon
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THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
www.thelandonline.com —”Where Farm and Family Meet”
Your First Choice for Classifieds!
r Place You ! y a Ad Tod
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, 418 South Second St., Mankato, MN 56002 Fax to: 507-345-1027 Email: theland@TheLandOnline.com / Online at: www.thelandonline.com
• Reach over 150,000 readers • Start your ad in The Land • Add more insertions • Get more coverage
THE FREE PRESS South Central Minnesota’s Daily News Source
DEADLINE: Friday at 5:00 p.m. for the following Friday edition. Plus! Look for your classified ad in the e-edition.
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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.
Spraying Equip FOR SALE: Walsh 500 gal, 45’ hydro lift boom, 540 PTO, new pump, Micro Trak automatic sprayer control system, very good condition, always stored inside, $2,800. 507-234-5282 Sprayer Hardi Navigator M 60’ Eagle Boom, 550 Gal, 540 PTO, Model 2500 controller, Triple Nozzles, Foamer, 11.2 X 38 tires, $9,000/OBO (or best offer). (952) 367-7226
Wanted All kinds of New & Used farm equipment - disc chisels, field cults, planters, soil finishers, cornheads, feed mills, discs, balers, haybines, etc. 507438-9782 WANTED: Stormor EZ dryer bin, 24’ diameter, 36” burner fan; Also 980 JD field cultivator, 34-36’ wide, single point depth. 507-251-2344 WANTED: Tile stringer cart good condition. Homemade O.K. 320-223-4110 Leave message. Looking for something special? Put a line ad in The Land and find it! Call 507-345-4523
Livestock
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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
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Cattle
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oto (THE LAND only) $10.00 per run:
FOR SALE: Black Angus bulls also Hamp, York, & Hamp/ Duroc boars & gilts. Alfred (Mike) Kemen 320-598-3790
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9
Angus and Sim-Angus cow/calf pairs. Registration and DNA on cows. $2,500 a pair. (507) 626-1183
FOR SALE: 8 registered short horn yearling bulls, 4 roan color, 2 red and 2 white, good blood lines, $2,500/choice. 507-534-2048 or cell 507-2734421 Red Angus & Hereford bulls For Sale, developed on forage, Semen tested & vaccinated, leading genetics for growth & mothering ability. Colby 507-450-8303 or Doug 507-458-5421 Rushford MN
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022 Cattle
Swine
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M 0 , 2 r
Registered Hereford yearling bulls for sale. Have all shots, semen tested & poured. Halter broke & broke to lead. Fantastic growth E.P.D.’s. Will deliver. Klages Herefords, Ortonville, MN 320-2732163(H) 605-880-0521(C)
is family owned & operated. Offering pre-planning, urns, and in-home euthanasia by Gentle Goodbyes. mankatopetcremation.com 507-995-7126 or text us.
Trucks & Trailers
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Miscellaneous
Spot, Duroc, Chester White, FARMER OVER 50, looking Boars & Gilts available. for lady 35-50 for friendship Monthly PRRS and PEDV. and travel. 320-406-0915 Delivery available. Steve PARMA DRAINAGE PUMPS Resler. 507-456-7746 New pumps & parts on hand. Call Minnesota’s largest disPets & Supplies tributor HJ Olson & Company 320-974-8990 Cell - 320-212-5336 Mankato Pet Cremation
m d Swine FOR SALE: 1971 GMC grain , truck, V8, 10R225 tires, w/ , SALE: Yorkshire, tag axle w/ 825/20 tires, twin -FOR Hampshire, Duroc, cross hoist w/ Omaha box, 18’x4’3” bred boars, gilts & 4-H pigs. sides, roll tarp, exc, wood r Top quality. Excellent herd floor, 2spd axle, runs good, r health. No PRSS. Delivery $2,700/cash. stored inside, - available. 320-760-0365 Retired. 507-234-5282 e
e e
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REINKE IRRIGATION Sales & Service New & Used For your irrigation needs 888-830-7757 or 507-276-2073
Please support the advertisers you see here. Tell them you saw their ad in The Land! Tree trimming, cutting and removal. Boom Truck & Insured. Call or Text Josh Linder 507-995-7081
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ADVERTISER LISTING Beck's Hybrids ..................................................................................... 1 Blue Horizon Energy ............................................................ Cover Wrap Brand Angus ...................................................................................... 19 Eric Cooling ...................................................................................... 20 Fladeboe Land ................................................................................... 17 Greater MN Two Cylinder Club .......................................................... 19 Greenwald Farm Center ...................................................................... 21 Grizzly Buildings, Inc. ......................................................................... 7 Hertz Farm Management ................................................................... 19 IDEAg Group, LLC .............................................................................. 3 Keepers RV Center ............................................................................. 21 Land Resource Management ............................................................... 18 Leaf Filter ........................................................................................... 6 Mages Auction Service ....................................................................... 17 Mathiowetz Construction Co. ............................................................... 9 Northland Buildings ............................................................................. 4 Pruess Elevator, Inc. .......................................................................... 21 Rush River Steel & Trim .................................................................... 13 Schweiss Doors .................................................................................. 21 Smiths Mill Implement, Inc. ............................................................... 21 Spanier Welding ................................................................................... 5 Steffes Group ..................................................................................... 18 Sullivan ....................................................................................... 18, 20 Terry LaCanne ................................................................................... 20 TruGreen ........................................................................................... 12 507-345-4523 • 800-657-4665 418 South Second Street, Mankato, MN 56001 www.thelandonline.com
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PAGE 24
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — APRIL 15/APRIL 22, 2022
This week’s Back Roads is the work of The Land Correspondent Tim King. Photos by Jan King.
No biz like shoe biz...
T
im Koenig gave me a photo of German immigrant Henry Bermel in his shoe and harness repair shop in Randall, Minn. recently. Henry, who started the business in this little central Minnesota railroad town when he was 17, looks to be going on 30. What struck me about the photo was a pair of pretty well-worn shoes in the photo’s foreground. They must be in for a repair job — even though they look to be pretty much beyond repair. Those old people were frugal and knew how to make things last. That same ethic lives on at Bermel’s Boots and Shoes 105 years later. The Friday morning we visited the shop, Tim — who got the store from his Dad who got the store from Henry’s son — had repair customers three deep. Sandy Koenig, Tim’s wife and business partner, was working the bustling sales floor with two of the store’s knowledgeable clerks. Tim took a look at the repair needed on my boot, explained how he could repair it and said the epoxy that he’d use would have to sit overnight. “You’ve got a long drive to get here,” he said. “Why don’t I mail it?” We agreed to that and I went to the sales floor in the small, well-organized store.
Randall, Minn.
I spend nine months of the year on my feet walking our vegetable fields or collecting firewood for maple syrup harvest. So I’m serious about my foot wear. I want quality manufacturing — preferably American made. I also prefer all leather boots since synthetics don’t breathe and I most certainly want a boot that can be repaired. I told Sandy Koenig this, expecting her to roll her eyes at my fussiness. She didn’t. Bermels carries 20 different brands of boots and shoes including Red Wing, Wolverine, Irish Setter, Keene, and Kamuk. It was not hard to find what I wanted. Like any decent shoe store, Bermels has a place to sit down, put your boots on, and walk in them to see how they feel. Sandy tied them up and checked the toe and sides for tightness. Then she suggested Tim could replace the top two eyelets with hooks to make the boots easier to lace. All in ten minutes! Bermels also has lots of boot and shoe socks, a variety of boot laces, leather care products, leather belts, arch supports and insoles and more. They have a website (bermelsshoes. com) and their phone is (320) 749-2355; but people regularly come from 100 miles or more. v
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