Agriculture 2014

Monday, April 28, 2014

Page 2 • Agriculture • Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014

Freeborn Co. outlook looks good for end of drought status

By Tim Engstrom

tim.engstrom@albertleatribune.com

Dry ground persists in southern Minnesota despite snow melt and spring rains, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. But improvement is in the cards.

As of April 22, the western twothirds of Freeborn County was listed as abnormally dry, along with all of Waseca County, the Ellendale area of Steele County and the Wells and Kiester areas of Faribault County.

The rest of Faribault County was in a moderate drought that covers much of the southwestern portion of the state.

The conditions are somewhat the same, though slightly better, than they were in November, when the snow arrived. The good news is that the levels are a vast improvement over what they were in spring 2013, when the Midwest was recovering from the drought of 2012, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes as “the most severe and extensive drought in at least 25 years.”

In the same week of 2013, almost all of Minnesota was considered

either moderate drought, severe drought or abnormally dry.

While rain is more than welcome as spring has been slow to arrive, Midwestern farmers this April are hoping for temperatures to warm up the ground so they can plant. Agronomists say the soil temperature for planting corn is at least 50 degrees at a six-inch depth.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture monitors soil temperatures at six inches down across the cropgrowing regions of the state, and one of the monitors is near Gordonsville.

On April 24, the monitor recorded a temperature of 46 degrees; however, it reached nearly 54 degrees on April 21 after dipping down to 38 on the morning of April 18. Low soil temps after planting can stress seeds and prevent emergence. Late-season snowfalls in spring 2013, with one as late as May 1 and 2, left many fields without crops.

So what is the outlook? The U.S. Climate Prediction Center forecasts removal of drought conditions in the Upper Midwest between now and July 31, staying the same in parts of Nebraska and Kansas and intensification

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of drought in the West and Southwest.

The forecast is based on long-range statistical and dynamical models.

“Improvement and removal of drought across the central/southern Great Plains and Midwest is based on

expected rainfall during the remainder of April and a relatively wet time of year as the convective season peaks.

However, persistence is most likely for the protracted drought areas of the high Plains,” the assessment says.

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Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014 • Agriculture • Page 3

Explaining what the terms mean for egg-laying hens Various terms are used on egg cartons or referenced in the news regarding how egg-laying hens are housed.

But often, these expressions simply confuse shoppers and raise more questions than they answer about how eggs are produced.

Finding answers through research

To help consumers make sense of the confusion, the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, a group of scientists, research institutions, food manufacturers, foodservice companies and egg producers, is researching and working to educate about the terms involved in raising hens in three distinct housing systems: conventional cages, “enriched” cages and cage-free.

Indoor hen housing systems were first introduced in the 1950s, bringing hens in from the outdoors, offering protection from weather, predators and disease, while improving sanitation.

“Our eggs used to be produced by smaller flocks that were outside. However, growers found that if we could move hens to cages inside a building we could better monitor and regulate their environment to keep them safe and comfortable,” said Darrin Karcher, a professor at Michigan State University who is involved with the research.

While the research indicates pros and cons to each system, understanding the terms used will make you a more informed consumer, allowing you to choose what’s best for your family.

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Conventional cage systems

Approximately 95 percent of eggs are produced in what is known as a conventional cage system, where each cage houses six to nine hens.

In general, this system has good indoor air quality, relatively few hen health issues and the costs of production are the lowest of the three systems, ensuring affordable eggs for consumers. Some disadvantages include hens not being able to perform behaviors such as dust bathing and foraging, as well as nesting and roosting. Caged hens also have poorer skeletal health due to lack of exercise.

Enriched cage systems

This type of hen housing provides more space for the hens than conventional, with perches, nesting areas and a flooring surface that facilitates foraging and dust-bathing behaviors.

Hens are better able to express natural behaviors such as nesting and perching than in conventional cages, and perches improve bone strength.

However, foraging behavior and dust bathing are not expressed as easily as in cage-free systems, while mortality

The Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply is researching how to educate people about the terms used on egg cartons. and production costs are higher than conventional cages.

Cage-free systems

In this housing environment, hens roam through defined sectors of their barn, with open floor space and multiple levels so hens can exhibit natural behaviors. Hen mortality is the highest in this system, due in part

to the number of hens in a section, which leads to competition and excessive pecking. The remaining flock is unable to produce as many eggs as flocks in other systems and labor costs are higher, so the cost of the eggs produced here is the highest of the three systems. Also, cage-free systems have increased levels of ammonia and dust due to litter and manure on the floor.

Page 4 • Agriculture • Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014

Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune

Agriculture 2014 1/8 b/w

Andy Yost is Freeborn County’s new feedlot officer and household hazardous waste technician.

Freeborn County hires area resident as feedlot officer

By Sarah Stultz

sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

Ag Tab 1/8 pg

Growing up on a dairy farm, Freeborn County’s new feedlot officer learned the ins and outs of farm life.

As a child, Andy Yost and his family milked about 130 cows, in addition to raising hogs and planting crops.

Yost took his love for agriculture and farming to college, where he earned a four-year degree in ag business and animal science.

After working for four years at the Poet ethanol plant near Glenville, he was hired earlier this month to work for Freeborn County.

He splits his time between being the county’s feedlot officer and the household hazardous waste technician.

In his position as the feedlot officer, he enforces state and local regulations for farms in the county with 50 or more animals, helping farmers obtain permits for their lots.

Yost said he helps farmers develop a management plan for manure, which includes how to prevent runoff into nearby waters, along with regulating the amount of the manure and nutrients that can be spread on the fields. Manure can only be spread within a certain distance from surface tile intakes, drainage ditches and

bodies of water.

Permits have to be renewed every four years.

Part of the permitting process involves working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and helping farmers complete an environmental assessment worksheet for each feedlot.

As the household hazardous waste technician, he assists with collecting, transferring and labeling hazardous waste throughout the county. He organizes collections in each community from April through September and transfers the waste to a regional site in Austin.

Household hazardous waste that can be turned in during collections includes unwanted agriculture pesticides, antifreeze, gasoline, solvents, weed killer, insect killer, liquid paints, drain and oven cleaner.

Yost also promotes reusing and recycling.

Yost is married to his wife, Ashley, and has a 2 1/2-year-old son, Trey.

He is the son of Carl and Carmen Yost and lives on an acreage southeast of Conger.

He can be reached by calling Environmental Services at 377-5186.

His office is at the Freeborn County Courthouse, 411 S. Broadway.

Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014 • Agriculture • Page 5

Chicken coops are at heart of self-reliance movement

Americans across the country are taking strides to be more self reliant, including growing food, composting and raising animals. While these types of activities are most often associated with people who live in the country, residents in unexpected settings are embracing aspects of this lifestyle at increasingly fast rates.

From barn to backyard, raising chickens is the perfect example of how this momentum is building. Just a decade ago you may have only seen chickens while driving through rural areas, but today coops seem to be popping up everywhere in suburban and city neighborhoods. The backyard chicken movement is thriving, providing numerous benefits to those who participate.

Why consider raising chickens? It’s not necessary to have a farming background in order to raise a small

flock of poultry. Chickens are inexpensive to house and feed, managing their care is surprisingly simple and raising them is a great familyfriendly activity.

Chickens in return supply nutritious, tasty eggs that are always more fresh than their grocery store counterparts, plus you can use their waste to create organic compost, an invaluable fertilizer for your garden. Additionally, chickens eat many pesky bugs, creating natural insect control on your property.

If you are interested in starting your own flock, here are a few tips:

1. Check with your city

Verify the local chicken laws and ordinances in the city where you live, plus check with your homeowner’s association if you have one.

It’s a good idea to make your neighbors aware of your plans, especially if you live in close proximity.

2. Get a coop or henhouse

You’ll need some basic supplies in order to keep your chicks healthy so they can grow and produce eggs.

Start with a secure coop that provides protection from the weather as well as from predators. Make sure it is properly ventilated but does not let in moisture which can make your chickens ill. You’ll also need a perch to encourage roosting in the henhouse.

A chicken’s natural instinct is to roost on limbs at night, so a perch — such as a wooden ladder — encourages them to do so inside instead of out.

3. Stock supplies to encourage egg laying

Depending on the breed, hens typically lay eggs once every day through spring and summer, and sometimes into fall. Hens need 12 to 14 hours of daylight to stimulate egg production, so adding a few hours of light as days shorten in fall will help extend the

More people are considering raising chickens out of an effort to be more self reliant. Benefits include growing food such as eggs and composting. start your flock correctly is laying season. In addition to to talk with people who are the light, you’ll need plenty of experienced in raising chicknutritious feed and a continuens. Your community may ous supply of water. Chickens have groups focused on self can eat some table scraps, including bread, cooked meats, reliance and green living. No fruits and vegetables. You’ll matter what, keep motivated also need wood shavings for in your efforts — raising chicklitter and cushioning nesting ens, growing food and living boxes. independently is a rewarding lifestyle for the entire family.

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Page 6 • Agriculture • Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014

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Steele County farmers preparing to hit the fields

By Al Strain

Owatonna People’s Press

OWATONNA — John Ihlenfeld said he’s hoping for a return to normalcy this year after last year’s growing season was filled with seemingly countless delays.

Ihlenfeld, who has farmed in Steele County for 40 years, and many other area farmers are preparing to begin planting crops in the next few weeks.

Agriculture 2014 Those farmers are hoping to get the crop in much sooner this year, espe1/8 red cially when they think of the extensive ko they experienced last year. delays Those delays included cold temperatures, untimely rains and a blizzard on May 2 that dumped more than a foot of snow on Steele County — all of which pushed back planting.

“That’s the latest it was. We were finishing up in mid-June. We’ve never gone through a year like that before, not that I can remember, in Steele County,” Ihlenfeld said. “It’s more back to normal. Back to normal is good.”

Ihlenfeld said right now, he’s doing a lot of work to make sure his farm equipment is ready to get out into the fields, which he’s hoping to do as soon as the soil warms up.

“We have all the machinery coming through the shop, basically doing preventive maintenance. All the machinery is coming through the shop or has come through the shop,” Ihlenfeld

Adams farmer joins state corn growers assoc. hall of fame

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said, adding that he was hoping to get into the fields sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Lynn Ketelsen, farm director for the Linder Farm Network, said a lot of farmers in southern Minnesota are making preparations that will allow them to get into the field as soon as the weather allows.

“I would say right now, the No. 1 thing that’s going on right now is the preparation of their equipment,” Ketelsen said. “They’re getting the tractors greased up and ready to go.

They’re getting things cleaned up and getting the tillage ready to go.”

Ketelsen said as soon as farmers can get into the fields, they’ll begin putting fertilizer in. Some farmers have completed that step already, he added.

But, it won’t be long before Steele County fields will once again be filled with tractors.

“I would say by next week, we’re going to see tilling going on at a pretty good pace across the region if we don’t get a lot of rain,” Ketelsen said. “Most of the land has been tiled, so drainage is pretty good, so just some warm temperatures and things can really get rolling in a hurry. As soon as they can plant, nowadays they’ll plant.”

Farmers are waiting for frost to get out of the ground before they start to plant. Ihlenfeld said he’s waiting for soil temperatures to get to around 50 degrees.

ADAMS — An Adams farmer was recently recognized for recruiting hundreds of members to a state corn association.

Gayle Bergstrom, an Adams farmer and member of the Mower County Corn and Soybean Growers Association, has been inducted into the inaugural class of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association Recruiter Hall of Fame. Bergstrom recruited 432 members to join MCGA and advocates on behalf of Minnesota’s corn farmers.

MCGA created the Recruiter Hall of Fame to recognize high-volume growerrecruiters who work to recruit new members and amplify the voice of Minnesota corn farmers. Bergstrom is one of five

inductees into the first hall of fame class out of 6,900 MGCA members.

“The voices of corn farmers are louder when we unite and speak as one instead of only speaking as individuals,” MCGA President Ryan Buck said in a press release. “I want to thank Gayle for working tirelessly over the years to recruit new members and help make MCGA the strong grassroots organization that it is today.”

Nominees for the MCGA Recruiter Hall of Fame must have recruited more than 300 members and been an active recruiter for at least five years.

MCGA’s Producer Services team selected inductees via secret ballot.

Each inductee receives $500 cash, an MCGA Hall of Fame jacket and a plaque.

Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014 • Agriculture • Page 7

Long-time Emmons farmer gears up for planting season

Soybeans can’t handle frost, so when they’re planted it should be when the weather’s expected to be consistent and preferably in the 70s.

Due to an overabundance and high concentration of rain last year, Marpe said his soybeans weren’t all planted until July 3. The ideal time to plant soybeans is mid-May, about a week after planting corn, he said.

Marpe said that not tilling is becoming a more popular conservation option, and that there can be benefits to holding soil and water back and planting into previous year’s nutrients. He also said a lot of farming equipment is consistently improving so that conservation efforts are more accessible to farmers.

“We need to step up,” Marpe said.

“Agriculture is getting blamed for most non-point source pollution.”

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

EMMONS — Conservation is becoming an ever-increasing factor in how Scott Marpe farms.

Marpe lives and farms on about 750 acres in Emmons, on land that’s been in his family for generations.

The land was made a homestead in 1876, and became a century farm in 1976. Marpe’s been living there since 2000. Marpe’s 82-year-old father, Roger, still helps him out from time to time on the farm.

Marpe has been farming since 1980 and is involved with a number of different agriculture-related organizations. He’s a volunteer water tester for restoration of Bear Lake and takes water samples for Ducks Unlimited. He has been an adviser to and a member of several committees having to do with treatment and restoration.

Marpe said the government has been adding incentives to encourage farmers to take conservation and the big picture into account when working on their land. He said there’s a big push to clean up ditches and put down cover-crops when fields aren’t being used. Cover crops, like clover or turnips, help ward off wind and water erosion. They keep the nutrients in the soil.

“All farmers are trying to do the best they can,” he said.

Marpe said soil is a building block of farming, and that its depletion directly affects a farmer’s bottom line.

An ideal soil temperature is above 50 degrees, especially if farming soybeans. Oats and corn can take slightly cooler weather but need to be watched carefully. Soil temperatures being too low can slow development and make crops more susceptible to diseases.

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Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune

Scott Marpe poses for a portrait in one of his equipment sheds on his Emmons farm.

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Page 8 • Agriculture • Albert Lea Tribune • Monday, April 28, 2014

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