Future Farmer Jan/Feb 2024

TALK THE FUTURE OF AG

Why Choose Stine Seed?

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FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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FEATURING

COVER STORY

CONTENTS

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THE FRONTLINES OF FARM RESEARCH WITH DR. SIMON LIU

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AGRICULTURAL TITAN RON OFFUTT

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FROM FINANCE TO FARMING

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INNOVATIVE GROWER FEATURE: KYLE COURTNEY

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THE STATE OF THE FERTILIZER MARKET

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EVENT CALENDAR

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FEEDING CORN SILAGE TO CATTLE CAN ADD VALUE

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GROWER PAIN POINT: HERBICIDE RESISTANT WEEDS

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GRAND FARM'S 2024 EVENTS & FIELD DAYS SCHEDULE

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WHEN BEES & CROPS THRIVE

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JAN/FEB 2024

January/February 2024 Volume 5 Issue 1

Future Farmer Future Farmer is published 6 times a year and is direct mailed to farmers throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. Find us online at Futurefarmermag.com.

Publisher EDITORIAL Editorial Team Lead Editors Art Director Editorial Graphic Designer Creative Strategist

Mike Dragosavich Brady Drake Brady@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Geneva Nodland, Grant Ayers Kim Cowles Ty Betts Josiah Kopp

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Future Farmer is published by Spotlight LLC, Copyright 2024 Future Farmer. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced or distributed without written permission of Future Farmer, and Spotlight LLC, is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to or reliance on such information. Spotlight LLC, accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers.

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PARTNER CONTENT

By Josiah Kopp |

provided by Western Agency

Leveraging Your Farming Operation with A Trusted Team How Western Agency's Approach to Agricultural Insurance is Helping Farmers in North Dakota Achieve More s the region’s largest independent insurance agency, the team at Western Agency prides themselves in great customer service and in doing the “heavy lifting” so their clients can get back to work, having peace of mind in knowing they’re in good hands.

“We are a proactive agency—we strive to stay ahead of opportunities and roadblocks for our clients,” CEO Ryon Boen said. “Whether that’s potential claim situations, new farm programs or annual changes to crop insurance, we are leveraging our proactive approach to ensure our clients are well-positioned to benefit.”

Since 1976, Western Agency has made serving farmers and ranchers across the Dakotas their ultimate mission. Their team of experts are here to provide expert tips and clear up misconceptions surrounding hail coverage and multi-peril crop insurance.

For many farmers, it can be hard to place trust in someone else to help navigate the financial and insurance side of

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their farming operation. Not only that, but it's also hard to trust that those helping can provide a top-tier experience while having your best interest in mind. Western Agency is providing exactly that with a sort of "kitchen-table conversation" approach that is based on more personable and approachable conversations and reassuring clients that the team at Western Agency has their backs.

"We are constantly pushing ourselves to be leaders in our space," CEO Ryon Boen said. "Training and educating ourselves with changes and new perspectives can really benefit the grower on multi-peril crop insurance, crop hail, and more. We take a team approach by having multiple sets of eyes on each policy which helps evaluate it in greater depth.”

"In the farm space, we recognize that farms are always evolving with equipment changes, use changes, and risk changes," VP of Farm Operations Jackie Larson said. "We work to be welcomed to the table so that we can hear what each farm family's goals are, allowing us to prepare and adapt their policies to match."

Meet the team at Western Agency Ryon Boen CEO

Jackie Larson VP Farm Operations

Dallas Varty Sales Director

A Thorough & Organized Approach The team at Western Agency pride themselves on being thorough and organized in every step of the process.

Especially for new clients who have never worked with them before, the Western Agency process is really what sets them apart from other agencies. And for those wondering what they can expect when working with Western Agency, Sales Director Dallas Varty explains, "By using proprietary data and formulas, we are able to make sure the client has as much information as possible to make an informed decision for their operation. We have multiple checkpoints throughout our process during the crop year which helps us in being proactive on any changes the grower may see throughout the year—which in turn allows our clients to adjust accordingly and make the most profitable decision."

"People who haven't worked with us in the past are occasionally surprised by the various ways we gather, organize, and display information for them, which helps provide peace of mind." Larson said.

Brian Erickson Crop Insurance Agent

Nikki Stiegelmeier Crop Insurance Agent

Shan Tonneson Crop Insurance Agent

Ryan Skarphol Crop Insurance Agent

Trevor Forest Crop Insurance Agent FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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PARTNER CONTENT

1. Your agent doesn’t really matter, it’s all the same product.

While this may be half true (it’s all the same product), it’s what you do and can do with the product that makes a difference. Having an agent that has a deep understanding of the product gives you the advantage.

2. Every year is the same so you don’t need to analyze your insurance coverage every year.

Because things like inputs, commodity prices, and weather change from year to year, It’s imperative to analyze the impacts of those and react by adjusting your insurance strategy accordingly. Our tools make those decisions easy for you to protect your operation from year to year.

3. Crop insurance and grain marketing are unrelated activities.

We understand crop insurance protects you in two ways, yield loss and price uncertainty. Marketing can protect you from the price side of things but nothing on yield.

Therefore, understanding how to marry the two together can afford you protection from both sides, allowing

Hear why people love working with Western Agency 14

JAN/FEB 2024

Debunking 5 Common Misconceptions About MCPI/Hail producers to forward market without holding all of the risk and maximize profit potential during the growing season when unknowns are at their highest.

4. Risk management is not a big consideration when setting a farmer’s operation plan for the year.

In today’s economic environment, farmers should understand the current year’s break-event costs and profit potential, then work with their agent to craft a risk management plan that best suits their risk tolerance and financial needs.

5. Prior to and after March 15th, there is not much a farmer can do to enhance their crop insurance program.

Actually, there are a number of private products that allow farms to strengthen their risk management program outside of the RMA-based products. The ability to use alternative pricing floor periods and methods or even single perils production-based solutions can be very beneficial in reducing overall profit risk. These products are available throughout the year.

"Everyone has customer service, but Western Agency goes above and beyond. They work with my precision ag and bring all my acres into their program to make certifying acres with them and FSA a breeze. If you're looking for efficiency in your operations and insurance, Western Agency is the team for you."

- Kim Saueressig, Saueressig Farm

4 Tips When Choosing the Right MPCI/Hail Coverage The agents at Western Agency understand that looking at all of the options and offerings for Crop Insurance coverage can be overwhelming. That’s why they have provided these key tips to consider when choosing the right coverage for you.

1. Keep an eye on break-even points and lock in profit when possible.

Understanding your break-even costs for each crop and choosing the coverage levels & options that at least meet those needs, so you don’t have to count sheep at night.

2. Work with an agent who understands how to maximize the use of options on crop insurance.

Identify profitability goals and determine if you can cover those with your insurance selections or if you need other hedging tools.

3. Protect the crop to its potential.

Select unit types that fit your ability and desire to accept or transfer risk.

4. Choose to work with agents who are making suggestions and are passionate about helping you to succeed.

Use your crop insurance to execute your marketing strategy to keep you on a path toward improving your financial position and adding value to your farming operation.

CONTINUED > "Western Agency's customer service is a painless experience because they pride themselves on relationship building. They make the meetings more like a meet-up of friends, rather than a normal business meeting. They are my go-to for ag coverage because they strive to go the extra mile in providing value. They provide proactive advice and are always looking to see what I can do to get the most out of my coverage.

What they do exceptionally well is utilizing technology and using it to really show the farmers how things work. They have countless spreadsheets for every situation and they use them to help me make the right decisions for my farm."

- Brian Knorr, Brian Knorr Farms FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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PARTNER CONTENT

Dedicated to investing in the community In addition to being trusted experts in insurance for farm, agribusiness, and ranch, the team at Western Agency is dedicated in giving back to the community. They believe it’s just as important for them to contribute to the communities where they work and do business as it is to sell the right policies to their individual clients.

For Boen and his team, that means giving back and investing in valuable resources. They believe investments in things like youth, education, and community programs present some of their greatest opportunities, both as a company and as individuals.

Giving back has always been at the heart of Western Agency that, to date, they have provided nearly $2 million in the form of collegiate scholarships, sponsorships and community event support to area communities and towns.

From educators and engineers to family-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and accountants, individuals who’ve benefitted from these contributions have grown from promising young students to valuable professionals, many of whom now work and live in the Dakotas. The team at Western Agency aren't just industry experts, they're family.

Connect with our crop insurance agents to learn how Western Agency can benefit your farming operation!

To get started with Western Agency’s outstanding service, visit western-agency.com or call 701.852.5383

"Western Agency has provided us with outstanding coverage on our Farm and Ranch policy: buildings, cattle, vehicles, and crops—they take care of all of our needs. They recently have educated themselves on the RCIS Livestock Revenue Program which provides producers like ourselves with a great base coverage for our unborn calves, feeder cattle, and fed cattle inventories to protect our bottom line.

We will continue going to Western Agency for our insurance needs because of their continued education on the products and services with an explanation that makes sense for our business. If there's a question, there's an immediate answer 16

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for us. They take pride in their performance and they do this exceptionally well! They are also very thoughtful during our busy planting, providing us with useful farm maps for easy record keeping and a great sack lunch in the field!

Jackie Larson from Western Agency has helped make our decision-making on our farming operation more profitable by explaining the different coverages based on our break-evens.

Not only has this improved our bottom line but it also gives us the peace of mind that we can trust our agent's knowledge in making the correct decisions."

- Lee Zimmerman, Sandhills Dairy

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By Brady Drake

by Geneva Nodland

an era where agriculture meets advanced technology, and global food security faces unprecedented challenges, the role of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Administrator is more crucial than ever. At the helm of this pivotal organization is Dr. Simon Liu. In this exclusive Q&A, we delve into Dr. Liu's fascinating path: from being a farm boy in Taiwan to shaping the future of agricultural research in the United States. We explore his experiences at NASA, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Justice, and the National Institute of Health, and how these diverse roles prepared him for his current position. Dr. Liu shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities facing agricultural research, his ambitious vision for ARS, and the transformative projects under his guidance.

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Dr. Simon Liu currently serves as the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Prior to becoming the ARS Administrator, Dr. Liu held the position of Associate Administrator for Research Management and Operations at ARS for more than seven years, starting in February 2015. His contributions extend to his previous role as the Director of the National Agricultural Library (NAL), which is recognized as the world’s largest and most accessible research library specializing in agriculture.

Dr. Liu's career has spanned various significant positions, including serving as the Associate Director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and as the Director of the NLM Computer and Communications System. He has also held leadership roles in the US Departments of Justice and Treasury and has worked in the private sector, where he led information system development and conducted space mission studies in support of NASA missions and operations.

In his current role as ARS administrator, Dr. Liu oversees more than 660 research projects spread across four national program areas, conducted by approximately 2,000 scientists and postdoctoral researchers at over 90 research locations nationwide, including a few laboratories overseas.

His leadership is instrumental in guiding ARS's efforts to leverage advances in science and technology and develop innovative solutions to agricultural challenges at both national and global levels​.

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A: My journey started when I was a kid—I was a full-time student and a part-time farmer since I was seven years old. I did this until I came to the United States for graduate studies.

I was a farm boy in Taiwan. My parents were both farmers and my three siblings are all farmers too. So, since I was seven, I needed to go to the field to remove weeds.

After I finished my PhD, I worked for quite a few different agencies. First I worked for NASA. I worked on three missions. One was very interesting because it had a strong relationship with agriculture... This kind of made me realize that everything I do is relative to farming.

Later on, I served as the chief architect of the Treasury Department.

Then, I moved on to the Department of Justice to serve as an assistant director, and deputy director, and director of Information Management and Security.

Then, I moved on to the National Institute of Health to become the associate director for the National Library of Medicine and the director of its information systems.

Then, I came to ARS. Through this journey, especially as I get older, I ask myself what I should do. Well, my thinking is as I move through my career, the position is no longer important.

I need to support the ag industry. The ag industry brought me up—I need to do something for the ag industry. That's why I moved from [the National Institutes of Health] (NIH) to the ag industry to join ARS. My wife asked me why and I said, "Honey, I'm pursuing my passion." I just feel like at my age, I need to do something for ag before I retire. I have been trying to answer the call of my soul and pursue my passion.

With ARS, I served in the associate administrator role for seven years, observing my boss to see how she did it. Then, I became the administrator. To me, it's an honor and a humbling experience to serve in this position.

My experience can be boiled down to a simple "3 P" principle: the people, the process, and the program. This "3 P" principle has really helped to shape my approach to serving as the administrator. Over the past 30 years, I have been serving in leadership roles and the "3 P" principle works everywhere I go. First, as a leader, you need to assemble a diverse, complimentary, high-performance team of people. I cannot do anything without a high-performance team—this is critical to any job. A good team is not enough though, you need to continue to push your processes. In an organization like ARS, we have so many processes and rules and regulations, and as time goes by, it becomes important to continue to mature your process so success can be repeatable... My goal and belief is that with good processes, not only a few team members are stars, but all of them are stars. The third thing is the program, which has to be innovative. As a leader, we need to think outside of the box. We need to challenge conventional wisdom and any kind of old paradigms and adopt innovative ideas. Innovation can come in processes, research methods, research technology—you name it.

A: No, I was the only kid to go to university. One of my sisters never went to school and the majority of my siblings only graduated elementary school. The countryside in Taiwan, at the time, was kind of underdeveloped. My house didn't have electricity, you had to work in the field all day, and there were mosquitos everywhere—nobody wanted to study. So, I'm the lucky one who was able to study and pursue my dream.

A: As a culture, we all admire the United States. We all thought the United States was the land of opportunity with the best universities and best industries—that's why I came here. This has been a very rewarding experience for me. I'm so very grateful to this country that provided me opportunity as an immigrant.

A: As an agency, we conduct many different types of research. So, I don't have particular things in one particular area because they are all important.

According to Liu, organizations are all about the people, the processes, and the program.

A: We had a small farm—about four acres—that fed a family of eight kids. We grew primarily rice, yams, and sugarcane. We grew vegetables to feed our family. Everything was by hand.

We didn't use any machines.

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We look at ways to improve crop production. We look at ways to protect crops from different diseases. We do the same thing with animal research. We need to produce as many animals as possible so we can feed the nation. We are also concerned with how we can preserve our natural resources and leave them for future generations. We also need to ensure that the food we produce has enough nutrients and that the food we produce is safe.

My vision for the agency is pretty simple. I would like to see ARS as a global leader in discoveries through scientific excellence. The vision is clear and simple. We have been a leader for many years and we have a strong desire to expand our lead in the years ahead.

There are a few areas that I'm particularly interested in. One is as ARS as an agency—we have to be agile. We have to be agile to address emerging issues in a timely fashion. In order to do so, we need to continue to strengthen our ability to quickly adapt to new technology. We need to adapt to

unexpected challenges and things like climate change. Now, agility itself is not enough—innovation is the key to discovery.

As an agency, we need to continue to expand our innovations.

For me as an administrator, I need to expand our innovation ecosystem. I need to cultivate an innovation culture—that is critical today with all the advanced technology. There will be lost opportunities if we do not leverage advanced technology to do our research. Also, whatever research we do, has to be relevant. Our job is to deliver research to address agriculture challenges for Americans every day from field to table—especially the growers... I preach for our research to be customer-focused.

A: There are quite a few challenges we face, but I'm going to just focus on a few. First of all, there is a decline in research and development investment... If you factor in the rising cost of ag research, funding has decreased by about 33% since its peak in 2002. The United States is falling behind other countries when it comes to the investment we are making in ag research. We are behind China—they surpassed us in ag funding 10 years ago. We are also behind the European Union.

Countries like India and Brazil are almost catching up to us. To me, that is the biggest challenge.

The second challenge we face is the aging infrastructure in the laboratory. At ARS, we have about 3,000 buildings in 95 locations across the country. The average age of the buildings is about 50 years old. The same challenge exists for the land grant universities. Back in 2021, I participated in a land grant university survey looking at their laboratories. The report indicated that 70% of those buildings are at the end

of their useful lifecycle. The report estimated that the cost of updating these is $11.5 billion and the cost to replace them is $38 billion.

The third major challenge is climate change and the growing population. We need to increase our productivity to feed people. Climate change, higher temperatures, drought, the spread of pests and diseases, and natural disasters have decreased global agriculture productivity in recent years. As a result, consumers have to pay a higher cost for food. At the same time, farmers' livelihoods are under pressure. This is a big challenge and as a research organization, we need to really respond to this kind of challenge.

A: We work with many federal agencies. One example would be our work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to promote the best practices and to improve soil erosion, and soil quality, to reduce the loss of top soils and so on and so forth... We also work with NASA. Right now, we have a space station. In the future, there may be more travel to outer space and when you go there, you need to have food. It's impossible to transport all the food from the ground to up there. So, that means you need to grow food in space. You need to produce something in an extreme, extreme environment without water, fertilizer, or soil—that's a challenge. We have been working with NASA to explore the possibilities to do this so we can grow in space and feed our astronauts. Certainly, we work with the Department of Energy. We work with the Commerce Department. We work with the EPA and many others.

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We also work with academic institutions. About a third of our 95 locations around the country are co-located with universities. This means that we sit on their campus because we like the proximity to work with the faculty, work with the students, and recruit future farmers. We have a collaboration agreement with over 100 academic institutions around the country.

A: We work to provide a solution to our growers and our ranchers in a timely fashion. There are a few things that I'm very excited about. Breeding different crops and different animals is a very time-consuming endeavor. It takes many many years. We have a need to breed new varieties that are not only nutritious but also able to adapt to climate change, drought, and pest resistance. One of our goals is to apply advanced technology to shorten the breeding time. If we could take something that takes a decade and shorten it to a third of that, that'd be good. We collaborate with the land grant universities, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the USAID, to develop the Breeding Insight Platform.

The Breeding Insight Platform was developed to transform breeding through genomic insight and genomic selection as a part of our breeding program across the USDA. We have had pretty good success with it in the past five years... Right

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now, we have used this breeding platform with more than 25 species... Our plan in the next five years is to use it on 60 different specialty crops.

Using AI and machine learning technology, you can select a better variety by looking at the genomic typing and phenotyping and reducing the breeding period. This is a tremendous achievement and we've had early success. I'm very, very excited to see this tool come to complete fruition.

There is another area that I'm excited about. We need to protect our animals from different kinds of diseases. African Swine Fever devastated the European and Asian countries.

So far, there is none in this country yet, but it appeared in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and we are afraid about it spreading to our country. ARS is conducting research on African Swine Fever and we have developed a couple of candidates for a vaccine. Two have been licensed and field trials are being done in Vietnam and it has been very successful. Right now, we are using the same thing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. If African Swine Fever comes to this country, there will be billions lost in the industry. This is very important to protect this nation from emerging animal diseases.

In the past 12 months, this country has depopulated millions of chickens because of Avian Influenza. At ARS, we developed an Avian Influenza vaccine.

We need to feed people and provide them with enough nutrition to raise their health. We have also implemented something called precision nutrition. This is a research program that we do through Texas A&M to try and reduce the cancer rates in the nation. NIH is doing the research, but food is the medicine. We look at it from the nutrition and agriculture perspective and how we can improve it to improve the health of the people in this nation.

Another thing I'm excited about is the circular economy project. This is for the corn farmers right now. This project is to convert corn production to an overwinter system that recycles nitrogen and other fertilizer chemical compounds.

This is a joint research project with more than 40 scientists from several different ARS locations and from 12 universities and from the seed private sectors. The goal of this project is to reduce the input and production costs. We also are aiming to increase yield, and productivity, and reduce the environmental footprint... If we are successful, this will change the landscape of corn production, especially with the climate change we are facing.

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A: This award means a great deal. Grand Farm is an innovative farming practice. They have a good network.

They are farmer-centric. They have agencies involved, institutions involved, and companies involved. It's a very exciting environment. They have a network similar to ARS. I like to see their network thrive. Grand Farm is very innovative in terms of its approach. To me, innovation is the key to future ag research... Grand Farm is a rising star in applying technical innovation to address issues.

A: ARS is very open; we not only welcome, but encourage partnerships with institutions, organizations, startups, stakeholder groups, and farmers to address the challenges we face every day in agriculture.

Agricultura Titan

Ron Offutt

Celebrating a Lifetime of Impact and Innovation

on Offutt, founder of R. D. Offutt Company, is a giant in agriculture. On February 1, he received a Lifetime Impact Award from Emerging Prairie, something he is well deserving of.

In 1968, Ron Offutt, at the age of 26, embarked on a journey that would transform him from a modest farmer in Moorhead, MN, into a pioneering entrepreneur in the agricultural sector.

While initially working alongside his father and utilizing equipment from a local John Deere dealership, Ron's path took a decisive turn when he ventured into the business world by acquiring a dealership in Casselton, ND. This move marked the beginning of the R.D. Offutt Company, laying the foundation for what would become a vast network of over 86 stores across 12 states.

We were lucky enough to sit down with him for a quick interview ahead of the award ceremony.

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submitted by R.D. Offutt Company

FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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Q&A with RON OFFUTT

Q: What was it like growing up on the farm? What do you remember about that?

A: When I was growing up, my dad was primarily a potato farmer with only a moderate amount of success. He was always an optimist with pricing and oftentimes in potato production, prices aren't your friend.

When I got out of college, I came into a partnership with my father, and we did the same thing that he had been doing. After about three years, we weren't moving the ball very much.

I didn't know how much future there was on the farming side. So, I had the opportunity to go into the equipment business and I did. In 1968, I bought a John Deere dealership in Casselton, ND. I was in there for about a year running the day-today operations. After that time, I decided two things.

Number one, I wasn't very good at running a store.

Number two, I really didn't like running a store. So, I hired a manager to manage the store and I went back to the farm.

That's kind of how the whole thing started. What changed our future in potato farming was the time period. That was when quick-serve restaurants were just coming into the picture. McDonald's had just started going nationwide—you had other quick-serve restaurants popping up as well. Those restaurants really grew the french fry business—which gave us a lot of opportunity for very rapid growth.

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At the same time that was happening, a lot of the central sandlands in the state of Minnesota were coming out of the soil bank program. A lot of the farmers who put their land in a soil bank program for 10 years weren't going to go back and farm the land. Those lands aren't very productive unless they're irrigated. It was also a time when center pivot irrigation was just starting to get going. We found out very quickly that if we put water on that sand, it was very good potato production land. That allowed us an opportunity to expand along with the french fry industry.

We jumped from 400 acres to 3,000 acres in one year. If we had failed that year, I wouldn't be farming or doing any of this today.

Q: Was that a pretty nerve-wracking time for you back then?

A: No, I think I was too young and stupid. It should have been.

Q: When you graduated from Concordia College, was there any consideration of doing anything other than returning to the farm?

Did you know?

R.D. Offutt Farms is recognized as the largest potato farming operation in the United States with farmland spread across multiple states.

A: During my senior and junior year in college, I interviewed for jobs. Most of the interviews were with insurance companies. I knew from those interviews that I didn't want to be one of those folks who had to go sit at a desk every day. I wanted to be a farmer and follow in my father's footsteps.

Q: It sounds like you turned over that John Deere dealership to a manager pretty quickly— why do you think you were able to do that?

A: I learned very, very shortly after I hired the manager that it's a lot easier to manage a manager than to manage the store yourself. Because when you're managing a manager, you get the benefit of hindsight. You see the mistakes that

CONTINUED

Q&A with RON OFFUTT

he or she has made and you probably would have made the same mistake if you were calling the shots on a day-to-day basis. But when you have hindsight working for you, it sure cleans up that vision. That allowed us to drive a culture of taking care of the customers. I instilled in our team very early that our number one job was to take care of the customer. If you give them satisfaction, they'll come back again.

Q: In your experience, what do you think makes a good manager?

A: Natural leadership. A good leader is one who circulates and talks to the people that he works with every day. They talk about things to accomplish during the day and assist in going out and helping everybody do their job a little bit better.

There's no such thing as a bad John Deere store. There are John Deere stores that have bad managers.

If you get a manager who thinks they're a cut above the rest and who thinks they are there to be served instead of being

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the server, you've got a bad manager. And we've had those in the past. And fortunately, through experience, we've been able to spot them.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you have faced in your career?

A: I've always had more ideas than I had money. Money was always an obstacle which caused me initially to do a lot of things in partnership with people. A big backbone of our company has been with partners. They've brought different things to the business whether it was money, talent, ground, worker bees—just different things.

It's easy to see a partner that can add to the strength of your organization. Our involvement in the french fry industry has always been a partnership. Idahoan Foods started out as a partnership—now we own 97% of it. I have one partner and a very close friend of mine who I formed a potato-growing partnership with in 1965. We graduated from high school and we're still partners today and still friends.

CONTINUED

Q&A with RON OFFUTT

"We jumped from 400 acres to 3,000 acres in one year. If we had failed that year, I wouldn't be farming or doing any of this today."

Q: So, it seems like you've been able to pick pretty good partnerships over the years.

Q: What do you think your most significant career achievements have been?

A: For the most part, yeah, for the most part. We've had partnerships that didn't work out, but most have. If you treat the other person fair, they treat you fair—that's the way it works.

A: There are a few things that differentiate us. Number one is we have a great amount of diversity in the company. We've got John Deere stores in different climates that serve different types of customers, from North Dakota to Texas to California.

That in and of itself lends to a lot of diversity. On top of that, maybe 55% of our stores are construction equipment. So if the whole agriculture picture is having a down year, that doesn't necessarily mean construction is in bad shape.

Likewise, when the economy is in a recession, and the construction stores are slow, that doesn't mean agriculture is.

Q: Please tell me if I'm wrong, but it seems like that lack of money may have been a good thing in that it drove you to create those partnerships.

A: I don't know whether you can emphatically say that. We enter into partnerships for a variety of reasons, and capital is just one of them. The fact that we didn't have much money gave me a tremendous drive to want to achieve. I wanted to be successful. It gave me that tenacity.

If something didn't work, I tried to figure out why it didn't work and went back and tried it again. Or if we were just doing the wrong thing, we analyzed that, recognized that it might be a mistake, and got out as quickly as we could.

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Back during the recession in 2008 and 2009, I remember very distinctly that the ag stores and construction stores in North Dakota and Montana were working really well because of the Bakken. They helped pick up the slack that we incurred in Arizona and Texas.

I think the fact that we spend a lot of effort on developing leadership within the company and developing people who we are tremendously proud of and the people who work for us is a differentiator. My daughter Christi was really responsible for developing the culture. When I was getting started, things were different. I knew everybody. When you get so big, you don't know everybody. We really have a sense of camaraderie, respect, innovation, and entrepreneurialism.

The RDO Tower in Downtown Fargo |

submitted by R.D. Offutt Company

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Q&A with RON OFFUTT

The RDO Equipment Co. Moorhead location |

Q: If you had to give a young agriculture entrepreneur some advice, what would you tell them?

First off, I'd congratulate them because they're choosing to go into a very good profession. Secondly, I would tell them not to jump in too big. I would tell them to take things just a bit conservative and that time will take care of growth.

Rightly or wrongly, one of the things that led to the sudden growth of our company is that I was kind of a deal junkie. And it worked out that as opportunities presented themselves and if I had the money at the time, we jumped on them. That's what spread us out over the western part of the United States.

If it takes partnerships to make those things happen, find partnerships.

Q: Do you have any regrets about your career?

A: I've jumped into things that I wish I hadn't got into. I really don't have a lot of regrets though. I enjoy what I do. I sit here at 81 years old, and I still enjoy going to work. Don't ask me what I accomplish these days, but I still go to work. I enjoy it.

submitted by R.D. Offutt Company

Q: What do you enjoy about work?

A: Probably the social structure. The employees become friends. The customers that we've served for a long time. The whole interpersonal reaction you have with the people you work with.

Q: If you look at the agriculture landscape, where do you see it heading? What do you see?

A: I see a tremendous amount of opportunity as the world population continues to grow. The opportunity is going to be in the data and the technology and the value-added products.

Q: Is there anything else you want to say to the readers?

A: I would encourage any young person today who is looking and thinking about a career to give all the consideration you can to agriculture. It's exciting, and I think the next 40 years are going to be better than the last 40, and the last 40 hasn't been bad.

Ron Offutt is a bold entrepreneur and a profound influence in agriculture. Offutt's legacy is built on a foundation of hard work, strategic partnerships, and a keen focus on customer satisfaction. His approach to business, blending traditional values with modern strategies, has left a mark on the industry. He is very deserving of his award.

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Meet the Entrepreneurs Who Founded Great Plains Greens Financial analysts by day, lettuce and herb farmers by night? Yep, that's the life of Dylan Kallman, Lee Vetsch, and Jon Wyffels, the founders of Great Plains Greens.

FROM FINANCE TO FARMING

By Brady Drake |

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Gary Ussery

DYLAN KALLMAN

LEE VETSCH

JON WYFFELS

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Here you can see the nursery station as well as the system’s app which can remotely control the shipping container’s environment.

he trio, who met through classes at North Dakota State, quickly became friends—they shared similar interests and all worked together at the school's student investment fund.

After graduation they went their separate ways. Dylan Kallman works as a Financial Analyst for Ulteig in Fargo. Lee Vetsch works as an analyst at the Venture Capital Firm Ospraie Ag Science and lives in Salt Lake City, UT. Jon Wyffels works as a Senior Financial Analyst at UnitedHealth Group and lives in Minneapolis, MN. However, the group stayed in touch and jumped at a business opportunity together.

"We all had a business urge and wanted good competent partners that we trusted," Vetsch said. "We trusted and respected each other to do something together.

So, we were just searching for the right opportunity."

That opportunity came along when Vetsch learned about Freight Farms through his day job with the venture capital firm.

"One of our investment pillars is actually controlled environment ag technology," Vetsch said. "The manufacturer of this technology is one of our portfolio companies that we invested in. North Dakota was actually the only state without any of their units operating. The economics were good and we saw a demand in the private sector so we thought, 'Why not?'"

From there, the trio was approved for an APUC grant from the State of North Dakota and they began to get to work.

"80-90% of the container was already retrofitted and ready to go for us," Kallman said. "We had to do some customization and setup, but everybody does."

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THE FREIGHT FARMS SYSTEM Freight Farms' vertical farming systems utilize advanced techniques to maximize agricultural productivity in a compact space—a 320 sq. ft. shipping container. Utilizing hydroponics, vertical farming allows plants to grow in nutrient-rich water without soil.

fertilizer and applies it directly to the plants' roots. This is a much more optimal form of fertilization than traditional field spraying due to it being directly applied to the plant’s roots. The system also utilizes artificial light that has multiple spectrum options to ensure the most efficient yield possible.

How it works

Currently, the Great Plains Greens team is growing different varieties of lettuce as well as herbs like basil.

The plants at Great Plains Greens begin in the "nursery" section of the shipping container where the seeds are grown in peat moss grow plugs. According to Freight Farms, this station holds up to 4,608 seedlings in 16 trays, each with 288 cells. Seedlings spend around 21 days here, receiving enough nutrients and light to develop strong stems and leaves before being moved to the cultivation area​.

"Lettuce is a very water-intensive crop, but with our method, we're using about 99% less water because everything is targeted," Vetsch said. "We don't have to pay for water, but there is the utility cost of the electricity. But, it's actually a lot more economical than you would think because the productivity on a square foot basis is so high. We don't have to use tractors, trucks, and a lot of other inputs that come with traditional farming."

"Currently, these plugs are the only waste we have," Kallman, who is the main farmhand, said.

Once in the cultivation area, Great Plains Greens utilizes a hydroponic drip system that uses a gallon of water mixed with

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The container can utilize both red, blue, and ultra violet light for optimal yield.

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The hydroponic system that mixes water and fertilizer.

Where They Are Headed The Great Plains Greens team has only been harvesting since March 2023 and they've already made significant progress. They have participated in the local farmer's market and have sold their produce to multiple restaurants in the area including Teddy's, Rustica, and Blackbird Woodfire Pizza. They also sell their produce online through the Red River Harvest Cooperative.

FOLLOW GREAT PLAINS GREENS greatplainsgreens.co redriverharvest.com search "Great Plains Greens" @greatplainsgreens

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Right now, Great Plains Greens is delivering between 20 to 40 pounds of lettuce and herbs a week and they are passing out their produce to any restaurant in the area willing to take a sample.

"With this first container, we are really trying to understand the market size, public interest, and what to grow," Kallman said. "We are trying to introduce new varieties of lettuce that have not been popularized in North Dakota due to lack of availability."

However, they believe that they can offer a unique and complimentary option to the community.

"In the Midwest, we import about 90% of our fresh produce from California, Arizona, and Mexico," Wyffels said. "We're an ideal partner because our products have a much longer shelf life than those imports. We can harvest something and deliver it within the same hour in Fargo-Moorhead. We're not going to take away from traditional local agriculture, just add to it. Right now, there are some greenhouses that operate year-round in the state. However, those greenhouses still have to deal with diminished light in the winter. Productivity takes a hit. We run on artificial light so we are just as efficient in the winter as we are in the summer and spring."

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By Brady Drake |

by Josiah Kopp

Innovative Grower Feature

Kyle Courtney Q: You worked another job after graduating college, why did you want to come back to the farm?

About Kyle Courtney Kyle's agricultural journey involves growing corn, soybeans, and wheat. His commitment to agriculture goes beyond his farm; he's been a member of the Dickey County Water Resource Board, chaired the Dickey County FSA Board, and now leads as CEO of Rentease.

A: Farming is a lifestyle when it's ingrained in you. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to farm. I was lucky enough to get out of college at NDSU and try a different job as a stockbroker for a couple of years, but all that did was reinforce how much I wanted to farm.

Right now, I have an eight-year-old, I have twin girls who are six, I have a four-year-old, I have a one-year-old, and I have a newborn. And my eightyear-old Everett says that he wants to farm. Now, whether that stays that way or not, I'm not going to push them one way or the other. Because at the end of the day, it still has to be his choice. But a lot of the farmers I know don't do it for the money. They do it for the love and the passion of wanting to create something better for the next generation—that's how I feel. I'm fortunate enough to love what I do. I get up every day, and no matter if it's planting, harvesting or whatever—it still doesn't feel like a job.

Q: What do you love about it?

The wide open space and the feeling of trying to build something for the next generation. You also get to be out in nature all day every day. I get to hop out of the combine at night, shut it off, and look up at the stars—that's a cool feeling.

Q: Can you tell me about your operation?

A: I'm a fifth-generation farmer. I started farming in 1999. In 2012 I brought in my cousin Drew to help. And today we farm with a lot of help from my uncles and other family members.

My mother is still involved in the farm.

My wife and six of the kids help out as much as they can. We're slowly getting my eight-year-old trained in on certain things.

As far as the technology, we try a lot of the things that come from Precision Planting and PTI. If they can show an ROI on their farm down in Illinois, we adopt them up here and see if we can

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replicate it. We are typically looking for those investments that show a return within three to five years. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't because our soils up here are different than what we see down there.

A lot of the testing right now is done down in the I States, but I think one of the things Grand Farm is trying to do is bring more of that testing up here.

This should get us more relevant data for adopting those new technologies that are coming out.

Our farm is located in Oakes, ND about six miles from the South Dakota border. We generally farm corn and soybeans. We plant a couple of quarters of wheat every year so we can get some tiling done.

One of the practices that is new to our area is drain tile, which is a hot button topic right now. It's a relatively newer technology for the area where you put plastic pipe in the ground at a certain spacing dependent on soil type. The ideal function of soil is 25% air 25% water and 50% soil. That's the ideal growing conditions for crop and drain tile helps you achieve those conditions. Doing this wasn't very common in our area even 10 years ago, but now more farmers are doing it. It seems like if farmers do one quarter, they want to continue doing it because they see results from it.

Our farm is in the James River Valley Basin so we're kind of at the edge of where salinity becomes a big issue, which hurts crop potential. However, once we put tile in, our yield improved.

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Q: Why do you consider drain tiles such a hot button issue?

A: Because it's so new to the area.

There are not many people doing it right now, but it is expanding.

I'm pretty fortunate that in my location, everybody gets along.

Everybody tries to help each other out. So, in our area, if somebody tries something that looks like it's working, it's not very long before other people start trying it as well.

The downside to tiling is it's a lot of paperwork because you have to work with National Resources Conservation Service. You have to work with Fish and Wildlife. It's cost-intensive to hire someone to do it. The machinery to do it yourself isn't cheap either. It is expensive on a per-acre basis to do it.

So you have to look at the long-term effects of it.

The nice thing about drain tile is once it's in the ground, it's there for 100 years. It's not just affecting me in my generation, it'll affect my kids, and it'll affect my grandkids. Every farmer I know wants to leave the ground in better condition than what they found it in. This is one thing I can point to that will do that.

Q: So, you think it's a no brainer if you have the means to do it?

A: Yes, but it's not one size fits all either. Because, like I said, there's a lot of paperwork that has to go into it.

You need a viable outlet for the water to be able to transition to a lake, a stream, or a holding pond. One of the downsides that people talk about with it is fertilizer runoff. We haven't found

any of that at all. Fertilizer is expensive and as a producer, we don't want to be putting money out there that we would basically be flushing down the toilet. We also want to make sure we're environmentally friendly.

Q: Do you do the tiling yourself?

A: The first project we hired out. Now, we do about 50/50. I do about half the projects myself, and I hire out the other half. It's a long process—it's not something you're going to get done in a day. You have to figure in a couple of months to get through all the paperwork. Plus, putting in the tile takes a while as well. The big companies that do it can get about 160 acres done in a week. If you're doing it yourself, you'll probably have to add a couple of days to that.

Farmers have to wear a lot of hats. We're planting or spraying or harvesting, we're working on machinery, we're marketing, spending time trying to figure out the best way to market our crops.

Q: Going back to technology, what are some of the most successful products you've used in your operation?

A: The biggest thing for us is the data. We've been tracking our planting populations, our fertilizer use, and our harvest results since 2004. When you have that type of data built up, you can start making what are called variable rate maps, which allow you to tell which parts of the field respond well to different types of inputs.

Instead of farming in 160 acre chunks, we can now get very precise and farm in 5-10 acre chunks.

About MZB MZB Technologies LLC is a company specializing in precision agronomy, providing services and technologies that assist with the site-specific management of agricultural inputs.

They offer solutions that include agronomy training, sales consulting, and GIS mapping services to support their MZB system, a program focused on site-specific zone management in agriculture.

The MZB system is built around the concept of managing nutrient variability within different zones of a field, based on yield goals. This approach has shown significant advantages over whole-field scale management. The system involves creating multiple management zones within a field, which can be up to 12 zones, based on various parameters like soil electrical conductivity (EC), RTKmeasured elevation, and yield potential.

These zones are soil-sampled to determine optimal nutrient efficiencies, which then inform the development of tailored fertilizer and seed population recommendations.

MZB Analytics, a feature of MZB Technologies, was launched in 2022 to provide Agtegra farmers with a platform for analyzing their agronomic and economic data. This service packages data in easy-to-read reports and dashboards, allowing users to identify issues in nutrition, seeding, and crop protection, as well as to evaluate the overall health and productivity of their fields. A notable aspect of MZB Analytics is its ability to benchmark field profitability, enabling farmers to see which fields and crops are most profitable and how inputs could be adjusted for higher profit.

Q: What company do you use for that analysis?

Q: Do you have any more advice for growers out there?

A: We use MZB.

A: Diversification is important.

We started a company called Rentease, which is a peer-topeer rental app where farmers can rent pieces of equipment when they aren't being used.

Q: What other pieces of tech have you adopted?

A: Even up to probably 15 years ago, tilling was done with a laser.

You'd set up a laser with a grade level on it... Now, we do all of our tilling with GPS. On the sprayer side of it, singlerow nozzle shut-offs are getting to be a big deal. We installed a camera system on our sprayer this past year that can read the percent of foliage when we're spraying soybeans.

We're testing that right now.

White mold is a big detriment to our operation. It's probably one of the biggest impacts from a negative standpoint that affects us on the soybean crop. But it's not an every-year deal. It can hit some years and not hit the next... We're using the sprayers to address that.

Q: What advice do you have for other growers out there looking to adopt new pieces of technology?

A: The best advice is always the advice you get from your neighbors. Find out what is working for them. What works in other geographical regions might not work in the Red River Valley. What works in the Red River Valley might not work in northwestern North Dakota.

Returning to farming after a stint as a stockbroker, Kyle’s commitment is evident in his diverse farming practices.

Embracing cutting-edge technologies like GPS tilling and precision agriculture tools from MZB Technologies, he illustrates the importance of datadriven farming. There is no doubt Kyle is an innovative grower!

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By Brady Drake

The State of the Fertilizer Market he fertilizer industry currently stands as a distinctive market commodity, influenced by a mix of geopolitical tensions, trade restrictions, and a paradigm shift towards sustainable practices. While comprehensively covering the entire state of this complex market in a single article is unachievable, insights we were lucky to receive from two innovative companies, Pivot Bio and Nutrien, offered us valuable perspectives. Through discussions with these industry leaders, we've gained a deeper understanding of the current dynamics shaping the fertilizer market, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

In our discussion with Pivot Bio, a trailblazer in agricultural biotechnology, the team shared their expertise in creating microbial solutions aimed at improving crop nutrition. They highlighted the drawbacks associated with traditional fertilizer technologies and explained how their innovative approach is poised to overcome these challenges. By focusing on microbial solutions, Pivot Bio is not only addressing issues like environmental impact and efficiency but also paving the way for a more sustainable agricultural future. This conversation provided valuable insights into how cutting-edge biotechnology is transforming fertilizer practices.

In our conversation with Nutrien, a leading figure in global agricultural products and services, they elaborated on their recent advancements in the fertilizer sector.

Additionally, they provided a comprehensive overview of the current supply chain challenges impacting the market. This dialogue with Nutrien offered valuable insights into how one of the industry's major players is navigating and addressing these complex issues.

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About Pivot Bio Pivot Bio is a pioneer in agricultural biotechnology, focusing on creating microbial solutions to improve crop nutrition. Their main innovation lies in engineering microbials that capture nitrogen from the atmosphere, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional synthetic fertilizers. This approach aims to enhance efficiency and yield in agriculture while reducing environmental impacts like leaching and denitrification.

Pivot Bio Q: What is Pivot Bio? Bill Shores: At Pivot Bio, we engineer microbials that take nitrogen from the atmosphere and feed the excess amount of it to the plants.

Logan Heinrich: One other difference between us and other fertilizer companies is that we are only in the nitrogen spaces. We aren't working with phosphorus or potash or anything else—at least as of yet.

Q: How is your product improving efficiency, yield—those sorts of things? What are you seeing in testing?

Logan: Efficiency is a little different when you compare us to the other traditional, synthetic-type fertilizers.

For one avenue, we are much more efficient, 100% versus 40%-60% for synthetic nitrogen, because our microbes are growing on the root system and feeding nitrogen directly into the plant. We don't have to worry about leaching because of rainfall or denitrification or anything like that. It's a little bit of a different ballgame when you talk about efficiencies with us vs. synthetics because it's not apples to apples.

Q: What is the benefit to creating a microbial fertilizer as opposed to a synthetic fertilizer?

Dan Grefsrude: It's more sustainable.

It takes a lot of energy to produce a synthetic fertilizer. This is a biological fertilizer. It's cleaner.

Logan: It's much better for overall soil health. When you're adding synthetics, you're not just adding a fertilizer— you're adding a lot more to that soil profile. We are cleaning up the soil a bit. We can help mitigate any type of salt runoff and we're cutting down on leaching.

Bill: The overall carbon footprint of our product versus of a traditional synthetic is crazy. Just 12.8 ounces of our Liquid In Furrow product replaces 86 pounds of urea.

Q: How dire is the need for something like this to be adopted?

Bill: I don't think the need is dire.

But too much leaching is bad for the environment. Denitrification is bad for the environment. This is something that is naturally occurring. We have tweaked the microbes. We haven't

added anything to them. We have tweaked them just enough so they can produce nitrogen to sustain themselves and then give off excess to the plant. They're just pulling the nitrogen from the atmosphere. It's probably not dire, but it's a good idea to be going in that direction.

The difference with our microbes is that they are providing that additional nitrogen that they pull from the atmosphere. Native microbes that aren't tweaked are just giving off small amounts of nitrogen and the native microbes consume as much or more than they give off. At the end of the day, the benefit to the environment from our microbes is huge.

Dan: It all depends on what you consider dire to be. If you consider global climate change, this is one of the dominos where we can try to mitigate some of those issues.

With this, we can start cutting down on overall emissions. We can start integrating different tactics on the farm level that might cut down on carbon footprint further.

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manage from a grower's perspective.

This is a good product that is going to help alleviate a lot of problems at the farm level and even at the global level.

I think it would be a bigger pill to swallow for a lot of our customers. But, a lot of our customers also want to be able to replace more.

Bill: When a grower takes synthetic fertilizer to an acre, that fertilizer is left to the wolves. Mother nature can do so many things to it because it's stored in the soil and the soil is a poor place to store these things. Our microbials are living and surviving on the root system and they're taking and creating it right there.

We just need to educate growers on applying these products. It's not just farmers, it's crop advisors as well and everyone involved.

Q: Are people adopting your method of doing things pretty freely or are you finding that people still need more education on what you guys are offering?

Bill: The interest is very high in what we are doing and how we are doing it. Now, keep in mind that synthetic fertilizer has been around for a century and guys are comfortable with it.

They all have their nitrogen programs dialed in for their acres on their farms.

Now, we are trying to fit into those systems to help change that a little bit and this is a big change for a lot of guys. You can't just take nitrogen from some other company and substitute it. This is a different practice. It's a living organism. But, I would say there is significant interest in our product.

It's just a matter of getting on their farms. We can do research in Fargo, ND and that might not correlate to the soil in Billings, MT—these are different environments.

Logan: I mean adoption has been pretty good if you look at our company's rate of growth over the last couple of years. But, one of the catch22s is that we don't replace 100% of a grower's nitrogen needs. So, they are still using synthetic fertilizers, but not as much if you use our products. If we replaced 100% of their synthetic,

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A lot of crop advisors are aware of biologics and this part of the industry is going to continue to grow and expand, but for how long this company has been in the commercial space, I think adoption has gone fairly well.

Q: What percentage of products do you have currently?

Logan: So, our corn product is a 40 pound equivalent and our small grains product is a 25 pound. So, what we sell for corn replaces 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Q: Is a 100% product something you guys are working on?

Logan: It's something we are working towards. We have a lot of different things we are working on in the lab that we are looking to see how they transition into the real world. But our goal is to get there in 15 years. So, we have a long way to go before we get to that point, but that's where we want to get to.

Bill: Two years ago we were at a 25 pound product for corn. Now we are at 40 pounds. The growth is there.

Q: How realistic do you guys think that 15-year goal is?

Bill: It's the technology and the science that has allowed us to get where we are. As the science and technology continue to increase along with the

knowledge that the people in the lab have, we are optimistic we can get there.

Logan: It's kind of a loaded question because if you think even about how far things have come from 15 years ago to today.

I think the industry will come out with companion technologies that are just going to make biologicals in general more efficient. We probably will get there and it might not be Pivot Bio alone. For example, corn genetics could change to the point where it's easier.

Q: What are some of the big things that are trying to be tackled in the fertilizer realm?

Logan: For us, winter wheat has an over-wintering issue. So, we are trying to figure out how to make a bacteria that will colonize and then survive a winter. Certain bacteria do not survive well in cold environments and certain bacteria might not survive well in hot environments. Some don't survive well during a thaw or a freeze. So, that's one of the challenges we have to work with. We have to figure out how to get an organism to work how we want it to and as efficiently as we want it to in certain environments, including different soils. We need to work to make a bacteria that is as efficient as possible to get the outcome that we want. That's probably the biggest hurdle and I think that's the biggest hurdle with all fertilizer.

Bill: If you plant the winter wheat in the fall, at this point, our microbes don't make it through the freeze in the winter. If you use our product one year, it won't be in the soil the following year or at least we can't identify them at this point.

My opinion on a challenge we face is the fact that the synthetic fertilizer

Learn More About Pivot Bio pivotbiao.com

@pivotbio

@pivotbio

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/company/pivot-bio/

market is so established. There are mega plants all throughout the Red River Valley and there are mega plants all over, and that's good—we need to have that because that will help drive that end cost down for these growers.

It will let us store more and have more on hand. It's just that the acceptance of microbial products is a challenge for us. We know that the microbes will make the nitrogen we say they're making, but proving and convincing and getting buy-in from the growers that it is actually happening is a challenge because they are so used to having and managing synthetics, and they're good at it. We're a new take on fertilizer so that's a challenge.

Dan: Like Bill said, the biggest challenge is getting growers to adopt it. They are comfortable with what they are doing now. They've taken their entire farming careers to dial in a program that works for them and we are now an alternative source of nitrogen. So, to get into that grower's system is challenging because they are comfortable and oftentimes like what they are doing.

people come to their doors selling a microbial product in the past that was a standard "bug in a jug" that's found wherever, it might not have done what we are doing because we are engineered. A regular microbe might consume as much nitrogen or more than it produces—it might have to dip into the synthetic bank—whereas ours will not do that. Our microbes will produce nitrogen itself that will go to the corn or the wheat.

Bill: We are also dealing with the ghosts of microbes past. We are the first engineered microbe on the market and I believe we are the only engineered microbe on the market. So, these farmers have had

Nutrien's Dr. Karl Wyant on Supply Chain Issues and the Evolving Fertilizer Landscape Q: What trends do you see in the fertilizer landscape and where does Nutrien fit in?

A: Broadly speaking, we see an increase in yield and that's regardless of the crop or geography. Yields tend to go up over time and if you want to keep the soil productive, you need to stay in lockstep with what nutrients we are replacing, that's where fertilizer comes in.

Over time, we see an increase in

demand for fertilizers. If you think about the last 50 years, there has been an upward trend in [nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium] (NPK) demand. One thing that makes us excited at Nutrien is the continued look at fertilizer affordability.

2022 was a challenging year because of supply chains and challenging supply and demand.

Coming into 2024, we are looking at a much-improved fertilizer affordability index across the NPK spectrum.

Q: You mentioned the supply chain issues of 2022 what issues are you facing right now?

A: You have to get the materials from either a mine up in Saskatoon, a mine from coastal North Carolina, or Florida, or a number of the other nitrogen manufacturing facilities that are across the globe. Moving that fertilizer is so important. That's where we've had some challenges.

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We've had some droughts hit the Midwest of the United States and that has caused some issues with getting materials up and down the Missouri River. We've had to find alternatives with rail, truck, that sort of thing.

On a bigger picture, the Panama Canal is also under drought conditions so there is difficulty there and we've had to find other methods of transport.

Locally, we've had trouble with finding truck drivers. We've had challenges finding space on the railroads.

Every year, there is something and it seems like the droughts in the waterways are the big thing this year.

Q: Is Nutrien doing anything innovative?

A: Folks are always trying to improve how to apply nutrients.

If you look at human history, we went through a lot of times when we didn't have a lot of nutrients to apply and we struggled with feeding people.

We used manure for a long time. We mined islands for bird guano for a long time, but there are only so many bird guano islands out there.

The fertilizers that Nutrien sells, the urea, the ammonia phosphate, ammonia polyphosphate, the potash, these are crucial innovations in human history because we now have nutrients in a dense form—it's mined, manufactured, has a spec sheet, and you can do some predictions with it. It's hard to utilize manure like that because it is not nearly as dense—it takes a lot more manure to satisfy the nutrient demand for crops. So, we continue down that path.

We also are trying to innovate and have a couple of products that fall under that spectrum, including our Environmental Smart Nitrogen 4400, which has a polymer coating that

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releases nitrogen in a slower and more predictable manner which makes sure the nitrogen can stays in the soil longer. We also have Smart Nutrition MAT + MSP 9436015F which is a granual of a very familiar phosphate product, which also has a small particle size and sulfur built into it so a grower can provide another type of nutrient without any more work.

The space continues to innovate. At the end of my career, who knows what we will be doing. It will probably be some pretty fun stuff. Agriculture continues to innovate.

Q: What are some of the big problems fertilizer companies are trying to tackle in the space right now?

A: The supply chain hurdle and this increasing recognition to drive sustainability in the fertilizer mining and manufacturing sector. We are looking at how we can more sustainably make fertilizer and lower the carbon footprint per ton of fertilizer production.

We are also trying to make sure we are taking a look at some of these greenhouse gas emissions like keeping track of the nitrous oxide coming off the soil. We have some big initiatives in Canada right now looking at N2O emissions. We are looking at how we can add ingredients to your typical fertilizers to not only keep it around and in the soil and make sure you are growing a good crop but also make sure you are not releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Q: What differentiates Nutrien from some of the other fertilizer companies out there?

A: Nutrien prides itself on people, knowledge, exceptional logistics,

and end product. We not only are the world's largest miner of NPK fertilizer, but we also bring considerable knowledge about the fertilizer markets—this macro economy of fertilizer moving through the globe.

We also bring the agronomy and look at how to make sure we are using fertilizer on a farm to make sure we are finding the best way possible to help optimize the benefits and minimize things like runoff and greenhouse gas emissions.

Q: Do you have any advice for growers out there right now?

A: It's never too early to start planning.

The supply chain has always been there, but now, with what we have learned about supply chains, thinking about your fertilizer demand and reviewing your crop nutrient plans, soil tests, and yield goals is a great place to start.

You can start asking yourself what small changes you can make from the year before and start making sure your favorite ag dealers can start bringing the products in and fertilizer would be one of those things. It's important to make sure that when it comes to planting, you are not caught without any of the products that you need.

Q: How have the recent developments in technology affected the fertilizer industry?

A: Nutrien is in a unique spot. We aren't just a producer of fertilizer, we are also selling it. If you go further down, we are also selling it to growers.

So, we are in a unique spot in the supply chain.

When it comes to technologies in mining and manufacturing, we are working on improving our extraction processes so that we can get varying product qualities that extend the life of

About Nutrien Nutrien is one of the world's largest providers in the agricultural sector, offering a wide range of products and services essential for crop growth and health. They specialize in the production and distribution of key fertilizers, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Nutrien's operations are not just limited to fertilizer production; they also encompass a comprehensive approach to sustainable farming practices. The company is known for its innovative solutions in the fertilizer industry, continually adapting to the evolving challenges of modern agriculture.

the mine. We are focusing on some of these predictive models that help with supply chain planning and forecasting so that we can be ready despite all of the volatility of a global market.

On the agronomy side, we have a continued commitment to using our data to find the right timing of application, the right ratio of fertilizer to use, the right place relevant to the plant, and the right source. Not all fertilizers are the same. You have different sources. Finding the right source is important. So we are trying to make sure that that input is

optimized and that we are improving the efficiency of uptake and that the grower is getting everything they can out of that purchase.

Not all fertilizers are the same.

Sometimes there is something you can add to an existing technology that improves it. Growers are continually looking for new and improved fertilizers.

Q: What are the key takeaways you would leave to the audience?

A: One thing you can think about when it comes to fertilizer is that it is at the same time very local because farmers are placing their orders right down the road, but at the same time, fertilizers are very global because they are traded as commodities all over the planet. So, depending on where you are, there might be another country trying to get ahold of that supply because they are trying to grow their own crops.

Learn More About Nutrien nutrien-eKonomics.com

@eKonomics_Ag

/eKonomicsAg

@NutrieneKonomics

/showcase/nutrien-ekonomics

It's clear that the fertilizer industry stands at the crossroads of innovation, sustainability, and global challenges.

PivotBio's commitment to microbial solutions and Nutrien's focus on sustainable practices and supply chain resilience highlights a larger industry trend towards more eco-friendly and efficient fertilization methods. As the world grapples with food security and environmental sustainability, the role of companies like PivotBio and Nutrien becomes increasingly significant, shaping the way we approach crop nutrition and agricultural productivity in the years to come.

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CALENDAR WORLD AG EXPO 2024 FEB 13 - 15

USDA 100TH ANNUAL AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK FORUM

4500 S, Laspina St, Tulare, CA from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The World Ag Expo 2024 offers a rich array of attractions and activities, designed to engage and inform attendees from the agricultural sector. Participants have the opportunity to attend various seminars, which provide valuable insights into the latest trends and developments in agriculture. A highlight of the expo is the Top-10 New Products Competition, showcasing the most recent innovations in agricultural products and technologies. Additionally, the expo features a range of special events and live demonstrations, delivering a hands-on experience for attendees. A notable session is the 'Women in Ag,' focusing on Women in Leadership, scheduled for February 13. Beyond these educational and interactive experiences, the expo serves as an excellent platform for networking, connecting exhibitors, industry leaders, and peers within the agricultural community.

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FEB 15 - 16 1700 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA The forum will feature over 30 sessions and 120 speakers, covering a wide range of timely agricultural, food market, and environmental issues. These include commodity and food price outlooks, U.S. and global agricultural trade developments, agricultural innovations, climate change, and the bioeconomy. Attendees can expect a keynote address by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a presentation on the outlook for agricultural markets and trade by USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer, and a plenary panel of distinguished guest speakers.

NDSU EVOLUTION AG SUMMIT FEB 20 1415 12th Ave SE, Jamestown, ND from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This one-day event focuses on soil carbon management and the role of carbon reduction practices in agriculture. Featuring Rob Sharkey, The SharkFarmer, as the keynote speaker, the summit brings together industry leaders and producers to discuss topics such as carbon pricing, carbon sequestration in food and agribusiness, farm-level sustainability, and incentives for farmers and ranchers.

GRAFTON SUGARBEET GROWERS SEMINAR FEB 20 Grafton, ND This event, hosted by the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota, featured various topics and speakers addressing key issues in sugarbeet production. Discussions included optimizing insect control, weed control, and management of major sugarbeet diseases.

CONTINUE

GETTING IT RIGHT SUNFLOWER PRODUCTION WEBINAR

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION CONVENTION MAR 10 - 12 Scottsdale, AZ

FEB 27 Online Webinar from 8:30 a.m. to noon This event is co-hosted by Anitha Chirumamilla and Greg Endres, with scheduled speakers including Anitha Chirumamilla, Greg Endres, Dave Franzen, Joe Ikley, Sam Markell, and Frayne Olson. The webinar is sponsored by the National Sunflower Association and will provide attendees with research-based production recommendations for the upcoming crop year.

Topics covered will include cultivar performance, plant growth stages, plant establishment, plant nutrition, and soil management.

COMMODITY CLASSIC

JAN/FEB 2024

GETTING IT RIGHT CANOLA PRODUCTION WEBINAR

FEB 28 - MAR 2

MAR 12

1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, TX

Zoom

This is a premier event in American agriculture, uniquely designed by and for farmers. This farmer-led, farmer-focused convention combines a rich schedule of educational sessions, a large trade show showcasing the latest agricultural innovations, and numerous networking opportunities. It includes optional tours, early riser sessions, and learning center sessions, offering insights into efficiency, profitability, and sustainable farming practices.

Organized by major agricultural associations, the Commodity Classic provides a dynamic platform for farmers to gain valuable knowledge, explore new technologies, and connect with peers and industry leaders.

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This event represents a significant gathering for members of the National Farmers Union, featuring discussions by policymakers and educators on various topics relevant to the agricultural sector. Key issues to be addressed include fair and competitive markets, cooperatives, engaging the next generation, biofuels, and more. The convention provides a platform for attendees to network with fellow members from across the country and with Farmers Union leadership, fostering a deeper understanding of agricultural policies and practices​​.

GRAND FARM FIELD DAY AT THE NDSU AGRONOMY SEED FARM MAR 13 15449 37th St SE Casselton, ND from 9 a.m. to noon

ESTATE PLANNING AND FARM SUCCESSION CONFERENCE MAR 19

GRAND FARM FIELD DAY AT AGVERIS APR 15 51 6th Ave. N Casselton, ND from 9 a.m. to noon

Watertown, SD This event, hosted by SDSU Extension, is designed to provide attendees with valuable information and guidance on estate planning and farm succession. It is part of a series of conferences aimed at assisting farmers and ranchers in planning for the future of their operations. These events typically cover critical aspects of estate planning, including legal and financial considerations, to ensure a smooth and successful transition of farm ownership and management across generations.

2024 AG DAY GALA MAR 19

PEAK APR 17 - 19 1301 2nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN This event is a significant gathering in the poultry industry, providing opportunities for professionals to increase their knowledge and profitability in poultry production. The PEAK show is focused exclusively on the business and food production aspects of poultry, making it a key event for those in the sector.

St. Paul, MN This gala is an opportunity to celebrate the rich history and success of agriculture in the state, providing a platform for networking with business leaders, influential community members, and local producers. The event aims to recognize the contributions of farmers, organizations, and businesses to the agricultural sector. It's an excellent opportunity for attendees to connect with key figures in the industry and discuss the future of agriculture in Minnesota.

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By NDSU Ag Extension

Feeding Corn Silage to Cattle Can Add Value Corn silage could make up 40% to 60% of diet dry matter and still be economical By now, corn silage harvest has finished across North Dakota. In wellpacked, covered corn silage piles, the fermentation process to preserve the silage will be complete after about three weeks. This means that most of this year’s silage crop is ready to feed to cattle. While ranchers may be able to calculate the input costs or the price of selling the corn silage to another producer, it pays to consider the value of feeding corn silage to their own cattle.

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“Corn silage has significant value for cow-calf, backgrounding and feedlot operations,” says Zac Carlson, North Dakota State University Extension beef cattle specialist. “Silage is an excellent energy source, providing digestible fiber while improving the palatability and conditioning of the diet with added moisture.”

The tonnage of corn silage harvested and cattle inventory throughout the year often dictate the inclusion level in backgrounding and finishing diets. A survey of farmers and ranchers of the Northern Plains and Midwest reported that the average inclusion of corn silage on a dry matter basis was between 17.1% and 22.2% in backgrounding diets and between 5.4% and 11.4% in finishing diets. However, a summary by the University of Minnesota suggested that corn silage could make up 40% to 60% of diet dry matter and still be economical.

A summary of five experiments by the University of Nebraska evaluated the inclusion of 15% or 45% dry matter corn silage in finishing beef cattle diets. They reported that cattle consumed the same amount of feed dry matter regardless of corn silage inclusion level, but cattle fed 45% corn silage gained 0.2 pound less per day, leading to a 6% poorer feed conversion than cattle fed 15% corn silage.

Corn prices have generally been more expensive in the past few years. Replacing a larger portion of corn in beef cattle diets with corn silage may be an economical solution. However, cattle may need to be fed longer and to heavier

weights to reach similar carcass endpoints.

“These decisions should be evaluated as the value of gain versus the cost of gain,” says Karl Hoppe, NDSU Extension livestock systems specialist. “The economics can get complicated and should be evaluated by each individual operation.”

As with all feeds, managing corn silage to minimize shrink is critical.

“Depending on the storage structure you are using, corn silage should be harvested at 65% to 70% moisture for optimum results,” Hoppe says.

Moisture levels that are too low result in less favorable fermentation and poor packing characteristics in the silage, whereas moisture levels that are too high result in silage that has greater effluent losses (loss of nutrients in the water that oozes from the pile). High moisture levels also can result in a “sour” fermentation.

Hoppe also advises packing the silage correctly to ensure oxygen is driven out. Excluding oxygen is a very important aspect of making good-quality silage.

Adequate packing involves a number of factors, including the correct chop length for a particular silage crop and having the appropriately-sized tractor for the amount of silage being placed in the pile. Because wheeled tractors exert more pressure per square inch than crawler or track-type tractors, wheeled tractors are preferred for packing silage.

Poorly managed corn silage that spoils will lose dry matter, requiring the cattle feeder to use additional feed resources to account for lost feed. Making and feeding silage affects shrink, including dry matter at harvest, chop lengths, bunker or drive-over pile filling and packing, inoculation, covering, and feedout.

“Most producers realize the potential benefits of covering silage bunkers and drive-over piles to reduce dry-matter losses and spoilage,” says James Rogers, NDSU Extension forage crops production specialist. “Reasons corn silage bunkers and piles are left uncovered usually include a lack of adequate labor and available time for the task.

However, often forgotten is the practice of discarding spoiled silage during feedout. This step is critical when evaluating the feeding value of your silage and the cattle’s performance.”

Only a few studies have evaluated the effects of feeding spoiled silage to cattle. A study by Whitlock and others in 2000 at Kansas State University measured the effect of feeding surface-spoiled (black slime and gray mold material) corn silage to beef cattle. Adding spoiled corn silage to the diet depressed dry-matter intake and decreased crude protein digestibility. Similarly, dry-matter and fiber digestibility decreased with feeding spoiled silage.

“If there is one thing you remember, don’t feed spoiled silage,” Carlson says. “Even if you think the small amount of spoiled silage will be diluted in the diet, it may cost you more than you know.”

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Grower Pain Point

Herbicide Resistant Weeds Funded by Beet Sugar Development Foundation rowers are the end users of technology. Their voices and their feedback need to be heard to ensure that we're solving their challenges. That's why in this recurring feature, we'll review challenges that growers face every day on their farms, examine the pain points, and look at possible solutions.

To learn more about Grower Pain Points, you can review Grand Farm's Grower Pain Point Report at grandfarm.com/growers.

Originally developed in the late 1990s and commercially approved in 2008, glyphosate-resistant sugarbeets have significantly reduced the need for herbicide applications, facilitating the use of Roundup-ready sugarbeets. However, the emergence of glyphosateresistant weeds has become a growing concern since the introduction of these sugarbeets. Montana State University (MSU) has been conducting a study since 2021 to examine the escalating herbicide resistance. Early findings suggest a notable resistance development in common weeds, with a survival rate of 20% or higher post-herbicide application, as reported in Dr. Shergill's initial findings. The study, focusing on species like kochia, redroot pigweed, and common lambsquarters, is still in progress. This increasing resistance complicates the control and eradication of these weeds.

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Herbicide-resistant weeds present a major obstacle for the agricultural sector, particularly affecting food production. The diminishing effectiveness of herbicides raises concerns about potential declines in crop yields, higher costs, and environmental impacts.

Sugarbeets are not immune to the challenges posed by herbicide-resistant weeds. Research by Nebraska Extension has demonstrated the significant effect of weeds on crop yields. Their findings indicate that just one volunteer corn plant every four feet of a row can lead to a reduction of up to 25% in sugar beet root yields. Similarly, a comparable density of kochia could result in up to a 45% yield loss, while Palmer amaranth could cause nearly a 70% decrease in yields.

By Nathan Marcotte

Possible Solutions In response to the growing issue of herbicide-resistant weeds, recent advancements in fields such as autonomy, computer vision, and robotics are being leveraged to create innovative solutions. Both commercial entities and university researchers are actively involved in this effort. Common approaches include the use of lasers, mechanical weed destruction, and ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference (RNAi) technology. A significant number of these companies are located in Europe, where challenges are amplified by non-GMO regulations. The European Green Deal, aiming to cut pesticide usage by half by 2030, has further catalyzed these developments. However, challenges such as the high cost of equipment and proving the effectiveness of these new solutions hinder wider adoption. The following will delve into various segments of these emerging solutions tailored to combat herbicide-resistant weeds.

Weeding Robots Robotic weeding technologies are advancing due to significant developments in several key areas: computer vision, edge computing, robotics, lasers, and communication technologies.

There is a convergence in the maturity levels of these technologies, which is propelling the practical application of robotics for managing herbicide-resistant weeds through nonchemical methods.

A crucial breakthrough in this field is edge computing. It facilitates almost instantaneous computer vision, crucial for differentiating between weeds and crops during the weed destruction process. Training these computer vision models requires extensive data to ensure accuracy in targeting weeds without harming crops. The availability of, or the ability to gather, training data is vital for the development of these technologies. For example, a 2016 study at Klein Altendorf Campus in Bonn, Germany, produced a valuable dataset. It documented sugarbeet growth over three months using 4-channel multi-spectral cameras, RGB-D (depth) sensors, Lidar, and GPS, resulting in about 5 TB of data. This dataset now serves as a resource for new researchers and startups in this domain.

Initially, these robotic weeding solutions are being implemented in specialty crops, driven by the increasing demand for nonGMO produce. However, many of these companies are rapidly expanding their scope to include a variety of crops, with some aiming to enter mainstream agricultural production as a key market.

Lasers Laser destruction involves targeting weeds with a laser beam that is absorbed by the plant, causing damage to its tissue and ultimately harming or killing it. This technique, like many others, depends on advancements in computer vision and edge computing for accurate differentiation between crops and weeds, ensuring precise laser targeting. Discussions with industry leaders reveal that this method is effective in eliminating herbicide-resistant weeds.

Moreover, ongoing research is exploring the use of directed energy as a weed control solution. This includes the application of concentrated infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) light to effectively eradicate weeds.

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Mechanical Destruction Before the advent of herbicides, mechanical destruction was a primary method for weed control, and with technological advancements, it remains a viable option even in the face of increasing herbicide resistance. The progress in computer vision and edge computing has made targeted hoeing feasible.

These modern machines use trained image models and various sensors to distinguish crops from weeds, allowing for precise hoeing directly at the weed location instead of general tilling between rows.

Adopting these machines often means a shift from traditional practices of applying herbicides. As noted by McAllister in 2019, mechanical weed management typically focuses on young weeds, including germinating seeds and seedlings, which are highly susceptible to physical damage. Furthermore, many weeding systems employ a “swarm” approach, using multiple small autonomous robots instead of one large manned machine in the fields. These autonomous units often operate continuously, including overnight, until the weeding task is completed.

Electrical Weed Control Electrical weed control utilizes high-voltage electricity, up to 15kV, to eliminate weeds. This technique is particularly effective

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for weeds that grow taller than the crop canopy. The process involves the weed making physical contact with a high-voltage boom positioned above the height of the crop. Upon contact, the electrical energy is transformed into heat within the plant.

This heat causes the plant's internal fluids to vaporize, leading to increased internal pressure that ruptures the cell walls, ultimately causing extensive tissue death. According to a 2023 report from Michigan State University, this method is not only effective against herbicide-resistant weeds but may also reduce the germination of weed seeds in various types of weed seed heads.

Seed Destructors Seed destructors, typically attached to combine harvesters, crush seeds during the harvest process to help diminish the weed seed bank in fields. These devices usually draw power from the combine harvester itself and do not have an independent power source.

Current research indicates that seed destructors are a promising tool for managing weeds, particularly in regions plagued by high levels of herbicide resistance. These systems are most effective when the herbicide-resistant weeds release their seeds around the same time as the crop's harvest. However, if weeds shed their seeds before the crop is harvested, the seed destructor becomes ineffective.

This technology originated in Australia, a country facing significant challenges with herbicide-resistant weeds. A 2019 study by the University of Missouri Extension demonstrated the efficacy of this method: the Seed Terminator was found to destroy 93.2% of water hemp seeds collected by the harvester, as reported in their 2021 findings.

RNAI Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) is a method where weeds are treated with small RNA molecules that trigger the silencing of specific genes. This approach does not depend on traditional herbicides and shows considerable promise for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds. RNAi technology was first uncovered in the 1990s and has since been applied in pest control for various crops. However, as of now, there are no commercial products available that employ RNAi technology specifically for weed management.

Precision Spraying Precision spraying although it does not solve the problem of killing herbicide-resistant weeds once fully resistant, it can be a tool to help reduce the growing resistance. Resistance to herbicides is exacerbated when broadacre application is applied to the whole field and not targeted to one plant. This in effect means the whole field gets a weaker coverage that some weeds may be able to survive vs. heavy targeted application that fully kills a weed reducing growing resistance to herbicides.

Companies Working On Solutions

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Carbon Robotics Website: carbonrobotics.com/laserweeder Company Location: Seattle, WA Company Type: Startup Technology Type: Laser supported by computer vision. Built as a tractor implement.

Crop Types: Currently support 45 crop profiles and LaserThinning Performance: Kills up to 200,000 weeds/hour. Covers 2 acres/hr at 1 mph Availability: Accepting pre-orders Summary: Carbon Robotics is leading efforts into laser weeding by developing an implement that can weed a width of 20ft. The lasers rely on computer vision to determine weeds vs intended crops and the implement houses a PTO-driven Generator. Their technology is effective on herbicide-resistant weeds and burns the meristem of plants from the thermal energy of CO2 lasers. They are currently accepting pre-orders for 2023 and 2024.

FarmWise Website: farmwise.io Company Location: San Francisco, CA Company Type: Startup Technology Type: Mechanical arms to “pick” weeds. Supported by computer vision. Built as a tractor implement.

Crop Types: Currently support 20 crops Availability: Accepting pre-orders Summary: FarmWise has developed an implement that uses multiple mechanical arms to pick weeds relying on computer vision to identify weeds. This machine is positioned to be a direct replacement where hand crews are typically needed. Their current version supports 1-8 rows.

Aigen Website: aigen.io Company Location: Kirkland, WA Company Type: Startup Technology Type: Mechanical arms to “pick” weeds. Supported by computer vision. Built as a tractor implement.

Crop Types: Currently support 20 crops Availability: Accepting pre-orders Summary: Aigen offers an autonomous mechanical weed destruction robot. These robots are smaller and rely on a fleet approach to cover larger acreage using satellite and mesh networks to communicate. The robots are solar-powered, and the company is currently accepting preorders for their equipment.

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Seed Terminator Website: seedterminator.com.au Company Location: Lonsdale, South Australia Company Type: Corporation Technology Type: Mechanical mill attachment destroying seeds that pass through a combine harvester.

Crop Types: Crop types that utilize combine harvester.

Availability: Available to purchase through dealer network Summary: Seed Terminator offers mill attachments to many popular combine harvesters that destroy weed seeds as they pass through the machine. This works to reduce the total weed seed bank of a field. Although this attachment does not apply to sugarbeets, it could be utilized during crop rotations on the same field. Note: this is best suited to weeds that hold their seeds until the same time the crop is harvested.

Top Cut Collect Website: zuern.de/en/cuttingplatforms/ products/econventional/top-cut-collect Company Location: Germany Company Type: Corporation Technology Type: Mechanical weed harvesting, above crop level.

Crop Types: Ideal for weeds/grass that grow above crop level Availability: Available to purchase through dealer network Summary: The Top Cut Collect from ZÜRN is designed to reduce a field’s weed seed bank, including herbicide-resistant weeds by harvesting weeds (with seeds) above the crop height.

The Weed Zapper Website: theweedzapper.com Company Location: Sedalia, MO Company Type: Corporation Technology Type: Weed electrocution above crop canopy level.

Crop Types: Ideal for weeds/grass that grow above crop level Availability: Available to purchase through dealer network Summary: The Weed Zapper is a product of Old School Manufacturing, LLC designed to terminate weeds that grow above a crop canopy level. The Weed Zapper is designed as a towable cart (with PTO driven generator) with a boom front attached (right image) or as a complete stand-alone unit (left image).

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Grand Farm’s 2024 Events & Field Days Schedule

a

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Cultivate Conference June 13, 2024

Cultivate is an opportunity for a diverse community of experts, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and growers to share their knowledge and experiences and explore the exciting possibilities of technology in agriculture.

Autonomous Nation Conference September 12, 2024

Autonomous Nation brings together the best and brightest minds in the autonomous industry. Join stakeholders including policymakers, entrepreneurs and innovators leading the way in technology. From tackling workforce shortages to eliminating

Conference goals • Showcase work being done in agriculture technology • Give growers a space to give AgTech feedback • Create connections between startups, growers, corporations, technologists, investors, and universities

inefficiencies and bridging technology gaps, this conference will showcase the latest innovations and solutions that will shape the future of our industry.

Conference goals • Access to policymakers from local, state, and federal levels • Relevant content • Real-time demonstrations

Space Ag Conference

understanding that solutions to space-based challenges can often be applied here at home.

Space Ag seeks to explore agriculture beyond Earth. It gives discussions around the potential of advanced technology to transform the AgTech industry in space with the

Conference goals • Explore agricultural possibilities through the lens of space • Showcase the challenges of space agriculture • Highlight cooperation with NASA + space industry leaders

October 24, 2024

Field Days Field Days are a chance for growers, companies, start-ups and the community to share knowledge on agriculture technology and best practices from seed to soil and harvesting.

June 12, 2024 | Grand Farm Innovation Campus 9 AM to noon Herbicide-resistant weeds July 17, 2024 | Grand Farm Innovation Campus 9 AM to noon Grand Farm Project Management Office Showcase

March 13, 2024 | NDSU 9 AM to noon Crop nutrition, seed genetics, and soil health

August 14, 2024 | Grand Farm Innovation Campus 9 AM to noon Harvest technologies and grain marketing

April 16, 2024 | Agveris 9 AM to noon Planting technology

September 10 to 12, 2024 | Grand Farm Innovation Campus 9 AM to noon Autonomy and start-ups

Grand Farm Innovation Shop Construction Progress

challenges. The campus will offer the use of farming technology projects, rapid prototyping capabilities, and increased research and educational capacity.

• Near Casselton, North Dakota • 25,000 square feet • Events, workshops, and equipment storage will take place • Set to open in June • More information at GrandFarm.com/Innovation-Campus

The first building going up is the 25,000-squarefoot Innovation Shop. Events, workshops, education opportunities, project space, equipment storage, and more will take place there. Structural work including foundation and steel implementation and wall panels has taken place.

The Innovation Shop is expected to open in June.

Grand Farm’s ideas continue to turn into reality with the construction of the world-class Innovation Campus near Casselton, ND. It gives opportunities for growers, researchers, start-ups, and policymakers to work on innovations to solve the world’s largest agriculture

Grand Farm is excited for all the Innovation Shop and Innovation campus will bring to the agriculture industry!

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WHEN BEES & How BeeHero is Helping Farmers Improve Yields Through Precision Pollination

By Sam Kise |

photos provided by BeeHero most growers know, pollinators are the lifeblood of our food system. While the root or the stem of the plant might be able to grow without them, we need pollinators in order for our plants to produce any fruit or flowers. Many creatures, from birds to butterflies, can

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pollinate the flowers on our crops, but the single most important pollinator group in natural ecosystems across the globe is bees. Without bees, entire ecosystems would collapse. The importance of bees is not lost on those who rely on pollination to make a living, and that’s why BeeHero partners with beekeepers and growers to humanely maintain bee populations and maximize crop growth and

The bees are unbothered by the BeeHero sensors—they treat it just like any other part of the hive.

DID YOU KNOW? Almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading global crops depend on animal pollination, primarily from bees.

CROPS THRIVE yield. Co-founder and CEO of BeeHero Omer Davidi sat down with me to talk more about the importance of bees, what BeeHero is doing to help growers and beekeepers throughout the United States and beyond, and much more!

The Problem to Be(e) Solved Many people in the general public are unaware of a mounting issue that we are facing globally—the disappearance of bees. While issues

like colony collapse disorder (or massive unexplained loss of colonies), excess stress, and pesticides harming colonies, among other harmful situations are greatly impacting vital bee populations, few organizations are actively trying to restore bee populations or ensure that the colonies are the healthiest they can be. Considering that—according to the BeeHero website—around 70% of crops worldwide rely on these pollinators, it is more important now than ever to find simple and effective ways to improve the health of bee colonies and ultimately sustain or improve the world’s food production.

“When we looked at colony collapse disorder and the extreme challenges that beekeepers are facing, we also noticed that other companies were researching in this domain, but no one managed to have a widespread adoption from the more commercial businesses,” CEO Omer Davidi said.

Davidi and BeeHero’s two other cofounders, Itai Kanot and Yuval Regev, saw that while many people were trying to address this decline in bee populations, most of them were not going in-depth with the research CONTINUED

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Co-founders Itai Kanot, Omer Davidi, and Yuval Regev pose in their BeeHero beekeeping attire.

or trying to produce at a scale large enough for corporate farms. That lack of scale was itself an issue.

“A lot of companies focused a little more on the hobbyist perspective,” Davidi said. “We tried to figure out how we could build a different solution that would be adopted by the commercial domain because eventually the majority of beehives will be managed by commercial beekeepers—and that makes a difference when it comes to pollination.”

The team knew that they wanted to make pollination solutions available on a larger scale, so BeeHero was born!

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The Technology While the potential impact of BeeHero is quite large, their technology is small and unobtrusive. Their technology—a small sensor—is installed into already established bee hive boxes to collect data on the health of the hive.

“The IoT sensors installed in those hives are collecting data all the time from inside the box, helping the beekeepers to maintain those hives in a better way,” Davidi said.

The information that BeeHero collects not only helps the beekeepers, but it helps the farmers they work with as well. Since pollination is such

an important part of farming, the healthier and stronger bees will greatly benefit growers.

“We are providing the tools to generate stronger and healthier hives, and then we can take those hives and introduce them to crops in a way that will help to optimize the process of pollination,” Davidi explained. “The main focus of BeeHero today is providing precision pollination as a service for farmers. We help them to get a better understanding of their pollination needs, and we make sure the pollination process is done well.”

Once BeeHero has collected the data and the farmer understands their pollination needs more thoroughly, it

“THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT BEING PART OF BEEHERO IS THE FACT THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH DATA THAT DID NOT EXIST BEFORE. WE LEARN ALL THE TIME HOW MUCH WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT BEES AND POLLINATION AND HOW MUCH VALUE THE BEAUTIFUL PROCESS OF NATURE CREATED.” - CEO & CO-FOUNDER OMER DAVIDI

is time to coordinate hive placement with the beekeeper.

“You need to deploy those hives properly for the needs of your field,” Davidi said. “We’re getting information from the growers before pollination about the different varieties of plants that they are using, the density of the plants, the location of the orchards, and other things that help us to better understand what the ideal deployment will be that will maximize the number of flowers that will be pollinated.”

Once the hives are placed, the rest is up to the bees!

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DID YOU KNOW? According to an article published by BeeHero, there is evidence to suggest that the nutritional composition of some crops like canola and sunflower are significantly benefited by effective bee pollination.

BeeHero employees place hives and install sensors in a variety of fields and orchards, including the almond orchard seen here!

Partnering with BeeHero If you work on a farm, chances are you rely on bees in some way or another. BeeHero’s technology may be beneficial for you and your crops.

BeeHero is always looking for more input and partnerships with growers to ensure high food quality and healthy bees.

“We communicate with beekeepers and growers all the time,” Davidi said.

“But I think there were a lot of shifts.

If we look at the early days, coming into the market and talking to growers

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and beekeepers, there were a lot of questions about BeeHero’s credibility.

When we started, growers had seen a lot of things that didn’t really work, so they were a little bit hesitant to introduce new solutions onto their fields.”

In order to build that trust, BeeHero partnered (and continues to partner) with growers on small portions of their land to prove their effectiveness before implementing on a larger scale.

“To establish our credibility and the relationship between growers and BeeHero, if a grower has—for example—10,000 acres, we’d start to work with our bees on 500 acres and let them get the experience of

it before we start to scale,” Davidi explained. “As we get more and more adoption from our current customers, and from the beekeepers, it results in a sort of network effect that supports our growth.”

BeeHero also partners with and assists beekeepers to ensure that the bees are being kept in the best conditions with the best care in order to ensure the pollination is efficient and effective.

“We employ people that really understand beekeeping and we have some beekeepers that we worked with in the past,” Davidi said. “They see the CONTINUED

DID YOU KNOW? The average honey bee will only make about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

The BeeHero sensor is attached to a single frame within each box, then data is regularly sent to the device on the outside of the collection of hive boxes (seen here).

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A BeeHero beekeeper holds a bee hive box frame, showing how the BeeHero sensor is attached to the top of the frame.

value of educating beekeepers and talking about how the technology might help them to become an even better beekeeper or how it can provide them access to data so they can make the right decisions to support their operation.”

Though a lot of their focus is on large-scale precision pollination or orchard crops, BeeHero’s technology

could eventually be implemented on farms of various sizes and types, and that’s one of the goals of BeeHero according to Davidi.

“We established some interesting case studies in row crops, like sunflowers, alfalfa, and soybean,” Davidi said. “Some of those kinds of crops are considered to be self-pollinating, but what we've

learned is that in some cases you can support their yields in a better way with bees. Now that we’ve established a good presence in the United States with specialty crops, we're trying to focus a little bit more and find partners to research those row crops, which we believe might be of mutual benefit to the beekeepers and the farmers.”

If you are interested in learning more about BeeHero or bringing them to your operation, contact them here: (855) 423-3437 beehero.io hello@beehero.io

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/BeeHeroPollination @beehero.io /company/beehero