Future Farmer March/April 2020

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

NDSU'S AG-TECH EXPO

SPECIALTY CROPS: HEMP

PODCASTS & BOOKS

Future Farmer MARCH/APRIL 2020

COMPLIMENTARY

HEAR FROM BRIANNA MADDOCK, BILL WILSON AND TOM DESUTTER ON THE CURRENT STATE OF EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE

MEET THE NEW

FARMER'S DAUGHTER

HOW THE NEXT GENERATION OF AG PROFESSIONALS ARE BRINGING IDEAS FROM THE LAB TO THE LAND

CONTENTS

RESEARCH

COMPANIES

EDUCATION

4 -H ........................................................ 26 NDSU's Ag Tech Expo .................... 38 Educational Resources ................. 34

>> >> >>

Dylan Zimmerman ......................... 32 Podcasts ......................................... 72 Future Farmer .................................. 64 History of CHS ............................. 92 Books ................................................... 70 NDSU's Jane Shuh ..................... 94

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16

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TOM DESUTTER The future of agriculture from the view of a soil and research specialist

BILL WILSON The future of agriculture from an agriculture educator and researcher

BRIANNA MADDOCK

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40

50

PRECISION LABORATORIES Drift control isn't enough, You need total spray droplet management

CONSERVIS Minneapolis-based farm business management software

TECHACCEL

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56

78

PLUG AND PLAY Their big announcement on moving to North Dakota

EMERGING PRAIRIE Who they are and what they're working on

ANDREW RICHARDS

LIKE OUR CONTENT? Check out our website at futurefarmermag.com FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE

What I am learning from our first issue and how I plan to evolve this publication through feedback, advice and open mindedness. A mindset that I'm applying to everything!

In my 10 years of publishing

trustworthy, trendy and relevant. The

day you are trying to succeed with

positive resource magazines I

one aspect that keeps me motivated

what you have. My goal with this

have learned a lot. Especially

everyday is that I am in a very similar

magazine is to learn and grow

when it comes to the pressure I have

position as my readers every day.

together with our readers. We

to represent a reader and what is

Let me explain. We do not have the

believe we are off to a good start

important to them. I chose to produce

resources in my company to hire

but I know we have a long way

this magazine a take on the task of

researchers, extra editorial staff, c-level to go to be the best magazine

representing farmers in North Dakota

employees and most of the luxuries

for you. But together with your

and Minnesota. I chose to commit to

the larger publishing companies have

feedback and support, each issue,

providing them the best resources I can

access to. We get to figure out how

we can listen, learn, adapt and

and ensure that they are accurate, fair,

to do our best with the resources we

find ways to become a better tool

have. We learn to find alternative ways

for you. We are a small company

to compete with the larger publishers

of big dreamers. This magazine

and we take incredible pride in this.

is a continued project. Help us

I think about our readers of this

make it the best it can be. Thanks

publication. Most of you are farmers

for your dedication to your craft

who are in the same position. Every

everyday and continue to pride yourself on being resourceful. I hope you enjoy the read.

Mike Dragosavich Future Farmer Publisher

Send Me Your Feedback & Ideas!

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

My Email >> drago@spotlightmediafargo.com

What we are focused on!

The prospectives I received in the last six months of covering and representing farm business and ag tech that I am taking into consideration when building the content of the magazine in the future.

1.

Business vs Tech?

2.

Too Unique?

3.

ND vs MN? How much should we focus on North Dakota compared to Minnesota How much content should relate to farm business resources compared to ag tech and innovations

Farmers want the content to be unique and trendy but how far do we take it away from what they are used to?

4.

Trust? Our number one goal needs to be trust. How can

we make sure that everything we put in our magazine is vetted and approved for ND and MN farmers. How do we avoid content that could be promotional or influenced by the wrong people.

5.

Advisory? How can we surround ourselves with the best

editorial advisory board to ensure our content doesn't become one dimensional or bias.

6.

Deep vs Wide? How deep should we dive with content? Is it

better to stay high level or really break down complexities of these resources.

7.

Topics? What topics are the most important to our farmers.

Crops, soil, education, business management, succession planning, innovation, etc.

8.

Transparency?

9.

Feedback? How can we continue to gather more and more genuine feedback from our readers.

How can we educate our readers about what we are doing behind the scenes to learn every day and mold this brand into a better resource each issue.

10.

Too Much? How can we help break up the noise and

over-saturation of resources for farmers to operate their business the best.

OUR TEAM KIM

KELLEN

BRADY

LAURA

MIKE

CHRISTY

TOMMY

JENNY

PAUL

ZACH

COLLEEN

CASSIE

JAY

Learn more about us at SpotlightMediaFargo.com CRAIG

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

ALEXANDRA

DANNA

KIRSTEN

KAYLEIGH

BRUCE

NOLAN

NICK

MATT

BEN

JOHN

March/April 2020 Volume 1 Issue 2

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 Director Editor Graphic Designers Director of Photography

Contributors

INTERACTIVE Business Development Manager

Mike Dragosavich Drago@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Alexandra Martin Danna Sabolik danna@spotlightmediafargo.com Kim Cowles, Christy German Kayleigh Omang Photography@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Precision Laboratories Nancy Shawver Conservis Emerging Prairie Nick Schommer nickschommer@spotlightmediafargo.com

Digital Marketing Strategist

Tommy Uhlir

Inbound Marketing Strategist

Kirsten Lund

Videographer Executive Sales Assistant Graphic Designer ADVERTISING Senior Sales Executive Sales Executives

Client Relations Client Relations Manager Marketing Designer ADMINISTRATION VP of Human Resources Associate Controller Account Strategist DISTRIBUTION Delivery

Laura Alexander, Tommy Uhlir Kellen Feeney Ben Buchanan Paul Hoefer Paul@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Zach Olson Zach@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Matt Becker Matt@SpotlightMediaFargo.com clientrelations@spotlightmediafargo.com Jenny Johnson Christy German Colleen Dreyer Jay Borland Cassie Wiste Bruce Crummy, John Stuber, Craig Sheets

Future Farmer is published by Spotlight LLC, Copyright 2020 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.

Spotlight LLC 15 Broadway N, Suite 500 Fargo, ND 58102 Info@SpotlightMediaFargo.com ADVERTISING: 701-478-SPOT (7768)

RESOURCEFUL FOR ROUND TWO I remember when I first learned the word "resourceful".

I think I was about 7 years old, and I was very obsessed with the American Girl Doll book series. If you're not familiar, this series documents the lives of multiple young girls as they come of age in different defining decades of American history. My favorite American Girl, by far, was Kit Kittredge.

Kit was a spunky, creative girl coming of age during the Great Depression in America, a topic my young self was fascinated My favorite part of putting this issue together was working with all the smart people in the ag world. I spoke with researchers, soil scientists, students, software engineers, and accelerator companies about what they do and how they do it.

by. She was also a writer, something I very much admired.

There are so many innovations in agriculture, it’s exciting to be a part of the process. While I’m not quite “in the lab” I get a front-row seat to new developments and how farmers are adopting the practices on their farms.

brain, but I also loved the concept of being resourceful.

In the first book of the six-book series, Meet Kit, I learned two of my favorite words, brainstorm and resourceful. I thought it was so funny that I could think up a crazy thunderstorm in my

Brainstorming is still one of my favorite hobbies. Blame it on my overactive imagination, or my passion for starting new projects but I am all about exciting new ideas.

Innovation is part of the farming lifestyle. If Plan A fails, we try B and C and D.

I have a deep respect for the nobility of farmers’ work, and for the innovators, researchers and business minds and scientists who help make agriculture great.

Resourcefulness wasn’t as fun of a concept, but one I grew to love. The challenge of making it work with the resources available is a skill, but to excel with limited resources is a talent.

I think a lot of folks who grew up in the Great Depression, like Kit, became resourceful out of necessity. This is a skill a lot of farmers have as well.

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

EDITOR'S NOTE

There’s an old joke that any farmer can turn into MacGyver with a ball of baling twine. And, oh, how true that is. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve used that iconic orange string as a makeshift belt, shoelace or hair tie. My brother, JJ, has used it as a makeshift halter to lead our show cattle and I’ve seen it used to secure gates, too. Once my dad used it to secure a car fender and it held for… well, it’s still on there. I’ll let you know.

We’re also resourceful here at Future Farmer. As an editor, I don’t have writers under me to delegate tasks to, I don’t have

Youn and g Danna w siste r, Kie ith doll ,K r doll, sten (left it (right ) ) Kirst en. with her

all the connections of a well-known ag magazine and I don’t have the budget to incorporate more travel or invest in experts.

And we all don’t have enough time. But you know what I do have? A great attitude, a good work ethic and determination to get the job done. All traits I learned on the farm.

As we send off this second-ever issue of Future Farmer, I’m holding myself to a high standard, while also understanding my available resources. Necessity drives creativity, as does the ever-valuable trait of resourcefulness.

Being resourceful is a key trait of a farmer. At Future Farmer, we want to create the best possible product with limited resources. Like Kit Kittredge being resourceful in the 1930s, farmers and editors alike produce success from unforeseen circumstances and obstacles.

Danna Sabolik Future Farmer Editor

Send Me Your Feedback & Ideas!

My Email >> danna@spotlightmediafargo.com FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

BY DANNA SABOLIK PHOTOS BY KAYLEIGH OMANG

From beakers to bibs HOW WORK IN THE LAB TRANSLATES TO WORKING THE LAND. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest " - Benjamin Franklin.

Education is one of the most important tools in today 's society. Especially in agriculture. Looking to the future, a growing population, farm profitability, the cost of farmland and dawn of precision agriculture among us, education is more important than ever to the future of farming.

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AG STUDENT:

Brianna Maddock rianna Maddock has a true passion for agriculture.

"I could blame it on my parents, who are very involved in ag, but I also loved going to my grandparent's ranches growing up, so I think that had a lot to do with it, too," Maddock said.

Maddock is a sophomore at North Dakota State University studying biotechnology.

She hopes to use this degree to better the future of agriculture through gene editing and is enjoying her work in the NDSU research lab where she tests proteins within a specific cut of muscle.

Her involvement in North Dakota FFA has a lot to do with her passion for agriculture and research, as well.

Maddock took her first ag class as a seventh grader at Kindred High School. From there, she joined FFA with some encouragement from her mom, who was the state FFA foundation's director at the time.

"I didn't really want to go, but Mom made me check it out and it was amazing," she said.

"I competed in a bunch of events that were a little random but fit into my interests in some way."

Maddock thrived in FFA, competing at the state level many times and at a national level three times individuals and three times on a team.

"I'm proud to come from Kindred FFA," she said. "We have a very strong, competitive chapter and I had good teammates no matter what I competed in. From floriculture to ag sales."

Maddock served as North Dakota's state president of FFA last year.

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"Seeing all the blue jackets and knowing the potential of these students makes me so excited for the future of agriculture," she said.

"We have a strong base in agriculture here in North Dakota, and it 's encouraging to see students plan to pursue careers in agriculture."

She credits her roots to FFA, specifically in the agriscience fair.

"The agriscience fair was one of the biggest technical and hands-on learning experiences I've ever had," Maddock said. "Through [it], I was able to see that we need researchers and people with my interests in the agriculture field as well. That experience in itself made me know that I want to conduct research potentially and more likey relating to the ag industry."

She's still deciding on exactly what her future holds, but her main interests right now are in genetics.

Career Opportunities with BioTechnology Biotechnology is an astute area of study, but one not typically

"In both human medicine and how that relates to agricultural practices," she said. "I hope to continue to explore that. I'm on the right track. Working in the lab has helped me assess and be sure of what I want to do."

This past November, Maddock began working in NDSU's research lab focused on muscle biology. She performs tests related to proteins and end of production in animals.

associated with agriculture.

Other options along this path include: • Geneticist • Food science genetics • Gene editing in GMO or nonGMO crops • Biologist • Pre-medicine • Animal scientist • Microbiologist • Soil and play scientist

"The reason Dr. Kasey Carlin is interested in this is that it 's the culmination of every decision the producer makes, and every decision the processor makes about the meat," she said.

Maddock performs western blots, a test that separates blood proteins and detects specific proteins, to identify different proteins in the meat and is currently working on identifying oxidative properties in meat to determine their expiration dates with the rest of Dr. Carlin's team.

• Biochemist and biophysicist This is also what helped her decide on NDSU, a land-grant, researchedbased institution.

"I knew NDSU would have the funds to help me focus on the research emphasis I was looking for," Maddock said.

Her area of study was originally in ag engineering and was switched to food science and she's now landed in biotechnology.

"I'm super interested in math and science," Maddock said. "I could do that all day and never be bored."

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• Epidemiologist

As Maddock continues her education and experience, she's hopeful for the future of agriculture and hopes to develop technologies and create more opportunities for agriculture for a growing world.

Interested in women in agriculture? Stay tuned for our next issue on women in agriculture and figures of ag business coming in early May! Know of anyone we should feature?

Let me know at agriculture@spotlightmediafargo.com.

The agriscience fair was one of the biggest technical and hands on learning experiences I’ve ever had. But beyond that is the soft skills that you develop from FFA, which are super important.

Competing in the ag sales project was a great practice for interviews and networking in college.

We have this term, “FFfamily ” which regards the huge FFA community and it 's nice to know everyone in that family is supporting me and each other. We compete, but we all want to see each other succeed at the end of the day. It ’s a huge community and I’m proud to be an alumn.

I can't wait to give back, now that I'm on the other side.

FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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SOIL SPECIALIST:

Dr. Thomas DeSutter THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE FROM THE VIEW OF A LAND AND SOIL SPECIALIST.

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n 2013, a half-inch hole in a pipeline north of Tioga, N.D. released 20,000 oil barrels, or 840,000 gallons of oil on the land. Since then, Tom DeSutter and a team of environmental scientists have been working on the site to clean it and prepare the land for farm use once again.

on a real spill.

"This is a great method if used properly because once the salt is removed it 's out for good," he said.

This is similar to phytoextraction, where a plant is used to suck up all the unwanted brine from the soil, making the next crop cleaner and much more successful. This method has it 's downfalls, too, in that you have to plant a crop, nurture it and hope for no hail storms or damaging winds. By using the wicks, the topsoil stays and the farmer can keep the land.

"We are not just trying to clean it up, but also rehabilitate the land and soil to create a healthy growing environment," DeSutter said.

Dr. DeSutter is the soil science program leader at North Dakota State University and teaches classes related to soil and land use and environmental field instrumentation.

As a professor at NDSU, DeSutter has an inside look at the future minds of the agriculture industry.

In his classes on soil and land use, he uses the book, 40 Chances, as required reading and facilitates group discussions within the class. The book, authored by Howard Buffett, describes the complications of food insecurity.

His work on the Tioga oil spill has led to working with wick experimentation, a way to extract the harmful brine without harming the soil.

There is more to cleaning up an oil spill than just that. When crude oil is extracted from the ground, a watery mix is also present, and this water is highly saturated with sodium. That salty water mix is known as brine, very harmful to the soil and challenging to remove.

In the past, topsoil tainted with brine has been hauled away and replaced with new soil. This is not always the best method, as it can bring in new pests or lower quality soil. Using a wick, the farmer gets to keep his or her topsoil, an especially valuable resource in the western part of North Dakota.

This summer, DeSutter and his team are planning to move to field experimentation and test their project

"Soils are a huge part of making food secure, so I think it 's necessary for my students to be exposed to this, it really makes them think," DeSutter said. "It forces them to think in a bigger picture. We're not just learning about soils, but the end product of what they produce."

40 Chances is an inside look at the role farmers play in food production and how that impacts the global population. A must-read for globally conscious farmers.

DeSutter is hopeful for the future of agriculture and sees great potential in collaboration within agricultural philosophies.

"We teach the principles of soil science, crop science and pest management," he said. "We don't tailor our education to a certain philosophy, but rather give the students a baseline and opportunity to make their own."

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ECONOMIC EXPERT:

Dr. William Wilson THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE FROM THE VIEW OF AN AGRICULTURE EDUCATOR, RESEARCHER AND TEACHER.

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Economics are important in any industry, but in agriculture especially so. Buying and selling grain is an especially important skill to understand, as a student, farmer or industry professional.

Dr. William Wilson is a professor at North Dakota State University where he teaches trading and risk and commodity market trading.

Wilson helped develop the Commodity Trading Room at NDSU, called the Center for Trading and Risk (CTR), located in Richard H. Barry Hall. The room looks like the trading room of a company with 34 live computers connected to large trading companies.

The purpose of this initiative is to expand teaching, research and outreach in risk related to commodity marketing and financial analysis. The primary focus of the CTR is on risk as applied to commodity marketing and trading, finance and logistics "It 's a better way to train and teach the students, and gives them real experience trading commodities," Wilson said.

Supported by an endowment from CHS, the CTR provides students with access to the latest technology and exposes them to real-time trading. The endowment is supports a total of nearly 60 companies, foundations, commpdity groups and alum. In addition, CHS supports the CHS Endowed Chair (Wilson) in Risk Management and Trading which directs the center.

Students can bring aspects back to the farm and learn new marketing

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strategies through hands-on experience.

Wilson enjoys being involved in ag-tech and teaching the future of agriculture.

Trading the Agricultural Markets Agricultural contracts were the first futures traded in the United States. In 1848, farmers and merchants came to Chicago to set a price on grains, bringing life to the commodities markets. Today, the agricultural market is global; accessible electronically almost anywhere and used by individuals, farmers, commercial firms, large corporate companies and government institutions.

"We're going through very radical changes in agriculture in North America and in the world," he said.

"With the expansion of production in other countries, more demanding consumers, our global population approaching 10 billion and more government involvement in agriculture than there's ever been, it 's an extremely competitive time to be in ag."

Nothing countries like Canada, Argentina and Australia and numerous others as leaders in ag-tech and quality production, the competition is fierce.

This mix of market participants has created one of the most active, liquid and vibrant markets in the world for corn, wheat, soybeans, lean hogs and live cattle. Other agricultural commodities include lumber, milk, cheese and more.

"From a commodity marketing perspective, in the 1980s there were five big companies and now there's not just ABCD, there's another C and C and G and 15 more Russian companies and the market is just flooded with competition," Wilson said.

The Agricultural markets are dependent on the supply and demand dynamics of the underlying commodity, which can shift and change based on weather conditions, politics, disease, and shipping and freight issues. Fluctuations in these factors can impact the price volatility of the markets.

There is also a fairly robust demand around the world, with emerging technology and a new dawn of agriculture among farmers, the world of ag and the marketplace has never been more uncertain. Companies or farmers who can, at a low-cost, provide for their consumers at the best price will be the ones to make it.

Given that the world population is expected to top 10 billion people by 2050, supply and demand will be the key factor for the agricultural markets and the food companies that depend on them.

"It 's about being effective and efficient," Wilson said. "Agriculture is a harsh, competitive environment right now. But, there's also a good opportunity. As with any business, you have to be really smart about it."

N RO SH E EF RE DR OO AG

By Danna Sabolik

4-H has long been among the best youth development programs for rural kids.

Today, this organization is open to all students ages 5-19 and helps provide the tools for them to be great leaders.

With a growing emphasis on science, math, technology and entrepreneurship, 4-H is preparing the youth of today for a career in tomorrow’s agriculture industry.

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93%

4‑H’S PROGRAMS PROVIDE

of youth are better and more confident communicators because of 4-H

young people first-hand experience in utilizing alternative energy, conserving energy and learning how to limit humanity’s impact on our environment.

4-H’ERS EXCEL: • nearly 4 times more likely to make contributions to their communities • 2 times more likely to be civically active • 2 times more like to participate in science programs during out-of-school time

4‑H PROGRAMS ENGAGE AND EXCITE young people in agricultural science topics such as veterinary science, biotechnology, raising and training animals and forestry.

96%

of youth have built connections with mentors and industry leaders through 4-H

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minnesota 4-H and it’s impact in the state of Minnesota’s youth development and agriculture education

What is the Science of Agriculture Challenge?

68,595

youth ages 5 to 19 participate annually in 4-H

11,164

caring adults empower youth to learn and lead

1,033,965 volunteer hours are given to grow true leaders each year

171

staff equip volunteers and ensure quality 4-H programs throughout MN

4-H has been in Minnesota

since 1902 MN 4-H State Ambassadors each contribute

374 hours of service per year info from The University of Minnesota 28

MARCH/APRIL 2020

The 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge asks youth to explore and develop science-based solutions to agricultural problems they have identified in their communities. Youth in grades 6 through 12 will work in teams of 2–5 to develop a project and create a presentation to share their results, findings or created product. Participants attend a statewide event to present their projects. Projects are evaluated and judged. The top three teams are awarded scholarship money for post-secondary education. Youth work with a team coach and a mentor from the agriculture related field their project is connected to. Youth also have a chance to connect with representatives from the University of Minnesota and the agribusiness community, who are eager to meet the next generation of leaders in agriculture and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Why is this important?

Agriculture and ag-biosciences are critically important to finding solutions to key challenges facing the United States, including economic growth, food security, human health and environmental sustainability. The U.S. is falling dangerously behind other nations in developing its future workforce of agriculture scientists, engineers and technology experts. Young people in the U.S. are not prepared with the necessary science, engineering and technology workforce skills to compete in the 21st century workforce.

Project topic areas

The foundation of the 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge projects are the Pillars of Agriculture Literacy* from the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The Pillars connect agriculture to a number of crucial topics in society and are broken down into six categories.

Projects should fit into one of the categories from the Pillars model that the Science of Agriculture Challenge connects to. Teams should use the pillars to help categorize the topic they would like to focus their project on and connect with experts in that field.

Pillars of Agriculture Literacy •

•

•

•

•

•

The relationship between agriculture and the environment The relationship between agriculture and food, fiber and energy The relationship between agriculture and animals The relationship between agriculture and lifestyle The connection between agriculture and technology The relationship between agriculture and the economy

*American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, 2012

4-H Pledge

Photos from the University of Minnesota

I Pledge...

My Head to clearer thinking, My Heart to greater loyalty, My Hands to larger service, And my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

north 4-H dakota North Dakota 4-Hers develop skills at national summit

BY Ellen Crawford, NDSU Extension Three North Dakota 4-H’ers had an opportunity to develop their skills as leaders in the agriculture industry at the recent 63rd annual 4-H Youth AgriScience Summit held in Chevy Chase, Md. “This was a great opportunity that opened my eyes to the endless career choices within agriculture,” says Haley Cowan, a summit delegate from Williams County.

The other two North Dakota delegates were Mitch Stuber from Slope County and Noah Helgoe from Pembina County. They were among delegates and adults from 39 states who attended the summit at the National 4-H Conference Center.

The summit program included interactive discussions with industry leaders representing Bayer Crop Science, CHS, Penn State Animal Science, the National 4-H Council and the National Association of Wheat Growers.

The summit also included an afternoon at the National Mall to view agriscience exhibits in the Smithsonian Institution museums, and a night tour of numerous historical monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. “These delegates came from across the state of North Dakota and not only learned

to collaborate with each other, but also shared ideas and plans with other 4-H’ers from across the country and Puerto Rico,” McNaughton says.

The North Dakota delegates intend to implement their community action plan at this year’s Extension Youth Conference in Fargo in June.

and it’s impact in the state of North Dakota’s youth development and agriculture education

6,347

enrolled 4-H members

2,373 volunteers

359

youth volunteers

1,002

“The youth chose handson workshops, including improving your cattle herd through gene selection, utilizing weed identification apps and technologies, advocating for the agriculture industry, and learning which skills they enjoy the most and at which they are highly proficient,” says Sarah McNaughton, North Dakota State University Extension’s 4-H youth development agent in Cass County and the chaperone for the North Dakota delegates to the summit. “They also were able to collaborate as a team to create a community action plan to bring ideas learned during the summit back to fellow North Dakota 4-H’ers.”

youth in 4-H camping programs Total youth participants by residence:

26%

from farms

36%

from towns under 10,000 and rural non-farms

38%

from towns and cities over 10,000

24,491

total youth participants info from ND 4-H's 2018 report

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A CITY KID ON THE

FARM

By Danna Sabolik | Photos by Kayleigh Omang

D

ylan Zimmerman has a passion for all things ag. A Moorhead kid going to school with his classmates who don’t understand why he’d want to spend his fall in the beet harvester and not on the football field.

“This is what I love to do,” he said. “Being on the farm is my favorite thing.”

That has been true as far back as Dylan can remember.

His father, Ryan, remembers leaving at the end of a long day to go back to his home in Moorhead and Dylan not wanting to leave.

“He would be mad if he knew I had been to the farm without him,” Ryan said. “He would take note of where the equipment was in the yard, and if it was moved he would get upset.”

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Dylan’s grandparents, Gerald and Sharry, live on the home farm and farm in a partnership with Ryan. They grow corn, soybeans and sugarbeets on their farm north of Dilworth, Minn.

They joke about it now, but Dylan is serious about his future on the farm.

“THIS IS WHERE I WANT TO BE AND WHAT I WANT TO DO.” FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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BY: Danna Sabolik

ANYONE CAN BECOME A 34

1 Find a Farm Business Management program and instructor you can work with TO MAKE MORE INFORMED FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS. agcentric.org

|

ndfarmmanagement.com

2

Online courses on

Subscribe to publications that OFFER PRACTICAL BUSINESS ADVICE.

3 Alignable

Simply put, Alignable is the social network for small business owners. It’s a place for We recommend Fargo INC! entrepreneurs and small business owners to network with their industry peers online. Members can share tips, generate referrals and build MARKETING partnerships. www.alignable.com

AND COMMODITY TRADING

commodity.com offers free online lessons on commodity trading for a better understanding of the markets

4

6 Invest in YOURSELF

Check out your state’s GRANT PROGRAMS

Did you know Minnesota has a livestock investment grant? How about their Dairy Farm Improvement grant? In North Dakota, there are grants for specialty crops (check out our feature on specialty crops on pg. 56) and land enhancements. Check out your state’s programs online at mda.state.mn.us/funding or nd.gov/ndda/programs.

5

Do what you need to do to set yourself up for success. “Self care” is a trendy concept these days but it’s not all fru-fru. Sometimes the best things we can do for our farms, families and businesses is invest a little time in making us better. This can mean attending a conference, listening to podcasts, reading a book, going for a run, whatever your thing is, carve some time to take care of you.

7

Attend an event and NETWORK WITH FARMERS LIKE YOU

We have a list for you! Turn to page 75 to see some ideas.

SMARTER FARMER

MARCH/APRIL 2020

Attend a class given by an EXPERT

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A Farmer’s Guide The Farm Commons internet site is farmcommons.org. This site has many resources for Workers, Business Structures, Land Matters, Food Safety, Sales & Contracts, Value-added/Tourism, and Insurance.

This Inservice training will provide a legal perspective on how to set up a beginning farm. It will also share sustainable perspectives including “Strong, resilient farm businesses are built on a solid legal foundation”.

This workshop teaches agriculture educators, advisors, and professionals: • The 10 most significant farm legal risks across business structures, liability/insurance, land matters, employment law, and diversification.

• The 10 ways agriculture educators and service providers can assist farmers in reducing those risks, efficiently, without overstepping professional bounds.

READ Download an APP

Explore a software or farm management system that works best for your farm and your needs. The technology we have available today is incredible, and using something free and simple is the best way to make good use of valuable time.

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Reading is one of the first things you learn in school, and one of the best tools to keep your mind sharp. When we read, not only are we improving memory and empathy, but research has shown that it makes us feel better and more positive too. Science has shown that reading has some amazing health benefits, including helping with depression, cutting stress, and reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s later in life according to an article in Business Insider Magazine. We have some recommendations, turn to page 70 to see.

Drift Control Isn't Enough You need total spray droplet management Precision Laboratories has been a leader in manufacturing best-in-class adjuvants for more than 55 years. Our company is committed to the development and sustainable innovation for the benefit of its customers and in respect for the environment.

At Precision Laboratories, we have a commitment to the industry to educate around the concept of Total Spray Droplet Management® (TSDM). The foundation of TSDM demonstrates the importance of managing spray applications to protect people and the environment while maximizing product performance. This includes thinking about your spray solution in the tank, through the air, and on the target. By thinking about TSDM and the entire application process, you’ll be able to make decisions that maximize the return on your crop protection investment.

IN THE TANK START WITH A CLEAN TANK. Spray applications are most effective when you get it right from the start. Often there is residual active ingredients left in your spray tank. These residues can contaminate your next application and end up injuring the crop you are spraying. When cleaning your spray tank, make sure to follow best management practices and use a tank cleaner that will eliminate both dried-on and oily residues.

CONSIDER YOUR WATER QUALITY. Water quality can also have a significant impact on the effectiveness of your spray solution.

Bicarbonate levels above 150 ppm can reduce the effectiveness of many widely used herbicide. Another piece of water quality is pH. Many foliar-applied

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insecticides and some fungicides perform best at a pH below 7. If your water has high bicarbonate levels or high pH levels, water conditioners and buffers can help make sure the performance of spray applications are not inhibited by the quality of your water.

CHECK YOUR COMPATIBILITY. More tank mix partners, more problems. This could mean separation of products in the spray tank, creating uneven product distribution in the field and poor performance. It could also cause the creation of an un-sprayable “cottage cheese” mixture that could waste a whole tank of product and will be difficult to clean-out of the sprayer later. It is important to be aware of these potential issues. In most cases, following the proper mixing sequence and using a compatibility agent, as a preventive measure, will help your tank mix partners get along. If you are not sure about the proper mixing sequence, check out our award-winning MixTank app to help you get it right.

THROUGH THE AIR CHECK THE WEATHER. It’s very important to check the weather before making a spray application. Many labels require you to check the weather to make sure you are making the application in optimum conditions for performance and crop safety.

Windy conditions and temperature inversions can cause applications to move off-target even with the best drift control technology.

ON THE TARGET ENSURE DROPLET RETENTION. Now that you have the right size droplets, it is important they stay on the leaf surface to be effective. An unintended consequence of making bigger spray droplets is poor droplet retention. Larger droplets (> 500 microns) can literally bounce-off weeds or tear apart and splatter.

This means less product stays on target and the potential for weed control is significantly lowered. Selecting DRAs that also include a retention aid can make sure larger droplets stick to the leaf surface and are available to improve coverage, uptake, and ultimately herbicide performance.

INCREASE DROPLET COVERAGE. Even after a droplet makes it to the leaf surface, better coverage will make the spray application more effective.

Surfactants and even some high-surfactant oil-based adjuvants can help reduce surface tension and allow spray droplets to spread out when they make contact with the leaf surface. This improved coverage will allow for better uptake and enhance the performance of the application.

FIND THE RIGHT DROPLET SIZE. This is where drift control happens. A critical factor in making the right size droplets is pairing adjuvants and nozzles. DRAs and spray nozzles can work together to help produce bigger droplets, making them less likely to drift away. However, just making bigger droplets can have unintended consequences and make some chemistries less effective. It is important to create the RIGHT SIZE droplets for the crop protection products you are spraying.

Ideally, matching the right nozzle with the right DRA will reduce drift, put more product on the intended target, provide good leaf surface coverage, and maintain or improve efficacy. While some crop protection products now have lists of approved adjuvants, drift reduction agents and nozzles, research has shown that some combinations are more effective than others.

concentrates and high-surfactant oils are all considered activators, it’s important to read the crop protection product labels to ensure you use the recommended adjuvant type for optimum performance and crop safety.

Learn more about Total Spray Droplet Management and earn CEUs Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered for Precision Laboratories’ educational video series on Total Spray Droplet Management®. Certified Crop Advisors can earn up to three CEUs for watching the series of six videos, covering such key topics as understanding droplet size and spectrum, the importance of selecting the right nozzle for various applications and how adjuvants play a role in droplet formation and retention.

You can find the TSDM videos at precisionlab.com/agtotal-spray-droplet-management.

MAXIMIZE PRODUCT ABSORPTION. Finally, the performance of spray applications can be enhanced when product absorption is improved. Activator adjuvants can help products penetrate the leaf cuticle to increase uptake and make spray applications more effective. While surfactants, methylated seed oils, crop oil

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Event Recap

EXPO

NDSU’s Agricultural Technology

By Danna Sabolik Photos submittted by NDSU

The Agricultural Technology Expo began in 1948 and is sponsored by the Student Engineering Branch of ASABE and the Agricultural Systems Management Club.

This February, NDSU held the 72nd annual expo in the agricultural and biosystems engineering building.

This is the largest student activity in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. Participation includes selecting, researching, and presenting a project at the Expo. The Expo experience is an important element to becoming a well-rounded student. It gives students an opportunity to become better acquainted

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with and enjoy their intended field of work and to develop communications, team work, and organizational skills which are in great demand by employers.

Over $1000 in scholarships are typically awarded. Scholarships include Grand Champion project, division winners, Best Freshman project and a People’s Choice award voted on by attendees. Prizes are also given for the top three projects in each division.

More information can be found at ndsu. edu/aben.

Winners: Machinery Division Champion: Tyler Goplen Project Bale Wrappers: A Simple Design with at Big Impact

Senior Design Champion: Mitchell Blaha, Lane Jeffers, Carter Peterson and Sawyer Burchill Project Hydraulic Remote-Valve Dynamometer

Precision Ag Champion: Eric Meredith Project Weed Species Identification Using Artificial Intelligence

Graduate Research Champion: Nadia Delavapour Project Auto-Steering of Tractor-Towed Equipment for Post Planting Operations

Soil Water and Environment Champion: Aaron Dean Project From Dirt to Soil

People’s Choice: Seth Kjelberg, Danika Tweten and Cody Henne Project Lely Astronaut

Structures, Energy and Processing Champion: Max Salzer Project Enhanced Biofuel Production Using Hydrodynamic Cavitation Power Division Champion: Caleb Becker, John Haverland and Landon Overbo Project DOT: Autonomous Technology

Reserve Champion: Aaron Dean Project From Dirt to Soil Grand Champion: Tyler Goplen Project Bale Wrappers: A Simple Design with at Big Impact

Champion Freshman Project: Tyler Goplen Project Bale Wrappers: A Simple Design with at Big Impact

PC People’s Choice

RC Reserve Champion

GC Grand Champion

Opportunity abounds in agriculture

Hybrid Technology-Venture Business Forges New Path for AgTech Innovations

By Nancy Shawver Photos submitted by TechAccel What is TechAccel?

This Kansas City-based company is passionate about the future of agriculture and is doing what it can to encourage the future of agriculture while improving the efficiencies of farming.

This introduction of their company is an insight on who is in the room where it happens, "it" being the latest and greatest developments of ag and food technologies.

TechAccel shared with Future Farmer what is interesting about what they do, and just why it's so crucial to the future of agriculture.

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Michael Helmstetter

Ph.D., founder, president and CEO of TechAccel

What does it take to bring breakthrough ag technology to market?

Your first thought might be money. Or a really good technology, proven and useful, to today’s farmers. In other words, a combination of venture capital and technology development.

TechAccel LLC is the originator of the technology and venture development organization. Sometimes called a VDO, it is like a hybrid – a combination of two separate varieties or species. That “best of both” idea helps explain the concept that, as embodied

by TechAccel, has significant traction and is creating sustainable value.

Think of TechAccel as one-part venture capital and one-part research and development: TechAccel makes equity investments in startups and also separately invests in innovative technology (particularly platform technology) and then manages the research and development to push that technology to commercialization. TechAccel focuses exclusively on agtech, animal health and foodtech innovations.

“Nowhere else do you find these two investment approaches delivered by a single firm,” said Michael Helmstetter, Ph.D., president and CEO. “In some cases, we invest equity in startups with a pledge to further expand their assets in adjacent opportunities. In others, we identify a new technology that fits our areas of interest, and we fund the R&D with major universities and CROs to de-risk and advance technology for market readiness.”

A private company founded in 2014 and based in Kansas City, TechAccel operates with a team of experienced financial executives and Ph.D. scientists and researchers, with deep agricultural roots. The unique business model makes the company attractive to startups, who appreciate the investment as well as the R&D support and to venture capital firms, who appreciate the deep scientific and technical due diligence TechAccel brings to every equity investment.

And because this is a team accustomed to muddy boots, the perspective of the farmer/ rancher and the cost structure of those farm/ livestock operations always informs the strategic decisions.

“Our business is all about bridging a gap between point A, where technology or platform is today, to point B, where it is ready for an agribusiness’s pipeline of products

Photo below

A plant treated with one of RNAissance Ag’s biopesticides (right) reduced pests feeding compared to the control (left). for the market,” said Helmstetter. “We invest capital in, and manage the advancement and de-risking process to further the market readiness of each technology or platform.”

TechAccel also operates a virtual network with more than 20 major research universities and institutes. These universities and institutes are fertile ground for finding new technology assets, and home to subject-matter experts in agriculture and animal health sciences who perform science advancement R&D under contract with TechAccel.

“With these relationships, TechAccel leverages the leading subject-matter experts, funds R&D, and licenses IP and innovations discovered and nurtured in higher education,” explained Helmstetter. “These universities work with us to support and advance agtech, animal health and foodtech innovations.”

How it works TechAccel tends to invest in platform technologies, for example, a novel biotech process that works in a specific plant species. TechAccel’s science advancement approach would then trial that process in another species, expanding and advancing the initial technology to other marketable crops or products.

Investments don’t always start with equity, as TechAccel will fund proof-of-concept projects on technologies with disruptive promise. One such example comes from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, which also is home to TechAccel’s St. Louis offices.

TechAccel’s scientific team encountered a pair of Danforth Center investigators who had a novel approach to using RNA-interference

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technology as a pesticide. TechAccel was intrigued enough to fund a small proof of concept project to trial the platform.

When it proved feasible, TechAccel and the Danforth Center created a new subsidiary company to develop the technology for market. In addition to further funding from TechAccel, that resulting company, RNAissance Ag LLC, soon landed a $250,000 grant for advanced research from the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) and is now preparing for field trials with a biopesticide targeting certain Lepidoptera species that have so far been resistant to biopesticide methods as well as showing increasing resistance to more standard chemical pesticides.

The TechAccel Portfolio RNAissance Ag is just one of the many investments in the TechAccel portfolio.

The company has disclosed a handful of other investments, including Benson Hill, the rapidly growing ag biotech startup in St. Louis, and Agrivida, a company focused on manufacturing enzymes in corn.

Another example is Epicrop Technologies, which originated with research at the University of Nebraska using epigenetic approaches to improve crop yields. TechAccel and Epicrop are collaborating in two new joint ventures – EpiCanola and EpiBerry – advancing the epigenetic platform into two new crop areas.

TechAccel’s investment thesis focuses investments in core areas of plant and animal breeding and genetics, crop protection and management, animal health biologics and pharmaceuticals, feedstuffs and feed additives, and animal health diagnostics.

In animal health, TechAccel and Reliance Animal Health Partners formed a subsidiary company in product development. Covenant Animal Health Partners LLC is dedicated to the development and registration of “revenue-ready” animal health products, addressing critical market needs for both production and companion animals.

The Role of Collaboration in Agtech TechAccel is, at heart, an organization of collaboration. (We actually protected a line we use all the time: Collaboration is the engine of successTM.) In the TechAccel model, there’s room to collaborate with venture investors, academics and students, agribusiness multinationals and startups. By modeling the behaviors that produce mutually beneficial opportunities, TechAccel plays a kind of team-building coach.

TechAccel welcomes your comments and ideas.

To learn more about TechAccel, visit the website, follow the company on Twitter (@Tech_Accel) or LinkedIn, or see more of Helmstetter’s commentsin his Forbes opinion column.

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We believe the global challenge of feeding the hungry, building responsible and sustainable agricultural processes, addressing food safety and managing our resources is big enough for everyone to participate and contribute,” Helmstetter said. “We’re doing our part to build the future by investing in innovation, advancing science and creating new solutions.”

ANNOUNCEMENT A SILICON VALLEY FOR

AG-TECH? Look no further than the Red River Valley

North Dakota is an ideal place for startups from around the globe to test their technology, grow their companies and advance agriculture for our nation and the world.�

-Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota

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WHAT IS PLUG AND PLAY?

P

lug and Play is coming to Fargo to help make the Red River Valley a hub for ag-tech.

Saaeed Amidi, founder, and chief executive officer of Plug and Play LLC, of Sunnydale, Calif., described the project alongside North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfried March 4 at NDSU’s Richard H. Barry Hall.

Burgum noted the strong ag-tech foundation in the area and it’s legacy to the North Dakota agrarian spirit, along with the recent developments involving robotic farming, drones, and autonomous equipment, engineering and business software connected to agriculture and farming.

A California-based startup accelerator company who is the largest global innovation platform for business accelerators.

Their accelerator programs are industry themed to ensure that our startups and corporate partners make the most meaningful connections for their business.

Additional Info: • 50+ programs a year, 12-weeks each • No equity required • Stage agnostic (startups of all sizes) • Build your pipeline of corporate clients • Meet mentors, VCs, and angel investors • Leverage the global network

“North Dakota is an ideal place for startups from around the globe to test their technology, grow their companies and advance agriculture for our nation and the world,” Burgum said, noting companies like Doosan Bobcat and Steiger Tractor Co. “Plug and Play will help bring together partners who have got access to customers, access to finance, access to markets, access to ideas, access to mentors, access to technology,” Burgum said.

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Plug and Play by the numbers • Runs more than 50 industry- themed accelerator programs a year • Accelerated 1,107 startups around the globe • Works with more than 280 corporations around the world • Accelerated 562 start ups in the U.S. • 22 locations around the globe • Hosted 792 events in their Silicon Valley HQ • $147,000 Average size check • Hosted 1,565 startup- corporate deal flow sessions

Amidi said he grew up in Iran and started businesses at age 19. In the mid-1980s, he started investing in high-tech startup companies, including PayPal, where he invested $100,000 and got back $7 million, and has been involved in Android, Dropbox, Bobcat and Mercedes.

Amidi established Plug and Play in 2006, to meet entrepreneurs and make investments.

Plug and Play run 50 different “accelerators” across 26 cities worldwide — now including Fargo. Amidi said the company earns about 10% of its money from growing these “ecosystems” of business. It earns the remaining 90% of its money from its direct investments in those companies.

is an international innovation platform and accelerator that has locations in places like Jakarta, Guadalajara, Berlin and Zhengzhou, China. They are opening a location in Fargo geared specifically for ag tech. As the largest innovation platform in the world, they connect technology startups and the world’s largest corporations.

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“We work with over 300 corporate partners and we invest ourselves in about 250 startups every year,” said Michael Olmstead, chief revenue officer. “I”m hoping that in Fargo we can build the best and the biggest agricultural innovation platform in the world.”

Olmstead introduced a group of four “founding partners” in the new Fargo office, including such familiar names as Bremer Bank, CHS Inc., and Microsoft Corp., and less familiar names like “The OCP Group,” a Moroccan company with $6 billion in sales that moves about 100,000 tons of fertilizer in North Dakota every year. These partners pay a fee to help support the office staff and may have other connections.

Saaeed Amidi, right, founder and CEO of Plug and Play LLC, of Sunnydale, Cal., on Thursday, March 4, introduces Felipe Gonzalez, left, who will start a five-person office in Fargo to foster high-tech ag companies.

• Real Estate • Farm Land Farm & Construction Equipment And much more!

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Felipe Gonzalez, originally from Brazil, will start the Fargo office slated to employ five people. The company will bring in more experienced startup entrepreneurs from elsewhere who can connect with contemporaries from here.

“I know how much agriculture is important for us, and I want to try to build a connection between what you guys are doing here, and what Brazil is doing, and what China is doing everywhere around the world,” Gonzalez said.

In the U.S., Plug and Play has helped about 1,200 entrepreneurs per year and invests in about 250 of them per year, Amidi said. In Europe, they’ve helped 600 startups and invested in 50 of them. He said the company has a goal to do 20 investments a year in Fargo.

Plug and Play expects to begin full operations in Fargo in late May. Startups accepted into the programs will get to work with the corporate partners and test their technology at the Grand Farm test site south of Fargo.

If you want to learn more, go to plugandplaytechcenter.com.

Tues., April 7 - Thurs., April 16 10:00 AM Items located at: 35104 Co Rd 11, Olivia, MN

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FEATURED SOFTWARE By: Danna Sabolik | Photos submitted from Conservis

Conservis is a farm management system created

philosophy, they've become a leader in farm

and improved with farmer input based out of

management software by listening and earning trust

Minneapolis, Minn. Conservis got its start by listening

among America's farmers.

to farmers and still relies on relationships with

We heard from Conservis' Patrick Christie, founder

farmers for feedback and improvement.

and executive vice president of sales and marketing

In 2008, a group of farmers had the problem of

on where Conservis is headed as we are on the dawn

managing their harvest more profitably but didn't

of a new technological presence in agriculture.

have the technology to create management software to do so. Conservis stepped in and developed software to solve this need.

Listening to farmers to improve farm management capabilities and helping solve problems are the bedrock of this company. And through that

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CEOINTERVIEW We heard from Conservis' Patrick Christie, founder and executive vice president of sales and marketing on where Conservis is headed as we are on the dawn of a new technological presence in agriculture. Christie has over 25 years of experience taking ideas and building them into something of value.

Pat launched Conservis in 2008 to focus on enterprise sustainability and solve meaningful problems for farmers.

: What is Conservis looking forward to in 2020? : We spent the last decade building the infrastructure to help farmers get the most out of their data and build profitable, smart businesses.

In 2020, we're moving past building infrastructure to building results on-farm. Especially in times of economic uncertainty, farmers are looking for ways to survive and thrive for tomorrow. For 2020, our proposition is really simple: Continue to build the best platform for our farmers that provide the insights they need, and continue to attract, hire, and train the best people to work with those farmers. Because of what we've built, we've got an amazing partnership array that's bringing our solutions to growers around the world. We're continuing to be really thoughtful about products that bring real value to growers and we’re working alongside our partners to get there. : What's something Conservis learned last year that will make the future of ag better? : The year of 2019 was about zeroing in on the cost of production, taking all the learnings from collecting data on-farm and bringing great financial insights to the farm. Our partnership with

Rabo AgriFinance gave us access to really smart farm financial experts that helped us think and build smart tools. We want to ensure it’s easy to see the financial results of farm decisions.

Last year, we invested in connecting accounting systems to operational data. We also rolled out Zone Economics, giving growers the ability to see not only crop and field performance but to dig deeper into subfield costs. We’re also continuing to invest in new crops and 2019 was the year of hemp - we had many hemp growers come in.

We also saw a lot of permanent crop operations come in. In 2020, it’s ongoing: learning, listening, building; learning, listening, building. : What does Conservis need from farmers throughout MN and ND to help them? : We’ve spent a lot of time with farmers.

Frankly, there's a lot of pain from promises made regarding technologies that didn't deliver, and a lot of uncertainty on who to work with. “Does this stuff make a difference?” We’ve looked for the farmers who are saying, "I want to understand.

Let's have a conversation and see what's possible."

Because what was possible 10 years ago, five years ago, three years ago, two years ago,

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compared to what's possible tomorrow, next year and the year after - it's dramatic. Our biggest worry for our farmers is that they're not prepared for what may be their opportunity or their pain. I think an open conversation about technology and how practices are going to change is critical. : What are a few projects Conservis is investing in? : We’re continuing to invest in easing the burden to collect data. Data collection has been, and in some cases still is, one of the biggest issues in making it easy to get helpful information out of any farm management system. So that means integrations. Our integration with John Deere Operations Center and Climate Fieldview™ is great, but there are other things that farmers work with

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that they want to have come into one space.

Another focus is on helping our farmers gain access to new markets. Sustainability at large is actually a new market opportunity for the grower. How can proving practices, or changing practices to get access to a new market, and then having the ability to demonstrate traceability for what you did, link the dots to a financial game because you did these things? Those are all things that we're investing in on behalf of the farmer. : What role will Conservis play in the vitality of farming in the region? : I forget who said it, but the next 10 years are going to be economically stressful for farmers in this region. If you look at the weather events in 2019, that continues to play into it. We’re helping farmers get organized, and we’re giving them the ability to do more with less. How can we get every penny out of every pound? How do we make

sure that there's no slippage? How can we create an opportunity for that farmer to have options that they may not have today? I know that's not all in our control, but the things that you can control, you should control, right? I think our opportunity is to help our farmers be best prepared for the future. : What makes Conservis unique, compared to other ag software? : Ag is complicated. I think a lot of tech companies are solving problems, but they're not solving the whole problem. We’ve worked very hard to solve the entire problem. How do we help the business side of the farm? There are a thousand soil and drone technologies, for example, and they're all important, but you've got to bring it all together in one place. You've got to make it actionable. It's not easy to do and you have to

be the guide. We not only have great technology, but we have guides - people - to help our farmers go from not having a system to getting the most out of every choice they make in our system.

Also, we’re a farmer-first business. We take the time to listen because we genuinely care. We’re also independent and have no loyalty to anyone but the farmer.

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: What role does automation play in the future of agriculture? : Automation is inevitable. We see it in every part of life. I mean, about every day now I'm reading about autonomous vehicles coming to all of the world. We're one click away from not needing an operator in a tractor. Every farmer has a supercomputer in their pocket called a smartphone. Tractors are smart and data is getting democratized. You can actually get data from different systems and with labor continuing to be a real issue, it's coming. Automation is inevitable. I think the question is, when does it come? In what form? And when is it affordable?

: What is the biggest challenge facing farmers today that Conservis can help with? : Cost of production. Getting organized for the future. Helping bring a common view on how to think about all your farming operations.

Decision-making today that affects your health tomorrow. We are and aim to be that independent, trusted voice to support farmers in these challenges. We're only here to help growers with their farm operations. We have no other agenda than to help our growers.

conservis.ag facebook.com/ConservisCorporation linkedin.com/company/conservis

Features

x

Built-in Accounting Contract Management Inventory Management Order Processing Supplier Management

x

x

CRM Crop/Livestock Management Labor Management Pricing Management Traceability Weather Records

Best For Conservis helps farmers that want to manage inventories, track farm activities, analyze yields, track spending, streamline crop insurance reporting and make smarter decisions from a secure platform.

Product Details Created with farmers, Conservis is an easy-to-use farm management system that helps growers work smarter, not harder. Gather, analyze, and report on data all in one place.

Troubleshoot in the moment and see the big picture. Farming is a complicated business.

Conservis helps you streamline and simplify in all stages of the growing process. The farmsmart Conservis team will be working with you to get things up and running fast and along the way. Lead your farm profitably into the future.

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What MN & ND Farmers Should Know About the Most Controversial Specialty Crop: Hemp.

With CBD & Hemp Specialist Andy Richards Before we dive in, let's establish a mutual understanding of what Hemp is.

According to Leafly, a global-leader in CBD products, "Hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops known to man. It has been used for paper, textiles, and cordage for thousands of years. In fact, the Columbia History of the World states that the oldest relic of human industry is a scrap of hemp fabric dating back to approximately 8,000 BC." But how does that make it different than the intoxicating forms of cannabis consumed medicinally and recreationally?

There are many different varieties of the cannabis plant.

Hemp—also called industrial hemp—refers to the nonintoxicating (less than 0.3% THC) varieties of Cannabis sativa L. Both hemp and marijuana come from the same cannabis species but are genetically distinct and are further distinguished by use, chemical makeup and cultivation methods. For the sake of this article, we will refer to the plant as hemp and the oil as CBD (short for cannabidiol).

Andy Richards

is the owner/operator of Pledge Promotional Agency where he helps entrepreneurs with their business plans.

He's worked with Alpine Hemp, a Fargo, ND company, recently.

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Hemp is a crop growing in popularity throughout the United States. In 2019, 300,000 acres in North Dakota were granted into the state's industrial hemp pilot program.

And in Minnesota, 8,000 acres were granted to hemp growth along with 400,000 indoor square feet of growing space. Hemp is booming right now, and we cannot ignore its current and future impact.

Ask any farmers who participated in this growth and they will agree, adding a new crop can be tricky. There needs to be proper equipment, training, education and execution.

Not to mention ideal growing weather and someone to buy it at the end of the season. All these factors played into what 2019's dispiriting crop looked like for hemp. As with any new venture, the beginning stages are riddled with uncertainty and North Dakota and Minnesota’s hemp production in 2019 was no different. These outputs saw farmer’s fields not producing the yields they expected, along with difficulties distributing the product to processors. Processors are a key part to the hemp process, in that they either buy the biomass from farmers or charge a tolling fee for processing it for them. However, there are not many processors nation-wide and it takes time to establish connections and reliability with them, something our region’s farmers are still working on.

However, Hemp Consultant Andrew Richards says not to take one bad year to heart and to investigate the benefits of the crop itself and the benefits of growing it in our region.

Richards has a background in the human sciences, receiving an undergraduate degree in exercise science with a pre-med emphasis and a master’s degree in Aerospace: Space Studies. An entrepreneur at heart, he has experience in a wide variety of industries, helping him gain the expertise needed when it comes to his transition into the hemp industry.

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hat are cannabinoids and CBD?

Hemp contains roughly 80 different types of cannabinoids, however, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannbidiol) are the most common cannabinoids found in the hemp plant. As with regulation, hemp plants contain less than .3% THC and can contain upwards of 20% CBD. THC is the cannabinoid that is known for its intoxicating characteristics, while CBD has been researched for many uses.

In diving into this uncharted territory of a new industry, over the past few years he's met with people from all over the world involved in the hemp industry. He's created relationships and stayed in contact with them and is involved in a seed to sale operation abroad.

"I've met with the top consulting agencies in the world and have kept ongoing relationships with all of them" he said. "I'm also helping Alpine Hemp, a local-focused and high-quality hemp business, with their business development strategy.

Because of the relationship s I've built, I have access to lots of information. My purpose is to serve as a liaison of connecting people to other good people and quality information in the industry."

Growing history in MN and ND In 2018, the Farm Bill allowed farmers to plant and process hemp as a viable crop. A lot of states do not have guidelines set up at this time, so in an effort to publish some guidelines before planting, each state's rates and rules are a little different. Each seed's genotype holds a certain percentage of

What is CBD? CBD is short for cannabidiol, a compound found naturally in cannabis and industrial hemp plants.

Discovered in 1940 Cannabidiol is a phytocannabinoid and it is one of some 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract. Your body actually naturally produces a form of cannabinoids called endocannabinoids, but we’ll get to that shortly.

Wait, so CBD comes from cannabis, isn’t that illegal?

The United States 2014 Farm Bill legalized the sale of “non-viable hemp material” grown within states participating in the Hemp Pilot Program. This legislation defined hemp as cannabis containing less than 0.3% of THC delta-9, so long as it is grown within the regulatory framework of the Hemp Pilot Program. The 2018 Farm Bill allowed for interstate commerce of hemp-derived products and delisted CBD derived from hemp as a federally scheduled substance.

What does CBD do in the body?

CBD is a type of compound that belongs to the group of compounds known as cannabinoids. Cannabinoids work with a series of receptors in your body known as the endocannabinoid system, which is involved in a lot of important jobs inside your body. These include regulating your immune system, appetite, anxiety levels, mood, sleep schedule, anti-inflammatory response, and more.

Your body actually makes its own set of cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids. If you’ve ever eaten a large hunk of dark chocolate or experienced a runner’s high, you’ve experienced the work of endocannabinoids. When plants make this type of compound for themselves, they’re called phytocannabinoids. CBD is one of over a hundred of types of phytocannabinoids found in hemp plants.

CBD does not produce the high associated with marijuana.

What is the difference between hemp seed oil and hemp extract/CBD Oil?

Hemp seed oil is produced by cold pressing the seed of the hemp plant. There is minimal CBD and THC, and is primarily used for cooking oils, moisturizer bases, and can be used as a biodiesel fuel, like other vegetable oils.

CBD oil or Hemp extract is cannabinoid oil that is extracted from the hemp’s stalk, leaves, and flower, NOT the seed. This oil is high in CBD but low in THC.

THC, Delta 9 or CBD. Because states all have different guidelines, it's crucial to know the source of purchased seed, and have plans in place with a processor for post-harvest.

"Crop failures can be due to a multitude of reasons" Richards said. "Hemp seed is highly sensitive, and one needs to consider altitude, climate, moisture and soil content. It's important to talk to an expert before you just dive in and try the crop." Richards also noted the interest his contacts have with meeting farmers in North Dakota and Minnesota.

"We have great land and great people here," he said.

"There are a lot of companies that have expressed interest in getting some facetime with farmers and explaining their genetics and quality of seed." If given the time and resources, hemp could really thrive here in the region.

Because hemp is not a traditional crop, Richards

"This isn't a crop that's going to disappear, there's a demand for it and the innovation around it is very exciting."

advises and encourages working with a consultant and/or agency and performing due diligence before diving into a venture.

"It's not a crop that's going to work for everyone," he said. "It's a big investment to try a new crop, but it's also one that could have a big pay off in the long run."

Richards also advises not to move too fast. He said, "Scale yourself. Start small. Figure out who you're going to be selling your product to and start with conservative estimates when creating your financial Pro-forma. Most importantly, if you are interested in this industry, meet people, travel places and learn from those that have been in the industry a while."

He predicts industrial hemp will continue to grow over the next 3-5 years. As a renewable resource, hemp has many versatile uses in many industries and will only continue to increase its uses in our everyday lives.

"This isn't a crop that's going to disappear, there's a demand for it and the innovation around it is very exciting," Richards said.

More information can be found on the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Agriculture websites.

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infographic c/o canadahempfoods.com

UTURE

JOE MORKEN

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Joe Morken is a North Dakota farmer who also serves on the North Dakota Soybean Council. Morken is an exemplary Future Farmer as he accepts the role of land steward. He's interested in the future of ag-tech and the role it'll play in the future of feeding a growing world. We had a chance to catch up with Joe Morken about his recommendations and where he sees the future of ag in the Red River Valley.

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BY: Danna Sabolik | PHOTO BY: Kayleigh Omang

JOE MORKEN Casselton, ND 6,500 acres

Seed Vendor: Dekalb and Croplan at Clifford Farmers Elevator

Crop Management Software: Ag Connections, Land LB and Climate

Finance Management: Ag Country

Tell us about your farm.

Our farm is a third-generation row crop farm. We currently grow soybeans, sugar beets and corn.

What are your plans for your farm over the next five years?

We grow corn but are not set up for it at all. In the future, we would like to add a bin site to make harvest faster and more efficient.

Where do you see the future of ag-tech?

Right now there is a lot of data collection happening but I don't know if we are getting the best use of it.

I think in the future companies are going to be able to put collected data to better use by way of seed selection and planting rates. Hopefully, it can also tie in with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and point out acres that shouldn't be in production and put into conservation programs.

What’s the most profitable choice you’ve made on your farm?

We have been working at reducing the amount of tillage we have been doing and have been really pleased with the results.

Who is someone in the agriculture industry you look up to?

It has to be my parents. The time they put into the farm and volunteering with other organizations that benefit farmers has been a great example to strive to be and live up to.

How do you stay up-to-date with happenings in the industry?

Meetings! There is a lot of good information at our fingertips now and that is nice but you need to put in your time with continuing education. Networking with other growers that aren't at your coffee shop can help with new ideas and practices.

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The Good Lord only made so many acres, so you better take care of it.

What do you like to do other than farming?

Right now I spend a lot of time away from the farm on a farm organization board, serving as the chair of the North Dakota Soybean Council. When my term is up with that and my boys grow up a little more I hope to get back to doing some hunting again.

How do you stay up-to-date with happenings in the industry?

Meetings! There is a lot of good information at our fingertips now and that is nice but you need to put in your time with continuing education. Networking with other growers that aren't at your coffee shop can help with new ideas and practices.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A farmer or a pilot. I guess we know now which one I ended up being.

What is one piece of ag-tech you would recommend to other farmers?

I think it is on most people's wish list but electric drives on the planter with row by row shut off is amazing.

What is a management practice you’ve changed in the past year that has benefited your farm?

I would have to say implementing reduced tillage practices. It was pretty easy for our farm to do because you just stop doing it, it didn't take a big financial investment. In the future, we would like to try strip-till but that takes money, and right now is a tough time to try something like that.

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BOOKS Commodity Conversations

This book is aimed at all those who want to learn about the world of trading in agricultural commodities: students, legislators, regulators and journalists. It is a mix of explanatory text and interviews with experienced market participants: farmers, physical traders, hedge fund managers, regulators and sustainability professionals.

The Great Game of Business

Out of the Shadows

The revised and updated edition of The Great Game of Business lays out an entirely different way of running a company with unprecedented profit and employee engagement. It was forged on the factory floors of the heartland by ordinary folks hoping to figure out how to save their jobs when their parent company, International Harvester, went down the tubes.

In 1979, Dan Morgan, a journalist with the Washington Post, wrote Merchants of Grain, a definitive history of the international grain trade. In the 40 years since Dan’s book was published the grain markets have changed almost beyond recognition. So have the merchants of grain. This is the inside story of the grain market and the seven companies at the center of the world’s food supply.

Fearless Farm Finances

The Haymakers

The complex subject of farm financial management, with numerous tips and examples from working farms is outlined in this book. It offers examples from a diversity of farms, and the content is relevant for both small- and large-scale operations.

The Haymakers is an epic—the history of man's struggle with nature as well as man's struggle against machines. It relates the story of farmers and their obligations to their families, to the animals they fed, and to the land they tended.

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POD CASTS FOR THE FARMER

Keeping Ag Real

Schweigert highlights what is happening in agriculture and how it’s grown point-of-view. From citrus processing managers to farmers and ranchers to the restaurant sector, the show aims to showcase all of agriculture - the good, the bad and even the tough issues facing our industry. Additionally, she will bring perspectives from outside of agriculture on topics such as real food, sustainability, carbon footprints and family farming.

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Future of Agriculture

Ag PhD Radio Show

This show looks into the diversity that is agriculture and agribusiness. The global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 and agriculture is expected to produce more with less land and less water. Agribusiness will be part of the future to constantly innovate and find sustainable ways of meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

Brothers Brian and Darren give agronomic advice and agricultural information on Ag PhD Radio, a derivative of their Sirius XM radio show, Rural Radio that can be found on Channel 147. For the latest information on how to take your operation from good to great and a wide range of agronomic information from how to maximize your fertilizer program and tiling to stopping those yield-robbing insects, crop disease and more.

Ag News Daily

Midwest Farm Wives

The Ag News Daily podcast is a compilation of the latest agricultural news in one convenient 30-minute talk show-styled run down. Combined with fascinating interviews from folks all across the industry. This show is a daily dose of agricultural news!

Two busy Moms and millennial Farm Wives from Kansas and Missouri on an optimistic, real and raw approach to surviving farm life, motherhood and so much more right from the heartland of America.

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SERVICES:

Call for

a

FREEE QUOT

Residential Paving Commercial Paving Sealcoating Driveways Parking Lots Seasonal Lots

BUCK’S PAVING 723 3rd St S Breckenridge, MN 56520 701-204-1587

buckspaving.net

03/24

Commercial Pesticide Applicator Training Bottineau, ND Students can learn about pesticide use and application to be prepared to take the ND Commercial Pesticide Applicators Exam for Ag Pest and Ground Core.

The course will start March 24th and will be every Tuesday and Thursday 9:00-9:50 AM through the end of the semester. At the end of the course, students will be able to take the open book exam to receive their applicators licenses. There is a $100 fee for the certification exam. Students that are not interested in getting their ND certification, but would still like to learn about pesticide use and application are still invited to attend the class.

04/01

04/02

04/03

Ag Summit 2020 What's on the horizon

Stanley FFA Banquet

Mercer County Soil Conservation District Women's Night

Owatona, MN Four Seasons Riverland’s annual Ag Summit, an informative day of learning and networking for the Ag community. Keynote Speaker: Mr. Patrice Bailey, Assistant Commissioner for Minnesota Department of Agriculture, will speak on the Future of Agriculture.

Stanley, ND The Stanley FFA Chapter will recognize members that have put in hard work this school year.

Speaker Amanda Radke will acknowledge the awards' members have earned and celebrate their achievements from the past year.

Hazen, ND

https://bit.ly/2TEhZhf

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09/15

10/23

Big Iron

Tomorrow's Top Hands Beef Leadership Summit

West Fargo, ND With 900+ exhibit booths, training sessions, demonstrations and countless opportunities to connect with your peers, there is little doubt that Big Iron is the event for agribusiness. The Big Iron Farm Show is the largest farm show in the upper Midwest. This show is held annually in September at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds, in West Fargo, North Dakota.

04/15

2020 Women's Agricultural Leadership Conference

04/24

NDSU Agriculture Collective's Ag Day Fargo, ND

Chaska, MN Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Advance and improve your skills through an engaging day of learning and networking.

Get energized by discovering new ideas, connecting with others in agriculture, and celebrating mentors and positive role models. https://bit.ly/2IqzuMI

Let us know if you have an upcoming event you'd like featured. agriculture@spotlightmediafargo.com.

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Bismarck, ND The Tomorrow's Top Hands Beef Leadership Summit is a highenergy, power-packed, beef-industry career exploration and leadership development conference to help youth gain connections and develop leadership skills.

10/30

Harvest of Knowledge Oklee, MN International Conference on Precision Agriculture aims to organize and conduct international conferences related to precision agriculture, such as the international conference on precision agriculture, European conference on precision agriculture, and other related conferences.

We asked the team behind the Grand Farm to use 16 pages in this magazine to tell their story. They chose to celebrate success stories, explain their company and update us all of new ag tech perspectives.

Why this Section?

Emerging Prairie is a key player in ag tech in the upper midwest, but not extremely well known in our area. We took this opportunity to shine a light on what they do and how far their impact ripples into the community.

What is Emerging Prairie?

Emerging Prairie is an organization that focuses on connecting and celebrating the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Fargo-Moorhead area through innovative programming and events that move the needle and ignite economic growth.

What is the Grand Farm?

Grand Farm aims to capitalize on the region’s potential in the agriculture and technology industries. The end goal of Grand Farm is to create the farm of the future–that will impact the Fargo-Moorhead Community (and the world) by developing new opportunities and accelerating change.

What is Cultivate?

Cultivate is an emerging technology in agriculture conference that convenes leaders to explore tech innovations they’ve created, are currently building, or are searching for in their industry.

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CONTENTS

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People of Ag-Tech Jake Joraanstad, Co-founder and CEO of ag-tech company Bushel attended the State Of The Union Address in Washington D.C. with North Dakota Senator John Hoeven.

Success Stories A non-profit based in Horace, N.D., Farm Rescue is an organization of volunteers dedicated to helping farm and ranch families in the midst of a crisis like major injury, illness or natural disaster.

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Food

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Farm Kids

Food of the North is a Fargo-Moorhead organization aiming to celebrate, connect and empower the local food community and beyond. Formed in 2015 by three friends, they saw a need for conversation around food sustainability.

Peter Schott grew up on a fourthgeneration family farm in Kulm, N.D. Now, he works for himself as the co-founder of Genesis Feed Technologies, a mobile platform for the animal feed industry.

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Ag History: CHS

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Education: Jane Schuh

CHS has been committed to working with its cooperative and farmer owners for 90 years, and they are committed to creating connections and empowering agriculture for the next 90 years.

Microbiological science professor at NDSU, Jane Schuh shares what the University is working on in ag-tech and biological advancements to empower the future of agriculture.

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By Andrew Jason Director of Ecosystem Development at Emerging Prairie

W

hy would a nonprofit attempt to create the farm of the future? It actually directly ties into the mission of Emerging Prairie. For the last seven years, EP has existed to connect and celebrate the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We believe wonderful things happen when entrepreneurs have an opportunity to connect. Our mission is to facilitate those connections and drive conversations. At the heart of it, we exist to solve big problems, which is exactly what Grand Farm is doing.

Our vision statement really says it best: The relentless pursuit to improve the human condition.

How we do this.

• • • •

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135 events: Number of events hosted in 2019 at various venues across Fargo-Moorhead and North Dakota.

11,579: More than 11,000 people attended those events and had conversations with people around topics that truly matter. $382,786: Amount we spent on local goods and services. This is a 53 percent increase from 2018.

92: Number of memberships for the Prairie Den, our coworking space in Downtown Fargo.

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Conferences and Events The conferences and events that Emerging Prairie helps organize connect people from around the region and the country to explore and celebrate innovations and new ideas.

Prairie Capital Summit: This summit connects investors, founders and ecosystem builders to talk about risk capital and angel investing. It gives each network a space to share, learn and promote strong business building in the region.

Wednesday, March 11 Hackathon: A weekend-long event offered in partnership with AT&T for people across the technology spectrum to engage in collaborative projects, typically centered around building tools to better understand a data set.

Conferences That Might Interest Farmers Programming Our programs aim to activate and engage the community by creating opportunities for connection and learning. These gatherings often serve as an introduction and entry point to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

1 Million Cups Fargo: This is a free, national program designed to educate, engage and connect entrepreneurs developed by the Kauffman Foundation. Fargo’s 1 Million Cups features men and women who are building their ideas, launching products, and starting companies — with an emphasis on innovative technology.

Every Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. except during the months of August and December

Cultivate Conference Thursday, November 19 This conference convenes leaders, growers and entrepreneurs in agriculture to explore tech innovations they’ve created, are currently building or are searching for in their industry.

Last year, we had 300 farmers from across North Dakota and Minnesota.

While this is an industry conference, we want to make this conference accessible to farmers and full of impactful information.

Founders Programming: Facilitated learning groups and social gatherings held for entrepreneurs to gather, learn and connect.

Possibility Symposium on Social Business: A gathering of community leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs to explore how social entrepreneurship applies business models and strategies to solve unique social challenges in our community.

CuriousFargo: Ideas are sparked by curiosity. We’re celebrating this with a week of activities around TEDxFargo.

Throughout the entire week, we’re partnering with other organizations in the community to create a week of events aimed at sparking curiosity.

July 25 - August 1 TEDxFargo: Each year, we have an all-day event filled with speakers, performances, adventures and smaller events around Fargo.

These events showcase the best of innovation, research and discovery.

We accelerate our community and social impact through the power of big ideas, transformative live events and empowered communities.

Thursday, July 30

Founders Drinks: An opportunity for founders and entrepreneurs to come together for connection in a casual and laid-back setting.

Founders Only Retreat: A retreat that encourages founders to invest in themselves, create a support network and have time away.

November 4 - 6 Intern Experience: A personal and professional development program designed to connect interns to each other and the community while building skills to apply during their internships.

June 9 - August 6 Lunch and Learns: These are monthly gatherings that allow community members to meet and share their skills and industry expertise with each other.

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Jake From...

State of the Union

Our first Future Farmer issue featured a rising ag-tech company, Bushel. Their CEO, Jake Joraanstad, was invited by North Dakota Senator John Hoeven to be his guest at the State Of The Union Address in Washington, D.C. Jake shares his insider story about being part of something that most of us will only ever see on television.

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When did you learn of Senator Hoeven's invite?

I first got word it was likely I would be going late last year. We confirmed once the date for the event was set and I booked my travel to Washington D.C..

that came before us and others that are being built now that will represent North Dakota's future. Bushel is an especially-good fit for the Senator's work, as we focus on the intersection of agriculture and technology.

What went through your mind?

I was excited. It was going to be a historical moment..an impeached president about to be acquitted sharing his speech with our whole country tuning in. That's exciting. Not to mention all the Senators who are running for election--with hopes to be President!

So we get to the State of the Union Address itself...where did you sit? What’s it like being inside the room? Do those invited sit together in their parties, like the politicians do on the floor?

It was pretty surreal. Before going over to the House for the State of the Union, Senator Hoeven gave me a tour of the Capitol and where he works on the Senate floor. (By the way--don't take any pictures in there or you'll be in trouble!) That was fun to see how he spends his days working to serve our state and country.

Had you met Senator Hoeven before? If so, what were the circumstances of that meeting…how did it come together?

I have had the privilege to know Senator Hoeven for probably 5 years now. He's been a huge advocate for North Dakota entrepreneurship and technology. A good friend of mine, Greg Tehven, was invited to the State of the Union with Senator Hoeven a few years ago and after that a bet was formed--if our business grew big enough, Senator Hoeven would extend an invite to me. It worked out!

Tell us how the day goes for those attending.

I flew in Monday night to make sure I didn't miss any flights the day of.

Tuesday morning I was able to go on a tour of the White House thanks to the Senator's staff. Later that morning I spent some time on Capitol Hill with our representatives, including Representative Armstrong (also from North Dakota) advocating for small business and technology.

Late afternoon I headed over to Senator Hoeven's office to meet him and walk over to the Capitol for dinner with all of the Senators and their guests. It was a great experience and I was able to meet all kinds of personalities--from Rand Paul and Marco Rubio to Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham.

I was really impressed with the relationships that Senator Hoeven has built in the Senate and in the House. It seems everybody has a positive attitude towards him and his work from both sides of the aisle. We all should be proud of the work Senator Hoeven is doing.

What did you and Senator Hoeven talk about?

We had a chance to talk a bit about what Bushel has been up to and our growth plans for the next year...as well as talking a bit about ways that we can work together to support more companies like Bushel in North Dakota.

The Senator is especially excited about a project we have going on called Grand Farm (grandfarm.com) that is being spearheaded by Emerging Prairie and located just south of Fargo. It's a project built on 40 acres of donated land focusing on developing a more-efficient and effective farm operation with autonomous technology by the year 2025.

How do you feel being held up as an example of the future of the state's technology sector? (what Hoeven called, "the third wave in the state's economic growth?”)

It was an honor to represent all of the great growth going on in North Dakota's technology sector. There are a lot of amazing companies

Once we were done with the tour, he dropped me off at the entrance to the upper galleries. I sat up in the gallery above the entrance where the President and others came into the house floor.

When I got to my assigned seat I turned around and was introducing myself to those nearby and then realized I was about to introduce myself to Glenn Beck. I used to watch him on Fox News and enjoyed some of his work--so I was pretty excited to be able to introduce myself and invite him to visit North Dakota, as he has never been to our state yet. Maybe he'll show up!

Watching the State of the Union was a very much like sports game experience. The energy was high in the room and it was clear that there were two different teams. I would say that the best part of the speech was the work that the President's team did to invite their special guests to honor at the event--those were the most emotional and compelling stories of the night.

The sports game analogy is really good--all of us can relate to that. What's the most lasting memory you will have of this milestone event?

Being able to meet the different people that Senator Hoeven introduced me to in some of the discussions--where I was the youngest person at the table by probably 25 years--was quite an experience! Then, meeting the personalities we all see on TV and being able to experience such a historic event will be something I always remember.

Here is your Oscars "Red Carpet" moment...tell us about your suit--where did you get it, the brand name, and why the bold blue? And those socks?

Well, I don't often wear a suit and I have definitely never traveled somewhere and brought two suits along like I did for this trip. I went shopping downtown at Halberstadt's and they had this blue-colored suit coat as a special order that never sold. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to stand out and represent North Dakota (and our company colors) with the gold tie.

The socks were an obvious choice for me--representing our great country. 'Merica!

Find out more about Bushel at: www.bushelpowered.com FUTUREFARMERMAG.COM

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Food of the North is a Fargo-Moorhead organization that works to celebrate, connect and empower the local food community and beyond. Formed in August 2015, friends Megan Myrdal, Gia Rassier & Jeff Knight decided to host a one-time event to raise awareness about the issue of food waste. Over 100 people showed up and wanted to know more. They saw a need for continued conversation around food sustainability and to keep hosting events. Keep reading to find out more about what they do.

Did you know 40% of food resources go to waste in the U.S. each year?

“Ugly Food” refers to cosmetically imperfect produce - aka three legged carrots, misshapen tomatoes, etc. This perfect safe, fresh produce is sometimes trashed because people believe that fruits and vegetables need to look a certain way in order for them to be something they want to eat. Food Of The North is on a mission to change that.

Megan, Gia and Annie joined Grand Farm to share their story.

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How did Food of the North begin?

Megan: Our organization - Food of the North (formerly Ugly Food of the North) was formed in the summer of 2015 when Gia Rassier, Jeff Knight, and Megan Myrdal watched a YouTube segment by John Oliver that featured the devastating amount of food waste in the United States. We were shocked to learn that 40% of food resources are wasted each year, while nearly 50 million Americans live in food insecure households.

In the United States, we have an abundance of food, but a huge amount of it is not reaching those who need it.

A portion of that waste is comprised of perfectly good fruits and veggies that never make it to groceries and farmers markets because they aren’t aesthetically pleasing aka “ugly food.”

Inspired, we decided to host an event in conjunction with the newly-formed Red River Market in Downtown Fargo and encouraged farmers to bring the produce they wouldn’t typically try to sell. Market patrons were asked to buy this produce, make a dish to share and join us for an “Ugly Food of the North Community Potluck” a

couple days later. We weren’t sure what to expect but over 100 people showed up and wanted to know more. We saw a need for continued conversation about creating a more sustainable food system in our community - and essentially - that’s how Food of the North was born!

When & why did you drop “Ugly” from “Food of the North”?

Gia: When we hosted our first event in August 2015 as Ugly Food of the North, we really just wanted to have a one-time event that raised awareness about food waste - but over 100 people showed up and wanted to know more. We saw a need for a continued conversation in our community around food and farming issues, and essentially - kept having events! To date, we’ve hosted over 60 unique events about a range of food-related issues. As we’ve grown, so has the scope of our work. In the spring of 2016, we launched

our Little Free Garden project, and in 2018, First Fridays at B. The goal of our rebrand was to create a name and brand that better encompasses who we are and the work we do (celebrating, connecting and empowering the Fargo-Moorhead food community), and can represent our three main projects: Ugly Food of the North, Little Free Garden, and First Fridays at B. Why are local Farmers Markets more popular than ever?

Megan: Consumers today are more thoughtful about food than ever before. In addition to wanting food that tastes really good, people also want to know where it was grown, how many miles it traveled, who grew it, what practices the farmer used, does it have a name, a family (just kidding, but if you’ve seen Portlandia, you get it). People are somewhat obsessed with knowing more about their food, and in addition, they also want to know that their dollar is making a difference and having an impact in the community. Farmers markets are the perfect place to fulfill these consumer needs. These community spaces allow shoppers to meet local farmers and help them better understand their food choices.

Additionally, dollars spent at farmers markets go to local people and therefore, ripple through the community. The farmers who receive those dollars spend them at other local businesses and it supports a thriving local economy. Finally, farmers markets are not simply a shopping experience - they are also fun for the whole family! In addition to buying great local food and connecting directly with farmers, visitors can enjoy a broad taste of the regional foods, local music and other performances, meet friends, and learn more about their community.

Annie: I’ve seen a shift in people--being curious about what they’re putting in their bodies, which meeting local farmers helps them better understand how the food is produced.

They also have a better understanding of how their dollars make a difference locally.

They see a Farmer’s Market as a relational event vs. the transactional nature of shopping. The Farmer’s Market experience allows them to take the time to stroll and browse--and really connect with the food and the people who grow it.

Are Farmers Markets really helping farmers?

Megan: That’s a tough question and I would say it really depends on the farmer. If you’re a new farmer just getting off the ground, a farmers market is an awesome opportunity to get your product to market with a low barrier to entry. Also, because farmers markets are a direct to customer experience, it’s also an easy way to have those face to face conversations with customers to gauge feedback on your selection and know what customers want. Further, if you’re a social/ chatty farmer who really enjoys directly engaging with customers, you probably enjoy the farmers market experience and that social environment. However, there are some challenges farmers markets present to farmers. One of the main things I hear is the hours spent working a farmers market are hours away from their fields.

The time commitment can be big! Also, most people like to enjoy a farmers market on the weekend, so the farmers who sell at farmers markets don’t get to relax and enjoy their weekends like the rest of us. Finally, I mentioned the social/chatty farmer - that’s not all farmers!

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Some simply like to grow food (and they grow AWESOME food), but the whole process of marketing and directly engaging customers doesn’t appeal to them.

I would say overall farmers markets have been really positive for local farmers. The farmers market has not only made it easier to purchase local food, they have elevated local farmers and increased appreciation for local produce!

Would you consider yourselves “foodies”? Does an overall love of good food inspire you, or is it something else?

Megan: That’s a fun question! In my mind, when I hear the term “foodie,” I think of someone who is really interested in the culinary side of food.

They are the folks who are analyzing the flavor profile of food, checking out a new restaurant as soon as it opens, and cooking up interesting recipes all the time. I would say, to an extent, we are “foodies” but our interest is a little more broad than just the eating/cooking/dining experience.

Our interests, and the work we do with Food of the North, is really inspired by the whole food and agriculture system. As excited as we are about a new restaurant, we’re equally excited about composting, community gardens, a new farmer moving to the community, and pollinators, to name a few.

One of our main inspirations is the people in our community who are involved in these endeavors. Their passion, knowledge and commitment to what they do, and our goal of elevating and celebrating them, is what really inspires and drives the work we do.

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What results have you seen from your efforts?

Megan: Since we started Food of the North with a focus on food waste, we’ve definitely seen positive outcomes in our community to address this huge issue. Just based on community conversations, we know there is an increased awareness to the issue of food waste. We hear lots of stories from people who, after learning about the issue of food waste through our work, have made personal choices to address the issue, like buying ugly produce, eating leftovers and shopping smarter. Also, many farmers in our area now promote and sell their “ugly food” and customers are more willing to buy it because of the education and awareness we’ve raised to this issue. We’ve also worked with a variety of community partners to develop GleaND - an organization that recruits community volunteers to harvests excess produce from area farmers and donate it to local food pantries. This has been a fantastic community effort and has rescued thousands of pounds of food and donated it to those in need.

the shelf life. Inspired a group of culinaryminded First Fridays attendees self organized and preserved hundreds of pounds of sweet corn this fall to donate to area food pantries.

Knowing that these conversations are inspiring action is amazing!

Gia: My favorite part about Food of the North is creating spaces to bring people together.

Whether it’s attending food trivia at a brewery, building and painting Little Free Gardens, or listening to a farmer share their journey - I’ve been so inspired and encouraged by watching our community form relationships with one another through food. At the end of the day, I believe food has a universal ability to unite people, and in today's world - that shared sense of community has never been more important.

Is there someone who inspired you, and/ or still inspires you?

One “impact” that’s a little less tangible is the connections we’ve fostered through our events. We host a monthly event called First Fridays at B, which is an event to engage and discuss important food topics in our community with local experts.

Megan: When we first started Food of the North, I think we were inspired by what we saw happening on a national scale regarding food and farming cultural changes. As we traveled to different places, we loved seeing the vibrant farmers markets, community events, restaurants, and educational opportunities surrounding food and farming, and we wanted to bring this energy and attention to our community.

We’ve really cut a wide swath (farmer pun you’re welcome) when it comes to discussing all things food and farming, and this has resulted in some unlikely, but very positive connections. One example - we asked the folks involved in GleaND to share their work at First Fridays and from the conversation, they shared that they donate all the harvested produce to area food pantries, but it would be great to preserve some of that food to extend

However, as we started to get more engaged in our local food community, we quickly realized that we had a lot of amazing people who were already doing groundbreaking work in the food and agriculture space, but they were not well-known in our community, as they weren’t the type to actively promote themselves or tell their stories. As we learned more and more, we decided to really focus our work on elevating the amazing people and

projects in our community.

Their passion and commitment to what they do inspires us every day.

Would you consider yourselves activists?

Megan: I guess some people might see us as activists but I don’t think we are. We started our organization with a commitment to address the food waste issue, and I would say we are somewhat activists on that issue. However, our overarching mission is to celebrate, connect and empower our local food community and beyond, and to that, we really try to educate and bring awareness to important food and agriculture issues. We really don’t have a strong “call to action” or “do this, not that” message on many issues, unless it’s a no brainer like telling people to stop throwing away perfectly good food.

I think “activist” has a somewhat negative connotation, particularly in our area of the world. We really try to make our work as non-polarizing or political as possible. I think we’re inspired by the work in other places in our country related to healthy, local, sustainable food, and recognize that a lot of this is happening in our region with a northern Midwest flare. We want to highlight, celebrate and elevate this work, but do it in a way that is reflective of our community and our region’s sensibilities.

Is the rest of the nation--or the rest of the world--also inspired to save “ugly food”?

Megan: For sure! We definitely weren’t the first to bring awareness to this issue, and the global attention surrounding ugly food is amazing.

However, while our name was "Ugly Food of

the North” and we do try to educate people on the issue of cosmetically imperfect produce, we really want to bring awareness to the issue of food waste as a whole. 40% of food resources go to waste in the United States each year, and a component of that is “ugly food,” but food waste occurs at greater levels in many other places - buffet lines, confusion over the food dating system, excess restaurant portions, shopping without a plan, etc. I think the most empowering thing about food waste is that the majority of food is wasted at the consumer level - aka the decisions we make as eaters. It’s empowering to know that we can all do something to address food waste every day - taking home leftovers, shopping smarter, and buying ugly food - it all adds up to make a greater difference.

What could be the global impact if ugly food was always a priority?

Megan: That’s a tough question to answer, as it still isn’t completely understood what percentage of global food waste is comprised of ugly food. However, the food system that we’ve built today is really centered around that picture perfect produce, which is good in some senses, but really damaging in others.

When plant breeders are looking to develop new varieties of fruits and vegetables, the physical appearance of the food is a big point of consideration. When something, say an apple, is consistently the same size, the entire food supply chain can be built for apples based on those specifications, including packaging, transportation, retailing, etc. However, sometimes this breeding can over-emphasize physical appearance and undervalue other extremely important attributes of the food, like flavor and nutrition. And even with the best breeding, not every apple will achieve the desired physical appearance and my result in waste.

Part of prioritizing ugly food is of course to address food waste, but also to get people to rethink why we deem a food to be valuable. Going back to the apple example - Red Delicious Apples look perfect, but do they actually taste that good? In contrast, the crab apples on my family farm look pretty underwhelming but they taste absolutely fantastic. Getting people to look beyond appearance can do a lot to change our food system as a whole.

If people want to help you- What’s the best way?

All: Take personal action - don’t waste food.

Consider becoming a Little Free Garden caretaker and supporting a small garden in your community. Learn more at www. littlefreegarden.com.

Attend our events, including our monthly First Fridays at B. You can find a listing of all our future and past events on our website, www.foodofthenorth.com.

Consider donating your time, talent or treasure. We are a pretty lean non-profit and all do this work as a side, passion project. We always welcome new ideas, energy and support. Reach out to us at info@foodofthenorth.com.

Food of the North is based in Fargo, ND. Grand Farm is an Emerging Prairie initiative.

Learn more about Grand Farm at GrandFarm.com.

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By Dan Erdmann

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F

arming is truly a profession of uncertainty. Every year is a unique journey, with its fair share of bumps along the way. The cost of inputs, the instability of commodity prices and frequent curveballs from Mother Nature create many challenges in planning for the future. Couple any of those factors with an unexpected injury, illness or natural disaster, and the result can be devastating to any operation. This is precisely why Farm Rescue exists.

Founded in 2005 by North Dakota native, Bill Gross, Farm Rescue is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, based near Horace, ND. Bill grew up on a family farm that, like so many others, was unable to continue viable operations. He would go on to become a pilot for UPS, but his heart never left the farm. One day, while chatting with a friend about future retirement plans, Bill mentioned his dream was to buy a tractor and travel from farm to farm, helping those in need.

His friend responded with a simple question - “Why wait until retirement?” Soon after, Farm Rescue was born.

The organization is led by an army of volunteers, dedicated to assisting farm and ranch families in the midst of a major crisis. The goal is to provide free planting, haying, harvest and livestock feeding assistance to farm and ranch families experiencing a major illness, injury or natural disaster. From its humble beginnings, Farm Rescue has now grown to service the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. Since its inception, the nonprofit has assisted nearly 700 families in crisis.

That milestone would never have been possible without a tremendous support system. First and foremost, their volunteers, who are some of the most dedicated and selfless individuals you can imagine. These “Angels in Blue” represent 49 different states and come from all walks of life. They are pilots and pastors, retired farmers and law enforcement, military veterans and even a rocket scientist.

These men and women give up vacation days and time with their families to help complete strangers in their hour of need.

from the farms they assist. These family operations breathe life into the communities in which they reside, by supporting local businesses, organizations and civic programs. The harsh reality for many rural communities is the continued decrease in population. This makes every family farm a precious commodity and further illustrates the importance of Farm Rescue’s efforts.

Mobilizing manpower and equipment across a 6-state territory is no small task and one that involves an enormous amount of coordination and expense. The five employees who comprise Farm Rescue’s full-time staff are tasked with assembling the necessary machinery, volunteers, documentation and financial resources to assist farms and ranches in a timely manner. They also take great pride in their ability to stretch every donation dollar to its limit, in hopes of assisting as many families as possible. Much like the nonprofit’s volunteers and supporters, these staff members are deeply invested in the mission of the organization.

It has truly taken a village to bring this dream to life, but also to sustain it throughout the past 14 years. Many lives and communities have been touched through the Good Samaritan work of Farm Rescue, with many emotional stories along the way. Farmers and ranchers are very proud individuals who seldom ask for help, but when an unexpected crisis threatens a livelihood, it is comforting to know there is a place to turn. Farm Rescue exists to preserve legacies and ensure that future generations of farmers and ranchers have an opportunity to carry on a proud family tradition. With additional support, the organization feels poised to continue shining a light on some of the darkest days for farm and ranch families.

If you or someone you know could use their assistance, Farm Rescue is currently accepting applications at farmrescue.org or call 701-252-2017. Anonymous referrals are also welcome.

To learn more about Farm Rescue, join their volunteer family or make a contribution to their mission, visit farmrescue.org.

Farm Rescue operations rely solely on the generosity of others. Volunteers serve as the organization’s boots on the ground, but this massive assistance effort would not be possible without financial supporters, as well. They include individual donors, grantors and business sponsors, who recognize the importance of Farm Rescue’s services within their communities and throughout rural America. Agriculture remains the lifeblood of our region and when a single farm or ranch family is struggling, those effects can be felt by many. Farm Rescue strives to create an outward ripple effect

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P

eter is the co-founder of Genesis Feed Technologies, a software platform for the animal feed industry. When he's not in front of his computer he likes to spend time with his wife and three girls. In the remaining hour of the month he will sometimes read a book or work out.

Genesis Feed Technologies was recently accepted to be part of Plug-n-Play’s new startup incubator-which is one of the best opportunities a startup-especially an ag startup--could ask for. Tell us more about what that means to Genesis Feed Technologies.

I can’t say enough good things about this group. Initially they reviewed 1,000 companies and narrowed that list to 100 for the anchor members to vote on for consideration.

Of those 100 companies, 30 (including Genesis!) were invited to participate in the “Food Batch Cohort 7 - Pitch Day”. We were given 4 minutes to present, and several minutes of Q&A. I’m pleased to announce that Genesis Feed Technologies was selected to be one of the 15 participants in the cohort! This will provide us many opportunities for mentoring and pilot projects for our platform.

You’ve also had two other big recent announcements. Tell us about those.

We were approved to participate in the InnovateND grant.

The program dispenses up to $40K over four phases.

We plan on using the funds for user research, design, and software development.

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We were also named to ForwardFooding.com’s “FoodTech500” list. Genesis Feed Technologies was one of over 1,200 applicants for this honor and happy to announce we made the list...#264 to be clear! This list was inspired by the “Fortune 500”.

So much good news. What’s next for you and Genesis Feed Technologies?

By the middle of 2020, our software platform will be wused in every export region globally for US SOY. This is a tremendous opportunity for us that has the potential to positively impact trade of soybeans grown in our region.

This implementation will be done working closely with the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC).

We are closely focusing on the user experience of our platform. Through user surveys, focus groups, and interviews with customers across the globe we will enhance the usability of our platform.

Genesis Feed Technologies is in the process of exploring industry partnerships with several leading companies involved with AgTech and grain handling. These partnerships will allow us to provide key innovations to the industry and quickly expand our presence both domestically and across the globe.

Reach Peter or learn more about Genesis Feed Technologies at: genesisfeedtech.com

grew up on a fourthgeneration family farm in Kulm, ND. In the past, he's run a seed dealership, implemented ERP software at ag companies. Now, he works for himself as the co-founder of Genesis Feed Technologies, a mobile platform for the animal feed industry.

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W

e’ve all heard the name, but here’s the real story behind one of the biggest success stories in our region.

At CHS, we create connections to empower agriculture.

From helping producers find a home for their grain to getting fertilizer to local co-ops during spring flooding, from providing the right crop inputs at the right time to building the infrastructure to move grain around the country and around the world, CHS helps farmers and cooperatives grow their businesses.

In 2019, CHS reported $31.9 billion in consolidated revenues with net income of $829.9 million. With retail operations in more than 450 communities in 16 states serving more than 140,000, the cooperative has about 11,000 employees around the world. CHS is owned by 950 cooperatives, 75,000 producers and 20,000 preferred stockholders.

The company markets more than two billion bushels of grain and oilseeds annual to domestic and international customers in more than 65 countries. It also originates more than 765 million bushels of grain, distributes two million tons of crop nutrients and supplies more than 290 million gallons of energy products each year.

And it’s been that way since the company began doing business in the 1920s. CHS traces its roots to several groundbreaking agricultural cooperatives who began doing business in the 1920s.

In 1929, the North Pacific Grain Growers, Inc. was organized as a regional cooperative. It claimed 60 affiliated local cooperatives. Two years later, Cenex, which was originally the Farmers Union Central Exchange, is founded and opens its headquarters in St. Paul. The Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association (GTA) opens for business in St. Paul in 1938, and, that same year, NPGG moves its office to Oregon.

By the 1940s, there was a rush of cooperative and acquisition activity with the company purchasing an oil refinery in Laurel, Montana, and a third of a refinery in McPherson, Kansas. By 1945, Cenex had entered the feed, plant food and seed business, and in 1949, GTA acquired the Minneapolis Great Northern and Superior, Wisconsin, Spencer-Kellogg terminals.

The purchase of the refineries led to the construction of a 424mile pipeline from the refinery in Laurel to a terminal in Minot, North Dakota, a project that was completed in 1960. That same year, GTA purchased the Honeymead soybean soybean processing plan and the Archers Daniels Midland elevator line in southern Minnesota.

By 1962, NPGG had dedicated its new export terminal in Kalama, Washington.

By the time the 1970s came, Cenex was quickly growing by supplying cooperatives in the Pacific Northwest and entering the transportation business through acquisitions in both areas.

In the mid 1970s, GTA began leasing the St. Paul Terminal, a corn and soybean barge-loading terminal on the Mississippi. Utah Cooperative Association joined Cenex in 1976, and in 1978, Cenex introduced pay-at-the-pump technology.

In 1981, Cenex purchased Solar Gas, making the cooperative one of the top 10 propane suppliers in the nation. The next year, Cenex acquired Western Farmers Association in Seattle, and GTA opens a truck-rail-barge terminal in Savage, Minnesota. In 1983, North Pacific

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Grain Growers and GTA merge to form Harvest States Cooperatives.

Four years later, Cenex and CHS formed a joint marketing venture. In 1988, the first Cenex convenience store opened.

The 1990s saw a flurry of activity in joint ventures and acquisitions, including acquiring the majority ownership of the McPherson refinery and completion of a 256-mile pipeline extension in North Dakota.

In 1994, Harvest States acquires an export elevator at Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, to strengthen its capabilities for originating and shipping grain for export. A year later, Harvest States becomes a partner in a joint venture called Ventura Foods, and Cenex constructs a 302-mile crude oil pipeline near Cut Bank, Montana to its Laurel Refinery, and Harvest States’ annual grain volume tops one billion bushels. Near the end of the decade in 1998, Cenex and Harvest States formed an integrated agricultural food system that links producers to consumers.

The company’s overseas expansion continued in 2007 with the opening of offices in Switzerland and China followed a couple years later by offices in Argentina, Jordan, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Romania and Serbia. In 2014, CHS joined Cargill and ConAgra to create Ardent Mills, a flour-milling company, and in 2016, CHS completes its investment in CF Industries. Last year, the company acquired West Center Distribution, a full-service agronomy company.

For 90 years, CHS has been committed to working with its cooperative and farmer owners and will be committed for the next 90 years to creating connections to empower agriculture and to help owners grow their businesses.

Learn more about CHS at www.CHSInc.com

Beginning in the early 2000s, the newly merged companies announce a number of acquisitions, joint ventures and overseas expansions including to Brazil. Shortly before its 75th anniversary in 2006, CHS announced significant investments in its Laurel refinery, and Ventura Foods acquires Dean’s and Marie’s dressings.

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N

orth Dakota’s farmers have always been ruggedly independent and incredibly focused when presented with a problem. Not a population to throw their hands up and quit, these individuals dig into a problem, break it into a set of manageable parts, and find a solution. And when a solution isn’t readily available, they have simply created one. Whether inventing new equipment or manufacturing replacement parts, our farmers have always accepted this responsibility as a part of doing the business of agriculture. This mindset has been passed from generation to generation and I’m happy to state that it’s still alive and thriving today at NDSU. The future of farming is in good hands in our state. We have an excited, capable, and intelligent agriculture workforce paired with innovative researchers who are continuing to develop solutions for new and existing problems. NDSU is at the nexus of this future and we are proudly creating new types of dreamers who will help our agriculture producers push forward into this new world.

As North Dakota’s land grant university, our core mission for more than a century has been to drive knowledge and innovation to the people of our state and we continue that mission today through programs like NDSU Extension. The people of NDSU Extension are at work in every county in North Dakota, helping our citizens improve their lives and businesses with special emphasis on strengthening agriculture and communities and developing the potential of both youth and adults.

Feeding this pipeline of information is the agricultural research conducted through the North Dakota Experiment Station at the NDSU Research Extension Centers and the main campus.

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Supported through grants and contracts from local, state, and federal sources, the innovations coming from these scientists are poised to meet the challenges and opportunities that North Dakota faces in economic development, land and water use, crop and livestock production, value-added activities, and food quality and food safety.

NDSU is annually recognized by the National Science Foundation as one of the top 20 universities for receiving agriculture research funds.

Those dollars are invested into research and signify unique ideas spanning a wide range of topics from new crop and tree varietals to animal health improvements to sensor monitors to artificial intelligence systems. The funding also covers new areas such the safety of our food as it moves through the supply chain and the mental health of our farmers.

The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) is another example of a successful research partnership. Started in 1979 as a collaborative effort among the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana, NCI promotes, develops, and markets crops grown in the region. The international meeting and learning center has united customers, commodity traders, technical experts, and professors from more than 133 nations for discussion and education.

At NDSU we are proud to introduce new technology to ag producers and farmers -- people who have never feared innovation or change. That partnership is as strong as it’s ever been because today’s challenges are bigger than ever and require a multi-faceted approach. Through our investments in research and partnerships with other universities and private enterprises, the future of agriculture is in good hands and we will continue to nurture it.

Below Jane Schuh, professor in microbiological sciences at NDSU, currently serves as Vice President for Research and Creative Activity for NDSU. In addition, she runs an active research program in respiratory health and serves as the director for the Cellular and Molecular Biology Interdisciplinary Graduate Program at NDSU. A researcher and instructor, Jane earned a BS in zoology and a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from North Dakota State University and served as a postdoctoral fellow in pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

NDSU continues to evolve agriculture innovations. Over the last decade, we have created and grown the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department (ABEN). ABEN is a unique program at the University as it is housed in both the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources.

The program merges the knowledge of living systems, engineering technologies, and a social conscience to solve the complex problems facing our planet. The graduates are highly skilled in developing innovative approaches to solving problems affecting all types of living systems and the department’s goal is to produce professional engineers with commitments to the well-being of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems.

ABEN graduates are an example of how NDSU is producing the right type of experts for our changing world. As the world population rises and our global ecosystem becomes more fragile, these engineers are uniquely qualified to apply the knowledge of both biology and engineering to solve important societal problems.

Recently NDSU has made an exciting addition to ABEN programing with the new Precision Agriculture major. Students learn the principles and applications of data mapping, GIS, GPS, sensors, drones, data acquisition and management and use these skills to conduct new types of research, like the machine identification of weeds. AI-driven autonomous weed control systems will allow our future agriculture producers to target even pernicious weeds with selective and precise application of herbicides with the intention of reducing both runoff and cost. The Precision Agriculture major is exactly the type of approach that helps prepare students to innovate and create solutions that support the economies of our communities and the stewardship of our land.

Jane Schuh Professor in Microbiological Sciences at NDSU

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