September-October 2021

THE MAGAZINE FOR MINNESOTA’S SOYBEAN GROWERS

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER - 2021 - VOLUME XIX - ISSUE 5

B U S I N E S S

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Presidential Material Mike Skaug brings northern exposure to MSGA INSIDE

Buggin' Out

MSGA Earns Wins at Capitol Meet Joe Serbus SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business

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MINNESOTA SOYBEAN 151 SAINT ANDREWS COURT, SUITE 710, MANKATO, MN

B U S I N E S S

The first phase of construction of the Ag Innovation Campus began this summer – and viewers can track the building progress online as the crush facility readies for a 2022 launch.

Bob Nelsen is an MSGA recruiting legend. We pay homage to the Murray County farmer who helps sustain membership, one handwritten letter at a time.

VIRTUAL REALITY MSGA’s 2021 Legislative Wins

With the Capitol closed to advocacy groups, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) transformed its lobbying efforts in 2021 by shifting to a mostly virtual operation. Farmer-leaders and staff made the best of the situation and met with more than 40 elected officials during MSGA’s 2021 Hill Visits. When the $52 billion biennial budget was signed into law after several special sessions, MSGA notched wins on a host of policy priorities for its grassroots membership.

FIGHTING TO PROTECT YOUR FARM, FAMILY & FUTURE

Promoting and defending farm-friendly policy requires heavy lifting. With fewer than 10% of Minnesota’s nearly 28,000 soybean farmers active in MSGA, we need your support. The future depends on it. Join us today.

BOOSTING BIODIESEL

MSGA doesn’t take its status as a national leader in biodiesel for granted. For nearly 20 years, MSGA has protected and grown the state’s minimum blending requirement during the summer months, culminating in the historic move to B20 in 2018. Today, biodiesel in Minnesota adds more than 5,000 jobs and contributes nearly $1.7 billion toward the state’s economy. Nonetheless, MSGA’s lobbying team works hard each session to ensure biofuels withstand opposition.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, farmer-leaders successfully advocated for $8 million toward improving the state’s biofuels infrastructure. MSGA also fended off a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard for Minnesota and issued a full-throated push against the Clean Cars rule, arguing California energy policies aren’t needed for what already works for Minnesota.

AG INNOVATION CAMPUS

Two years after earning $5 million in support from the Legislature, MSGA continued promoting the Ag Innovation Campus in Crookston throughout the session. MSGA emerged victorious in our push to lift a weight exemption along Highway 2 to allow for soybean meal trucks to haul up to 106,000 pounds from Crookston to the Canadian border. Additionally, as the Campus starts its construction process with a plan toward a 2022 production launch, MSGA worked with Sen. Tina Smith’s office to include AIC funding in a short list of projects considered in a Congressionally Spending Request.

It took several special sessions during a pandemic, but government leaders ultimately completed the people’s business in St. Paul during the 2021 Legislative Session. MSGA also saw many of its priorities included in the biennial budget.

PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM CONFORMITY

ABOUT US

Established by soybean farmers in 1962, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) monitors government policies to improve the profitability of soybean farmers throughout the state.

When federal law changes, that doesn’t always mean a state law automatically conforms. As one of our top 2021 priorities, MSGA worked with legislators to bring Payroll Protection Program tax conformity into federal law. The law, which saw bipartisan support, will provide more than $1 billion in tax relief toward Minnesota farmers and other businesses.

PROTECTING PESTICIDES

In some sessions, it’s the items that are not included in a bill that count as wins. During the 2021 legislative session, MSGA ensured that farmers were not saddled with unnecessary pesticide fee increases, saving producers millions in registration costs. MSGA also joined the farm community and other ag groups in preventing the passage of House bills that would have banned the dicamba herbicide and allowed cities to enact their own pesticide regulations.

RESEARCH

MSGA testified during the 2021 legislative session to endorse continued funding of the Northern Crops Institute and was a key voice that led to the Legislature fully funding NCI at $94,000 over the two-year biennial budget.

In the ag omnibus bill, MSGA also worked to protect continued funding for the Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Technology Transfer (AGREETT) program at the University of Minnesota at a base of $9.3 million per year. More than 30 years ago, MSGA helped start AGREET with backing from our farmer leaders and lobbying team.

RURAL PRIORITIES

COVID-19 has underscored the need for more broadband access. MSGA called on the Legislature and Walz administration to continue improving broadband infrastructure. Lawmakers responded by including $70 million toward rural broadband resources. MSGA also supported $100,000 in mental health resources and $200,000 in farm safety grants.

mnsoybean.org/msga

Minnesota’s 44 organized soybean counties were back in action this summer. The farmer-led boards promoted their local commodities and the Council’s latest checkoff investments.

Soybean Business is launching a new section this issue: SOYcial Media, featuring the latest digital engagement highlights from MSR&PC, MSGA and the world of soy.

ABOUT THE COVER Mike Skaug has risen the ranks of MSGA, from director to treasurer, then two years as vice president before his election to president in July 2021. All the while, his infectious laugh is never far away. The Beltrami farmer is now primed to lead MSGA into its 60th year of grassroots advocacy. Photo by Drew Lyon.

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EDITORIAL STAFF:

Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Officers and ASA Directors: OFFICERS Mike Skaug President Beltrami, MN Polk County

Bob Worth Vice President Lake Benton, MN Lincoln County Ryan Mackenthun Secretary Brownton, MN McLeod County Darin Johnson Treasurer Wells, MN Faribault County

ASA DIRECTORS George Goblish Vesta, MN Redwood County Bill Gordon Worthington, MN Nobles County Christopher Hill Brewster, MN Jackson County Jim Kukowski Strathcona, MN Roseau/LOW Counties Joel Schreurs Tyler, MN Lincoln County

ASA YOUNG LEADER Kelli Sorenson Morgan, MN Redwood County

Rose Wendinger St. James Watonwan County

COUNTY DIRECTORS Hannah Anderson Barnesville, MN Clay/Wilkin County Ed Arndorfer Willmar, MN Kandiyohi County Jamie Beyer Wheaton, MN Traverse County

Executive Director Joe Smentek Minnesota Soybean 888-896-9678 jsmentek@mnsoybean.com

Trevore Brekken Crookston, MN Polk County

Jim Jirava Ogema, MN Becker/Mahnomen Counties

Mark Brown St. James, MN Watonwan County

Bob Lindemann Brownton, MN McLeod County

Steve Brusven Cottonwood, MN Yellow Medicine County

Bruce Nelsen Rose Creek, MN Mower County

Steve Commerford New Ulm, MN Brown County

Keith Nelsen Westbrook, MN Cottonwood County

Paul Freeman Fergus Falls, MN Pope County

Robert Nelsen Westbrook, MN Murray County

Brian Fruechte Verdi, MN Lincoln County

Tim Nelson New Richland, MN Waseca County

Layout & Design Kaelyn Rahe krahe@agmgmtsolutions.com

Gary Gertz Jasper, MN Rock County

Michael Petefish Claremont, MN Dodge County

Alex Troska atroska@agmgmtsolutions.com

Theresia Gillie Hallock, MN Kittson County

Nathan Potucek Warren, MN Marshall County

CIRCULATION:

Tom Grundman Osakis, MN Douglas County Adam Guetter Wabasso, MN Redwood County Chris Hansen Clarks Grove, MN Freeborn County Corey Hanson Gary, MN Norman County Jeremy Hanson Morristown, MN Dakota/Rice Counties Jeremiah Hasnedl St Hilaire, MN Pennington/Red Lake County Matt Heers Owatonna, MN Steele County Ray Hewitt Le Sueur, MN Scott/Le Sueur Counties Brad Hovel Cannon Falls, MN Goodhue County

Andy Pulk Wannaska, MN Roseau/LOW Counties Jamie Seitzer St Peter, MN Nicollet/Sibley Counties Jeff Sorenson Morgan, MN Redwood County Tim Rasmussen Fergus Falls Otter Tail/Grant Counties Cal Spronk Edgerton, MN Pipestone County Tim Stelling Osakis, MN Todd County Lawrence Sukalski Fairmont, MN Martin County Doug Toreen Bird Island, MN Renville County Earl Ziegler Good Thunder, MN Blue Earth County

Art Director Doug Monson Sr. Director of Communications Minnesota Soybean 888-896-9678 dmonson@mnsoybean.com Managing Editor Drew Lyon Sr. Manager of Communications Minnesota Soybean 888-896-9678 dlyon@mnsoybean.com

Soybean Business is published six times a year on behalf of Minnesota Soybean. Comments and suggestions can be submitted to: Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, 151 Saint Andrews Court, Suite 710, Mankato, MN 56001.

ADVERTISING

Sara Hewitt, Manager of Brand Development and Events 507-995-5208 | 888-896-9678 | shewitt@mnsoybean.com Advertising space reservations can be made by the 15th day of the month prior to publication. In consideration of the acceptance of the advertisement, the agency and the advertiser must, in respect of the contents of the advertisement, indemnify and save the publisher harmless against any expense arising from claims or actions against the publisher because of the publication of the content of the advertisement.

Advertisements within this publication contain the opinions and information of the advertisers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the Minnesota Soybean organizations or affiliated groups.

mnsoybean.org

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Letter from the Executive Director Labeling is the Law My youngest kid recently discovered a hidden treasure in the back corner of the family junk drawer: a label maker. In the hands of a 9-year old, it became a magic tool for messages about the contents of random boxes, a warning system for her brother and sister to stay out of her “stuff,” and a functional tool to let us know what things like “the floor” were called.

Her labels, no matter how dire their warnings, were mostly harmless, easily ignored and removed with ease. Unfortunately, not all labels are created equal.

The labels on food give us a heads-up on when the contents may be expired.

The label on a bottle of alcohol warns us of the dangers to pregnant women and impairment of your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. On cigarettes, they warn of lung cancer or other serious diseases. However, none of these reaches the top of the label hierarchy.

Labels on pesticides are at the top of the label food chain. This is due to the small statement on these product labels that declares: “It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.”

This is the genesis of the common refrain “the label is the law.” It’s a saying I’m sure you have heard many times, but isn’t as simple as it seems.

The term “label” as defined in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) 7 U.S.C. 136 Section 2 (p) (1) means: “the written, printed, or graphic matter on, or attached, to, the pesticide or device or any of its containers or wrappers.” Labeling is defined under Section 2 (p)(2) as, “all labels and all other written, printed, or graphic matter (A) accompanying the pesticide or device at any time: or (B) to which reference is made on the label or in literature accompanying the pesticide or device …”

FIFRA goes on to describe the registration of pesticides, the approval timelines and protection of trade secrets.

Then, in Section 12 titled “Unlawful Acts,” we get to the heart of the regulation. Section 12 begins with bans on selling mislabeled pesticides, bans messing with labels and even bans revealing confidential information. Section 12 (2) (G) states, “It shall be unlawful for any person … to use any registered pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.”

So, the old tried and true statement, “the label is the law” should really be amended to “the labeling is the law.”

In today’s world, more and more of the label requirements are part of the “to which reference is made on the label.”

This means everything you need to know is not always on the bottle. Websites, online documents, emails, etc. are all tools that can be used to lay out what you need to know when applying pesticides.

Pesticides are constantly under attack from many different interest groups. The last thing we need is another reason to ban much-needed tools, and the last thing you need is a visit from federal regulators or law enforcement.

Follow the labeling. It’s the law.

Joe Smentek Executive Director, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association 44 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

unitedsoybean.org

KEEPING THE FUTURE OF SOYBEANS BRIGHT

From researching new uses for soybeans to identifying new markets for U.S. soy, the soy checkoff is working behind the scenes to create new opportunities and increase profits for soybean farmers. We’re looking inside the bean, beyond the bushel and around the world to keep preference for U.S. soy strong. And it’s helping make a valuable impact for soybean farmers like you.

See more ways the soy checkoff is maximizing profit opportunities for soybean farmers at unitedsoybean.org

Brought to you by the soy checkoff. ©2018 United Soybean Board. Our Soy Checkoff and the Our Soy Checkoff mark are trademarks of United Soybean Board. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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RECONNECTIONS FARMFEST 2021 Photos by Drew Lyon

Minnesota Soybean reunited with the state's farm community over three days at the 2021 Farmfest to promote checkoff investments and legislative policy priorities. During the trade show, farmer-leaders engaged in more than 50 media interviews, met with more than 20 legislators and state leaders, and visited with old and new farm friends alike.

Ag Management Solutions CEO To m Slunecka joins MS GA leaders durin ga visit with Rep. Mi chelle Fischbach .

A youngster thum bs through previou s issues of Soybean Business.

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DIRT WORK

Construction starts on the Ag Innovation Campus

By Drew Lyon

The Ag Innovation Campus dream is beginning to become reality.

After several years of feasibility studies, advocating with legislators and Crookston officials, raising funds, securing crucial permits and navigating a pandemic, construction formally began in late July on the Ag Innovation Campus in Crookston.

"It's always a good feeling when you get to pushing dirt," said AIC construction consultant Brian Ruschy, who oversees a team of about 30 workers on the project. "We're ready to get to work."

Just a few weeks after bank documents were signed and finalized,

site preparation began on the 10-acre site just south of Crookston. Dirt started moving in the last week of August as the Campus team prepares to start production in 2022. The first phase of construction will consist of utility work, including sewer, storm sewer and water installation. This initial phase will take several months and is expected to finish this fall. The Crookston Housing and Economic Development Authority (CHEDA) approved funding for a web camera that will document construction progress via aginnovationcampus.org.

"This is a big moment for the Ag Innovation Campus," AIC Board

Chair Mike Skaug said. "This firstof-its-kind facility is going to have a lot of benefits toward our state's economy, with new ventures and new uses for soymeal that will be advantageous to the farm economy."

The state-of-the-art Campus will host a specialty crushing facility, allowing universities, commodity groups and private seed developers access to affordable processing, designed to lower costs while promoting growth of value-added products. Once established, the Campus will be home to private industries to create products to benefit all parties, from farm gate to

MSR&PC, MSGA and AURI are all founding members of the Ag Innovation Campus. All illustrations by Derek Byrozo.

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consumers. A fully operational AIC will create dozens of good-paying jobs and crush more than 60,000 tons of soybean meal per year – serving about 30% of the Upper Midwest regional market, which consumes about 368 million pounds of soybean meal each year.

Once it's reached full capacity, the AIC will support three crushing lines.

Each line can be operated on either organic, non-GMO or GM soybeans, as well as separately for each type of soybean. Each line can also be cleaned The Campus meets the demand of agriculture technology innovation. to avoid cross contamination with other soybean lines. In addition, it’s anticipated that, in the near future, the Campus will work on other oil seeds, including cover crops. The AIC will also be ahead of the curve as the first crush plant in the world dedicated to purchasing and selling soybeans based off amino acid value.

“This facility really has the potential to revitalize the ag economy through Minnesota and the region,” AIC board member and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Director Trevore The Crushwalk, with its wide-open viewing gallery and video kiosks, will allow visitors to view Brekken said. the processing facility in a safe and biosecure manner.

Collaboration Featuring multiple business units – including a crush plant, 10 research bays, conference room space and a customized educational and community outreach availability, along with accessibility to labs – there’s room for any agribusiness at the Ag Innovation Campus.

The Agricultural Utilizations Research Institute’s (AURI) partnership with the AIC will dramatically improve opportunities Continued on page 10

This artist rendering shows some of the equipment that will be placed in the Ag Innovation Campus.

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for innovation and improve the basis for northwest Minnesota farmers.

AURI will offer its technical expertise and assistance on identifying markets, along with connections to the food/ag ecosystem to help fill the incubation space with start-up companies. AURI can help drive potential involvement with other forward-thinking companies that join the AIC team.

“AURI is excited to see the Ag Innovation Campus become a resource for the agricultural in dustry and innovation ecosystem,” AURI Executive Director Shannon Schlect said. “AURI has had a 30-year presence in Crookston and plans to have an office and laboratory presence at the new facility upon completion to capitalize on the synergies of the Ag Innovation Campus goals and AURI’s mission of fostering long-term economic benefit to Minnesota through value-added agricultural products.”

New businesses could also get

their start at the AIC, scale their production to commercial quantities, build their own processing facility and ultimately sell their technologies across the nation and the globe.

The facility’s unique floor plan is specifically designed to welcome in new, advanced processing technologies as they become available or need to be featured by technology companies.

Mark Jirik, director of the Northern Crops Institute in Fargo, N.D., says with the support of checkoff resources, the two facilities will have the capabilities to work together on research and value-added projects.

“The work you’re doing in Crookston is exceptional,” Jirik told Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council directors. “We’re only 70 miles apart. There are going to be a lot of great opportunities for collaboration, especially when you talk about running programs.”

The AIC recently earned a soybean-checkoff funded grant from

the United Soybean Board. During Minnesota's 2021 Legislative Session, lawmakers approved a provision that lifts a weight restriction on trucks hauling soymeal west on Highway 2 and Highway 75 north of Crookston to the Canadian border. In July, the AIC also made the shortlist of projects that Sen. Tina Smith recommended receive Congressionally Directed Spending through the American Rescue Plan.

The AIC submitted the request following unprecedented material increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A lot of hard work brought us to this milestone, and it's a testament to the team we've built that we're able to mark the beginning phase of construction," said Tom Slunecka, CEO of Ag Management Solutions, which oversees the AIC. "Of course, much more work remains, but we're very excited with the direction we're moving in as we look toward beginning production next year.”

The Ag Innovation Campus board consists of farmer-leaders, stakeholders and strategic partners from across the ag community.

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Teaching Moments

For the past two years, Mustang Seeds has funded alfalfa pathology projects at Dakota State University (DSU) in Madison, South Dakota, spearheaded by Dr. Andrew Sathoff, assistant biology professor at DSU. Alfalfa is one of the many types of seed available from Mustang Seeds.

“I accepted a position at DSU in 2019 and quickly approached Mustang Seeds for potential research collaborations,” Sathoff says. “Both of the summers I’ve been researching at DSU, Mustang Seeds has generously funded my projects.”

Sathoff’s alfalfa research efforts led to a connection that gave some of his DSU students an up-close look at the science of soybean breeding.

Sathoff took part in Mustang Seeds dealer days, which brings seed dealers, growers and researchers together to visit research plots and to learn about new products.

Sathoff, who gave a presentation on his alfalfa research at the event, connected with Santiago Fleming, soybean breeder for Mustang Seeds’ partner GDM. Because the two scientists operate in different areas of plant life, Sathoff thought the

connection presented an opportunity for his research students.

“I thought it would be a good learning experience for my students to be exposed to a bit of plant breeding,” Sathoff says. “I’m a plant pathologist, but another big wing of plant science is plant breeding. My students have no experience with plant breeding. I’ve had some plant breeding training, but nowhere near the level of Santiago or any of the other folks who are at that GDM facility, so I thought it would be a good learning opportunity.”

Earlier this summer, Sathoff reached out to Fleming to arrange a tour of the GDM facility near Hutchinson, Minnesota. For many of the students, it was their first in-depth exposure to plant breeding.

“I really had no idea about plant breeding, so it was all very new to me,” says Jenni Giles, a biology major from Madison, South Dakota. “I saw a lot of different things, including the breeding process from start to finish, how they cross different plants and the different seed lines that GDM produces.”

Conner Tordsen, a senior biology

major from Fairmont, Minnesota, also made the trek to the GDM facility.

“We do a lot of plant health work with our research team here at Dakota State, so it was interesting to see the other side, the plant breeding,” Tordsen says. “Breeders are going against different diseases to increase their yields that way, and we’re looking at doing it with fungicides and how we can stop the diseases. Seeing things from the breeder’s perspective was cool and it gave me the full picture.”

“The biggest takeaway I had was seeing the difference between what we do in lab and what plant breeders do,” added Travis Rebstock, a fourthyear biology student from Redwood Falls, Minnesota.

In addition to learning about soybean breeding, Sathoff says the exposure to different areas of science could help students decide on a future career path.

“Some of my students don’t know exactly what they’re going to do after graduation, so I thought this opportunity may open a door for them,” Sathoff explains.

Brought to you by Mustang Seeds.

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MMMM, CRICKETS

By Doug Monson

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Chirp, chirp, chirp.

No that wasn’t awe-inspiring silence filling the room when Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen walked into a barn in Moorhead on an early July morning. While that would have been an acceptable response for Madeline and Pat Revier in their first encounter with Commissioner Petersen, the serenading came from the resident orchestra – of crickets.

The Revier Family Farms in Moorhead isn’t your typical farm, and they don’t have a typical barn. If one didn’t know the area, the bars on the windows of a nearby neighbor might scare visitors off. Once inside the building, the farm comes to life with rows and shelves of Tupperware cricket condos adorning the room.

“When we’re full we’ll have about

3 million in here,” Pat Revier said as he showed the commissioner and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Executive Director Joe Smentek the nearly half-million crickets already calling Revier Family Farms home. “Our plan initially was to harvest them, dry them and ground them into a flour and ship them off to companies looking for flour. We haven’t achieved that yet. We need to get some different equipment here. It hasn’t really been that easy.”

Nothing has been easy for the young couple. Pat, born and raised on a dairy farm, has found creative and unique ways to manage the cricket farm. He converted an old fridge into an incubator, first building in a heater and later replacing the heater with a computer fan.

“The heater that I installed was never turned on because the development process of the eggs creates enough heat that it actually gets too hot, so I had to install a fan to cool it down,” he said.

The couple has tried using a maize grinder more suitable for a poultry operation and a cement mixer to combine the different feeds to create cricket meal. The blend comes from Continued on page 18

MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek looks on as MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen speaks with Pat and Madeline Revier at their cricket farm in Moorhead. Photo by Doug Monson.

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a 1970s scientific review of feeding byproducts to crickets.

“It’s soybeans, corn, wheat … used brewer’s yeast, blood meal and bone meal because they are naturally carnivores, and we need to get some of the meat in there,” Madeline said.

“And then we use nonfat dried milk because they need all of that calcium to grow their exoskeleton.”

Noreen Thomas, a Moorhead organic grains farmer, provides the soybeans, corn and wheat. She also helped arrange the meeting between the Reviers and Commissioner Peterson.

“We don’t necessarily need organic, but we need crops that don’t use pesticides,” Pat said.

“We don’t want to be poisoning our little guys.”

Finding a market For the Revier business to ultimately take off, the duo needs to get a commercial dryer to handle their orchestra. More specifically, the couple needs a microwave dryer, which lowers the drying time of a standard dryer from 5 hours to 7 minutes. And the couple needs a smaller unit than currently available.

“In the U.S. they only make really big ones,” Madeline said. “They are like a quarter of a million dollars, and

they can process what we produce in months, in one day.”

The couple has literally searched the globe, inquiring in Asia, where the cricket industry thrives, until finding a company in Canada.

“There’s a company in British Columbia that manufactures them,” Pat said. “I called them and he said the same week that I called, four other people called inquiring about drying crickets. So they’re looking into it and looking to develop a smaller drier.”

The Reviers say they worry the wait will be more than a year. In the meantime, they are tackling other issues, such as the classification of their farm.

“We started working with AURI because there are no regulations in Minnesota,” Madeline said. “They set us up with someone and classified us as a small-scale livestock production.”

Unfortunately, as the couple shared with Commissioner Petersen, livestock grant opportunities don’t cover cricket farms.

Petersen encouraged the couple to pursue value-added ag grants and to explore Minnesota Grown once their company is fully up and running.

“We also host shows for food buyers because, if you want to go to a food show and promote your

products, it can be expensive,” Petersen said. “What we do is we take 20 to 25 companies and we put them up in our pavilion, and the buyers from grocery stores and similar industries come to the event.

You can really get in front of them in our pavilion for nothing or next to nothing.”

Until then, the couple is left with a few options to keep their fledgling farm afloat: sell to the local live market and freeze the rest of the inventory.

“What we have right now is a freezer full of crickets, and we are starting to market toward to live market to people who feed their pets,” Pat said. “We’ve sold a few. There’s a pet rescue for exotic pets, and we’ve been providing them with crickets, and then NDSU gets crickets from us (for research).”

Asked if they have considered selling crickets to bait shops, the couple quickly ruled it out.

“It’s surprising how emotionally attached you get to these things,” Madeline said. “I think twice about killing insects now.”

Pat concurred: “I wouldn’t feel right putting a hook through one after all the time I’ve spent here.”

Buggin’ out Fresh crickets consist of about 20% protein.

Dried crickets contain as much as 69 grams of protein.

The global insect market has grown by nearly 25% in recent years.

Globally, an estimated 2 billion people consume insects as part of their diets.

A mini-DIY cricket farm can be built for about $200.

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MORE BUSHELS ARE OUT THERE.

ASGROW.COM ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Asgrow and the A Design®, Bayer and Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. ©2021 Bayer Group. All Rights Reserved.

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The Full Nels Nelsen

By Bailey Grubish

Sitting at the kitchen table, Robert “Bob” Nelsen can spot the two top recruiter titles he earned for his masterful recruiting skills for the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) and American Soybean Association.

When recruiting, he takes his own approach with hand-written letters to farmers in his area. He estimates that he writes around 500 letters a year for recruitment of MSGA and Minnesota Corn Growers Association and plans

to continue. His efforts don’t go unappreciated by his fellow directors.

“Bob Nelsen is one of the most dedicated MSGA members that we have,” said former MSGA President Jamie Beyer. “He does a really great job of conveying the worth of your membership and since he’s been a member for so long, he fully understands why MSGA was created and how it has benefited soybean farmers in Minnesota. He is very motivated that those in his

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community recognize that value.”

With just a notepad and a pen, Nelsen keeps the membership letters simple but personal, asking how their family is doing or how planting is going and emphasizes how important their membership is to MSGA. “I can't say enough about Bob,” said MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek. “He is a great guy, and an amazing advocate for Minnesota's agricultural communities.

His help recruiting members and

Bob Nelsen teaches St. Peter farmer Kelsey Henke the fine art of recruiting.

volunteering on the MSGA board have helped generations of soybean farmers through building a strong organization that advocates for our members in St. Paul and D.C.” A ’passion’ for MSGA His time writing letters pays off in more ways than one. From his recruiting, he brings in over 100 memberships to MSGA each year. On top of recruiting members, he also receives thank you letters from them, thanking him for taking the time to reach out in a personable way.

“Bob is one of the nicest and easiest to work with, he is always thinking and talking membership,” Membership Manager Jodie Arndt said. “His passion for MSGA is undeniable, he makes my job so much easier.”

Nelsen has been an MSGA board member for 20 years. He stresses the importance of membership for

advocating at the local, state and national level on behalf of farmers.

MSGA relies on memberships to lobby and advocate on behalf of farmers.

“People don’t realize what’s going on in the state or federal level and being a member of MSGA, you get this information, they tell you what’s going on,” Nelsen said. “I mean, you’re focused on farming or whatever and don’t realize what’s going on in the world or the state or federal level.”

Precious memories Nelsen isn’t just known for his membership recruiting prowess.

When he’s not writing letters, attending meetings, or doing chores on the farm, the Murray County farmer can be found in his antique toy collection room. Nelsen’s collection started with items given to him from his neighbors. Throughout

the years people have sought out to buy the collection from him.

He had the opportunity to sell some of his collection on the "American Pickers" show when hosts Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe were in the area, but he wasn’t interested and instead hopes to put the collection in a museum in his area one day.

The toy collection is more than antiques to Nelsen; they remind him of his childhood. Some of the items in his collection are rare. He has a model tractor toy with farmers mounted on the seat, a red mobo horse from England, John Deere A and John Deere B models, among other toys on display.

His coveted collection is stored in an addition on his garage that is temperature-regulated and quarantined off from animals and guests.

Continued on page 18

Bob, pictured here with his wife, Sally, is an avid collector of farm-related toys.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business

- 17

The regulated room is filled with over 50 pedal bikes, cars and airplanes, along with hundreds of miniature tractors, trucks, airplanes as well as memorabilia from his life.

He has more toys in his sheds on the farm, but they are in less pristine condition than the ones in the display room. He’s not fussy on what he gets for his collection that is only continuing to grow. His cousin is bringing him half a semi-load of toys soon, and Nelsen is already planning on what to do with them for display and storage.

And, no, don’t even think about making him an offer… “(The collection) brought back a lot of memories,” Nelsen said. “So much

of this was given to me. … I just don’t want to sell.”

A photo of his grandfather hangs on the wall showing him delivering the mail in his car in the early 1900s, a newspaper article about Nelsen’s family farm photo sits on a shelf and a newspaper clipping his mother kept of his swearing into the army leans against a toy on a shelf among many other memories. Nelsen served in the Army for three years before returning to the family farm.

His daughter, Elizabeth, is the third-generation to operate the family farm, with her kids helping care and farm the more than 400 acres of land.

The family also raises beef Highland Cattle, chickens and turkeys. Nelsen

18 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

is still active on the farm caring for the animals.

He hopes that his recruiting success will encourage his colleagues to continue attracting bringing members of their communities to MSGA “I tell them everyone either has neighbors, friends or relatives, I mean that’s three people you can go see and maybe get a membership from,” Nelsen said. “I want them (farmers) to care.”

WCROC Completes MDA Water Quality Certification The University of Minnesota’s West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC), Morris is the first U of MN entity to achieve certification through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). Administered through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, this voluntary program allows farmers and landowners to demonstrate best management practices with regard to cropland adoption and helps identify new practices which can positively impact water quality and conservation practices that help protect our environment.

A MAWQCP certificate signifies that participating farmers and landowners will be deemed in compliance with any new water quality rules or laws during the period of certification, are taking a proactive approach to future water quality issues and concerns in Minnesota, and are using conservation practices to protect Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and streams.

When completing the application, landowners get a bird’s-eye-view of their entire operation, which allows a glimpse into areas that need

improvement. Some changes are simple and inexpensive, such as using water quality tile inlets to filter soil and debris from water before it reaches a tile drainage system. In addition, the WCROC has also changed to No-Till farming practices on erodible land and has installed a biofilter at a tile discharge point to reduce nitrogen flow into the watershed.

“Historically, the WCROC has had a strong commitment to water quality, conservation and mitigating our impact on the environment,” reports Curt Reese, WCROC Crops Coordinator. “We have numerous projects and activities that exemplify our dedication to protecting the environment.

Becoming MAWQCP certified is an important step for us to take as we look to the future.”

Minnesota Farmers can contact their local SWCD to apply for MAWQCP certification and then complete a series of steps with local certifiers using a 100 percent site-specific risk-assessment process. By law, all data is kept private, and only by signing a formal release can a farmer’s name be released publicly. After becoming

certified, farmers receive a 10year contract ensuring they will be deemed in compliance with any new water quality laws, an official MAWQCP sign to display on their farm and other benefits developed by local MAWQCP providers.

More than 1,100 producers are currently certified in the MAWQCP, covering more than 785,000 certified acres, and implementing more than 2,200 new conservation practices.

Gov. Tim Walz has set a goal of enrolling 1 million acres in the MAWQCP by the end of 2022.

The certification process was completed by Reese and Lee Johnston, WCROC Director of Operations. Assisting with the application were: Darin Huot and Brad Heins, WCROC Dairy program; Grant Pearson, West Central MAWQCP Certification Specialist; and staff at the Stevens County Soil & Water Conservation District office: Director Matt Solemsaas, Assistant Technician John Lembcke and Steve Linow, Civil Engineering Technician Steve Linow.

Brought to you by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business

- 19

By Drew Lyon Under the pressure of a state shutdown, the nation’s only divided legislature worked with Gov. Tim Walz to sign the $52 billion biennial budget into law, just hours before the July 1 deadline. For a session that was held mostly virtual during a pandemic, the 11th hour deal wasn’t unexpected.

“No one was surprised to see this go down to the wire,” Minnesota Soybean Growers Association lobbyist Cory Bennett said. “We had braced our members for the likelihood that this would go late in June and that’s exactly what happened. Ultimately, they got the job done.”

On June 26, the governor signed the bipartisan Agriculture Omnibus bill. COVID 19 laid bare a multitude of issues in Minnesota’s agriculture and food systems, including the need for increased meat processing capacity. The ag omnibus bill includes funding for meat inspection and small meat processors, $450,000 to combat noxious weeds, as well as funding for a new meat scientist at the Agricultural Utilization Research

Institute, $6 million in support for the Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program and a mobile meat cutting facility that will service both students and small producers.

Funding for the Northern Crops Institute ($94,000) was also included in the bill, following a proactive push from the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.

“Given the nature of the virtual session, we’re very pleased with the policy wins we achieved this year,” MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek. “Once again, we showed that being a member of MSGA continues to protect agriculture’s interest while boosting farmer profitability.”

Additionally, the bill provides funding for biofuels infrastructure, an increase in the Bioincentive Program, and increases for the Urban Agriculture Program, the Good Food Access Program and Farm to School Program. The bill also establishes an Emerging Farmers Office and provides ongoing funding for translation services for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Emerging Farmer Working Group.

20 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

“These bills will … support the next generation of Minnesota’s workforce by investing in our students; keep our parks, trails, and waters clean and vibrant; and help maintain the strength of our agriculture industry,” Gov. Walz said.

The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants & Pest Center received $5 million in the Environment and Natural Resource Policy and Finance bill. Earlier in the session, MSGA sent a letter to the legislators advocating for financial support for the MITPPC. Over the ensuing months, MSGA will map out its 2022 priorities. The 2022 Legislative Session begins Jan. 31, 2022.

“We appreciate that the legislative process takes time, and commend the legislature and Gov. Walz for working together to pass an agriculture omnibus bill that will help our members across the state,” former MSGA President Jamie Beyer said.

“We were able to advocate in new ways and are pleased to see a number of our policy priorities included in the ag bill.”

VIRTUAL REALITY MSGA’s 2021 Legislative Wins

With the Capitol closed to advocacy groups, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) transformed its lobbying efforts in 2021 by shifting to a mostly virtual operation. Farmer-leaders and staff made the best of the situation and met with more than 40 elected officials during MSGA’s 2021 Hill Visits. When the $52 billion biennial budget was signed into law after several special sessions, MSGA notched wins on a host of policy priorities for its grassroots membership.

FIGHTING TO PROTECT YOUR FARM, FAMILY & FUTURE

Promoting and defending farm-friendly policy requires heavy lifting. With fewer than 10% of Minnesota’s nearly 28,000 soybean farmers active in MSGA, we need your support. The future depends on it. Join us today.

BOOSTING BIODIESEL

MSGA doesn’t take its status as a national leader in biodiesel for granted. For nearly 20 years, MSGA has protected and grown the state’s minimum blending requirement during the summer months, culminating in the historic move to B20 in 2018. Today, biodiesel in Minnesota adds more than 5,000 jobs and contributes nearly $1.7 billion toward the state’s economy. Nonetheless, MSGA’s lobbying team works hard each session to ensure biofuels withstand opposition.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, farmer-leaders successfully advocated for $8 million toward improving the state’s biofuels infrastructure. MSGA also fended off a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard for Minnesota and issued a full-throated push against the Clean Cars rule, arguing California energy policies aren’t needed for what already works for Minnesota.

AG INNOVATION CAMPUS

Two years after earning $5 million in support from the Legislature, MSGA continued promoting the Ag Innovation Campus in Crookston throughout the session. MSGA emerged victorious in our push to lift a weight exemption along Highway 2 to allow for soybean meal trucks to haul up to 106,000 pounds from Crookston to the Canadian border. Additionally, as the Campus starts its construction process with a plan toward a 2022 production launch, MSGA worked with Sen. Tina Smith’s office to include AIC funding in a short list of projects considered in a Congressionally Spending Request.

PAYROLL PROTECTION PROGRAM CONFORMITY

ABOUT US

Established by soybean farmers in 1962, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) monitors government policies to improve the profitability of soybean farmers throughout the state.

When federal law changes, that doesn’t always mean a state law automatically conforms. As one of our top 2021 priorities, MSGA worked with legislators to bring Payroll Protection Program tax conformity into federal law. The law, which saw bipartisan support, will provide more than $1 billion in tax relief toward Minnesota farmers and other businesses.

PROTECTING PESTICIDES

In some sessions, it’s the items that are not included in a bill that count as wins. During the 2021 legislative session, MSGA ensured that farmers were not saddled with unnecessary pesticide fee increases, saving producers millions in registration costs. MSGA also joined the farm community and other ag groups in preventing the passage of House bills that would have banned the dicamba herbicide and allowed cities to enact their own pesticide regulations.

RESEARCH

MSGA testified during the 2021 legislative session to endorse continued funding of the Northern Crops Institute and was a key voice that led to the Legislature fully funding NCI at $94,000 over the two-year biennial budget.

In the ag omnibus bill, MSGA also worked to protect continued funding for the Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Technology Transfer (AGREETT) program at the University of Minnesota at a base of $9.3 million per year. More than 30 years ago, MSGA helped start AGREET with backing from our farmer leaders and lobbying team.

RURAL PRIORITIES

mnsoybean.org/msga

COVID-19 has underscored the need for more broadband access. MSGA called on the Legislature and Walz administration to continue improving broadband infrastructure. Lawmakers responded by including $70 million toward rural broadband resources. MSGA also supported $100,000 in mental health resources and $200,000 in farm safety grants.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business - 21

Beltrami farmer elected MSGA president

By Drew Lyon As an advocate, Mike Skaug was a bit of a late bloomer.

It wasn’t until 2012, when the Polk County farmer was in his 50s, that Skaug was appointed to the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association board of directors.

Skaug felt it was a good pairing from the start.

“It just fit into my life where I could do something like that,” he said. “I was always interested in the issues, and it fit in with my interests. The more I hung around, the more interested I became. It got to be a habit.”

Over a decade, Skaug steadily rose the ranks of MSGA, from treasurer to vice president, culminating in his election as president in July 2021. His colleagues chose Skaug during the nonpartisan’s organization first inperson board meeting in more than a year.

“I’m humbled and honored my fellow directors have put their confidence in me to lead this storied organization,” 22 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

Skaug said. “I’m eager to hit the ground running to advocate for our members and promote policies that will improve the profitability outlook for Minnesota farmers.”

Skaug (pronounced “Scow”) is also chair of the Ag Innovation Campus in Crookston. He farms with his wife, DeAnn, and son, Ryan, on their fifth-generation farm in Beltrami. Skaug replaced Jamie Beyer, who stepped down after two years as president. As the organization begins to prepare for its 60th anniversary, its new president is well aware he’s standing on the shoulders of giants.

“I have big shoes to fill,” said Skaug, the 36th president in MSGA’s history. “Jamie has a lot of talent and has done such a great job of explaining complicated issues to folks.

She’s been a huge asset to MSGA.” Beyer’s tenure was highlighted by the passage of full Section 179 conformity in October 2020 – among many other MSGA legislative wins – and helped lead MSGA’s

transition to virtual advocacy following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We couldn’t have had anyone better helping us navigate the difficulties of the past year,” MSGA Executive Director Joe Smentek said.

“We are so grateful to Jamie for her dedication to MSGA.” Beyer will remain a director and was also elected to the Ag Management Solutions (AMS) board, which oversees MSGA’s daily operations.

She was the third female MSGA president and the first to serve consecutive terms.

“If it wasn’t for MSGA, I would be a lot more pessimistic when it comes to the future of agriculture,” Beyer said. “I see a path forward for agriculture.”

Rising to the top Skaug will be supported by a mix of veteran and emerging leaders. Longtime Lincoln County farmer Bob Worth moved from treasurer to vice president. Wells farmer Darin Johnson was elected treasurer, and

Homegrown The Skaug family farm has been in operation since 1881, just a few years after the family immigrated from Norway.

The original foundation of the Skaug’s home is from 1886.

Ryan Mackenthun of Brownton will serve as secretary. Skaug’s predecessor said the organization is in steady, capable hands with Skaug, who also serves on the AMS board.

“Mike knows so much about the MSGA and AMS,” Beyer said. “He’s bringing in so much knowledge. There could be no one better prepared than Mike.”

Strathcona grower Jim Kukowski and Brewster farmer Chris Hill were both reelected to the American Soybean Association, which advocates for growers at the federal level.

Farmer leaders gave ASA Chair and former President Bill Gordon a standing ovation during his final board meeting before he retires from ASA at the end of the year.

Continued on Page 24

I’m eager to hit the ground running to advocate for our members and promote policies that will improve the profitability outlook for Minnesota farmers.

SEPTEMBER- -OCTOBER OCTOBER- -2021 2021- -Soybean SoybeanBusiness Business--2323 SEPTEMBER

Certified The Skaugs are enrolled in the Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program and he continues to promote it to other farmers in his region. “I was intrigued and realized I was doing a lot of the things the MAWQCP required,” he said. “It was just a good idea. … I’ve been recommending it to farmers because so many farmers have been doing the same practices that we’ve been doing.”

24 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

Mike Skaug meets often with state legislators, including Rep. Deb Kiel (left)

He will be replaced by Adam Guetter, a Redwood County farmer and past ASA Young Leader.

“When it comes to policy,” said Gordon, who previously served as MSGA vice president, “Minnesota always rises to the top.”

Skaug said he’ll strive to keep

day-to-day duties, while field decisions are Ryan’s forte.

“He’s very good at picking the hybrids and making the in-field decisions,” Mike Skaug said. “It really helps to have to have someone holding up the other end of the farm.”

To that end, Skaug says he

We’re doing a lot of good things and have built a reputation of being level-headed and having a great team, great lobbyists.

MSGA at the top among commodity organizations.

“We’re doing a lot of good things and have built a reputation of being level-headed and having a great team, great lobbyists,” Skaug said. “I’m really looking forward to the year ahead.”

Like Mike Mike and DeAnn work with Ryan (who also runs his own operation nearby) on their 4,000-acre corn and soybean farm. It’s been a way of life for father and son since Ryan was a teenager. Mike and DeAnn handle the

understands the plight of Minnesota farmers who may be interested in leadership roles but are juggling the demands of family and on-farm duties. The last year has especially underscored the need for a work-life balance, he said.

“I’m empathetic to the farmers who have young families and are involved,” he said. “They really do a lot.”

The drive from the Beltrami farm to the Capitol in St. Paul is more than four hours, and it takes Skaug about six hours to make the trek to Mankato for MSGA board meetings.

Continued on Page 26 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business

- 25

He believes the virtual format used in the past year has proven beneficial, saving farmers dozens of hours in travel and allowing directors more opportunities to engage with elected officials – not to mention affording them more time with their families. As president, he wants to lead the board in finding a happy medium between virtual and in-person meetings to accommodate growers throughout Minnesota.

“That’s the way we’re going to have to do things to get more people – especially young people –involved,” he said. “We have to get back to in person but we’re going to have be more selective in regard to what’s more important to have in person. It’s too taxing to go to a two-day meeting when you’ve got family obligations. It gets so stressful.”

The key to MSGA’s success in the future, Skaug believes, is recruiting and developing young leaders by taking advantage of various modes of communication.

“We can capitalize on these younger people who have really good ideas if we start doing more virtual, because they’re able to stay active while being close to their families,” Skaug said. “It can be an all-of-the-above approach. It doesn’t have to be one way or the other.”

MSGA’s 2022 legislative priorities are still being established, but, according to Skaug, who keeps a close eye on policy activities at the state and federal levels, protecting biodiesel in Minnesota will be a top concern.

“With biodiesel, you’d think it would coast on its own because of all the benefits it brings,” Skaug said, “but we have to keep reinforcing it.”

Smentek said Skaug’s interest in the issues and calm demeanor will be an asset to the nonpartisan organization during the year ahead.

“Mike studies the issues and has developed a lot of relationships with elected officials and state leaders,” he said. “He doesn’t seek attention or accolades. His focus is

Mike says of his wife of 40 years, DeAnn: "It's not just Ryan and I on the farm - it's DeAnn mostly. She's the best partner." Mike and DeAnn also have three grandchildren.

all about advocating for policies that will help Minnesota farmers.”

After the tribulations of recent years – low commodity prices, a trade war, droughts and floods – Skaug says MSGA is moving in the right direction heading into 2022.

“I really think things are taking a turn for the better,” he said.

Ryan (left) and Mike Skaug (right) chat during a break in the growing season.

26 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

THANK

You

Biodiesel Open

2021

REG

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NATIONAL BIODIESEL BOARD

NOVOZYMES BIOAG

MEG CROP

AURI

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growers association

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CHRIS HILL

MINNESOTA CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION

ALBERT LEA SEED HOUSE

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Houston Engineering Inc.

POLK COUNTY corn and soybean growers association

ISG

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We Tip Our Cap To You! Thank you to our generous supporters of the 2021 Biodiesel Open. Because of your support of the Biodiesel Open, MSGA is able to continue advocating on behalf of Minnesota's 27,000 soybean farmers.

See you on the links next year!

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business

- 27

Grassroots counties make new connections with their communities

By Soybean Business Staff

In a show of appreciation, Traverse County leaders donated soy-based sandals to local lifeguards.

28 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

Following the relaxing of COVID-19 gathering restrictions, Minnesota farm communities were raring to go this summer. Minnesota’s 44 organized soybean counties reconnected with their communities by promoting not just the Driving Soy campaign, but other checkoff-funded outreach programs designed to showcase locally sourced commodities.

Southern Minnesota Continuing to work with Farmamerica is important to the Waseca County Corn & Soybean Growers. After partnering with the organization last year, the board wanted to keep supporting soybean education with Farmamerica’s expansion project.

“Supporting youth education helps kids understand what a soybean is at a young age,” Board Treasurer Scott Singlestad said. “The revamping of the center brings value back to the agricultural community, and we are excited to see the impact it makes.”

Farmamerica’s efforts to expand and revamp the center will include promotion of biofuels and a newspaper containing soy ink.

Renville County Corn and Soybean Growers held their annual golf outing at the Oakdale Golf Course on July 15. The Renville Growers hold this event yearly to give thanks to their members and sponsors. Each golfer had the opportunity to shoot for a hole-in-one for a free lawn mower. The golfers were also given coolers stuffed with goodies and a prime rib dinner to close out the night.

Nobles County Corn and Soybean Growers donated funds to the Rock Nobles County Cattlemen’s tour on July 13, which had over 1,200 attendees. The donation was used for biodiesel and included wrapping multiple buses with an erasing emission message.

Lincoln County Corn and Soybean Growers donated $1,000 to each fire department in Tyler, Arco and Hendricks for them to purchase grain bin rescue equipment. Fire departments across the state rely on donations and support from local organizations to obtain needed equipment. The grain bin rescue equipment can also be used for other rescue operations when necessary. Lincoln County also continued their support of 4-H in the area with their donation of shirts for the students to wear during the county fair. The students helped serve the ag awareness breakfast on a morning of the county fair that the board offered for just 35 cents. The breakfast brought out more than 400 people.

Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers held

Jump in! Children at the Pennington County Fair play in a pool of soybeans.

Waseca County Corn and Soybean Growers celebrate their annual meeting at Half-Pint Brewing.

Kandiyohi County farmers celebrated agriculture and the "Driving Soy" campaign during the "Farmtastic" event at the Willmar Stingers baesball game.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021 - Soybean Business

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To support livestock, the Norman County board donated six pens to the fair.

their annual golf outing at the Luverne Country Club in August. More than 120 golfers attended. The golf outing was an appreciation for the Rock County members and sponsors who have supported the organization. The RockNobles Cattlemen Association served a steak dinner while a crop tour report given by Professional Ag Marketing.

Murray County Corn and Soybean Growers mixed things up this summer with a combined golf outing and annual meeting on July 22. The day started at the Slayton Country Club and continued at the Murray County Fairgrounds for the meeting and porkchop dinner. At the meeting, the board focused on membership and the soybased tire donation with the Driving Soy campaign.

Western – Central Minnesota Traverse County farmers and their soybean checkoff dollars gave back to their communities this summer by donating soy-based sandals to local lifeguards.

The Traverse County Corn and Soybean Growers donated Okabashi soy-based sandals to lifeguards working at the Wheaton Swimming Pool. Okabashi, a Georgia-based company, creates their flip flops and sandals with approximately 45% biobased ingredients, including soybean oil. After the lifeguards spent many hours keeping watch over community members using the pool during the COVID-19 pandemic, the board wanted to do its part to support.

“When most activities were canceled in 2020 and into 2021, the Wheaton Swimming Pool was one of the few 30 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - 2021

Roseau – Lake of the Woods farmers celebrate the Fourth of July during a parade in Greenbush.

facilities that our community members could enjoy,” board member Chadd Berger said. “By donating the soy-based sandals, we thought it would be a small token of appreciation to give to the pool lifeguards, while also bringing awareness to different uses of soybeans.”

Soy oil in Okabashi shoes add to their flexibility and make the product softer and lighter. The shoes are available for purchase at www.okabashi.com, Walgreens and CVS. Kandiyohi County Corn and Soybean Growers sponsored a “Farmtastic” ag night at the Wilmar Stingers baseball game in late July. Before the game, attendees were afforded opportunities to learn about all aspects of farming from various ag groups and businesses. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff was present to show off the soybased tires that were donated to the department by the county growers, while the Fire Department gave tours of their truck and the county board handed out clear bags to attendees filled with commodity goodies.

Northwest Minnesota The Kittson County Growers highlighted the Driving Soy campaign at the Kittson County fair in 2021 through a print ad and display at their local fair. They purchased soy-based pencils to be given to area students this fall. The pencils have a message on them that says, “Food + Fuel – Minnesota Soybeans are ‘SOY’ good for Everything.” Now that’s a message to get behind!

The Marshall County Growers purchased four livestock

pens for the Marshall County Fair. The Marshall County Soybean and Corn Growers and their checkoff dollars supported the local fire departments that participated in the Beef Cook Off at the Marshall County Fair.

The Polk County Growers have been focused on promoting the launch of the Ag Innovation Campus. The board also made donations to FFA, the Polk County Fair and hosted live radio trivia during Ag month.

The Pennington-Red Lake County Soybean and Corn Growers Board has donated to the six fire departments in their two counties. The donation is to be used to assist in the purchase of new or updated equipment and trucks that enable them to provide only the best in rescue and emergency services to their communities. The donations were given to the communities of Red Lake Falls, Thief River Falls, Oklee, Plummer, Goodridge and St. Hilaire.

They also had a soybean pool at the Thief River Falls fair.

The Norman County Soybean/Corn Growers worked closely with KRJB radio to help promote soybeans and corn throughout their county, including sharing stories posted on mnsoybean.org. They purchased livestock pens for their county in late summer and recently donated dollars to their county Rural Enrichment and Counseling Headquarters (REACH). This program distributed 127 holiday food

baskets to those facing food insecurity in Norman County.

The baskets included a fresh turkey, fresh potatoes, dressing, vegetable, dinner rolls, a gallon of milk and a pie.

The Roseau-Lake of the Woods County Soybean Growers promoted Ag and Soy months through radio.

They promoted the Driving Soy campaign and promoted soybeans at the Greenbush parade and fair on July 4. They also donated 500 rulers to Ag in the Classroom. The rulers will be distributed to all their schools this fall.

“The county promotion program is fundamental to the Council’s mission,” said MSR&PC Director Gene Stoel, who helps oversee the county promotional program. “So many of promotional and research efforts start at the county level, and as farmers, we’re proud to support these vital local organizations.”

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MO' JOE

New Council chair hopes to attract younger farmers to leadership positions

By Bailey Grubish

"Thanks to Cole’s steady leadership and vision, the Council has emerged more stable and dynamic than ever.” Joe Serbus (left) visits with former Chair Cole Trebesch (right) at the 2021 Farmfest.

32 - Soybean Business - SEPTEMBER -OCTOBER - OCTOBER--2021 2021

oe Serbus is ready to lead.

The Bird Island farmer was elected chair of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council in late June during the organization’s quarterly meeting. He officially took over as chair on July 1, replacing Brown County farmer Cole Trebesch, who served as chair for two years and will continue as a director.

“I’m honored my fellow farmers have put their confidence in me to lead this first-class organization,” Serbus said. “Being part of the Council has allowed me to be more involved in Minnesota agriculture, and I’ve seen firsthand how the soybean checkoff improves Minnesota farmers’ bottom lines.”

The affable Serbus is an experienced checkoff leader. He joined the Council in 2016 and served as the treasurer in 2018 and 2019 before

serving as the vice chair for the past two years.

“Joe brings a wealth of knowledge to the chair role, as well as his ability to exchange with a variety of industry leaders from his years of experience of not only farming, but selling seed and crop insurance,” MSR&PC CEO Tom Slunecka said. “Change in leadership is important to every organization for diverse thought, and each leader brings a new set of strengths to the forefront.”

As he assumes his new role, Serbus has several checkoff investments for the Council to continue prioritizing.

He wants to continue supporting growth on Plasma Blue and construction of the Ag Innovation Campus (AIC), in addition to investing in more than a dozen research projects aimed at improving farmer profitability.

Plasma Blue technology has the

capability to create biodiesel using less energy. The machine allows for smaller processing plants to stay competitive and can produce 1.5 million gallons of biodiesel in a year.

The AIC, which is being constructed in Crookston, Minn., will be a full-time crushing plant with space for private investors to work in for research.

Continued on Page 34

Follow the leader

Joe Serbus takes over as MSR&PC chair after Cole Trebesch served in the role for two years. Trebesch brought a wide set of skills that he used in his leadership role.

Trebesch oversaw the Council through numerous projects, including the development of the Ag Innovation Campus, Plasma Blue and TruSoya. As a member of the research action team, he also helped review and approve dozens of checkoff-funded research projects. As a member of the Ag Management Solutions board, he has played an integral part in the organization’s development and financial well-being.

Oh, and he also helped the Council navigate a pandemic.

“Cole did a fabulous job as chair,” Slunecka. “COVID put him a position that, quite honestly, we couldn’t have imagined, and he handled it like a champ."

Serbus said he’ll continue to lean on Trebesch for advice.

The Council is a team effort, he said.

“The transition from Cole to myself has gone really well,” Serbus said. “I’ve used him as a great resource for going through the committee assignments and what common things have come up before. I just value his input going forward.”

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The AIC recently broke ground with a goal toward beginning production in 2022.

The third goal Serbus touched on is bringing younger farmers into the fold, both on local and state boards. He hopes that if they can get younger farmers interested at the local level, they will be prepared and interested in joining at the state level later on.

Serbus believes recruiting younger farmers will give them a firmer grasp of what the Council accomplishes for farmers, and to prepare them to take on greater leadership positions at the local and state levels.

“We all have the same goal,” Serbus said, “and that’s to further Minnesota Soybean through research and or other practices.”

Trust factor Serbus represents Districts 5 and 6, which cover six counties across western Minnesota. Since becoming a director, Serbus has worked to stay involved in his counties in his two districts, and he will continue to participate as much as he can with the counties as he takes on the duties of chair.

“I attend my county events and stay involved so that they can put a face to the name,” Serbus said. “They can see that I’m somebody that’s one of them. I consider myself a very casual, common person, and if I can participate in those things, hopefully I’ll give them a sense of trustworthiness of what we are doing at the state level and possibly encourage them to participate and get more

“We all have the same goal, and that’s to further Minnesota Soybean through research and other practices.”

Joe Serbus addresses the board during his first meeting as Council chair in August 2021.

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involved with Minnesota Soybean.”

Serbus has stepped into his new role armed with the knowledge of past chairs as well as advice from his fellow board members. He knows he’s following in big footsteps.

“It’s a little overwhelming taking over as the chair,” Serbus said. “I believe I’m possibly more of a face or a name to the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, but really, it’s the staff and the board members that are getting the work done.”

He led his first Council meeting in August, when the Council approved its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Joe Serbus is a passionate supporter of FFA. The Bird Island farmer once served as “I think he will do a good job,” Trebesch said. treasurer of his chapter. His two sons are also past FFA leaders.

“Joe cares about the people and everything the retiring from the board in 2016. He currently is serving Council does, plus he’s been on the executive team for on his church board, local mutual insurance board and a several years. With his time on the Council and the soybean transportation coalition board.

Serbus and his wife, Doreen, have been married for more support from past leaders, I think he’s a great fit for the than 35 years. Their three children, Trevor, Kelsey and position.”

Joseph are all giving back to rural Minnesota through their Prior to running for a position on the Council in 2016, full-time jobs as well as helping out on the family farm.

Serbus asked to join his local Renville County Corn and Soybean Growers Association.

“There are good people on the Renville County board REPLACEMENT POLY FINGERS who have been there for years, and they encouraged me to STRONG & RESILIENT take on a more county role,” Serbus said.

COST EFFECTIVE From his experience on his local board, he was May Wes encouraged to run for a director position on MSR&PC. Poly Retractable The rest is history.

Fingers OUT-PERFORM “I think there’s been great role models on the Council metal on multiple levels that made me want to take on a leadership role,” Serbus said. “They have attempted to guide a person along and 5 FINGER QUICK TINES encourage them. It’s really not all about me; it’s about HEAVY-DUTY what we can all do together, and I think that’s why I enjoy CONSTRUCTION reaching out to past leaders.”

NO TOOLS NEEDED The family plan Serbus has been farming for more than 40 years on his family farm, where he is the second generation to work it, with the help of his family. He attended Willmar Vo Tech college where he earned a two-year degree in ag business.

Besides farming and being involved in numerous boards, Serbus is a private insurance adjuster.

Serbus served on the BOLD school board for 28 years,

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Twice is nice

Minnesota Soybean's Annual Report scores second national agri-marketing award

By Drew Lyon For the second time in three years, the yearly highlights from Minnesota's soybean checkoff program earned national agrimarketing honors.

Ag Management Solutions, the Mankato-based company that oversees the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, notched a first-place award for the Council’s 2019 Annual Report at the 2021 National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Awards Ceremony in July in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Council was recognized for its comic-book themed 2019 Annual Report, which featured the year’s checkoff projects and investments in research, trade and value-added products. The Annual Report was produced with art direction from Minnesota-based Funkiture.

Beck’s Hybrids and the American Soybean Association were among the other entries in the category. The Council also won the Best Company Publications – Annual Report award in 2019, and has been nominated for four straight years. The 2020 Annual Report was also included in the May-June 2021 issue of Soybean Business, the first time the Council

has published its annual report in the magazine.

“We have a dedicated, creative team of communicators who put in the work every day to spotlight our farmers and the value of the soybean checkoff,” AMS Senior Director of Communications Doug Monson said. “This award is a validation of the vision set forth by our farmer-led board.”

Every time a Minnesota soybean farmer sells soybeans, one half of 1% of the market price is checked off. Half of the checkoff is utilized

by Minnesota, while the other half is overseen by the United Soybean Board. For 30 years, the soybean checkoff has made investments into research, promotion, developing value-added products and increasing market access. The mission of the checkoff is aimed at improving profitability for the nearly 28,000 soybean farmers in Minnesota and the more than half-million soybean producers in America.

Soybean Business, the official publication of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, was also nominated after receiving a Merit award for Best Company and Association magazine at the Regional 3 awards ceremony in

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January. Soybean Business submitted three issues for consideration: its November-December 2019, MayJune 2020 and July-August 2020 issues.

Both MSR&PC and MSGA were also nominated for their free weekly e-newsletter, Minneline, which is sent to more than 4,000 readers each Thursday and delivers timely checkoff and legislative-related news to subscribers.

NAMA honors the best in agricultural marketing communications and received nearly 1,000 submissions this year. The 2022 NAMA awards will be held in April 2022.

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HELPING YOU DELIVER ON DEMAND

Whether it’s improving soybean meal to outperform the competition or promoting the sustainability of U.S. soy, the soy checkoff has been working behind the scenes to help farmers satisfy their customers’ needs. We’re looking inside the bean, beyond the bushel and around the world to keep preference for U.S. soy strong. And for U.S. soybean farmers like you, the impact is invaluable.

See more ways the soy checkoff is maximizing profit opportunities for farmers at unitedsoybean.org

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SOYcialMedia Minnesota Soybean and our strategic partners like to stay engaged on various social media platforms. Whether we’re highlighting a county event, a meeting with a legislator, sharing a podcast or promoting checkoff-related projects, our soy social station is always open.

GIF

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Tweet

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Former MSGA president reappointed to WISHH Minnesota farmer George Goblish was reappointed to the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), ASA President Kevin Scott confirmed in announcing the election of ASA’s officers and committee members for fiscal year 2021-22.

Goblish farms with three generations on his family farm near Vesta, Minnesota. He is a director with the Minnesota Corn Promotion and Research Council and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and previously served as MSGA president. He also has been an ASA director for the past four years, serving on several committees, most recently as chair for the PAC committee and liaison to the Soy Aquaculture Alliance.

New to the WISHH Committee are Doug Darling (Mich.) and Denny Mertz (Mo). Officers are Chairman Gerry Hayden (Ky.), Vice Chair Roberta SimpsonDolbeare (Ill.), Treasurer Bob Haselwood (Kan.), and Secretary Morey Hill (Iowa).

Council director named NSM Chair Patrick O’Leary, a director with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, was elected as chair of Northern Soy Marketing (NSM) during its summer board meeting. He succeeds Mike Langseth.

“For me, it’s exciting to be able to take on the challenges to promote high-quality northern-grown soybeans,” said O’Leary, who previously served as NSM’s secretary/ treasurer and MSR&PC chair. “Our board is going to

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work hard to continue to direct projects that benefit the soybean farmers in our region and ag in general.”

In other board elections, Mike McCranie, a director on the South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council was reelected as vice chair, and Langseth, a director on North Dakota Soybean Council was elected secretary/treasurer. In other changes to the board, Glen Groth, MSR&PC’s District 9 representative, will join as a director, replacing Brian Fruechte.

NSM’s first get-together since before the COVID-19 pandemic, began with a tour of Prairie AquaTech, a company that produces soy-based aquaculture feed.

During the meeting, held at Brookings’ Swiftel Center, the board discussed its strategic plan and upcoming projects to promote the high quality of soybeans grown in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Beginning farmers tax break still available A tax credit for the sale or lease of land, equipment, machinery and livestock in Minnesota by beginning farmers is still available through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Rural Finance Authority. To qualify, the applicant must be a Minnesota resident with the desire to start farming or who began farming in Minnesota within the past 10 years, provide positive projected earnings statements, have a net worth less than $862,000, and enroll in or have completed an approved financial management program.

The farmer cannot be related by blood or marriage (e.g., a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild or sibling) to the person from whom he or she is buying or renting assets. The farmer must provide most of the labor and management of the farm.

The Beginning Farmer Tax Credit is available on a firstcome, first-served basis. Applications must be received by Oct. 1.

Interested farmers should note that they can also apply for a separate tax credit to offset the cost of a financial management program up to a maximum of $1,500 per year – for up to three years. To learn more, visit www. mda.state.mn.us/bftc.

soybean associations.

The honorees include: • Blue Earth County – Hislop Family (Adam Hislop, Blue Earth County Corn and Soybean Growers Board member) • Cottonwood County – Jonathan and Brenda Adrian • Nobles County – D&S Hilltop Farms (Dykstra family) • Steele County – Wayne Brothers Family Farm • Watonwan County – Tom Eng (Chair of the Watonwan County Corn and Soybean Growers Board) • Wilkin County – Jeremy and Karensa Tischer

Farm Families of the Year named Eighty-one farm families across Minnesota were awarded the University of Minnesota’s Farm Families of the Year at this year's Farmfest. Six of the farm families are members of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, and two are active in their local county

The Farm Family Recognition Program has honored Minnesota farmers since 1979. It is coordinated by University of Minnesota Extension, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

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FACES OF

The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) is the nation’s premier soybean association because farmers and agri-businesses recognize the value their investment in MSGA brings. Here are two examples of Minnesota members who actively promote Minnesota’s soybean industry.

Bruce Peterson a Rice County farmer, has been farming on the family land

for more than 35 years.

Peterson farms with his two brothers, Chris Peterson and Brian Peterson, along with their wives and sons, making it a true family operation.

The farmstead was founded in the 1920s, having survived some of the harshest of Minnesota weather. One memorable to Peterson was the 2018 tornado that took down several buildings and caused damage to houses.

“Fortunately, no one was hurt,” Peterson said. “We were able to redesign our farm site and start from ground zero.”

Peterson chairs the Dakota/Rice County Corn and Soybean Growers Association and has been a member for over 18 years. The board supports 4H, FFA, first responders and other organizations in the county throughout the year.

He was also a board member for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association for nine years and served as chair in 2015.

“I think the biggest thing we want to keep tabs on is the checkoff money and to get involved in the legislative side and what the soybean growers are doing to keep demand for our soybeans,” Peterson said.

Ryan Hoff is a fourth-generation farmer in Luverne, where he lives with his

wife, Alyssa, and their two kids, Dawson and Lydia.

Hoff farms with his father, Roger, and brother, Jeremy. The Hoffs grow corn and soybeans and raise hogs on their family farm.

Hoff also works at R&S Sales, LLC for his father-in-law, Brett Stegenga, selling seed and precision planting equipment with his brother-in-law, Blake.

“I’ve always wanted to farm ever since I was young,” Hoff said, “and then I had a passion for the seed industry, so I found a way to do both for a living.”

He got into farming and selling seed full-time after graduating with an agronomy degree from South Dakota State University. Hoff joined the Rock County Corn and Soybean Growers board about five years ago and has continued to stay active at the grassroots level.

“The reason I stay involved in the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and at the county level is because I like doing the activities that we put on in the county and in the area,” Hoff said. “It’s nice to help out around the area and to support corn and soybean growers’ initiatives.”

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By Drew Lyon

When disaster strikes, the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association steps into action for its members. With a historic drought plaguing much of the state this summer – as of mid-August, about 7% of the state was mired in “exceptional drought status” – farmer-leaders and Executive Director Joe Smentek have been in contact with Gov. Walz’s administration to underscore the drought’s effects on soybean yield. According to the Drought Monitor, this marks the first time that parts of Minnesota have been classified with a D4 (Exceptional Drought) status.

“We know how much the drought has been hurting our farmers throughout the state,” said President Mike Skaug, who met with the governor to discuss the drought during a meeting in July. “Part of what we do at MSGA is to address with elect officials any weather problems our members are dealing with throughout the state.”

MSGA also urged the governor and the state’s congressional delegation to press the USDA to request financial assistance to producers. The governor later announced that as much as $17 million in federal funding may be available to growers.

From floods to unseasonable snow to a pandemic crippling the supply chain, MSGA members have faced their fair share of unprecedented challenges in recent years.

In 2019, with the majority of Minnesota counties suffering through flooding, MSGA advocated for eligible farmers to apply for USDA’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program. When COVID-19 hit Minnesota in March 2020, MSGA activated its Phone2Action campaign and pulled together the totality of is resources to ensure livestock producers received emergency relief.

“At that time, it was absolutely critical our state and national leaders were made aware of the dire situations

Strathcona farmer Jim Kukowski, who represents Minnesota on the American Soybean Association board, speaks to MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen about the ongoing drought in northern Minnesota at a listening session at the farm of MSGA Director Hannah Anderson.

affecting livestock producers,” Executive Director Joe Smentek said. “The spring of 2020 was a perfect example of how MSGA can utilize all of our legislative and media connections to provide tangible help to our state’s soybean farmers.”

In July, The Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board issued a Disaster Declaration for the State of Minnesota that now makes 0% interest loans available for farmers whose operations are in counties or contiguous counties suffering from D2+ severe drought. This loan is available to help a farmer cover lost revenue or expenses not covered by insurance. The funds can be used to purchase feed for livestock that may be short at harvest, the increased cost of feed due to the drought, or to repair or replace farm irrigation systems. To learn more about the RFA, visit www.mda.state.mn.us/disasterloan. Growers can also visit disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/.

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IT’S NOT JUST YOUR LAND. IT’S YOUR LEGACY. The Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program rewards farmers like you for what you do best, taking care of your land and its natural resources.

To get started and learn more, contact your local soil and water conservation district or go to:

MyLandMyLegacy.com

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