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Prairie Grains Prairie Grains
January 2025 | Issue 203
Cover Story
Six classes of wheat grace fields across the nation, making the U.S. wheat industry a strong competitor in export markets. But what makes each class unique? Read more about the characteristics that have a big impact on wheat’s end products on page 16. 2 1 3 4 5 06 08 10 22 24
PUBLISHER AND CIRCULATION
Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers 2600 Wheat Drive • Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 218.253.4311 • Email: mnwheat@mnwheat.com Web: www.mnwheat.org
EDITORIAL
Doug Monson, Sr. Director of Integrated Marketing Ag Management Solutions Ph. 507.995.7534
Email: dmonson@agmgmtsolutions.com
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Drew Lyon, Ag Management Solutions 1020 Innovation Lane • Mankato, MN 56001
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ART DIRECTORS
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ABOUT PRAIRIE
GRAINS
Prairie Grains magazine is published six times annually and delivered free of charge to members of these grower associations, and to spring wheat and barley producers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. To subscribe or change address, please write or call our circulation department.
Tie goes to the ... farmer: MAWG readies for new legislative makeup in 2025
MWRPC wants you!
Frozen in time: A look at the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference
Reliable sources: MWRPC participates in Crop Quality Seminar
A Grain of Knowledge: Breeding Fusarium head blight-resistant spring wheat at the University of Minnesota
OUR PARTNERS
Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council 2600 Wheat Drive • Red Lake Falls, MN 56750 218.253.4311 • Email: mnwheat@mnwheat.com Web: www.mnwheat.org
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Montana Grain Growers Association P.O. Box 1165 • Great Falls, MT 59403 • 406.761.4596 • Email: erobinson@mgga.org • Web: www.mgga.org
Northland Community and Technical College 1101 Highway One East • Thief River Falls, MN 56701 218.683.8800 • Email: ron.dvergsten@northlandcollege.edu Web: www.northlandcollege.edu
Montana Grain Growers Association P.O. Box 1165 • Great Falls, MT 59403 • 406.761.4596 Email: erobinson@mgga.org • Web: www.mgga.org
New year, new opportunities
It is hard to believe we are nearing the halfway mark of the 2020s.
We’ve come a long way since 2020, when a pandemic threatened our way of life while upending markets and supply chains, to name just a few disruptions. We’ve come so far since then, yet, clearly, we have much more work ahead of us. As 2025 begins, commodity prices continue to tumble, while input costs remain high. Meanwhile, the Farm Bill remains in limbo and farm groups, including the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), are advocating for the FARM Act to help producers hurt by falling commodity prices.
All of these issues, along with many discussions on how the recent election will affect agriculture, were debated among our community during the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference. On behalf of our organizers, I thank everyone who traveled to Grand Forks in December for a robust agenda that included organizational meetings, crop market outlooks, research trends and, of course, a weather forecast. I appreciate you all for attending! I also want to thank our sponsors and the staff at Minnesota Wheat, Minnesota Barley and the North Dakota Grain Growers Association for continuing to make the Prairie Grains Conference a mustattend event for regional producers and industry leaders. Save the date for next year’s conference: Dec. 10-11, 2025!
I’m also humbled to have received the support of my fellow directors
during our annual meeting to continue for another year as president of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers. Alongside Vice President Austen Germolus and our entire leadership team, I’m excited to build off our momentum from 2024 – a year in which we were able to protect crucial crop inputs and prevent drain tiling registration – by taking advantage of opportunities when they arise while defending against legislation and regulations that restrict our freedom to farm.
This will certainly be an unusual legislative session in St. Paul. For the first time since the late 1970s, the Minnesota House is currently tied 67-67. While this isn’t an ideal environment to promote new legislation, the current makeup also means compromise will likely win the day on most issues. As an organization that works with both parties to promote our priorities, this outcome is far from a worst-case scenario. We’ll play the hand we’re dealt with by establishing new relationships with incoming legislators, strengthening our connections with existing lawmakers and working with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to include more resources for agriculture in the state’s biennial budget.
At the national level, well, the environment is murky. As I pen this column in mid-December, there are so many unknowns: Will lawmakers pass a new Farm Bill? How will President Trump’s administration implement his agenda? From an agriculture perspective, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the administration’s trade policies. Just before the future president takes his oath of office, I’m traveling to our nation’s capital with my NAWG colleagues to introduce ourselves to the 119th Congress and further discuss our federal policy priorities. In the weeks ahead, I look forward to visiting with producers at the Best of the Best in Wheat and Soybean Research and other industry meetings across Minnesota.
The coming year also marks MAWG’s 50th anniversary. What an achievement! We’re proud to have been the voice of our state’s wheat industry since 1975 and look forward to celebrating this milestone in the year ahead.
We’ve come a long way, friends, and there’s still plenty of road ahead of us. Let’s keep moving forward together. See you out there in 2025!
Kevin Leiser farms in Fertile, Minnesota, and is president of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers.
Betsy Jensen is a Farm Business Management Instructor at Northland Community and Technical College. Follow her on Twitter at @jensenbetsyr.
Undecided
Ihave reviewed many high school scholarship and award applications. The students list their accomplishments, GPA and future plans. I am typically the odd one on the committee who gives extra consideration to high school students who say “Undecided” for their future plans.
It looks impressive when a student indicates plans to be a nuclear physicist or solve world hunger. I am a bit of a cynic and usually assume that student will change their major to underwater basket weaving.
I appreciate the humility of a student who says “Undecided.” The student is 18 years old, has a graduating class of 30 and hasn’t left the tri-state area. It is OK to be undecided on future plans. There is so much pressure to have a life plan. It takes courage to admit you don’t know. Join the workforce for a year, take some classes at a local college and appreciate all the options available. Farmers, it is time for you to admit you don’t know where prices are going. You don’t know if interest rates will go down. You don’t know if fertilizer will be cheaper in the spring. You don’t know if we’ll have an early spring. You don’t know which crop will be the most profitable in 2025. You are undecided
on so many farming decisions.
There are many unknowns in farming, and it is difficult to plan. We switch acres even as we’re seeding. Land that you have farmed for thirty years suddenly ends up with a for sale sign on the corner. The crop looks amazing until a hailstorm. Your shop collapses under heavy snow. If you farm long enough you will see it all.
My farmers call when there are significant plan changes. Often it is a land opportunity, for purchase or rent. Sometimes it’s a phone call that the cash flow took some hits from major repairs or unexpected increases and decreases in income, such as low-quality 2024 wheat. The plan can change quickly.
Put yourself in the same situation as a high school grad who is undecided. Just because you are undecided doesn’t mean you can sit around and do nothing. You cannot disappear into the basement and play video games or watch TikTok. Even if you are undecided, you still need to take action. It is OK to take action even when undecided. You can sell grain, even if you think there’s a good chance prices will go higher. Too often we think being undecided means you cannot do anything. Sometimes you just must
split the difference. Sell something, but not everything.
Once you become comfortable saying “I don’t know,” the planning gets easier. You can admit you don’t know if prices are going up or down. You can admit you don’t know if interest rates or land prices will go down. There are no easy answers, and we have to do the best with the information we have.
You know I love numbers and I love to run normal, best- and worst-case scenarios for decisions. I am always a little undecided, but I want to be an educated undecided.
For the high school grads who change colleges, majors or jobs, it’s OK. For college graduates who bypass their degree and enter a different career path, that’s OK, too. Life isn’t supposed to be a straight line. We need to appreciate all the twists and turns that lead to something unexpected.
Farming would be so boring without price rallies, price collapses, bumper crops and hailstorms. There will always be difficult decisions in farming, even selecting the right time and method to retire from farming is difficult. It is OK to be undecided. Do your best to make an educated decision. And embrace those who admit they are undecided. It takes courage to say, “I don’t know.”
By Drew Lyon
MAWG readies for new legislative makeup in 2025 Tie goes to the…FARMeR
In certain races, sports and industries, a tied result is anticlimactic and an unsatisfactory outcome. But for farm groups, the prospect of a split Minnesota House of Representatives for the next two years is a mostly positive development and a sign that policy compromises could prevail in St. Paul.
“A tied House means both parties have to work together to get anything passed, and I like that,” said Kevin Leiser, who farms in Fertile and is president of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers (MAWG). “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to meet with new and returning legislators to gain more support for our wheat producers.”
Each legislative session is unique, and that adage rings true once again in 2025. While Democrats hold a one-seat Senate majority, for the first time in 45 years the 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives are evenly divided 67-67 among Democrats and Republicans after the GOP flipped three DFL seats in the November 2024 election. In addition, the state constitution allows for only one Speaker of the House. Further complicating the outlook, Republicans still have a chance to regain House control: At press time, legal challenges in Ramsey and Scott counties contesting election results could give the Republicans the
majority for the first time since the 2018 session.
“We’re still divided, but we’re divided evenly,” noted Bruce Kleven, MAWG’s longtime lobbyist in St. Paul.
“Luckily, the ag area of the Legislature has been bipartisan for years and years, so we’re used to having a bipartisan approach and I think we’ll see more of that in 2025.”
Because of the House’s currently even makeup, each committee will be led by co-chairs from both parties. The 14-member House Ag Committee will be co-chaired by two longtime legislative leaders: GOP Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck) and DFL Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul).
“We have known them both since they were elected to the Legislature, so there’s plenty of familiarity there,” Kleven said. “We know them, and they know us, and I think we’re going to have much more focus on committee work this session.”
On the Senate side, Aric Putnam (D-St. Cloud), who
NATIONAL STAGE
Leiser and MAWG Director Mike Gunderson also represent Minnesota on the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), which advocates in Washington, D.C., for producers. U.S. wheat prices have dropped more than 36% since the 2022/23 marketing year, and NAWG is urging legislators to support an economic assistance bill for producers, and USDA forecasts record high farm sector debt (when adjusted for inflation) for 2024. At press time, NAWG and numerous ag groups continued their efforts to include relief for farmers as part of a continuing resolution, along with another push to pass a new Farm Bill.
In mid-January, Leiser, Gunderson and other MAWG board members will join NAWG and U.S. Wheat Associates in Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers and attend the Winter Conference and Board Meeting.
has established a rapport with farm groups, returns as Senate Ag Committee chair. MAWG will continue relying on their strong connections with Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Commissioner Thom Petersen, who visited with farmer leaders during the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference, to protect agriculture’s interests in the state budget.
Leiser commended Petersen’s transparency and eagerness to travel to visit producers across the state.
“We really appreciate Thom Petersen as MDA commissioner,” Leiser said. “He comes up to visit Prairie Grains and our other events. He’s very accessible and very approachable. He just does a good overall job.”
Teamwork
The 2025 legislative session starts Jan. 14 and must adjourn by May 19 for lawmakers to pass a biennial budget and prevent a government shutdown. While there may not be many opportunities for ag groups to play offense, the split government means ag groups will have stronger defenses to protect crop inputs.
After Donald Trump’s victory
in the presidential race over Vice President Kamala Harris, former vice-presidential candidate and current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz returns to St. Paul facing a $616 million budget surplus, $1.1 billion less than previous estimates. The state budget office also forecasts a $5.1 billion deficit in fiscal years 2028-29.
“It will be especially important for lawmakers to take the long view when enacting budget decisions this year,” Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Erin Campbell said.
MAWG directors are staying active throughout the session and will gather in St. Paul this winter for the annual St. Paul Bus trip to meet with legislative leaders and MDA officials. Leiser, who was reelected to serve a second term as president, said he was impressed by the board and Executive Director Brian Sorenson’s engagement throughout Prairie Grains Conference.
“We have a very good board, and everybody kicked in and helped where they were needed,” Leiser said. “We made sure things got done, and I think that set the standard for what we want to do in 2025.”
During the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference, MAWG directors and staff updated and approved 2025 policy resolutions, which include:
• Protecting crop inputs
• Changing language of Public Waters Inventory
• Building trade partnerships, supporting MDA’s international marketing activities
• Supporting funding for research, including university research in variety development
• Tax relief
• Continued funding for Agricultural, Growth, Research and Innovation (AGRI) program
• Transportation infrastructure
• Rural mental health care resources
For a full list of MAWG’s policy resolutions, visit mnwheat.org/ resolutions/
Minnesota farmer Kevin Leiser is returning for a second year as MAWG president.
By Sydney Harris
MWRPC YOU! WANTS
“It’s our checkoff, it’s our money,” MWRPC Chair Mark Jossund said. “That’s our two cents a bushel that’s going to the Council to be distributed. So, it’s important for farmers to decide where their own money is being spent.”
The Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council (MWRPC) wants YOU! The 2025 MWRPC Board of Directors election is right around the corner.
Charged with directing Minnesota wheat checkoff dollars, MWRPC’s success depends on the volunteer farmer leaders who guide investment decisions.
“It’s our checkoff, it’s our money,” MWRPC Chair Mark Jossund said. “That’s our two cents a bushel that’s going to the Council to be distributed. So, it’s important for farmers to decide where their own money is being spent.”
Established in 1980 as a one-cent per bushel checkoff and increased in 2010 to two cents per bushel, the wheat checkoff has an established history of increasing industry profitability and viability. With two seats up for election in Area 1 and one seat in Area 2, now is the perfect time for wheat leaders across the state to get involved in their industry.
“Minnesota wheat growers are the core of everything we do at MWRPC,” said Brian Sorenson, MWRPC executive director. “We need those wheat growers’ voices when we’re making investment decisions. They know better than anyone what is needed at the farm level to improve their profitability.”
Focusing on wheat promotion and research activities, MWRPC has been an integral supporter of the University of Minnesota’s wheat variety breeding program.
“Funding the U of M’s variety program is critical for growers,” Jossund said. “The program focuses on developing good quality varieties, which is beneficial for farmers.”
With a significant amount of wheat produced in Minnesota exported to international markets, MWRPC’s partnership with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is integral to its promotion efforts. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry, promoting the reliability, quality and value of all six U.S. wheat classes to industry stakeholders in more than 100 countries around the world.
“We do focus some on domestic promotion, but we mainly focus on promoting our wheat worldwide,” said Jossund, who farms near Moorhead. “Our dollars that go to USW are all matched and go towards looking at markets overseas.”
To be considered for the MWRPC board, a person must have shared in the profits and risk of loss from producing wheat during the current or preceding marketing year.
“It’s a great experience and you get to meet a lot of people,” Jossund said. “If you want, you’ll have the chance to do a little international travel, but you
certainly don’t have to.”
Directors are elected to serve three-year terms, and the board meets approximately six times throughout the year.
“Your farm always comes first, and we try to have our meetings when we aren’t busy with farm work, but there is a time commitment,” Jossund said. “It takes time but it’s well worth the effort.”
Have a voice in wheat checkoff investments – run for the MWRPC board today! To obtain a nomination form, please email Minnesota Wheat at mnwheat@mnwheat. com. Nomination forms must be received by Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, to appear on the ballot, and they can be emailed to mnwheat@mnwheat.com or mailed to:
MN Wheat
2600 Wheat Drive
Red Lake Falls, MN 56750
“Our volunteer farmer leaders are what drive our organization forward, creating opportunities for Minnesota wheat growers,” Sorenson said. “Please consider running for the board. The next chapter of the wheat industry is waiting for leaders like you to guide investments.”
Questions? Contact Brian Sorenson at (218) 253-5002 or visit mnwheat.org for more information.
By Bailey Grubish
FROZEN TIME In
A look at the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference
Baby, it’s cold outside but Midwesterners have to go to the Prairie Grains Conference.
That’s how the popular American standard goes, right?
Maybe not quite, but nevertheless, the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference was the place to be Dec. 11-12, 2024. One attendee warmed the spirits of those working near the breezy main door by quipping, “I’d recommend turning up the thermostat outside.”
Despite the cold, attendees still showed up ready to learn from the various sessions and exhibitors featured at the Prairie Grains Conference in Grand Forks, N.D. The conference offered organization meetings, keynote speakers, breakout sessions, exhibitors and networking opportunities
A conference partner – along with North Dakota Grain Growers Association and Minnesota Barley – the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers (MAWG) held its annual business meeting during the conference. During the meeting, Bruce Kleven, MAWG lobbyist, gave an update, highlighting the even split of the Minnesota House of Representatives, which hasn’t occurred since 1979.
Felty also made an appearance during the MAWG meeting. Felty shared his recent Hill Visit experience and the quality conversations he had with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and others about concern over policies and how they may steer people away from growing wheat.
An exciting note during the MAWG meeting was the filling of the final At-Large seat on the board of directors, which has been vacant for a year; Kristin Hamre was elected to join the board.
“I would like to welcome her,” MAWG President Kevin Leiser said. “We went a whole year without this position filled, so we’d like to thank her for her service.”
The second day of the conference was a big day for Minnesota barley growers when the vote to terminate the barley checkoff was held. In November, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture received a request to terminate the Minnesota Barley Research & Promotion Council from a petition signed by more than 10 percent of the state barley growers.
Another integral aspect of the conference was the research reporting sessions. Attendees heard from wheat and soybean researchers, giving growers the first-hand experience of learning about checkoff-funded projects that could affect their farming operations.
Throughout the two-day conference, attendees moved around the Alerus Center, soaking in as much information as they could while avoiding the frozen North Dakota tundra. For Leiser, the conference is a unique chance to renew friendships and prepare for the year ahead.
“It’s kind of like a family reunion at Prairie Grains,” he said. “This year was a good conference with good people.”
Both Russia and Ukraine play a big role in affecting imports and exports for the U.S., and during a breakout session, research on Russia using food as a soft weapon in the war against Ukraine was shared.
With harvest 2024 in the rearview mirror, growers are preparing for the 2025 growing season. Dr. Jochum Wiersma, a small grains specialist at the U of M, guides attendees through the wheat 2024 variety trials.
Hot off the press! The first time anyone laid hands on the newly printed Minnesota Wheat Research Review booklet was at the Prairie Grains Conference. Filled with valuable research, Extension Educator Angie Peltier holds it up for everyone in her session to see.
MAWG Vice President Austen Germolus addresses conference attendees.
As U of M Regional Extension Educator Dr. Anthony Hanson distributes vials containing cereal leaf beetles, attendees are surprised by the tiny size of the pests.
Amid the hustle and bustle of conversation, exhibitors and attendees of the Prairie Grains Conference made lasting connections.
MN Wheat Executive Director Brian Sorenson, who joined the organization in April 2024, shares a big smile and expresses enthusiasm for the conference during a radio interview.
By Mark Askelson
TIGHTENING BELTS
Times may be tough, but farmers are tougher.
From corn to soybeans to wheat, the U.S. grain industry had a tough year in the markets as South America expanded its growing capabilities, and overall supply exceeded demand. And with major grain buyers tightening or trimming budgets, it seems unlikely any major rallies are around the corner.
“We had a really strong year at CHS, but at the same time this next year, it’s expected to be much more challenging for us,” said Jay Debertin, CEO and president of CHS. “When farmers do well, we do well, but when farmers have struggles, usually we have struggles.”
Debertin addressed farmers during a keynote presentation at the annual Prairie Grains Conference in December 2024 in Grand Forks, N.D. Following a growing season that produced a strong harvest, CHS has an abundance of crop stored in bins ready to move, but export
figures remain light as Brazil increases both planted acres and production.
“That’s really the largest factor underneath these low commodity prices,” said Debertin. “Balance sheets are full. The world is producing a lot of crop, and that’s something we’re going to have to chew through.”
Like the rest of the agriculture industry, CHS is staying mindful of budgets while continuing to grow for the long haul.
“We’re counting some paper clips and we’re trimming expenses, but you still need to staff your facilities, and you have to have people to load and unload grain, so we’re not cutting back there,” said Debertin. “At the same time, you still need to make investments that we feel are strategic and important for the future.”
One of those new investments is the acquisition of the Ulen, Minnesotabased West Central Ag Services.
The West Central Ag Services board approved the sale for $225 million at its November 2024 board meeting.
Wheat’s wild card
North Dakota State University
Crops Economist Frayne Olson, who followed up Debertin at Prairie Grains Conference, did little to comfort growers who were hoping for a rally in the months ahead. But of the top three U.S. commodities –corn, soybeans and wheat – Olson is most optimistic about a potential rally in the wheat market.
“We’ve had some struggles being competitive with the wheat export market; however, USDA is forecasting an increase in wheat exports from last year,” Olson said. “That’s a good thing, but you also need to realize last year’s wheat export numbers were the lowest they’ve been since 1973.”
Olson notes that though the Chinese government exports very little wheat,
A market outlook from 2024 Prairie Grains Conference
they own roughly 50 percent of all the current global wheat stocks. While global inventory appears steady, volatility could upend markets.
“In my opinion, global inventories are getting to a point where people could be getting nervous, so we’re putting a lot of pressure on the next growing season where there could be challenges in the northern hemisphere where the majority of wheat is grown,” said Olson. “But wheat, we have a strong supply of wheat in the U.S., so it could provide some opportunities to pick up some sales, depending on how this plays out.”
Tariff talk
With President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House, a big question looming on the minds of farmers is whether his tariff pledge will come to fruition and, if so, how trade wars could impact agriculture exports.
“That’s the playbook they ran in the last time they were in office, so I would expect that’s the playbook that they’re going to use again this time around,”
Debertin said during the Q&A session of his keynote. “Now, we all hear the rhetoric being said about tariffs, but let’s just see what actually gets put in place versus what’s being talked about.”
According to Debertin, what’s more important to farmers isn’t the tariffs themselves but how those countries (China, Canada and/or Mexico) will respond to the tariffs.
“For agriculture the issue isn’t necessarily the tariff, because we’re in the export industry,” Debertin said. “The issue is the retaliation.”
Olson expressed nervousness about tariffs and any potential harm that could impact the strong relationships the U.S. has built with key trade partners.
“Anytime someone says we’re going to put tariffs on Mexico, pay attention
because Mexico is our number one corn buyer, our number one wheat buyer and our number two soybean buyer,” said Olson. “Mexico is a huge partner for us in the agricultural trade market.”
There are a lot of “ifs” floating around but Minnesota wheat producers can stay certain of one aspect – the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers (MAWG) remains steadfast in its dedication to protecting farmers’ interests in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., from protecting crop inputs to advocating for farmer economic assistance.
“Farmers are thrown curveballs every year, that’s just the name of the game,” said Austen Germolus, MAWG vice president. “But through it all, MAWG is in farmers’ corner and continues our work to move the needle for growers, whether that means playing offense or defense.”
By Mark Askelson
PLAYING THE LAW OF AVERAGES
Daryl Ritchison forecasts 2025
Whether they like what he has to say or not, Northern Plains growers always show up en masse to hear the former TV meteorologist-turned North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) Director Daryl Ritchison and his scientific weather predictions for the coming year. A fan favorite not just for his weather forecasts, Ritchison draws them in with humor and honesty. But when your livelihood depends on Mother Nature, growers ultimately want a glimpse into next year’s weather forecast.
As always, Ritchison delivered the goods.
and North Dakota was able to see their soil recharged thanks to some late fall/early winter rains before freezeup. Heading into 2025, Ritchison is predicting a return to normal temps and precipitation. However, “normal” could be a bit of a shock compared to last year’s mild winter.
“If we can get even a 1% increase in sunshine, that’ll be a benefit to the crops.”
While some minor levels of drought persist throughout the region after a very dry harvest, most of Minnesota
“The average this winter could mean 12 degrees colder than last winter and 30-40 more inches of snow than last
winter,” Ritchison said.
Ritchison added that the end of winter will likely be worse, meaning colder and wetter, than the rest. While he’s hesitant on making a spring forecast prediction, he did note that a late winter typically means a wet spring.
“I’m leaning towards another slow start to the planting season,” he said, “because it’s trending towards winter sticking around for longer than most people would like.”
If you play the law of averages heading into the 2025 growing season, conditions this summer are likely drier than average, but Ritchison says what we consider dry and what is actually dry is a matter of perception.
“The odds are always against forecasting a wet summer because if
you recall the 1990s and early 2000s were very wet, and all the averages are based between the years of 1991 and 2020,” said Ritchison. “What’s considered average precipitation now and what’s considered average precipitation in the year 2030 when they update the 30-year data will be completely different.”
Ritchison expects temperatures in 2025 to trend average to slightly above average.
“Really, what my analogs are telling me are average temperature to half a degree above average and probably below the current 30-year rainfall. I think it’s going to be a dry year in 2025,” said Ritchison. “There will always be thunderstorm complexes that drop 3-4 inches of rain, and if you’re in that you’ll finish above average, but those are exceptions rather than the rule.”
Spotlight on the sun
While most weather forecasters focus solely on precipitation and temperature, Ritchison dug a little deeper and shared his predictions on an element that is essential for plants to grow: the sun.
“Everyone focuses on rain and temperature, as you should, but the sun and photosynthesis are equally as important,” said Ritchison. “A cloudy, warm summer would be less beneficial than say a slightly cooler and sunny summer.”
In his solar radiation anomaly forecast, Ritchison believes growers will see above average sunshine from June through August.
“If we can get even a 1% increase in sunshine, that’ll be a benefit to the crops.”
PLANT NORTH DAKOTA
The North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) continues to partner with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to expand their weather stations across the agricultural regions of Minnesota. In 2024, MDA installed nine weather stations with another 20 planned for installation in 2025. If you are interested in becoming a host site for a weather station, please visit www.mda.state.mn.us/ weather-station-host for more information.
By Sydney Harris
A Class All Their Own U.S. Wheat’s
quality advantage
All wheat is not created equal.
Those amber waves of grain may all look the same driving by on the highway, but with six wheat classes – hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, soft white, hard white and durum – grown across the United States, each has distinctive qualities that shine when used to create delectable end products.
“One of the differential advantages of U.S. wheat is that we have different classes for literally any type of wheat food that you want to make,” said Steve Mercer, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) vice president of communications. “You can make any baked good from one of the classes or combination of classes of U.S. wheat.”
Grown in 42 out of the 50 U.S. states, wheat originated in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley and has been cultivated for 10,000 years. In 2024, the U.S. produced roughly 1.97 billion bushels of wheat, a nine percent increase from 2023. As the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry, USW “promotes the reliability, quality and value of all six wheat classes to wheat buyers, millers, bakers, food processors and government officials in more than 100 countries around the world.”
“One of the advantages of buying U.S. wheat, frankly, is that you get the service from us,” Mercer said. “That is truly unique. We have 50 people around the world that are out there 24/7, promoting and adding value to wheat. That has been a huge advantage in our primary markets like Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines.”
With minute characteristics in wheat impacting baking attributes, USW’s role in guiding purchasers toward the class of wheat best suited for their needs is critical. And the wheat they need all boils down to its protein.
“The quantity and quality of protein is the defining factor for the quality of the wheat,” said David Boehm, Northern Crops Institute technical manager. “Intrinsically, there’s a difference between protein content and protein quality. The level of protein can determine the product use, and still it’s really important for people to understand that you may have a high protein variety or a low protein variety, but it doesn’t necessarily go one to one with the quality of that protein.”
Continued on page 18
Did you know? If you eat pasta three times per week, it would take 70 weeks to eat all the pasta made from one bushel of durum.
Did you know? Bagels are the only bread products that are boiled before they’re baked.
What does that mean for producers whose wheat can be docked for low protein at the elevator?
“The table stakes should always be growing 12 percent protein winter wheat and 14 percent spring wheat with good quality built into those varieties,” Boehm said.
Though there are six classes, three rule the roost in the Prairie Grains readership area – hard red spring (HRS), hard red winter (HRW) and durum.
The designer class
Dubbed the “aristocrat wheat,” HRS is the second-largest class of U.S. wheat and the primary class grown in Minnesota and North Dakota. With high protein – 12 to 15 percent – this class creates a strong dough that’s ideal for bagels, artisan hearth breads and pizza crusts.
“You want really high protein in bagels because you want that bite, you want that firmness to it,” Boehm said. “The protein is incredibly important to help create the structure and the bite within the product.”
Though HRS wheat isn’t typically used as the sole class in breads in the U.S., it is used in combination with other classes to achieve the ideal characteristics required.
“Spring wheat has the highest level of protein, so we tend to use it for blending,” Boehm said. “They’ll supplement lower protein winter wheat with a higher protein spring wheat to help bring that protein back up again. However, some important foreign markets will use HRS as 100 percent in their breads. Here, maintaining a minimum level of protein for the buyer is critical.”
Wheat’s tried and true
HRW wheat takes home the gold as the most widely grown class in the U.S. produced across the Great Plains, Pacific Northwest and California, HRW wheat is always available and provides the most reliable foundational ingredient for wheat-based products.
“Hard red winter wheat is a great wheat for bread and it’s the predominant class that’s going to be used for bread,” Boehm said. “If the proteins are low, it’ll be blended with HRS.”
Once again, protein is the determining factor that makes HRW wheat ideal for pan breads, hard rolls, croissants, tortillas and flat breads. It’s also a good choice for certain types of Asian noodles and general-purpose flour.
Pasta’s benchmark
With its rich amber color and high gluten content, durum is the “gold standard” for creating premium pasta products. Within the Prairie Grains region, durum is mostly grown in North Dakota and Montana. Italy and Algeria are typically the largest purchasers of U.S. durum.
“Durum wheat is incredibly hard and has really high vitreous kernels, which is very highly regulated by protein quality,” Boehm said. “It’s really valued because of that bright golden color.”
Semolina, milled from durum, has large particle sizes compared to wheat flour, making it the ticket to making good pasta.
“When you’re making semolina from durum wheat, you don’t want to make the small particle sizes that you would see in wheat flour,” Boehm said. “The semolina is more of a course grind, like a fine sand.”
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - Alerus Center, Grand Forks
Thursday, February 6, 2025 - Courtyard by Marriott, Moorhead
North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota Extension, along with Minnesota and North Dakota wheat and soybean commodity groups have joined together to present producers with current research information from researchers and extension specialists. Join us!
Meetings are free. Registration is requested.
Register online at www.mnwheat.org
Best of the Best in Wheat and Soybean Research PROGRAM
8:00 a.m. Registration
8:20 a.m. Welcome
8:30 a.m.
Updates on the Biology and Management of Soybean Gall Midge and Soybean Tentiform Leafminer
- Dr. Bob Koch, U of MN Extension
9:00 a.m.
Small Grain Diseases in 2024 and FHB Update
- Dr. Andrew Friskop, NDSU Extension
9:30 a.m.
Wheat in 2024: A Year to Remember and Forget
- Dr. Jochum Wiersma, U of MN Extension
10:00 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m.
Management of Brown Stem Rot and Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybean
- Dr. Dean Malvick, U of MN Extension
11:00 a.m.
Not Your Father’s Weather - Issues and Impacts in Weather and Climate for Agriculture
- Dr. Dennis Todey, USDA-ARS
11:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Lunch and Hands on Demonstrations
- Grand Forks - Lunch speaker: Market Outlook - Dr. Frayne Olson, NDSU Ext
- Moorhead - Lunch speaker:
Changing Interest Rates & Operating Loans
- Bryon Parman, NDSU
11:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Hands on Demonstrations:
• Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) in Soybean
- Drs. Ana Carcedo & Jay Goos, NDSU
• A Closer Look at Hessian Fly & Wheat Stem Sawfly in ND
- Dr. Anitha Chirumamilla, NDSU Ext - Langdon
• Grass Weed Identification
- Dr. Angie Peltier, UMN
• Root Rot Diseases of Soybean
- Hope Becton, NDSU Extension
2:00 p.m.
View from the Federal Level: Anticipated Changes to Pesticide Registration and Regulation Moving Forward
- Linda Johns, U of MN Extension
2:30 p.m.
Changing Interest Rates & Operating Loans
- Bryon Parman, NDSU (Grand Forks) Market Outlook
- Dr. Frayne Olson, NDSU Extension (Moorhead)
3:15 p.m. Adjourn
Sponsored by:
Here’s why Minnesota and South Dakota producers are engaging with Farmers for Soil Health
Cover crops can boost your profits the first year you plant them and can improve your future bottom line even more as their soil-improving effects accumulate.
• Cut fertilizer costs
• Reduce the need for herbicides and other pesticides
• Improve yields by enhancing soil health
• Prevent soil erosion
• Conserve soil moisture
• Protect water quality
Why join the Farmers for Soil Health program?
• Easy and timely enrollment
• Easy verification
• Lump-sum payment for practice completed; no quantitative measuring
Cover
Crop Coaches
With technical assistance from the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), Farmers for Soil Health is created by farmers, for farmers. This farmer-led approach means you get real-field perspectives from producers in your area who are available to all participants for advice and assistance. Minnesota and South Dakota’s Cover Crop Coaches are:
• Ryan Lee, corn and soybean producer in Fairfax, MN
• Myron Sylling, Century Farm operator in Houston County, MN
• Brady Wulf, integrated livestock and crop farmer in Starbuck, MN
• Kody Aesoph, farmer and rancher in Ree Heights, S.D.
• Chat & Charlie Edinger, wheat, corn, soybean and sunflower producers in Mt. Vernon, S.D.
• Alex Frasier, farmer in Faulkton, S.D.
Farmers for Soil Health program details
• 2024 enrollment remains open at farmersforsoilhealth.com
• Enrollment is flexible, easy and takes less than an hour to enroll. Farmers can self-enroll remotely but are encouraged to seek out a soil health specialist
• Program is a 3-year commitment
• Currently, any crop fields with corn and soy in the rotation are eligible for transition incentives totaling $50 per new acre of cover crops across three years
• Signing incentives of $2 per acre are available for existing cover crops on corn and soybean fields
Join other farmers and ranchers by contacting Minnesota Soil Health Specialist Dan Coffman at coffman@ctic.org or South Dakota Soil Health Specialist Ryan Heiniger at heiniger@ctic.org
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A 750004G003. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, any reference to specific grants or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for those products or services.
There’s still time to enroll your 2024 cover crop acres at $50 per acre by Feb. 28, and we’ll be enrolling 2025 acres soon, too. Our program is stackable with other programs, so connect with us to determine your eligibility today!
We’re making the rounds: Join other farmers in Minnesota who are evaluating the opportunity provided by the Farmers for Soil Health program:
150+ field visits and engaged conversations with interested farmers
10+ farmer workshops and expos in Minnesota
20,000+
40+ farmers enrolled in Minnesota acres enrolled in Minnesota
By Sydney Harris
Reliable
What do international stakeholders get when they buy U.S. wheat? Quality and consistency.
Every year, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) produces an annual Crop Quality Report, which is supported by Minnesota wheat checkoff dollars, for all six wheat classes and shares the information in person during its Crop Quality Seminars around the world. In November, Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council (MWRPC) Executive Director Brian Sorenson joined USW for the South American leg of the tour.
“We want them to see the quality of the crop and make sure they understand what they can expect from the wheat they purchase this year,” Sorenson said. “Then, they can work with exporting companies from the U.S. to purchase the wheat that fits their needs.”
South America is an important market for U.S. wheat exports, and nurturing relationships is critical to maintaining a healthy international market. Columbia, Ecuador and Peru were on USW’s itinerary while in South America.
“These countries have a history of buying wheat from the U.S.,” Sorenson said, “so it’s important that we continue building our relationship with them.”
With a conglomeration of millers, bakers, pasta and feed manufacturers in attendance, the Crop Quality Seminars centered around meetings with international stakeholders and being the source they need to expand their U.S. wheat knowledge.
“Many were familiar with U.S. wheat but some didn’t understand the differences between spring and winter wheat,” Sorenson said. “We helped them understand the
Reliable Sources MWRPC participates in Crop Quality Seminar
difference in quality and characteristics that they can get from both classes.”
Along with explanations of the different wheat classes, they got down to the nitty-gritty details.
“The biggest factor they’re looking for is milling quality,” Sorenson said. “They want good, clean wheat with little or no damaged kernels. The next important factor is protein. Protein level has an impact on the performance of the end product.”
Up to standards
The message was clear during the Crop Quality Seminars – the U.S. has quality wheat ready and available for international customers. And with 716 samples of hard red spring (HRS) wheat collected from fields, on-farm bin sites or elevators and analyzed by the HRS Wheat Quality Lab Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., buyers can expect nothing but the best.
“Overall, the hard red spring wheat this year was a very good quality crop,” Sorenson said. “We had very good yield. We had good quality. We had good test weight. We had good protein, and though it was a little bit lower in the eastern half of the region, it was average in the western part of the region.”
In 2024, the U.S. produced 13.7 MMT of HRS, with Minnesota claiming 2.2 MMT of that share. Though planting went fairly well for most Minnesota wheat growers, some producers experienced untimely rains during harvest that resulted in low falling numbers.
“After an excellent growing season in northwest
Minnesota, harvest began in mid-August with high yields, sound test weight and good protein,” MWRPC Chair Mark Jossund reported in the USW Crop Quality Report. “However, two-thirds of the way through harvest we received a significant amount of rain that adversely impacted certain quality factors. Portions of the crop have quality issues; however, our grain marketing system can segregate accordingly so that customers receive the quality standards they desire.”
Nevertheless, USW reassured buyers during the seminars that there isn’t a reason for buyers to panic. According to the Crop Quality Report, even though HRS falling numbers were lower than last year, the values are similar to the fiveyear average with 80% of the crop over 350 seconds.
“A low falling number value is an indication of preharvest sprouting that can have an impact on the baking properties of that flour,” Sorenson said. “Most of our markets have a minimum specification of 300 seconds so they’re very interested in the falling numbers.”
Despite a few hiccups, the quality of U.S. wheat prevailed in the 2024 growing season and thanks to a strong partnership with USW, Minnesota wheat growers are in an ideal position to market HRS and other classes grown across the nation to international purchasers, strengthening producers’ bottom lines.
“I wanted them to go home knowing that we produced an excellent hard red spring crop this year,” Sorenson said. “There is a good supply, so we want them to look to the U.S. and work with our exporting companies to really focus on the quality they need.”
By Dr. Jim Anderson, University
A Grain of Knowledge:
Breeding Fusarium head blight-resistant spring wheat at the University of Minnesota
Fusarium head blight (FHB or scab) continues to threaten the Upper Midwest’s spring wheat production in years in which climatic conditions are favorable. The past growing season was another example as many regions had persistent rains preceding and continuing past anthesis. After over 30 years of intensive breeding efforts in the hard red spring wheat region, more than half of the available varieties have at least moderate levels of resistance (rated as ‘3’ or ‘4’ on our 1-9 scale in which ‘1’ is most resistant), but none have complete resistance and even the most resistant materials available can incur damage when environmental conditions are conducive for an epidemic. The 2024 southern Minnesota trials at Lamberton and Waseca, conducted without fungicide treatment, showed some of the highest scab levels I’ve encountered.
With support from the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council, UMN’s spring wheat breeding program continues evaluating all germplasm we have in yield trials,
totaling over 1,000 lines annually, in inoculated and irrigated nurseries at Crookston and St. Paul. These nurseries are invaluable in identifying and characterizing lines with enhanced resistance to scab. Over the past eight years, the field screening efforts have been augmented by genomic prediction. This involves predicting the performance of experimental lines based on DNA markers. By analyzing a subset of 250 lines trained on field-tested and DNA fingerprinted lines, we’re developing models to predict the reaction of about 2,500 untested lines to scab. This DNA-based approach offers a significant advantage over traditional field-based testing of this many lines, as it is both cheaper and faster. The selected lines, about 400 new ones each year, are tested for agronomic and quality traits, and reaction to other diseases as preliminary yield trial lines. All lines entered in preliminary yield trials and retained for future evaluation undergo phenotypic selection for FHB resistance annually so we can confirm previous screening results and refine ratings.
While we’ve made strides in increasing resistance levels to a moderate range (rated ‘3’ or ‘4’), achieving higher levels remains a challenge. We don’t know exactly how many genes are needed but the best-known resistance gene reduces symptoms by about 20% and every other known gene has smaller effects. So, it takes a lot of these genes stacked together to produce a moderately resistant (3-4 rating) line. I’ve seen what I would rate as ‘2’ within our germplasm but so far, they have not advanced to variety-release status because of deficiencies in one or more other critical traits. We use such germplasm as parents; I think it’s only a matter of time until we break that barrier.
Jim Anderson is a professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. Jim can be reached by email at ander319@umn.edu
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Show and tell: Pipestone County farmer touts
MAWQCP’s benefits
Randy Spronk doesn’t want you to merely take him at his word when he says improving soil health and water quality for the next generation are top priorities on his family farm in southwest Minnesota. Having a seal of approval from an independent, unbiased certification makes all the difference.
“It’s great that I can carry that card, and when someone challenges me on harming the environment, I can say, ‘No, I’ve got third-party verification on my practices and how I apply my manure and how I farm my ground, that I am beneficial to water quality within Minnesota,’” Spronk said. “In other words, it’s not me saying I’m doing these practices, it’s somebody else saying it.”
That third-party verification valued by producers like Spronk is led by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and its Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP), a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take proactive measures implement conservation practices that improve soil health.
Since beginning the enrollment process in 2017, Spronk, a longtime farmer leader who recently stepped off as chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, can recall moments when he’s pulled his MAWQCP card out of his wallet to prove he’s on the right side of the soil health movement in agriculture.
“It really rings true with both activists and consumers that we’re raising sustainable, nutritious food for society,” Spronk, 65, said. “I’ve got nothing to hide; I’m not afraid of scrutiny.”
Spronk farms on a fourth-generation operation in Pipestone County. A first-time grandfather, Spronk is intent on sustaining his land for generations to come.
“I hope we’ve instilled them with integrity and values,” he said. “It’s not just about our time on here. We want to make sure there’s the opportunity for the next generations.”
Alongside his family, Spronk raises pigs and grows soybeans, corn and hybrid rye. A sustaining member of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA), Spronk is a first cousin of MSGA Director Cal Spronk, who’s also enrolled in MAWQCP.
When a producer volunteers to become MAWQCP certified, they’re connected with their regional Area Certification Specialist (ACS), who helps guide them through the enrollment steps. The ACS first collects information on the operation and then starts the evaluation process.
Once a farmer applies to enroll, an ACS helps complete a series of steps using a 100% site-specific risk-assessment process. Farmers can apply for financial assistance and MAWQCP’s Climate Smart Project.
For Spronk, working with his ACS, Danielle Evers, was educational.
“(The ACS) are there to help you,” Spronk said. “It’s a teaching opportunity.”
During enrollment, Spronk improved and adapted his soil health practices by completing MAWQCP’s assessment tool,
which evaluates:
• Physical field characteristics
• Nutrient management factors
• Tillage management factors
• Pest management practices
• Irrigation and tile drainage management
• Conservation practices
“Randy is very passionate about making sure things are done right, especially when it comes to utilizing his hog manure in the most efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly way possible,” Evers said.
Since the program’s statewide launch a decade ago, 1,560 producers totaling over 1,133,000 acres have been certified across Minnesota. Those farms have added nearly 3,000 new conservation practices. New practices are reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 50,000 metric tons annually and have kept nearly 50,000 tons of sediment out of Minnesota rivers while saving 150,000 tons of soil and 62,000 pounds of phosphorous on farms each year.
“We’re actually changing our practices,” Spronk said. “We’re leaving more residue on top, going to the strip-till. We’re actually utilizing cover crops, so you have that living organism on there to hold the soil and the nutrients in place.”
After becoming certified, farmers receive a 10-year contract ensuring they will be considered in compliance with any new water quality laws, along with an official MAWQCP sign to display on their farm and other benefits. Not surprisingly, Spronk is proud to show off his plaque to visitors.
“I think producers are realizing that we can maintain the economics on the yield (side), but actually reduce costs,” he said. “Then the side benefit is carbon sequestration and actually keeping the soil and the nutrients in place.”
Learn more about MAWQCP enrollment by visiting mylandmylegacy.com.
“(MAWQCP) allows me to show you what I’m doing,” Spronk said. “This program is one of the greatest ways to be able to add credence to that. We’re not here to just take, we are here to preserve.”
Minnesota farmer Randy Spronk has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as president of the National Pork Producers Council.
By Sydney Harris
MONTANA MOVEMENTS
MGGA working at state, national levels to stabilize farm economy
Farmers didn’t choose their career because they thought it would be mundane. But they may not have realized the roller coaster they were signing up for, either.
Amid a tempestuous political and agricultural landscape, the Montana Grain Growers Association (MGGA) is remaining steadfast in its mission of improving the lives of Montana producers through collaboration, innovation and influencing agricultural policy.
“The number one thing we are doing is educating our members about what is in the Farm Bill, along with listening to what they want and need out of the Farm Bill,” said Kera Birkeland, MGGA director of policy. “Then, we speak with our federal delegation and relay what our farmers need.”
Trading in their work boots for dress shoes, MGGA farmer leaders volunteer their time in the nation’s capital through their affiliation with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). MGGA Director Nathan Keane serves as NAWG secretary.
“We’ve participated in multiple fly-ins to D.C., to meet with Montana’s delegation but also other members of Congress throughout the nation,” Birkeland said. “During meetings, we stressed that the Farm Bill needs to be more about farming; it has grown into something that is not all about farming.”
Not only does technology allow producers to operate more efficiently, but it also allows them to connect with key legislators when hundreds of miles separate them. In fall 2024, MGGA’s officer team convened with Montana Sen. John Boozman, who will chair the Senate Ag Committee in 2025, via Zoom to highlight the needs of not only Montana growers, but farmers across the nation.
“He was so wonderful,” Birkeland said. “He took over a half hour just listening to the members and MGGA’s leadership team talk about the challenges that they’re facing.”
Visit MGGA’s YouTube page to learn about its latest advocacy efforts and view highlights from its 69th Annual Convention & Trade Show.
Ready to lead
Proudly advocating for Montana grain producers for over 60 years, MGGA’s backbone is its membership, which represents over 5.5 million planted acres across the state. And membership matters, evidenced by MGGA’s impact on legislation.
“I’m really proud of Klayton Lohr, our president, for bringing a concern to the National Association of Wheat Growers that eventually made its way into the House version of the Farm Bill regarding the CRP program,” Birkeland said. “The change suggested was to flip the CRP payment schedule so you would get paid a higher rate for your higher erodible land that produces less versus being paid a higher rate for producing the land. The whole point of the program was to have farmers move more of their land that is not ripe for production into the CRP program.”
No one can predict what the next 12 months will bring. But, no matter what transpires, MGGA will continue to use its contacts and experiences to influence the laws, regulations and rules that affect growers, working to ensure that agriculture remains Montana’s most valuable industry.
By Drew Lyon
NDGGA hiring new leader, sets 2025 priorities GRAINING GROUND
On the eve of the 2024 Prairie Grains Conference, directors from the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers (MAWG) checked in with their farming neighbors to the west and conference co-sponsors, the North Dakota Grain Growers Association (NDGGA).
The reconnection was a long time coming, said MAWG President Kevin Leiser, who hopes the two groups can continue conversing in 2025.
“We hadn’t talked with them one on one for a while, and the meeting went very well,” Leiser said. “It’s important that we get together and discuss regional issues, because Minnesota shares a lot of the same priorities and concerns with North Dakota.”
Like MAWG, NDGGA has plenty on its plate in 2025. During Prairie Grains, NDGGA reelected Directors Tony Bratcher, Ed Kessell, Dean Knell and Jeff Mertz. After two years as NDGGA President, Kessel passed the gavel to Ryan Ellis, who was elevated from first vice president.
“It’s nice to always have fresh faces in the officer spots,” Kessel said. “This is a demanding position, but rewarding, and I’m not worried at all about Ryan. He’s going to do great.”
For Kessel, who is beginning his ninth year with NDGGA – “Three more years and I can graduate,” he said – having a stable board is essential, given the current vacancy in NDGGA’s executive director position. NDGGA is now accepting applications on its website, ndgga.com, and hopes to fill the position by spring 2025.
“We’re definitely looking for somebody with some agriculture experience,” Kessel said. “We want someone who’s organized and can lead the day-to-day operations and put us in a good place to have the important information that’s out there.”
In the interim, NDGGA has contracted the services of an old friend, past Executive Director Dan Wogsland, to lead its 2025 lobbying efforts in Bismarck. Along with property tax reform, Wogsland’s top priorities in 2025 include advocating for increasing the 1.5 cent per bushel wheat checkoff to 2 cents and upping the barley checkoff from 2 cents to 3 cents per bushel. After North Dakota’s wheat and barley groups approved the measure, lawmakers must vote to amend the farmer-funded tax state statute.
“Dan’s going to be educating on the value of the checkoff,” Kessel said. “I think he’s excited to get back to lobbying.”
At the national level, NDGGA is working with Jim Callan (who was once again rated one of The Hill’s top lobbyists) and the Midwest Council on Agriculture to advocate lawmakers for targeted economic assistance for North Dakota producers, along with passing a new Farm Bill.
NDGGA Director Jarred Billadeau currently serves as Midwest Council vice president.
“We’re very happy with our representation in D.C.,” Kessel said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of work to be done with the
By
ACROSS THE PRAIRIE
Farmer directors elect next president and CEO of U.S. Wheat Associates
At their November 2024 board meeting, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) directors elected Mike Spier, vice president of overseas operations, as the export market organization’s next president and CEO, effective with the retirement of current president and CEO Vince Peterson on July 1, 2025.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be elected to this position and grateful to our officers and directors for their trust and confidence,” Spier said. “I am also immensely grateful to Vince Peterson, whose vision and dedication have laid a durable foundation for future success. I look forward to working with my outstanding colleagues, as well as the National Association of Wheat Growers, state wheat commissions and our industry partners. Together, we will continue to innovate, create new export opportunities, enhance profitability for U.S. wheat growers and deliver value to customers overseas.”
Spier, an Oregon native, holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Seattle Pacific University. He started his career in 1992 as an accountant and then a grain merchandiser with United Grain Corporation in Portland, Ore. In 1997, he joined USW as Assistant Director of the West Coast Office. Spier relocated to Cairo, Egypt, in 1998 as USW Assistant Regional Director for the Middle East and East Africa. After four years in Cairo, he transferred to Manila, Philippines, as Assistant Regional Director for South and Southeast Asia. In 2009, USW promoted Spier to Regional Vice President for South and Southeast Asia and transferred him to USW’s Singapore Regional Office. In 2015, Spier transitioned to Columbia Grain International Inc. (CGI) as Assistant Vice President of International Marketing, establishing CGI’s Singapore office for marketing international milling wheat in Southeast Asia. In 2018, he moved to the company’s headquarters in Portland, Oregon to lead CGI’s international wheat marketing desk.
In 2019, Spier returned to USW as Vice President of Overseas Operations.
Redwood Falls couple receives inaugural Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award
The inaugural Minnesota Leopold Conservation Award, which was sponsored in part by the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council, was awarded to Dawn and Grant Breitkreutz of Redwood Falls. The Leopold Conservation Award Program recognizes and celebrates achievement in voluntary conservation by agricultural landowners.
The Breitkreutzs manage 1,759 acres across Redwood and Renville counties where diverse crop rotations of corn, soybeans, oats, cereal rye and alfalfa are grown with a cover crop and no-till system. About 100 head of Red Angus cow-calf pairs are rotationally grazed on 675 acres of pasture and fields of cover crops throughout the year. About half of the pasture was converted from cropland, with the rest being remnant prairie.
The Leopold Conservation Award program widely shares the stories of these conservation-minded farmers, ranchers and forestland owners to inspire countless other landowners to embrace opportunities to improve soil health, water resources and wildlife habitat on their working land. The program also builds bridges between agriculture, government, environmental organizations, industry and academia to advance the cause of environmental improvement on private land.
Anheuser-Busch closing Moorhead malting plant
In an effort to balance its internal malting capacity with its third-party partners, Anheuser-Busch is closing its Moorhead malting house and selling its elevators in Sutton, N.D., and West Fargo, N.D. Any new supply of the company’s North Dakota and Minnesota barley will be redirected to Rahr’s Shakopee Malt House starting in 2025.
“As we continue to build toward a strong future, we’re updating our malting operations and expanding our decades-long relationship with Rahr, a trusted partner and leading malting company. Anheuser-Busch purchases, on average, more than $50 million a year in barley from our 250+ grower partners across the Midwest, including North Dakota and Minnesota, which is more than any other brewer, and this will not change,” said Nicole Zahradka, Anheuser-Busch’s director of agronomy. “We remain committed to supporting our grower partners and will continue to source directly from them as we have for the past 165 years. We are confident that the actions we’re taking now will allow us to even better serve our customers while also becoming a stronger company and industry leader.”
West Central Ag Services members approve merger with CHS
West Central Ag Services, a Ulen, Minn. based cooperative, will merge with CHS after over 70 percent
of members voted in favor, exceeding the two-thirds approval required.
“While this process has been long, it is in many ways exciting to enter our next chapter,” said Duane Brendemuhl, chairman of West Central’s board of directors. “Your board and leadership team began discussions about West Central’s future more than 18 months ago and concluded that merging into CHS, which shares our vision, our values and our memberowned cooperative structure, was the right next step for today’s members and for those who will follow us. ... It will also deliver long-term value by making us a part of a successful cooperative organization with efficient connections to global markets, fertilizer and crop protection manufacturers, and to the end user, as a value-added processor, for the crops you grow.”
West Central Ag Services will join CHS as an ag retail business unit called CHS West Central and continue to be based in Ulen, where it offers grain and agronomy services to more than 3,000 members with 14 locations.
WHEAT MN-ROTHSAY
