Nicollet County Ledger February 2, 2023

February 2, 2023 | South Central News & Media

Public Notices Page 3 Lafayette Lions News Page 3 Courtland Baseball Page 6

Saint Peter Plans to Expand its City Borders Nearing Oshawa, Traverse

By Robert Lawson Publisher

612-460-5851

The Saint Peter City Council held a public hearing on January 23 to discuss Township 361 rightof-way plat Mayor Shanon

Nowell introduced the public hearing, where there was a staff presentation but not an applicant presentation The public hearing was called to order at 7:05 p m The project is located west of the new high school on 361st Street, near Community Spirit Park It runs from Broadway to Traverse Road

“It is close to three governmental entities ” a

Recreational Cannabis Bill Clears 6th House Committee

By Robert Lawson

Publisher 612-460-5851

The Minnesota House is advancing its bill to legalize recreational cannabis through the State of Minnesota's legislature, where it has cleared through six committees so far

The latest committee to hear and voice approval was the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee According to marijuanamoment net, the legislation from Rep Zack Stephenson (D) was approved last week in a voice vote

The Senate panel hearing on a companion version was also scheduled, but it’s been postponed, according to the outlet Stephenson commented on the proceedings

Minnesotans are ready for this

Our current laws regarding

cannabis are doing more harm than good Stephenson said “Minnesotans deserve the freedom and respect to make their own decisions about cannabis use

Stephenson explained the new approach he and other lawmakers are taking regarding cannabis use

“We’ll take a very comprehensive approach to cannabis legalization regulation in Minnesota, with the aim of supplanting a currently unregulated illicit marketplace with a safe legal marketplace,”

he said

The House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee hearing was livestreamed on YouTube and the recording is still available and was shared by the Marijuana Moment website this past week as well

In the Senate, the bill has sponsorship from Lindsey Port

(D) It has passed through at least four committees as of Monday There are a total of 18 committees for the bill to get through in the state legislature

A hearing in the State and Local Government and Veterans Committee that was planned for today was pushed back, according to sources DFL lawmakers, who hold a majority in the legislature with support from Governor Tim Walz (D), are confident they can get through the committees and pass the legislation allowing for legal recreational marijuana use in the state of Minnesota Walz also wants to expunge many cases involving marijuana related offenses in the state and expects cannabis tax revenue plans This was recently outlined in his biennial budget request to the legislature Several grassroots cannabis groups are watching closely

Former Lafayette Woman Accused of Hiding, Having Sex with Teen Runaway

By Robert Lawson

member of city staff said in the staff presentation “Oshawa Township, Traverse Township and the City of Saint Peter ”

The majority of the six property owners located along the right-of-way platt are in support of the project, as noted in the presentation given to the council Saint Peter Public Works has been in contact with them They are working with the land owners on details of purchase agreements and negotiating property values An appraisal was recently conducted by Robinson Appraisals

Continued on Page 3

Polar Plunge Event in Saint Peter Moved to New Location at Fairgrounds

By Robert Lawson Publisher

612-460-5851

info@nicolletcountyledger com

The annual Polar Plunge event was held again in Saint Peter this year with help from the Saint Peter Police Department

The event which is usually held at Hallet's Pond, was moved to a new location at Johnson Hall at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds this year A story from the Mankato Free Press was republished in Yahoo! News about the event recently as well Construction at Hallet's Pond prevented the site from being used this year, according to the Free Press

The prosecution also alleges Gutierrez had a romantic sexual relationship with the teenager at the time This, according to charging documents, resulted in her becoming pregnant by the teen boy

More than 300 people showed up to participate in the event to help sponsor the Special Olympics of Minnesota Organizers raised nearly $65,000 of their $80,000 goal, so they were about $15,000 shy of that mark Nicollet County Sheriff Dave Lange, who was recently re-elected running against Mark Chadderon, was also present at the event He jumped into the freezing cold water with one of his co-workers from the Nicollet County Sheriff's Department

According to reports, he was one of the first people to jump in for the Polar Plunge event Find more info on the St Peter city website

Nicollet County Sheriff's Office Hires New Deputy Jordan Volk from Saint Peter

Family Living

Managing a Financial Crisis

Gail Gilman

Family Life Consultant, M Ed , C F C S and Professor Emeritus

University of Minnesota

What you need to remember:

Addressing family financial problems is complex because it is not just about dealing with dollars and cents It is about dealing with finances, feelings, and relationships and how their interaction is played out in our use of money

Addressing financial problems means paying attention to how our values, attitudes, motivations, and expectations are played out in how we use money

If you are putting money toward what you value, then you will usually feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment If that money is going toward something you do not value, then you will usually experience a sense of frustration and futility

Family strategies to address financial problems include individual reassessments Also, family members may compete for those resources due to conflicting goals

What you can begin to do:

People often feel several distressing emotions in the initial stages of a financial crisis Those emotions include helplessness and hopelessness Feeling trapped sometimes occurs because you believe there is nothing you can do to change the situation

Acknowledge feelings and reframe the situation: How you perceive or see a problem or situation affects how you deal with it How much stress you experience in a situation depends on the intensity of meaning you attach to it

Reframing is the process of reinterpreting the meaning or significance of an event It means seeing things from a different perspective An example of changing or reframing priorities is going from “What we are losing is the most important part of our lives” to “Our family and our health is the most important part of our lives

$500 scholarship awards provided by the Adolph and Emily Lokensgard Scholarship Trust Fund and the Nicollet County Farm Bureau now available

Applications are now available and being accepted for two, $500 scholarship awards provided by the Adolph and Emily Lokensgard Scholarship Trust Fund and the Nicollet County Farm Bureau To receive an application, please contact the Nicollet County Farm Bureau by emailing nicolletcountyfarmbureau@gmail com or by calling (612) 756-4421 The application deadline is April 1, 2023

Applicants must be a high school senior or an undergraduate college student and be enrolled or planning to enroll on a full-time basis in a postsecondary school and major in or demonstrate a strong interest in the field of either Agriculture or Family and Consumer Science Submitted applications must be complete and include a transcript of the applicant’s grades or a grade report with a cumulative GPA on the report

The scholarship recipients will be notified in early summer The scholarship awards will be presented at the Nicollet County Farm Bureau organization’s 2023 Annual Meeting in early September

Pastor's Corner Column

Pastor Paul Meitner Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Going back can be a good thing

I will admit it I am a bit of an antiquarian I love old things I still write all my sermon studies out in the long-hand, cursive writing instilled in me by Miss Hawkins in that tiny, two-room school where I received my elementary education I still prefer reading an actual book to feel it in my hands to smell the paper, then flip on the glowing, pixilated screen of a glossy Kindle or Nook e-reader

One of my favorite pastimes is walking the woods of Fort Ridgley State Park, looking at the ruins of the fort reading the fascinating inscriptions of some of the older grave stones in the adjoining cemetery and letting my imagination run wild picturing the Dakota hunting their ancestral lands, the French fur traders trapping them for beaver, and the German, Norwegian, and Swedish immigrants clearing them for farms But those days are done, right?

I mean, historical imagination is one thing, but it would be foolish to encourage modern farmers to trade their Case or John Deere combines for a team of oxen and an old-time plough It would be foolish, indeed, damaging to all of a sudden go back to land-line, rotary phones, travel by horse and buggy, and reverting to a hunter-gatherer society This is where my antiquarian disposition clashes most violently with that most American of American traits – the belief that the future is always brighter than the past, and we must keep pushing forward to that gleaming hope at all costs

We live in a time where many powerful, well-connected, and educated people sincerely believe not only we should push forward into the future, but it is our moral duty to excise from our present day every vestige of the past that might prevent that glorious hope we envision Indeed, I see a growing chorus in our society that treats the past as unwanted wreckage that needs to be cut away or it will drag us down to a watery grave in this present storm And this is not limited to technology, per se, but to any attitude that could possibly slow down our progress toward our future hope

That places me in an awkward position My whole ministry is to daily turn people toward a past event that all Christians confess changed the entire trajectory of the future It is not a pastor’s job to make Jesus fit the times, but to make the times fit Jesus and the salvation he wrought for us But frankly, after 21 years, I must admit that I have been doing a pretty bad job at that After all, under my watch, I have seen church membership drop from 70% to 47% in this country, and the bottom does not appear to have dropped fully out yet

Is my congregation headed for the same fate as St John’s Lutheran of Fort Ridgley Township, which has disappeared from the landscape but for a well-kept cemetery? In my youth, society did their best to court the church Today, society does its best to keep the church at arm’s length, and more often than not holds up its nose in disgust at its “oppressive” teaching Indeed I find that the general attitude today is that Christianity is a force standing in the way of progress It either must changes with the times, or it will be committed to the dustbin of history along with the hoopskirt, the chariot, and Phrenology

I stand at a crossroad What am I to do? Well, perhaps before following the conventional wisdom, I should give Scripture one more reading: This is what the Lord says Stand at the crossroads and look Ask about the ancient paths Ask where the good road is Walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls (Jeremiah 6:16)

The future of Christianity does not lie in its popularity That should be clear from its central event– the crucifixion of Christ It should also be clear in Christ’s own words to his followers: If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me It should be finally clear from the history of Christianity It has been the most persecuted faith in history, and even today, 80% of religious persecution in the world is against Christians

The future of Christianity does not lie in its past achievements, such as the enshrining of the rule of law in codes of justice, the establishment of hospitals and advancement of medicine, the fight human rights, the value of the freedom of expression, the creation of the university, and the abolition of the slave trade I believe all these things are good, but there are many kingdoms and societies that value none of these things and have gotten on quite well without them Christians are fools if they think that the blessings produced in the past will buy them good-will in the future

So, what is the future of Christianity? Well, is it not this – when we go back to the cross, when we go back to that singular event in human history, what is it we find? We find rest for our souls There is no other place where a person can find their sin their shame their guilt dealt with before God in a manner that results in their redemption and the satisfaction of God’s holy justice The future of Christianity is, and will always be found when we go back to the promise given in Eden, the promise made to Abraham, the promise made to Israel, and the promise fulfilled on the cross: that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life

The future of Christianity is to get back to the past- people who gather around the forgiveness of Christ, and then, in view of that redemption, go and tell others what they have heard and seen, living out their faith regardless of what the society around them is doing or offering Why? Because when we view the world from the standpoint of the cross, we find true hope and a future We find not one that might be there, but one that is there – for Christ has gone into death for us and returned, to bring us through this life to the glory he has prepared, one that can never perish, spoil, or fade

One Christian writer put it this way, “If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this Aim at Heaven and you will get earth "thrown in": aim at earth and you will get neither ”

So, there you have it- the future of our faith lays, and always will lay, in the past It lay in the promise that Christ made us through his innocent suffering and death on the cross, and his glorious resurrection and ascension in heaven The world may change its language, its politics, its philosophy with the frequency that a teenager flips through the music of its Spotify account, but it is the old, unchangeable path of salvation, planned in eternity, forged at the cross, where our future is to be found

Saint Peter City Council Continued from Page 1

Trash talkin’ or talking trash, either one can be fun!

Is winter over yet? I’m thinking we gotta be half way through ? Right?

Actually, it has been a great winter for the snowmobilers, sledding and ski enthusiast! Even the ice fishing has been good locally so we shouldn’t complain Well, I was invited to a City Council workshop recently to trash talk and I have to say that I received a lot of trash talking back at me from the Council haha! It must be human nature to trash talk because we had a lot of fun and positive discussion at the workshop and I was very grateful to be invited More specifically, the City contract for solid waste and recycling is up for renewal and it was asked of me to provide a solid waste and recycling 101 of sorts to the Council The Council was well versed in many facets of these topics, which created a very robust discussion, which probably took more time than any of us expected, but all agreed it was a beneficial trashtalking event I would like to dive in to a few of the topics we discussed with the first one being our waste to energy commitment In the late 1980’s our three Counties of Sibley, Le Sueur and Nicollet came together with Blue Earth, Martin & Faribault Counties to commit our cities residential trash to the waste to energy system where our garbage goes through a process and then turned into electricity Waste to energy is considered to be a more environmentally sound method of disposing of our waste rather than putting it in a landfill to decompose over the centuries Our Counties waste are a smaller percentage of this process as Ramsey and Washington Counties contribute the majority of

waste tons to the waste to energy system There are about another dozen Counties in Minnesota that participate in waste to energy systems and we consider ourselves lucky to be a part of this system as some Counties (metro fringe Counties) have tried to get their waste into this system but there is just not enough capacity to handle the extra tons of waste

When addressing the environmental aspects of this process – I would like to point out that our local incinerator operates at a temperature of 1800 to 2200 degrees F, which ensures nearly complete destruction of organic waste The emissions system use electrostatic precipitators, which captures most of the fine particles that try to escape They also use a baghouse filter system, which also removes most of the suspended particles that result from the combustion process Some systems are even mining the ash for more metals after the combustion process and sometimes the ash is clean enough to be used in cement products

One of the other items we discussed (which deserves more detailed information at another time) is organics collection and composting Recent waste surveys conducted by consultants and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) indicates that our waste stream is comprised of 24 to 33 percent organics that could be composted So the next questions are how to collect, how much does it cost and is there capacity to process those tons The “how to collect” would be a Blue bag collection system where residents would put their organics into a blue

Lafayette Area Lions Had Busy Weekend for Dad's Belgian Waffle Breakfast Jan 14

Fortunately for the Lafayette Lions, the weather was great the weekend of January 14-15

In preparation for the club’s annual Dad s Belgian Waffle

Breakfast, a number of Lions gathered Saturday to make preliminary preparations for a silent auction that would be held with the breakfast

The breakfast was also a College Fund Benefit for a local teen whose father passed away unexpectedly and whose mother is unable to care for her due to medical issues that she’s had since the girl was only a year old

With a large crowd expected, the breakfast was held in the Lafayette Fire Hall, which the local firemen graciously

agreed to That meant, however, that the fire trucks had to be moved out early on the morning- of the breakfast They were temporarily kept in a United Farmers Co-op shed and in the city building With limited time for setup before the 9:00 a m start, the Lions asked for assistance from the community and several locals arrived at 7:00 a m Sunday to help the Lions Tables, chairs, the silent auction, and the food preparation and serving areas were

quickly set up

The breakfast benefit was a huge success as the entire area far beyond Lafayette turned out A total of 770 people were served 710 paid meals and 60 free kids meals

The support for teen Elissa Ries through the silent auction, quilt raffle, and free will donations was overwhelming

The cash raffle raised $3,000 for Elissa’s college fund and the silent auction more than doubled that amount

After Saturday morning setup, three Lions jumped in a car and headed west about 15 miles to show support for

another community event, the Sewing for Sight quilting event at the St George Catholic Church Fellowship Hall

There they presented a $500 Lafayette Lions donation to the Foundation for Saving Sight

The donation along with money raised at the sewing event support the mission of restoring vision to those who otherwise would not have access to sight-saving improvements in and around San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala

Trash Talkin' Continued From Left, Above

Jbag and place it in their trash cart The blue bags would then be separated and transported to an organics processor and turned into compost Our Cities could ask for a Blue bag organics collection bid but my sources tell me that the cost of processing, transportation and handling would not be affordable yet The other big question is capacity Or - is there enough capacity or organic processing locations that have enough room to process these tons into compost These locations have to be permitted which can be very expensive and difficult and sometime acreage space is limited The blue bag collection system is in its infancy and has more maturing to do for it to be environmentally sound and affordable but it will get there in time

That’s all for now folks Please do your best at embracing our wonderful winter, ha! Visit us - at www tricountyrecycling org or the Nicollet County waste wizard for recycling & waste information or give us a call at 507-381-9196 And remember to make every day Earth Day!

Public Notices

We publish public notices in the digital edition too!

Crop Management

2023 Crops Management Update GAYLORD, Minn (02/01/23)--

The University of Minnesota is excited to announce the 2023 Crop Management Update set for Friday, March 3, 2023 This event will run from 10:00 a m to 2:30 p m at Hahn’s Dining and Lounge, in Winthrop Registration will begin at 9:30 a m Come hear University of Minnesota researchers and Extension educators discuss crop management considerations for the 2023 growing season The cost for the event is free and a Lenten lunch will be provided Following is a list of topics and

speakers for the event:

Integrated Pest Management: Managing management resistant

insects in 2023- Bruce Potter, Extension IPM

Specialist

Nutrient Management

Considerations: Soil testing and interpretation: What’s important, what’s not - Jeff

Vetsch Soil Scientist

Weed Management:

University of Minnesota

Weed Research- Tom

Hoverstad Weed Scientist Crop Management: Hot

Topics-Corn Tar Spot, Palmer Amaranth, Soybean Diseases - David Nicolai

Extension Educator, Crops

The event wouldn’t be possible without our partner and sponsor, Nicollet/Sibley County

Corn and Soybean

Growers The meal for the event is brought to you by the Nicollet/Sibley County

Corn and Soybean

Growers and their checkoff dollars

Pre-registration for the event is requested for a meal count by February 27, 2023 Online registration can

Three Lafayette Lions and future Lion Conner Portner presented the Lions donation to Sewing for Sight Saturday, January 15 The Lions are Scott Portner, Ruth Klossner and Trish Gieseke

Crops

found at z umn edu/CropManagement2 023 or call the Sibley County Extension office at 507-2374100 or mnextsibley@umn edu

Sibley County 4-H Job Interview Contest

Twenty-two 4-H’ers were interviewing for jobs this past week when they went through a mock job interview On Monday, January 23 at the Sibley County Service Center job applicants filled out an application or resume and were interviewed by age category for a job they were interested in Jobs they could pick were from the 4-H Fair Valley Employment Opportunities

Jobs included Admissions, Food Services, Landscaper, Mechanic/Carpenter

Performing Artists, Petting Zoo and Public Relations Judges

for the evening were Alison Eibs, Klea Rettmann and John Glisczinski

All contestants did a great job

Results are as follows: Senior Division 1st place went to Rachael Dose, AC; 2nd – Taylor Schafer, BWS and 3rd

Abby Willegal BWS Also participating were Nicole Anderson, WW and Mitchell Olson, BWS

Intermediate participants were: 1st – Kelly Willegal, BWS; 2nd – Nora Doehling, AC; and 3rd

Aiden Kerber, WW Also participating were Grant Dose, AC; Alexander Kerber, WW; Russel Kerber, WW; Lydia Prahl,

Grants Help Bring Ag Literacy to Minnesota Classrooms

St Paul, MN: The Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2023 Agricultural Literacy Grants, which are designed to support agriculture and food systems education efforts from kindergarten to high school across the state A total of 17 projects received grants of up to $500 each to help educators provide students the

opportunity to experience agriculture in a cross-curricular manner Topics that will be explored through this year’s projects include locally grown foods, agricultural careers, community gardens, and more MAITC is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the MAITC Foundation that seeks to increase agricultural literacy through K-12 education

Focus on Ag: SCO Insurance Coverage Considerations for 2023

By Kent Thiesse

As has been often said with farming, every year is different, and many times decisions for the current crop year are based on what happened in the previous year or two That could be the scenario in some cases with considering Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) insurance coverage for corn in 2023 SCO insurance coverage has been around for several years but has not been considered on a widespread basis due to the reduced potential benefits from SCO coverage However, that scenario may be different this year due to the price spread between the potential spring price for crop insurance coverage versus the Ag Risk Coverage (ARC) benchmark prices

Details on SCO Insurance Coverage

SCO coverage is only available to producers that choose the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) farm program option for the 2023 crop year and is not available for farmers that choose ARC coverage with county yields (ARC-CO) or ARC coverage with farm yields (ARC-IC) The PLC farm program option is price only, and the 12-month average price for a crop needs to drop below pre-set reference prices in order to earn a farm program payment The payment calculations for the ARC-CO program calculations are based on a pre-set benchmark revue (benchmark price and average county yield) and the final 2023 revenue (county average yield times the 12-month average price)

Continued on Page 6

Courtland,St.Peterand LafayetteStudents'SuccessinHigherEducation

CollegeAccomplishmentsfrom StudentsfromLocalArea

Teddy Giefer named to Fall Semester 2022 Chancellor's List at UMN Crookston

CROOKSTON Minn (January 27

2023) - The University of Minnesota Crookston announces students who were named to the Fall 2022 Chancellor's List recently released by the Office of the Registrar To qualify for the Chancellor s List students must

complete 12 or more lettergraded (A-F) credits while attaining a 4 0 grade point average

Students named to the Chancellor's List include Teddy Giefer from Courtland, MN, majoring in Natural Resources

B S Gustavus Adolphus College

Announces 2022 Fall Semester

Dean s List SAINT PETER, Minn (January 31, 2023) - The Fall Semester

Dean's List at Gustavus

Ask A Trooper

by

Question: I was wondering if you are stopped at a stop light in the left turn lane and an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens come in behind you (either in the turn lane or the lane to your right), what is the proper procedure? Thank you!

Answer: When it comes to encountering emergency vehicles while stopped at a stop light and the only place to move is the actual intersection, it is best to stay in place and let the emergency vehicle maneuver around your vehicle Unless otherwise directed by law

enforcemement

Otherwise, for an emergency vehicle, such as an ambulance, fire truck or police car, displaying flashing red lights and sounding a siren or bell approaches your vehicle on a two-way road you must pull to the right and stop If you are traveling on a one-way road, you must pull to whichever side is nearest and stop If you are within an intersection proceed through it before stopping Remain stopped until all emergency vehicles have passed

A law enforcement officer with probable cause to believe a driver has violated this law may arrest the driver within four hours of the violation You are not required to stop if the emergency vehicle that is approaching you is separated from your lane of traffic by a physical barrier such as a fence wall or median strip You can avoid a ticket and a crash if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober Help us drive Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths

If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota send your questions to Sgt Troy Christianson – Minnesota State Patrol at 2900 48th Street NW Rochester MN 55901-5848 (Or reach him at Troy Christianson@state mn us)

Adolphus College has been released The list comprises students who have earned a 3 7 grade point average (based on a scale in which 4 0 A) or higher for the semester ending in December 2022

The following local students were named to the Dean's List at Gustavus Adolphus College: Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college in Saint Peter, Minn that prepares 2,200 undergraduates for lives of

leadership, service, and lifelong learning TheoldestLutherancollege inMinnesota,Gustavuswasfounded in 1862 by Swedish immigrants and named for Swedish King Gustav II Adolf At Gustavus, students receive personal attention in small-sized classes and engage in collaborative research with their professors Fully accredited and known for its strong science writing music athletics study-away, and service-learning programs, Gustavus hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is internationallyrecognizedforits

annualNobelConference

IRVERLAND ANNOUNCES

PRESIDENT'S AND DEAN'S LISTS

FOR2022FALLSEMESTER

AUSTIN, Minn (February 3, 2023) -

Riverland Community College is pleased to announce the students whose academic achievement placed them on the 2022 Fall presidents and deans lists Riverland congratulates these individuals for their outstanding academicaccomplishments PresidentsList Tobeeligibleforthepresident'slist

students must have completed 12 credits per semester with letter grades and have earned a gradepoint average of 400 on a 400scale Dean'sList

To be eligible for the deans list students must have completed 12 credits per semester with letter grades and have earned a gradepointaverageof325to399 on a 400 scale Lafayette, MNJarrettPlatz,Dean'sList

Sgt Troy Christianson of the Minnesota State Patrol

Grants Available to Support Minnesota Grown Specialty Crops

organizations, and other agricultural groups to apply for the grant Forprofit entities, farms, and other businesses who want to develop sector-wide research and developmentprojectsarealsoeligible Applications for the 2023 grants will be accepted through March 13, 2023 Applicants may request between $20000 and $125000 and the MDA anticipates awarding roughly $125 millionintotalforthisround Recipientsofthe2022grantswillbe

Focus on Ag

By KENT THIESSE Farm Management Analyst Vice President, MinnStar Bank

The deadline for 2023 farm program sign-up is March 15 2023 which is the same as the enrollment deadline for 2023 crop insurance As a result, farm operators will need to consider SCO insurance coverage at the same time that they are finalizing their 2023 farm program choice The federal government subsidizes 65% of the premium for SCO coverage so farmlevel premiums are quite reasonable, which helps make SCO a viable option for producers that choose the PLC farm program option SCO allows producers to purchase additional county-level crop insurance coverage up to a maximum of 86% over and above the underlying crop insurance policy SCO insurance coverage is available for both Revenue Protection (RP) or Yield Protection (YP) policies and will follow the underlying policy This means that SCO with a YP policy will be based on yield only and a RP policy will be revenue based (price and yield) For example, a producer that purchases an 80% RP policy could purchase an additional 6% SCO coverage with revenue protection

The most popular crop insurance coverage for Midwest corn and soybean producers is some type of RP insurance policy with either enterprise units or optional units Enterprise units combine all acres of a crop in a given county into one crop insurance unit, while optional units allow producers to insure crops separately in each individual township section Enterprise units typically have considerably lower premium costs compared to optional units for comparable RP policies SCO insurance coverage is available for the same premium price with either enterprise or optional units on a given farm unit SCO is a county revenue-based insurance product that is somewhat similar to the area risk protection crop insurance products that are available The calculations for SCO function very similarly to RP insurance policies since they utilize the same crop insurance base price and harvest

SCO Insurance Coverage Considerations for 2023 (FOCUS ON AG) Continued From Left

price ThebiggestdifferencebetweenSCOandmostRPinsurancepoliciesisthatSCOusescountylevelaverageyields,ratherthanthe farm-levelAPHyieldsthatareusedformostRPandYPpolicies Asaresult theSCOandRPinsurancepoliciesmayachievedifferentresults ItispossibleforaproducertocollectonanindividualRPpolicy,butnotcollectonaSCOpolicy,orviceversa Forexample,aproducerwith an80%RPpolicymayhavealossthatqualifiesforaninsuranceindemnitypaymentonafarmunit,whilethecountyasawholemaynot meetthethresholdtoqualifyforaSCOpayment ItcouldalsobepossibletocollectaSCOpaymentforacounty-levelrevenueloss,while notqualifyingforaRPinsuranceindemnitypaymentatthefarm-level SCO insurance coverage will use county yields that are very similar to the ARC-CO yield, since both programs utilize USDA Risk ManagementAgency(RMA)yielddataforcalculations ThebiggestdifferenceinthecalculationsbetweenARC-COandSCOisthatARC-CO utilizesthebenchmarkprice,basedonfive-yearnationalaverageprice(2017-2021)andthe12-monthaverageprice(Sept

1,2023toAug 31, 2024) SCOutilizesthe2023cropinsurancespringprice,basedontheaverageChicagoboardofTrade(CBOT)pricesinFebruaryof2023for Decembercornfutures,Novembersoybeanfutures,andSeptemberwheatfuturesandthe2023cropinsuranceharvestprice,basedon theaveragesofthesameCBOTfuturesmonthsinOctoberforcornandsoybeansandAugustforspringwheat FollowingisbriefoverviewofhowtheSCOinsurancecoverageoptionandfarmprogramoptionsmightfunctionforcornin2023: The2023benchmarkpriceforcornis$398perbushel,comparedtothe2023PLCreferencepriceof$370perbushel PLCpaymentsare onlymadeifthefinalMYApriceisbelow$370perbushel,whilepotential2023ARC-COpaymentswillbedependentonboththefinal2023 MYApriceandthe2023countyaverageyields Atafinal2023MYApriceof$398perbushel,thefinal2023countyyieldwouldneedtobe 15%ormorebelowthecountybenchmarkyieldtoinitiatea2023ARC-COpayment

Forexample,ifthecountybenchmarkyieldis200bu/A,thefinal2023countyyieldwouldneedtobe170bushelsperacreorlowerto initiatea2023ARC-COpayment AnotherwaytolookattheARC-COdecisionforcornistoconsiderthatifthefinal2023countyaverage yieldisthesameasthecountybenchmarkyield,thefinal2023MYApricewouldneedtodeclinebelow$343perbushelinordertoinitiate anARC-COpayment Ata$343perbushelfinalMYAprice,therewouldbea$27perbushelPLCpayment ThePLCprogramprovidescorn MYApriceprotectionfrom$370downto$220perbushel

Oneoptionforaproducertoconsiderforcornin2023 mightbetoenrollinthePLCprogramforverylow-priceprotection signupforan 80%RPcropinsurancecoverage(eitherenterpriseoroptionalunits),andthensignupforSCOcoverage(6%) Thisisespeciallyafavorable optionforaproducerthatismoreworriedaboutpriceriskthanyieldriskforthe2023growingseason TheSCObasepriceisthesameasthe cropinsurancespringprice(est at$590/Bu asofFeb 1,2023) BasedononeestimateinaSouthernMinnesotacounty,an80%RPpolicy withenterpriseunitswith6%SCOcoveragewouldcost$350peracrelesstotalpremiumthanan85%RPpolicy Ifthefinalfarmand countyyieldareclosetotheAPHyields,theremightbeaslightadvantagetothe6%SCOcoveragewith80%RPcoverageversusthe85% RPcoverage,whilestillmaintainingthePLCprotectionthroughthesummerof2024 TheSCOinsuranceoptionseemstobebestsuitedinsituationswhereafarmer:

•Ismoreconcernedwithpricedeclinethanyieldreductionsforthe2023growingseason Feelsthatthereisgreaterchanceforcountyyieldreductionsin2023thanontheirownfarmunits Wantstomaintaingoodinsurancecoverage(86%)ataslightlyreducedpremiumcost

•Alreadyplannedtosign-upforthePLCfarmprogramoption(requiredforSCOinsurancecoverage) FarmersshouldcontacttheircropinsuranceagentfordetailsandspreadsheetsoncropinsuranceandSCOcoverage

Twoinformation sheetstitled“2023FarmProgramDecisionCheatSheet”and“2023CropInsuranceDecisions”havebeenprepared Torequestafreecopy oreither,sendanemailto:kentthiesse@minnstarbankcom Othergoodfarmprogramandcropinsuranceresourcesinclude:

•UofIllinoisFarmDocwebsiteathttps://farmdocillinoisedu/ •KansasStateUniversityathttps://agmanagerinfo/ •IowaStateUniversityathttps://wwwextensioniastateedu/agdm/# USDARiskManagementAgency(RMA)athttps://wwwrmausdagov/ Corn

12 Thereportestimatedthefinal 2022US averagecornyieldat1733bu/acre,whichincreasedbyonebushelperacrefromtheDecemberestimate

ThefinalNationalAgStatisticsService(NASS)2022CropProductionReportwasalsoreleasedonJan

The2022cornyield estimate compares to 1767 bushels per acre in 2021 and 1714 bushels per acre in 2020 Minnesota is estimated to have a final 2022 statewide average corn yield of 195 bushels, while Iowa is projected to have a final corn yield of 200 bushels per acre for 2022 Other estimatedaveragecornyieldsfor2022includedIllinoisattherecordyieldof214bushelsperacre,Indianaat190bushelsperacre,Ohioat 187bushelsperacre,Wisconsinat180bushelsandNorthDakotaat131bushelsperacre Thedrought-strickenstatesofNebraskaand SouthDakotaareprojectedtohavefinal2022cornyieldsof165and132bushelsperacrerespectively

ThelatestWASDEreportshowedaslightdecreaseinthetotal2022US cornproduction,whichisnowestimatedat1373billionbushels Thisisadecreaseof200millionbushelsfromtheDecemberestimateandisover13billionbushelsbelow2021cornproductionlevel The latestUSDA