Four agricultural commodity councils seek board members

 ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will conduct a mail ballot election to fill board vacancies for Minnesota’s barley, beef, corn, and soybean research and promotion councils. Elected members serve three-year terms, directing the investment of their councils’ check-off program dollars. Candidates will be selected through mail ballot elections scheduled for April 2017.

Those interested in running for an opening should contact the nominating committee chair from their respective council, listed below. The candidate registration deadline is January 31, 2017.

Barley Research and Promotion Council vacancies:

District 3: Becker, Big Stone, Chippewa, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Lac Qui Parle, Ottertail, Pope,
Stearns, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Wilkin

Barley Research and Promotion Council office: 800-242-6118 or 218-253-4311

Beef Research and Promotion Council vacancies:

District 1: Becker, Clay, Clearwater, Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau

District 4: Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Lac Qui Parle, Ottertail, Pope, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, Yellow Medicine

District 5: Benton, Carver, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Morrison, Renville, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Todd, Wadena, Wright

District 7: Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock

District 8: Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Rice, Steele, Waseca, Watonwan

Beef Research and Promotion Council office: 763-479-1011

Corn Research and Promotion Council vacancies:

Districts 1, 2, 4: Becker, Beltrami, Big Stone, Cass, Chippewa, Clay, Clearwater, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac Qui Parle, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, Yellow Medicine

District 7: Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock

District 8: Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Rice, Steele, Waseca, Watonwan

District 9: Dakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona

Corn Research and Promotion Council office: 952-233-0333

Soybean Research and Promotion Council vacancies:

Districts 1, 2, 3: Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, St. Louis, Cook, Lake

District 4: Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Lac Qui Parle, Ottertail, Pope, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, Yellow Medicine

District 5 & 6: Aitkin, Anoka, Benton, Carlton, Carver, Chisago, Crow Wing, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Ramsey, Renville, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Todd, Wadena, Washington, Wright

District 7: Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock

District 8: Blue Earth, Brown, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Martin, Nicollet, Rice, Steele, Waseca, Watonwan

Soybean Research and Promotion Council office: 888-896-9678 or 507-388-1635

Farm Management Meeting Set for Feb. 6 in Fargo

The Northwest Farm Managers Association will hold its 104th annual meeting for producers and others interested in agriculture on Feb. 6 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo.

Presentations will focus on dynamic changes in agriculture, grain market outlook and pricing strategies, fertilizer outlook, 2013 crop year weather and farmland leasing arrangements.

Michael Hubert, Mosaic Co. northern Plains account manager, will provide a global phosphates and potash outlook. Mosaic is the world's leading producer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients.

Also presenting is William Wilson, distinguished professor in the North Dakota State University Agribusiness and Applied Economics Department. Wilson has researched and provided advice to numerous international companies and countries in the areas of grain marketing, international trade and logistics. He has identified global fundamentals to 2020 and will describe the forthcoming dynamic changes in agriculture.

Grain marketing and the weather are always of great interest to producers. Market analyst Jerry Gulke, president of the Gulke Group, will provide insight on old and new crop markets and global competition in his explanation of pricing strategies for corn, oilseeds and wheat.

Leon Osborne, University of North Dakota professor of atmospheric sciences, will give his latest crop weather outlook for 2013.

Dwight Aakre, NDSU Extension Service farm management specialist and co-author of materials on http://www.aglease101.org, will discuss whether flexible cash leases may work for your operation. Strong commodity prices and high production costs have made it more difficult for operators and landowners to successfully determine appropriate farmland lease arrangements.

Glen Ward, professional humorist and inspirational speaker from Columbia, S.C., will end the meeting.

The meeting is open to the public. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the meeting at 9. The fee for attending is $50, payable at the door. The fee includes a noon meal and breaks. For more information, call (701) 231-7393.

ND Extension encourages farmers to Check Stored Grain

A warm spell in January is a good time to check stored grain.

"Search for small changes that are indicators of potential problems," advises Ken Hellevang, North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural engineer. "The early 2012 harvest and warm fall increase the likelihood of storage problems."

The value of the grain stored in a 25,000-bushel bin is about $175,000 at a corn market price of $7 per bushel, $350,000 for soybeans at $14 per bushel and $200,000 for wheat at $8 per bushel.

"At those prices, monitoring and managing the stored grain to prevent problems is worth your time," Hellevang says.

Check to assure that the grain temperature is at 20 to 30 degrees in northern states and below 40 degrees in warmer regions of the country. Grain stores best when cool and dry. The allowable storage time approximately doubles for each 10 degrees that the grain is cooled. Also, insects are dormant below about 50 degrees.

Temperature cables are an excellent tool to measure the grain temperature, but they only measure the temperature of the grain next to the sensor. Grain is a very good insulator, so warm or hot grain just a few feet from the sensor may not be detected.

Operate the aeration fan to cool the grain to the recommended temperature if needed. Aeration is not necessary if the grain is at the appropriate
temperature.

Bin vents may frost or ice over if fans are operated when the outdoor air temperature is near or below freezing, which may damage the bin roof. Open or unlatch the fill or access cover during fan operation to serve as a pressure relief valve. Cover the aeration fan when it is not operating to prevent pests and moisture in the form of snow, fog and rain from entering the bin.

Hellevang recommends collecting grain samples and checking the moisture content to assure that the moisture content is at the desired level. However, most grain moisture meters are not accurate at grain temperatures below about 40 degrees, so when the grain is cold, it should be placed in a sealed container, such as a plastic bag, and warmed to room temperature before checking the moisture content.

At temperatures above 40 degrees, the meter reading must be adjusted based on the grain temperature unless the meter measures the grain temperature and automatically adjusts the reading. Check the operators manual for the meter to determine the correct procedures to obtain an accurate value.

Because insects are dormant at colder temperatures, warm the grain samples to room temperature and place the grain on a white cloth to inspect for insect infestations. Grain fumigants will not control an insect infestation adequately if some of the grain is cold. The fumigant does not volatize in cool grain adequately, and insects in cool grain near the edge of a "hot spot" may have limited metabolic activity, resulting in poor control.

Also, if the fumigant does not volatize, it remains in the grain and becomes a health hazard for people handling the grain. Cooling the grain is the best method to control insect infestations during the winter. Insects are dormant below about 50 degrees, and some insects can be killed by cooling the grain to below freezing and keeping it at that temperature for a few weeks.

Hellevang suggests recording the grain temperature and conditions observed to help spot trends in the condition of the stored grain. Insect infestations and grain spoilage generate heat, so noting temperature trends is important.