Recently, 

In a recent column in Agweek, I wrote a column about Jerusalem artichokes. I had written stories about American Energy Farming Systems, a company that sold them in the 1982 when I worked as the farm reporter for the Worthington Daily Globe. The story led to a threatened lawsuit, which – when the artichoke executives got in trouble with the law – turned into a job offer at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Seventeen years later, I took a job at Agweek, a part of the Grand Forks Herald, which is now owned by Forum Communications Co. (As is the Worthington Daily Globe.)

The theme of my column was about how religion and business don’t always mix. As the column went, I discussed how my first boss Paul Gruchow, sang in the First Lutheran Church choir. He’d be pleased if I’d chose to sing in his Lutheran choir, rather than going across town to the other Lutheran church. So I had a bit of a mix of business and religion in my life, too.

A couple of weeks ago, a farming acquaintance of mine (the woman makes excellent fruit pies) told me that I had a Worthington connection in North Dakota. Jane’s aunt, Iris, had sung in my choir back in the early 1980s, and did I remember her?

I said I did remember Iris.

Jane informed me that Iris, who was single and worked as a librarian in Worthington when I knew her in the 1980s, had retired to Grand Forks in 1990. A few years ago Iris had a fall and broke her hip, so moved to a nursing home in a rural town.. Iris is 107 and would be turning 108 in August, Jane said. I said I’d make a point to visit her if I got anywhere near.

And so I did.

Iris is delightful to visit with. Her mind is mostly sharp and a charming visitor. She has remarkable recall on the characters in that old choir, and the church. Iris visited for more than an hour, accompanied by Jane. She seemed remarkably young – maybe 100, 90, 80 or even 70.

She made me remember things when I was young – 50, 40, 30, or 20.

Later, Jane, would tell me that if she could be assured she could age as gracefully as Iris that she’d gladly live to 108. You don’t hear that every day but it was a refreshing thought. Delightful.

It’s summertime, and one of my favorite back road rides in North Dakota is on North Dakota Highway 34, east of Napoleon. I’m not saying Interstate Highway 94 is boring, but there’s something charming about the back roads that give the traveler a truer picture of the region. If I were a motorcyclist, I think it would be a lovely stopping point if I were heading to the Sturgis Rally, or some such place. Turns out, it also works for 2002 Toyota Prius with 240,000 miles on it.

One of my favorite things about Highway 34 it is the vision of John “Custer” Grenz’ collection of threshing machines, east of Napoleon. A billboard labels it the Dinosaurs on the Prairie collection.

A string of about 20 machines drapes up one of the hills on the north side of the road. It’s one of dozens of private museums that are available to passers-through in the Dakotas and Minnesota. One can only ponder how long they’ll keep alive nostalgia for the region’s remarkable agriculture history.

I never met Grenz, but I wish I had. According to his online obituary, Grenz died Aug. 3, 2000 at Wishek at age 83. He was born at Artas, S.D., on May 29, 1917, and had moved to Napoleon at age 9. He graduated from Valley City Teachers College in 1941 and married Irene Wittmier, a native of Streeter, N.D.,  on July 26, 1942.

The couple moved to Streeter (one of my favorite small towns) and then back to Napoleon, where they farmed 15 miles east of Napoleon using horses. In 1954, they moved to town and bought the Hank Brown Restaurant and renamed it Irene’s Café. (Irene had worked there when she completed her education in country school at age 15.)

The Grenzes became known as a “sidewalk farmers,” and Grenz farmed until he retired at age 65. Grenz was Napoleon High School Alumni of the year in 1996. He wrote articles for the Napoleon Homestead. “He was an avid antique collector over the years attending most auctions in the tri-state area,” his obituary says. “He had a special interest in threshing machines and his collection graced the hills three miles east of Napoleon for many years.” They were featured in the March 1986 issue of National Geographic Magazine, among other things. At his death, he still owned the first tractor that he’d ever purchased – a 1943 John Deere “B.”

Irene suffered a stroke in 2003 and had moved to Bismarck Edgewood Vista and then back to Napoleon Care Center in November 2012. She died Jan. 22, 2013, at age 89.

In the North Dakota State University  Weekly Crop & Pest Report, issued today, agronomist Joel Ransom tells us that corn planting has moved forward at a

record pace, though recent storms have stopped some farmers again. Here is a picture of a field of corn west of Buffalo, N.D., in western Cass County, where a friend gave a Sunday afternoon crop tour. The farmer, in this case, says he was pleased with the progress of corn on May 26. Soybeans were planted. Dry edible beans were about to be planted.

Some farmers in the area seemed unhappy with the crop progress, the farmer said, but he thought things were looking good.

 Ransom sees it on a larger scale, and puts it this way: “On average,

corn has been planted later than is ideal,” Ransom wrote in his report. “Earlier planted

fields are now beginning to emerge.”

Corn requires about  120 GDDs to emerge (a bit later if planted deeper than 2

inches or for fields with moderate to heavy residue cover), he says.

Corn growing degree days can be used to predict

emergence and leaf appearance in most environments.

Data from North Dakota suggest that new leaves appear after about

70 GDDs. So corn planted on the 1st of May should be at

about the “two collar leaf stage,” while corn planted on May 15should just be emerging.

“GDDs are running behind

normal for the latter half of May, which is good news for

the small grains, but not for corn,” Ransom says. “Not only is above-ground

development of corn delayed by cool weather, but the root

system is also impacted. It is not unusual for corn to appear

yellow and nutrient deficient when soil temperatures hover

around 50 degrees.”

Extensive root development is needed

for the corn plant to find and take up phosphorous. Even

when a “pop-up” fertilizer is applied, the plants may appear

yellow until temperatures warm up and root growth

increases. The best cure for yellow corn seedlings at this

time is a good dose of warm weather.

The National Sunflower Association is suggesting farmers battling drought to plant – you guessed it – sunflower. Farmers considering abandoning winter wheat and attempting a late-seeded cash crop can get specifics at http://igrow.org/agronomy/profit-tips/soil-moisture-and-water-thrifty-crops/

The “sunflower water use threshold is 50 percent of the corn water use threshold,” the NSA says in its Sunflower Highlights. Only 28 percent of the state of South Dakota had adequate subsoil moisture the week of May 13.

The NSA is based in Bismarck, N.D. The organization holds its 31^st Summer Seminar, June 25-27 at Medora, N.D. For accommodation and ticket information, go to www.sunflowernsa.com, or to inquire about a block of discounted rooms, phone 800-633-6721.

Here’s that field of corn I watch every year south of Moorhead, Minn. In 2012 they were planting corn in this section on April 4 and this year activity started  May 3 – one of the earliest in the region.

Joel Ransom, a North Dakota State University Extension Service row crop specialist, in the season’s first NDSU Crop & Pest report issued today, reminds us that corn is a warm season crops and requires warmer temperatures to germinate and grow. The recommended planting date throughout North Dakota is May 1 though the maturity date of the hybrid varies by location.

Early-maturing hybrids are recommended for planting dates beyond May 20.

“Given the excellent weather for field drying and planting that we have been experiencing these last few days, it appears that staying within the hybrid maturity that you planned for earlier in the year may still make sense, particularly if you have the capacity to plant your corn acres quickly,” Ransom says.The final planting date for full insurance  coverage for corn is May 25, except  for Cass, Ransom, Richland and Sargent counties, where the final date is May 31. Delaying planting until the first week of June starts potential reductions ranging from 1.1 to 3.0 bushels per day. Plant population recommendations have been increasing but some hybrids don’t tolerate populations over 35,000 plants per acre because of lodging and weak stalk strength.

Dave Roche, chief executive officer at Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative in Wahpeton, N.D., is retiring this summer after 12 years as top manager for the company. He will be replaced by Kurt Wickstrom, president of Betaseed in Minneapolis, according to the news release below.

Roche was hired as CEO on March 1, 2001. The news release is below. For a dozen years, Roche has always made himself available to answer questions from Agweek regarding the condition of his company, and the industry in the region, nation and world. I have appreciated that and wish him well in retirement. The news release is below:

WAHPETON, N.D. – The Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative Board of Directors has hired Kurt Wickstrom of Chaska, Minnesota, to succeed Dave Roche as President and Chief Executive Officer of the cooperative.

 Wickstrom will join Minn-Dak on July 10, 2013 and assume the position of President and CEO upon Roche’s retirement on August 31.

Wickstrom currently holds the position of President at Betaseed, Inc. of Shakopee, MN.

Roche is retiring from Minn-Dak after 12 years as President and CEO.

Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative is located north of Wahpeton. The co-op has 479 shareholders, employs more than 400 year-round and campaign associates, and has been producing sugar since 1974.

As agribusiness man Ron D. Offutt and Concordia College get set to host entrepreneur/philanthropist Bill Gates this weekend in Moorhead, Minn., it was also the occasion of the unveiling of a new  book about Offutt.

The book is the latest of 14 books written by Hiram Drache of Fargo, the historian in residence at Concordia, a long-time friend of Offutt. The book, “R.D. Offutt: Success and Significance” is a 280-page piece that includes black-and-white photos.

Offutt is known as the world’s largest individual potato producer. His R.D. Offutt Company, based in Fargo. Offutt also is the founder of the RDO Equipment Co., which is the largest string of John Deere ag and construction equipment dealerships in the country. Gates is the guest for the dedication of the Grant Center, home of the new Offutt School of Business at the college.

In promoting this book, Drache is emphasizing Offutt’s rise as a self-made man.

Among other things, he tells about Offutt’s potato farming father, of the same name, who Drache says was a “visionary but had difficulty in implementing management skills.” According to the book, the junior “Ronnie” worked his way through college and declined to be an employee but insisted on being a partner in his parents’ farm. The thought overwhelmed his parents, but they agree on the condition that he sign a note to them for one-half of their net worth and co-sign all their financial obligations,” Drache writes. “Starting with a negative net worth and without any master plan or vision of creating an agricultural empire, Ronnie, who had great people skills and excelled in developing partnerships” went on to create the far-flung potato farming and processing enterprises, as well as the equipment business. Offutt served as the chairman of the governing board at Concordia, his alma mater.

The book is available through Hobar Publications, now a division of Finney Company. It can be obtained by visiting www.finneyco.com or by calling 952-469-6699. The hardcover price is $29.95.

Drache, 88, this past week also revealed the publication of his 13^th book – “Where’s Meriden?: The Demise of Small Town U.S.A.” That book (Agweek, April 22, 2013) discusses the economic history and depopulation of the township where he grew up near Owatonna, Minn.

Congratulations to Daryn McBeth, who leaves the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council for a new spot at Land O’Lakes. Daryn has always been the consumate professional for his organization as far as I’m concerned. His wife, Amy, is a former aide to former Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. I’ve enjoyed knowing both of them and wish them well in this new venture.

McBeth, President of Agri-Growth, Takes New Role with Land O’Lakes
 
ST. PAUL, MN (April 24, 2013) — Daryn McBeth, the current President of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, has resigned from Agri-Growth. Starting May 1, Daryn will be the Director of State Affairs and Industry Relations at Land O’Lakes, Inc. in Arden Hills, MN.
 
Daryn has worked at Agri-Growth for nearly ten years and has led numerous efforts to promote and protect Minnesota’s food and agriculture industry. Daryn spearheaded the completion of two industry-benchmarking studies; organized the unique AgNite gala event, hosting over 5,5000 attendees during the Republican National Convention; and fostered strong relationships with the State Legislature, agri-business companies, producers, the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Further, under his leadership, the organization has seen membrship steadily increase with renewal rates over 95 percent.
 
Kristin Weeks Duncanson, the Chair of the Board of Directors and Partner/Owner of Duncanson Growers, gave the following statement:
 
“Daryn has been a champion for the food and agriculture industry and a trusted colleague and advisor for Agri-Growth over the past ten years. He will be sorely missed by members and staff alike. We are happy for Daryn as he embarks on this new chapter and he has certainly found an exciting fit at Land O’Lakes. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors and look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Here’s a comparison. The photo above is of April 23, 2013, on a field just south of Moorhead. The photo below is a field in the same section on April 4, 2012.

The only consolation farmers in the area must have is that they are geared up to covering a lot of ground in a hurry when it finally warms up. Will we swing from the earliest planting season in history in 2012 to the latest in 2013? Stay tuned.

If you think your spring planting program is uncertain, think about the task for Farm Rescue, which relies on an all-volunteer workforce.

Bill Gross, head of the Jamestown, N.D., organization that helps injured or ailing farmers plant and harvest crops, calls this time of year a “logistical nightmare,” because some of the volunteer teams come from a distance and need to be scheduled in.

“Some of them are trying to make reservations to fly in,” Gross says, explaining that the organization doesn’t cover the transportation for its volunteers. But the volunteers want to know when to make their arrangements and that’s difficult when there is snow on the ground and temperatures are in the mid-20s in the first week of April.

Farm Rescue expects to start planting with local volunteers April 15 in western North Dakota. The out-of-state volunteers are scheduled in April 22. Every year the organization has workers from about 15 states — most staying two weeks to a month. 

Farm Rescue has about 15 cases approved for planting this year in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Iowa. About three of the cases so far are scheduled for Iowa, where the organization expanded in the harvest season of 2012. Gross, a Cleveland, N.D., native and pilot for UPS, started Farm Rescue operations in 2006. The organization has helped over 200 people. He expects the organization ultimately will schedule about 30 to 35 planting assists across the five-state region. He expects about 15 harvest rescues.

For information on the exact locations, go to www.farmrescue.org