New approach for organic weed control

Posted at 12:31 PM on May 23, 2012 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Research

(Photo courtesy of Dan Humburg, South Dakota State University)

A research scientist in western Minnesota is testing a new approach to weed control for organic farms. His idea is to cut the weeds down with a fine grit propelled through specially designed compressed air nozzles.

U.S. Agriculture Department research agronomist Frank Forcella, based in Morris, said he came up with the concept a few years ago:

"It seemed like a crazy idea," he said. "But it simply wouldn't leave my mind."

Early tests with a hand-held nozzle proved the sandblasting concept worked. But instead of sand, Forcella uses a softer, organic product: ground corn cobs. The material is powerful enough to kill the weeds but not harm young corn, soybean or other plants.

A team at South Dakota State University in Brookings is building a four-row prototype (above). Forcella hopes to begin field testing it later this month.

Organic farmers don't use chemical weed killers, so they largely rely on plowing to keep unwanted plants down. Forcella said if his concept works, farmers may get an added bonus. He said instead of corn cobs, farmers could use nutrient-rich material like ground alfalfa or canola seed meal. Besides killing weeds, the grit would also help fertilize the growing crop.

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Ellison atrazine legislation

Posted at 2:12 PM on April 3, 2012 by David Cazares (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms

By Stephanie Hemphill

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minneapolis, has reintroduced legislation to ban the controversial herbicide atrazine.

Farmers use atrazine to kill weeds, especially in corn fields. Surveys have found atrazine in surface and groundwater, and studies have shown it can cause fertility problems even at low levels.

In a news release, Ellison says the chemical "has only moderate agricultural benefits."

Syngenta, the manufacturer of atrazine, says the chemical does not pose a threat to drinking water supplies, and recent research shows no adverse effects on frogs.

In 2010, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture conducted a special review of atrazine, and concluded no changes were needed in the rules governing its use. The agency says about one-quarter of Minnesota corn fields are treated with atrazine.

Atrazine is banned in Europe.

An earlier attempt to ban atrazine in the United States failed in Congress.

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Landowners face conservation decisions

Posted at 9:43 AM on April 3, 2012 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms

MPR file photo Dan Gunderson

The Conservation Reserve Program signup period ends April 6th. During the four week signup that ends Friday, landowners can re-enroll their land, or sign up new acres.

Wildlife managers and conservation groups are concerned high crop prices will entice many landowners to let the CRP contracts expire and either farm the land themselves or rent the land for cropping.

Landowners get an annual per acre rental payment for keeping land enrolled in the CRP. In Minnesota USDA data shows the CRP payments range from $23/acre, to $146/acre.

By comparison, the National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) shows cropland rents for 2010 (the latest data available) ranged from $35/acre to $168/acre.

In Minnesota, the counties with most enrolled CRP acres are in the northwest.
What's the bottom line some of those landowners are considering?

The average CRP payment in Marshall county is $44/acre according to USDA.
NASS data 2010 cropland rent in Marshall county averaged $62/acre
Kittson county CRP averages $40/acre. 2010 crop rent: $62/acre
Roseau county CRP averages $36/acre. 2010 crop rent: $35/acre
Pennington CRP averages $41/acre. 2010 crop rent: $43/acre.
Those crop rent numbers are certainly low, since land rent has been steadily rising in Minnesota the past few years.

The decision landowners make will have a significant impact on parts of the Minnesota landscape, because about 292,000 acres of CRP contracts are set to expire later this year unless they are renewed.

Would you keep land in a Conservation Program even if it meant less money in your pocket?
(All data from USDA)

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Banning pesticide use on lawns

Posted at 1:28 PM on February 2, 2012 by Dan Gunderson (1 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms, Government

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Our neighbors to the north are talking about a ban on "cosmetic" use of pesticides.

Several Canadian provinces ban pesticide use on lawns, and the Winnipeg Free Press reports Manitoba officials are preparing a ban on urban pesticide use that would likely be implemented next year.

The ban would not affect agricultural use of pesticides.

A Minnesota Department of Agriculture study in 2010 found
"Non-agricultural pesticide sales accounted for approximately 60% of the total pounds of all (agricultural and non-agricultural) pesticide sold in Minnesota."

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USDA updates plant hardiness map

Posted at 1:50 PM on January 25, 2012 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms, Food

source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Gardeners who are perusing the new seed catalogs and dreaming of warm spring days might want to check out the new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say this is the first update to the plan hardiness zone map since 1990.

The just-released map uses temperatures from a more recent period, and over a longer time span, according to a USDA press release.

"This is the most sophisticated Plant Hardiness Zone Map yet for the United States," said Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. "The increases in accuracy and detail that this map represents will be extremely useful for gardeners and researchers."

USDA officials say the new map is also more detailed geographically, taking into account features like a valley or higher ground.

Perhaps that's why it appears Minnesota communities like Isabella and Aitkin are hot spots in a generally colder region.

The new map also allows for searches by zip code, and you can zoom in for greater detail.

Do you find the USDA zone map useful or is experience the best predictor of gardening success?

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New local food college offered in northwest Minnesota

Posted at 1:02 PM on January 20, 2012 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Food, Northwest Minnesota

MPR file photo

The University of Minnesota is responding to a growing interest in local food production by offering a Local Food College for interested farmers starting January 24th.

The program will include seven classes over three months, offered at eight locations across northwest Minnesota via interactive television.
The sessions cover topics from soil preparation to crop production and marketing.

The most recent USDA Agricultural Census done in 2007 found about 4,300 Minnesota farms selling some type of food product direct to consumers.

A local food study done in Minnesota in 2011 said:

"The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Minnesota Grown program has increased the number of farmers listed in its directory every year for the past 20 years and now includes more than 1,000 farms that market their products locally."

The same study pointed out an increase in small farms which are more likely to produce food for sale to consumers.

"Although the small number of very large farms in Minnesota continues to increase and medium sized operations (which make up slightly more than half of Minnesota farms) diminish, small farms seem to be more prevalent than in previous years. According to the USDA, between 1997 and 2007 farms between 1 and 99 acres increased faster than any other segment from 32.8 to 40.4 percent of Minnesota farms. As these farms are more likely to grow food for local consumption, this pattern may reflect the growth of the local food movement in Minnesota."

Minnesota Public Radio's Ground Level project examined the issue of local food in depth in this series of reports.

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Play debates future of valuable farmland

Posted at 12:33 PM on January 12, 2012 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

(Photo courtesy of Brian DeVore/Land Stewardship Project)

Listen to the farmer talk.

"This land is our retirement package. This is all we got. For some people it seems things are pretty clear. My neighbor Harlan sold to the Thompson brothers, they're big corn and bean guys. Five thousand dollars an acre he got. 300 acres. Well, you can do the math. He and Doreen are set. Instant millionaires."

With land prices at record levels, many farmers are debating whether to sell. But there's more than just money involved in the decision. They must decide if they're ready to leave a business they've probably spent a lifetime in. Another consideration: do they sell to the highest bidder or to someone who farms like they do?

That's the dilemma facing Gerald , the fictional farmer speaking above. He and his wife Nettie are the key figures in a play making the rural circuit this winter. "Look Who's Knockin'" is put on by the Land Stewardship Project. The next performance is scheduled for January 22 at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.

The twist in the play is that Gerald and Nettie have based their farm operation on proven conservation practices. They use grassy strips to catch runoff and prevent erosion for example. So, with a million plus dollars calling; do they sell to a neighbor who will probably tear up the grass and conservation measures? Or do they sell at a cheaper price, or even rent the place, to a young couple who want to keep the farm as it is, but can't afford to pay top dollar land prices?

Besides Marshall, upcoming performances are also scheduled in Litchfield, Clinton, Milan and Glenwood.

You can hear an audio excerpt of the play on the LSP podcast.

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Living snow fences help keep roads open

Posted at 11:15 AM on November 22, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Snow

A living snow fence in southwest Minnesota

Snowplows are not the only thing that help keep Minnesota highways driveable in the wintertime. Farmers sometimes leave cornstalks standing near highways, and 'living snow fences' are also becoming more common. A living snow fence usually has several rows of trees, bushes and grasses. The idea is to let the plants catch blowing snow before it reaches the road.

Mark Larson with the Minnesota DOT in Windom in southwest Minnesota, says farmers are paid $700 an acre to let corn stalks stand. He says interest in the program has "gone down a little bit" in recent years because the price of corn has risen. Farmers figure they can make more money by harvesting the grain than by letting the stalks stand.

Larson says the living snow fence idea is catching on, but the concept still has a long way to go. Although the state has identified more than 1,200 miles of highways with chronic snow drifting problems, only about 30 miles of roads are protected either by standing corn rows or living snow fences. There are state and federal programs available to encourage land owners to plant protective vegetation.

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Thanksgiving feast will cost more

Posted at 11:30 AM on November 21, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

MPR file photo

The American Farm Bureau Federation says Thanksgiving dinner will cost about 13 percent more this year than last.

The annual informal survey shows turkey represents the biggest increase, up about $.25 per pound over last years prices.

The Farm Bureau says the price increase is a result of increasing demand for turkeys both domestically and globally.

The price hike might mean a bigger bill at the grocery store, but it's good news for Minnesota turkey farmers. Minnesota is the top turkey producer in the country with an estimated 49 million turkeys raised on Minnesota farms.

The National Turkey Federation says about 45 million turkeys will be cooked this Thanksgiving.

The Farm Bureau survey says a Thanksgiving day dinner for ten will run you $49.20, or $5.73 more than last year.

That meal includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk.

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Extension service closes offices

Posted at 1:06 PM on October 6, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Minnesota

The University of Minnesota's extension service, which has served the state for more than a century, continues to shrink. The service plans to close regional offices in Fergus Falls and Hutchinson at the end of the year, Extension Dean Bev Durgan said.

About 14 employees will be affected. Some will retire and others may be moved to other extension offices.

Durgan said a drop in state funding forced extension officials to close the offices.

"We have seen budget cuts at the state level for the last three years," she said.

The extension service started in 1909, with the goal of bringing the University's research to every corner of the state. Through the years extension has provided answers and support to everyone from farmers to home gardeners and 4-H clubs. The service went through a major reorganization in 2002-2003 when it ended state-funded offices in most Minnesota counties. Instead, it established 18 regional centers.

Offices in Albert Lea and Mora closed two years ago.The latest cutbacks in Fergus Falls and Hutchinson will reduce the number of regional centers to 14.

Durgan still believes the extension service can serve all citizens of the state.

"We are throughout the state, we're working in all the program areas we always have," she said. "But reduction in funding does affect some of the programs that we can offer and some of the things that we do, there's no doubt about that."

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Harvest season corn mazes becoming more intricate

Posted at 11:19 AM on October 4, 2011 by Tom Robertson (1 Comments)
Filed under: Arts, Farms, Northwest Minnesota

Fall is the season of the corn maze, and there's a pretty neat one near Park Rapids.

Creating corn mazes has become a tradition for the owners of Carter's Red Wagon Farm. This year, Tony Carter spent months planning the maze on a grand scale. An aerial view of the 4.5-acre maze shows the shapes of a loon, moose, a canoe and a large map of the state of Minnesota, among other things.

Those navigating the maze will run into state-specific factoids and trivia along the way.

The maze design was done on a computer, then marked out in the field as the corn was planted. The maze pathways were pulled by hand as the plants sprouted.

The maze is the main attraction for Carter's pumpkin parties, set for 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Saturday through October. The Red Wagon Farm is a few miles south of Park Rapids off Hubbard County Road 15.

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Corn disease spreads in Minnesota

Posted at 6:32 AM on September 19, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

(Photo courtesy of Dean Malvick, University of Minnesota)

Crop scientists are asking Minnesota farmers to help them figure out why the leaves on these corn stalks turned brown.

They know the plants were attacked by a bacterial disease called Goss's leaf blight and wilt, known scientifically as 'clavibacter michiganense subspecies nebraskensis.' But University of Minnesota extension plant pathologist Dean Malvick wants farmers to send his team of researchers diseased leaves so they can study the bacteria in detail.

Malvick wants to know is if the bacteria affecting Minnesota fields is the same one that's wilting corn across the Midwest, or whether it's some sort of variant. He said reports of the disease have increased 'dramatically' this year in the state.

Goss's can reduce ear size, or at it's worst, kill the plant completely. It was first confirmed in Minnesota in 2009, in two fields. Last year there were maybe 40 fields infected.

Malvick said he doesn't have a final tally for this summer, but the number of acres affected will be much higher than 2010. He said researchers don't know why Goss's is increasing so fast, and that's why they've enlisted Minnesota farmers to help solve the riddle.

The disease has a long history in the United States. It was named for University of Nebraska professor R. W. Goss, who first discovered the pathogen in 1969. But it remained fairly isolated for decades, until recently.

Goss's rapid increase over the last few years is something researchers like Malvick are concerned about. And something they want to know more about.

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Dry conditions hurt crops

Posted at 2:28 PM on August 25, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Weather

"We need rain" says Marc Rasche as he rakes hay in a roadside ditch in southwest Minnesota. There's a blue sky overhead and no storm clouds in sight. The hay was cut two days ago. Thanks to the weather, the grass has already dried enough to be baled. Making hay is the one thing the mini-drought in the southern part of the state has been good for. But nearby crop fields show the stress of too little rain. Some of the corn is already turning brown.

Rasche figures he's seen about a half inch of rain in the last month. Rainfall since mid-July in Waseca and Winnebago is a little over three inches less than average. In Worthington, the deficit is about two inches. The quick dry down followed a wet spring. In June, there was standing water in some of the same ditches Rasche's taking hay from now. Some farmers, though, are lucky. They can make their own rain, like this irrigator.

Marc Rasche says the corn and soybean crop can still benefit from rain. If it stays dry, he says yields will suffer even more than they already have.

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Making better pasta

Posted at 4:16 PM on August 8, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Northwest Minnesota

Metal dies used to make pasta. MPR photo/Dan Gunderson

Often while reporting a story, I meet people doing the kind of work one just doesn't think about every day.

That's the case with Frank Manthey. He runs the durum/pasta quality program at North Dakota State University in Fargo. His job is to research ways to improve the quality of semolina flour and pasta. So he makes a lot of pasta in his lab which is set up just like a small scale pasta factory. He obviously loves his job.

One of the issues he wrestles with is Teflon or no Teflon?

To make pasta, dough is pushed through metal dies which make the noodle shapes we all recognize. Manthey says by coating the dies in teflon, you can create an incredibly smooth pasta which looks wonderful. And Teflon extends of the life of the metal dies.

The problem is, the noodles are so smooth that when you pick up a forkful, all the sauce slides off. So, beautiful glistening smooth noodles? or a hefty load of sauce with each forkful.
Manthey leans towards the noodles with a rougher surface and better "loading" of sauce.

He's also working on several types of pasta made from bean flour. Manthey says there's growing consumer acceptance of multigrain pasta made from things like navy beans or kidney beans.
The different flours make spaghetti that's dark brown, red, and yellow, and each has a slightly different flavor.

Manthey says the new pasta's provide "a whole different culinary experience." And he should know. His job includes sampling all those varieties of pasta!

Listen to my story on how wet conditions could affect pasta prices Tuesday on MPR's Morning Edition.

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Farmers change crop rotation to protect drinking water

Posted at 2:02 PM on July 22, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms, Northwest Minnesota

MPR file photo Tom Robertson

Farmers are switching to alternative crops in an effort to protect drinking water wells for the city of Park Rapids.

The city water supply is threatened by high nitrate levels. The nitrates are a result of irrigated potatoes grown in the area. The irrigated potatoes need lots of nitrogen fertilizer. Some of the nitrogen finds its way into the groundwater raising the nitrate level in the drinking water as my colleague Tom Robertson reported.

Trying to reduce nitrogen use on the usual row crow crops hasn't solved the problem. So this year, in about a 1.5-square-mile area, farmers are trying a new crop rotation.

The typical three-year crop rotation is potatoes, corn and beans. Those are all row crops which tend to allow more nutrients to leach through the soil to the groundwater, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Water Quality Advisor Luke Stuewe says.

In an unprecedented change in agricultural crop rotations, farmers will plant potatoes in year one and then two years of sorghum sudan grass. The grass has a thick root system that will use most of the nutrients in the soil.

That will mean an economic hit for the farmer, in this case R.D. Offutt farms. Senior Agronomist Dale Stevens says not growing potatoes will mean a loss of several hundred dollars per acre.

Stevens says there's a long-term commitment to the changed crop rotation. But it might take a few years to see if it offers a solution to nitrate pollution of groundwater.

Stuewe says there's a lag time between what happens with land use and the impact on groundwater.

The state will be monitoring the project closely and perhaps what's learned will be useful in other parts of the state where agriculture threatens sensitive groundwater areas.

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A summertime break for farmers

Posted at 3:27 PM on July 5, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

MPR Photo/Tom Weber

Summertime, and the living is ... easier, at least for Minnesota corn and soybean farmers.

Things are a little bit behind schedule for many this year because of the wet spring, but for most, July still should begin a two-month stretch where the crop work is relatively light. Spring planting is long complete, and most of the herbicide spraying and fertilizer applications are done.

Now there's not a lot to do except watch the crops grow.

But that watching is with a purpose. Farmers will be checking fields for any sign of insect or disease problems. They'll also be watching to see if their crops can make up for the wet, cool spring.

The latest crop data says the average height of Minnesota corn is 25 inches. That's a nine-inch improvement over last week, but still a foot and a half behind the average height for this time of year.

One thing farmers fill their extra time with this time of year is the traditional county fair. Six county fairs get started this week across Minnesota: Cass, Hubbard, South St. Louis, Winona, Kittson and Redwood counties.

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Efforts to sway farmers to make own fuel falling flat

Posted at 11:46 AM on June 24, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms

MPR file photo on an on farm press for making biofuel

The Climate Network, and the National Farmers Union are hosting the Midwest Renewable Energy Tour June 27- July 1.

The tour will make stops in Milbank, South Dakota; Morris, Minnesota; and Madison Wisconsin.
The tour features German farmer Dirk Ketelsen talking about the successful renewable energy movement in Europe.

NFU President Roger Johnson says "This is an educational opportunity for family farmers and ranchers, a chance to see what others like them are doing to take advantage of this increased demand for renewable energy."

I recently checked back on a story I did in 2007 about an effort to encourage more farmers to make their own biofuel.

It turns out the project was a success from a technical standpoint, but few farmers adopted the practice of making their own renewable fuel. Economics appears to be the big reason. Crop prices have been high and fuel prices, although higher, apparently haven't hit the threshold where it makes economic sense for farmers to make their own fuel.

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Funding available for farmers who fence the Sauk

Posted at 1:25 PM on June 15, 2011 by Michael Olson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Central Minnesota, Environment, Farms

By Alison Dirr

On Wednesday morning Todd Foster and Scott Miller set out from the Sinclair Lewis Campground in Sauk Centre.

The duo are continuing their 150 mile trip down the Sauk River mapping obstructions as they go.

Although the pair say they haven't encountered many fences on their journey so far, those remaining do violate state law.

In order to find a solution to the fences, the Sauk River Watershed District began offering a cost-share program a few years ago that funds up to 50 percent of landowners' costs to come into compliance.

Funds may be dedicated to both alternate watering systems and fencing that runs parallel to the bank and extends about 25 feet into the water. These measures allow cattle to drink from the river without entering it.

According to Holly Kovarik, SRWD's administrator, the organization has received grants and loans that make this possible.

For more information on the fencing issue, see Sunday's coverage.

"The watershed district is a cost share and we have pursued grants specifically for exclusion fencing that [landowners] can put along [the river] and keep the cattle off the river," she said.

Kovarik said the group has a number of reasons they are looking for a new solution.

In part, she said, one of the SRWD's primary purposes is to monitor water quality. She said removing cattle from it would be a step in the right direction as the water currently tests positive for E. coli.

In addition, according to Kovarik, a number of canoeists and kayakers have gotten caught in the fences, many of which are made from barbed wire.

Tell us about Minnesota's rivers and streams We want to know about the rivers and streams that you know best. Which are in the best condition? Which ones have problem spots? Share your observations here.

"You're moving down the river pretty quickly, come around a corner and there's a fence there," Adam Hjelm, SRWD's public outreach coordinator, said. "You don't have time to react."

Hjelm was part of a group that canoed a portion of the Sauk River in 2008 in order to catalogue bank erosion in addition to logs and fences blocking the river.

But ultimately, Kovarik said, the cost share program is entirely voluntary and SRWD cannot force landowners to participate. However, she added that "more than I can count" have taken them up on the offer since the program began.

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DNR takes lax approach to fences along Sauk River

Posted at 2:00 PM on June 16, 2011 by Michael Olson (1 Comments)
Filed under: Central Minnesota, Environment, Farms

Photo credit: Todd Foster

The state's Department of Natural Resources has not enforced a law that forbids fences across the Sauk River in central Minnesota. It is a misdemeanor to obstruct public waters, but farmers continue to run fences between pasture land divided by the river. The fences, sometimes electric or barbed wire, pose a serious risk to canoeists and kayakers.

"[The Sauk River] was designated as a state water trail in 2006 and so our first efforts were in putting a map together and getting information on the website," Erik Wrede, DNR water trails coordinator, said. "Now just recently we've been getting information that there are fences on the Sauk."

The DNR had location data of fences along part of the river in 2008. Members of the Sauk River Watershed District who canoed that portion used GPS technology to map the fences and other blockages in the river.

They relayed this information to the DNR at that time, but Wrede said the agency did not act because the information covered only part of the river.

Wrede is waiting for the completion of a trip, under way now, by Scott Miller and Todd Foster. The duo is mapping all of the hazards along the 125 miles of the Sauk including fences. One the DNR receives their data Wrede says the agency will start working to bring farmers into compliance.

"We want to do it in one fell swoop instead of piecemeal," Wrede said.

Wrede cites difficulty in determining who the landowners are, even with GPS data of the location of some of the fences. The agency also wants to engender goodwill with the farmers that have used the land in this manner for generations.

Miller and Foster are taking a week to paddle the Sauk and have encountered a few fences, less than have been encountered on previous trips. But at this point they are only halfway though and have a significant amount of farmland to pass through yet.

You can follow Miller and Foster on their blog as they update along the way.

MPR News intern Alison Dirr contributed reporting and research to this post

Tell us about Minnesota's river and streams We want to know about the rivers and streams that you know best. Which are in the best condition? Which ones have problem spots? Share your observations here.

Related
Statewide: Mitigation funds available to farmers along the Sauk
Statewide: Canoeists begin 125-mile journey down the Sauk River
Saint Cloud Times: Canoeists aim to get word out on Sauk River

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Canoeists begin 125-mile journey down the Sauk River

Posted at 12:16 PM on June 12, 2011 by Michael Olson (2 Comments)
Filed under: Central Minnesota, Environment, Farms

By Alison Dirr

Canoe enthusiasts Todd Foster and Scott Miller will pack a collapsible ladder when they leave today for their 125-mile paddle from Lake Osakis to the Mississippi River.

The pair plans to use it to scale some of the fences blocking their path down the Sauk River. According to Foster, farmers and landowners use the barriers to prevent cattle from leaving their lands.

"Generally [land] right along the river is kind of marginal crop land because it gets muddy... so a lot of times [farmers] don't plant right up against the river but they still want to use that land so they use it as pasture for cattle," Foster said. "And if you own both sides of the river, you want your cattle to be able to get from one side of the river to the other side of the river to pasture."

However, the fences violate state statute by obstructing the public waterway. They may also create hazards for those traveling down the river.

Tell us about Minnesota's river and streams

We want to know about the rivers and streams that you know best. Which are in the best condition? Which ones have problem spots? Share your observations here.

According to Foster, members of the Sauk River Watershed District, an organization whose goal is to "enhance and protect our natural resources" traveled the upper Sauk River two or three years ago. The group charted obstructions (LINK, if possible) in the waterway as they went.

He estimated they found 25 to 30 fences spanning the river between Lake Osakis and Sauk Center at that time.

"There's been no enforcement or no real action to try to remove these fences, so I expect most of them to still be there," he said.

In fact, they don't have far to travel before they encounter their first obstacle.

"A couple days ago I went up to Lake Osakis just to look at the river and check things out and from the road, about 100 yards after we start the trip, there's a fence," Foster said. He added that the chain link extends into the water, making it impossible to pass.

Other fences will resemble clotheslines stretched across the waterway, and still others, he said, will be electric.

"Some fences, I would imagine, that we're going to be able to push the strands of the fencing up with our paddle and try to sneak underneath it with the canoe," he said. "[With] the first fence I was looking at just a couple days ago that's not possible so we will have to get out and portage around that."

This presents another potential problem, however, because they will be trespassing on private land. Foster said he hopes landowners will be understanding considering their fences force canoeists to find an alternate route.

He expects most will allow them to pass, although he has not contacted any landowners along the Sauk River in advance. He has, however, alerted law enforcement and the Department of Natural Resources in case a conflict should arise.

But although he recognizes this possibility, Foster said he wants to stress that he has no problem with farmers themselves.

"We're not anti-farming or whatever," he said. "We understand that for decades and decades this has been the practice with the fencing issue, but moving forward we need to find a solution that can kind of work for everybody."

MN Today will continue to track the progress of duo as they make their way down the Sauk this week.

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Farmers need good weather

Posted at 4:02 PM on May 16, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

Minnesota farmers are hoping for a good week of weather as their spring planting progress continues to lag behind average.

The latest crop progress report notes that 47 percent of the Minnesota corn crop is planted, up from 28 percent a week ago. The normal amount for this time of year is 81 percent.

In the southeast part of the state "a lot of fields are wet and farmers need a good week of weather" to catch up on their spring planting, University of Minnesota Extension Educator Lisa Behnken said.

She said many farmers hope to complete their corn planting this week so that they can turn their attention to soybeans.

Just nine percent of the soybean crop has been seeded. Spring wheat planting is now 39 percent complete, well behind the average pace of 76 percent.

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Scientists unravel fungus that threatens wheat crops

Posted at 3:29 PM on May 13, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Food

Photo courtesy of APHIS, USDA

A U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher in St. Paul played a key role in sequencing the genome of a fungus that threatens wheat production world wide.

Les Szabo, a research geneticist at the Cereal Disease Lab led the research project the unraveled the genetic code of the wheat stem rust pathogen (Puccinia graminis).

The six-year project is expected to lead researchers to develop new ways to control the fungus.

A wheat fungus called Ug99 has spread across Africa and into Central Asia, with devastating effect.The fungus has been able to destroy most of the stem-rust-resistant wheat varieties developed over the past 50 years.

Researchers believe it's only a matter of time before the deadly fungus reaches North America, as noted in this MPR story from 2008.

There are more than 6,000 rust fungus species, and this project represents the first genome-wide characterization of any rust fungus according to Szabo.

The gene sequence data is being made available to scientists trying to fight the spread of the fungus.

A release from the USDA Agricultural Research Service says the group also successfully mapped the genetic code of a fungus that attacks poplar trees which are commonly grown as a source of biomass fuel.

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Minnesota farmers make progress

Posted at 3:34 PM on May 9, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

Minnesota farmers made their best planting progress of the spring last week, but the pace is still far behind normal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says 28 percent of the state's corn crop is planted, compared to one percent a week ago. Farmers normally have 65 percent of their corn crop planted this time of year.

About 18 percent of the state's spring wheat crop is in the ground, compared to three percent last week

Farmers also made progress in other parts of the country. The USDA says 40 percent of the nation's corn has now been seeded.

The slowest progress is in the eastern corn belt, mainly Indiana and Ohio. Iowa saw the fastest progress last week, farmers there planted almost two-thirds of their corn crop in the past seven days.

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Spring planting moving ahead

Posted at 2:15 PM on May 5, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

A farmer plants corn on his farm near Worthington, Minn. on Thursday, May 5, 2011. MPR Photo/Mark Steil

Finding the best field conditions of the spring this week, Minnesota farmers are stepping up their planting activity.

Fields are finally drying out thanks to more sunny days, brisk winds and less rainfall.

In the Worthington area of southwest Minnesota, farmers have been in their fields every day this week starting on Monday. Rainfall Wednesday night slowed things a little, but by Thursday afternoon the soil had dried enough for tractors to resume their work.

Spot checks with University of Minnesota crop specialists shows that all parts of the state are seeing planting activity.

That includes the Red River Valley, where spring flooding put farmers far behind schedule. But some field work is underway there, especially in the southern part of the valley.

In the west central part of the state, some spring wheat has already emerged in the Benson area.

Ryan Miller, an educator for U of M's Extension Service, said planting is also underway in southeast Minnesota, but farmers there are "just getting started" this week. Soil temperatures are a concern.

Farmers like to see the ground at 50 degrees or warmer when they plant. Near Rochester this week the soil temperature measured 46-degrees, Miler said.

It looks like farmers with dry fields will be able to plant at least until late Friday when the next chance of rain moves in.

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Spring planting headaches

Posted at 12:01 PM on April 21, 2011 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Southwest Minnesota

Numbers are very important for farmers this time of year. They're ready to plant the new crop, but except for some very scattered fieldwork over the last week, nothing's moving.

There's a number: 0. As in, none of the Minnesota spring wheat crop has been planted. The average for this time of year would be about 9 percent. That means there's a lot of farmers watching and waiting. A little knot of concern tightens somewhere in their subconscious. It's time to be in the fields.

Here's another number: 1.00". That's one inch of rain at Winnebago last week. Southern Minnesota. Right in the heart of the state's best farmland. Most other spots across the state received less than that, but it was enough to keep farmers out of the fields. Melting water from the winter snows also helped delay things, but by itself the March thaw isn't enough to put spring planting on a lengthy hold.

Last year, Minnesota also had heavy snow, but when it melted the rains held off so that soils dried and farmers could get moving. Maybe that type of weather will return this year. A little later, but soon? That little knot is loosening a bit.

One final number: 28. As in April 28. If you had to pick one day as the best possible day to plant corn, University of Minnesota Extension says that's it.

Corn planted on that day, with good weather throughout the growing season, makes 208 bushels an acre. (OK, I guess a few more numbers.) If farmers plant two weeks later, by May 14, it's 204 bushels. By May 26, production is off 15 percent, at 177 bushels per acre. In most years, that kind of a drop could mean the difference between making money and losing money on the crop.

Oh, my head.

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U of M aims to boost agriculture, protect environment

Posted at 10:01 AM on February 15, 2011 by David Cazares (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms

By Stephanie Hemphill

The University of Minnesota is teaming up with agribusiness and conservation groups to use a massive data base to boost food production while reducing harm to the environment.

The Global Landscapes Initiative combines on-the-ground reports and satellite images to pinpoint trends in crop production, fertilizer and water use, and other variables in agriculture around the world.

To make the information more useful, University researchers convened a group that included Cargill and General Mills, The Nature Conservancy and other non-profit conservation groups. Participants will identify key questions and help design tools to use the information on the ground.

Paul West, the initiative's chief collaboration officer; said the information can help agribusiness make key decisions.

"Where to invest acquiring oats, corn, beans in areas that will have a smaller environmental impact per ton of food that is produced," West said.

Environmental groups also will be able to identify vulnerable areas that need greater protection.

West said all the information will be posted on the web to make it available to the largest possible audience.

In coming decades, farmers will need to more-than-double food production while doing more to protect land and water, he said.

Stephanie Hemphill covers the environment for MPR News.

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Should genetically modified crops be used in wildlife refuges?

Posted at 11:21 AM on February 2, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms

MPR file photo- Native plants poke through the rubble of a corn crop

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has long used farming as a management tool. On some wildlife refuges crops are planted as food for waterfowl and other wildlife. In Minnesota a common use of farming is to prepare land before restoring it to native vegetation.

Later today on the MPR News program All Things Considered, I'll have a story about an environmental review of the use of genetically modified crops on national wildlife refuges.

Wildlife managers say farming a piece of land for three or four years is the best way to kill all of the weeds that might be established on land that's been laying dormant. That gives native plants a better chance at survival.

Managers like to allow farmers to use genetically modified corn or soybeans. They say that means a single herbicide, Roundup, is used instead of other longer lasting herbicides.

Some national environmental groups are questioning the practice.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Midwest Region has an environmental assessment of the practice up for public comment for the next couple of weeks.

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Canola oil plant brings jobs to Hallock

Posted at 9:52 AM on January 4, 2011 by Dan Gunderson (2 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Farms, Northwest Minnesota

Photo courtesy Northern Canola Growers

Northstar Agri Industries will break ground next week on a $160 million canola oil plant in the northwestern Minnesota community of Hallock.

The plant has been in the works for several years but was delayed when the U.S. banking crisis stopped the company's effort to obtain a construction loan.

Organizers say they've now secured a $100 million construction loan and work will start on the project this month. They aim to have the plant operational by the fall of 2012.

Construction will be an economic boost to northwest Minnesota with about 200 workers involved in building the plant.

When the plant is operational it's expected to employ 47 full time workers.

The plant is being built in response to a growing demand for canola oil. More farmers in the northern plains are growing canola. North Dakota leads the nation in canola production and canola is also big north of the border in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

When it's operating, the plant is expected to produce nearly 300 million pounds of food grade canola oil each year along with tons of canola meal.

There have also been recent expansions of canola processing in Canada as worldwide demand for the oil increases.

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CRP at 25; what's the future?

Posted at 11:01 AM on December 29, 2010 by Dan Gunderson (1 Comments)
Filed under: Environment, Farms

MPR photo Dan Gunderson

The federal Conservation Reserve Program marks its 25th year this month. The program was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

The idea was to pay farmers to stop growing crops on poor quality farmland susceptible to erosion and plant grasses or trees instead.

Minnesota is among the leading states in CRP enrollment. Recent USDA data show Minnesota is sixth in acres enrolled with 1,642,877, fifth in payments with $106,349,155 in rental payments to landowners and third in number of farms enrolled in the program with 32,956.

The conservation acres are mostly in the northwest corner of the state where 5 counties account for nearly 40 percent of the CRP acres in Minnesota.

Many of those acres could return to active farmland in the next five years as farmer contracts with the CRP program end. By 2015 about 50 percent of the conservation acres in Minnesota could be cropland again.

Some of that land will likely be re-enrolled in the program. USDA is maintaining about 30 million acres of CRP nationwide.

But if crop prices are strong, and rent for crop land is high, land owners have a financial incentive to get out of the CRP program and earn better money from crop production.

There are many studies showing the environmental and wildlife benefits of CRP. All of those idled acres reduce water pollution and create habitat that increases the population of many wildlife species.

There are also many studies showing CRP negatively affects the economy of rural communities, especially in those counties with a lot of CRP acres. When the land is idled farmers aren't spending money at Main Street businesses.

It will be interesting to see what choices landowners make in the next five years, and what incentives Congress includes in the 2012 farm bill to encourage conservation.

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No-till grows, Minnesota lags

Posted at 1:35 PM on December 21, 2010 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

One of the best ways to reduce farmland erosion is with a cropping system known as 'no-till'. With no-till a farmer doesn't plow the field, but simply plants the new crop in the stubble and plant residue of last year's crop. A recent study by the U.S. Agriculture Department shows that farmer acceptance and use of no-till is growing. That includes Minnesota, although no-till is generally much less common here than in other parts of the United States.

Take a look at soybeans. The report says that in 2006 about 45 percent of U.S. soybeans fields were 'no-till'. In Minnesota though the number was just 11 percent.

The reason Minnesota lags is largely thought to be because of the affect of plant material on the surface of the soil. The good part is that the material helps holds the soil in place, preventing wind and water erosion. But the drawbacks are especially noticeable in northern states like Minnesota.

In the spring, all that plant material acts like insulation, holding cold and moisture in the ground. No-till soils warm and dry out slower in the spring than land that is plowed. That means in the spring no-till farmers may have to wait longer to plant. That's a significant disadvantage, since studies show in most years the earlier a farmer plants, the better.

The USDA intends to track no-till more intensively in the future. Beginning this year, the agency will conduct a single survey about no-till use. In the past, the information was pieced together from several surveys. In some years no-till information about some crops was incomplete because there wasn't enough data.

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Judge rules against genetically modified sugarbeets

Posted at 2:59 PM on December 1, 2010 by Dan Gunderson (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Northwest Minnesota

MPR file photo

A federal judge in California dealt another blow to genetically modified sugarbeets this week. The judge ruled Monsanto must destroy seedlings planted to produce seed for
the herbicide resistant beet plants. Monsanto says it will appeal.

Earlier this year the same judge ruled the USDA did not perform proper environmental review before approving Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugarbeets. Farmers have embraced the genetically modified beets because it's easier to control weeds in their fields and that means a bigger crop at harvest.

Minnesota and North Dakota grow more than half the sugarbeets produced in the nation, and for the past couple of years, more than 90 percent of all the beets planted were the herbicide resistant variety.

As a result, the companies that produce seeds that aren't genetically modified cut back their production because of falling demand for their seeds.

It's now looking like the legal case will drag well into next year, so farmers who want to be sure they can plant sugarbeets next year will need to buy seeds that are NOT genetically modified.

Companies don't talk much about seed supply for obvious competitive reasons, but industry insiders expect a scramble as farmers try to lock up the best varieties which might be in limited supply. This is the time of year farmers typically buy seed for next spring.

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Farmland rents rise

Posted at 10:55 AM on November 26, 2010 by Mark Steil (0 Comments)
Filed under: Farms

Mark Steil / MPR

Farmers like to tell anyone outside of agriculture that there's a lot more to the business than just the price of grain. Those grain prices have been relatively profitable the past few years but that doesn't mean agriculture has become a no-worry enterprise. Because along with grain prices, the cost of farming is also rising.

When grain prices go up, it's noticed by everyone in the business. Farmers certainly, but also by the people who supply farmers with what they need to grow a crop. That includes fertilizer, seed and tractor companies....and also landlords. They know high grain prices means farmers are seeing more revenue, and they generally want a piece of that income.

A good example is the price of renting land.

David Bau is with University of Minnesota Extension. He says land rental rates have increased steadily the last few years. For 2009, rental prices increased almost 9 percent. That means for the best farmland in the state rental rates are $150 an acre or more.

A typical southern Minnesota corn/soybean farmer plants about 1000 acres of crops. If that farmer happens to rent all the land, that rental bill alone is $150,000.

Bau says while all the numbers aren't in yet for this year, it's likely that rents rose sharply again, at least 7 percent in some parts of the state. And with grain prices now generally above year ago levels, Bau says rents will rise again next year.

Those rental rates are one of the most important cost factors for Minnesota farmers. Bau says contrary to what many people may believe, most farmers rent the majority of their cropland.

He says a rule of thumb is that a typical farmer owns anywhere from a quarter to a third of the land they plant each spring, the rest is rented. So as rental rates go up, their cost of business continues to increase. Those higher bills take some of the luster off surging grain prices.

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Respected soil scientist retires

Posted at 1:00 PM on November 19, 2010 by Mark Steil (1 Comments)
Filed under: Farms, Southwest Minnesota

A man who knows as much about Minnesota farm soils as anyone is retiring at the end of the year.

For almost 40 years, Gyles Randall has worked at the University of Minnesota's Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca. The professor's official title is soil scientist, but he's been much more than just an analyst of the different types of farmland Minnesota contains. He knows those soils minutely, and he can link that knowledge to the farming changes he's seen in Minnesota's countryside. And how those changes in turn affect rural society. So as Minnesota farms got bigger and more specialized, he could see how that change affected the volume and type of material being washed off agricultural land and into the state's waterways.

"Agriculture is changing, it's really changing," says Randall.

Randall says most of the worst soil practices by farmers have ended. When Randall started his career a farmer's goal in the fall was to 'plow it black'. In other words, to turn over the soil so that all the crop stubble was buried. Now Randall says farmers leave more crop residue on the surface than their parents and grandparents did. That helps protect the field from wind and water erosion.

"It's unbelievably better," says Randall.

Randall says there's been a gradual but steady shift in agriculture to less and less tillage. He says while that's helped reduce erosion, there is still plenty of room for improvement. His opinion on what sorts of changes are needed was best demonstrated in a commentary piece commentary piece he wrote in 2001. Randall began the piece with these words:

"Present-day corn and soybean production in southern Minnesota does not appear to be sustainable from economic, environmental, ecological and sociological perspectives."

Randall says farmers have continued to improve soil management since he wrote that piece. He says with those changes corn and soybean production may be sustainable on the mostly flatland areas of southern and western Minnesota. But he still sees problems in regions like southeast Minnesota. There, the hillier terrain means more water runoff and soil erosion. In many cases, that means soil is being lost faster than it can regenerate. It's part of a pattern of farm runoff nationwide that helps cause the 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Nitrogen losses and phosphorus losses to the Gulf of Mexico have consequences," says Randall.

Randall has an idea how to reduce that farm runoff, even though he admits it may not be possible in the economics of modern day, 'get big or get out', agriculture. In his heart of hearts Randall would like to see the nation reverse the trend toward ever larger farms. He grew up on a small farm in southeast Minnesota. Those were the days when farmers raised a wide diversity of crops. Corn, sure...soybeans, maybe....but also small grains like wheat, oats, barley and pasture crops like alfalfa. Each farmer typically kept dairy cows, hogs, and chickens. Randall would like to see farming move back in that direction. He says in most ways, small farm diversity helps strengthen soils, because each crop adds something special to the land. Plus with small operations there's not as much economic pressure to use high-erosion, hilly terrain for crop production. It can be used instead as grassy pasture land for livestock.

In addition, Randall says smaller farms would reverse the steady population declines rural areas have seen over the span of his career. He says more people would help boost the small town businesses that depend on farms for much of their sales. Randall admits the days of two or three farms to the square mile may be gone forever but says they're worth considering. Studying small particles of soil have lead him to some big conclusions about the by-gone days of farming.

"It's tough to beat," says Randall. "There were tremendous communities, support for each other. Working together. Stronger schools. More local businesses. We lose some of those things when we get really large."

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