Posts

Hold-Even Extension Budget Prevails in the Senate

/in /by

An appropriations bill, HB1020, for NDSU Extension the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station was unanimously passed out of the Senate. Greg Lardy, interim director for NDSU Extension and the ND Ag Experiment Station, says one advancement in the Senate’s version is a hold-even budget.

“That includes nearly a $3 million move forward for the main station and $1.2 million for branch stations,” says Lardy. There is concern about the House’s version, which calls for cuts to the Experiment Station and Research Extension Center Network.

The Senate and House bills now move into conference committee, where three senators and three representatives will be assigned to the committee. Lardy expects work on the bill to begin as early as next week.

Hear more in this interview.

(Source: Red River Farm Network)

Black Beans

2018 Dry Bean Grower Survey Results

/in /by

For 29 years, dry bean growers have responded to an annual survey of varieties grown, pest problems, pesticide use and grower practices. Research and Extension faculty at North Dakota State University, along with directors of the Northarvest Bean Growers Association, developed the survey form, which was mailed to all Northarvest bean growers. All participants of the survey were anonymous.

A total of 241 growers responded to the survey, representing 15.2 percent of last year’s total planted acreage. The previous year, 239 growers complete the survey.

More than 32 percent of growers who responded ranked drought as the most significant production problem in 2018. Diseases and harvest were ranked as the next largest production problems. In 2017, water damage was number one on this list and drought was number two.

For the second year in a row, the survey included questions about dicamba drift injury and whether it will affect growers’ future planting intentions. Six growers reported dicamba drift injury on their dry bean acres in 2018, compared to nine the previous year. The six growers affected estimated yield losses of 300 to 2,000 pounds per acre.

As in 2017, the worst weed problems in 2018 were kochia, lambsquarters and ragweed. Basagran/generics and Raptor were the most commonly used herbicides by dry bean growers last year.

Read the full results here.

Dry Bean Scene

/in , , /by

For the current marketing year, export sales of dry edible beans into Mexico have been slow. That according to NDSU Extension crops economist Frayne Olson. Hear more in this week’s Dry Bean Scene on the Red River Farm Network, made possible by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association.

Dry Bean Scene

/in , , , /by

According to NDSU Extension crops economist Frayne Olson, the dry bean industry is keeping a close eye on export markets in 2019. Hear more in this week’s Dry Bean Scene on the Red River Farm Network, made possible by the Northarvest Bean Growers Association.

Times of Tough Cash Flow

/in /by

In times of tough cash flow, Northland Community and Technical College Farm Business Management Instructor Betsy Jensen says debt is part of a farming operation. “Farmers can restructure. They can take existing debt, lump it together and string it out over a few years. That’s not uncommon and not a bad thing to do,” says Jensen. “You don’t want to do it every year, but that can alleviate the cash crunch for 2019.”

Jensen joined NDSU Extension Marketing Specialist Frayne Olson and Emerado farmer Shane Sand in a panel discussion on cash flow at the 2019 International Crop Expo in Grand Forks.

According to Sand, a successful landowner-tenant relationship depends on communication. Sand uses everything from newsletters and phone calls to Snapchat to connect with his landlords. “If I’m on the landlord’s property, I’ll shoot a short video and send them an e-mail link and show them what we’re doing today on their land.” Simply put, Sand treats landlords just like he wants to be treated.

(Source: Red River Farm Network)

A Battle Against Resistant Weeds

/in /by

While Palmer amaranth is garnering much of the attention, there are other resistant weed battles being fought in the region. According to Brian Jenks, a weed scientist at the NDSU North Central Research Extension Center, waterhemp is probably the bigger issue in eastern North Dakota.

“A couple other weeds we’re concerned about because of resistance are kochia and horseweed. We see kochia blowing across fields, spreading seeds and leaving trails,” says Jenks. “Another is narrowleaf hawksbeard in the western part of the state. It can easily blanket a field in just a year or two, resembling a canola field.”

Jenks spoke at the Wild World of Weeds Workshop in Fargo. Hear more of the conversation.