Posts

Communicate Planting Decisions

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Preparations for the 2021 planting season are underway. That’s why the North Dakota Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to communicate with neighbors while making decisions. In a statement, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said communication about plantings and their field locations will help mitigate potential off target impacts to vulnerable crops.
 
“We recognize that we’ve had challenging years with off target pesticide impacts to adjacent vulnerable crops. With rising market prices, producers may also be encouraged to plant more soybean acres next year,” Goehring said. “Some of the issues we’ve seen could have been avoided through better communication and planning. We believe communicating with your neighbor about what crops you will be planting, and their field locations, will help to mitigate many potential off target impacts to vulnerable crops.”
 

Two Palmer Findings in Two Weeks

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Palmer amaranth has been confirmed in Stutsman County, North Dakota. A county weed officer noticed some suspect plants in a field and notified the landowner. One week prior, the noxious weed, along with large amounts of waterhemp, were identified in a Benson County, North Dakota soybean field. It’s not exactly known how the weed got there, but the Benson County Extension agent thinks the weeds may have been there for many years.
 
Palmer amaranth is native to the southwestern U.S. but was accidentally introduced to other areas and has devastated crops in the South and Midwest. It is a prolific seed producer that can emerge throughout the growing season. It grows rapidly at 2-3 inches per day in optimum conditions and is prone to herbicide resistance and multiple modes of action. It is a highly invasive weed that can dramatically cut crop yields.
 
Additional information on palmer amaranth and other noxious weeds are available here. To report a suspect plant, go to https://www.nd.gov/ndda/pa or contact your local county weed officer or North Dakota State University Extension agent.

Residents Receiving Unknown Seeds from China

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Residents in North Dakota and Minnesota are receiving unsolicited packages containing seeds from China. Agriculture officials in other states are also reporting similar instances, and the motive behind this action is not known at the time. The foreign seeds may be invasive and introduce diseases harmful to plants and/or livestock. Anyone receiving unsolicited seeds in the mail should retain the seeds and packing, including the mailing label. Then, the State Department of Agriculture should be contacted to report the incident and receive further instruction.

Beans Available for Bids in the Grand Forks Area

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North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has been appointed trustee in the C&F Foods Inc. d/b/a Turtle River Bean Company of Manvel, ND grain insolvency proceedings.
 
The Commissioner is offering for sale: red kidney beans, small red beans, small red splits, small red re-mill beans, black beans, organic black beans, organic black bean splits, pinto beans, pinto re-mill beans, feed beans and mixed beans at Manvel, North Dakota.
 
Samples may be viewed on Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day at Turtle River Bean Company in Manvel, ND. This announcement and related documents are available at https://www.nd.gov/ndda/bid. 

ND Dept. of Ag Offering Letters for Essential Workers

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Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring is providing letters to critical and essential agriculture businesses for verification purposes in response to requests for being identified as such. The list of essential members of the food and agriculture workforce released by the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are vital to the continuous availability of a safe and reliable food supply.
 
The full list from CISA can be found here. To request a letter authenticating a business as critical and essential, call the North Dakota Department of Agriculture at 701-328-2231 or visit the NDDA website.

North Dakota Exploring Options to Assist Farmers

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The North Dakota Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to report crop losses or any other damage associated with the wet fall and recent blizzard to county-based NDSU Extension agents. That information will be shared to help the state prepare a Secretarial disaster declaration. A Presidential disaster declaration will also likely be sought. Once submitted, it will take several weeks for disaster declaration these approvals.
 
Additionally, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will be in Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown and Fessenden on Monday, October 21. The team will visit these flood-affected areas to look at damage and losses for federal disaster requests, as well as visit with farmers, ranchers and officials. Get the full schedule.

Specialty Crop Block Grants Awarded for Dry Bean Research

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The North Dakota Department of Agriculture has awarded 24 grants totaling more than $2.7 million to promote the development, cultivation, production and sales of specialty crops. North Dakota State University will receive:
  • $81,767 to study the optimization of fungicide timing, row spacing and winter rye for improved Sclerotinia management in dry beans.
  • $202,040 for increasing breeding efficiencies in dry bean by using improved selection tools for cultivar development.
The Agriculture Department received 48 applications for grants, which were reviewed and scored by a select committee and approved by Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. Of the 48 applications, 24 were forwarded to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service for final approval.

Ag Day at the Capitol

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The Northarvest Bean Growers Association participated in Ag Day at the North Dakota State Capitol on Tuesday, March 19. This annual event recognizes the agricultural community by highlighting the crops and commodities produced in the state.
 
Megan Myrdal, director of domestic marketing and communications, represented Northarvest by showcasing a variety of products. Featured were Northarvest beans and visitors sampled bean chips with a pinto bean hummus. Click here for the recipe.

ND Specialty Crop Grant Deadline Approaching

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The deadline to apply for 2019 Specialty Crop Grants is Friday, March 8. Specialty crops grown in North Dakota include dry beans, dry peas, lentils potatoes, confections sunflowers, and various fruits and vegetables. According to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the state are eligible for the funding. More information is available on the NDDA website.