Even better:

The acres received 2.4 inches of rain Saturday – Monday (much better than the 5+ inches less than 10 miles east)

Soil temp was about 62 degrees F at the time of planting, according to the state’s Agricultural Weather Network, NDAWN

This warm, wet soil is exactly what corn needs for a great start. The National Weather Service also predicts high temps in the 70’s this week.

The corn seed is Pioneer double stacked 39D97 with required 20% corn borer refuge (39D95). It was treated with Jumpstart and Torque, a product from EMD Bioscience, plus a fungicide. See photos of the smooth, level seed bed, which will help seeds germinate and, ultimately, impact crop yield at harvest time.

Meanwhile, the warm, wet soil and warm forecast points to optimism for the 2010 AdFarm N.D. crop. Stay tuned….

Your thoughts on our corn crop planting?

Our crop will be grown again this year on Graham Farms, located near Vulcan, Alberta. Last year’s crop of field peas yielded approximately 20 bushels/acre, which is considered average. The crop was just marketed and we’ll know the results in the next week.

Due to unfavorable conditions during the last two weeks of April, seeding has been delayed by at least two weeks.

“We were finally able to get the wheels turning this week,” says Ben Graham, who farms with his parents on their 100 year old farm. “We usually like to get the crop in the last week of April but with the snow we’ve had it’s been impossible to get into the fields.”

We’ve chosen to grow InVigor 5440 this year because of its strong agronomic characteristics – early germination, strong vigor and the ability to grow under severe environmental conditions. InVigor 5440 is the top yielding InVigor and is ideally suited the growing conditions on our farm.

Once again AdFarmers have the opportunity to experience a taste of farming by purchasing shares in the farm. So far, 34 AdFarmers have staked their claim.

“The investment is just $25 per share and there’s a maximum of four shares per investor,” explains farm boss Shannon Warren. “Some years we’ve made money, others just broken even. We’re hoping that this year will be on the profitable side.”

This year’s share offering was kicked off at a luncheon held on the AdFarm Calgary patio on Thursday, May 13, which turned out to be the first sunny day of the spring. Joining us was Simone Demers Collins,
Market Development & Promotions Coordinator with the Alberta Canola Producers Commission.

In her work with chefs and food service professionals across Canada and in the United States, Simone has been tirelessly promoting the nutritional value of using Canadian canola oil in cooking and deep frying.

“We’re seeing more restaurants recognizing the versatility and affordability of using canola oil but there’s still a lot of work to do to convince chefs that canola oil is a healthier alternative to the more expensive cooking oils,” says Simone.

Stay tuned for more information on seeding and the progress of our canola crop.

Did you know?  When you use canola oil to make a salad dressing or marinade, it won’t thicken or get cloudy when refrigerated.

Do you know of any other benefits of canola oil?

On the journey I visited the home office of AdFarmer Katie Pinke in Wishek, ND, which helped me understand how Katie stays engaged with agriculture day in and day out — so far away from those of us in Kansas City, St. Louis, Fargo, Calgary and Guelph.

Included is a pictorial of my trip to Wishek (a small, yet mighty agricultural community). Also included are facts about the town and North Dakota agriculture.

Upon entering Wishek, a HUGE community welcome sign proudly touts the town’s claim as the Sauerkraut Capital of ND. Wishek has a population of 875 with approximately 375 households.

Wishek was named after rancher John H. Wishek. The town hosts two restaurants, five churches, a community park and swimming pool, a grocery, a hardware/lumber store, multiple farm machinery dealers, two grain elevators, two hair salons, and its own school system. A well-established farming community, Wishek contributes to the states $5.8 billion in cash receipts from agricultural production.

AdFarm West (home of Katie Pinke) is open and ready for business! To note, 24 percent of North Dakota workers are farmers and ranchers or are employed in farm-related jobs. We are proud to have our North Dakota AdFarmers included in these stats.

During a break from meetings — we drove to the Wishek John Deere dealership to check out the new arrivals of machinery. In North Dakota, production agriculture is the largest sector of the state’s gross sales – contributing 25 percent of its economic base.

We then ventured to the Case IH dealership on the other side of town (which took less than one minute) to check out their new 4-wheel drive tractors. There are 32,000 farms and ranches in North Dakota. The average size operation is 1,238 acres.

No trip to Wishek is complete until you stop in at Farmers Elevator Inc. for a quick hello and cup of coffee.  Farmers Elevator is one of hundreds of local facilities of this kind across the state. Wheat is the number one commodity in statewide cash sales. North Dakota growers produce enough wheat each year for 15.5 billion loaves of bread.

Right in the heart of downtown is the Pinke Lumber Company. This is the one (and only) place where area businesses, residents, growers and ranchers can buy anything and everything to fix, repair, remodel and/or build.  It is the only lumber company within 100 miles. Pinke Lumber is a critical component in keeping area farmers, ranchers and agri-business up and running 24-7.

Like most rural U.S. communities, the Wishek water tower proudly hosts the town name. Notable natives of Wishek include Ted Mann who owned Mann Theatre chain and Graumann’s Chinese Theatre, and Mark Pfeifle, a top national security advisor for President George W. Bush.

At the end of the day, I headed east toward the AdFarm Fargo office. Recent rains had water running across local roads.  North Dakota has experienced serious flooding the past two years. Last year the Red River which borders Fargo and Grand Forks set a record flood level. While sand bag efforts saved the major cities along the flood routes, production acres were left underwater in many rural areas  which delayed fieldwork and therefore negatively impacting crop forecasts for the North central region of the U.S.

I witnessed the last of the snow across the prairie lands. Warm weather was greening up pastures with cattle expected to return for grazing in the weeks to follow. North Dakota ranches host more than two million head of cattle, which is the second largest source of new wealth in the state. The beef cattle industry contributes $600 million annually to the state’s annual agricultural income.

In summary, my visit to Wishek provided a geographic view of production agriculture at is very best. It was a terrific trip. Somewhat off the regular path from Bismarck to Fargo, but well worth the drive.

What do you learn about agriculture in your travels?

You’re washing windows and moving the lawn mower to the front of the garage; snow blower to the back. If you’re a  vegetable gardener, you’re incorporating fertilizer into your soil to provide nutrients for your veggies as they grow.

On our AdFarm North Dakota acres, spring cleaning and field prep will soon be in high gear.

Last year’s crop, pinto beans, was harvested in November. As soon as the AdFarm field dries out, it will be time to prepare the soil for our 2010 crop: corn. Right now, the plan is to deep band the fertilizer in the week of May 3 with the Wil-Rich Q160 air drill.

As Cooperating Farmer Fred Lukens explains: “The process of cleaning up organic waste and applying it back to the soil has been a farming practice for hundreds of years. We’ve updated the equipment, but the principles are similar. When hauled onto a field fresh from a livestock pen, manure must first break down into usable fertilizer for a crop. It must also be dug into the existing soil to help it decompose into nutrients for future crops. See more pictures of spring clean up here.

“For our barley and canola, we do that by digging it in with our Wishek disk. The heavy discs cut the surface trash left from last year’s crop and incorporate that in with the top soil and manure. The harrow teeth behind the discs comb the surface to smooth it out.”

Fred is now seeding barley and canola into the prepared ground. Next up: Prep on AdFarm’s acres.

We’d love to hear about your spring cleanup, too.

What do you think about our spring 2010 field preparations — are you doing the same?

Rather than rewrite what already exists, here are two quotes to whet your appetite:

““I’ve made my share of mistakes but I love it. It makes a living I enjoy… The love of what you do moves you forward.” Del Wisdom

“In 2006, I quit my office job and knew I needed to do something life-giving…I’m ridiculously happy with what I’m doing. I get to play in the dirt.” Hillary Jensen

Also common to these two stories is the meaning and deep faith that both Del and Hillary find and bring to their work. More than a job, this is a vocation, a calling to a place that is greater and deeper than it might appear on the surface.

Writer Frederick Buechner said it so well, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

And isn’t that farming?  The act of creating and re-creating is truly a place of deep calling.

What’s your calling?

P.S. Hungry for more life-affirming Buechner quotes?

Ron Wall is constantly on the hunt for insights to fuel his relentless creativity. He can be contacted directly at Ron.Wall@adfarmonline.com

One thing that helps me understand farmers’ needs is to be involved in farming decisions as a landowner.  Raised on a grain farm in central Illinois, I now own a portion of that farm with my sisters, and also cash rent other farmland with my mother.

This is the first in a series of updates about the progress and challengers on my farmland throughout the crop season.  First, let me introduce you to my grower – my cousin – Austin Apgar.

Meet farmer Austin Apgar

Austin, 28, farms in Douglas County, Illinois, just south of Champaign.  With a masters’ degree in Agribusiness/Farm Management from the University of Illinois, Austin has been farming for 5 years.  After college, Austin spent a few years combining farming with part-time positions at John Deere and the University of Illinois.  As his farming operation has grown, today, he concentrates full-time on farming.

Austin was involved in the farm since he was 8 years old, helping his grandfather walk beans as well as riding in the tractor and combine.  “I have always wanted to farm and never had any desire to go into any other area of agriculture,” says Austin. “If I didn’t have this opportunity, I would have gone into farm management through some bank or farm management firm.”

Managing multiple landlords

Austin owns about 20 percent of the land he farms. He farmed for 16 different landlords when he started, buying out seven of them over time. Today he works with nine landlords, including six family members and three farm managers. Austin continually looks to buy out more of his landlords — his preferred way to acquire more land — rather than renting more ground for cash rent.

Prepaid inputs in 2009

In 2010, Austin plans to a 50/50 split on corn and beans.  He has secured seed, fertilizer, anhydrous, and paid for his herbicide program before the end of last year.

Getting ready for planting

Currently, Austin is cleaning equipment and servicing the tractors in preparation for planting.  As soon as the ground dries out, he will start tillage work, fix broken tile, apply fertilizer, and spreading lime that could not be applied last fall.

Stay tuned for an update next month on where Austin is on our 2010 crop.

If you are involved with family farm, how are your cropping decisions made?

Angela Skochdopole brings a deep understanding of the farmer to all the work she does for AdFarm clients.  She works from Richmond, Virginia, and you can reach Angie directly at angie.skochdopole@adfarmonline.com

First course

AdFarm Farm Boss Les Kahl, who spoke from the St. Louis office, began by explaining the unique menu served at this meeting: homemade tater tot hotdish and ice cold milk to drink. “AdFarm N.D. Farm shareholders are like a family. When we win, we all win. When we lose, we all lose. Our pinto bean crop lost money in 2009.  In part to manage our costs and in the spirit of our family-like get together, we had volunteers from each office prepare tater tot hotdish.” Kahl noted that because the labor for preparation was donated, the meal cost was about one-third the cost of a catered fast food meal. “Just like any business, when times are tough, we have to manage our costs,” he said.

Shareholder reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Loyal AdFarm N.D. Farm shareholder Jeff Reed in Fargo said, “What a great idea. And the truth is, I think nearly all of us would rather eat tater tot hotdish every year at this meeting.”

Volunteer chefs were Erin Jarolimek and Susan Hogen in Fargo; Joni Butterfield in Grand Forks; Jason Laqua and Hilary Winn in St. Louis.

2009 recap

Kahl turned the 2009 and 2010 crop presentations over to participating farmer Fred Lukens, who presented from the Fargo office. Lukens thanked shareholders for record participation in 2009, when 129 shareholders purchased 566 shares in the 2009 AdFarm N.D. Farm educational project. Lukens explained the sequence of weather events and decision making leading to the late harvest of the 2009 pinto bean crop.

Kahl thanked N.D. Farm Coordinator Erin Jarolimek for leading the way to 57% total employee participation. Each share experienced a $4.63 loss in 2009.  Jarolimek reminded the shareholders that each share returned more than $15 in profit in 2008 saying, “Farming is long term. Like anything else, we average the good with the bad. Our farm profit history is more good than bad.  So we’ll keep moving forward.”

2010 plan

Shareholders are now tuned in to the 2010 crop, Pioneer 39D97 corn, a 79-day double stacked variety (Round-up Ready and corn borer resistant) variety. 39D97 will be planted on 80% of the acres; Pioneer 39D95 corn will go on the required 20% corn borer refuge acres.

Need a recipe for never-fail comfort food? The tater tot hotdish recip, along with some great photos, is at www.griggsdakota.blogspot.com

We’d love to hear about your favorite hotdish, too.

Are you surprised on the results of our 2009 crop? Comments on our 2010 crop plan?

A graduate of Iowa State with a degree in agricultural business, Gannon is passionate about farming.  He feels that family farming operations like his are often misunderstood, and he wants to help inform the consuming public.  

What does Gannon want to share about his farming operation?  See his response in this video.    

Looking forward to a great start.

“Seventy-eight day corn is early maturing corn for our part of the world, where 82-85 day corn is more prevalent. It also has good yield potential: 39D97 did yield 190 bu/acre in a plot at Amenia, N.D., last year.” (The national average corn yield is around 156 bu/acre. Last year’s North Dakota average was around 115 bu/acre.)

Since 39D97 is a Bt corn, it will only go on 80% of the AdFarm acres.  The other 20% will be seeded with Pioneer 39V05 corn, a Roundup Ready only variety that will go on as corn borer refuge acres.

Refuge?

Planting refuge acres alongside Bt corn crops is required by law. A refuge is anything that is not Bt corn. So for every 80 acres you plant of the Bt you have to plant 20 acres of the refuge. The thought behind refuge is that some insects are never exposed to Bt, so they have no resistance to it. The only way insects develop resistance is by exposure. Refuge acres generate insects that are never exposed to Bt so that they will mate with insects that are exposed to Bt. The result? Dilute the chances of the offspring being resistant and protecting the corn crop.

Field prep

Last year’s AdFarm North Dakota crop, pinto beans, was harvested in November. Fred will apply fertilizer with his WilRich drill in the spring, ahead of seeding our corn.

What are your thoughts on our crop plan for 2010 ?

Keywords: AdFarm, AdFarm North Dakota farm crop, AdFarm ND crop, AdFarm ND farm, North Dakota corn, ND corn, Pioneer 39D97 corn, Roundup Ready corn, Pioneer 39V05 corn, corn borer refuge

Do you know a progressive farmer?
What changes are you making on your farm?