The McLeod County Chronicle - Arlington Enterprise

AG SCENE - 2 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Index
4 Square Builders ..................................38
A+ Insurance Agency, Inc. ..................43
ADM Edible Bean Specialities, Inc. ....16
After Burner Auto Body........................10
Ag Specialists..................................22, 35
Ag Venture Corn Capitol Innovations ..28
Alsleben Livestock Trucking ..................9
American Family Insurance -
Lonnie D. Kopel Agency, ................16
American Family Insurance -
David J. Maurice Agency ................16
Arnold’s Implement Inc.........................13
Auto Value Parts ......................................6
Bird Island-Hawk Creek
Mutual Ins. Agency ..........................36
Bergmann Interiors ..............................13
Bird Island Soil Service ........................34
Brownton Co-op Ag Center ....................8
Brust Electric ..........................................8
Carly’s Shoes ........................................27
Community Electric ..............................30
Co-op Country Farmers Elevator ........12
Country Wide Lumber ..........................36
Creative Details ....................................19
Crop Production Services......................46
Crow River Glass ..................................46
Dahlberg Boat & Trailer Sales ................6
Dale’s Auto Sales ....................................8
Dale’s Plumbing and Heating..................4
Danube Lumber ....................................42
Danube Upholstery & Shoe Repair ........6
David Larson Fin. & Ins. Svcs., Inc. ....20
Dawson Co-op Credit Union ................41
Dobrava Bros., Inc...................................9
Duane Jindra Crop Ins. Agency ............47
Edward Jones - Kirk Miller ..................22
Enestvedt Seed Co ................................41
Ervin Well Company ..............................6
Exsted Realty ........................................38
F & M Bank Minnesota ........................30
F & M Insurance....................................41
Fahey Sales..............................................4
Farmers & Merchants Ins. Agency -
Steve Agre ..........................................6
Farmers & Merchants State Bank ........34
Farmers Co-op Oil Co ..........................43
Finish Line Seed Inc. ..............................6
First Minnesota Bank ..............................3
First Security Bank................................18
Flatworks Concrete Const., LLC ..........38
Flora Mutual Insurance Co. ....................6
Foamtastic Insulation, Inc. ....................25
Full Throttle Services ..............................2
Gerald Kucera PHI ................................46
Glencoe Co-op Assn..............................22
Glencoe Fleet Supply ............................37
Glencoe Law Office ..............................40
Glencoe Oil Co. ....................................46
Glencoe Veterinary Clinic ....................48
Goetsch Insurance Agency ....................37
Grizzly Buildings, Inc. ..........................11
H & L Motors Inc. ................................18
Harpel Bros. Inc. ..................................51
Harvest Land Cooperative ....................39
Hearing Care Specialists, Kurt Pfaff ....17
Heller Group Realty ..............................25
Henslin Auctions, Inc. ..........................44
Home Solutions ....................................52
Home Town Bank..................................12
Hughes Auction Service, LLC ..............36
Hutchinson Co-op..................................10
Hutchinson Medical Center ..................49
J & R Electric Inc. ................................18
J & R Insurance Agency..........................8
Jerry Scharpe Ltd., ................................48
Jungclaus Carquest................................40
Jungclaus Implement ................14, 15, 45
K & S Electric ......................................31
Kahnke Brothers Tree Farm ....................7
Keith L. Scott Agency ..........................42
Ken Franke Conklin Service ................10
Klein Bank ............................................10
Kranz Lawn & Power............................49
Lake Region Insurance Agency ............12
Larkin Tree Care & Lndsg Inc. ............31
Latham Hi-Tech Seeds ..........................50
Lester Buildings ....................................40
Linder Farm Network............................23
Mallak Trucking Inc. ............................36
Mathews Drainage & Excavating, Inc...27
McLeod County Solid Waste ................17
McLeod Publishing, Inc. ....24, 34, 46, 47
Mid Country Bank ................................47
Mid County Co-op Agron. ......................4
Mid-State Painting ................................36
Minn West Bank ....................................26
Midwest Machinery ..............................24
Morris Builders......................................39
Mycogen Seeds - Brad Pietig ................42
Northern Plumbing & Heating, Inc. ......16
Northland Buildings ..............................22
NuTech Seeds, Jay P. Nelson ................27
OEM Services........................................10
Olivia Chrysler Center ..........................26
Olivia Machine Shop Inc.......................29
Olivia Pet Clinic ....................................42
Otto Farms Operation Inc. ....................21
PHI Insurance - Chad Schmalz ............49
Precision Planting - Chad Schmalz ........2
Precision Soya of Minnesota ..................6
ProAg Celebration ................................30
Pro Equipment Sales ............................33
Professional Ins - Ron Molstad ............10
Professional Ins - Terry Jones................46
Quality Septic Services ........................19
RAM Builders ........................................8
Renville Sales, Inc. ................................26
Sam’s Tire Service ................................45
Saunders Mertens Schmitz, PA ............19
Schad, Lindstrand & Schuth, LTD ........40
Schauer Construction Inc. of Glencoe ..51
Schauer & Sons Construction..................9
Schiroo Electrical & Rebuilding, Inc. ....7
Schmeling Oil........................................48
Schmitz Custom Bagging........................3
Schweiss Hydraulic Doors ....................32
Security Bank & Trust Co. ....................40
Seneca Foods Corp. ..............................21
Simonson Lumber ................................37
State Bank of Bird Island ......................32
State Farm Insurance ............................31
Tall Tires................................................36
Tauber Construction ..............................33
Terry’s Body Shop ..................................6
Thalmann Seeds ....................................46
Triad Construction ................................33
Two Way Communications....................20
United FCS............................................11
United Farmers Coop..3, 20, 35, 45, 47, 51
Upper Midwest Management ................43
Valley Electric of Olivia Inc. ................42
Valley View Electric, Inc. ......................37
Waconia Farm Supply ..........................27
Weis Oil Co ..........................................31
Willmar Aerial Spraying Inc. ................16
Wood’s Edge............................................9
Young America Mutual Ins. Co...............7
Full Throttle Services
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• Auto, truck & farm repairs.
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• Complete computer diagnostics.
• Oil changes, auto & light truck tires.
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SECTION 1
Sam’s Tire understands farmers’ needs ............................................................................p. 3
Organic but not necessarily certified is new trend........................................................p. 5
Will there be a recharge? ....................................................................................................p. 7
Fifteen trillion dollar debt casts huge shadows ..............................................................p. 9
Understanding crop rotation............................................................................................p. 10
Weather Forecast:Anybody’s guess..........................................................................p. 11, 12
Garbers’ Meats, more than meat market ......................................................................p. 13
Let’s talk water ....................................................................................................................p. 17
It takes big culverts to freeze a beet pile ................................................................p. 18, 19
Farm Outlook Seminar ......................................................................................................p. 21
Lynn Ketelson columns................................................................................................p. 22, 47
Ear tags tells sows how much to eat........................................................................p. 25, 26
SECTION 2
Minnesota’s oldest continuously-operating elevators........................p. 29, 30, 31, 33, 34
Local growers honor own at annual banquet ..............................................................p. 35
Local meat shops sprouting in Minnesota ........................................................p. 41, 42, 43
Agricultural career opportunities abound ....................................................................p. 45
Entitlement society is getting impatient........................................................................p. 48
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Thank you to all of our advertisers for contributing to the 2012 Ag Scene supplement.
Thank you to the writers and interviewees, for the editorial content.
Published by
McLeod Publishing, Inc., 716 E. 10th St., Glencoe, MN 55336 • 320-864-5518.
Renco Publishing, Inc., 110 NW Dupont Ave., Renville, MN 56284
Printed by
House of Print, 322 Benzel Ave. SW, Madelia, MN 56062 • 888-741-4467
Come on in and see how you can stop planting errors and start boosting your yield.
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YIELD IS IN THE DETAILS.

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 3 - AG SCENE
Sam’s Tire understands farmers’ needs
By Lori Copler
Staff Writer
If there is one thing that the folks at
Sam’s Tire Service in Glencoe understand,
it’s the needs of farmers,
particularly in the busy planting and harvesting
seasons.
“My father-in-law is a farmer himself,”
said Jeremy Geib, who has been Sam’s
Tires’ manager for about three years. He
also is a part-owner of the business,
along with his father-in-law, Tom Hueser.
Because Hueser is a farmer, he understands
how frustrated farmers can be
when equipment breaks down during
fieldwork.
That’s why Sam’s Tire Service has
three things important to farmers — an
extensive inventory of tires, extended
hours in the spring and fall, and on-thefarm
service.
“We want to make sure these guys
(farmers) can keep going,” said Geib.
The Sam’s Tires warehouse is packed
full of tires of all sizes for all types of vehicles
— from passenger cars and pickups
to semis and tractors, combines and
sprayers, as well as heavy equipment,
such as payloaders.
“We’ve had people call all over looking
for a particular tire, then call us and we
have it, right here in their neighborhood,”
said Geib. “We have a big inventory,
and we keep the warehouse full.”
And in the rare instance that Sam’s
Tire may not have a particular tire, “we
can usually get it within a day,” Geib
said.
The local company has eight employees,
and provides on-the-farm service
with a truck with a hoist. If a particular
piece of equipment can’t be serviced in
the field, “we’ll haul it in here and get it
done,” said Geib.
“I’m pretty confident we can tackle just
about anything,” Geib added. “We have
some pretty good equipment and great
technicians.”
And people know they can count on
Sam’s Tire. Geib said the company has
gone to farms as far away as Litchfield,
Henderson, Mankato and Hector.
Geib said Sam’s Tire is always looking
for ways to improve its service and has
bought equipment to accommodate the
large tires and tracks that adorn modern
farm machinery.
Sam’s Tire also can handle semitrucks,
from tires to full alignments, Geib
said, and provides Department of Transportation
inspections, also important to
farmers who haul grain, as well as the
general trucking industry.
But Sam’s Tire is not just about farming.
It also provides auto repair, mufflers,
alignments, brakes and tires for cars and
pickups, and tries to accommodate its
Jeremy Geib, manager at Sam’s Tire, Glencoe.
customers’ particular needs.
For example, Geib said, the company
recently bought a piece of equipment to
service tires mounted on specialty rims to
avoid scratching those expensive rims.
Sam’s Tire Service is located at 719
Chandler Ave. in Glencoe; and can be
Photo by Lori Copler
reached by phone at 320-864-3615.
Hours are Monday through Friday,
8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from
8 a.m. to noon. Its website is www.
samstire.net. The e-mail address is
lesa@samstire.net.
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AG SCENE - 4 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 5 - AG SCENE
Organic but not necessarily
certified is new trend
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Glencoe Advertiser
Significant attention getter at the 2012
Minnesota Organic Conference, St.
Cloud, was a breakout session titled, “The
Future and Sustainability of CSAS.”
For those of us still learning the language
of the organic farming culture,
CSAS refers to Community Supported
Agriculture Systems. Note, however, that
CSA producers are not necessarily certified
organic farmers. But they do steer
clear of genetically modified seed stocks in
their production of vegetables, fruits and
berries, even certain grains that can be
conveniently marketed as locally grown
foods, a rapidly growing niche market
across America. And usage of certain pesticides
and commercial fertilizers is also a
no-no.
Susan Koppendrayer, a full-time teacher
who, with her husband, also operates The
Long Siding Farm in Sherburne County
near Princeton is a five-acre, five-year certified
organic producer.
“We mostly concentrate on vegetable in
our CSA marketing but are adding some
fruits as customer demand suggests we
broaden our offerings,” said Koppendrayer.
Because of their location in the western
suburbs of the Twin Cities, she indicated
they can not keep up with marketing requests.
CSA marketing essentially entails the
weekly delivery of garden produce to a
customer list that prepaid for this convenient
service directly to their front door, or
setting up shop at specific farmer’s market
locations where customers make their pickups
right there on the scene.
“There’s really high demand. We are
known for our certified organic lettuce, but
I love growing anything related to the
squash plant, particularly the heirloom
squash,” said Koppendrayer.
She said there is a beauty of this squash
growing in the field. Plus the squash has
some longevity bonuses. “Once harvested
and hardened, if kept in cool storage you
can use them all winter. We’re eating
squash throughout the winter season in
our house. It’s nutritionally rich and definitely
adds color to any plate.”
Her farm now also has a high tunnel obtained
through a special state grant. “The
tunnel lets us grow tomatoes quicker, and
in our Minnesota climate that’s always a
plus. Also the high tunnel lets us grow
more variety, like hot peppers, green peppers
and lots of different heirloom tomatoes.”
Their 30 foot x 90 foot high tunnel has
now produced for two seasons. “I think it’s
the wave of the future for Minnesota
growers. The tunnel pretty much eliminates
bad weather as a hazard in your
special gardening,” said Koppendrayer.
Time constraints, plus lack of available
ground, will likely keep The Long Siding
Farm at its present size.
“But I’d love to link people in the suburbs
to actual farmers in the country so
these folks would better understand what it
would be like to eat with the seasons from
locally produced foods. And because I’m
an educator during the school year, this is a
great way to link children and their families
to healthy food, and where is comes
from is something I firmly believe in,”
summed up Koppendrayer. Contact her at
susan.koppendrayer@gmail.com
Sponsored by the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture, this year’s show had a
record 80 exhibitors. Besides a hefty number
of Minnesota firms, exhibitors also
came from N.D., Pa.,
Ill., Wis., S.D., Idaho,
Ohio, Iowa, Neb.,
Ore., Vt.
Delicious organic
foods and beverages
were provided at each
meal plus snack centers
conveniently located
around the
large exhibitors
arena. Donated menu
items came from
Hoch Orchard &
Gardens, La Crescent;
Hope Creamery,
Hope; Horizon Organic,
Broomfield,
Colo.; Minnesota
Farmers Union, St.
Paul; Peace Coffee,
Minneapolis; Pride of
Main Street, Sauk
Centre; Rishi Tea,
Susan Koppendrayer
Milwaukee; Sno Pack
Foods, Caledonia;
Westby Cooperative Creamery, Westby,
Wis., and Wedge Co-op Partners, Minneapolis
and Farmington. In addition purchased
menu items and ingredients were
sourced at several organic farmers and
food companies in Minnesota and neighboring
states.
Meg Monihan, MDA organic foods
‘guru’ and the Department of Agriculture
agreed to take over the coordination of
this event in 2003. Previously the show was
done by private individuals doing a combined
Organic and Grazing Conference.
But as organics gained in favor, this dual
function was confusing to potential attendees.
“The Saint Cloud location is favored
simply because it eliminates the
traffic and lodging issues of the big
city. We had over 500 people registered
this year, that is the biggest
ever. The trade show was completely
sold out in its new space.
And we are still finding new and
interesting speakers, said Monihan.
“You’d think after 10 years we’d
be doing reruns on topics and
speakers. But no so. Topics ranged
from Organic Under Glass to The
Right Side of the Law, said Monihan.
One of the keynote speakers was
Wisconsin dairy farmer and author
Jim Goodman. He discussed the
current theory of the Triple Bottom
Line (People, Planet, Profit)
and how organic farming fit—or
does not fit—in.
Does organic always mean better
for the environment? Is organic becoming
a parallel production system
to conventional agriculture
using organic inputs? What about
File photo
Photo by Dick Hagen
ethics and the profit motive? Do organic
farmers have a responsibility to be watchdogs
of the system?
Trends in the organic industry these
days? Monihan said that at the 2012 event
new technologies extending the growing
season (hoop houses, unheated green houses)
were high interest. Also the consumer
market for fresh Minnesota grown fruit is
very hungry.
Combine local and organic and you
have significant consumer interest. Also
vegetable farming seemed high interest this
year. “For beginning farmers who don’t
have much land, veggies are a way to get
their foot in the market,” she suggested.
For certain the growth of CSA is a real
thing in Minnesota though numbers are an
unknown quantity. Some perhaps are 100
percent organic certified; many are not
and that does not seem to be important to
their customers.
Monihan said, “Their customers already
know them. There is a high trust in how
they produce their foods. Customers know
they can visit the farm anytime. CSA producers
are very transparent so an extra
layer of inspection and certification really
isn’t relevant to these customers.
“That’s not necessarily so when someone
goes to the grocery store and the label
reads organic production. Today, often this
housewife asks the question ‘Can I really
believe the label? That is not an issue for
CSA producers.”
According to 2008 USDA data (latest
available on organic farming), there were
14,540 organic farms across America with
2,229,558 acres of harvested organic production.
Leading the list was California
with 2,714 farms and 470,903 acres of
harvested organic production. Minnesota
in 2008 had 550 registered organic farms
and 92,702 acres of harvested production.

AG SCENE - 6 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Steve Agre, Agent
Sacred Heart, MN
320-765-2261
fandmins@hcinet.net
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 7 - AG SCENE
Will there be a recharge?
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Glencoe Advertiser
Dr. Dennis Todey, South Dakota State
University climatologist, speaking at each
of the recent Linder Farm Radio Ag Outlook
meetings said, “I’m not yet raising the
flag on major drought concerns for our
Upper Midwest. But significant moisture
has to start accumulating or we’ll definitely
be at risk.”
However, even if we do escape this season
with minimal drought conditions,
Todey said we are very likely going to see
an extended dry period shortly. He noted
that overall precipitation since the 1930s
has been increasing with 2011 being the
highest precipitation in recent history.
However, 2010 was one of the top 10 driest
years.
“So needless to say, weather continues to
be very irregular, year by year. Right now
we are seeing cooler high temps and
warmer low temps. Also we see a one day
to two day advance in first freezing date
each fall along with a corresponding trend
to earlier springs,” noted Todey.
Like many weather scientists, he is concerned
about the future of world water
and the growing dependence of a rapidly
expanding world population.
“Already about 70 percent of all the
fresh water in the world is used for irrigation,
not just in America but around the
globe. Certainly we are
at a point where the
limitation on worldwide
crop production is
water. So as the need for
more food continues to
grow, there will be increasing
interest in how
to bring irrigation into
the farming programs of
more countries.”
Todey said there is
considerable opportunity
for improvements on
how to become more efficient
in the use of
water, especially in irrigated
crop production.
And even though corn
is a heavy user of water,
he does not see water
shortages resulting in
Dr. Dennis Todey
fewer acres of corn production
worldwide. But it could mean
more high value crops being irrigated.
“I visited Israel a few years ago. It’s a
country big on irrigation but their irrigation,
is mostly devoted to high-value food
crops, rather than grain crops such as
wheat, corn and soybeans.”
So how much moisture is needed to
recharge soils to field capacity status?
Todey said that varies with areas but four
inches to seven inches are needed to cover
the soil moisture deficiency
across much of
Minnesota and the
Dakotas. However, he
noted that you do not
need fully recharged
soils to have a good
crop year, but getting
recharged ahead of
planting is an “in the
bank” comfort feeling
that farmers truly understand.
He acknowledged
that worldwide there
has been more weather
phenomenon in recent
years, 2011 especially.
Because of growing
markets for U.S. corn
and soybeans and the
strong markets for these
commodities, bigger
shifts in weather are creating bigger shifts
in dollars.
Plus flooding issues last spring and now
the growing dryness over much of the
upper Midwest and southwestern US is
making everyone much more aware of the
importance of the weather business in projecting
probabilities of certain weather
patterns. He indicated the climate service
business will get bigger and more important
around the world.
His take on cloud seeding, fact or farce?
“It’s not a farce, but it’s not a savior either.
The most effective use of cloud seeding is
to increase snow pack in the mountains.
North Dakota State University did some
studies on cloud seeding as a hail suppression
tool but no significant findings as I recall.”
Todey indicated the reality of weather
patterns is that they cycle so the movement
into a dryer cycle is inevitable. Because of
limited snow pack in the Rocky Mountains
this winter, he said Missouri River flooding
will not be an issue this spring.
“We’re into the second year of LaNina
influence in the Pacific. And that projects
into a hotter and drier weather into midsummer.”
Summed up Todey said, “I’m not trying
to paint a gloomy picture for this season.
Certainly we have risks going into this crop
year simply because of how dry our sub
soils have become. However, if we don’t
get at least some average rain falls this
spring, we’re going to have some serious
problems.”
For much of Minnesota that means four
to seven inches of moisture between now
and planting time.
For info go: http://climate.sdstate.edu.
Or reach Dr. Todey at dennis.todey@
sdstate.edu.
Annual Spring
TREE AUCTION
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Kahnke Brothers Tree Farm
10603 Boone Road, Plato, MN 55370
(along U.S. Hwy 212, east of Glencoe)
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615 West 13th St., Glencoe, MN 55336-1000
320-864-3069 - Connie Jaskowiak, Manager
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Fri. 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
YES WE DO!
Testing and troubleshooting on your
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AG SCENE - 8 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
YES, WE
TRADE!
• Cars • SUVs • Cycles
• Pickups • ATVs • Boats
• Vans • Trailers • Guns
Dale’s Auto Sales
20641 Hwy 7 W., Hutchinson
320-587-2663
(1 mile west of Super America)
Open 9am-8pm, Sat. 9am-5pm
www.DalesAutoSalesMN.com
Brust
Electric
• Farm • Residential •
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320-864-1974
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Brownton Co-op
Ag Center
Full Service Cooperative
for over 95 Years
Agronomy (320) 328-5211
Grain Division (320) 328-5502
toll-free (877) 328-5211 • www.browntoncoop.com
~ Locally owned & controlled with
NO outside investors ~
• Over 20 Years in
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• A Rated Company
• Minnesota Based
MPCI • Hail Insurance
• Replant, Buy-up Options
Available
Deadline is March 15
Call Judy or Troy
(507) 237-2722 or 1-800-300-2722
• Fertilizers – Dry & Liquid
• Crop Protection Products
• Custom Spreading – 4 Floaters
• NK & Croplan Seeds
• Custom Spraying –
Pre & Post
• Two-Certified Crop
Advisors
• Grain Marketing –
Call for Details
• Storage & Drying of Corn and Soybeans
• Full-Length Scale for Semis
• Trucking Available
Please stop in
or call to start
planning the
upcoming
spring planting
season.
Stay On Top Of
The Markets...
Sign up on our website to
receive daily cash bids
via e-mail and/or text.
www.browntoncoop.com
From Seed in
Spring to Harvest
in Fall One
Stop will Take
Care of it All

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 9 - AG SCENE
Fifteen trillion dollar debt casts huge shadows
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Glencoe Advertiser
Speaking at recent Linder Farm Radio
Ag Outlook events, Mark Schultz, North
Star Commodity, said the European debt
crisis lessens financial confidence around
the world and he predicts it will be around
“a long time.” The $15 trillion U.S. debt
only adds to the financial gloom.
By 2020 US debt
could be roughly $23
trillion. But he said
that according to
White House ‘insiders’
if we do 5 percent annual
growth of GDP
we will have more
growth than we will
have debt.
“That’s all great in
theory,” said Schultz
but the reality more
likely is the 3% growth which has been
America’s pace the past 3 years.
His charts projected additional new debt
each year of about $1.65 trillion. “Even if
budget cuts are doubled, we face an incredible
obstacle that likely will take years
to resolve. Instead, we apparently are attempting
to spend our way out of debt and
history tells us that is very difficult to
achieve,” noted Schultz.
None the less he is fairly bullish on investments
in the U.S. stock market. His
next target on the Dow Jones is 14,500! In
fact he mentioned an outside possibility of
“Even if budget cuts are
doubled, we face an incredible
obstacle that likely will take years
to resolve. Instead we apparently
are attempting to spend our way
out of debt and history tells us
that is very difficult to achieve.”
the Dow reaching 17,000 within the next
year. But if it drops below 10,500, then significant
problems are inevitable.
“However, if the U.S. and world economy
continues to march even a little bit
stronger, the demand for your farm products
gets stronger. A growing economy is
the catalyst that builds this demand-driven
market that feeds the world,” said Schultz.
On crop outlook, he mentioned the
South American
corn crop got into a
December and January
dry pattern,
which he thinks hurt
their crop enough to
take 400 million
bushels off the total
South American
crop. And that’s a
positive for U.S. corn
producers.
But he thinks even
minor “weather scares” could take the
corn market up sharply higher, like $7 or
more.
He noted that Chinese farmers have increased
their corn production three consecutive
years, and if weather cooperates,
China could see a 300 million bushel increase
for 2012.
“The other obstacle for grain producers
is that everyone who uses your product has
flattened out their demand. There is no
expansion in livestock; no new ethanol
plants being built so the only real bright
spot is continuing growth in corn exports.
But that, too, depends heavily on the economy
of China and a few other Asian countries,”
said Schultz.
Reflecting on the four “golden years” of
ag prosperity, he indicated it could continue
but at a slower pace.
Depleted soil moisture in much of the
Upper Midwest is the risk factor for 2012
crop year. He’s hoping that the worst of
weather challenges are behind us. “If
weather stabilizes, then I think markets stabilize,
maybe even turn up some. The opportunity
is still there for another good
year,” he said.
But he cautions about pricing the 2012
crop, like no more than 40 percent on the
corn, 30 percent on the beans. Schultz said
the fundamentals look weak currently, but
not so when you look at the charts. The
world’s growing population keeps agriculture
in the driver’s seat regardless.
He doubts the dry trend will move acres
out of corn and into soybeans. His logic
being that if farmers are planting early this
year which likely will happen
based on weather patterns,
then corn acres will stay
corn acres simply because
early planting should mean
the corn crop is that much
farther advanced when the
late July-August hotter, dryer
weather will likely happen.
In fact, under this scenario,
he suggested there could be
even more corn acres at the
expense of soybeans.
Ethanol margins are getting dicey according
to Schultz, and could get tougher
since gas consumption is down in America
and current ethanol/gasoline blending is
only to meet the mandated 10 percent
level in most markets. Approval of E85
could be a significant boost for ethanol
usage, however, the issue now seems to be
hung up in further EPA regulations. The
ongoing increase in gas prices perhaps is
mostly because four major Gulf Coast refineries
are slowed due to construction upgrades.
But this amazing impact: Each 5
cents per gallon increase in gasoline prices
costs US consumers $9 billion!
“Perhaps this reversal of fortunes is
great for a few folks. With 3-1/2 percent to
4 percent interest on 30-year loans, it’s
now often cheaper to buy housing than
rent,” mentioned Schultz. He noted to his
audience that the popularity of the U.S.
Congress is now at only 9 percent. “That’s
barely above the ranking of Fidel Castro,”
quipped Schultz.
Schauer & Sons
Construction
• Cement Work
• Pole Barns • Reclads
• New Constructions
• Houses • Remodeling
SILVER LAKE, MN
320-327-3170
Alsleben Livestock Trucking
Adam and Wanda Alsleben, owners — Over 28 years experience
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Contract prices available on cattle of 20 head or more
“I have buyers for steers and cows.” Guaranteed price on farm with no commissions!
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AG SCENE - 10 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Understanding crop rotation
Though it is easy for suburbanites or
city dwellers to go months, if not years,
without seeing a farm, the most recent
agriculture census for which information
is available notes that in 2007 there were
2.1 million farms in the United States.
Those farms spanned 922 million acres,
shedding light on the fact that while many
Americans might not see farms on a daily
basis, that does not mean the country is
not still a great home to farmland.
While farming might once have been a
part of most Americans’ daily lives, today
the principles of farming are much more
foreign to the average American. One
such principle is crop rotation, a valuable
agricultural practice that can even pay
dividends for suburban homeowners who
enjoy gardening. The benefits of crop rotation
are not only applicable to large
farms, as they can help keep personal gardens
healthy as well.
What Is Crop Rotation?
Crop rotation is a practice farmers employ
to help their crops fight disease. By
growing a variety of crops in a sequential
system throughout their field, farmers are
hoping to avoid the buildup of disease
and pests that is common with monocropping,
which is the practice of growing
the same crop on the same land year after
year after year. When rotating crops, each
succeeding crop must belong to a family
different from the previous crop.
Partnering with local farmers
for success!
Over 55 years of combined
experience serving our community.
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Our Ag Business Professionals work alongside
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Stop in or call us at 952-467-5243.
Norwood Young America
952-467-2313 • 800 Faxon Road
www.kleinbank.com
• Welding stainless steel & aluminum
• General Fabrication
• Auger flighting replacement
• 10 ft. shear &
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We carry: • PRAXAIR Welding
Supplies and Cylinder Exchange
• Large Inventory of Steel, also
some Aluminum & Stainless Steel
•Fish House Frames & Supplies
Ed Magee
410 5th Street, Green Isle
507-326-5553
Professional
Insurance Providers
Contact Ronald Molstad—
320-864-1603
320-864-3161
606 E 11th Street
Glencoe, MN 55336
This entity is an equal opportunity provider.
© 2007 Rural Community Insurance Agency, Inc.
All rights reserved.
CONKLIN ® AGROVANTAGE ® PRODUCTS
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320-238-2370
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 11 - AG SCENE
Weather forecast:Anybody’s guess
By Susan Williams
Editor
Speaking to the producers gathered at
the Winter Crop and Soils Day in Lamberton
Feb. 1, Dr. Mark Seeley, climatologist
from the University of Minnesota St. Paul
campus, said “Minnesotans appreciate the
vast resilience to what Mother Nature
sends our way.”
Seeley reviewed last year’s weather,
current conditions, trends and outlooks.
Last year:
July to December, 2011 was the third
warmest in Minnesota
history
since 1996. And
Mark Seeley
five of the first six months of 2011 were
colder than normal.
The month of July set a record high heat
index and May now holds the record high
dew points. July to December became the
driest six months in recorded history.
Only 1936, 1939, 1967 and 2003 were comparable.
And Donaldson set the wind
speed record for the state last year with
straight-line winds clocked a 120 mph with
a sonic anemometer. Any other device
would have just been blown apart, said
Seeley.
Current conditions:
According to the Illinois State Water
Survey, southwestern and northeastern
Minnesota set the record by being the driest
coming up anywhere from eight to 10
inches short of the norm and are in a severe
drought.
The current moisture in the soil is estimated
to be 2.5 to 3 inches in Renville
County, three in Lamberton. The disturbing
factor is the moisture
is down in the
fourth and fifth foot.
Trends:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) climate norms
which are set every 30 years based on historical
data have been changing.
The new normals show the east and
west coast are getting warmer by a few degrees,
while the southern plains through
Minnesota are neutral or getting cooler,
but almost everywhere the minimum night
time temperatures for January went up,
some by whole degrees, said Seeley.
Since the drought of 1988, the climate
trend has been an increase in the number
of intense thunderstorm rains, an increase
in the number of flash floods, fewer 90 degree
Fahrenheit days, and more heat advisories.
Until the modern era, 80 percent dew
points were unheard of, Seeley said. Specific
humidity is increasing as a shift of
water vapor into the air is occurring. This
increases the overnight temperature in
Minnesota as well as the dew point. In
fact, there have been more heat advisories
since the 1930s because the dew points are
creating an inflated index.
“Most of the precipitation is coming
Weather
Turn to page 12

AG SCENE - 12 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Weather Continued from page 11
from thunderstorms,” Seeley said. “It
used to be 60 percent, now it’s 70 to 75
percent. Once upon a time the greatest
fall from a thunderstorm was May, June
or July, but now they’re occurring in August.”
Most disturbing, since 2004 there have
been three 1,000 year rainfall storms
across southern Minnesota.
August 7, 2007 there were 24 counties
in Minnesota declared drought disasters
and on August 2, 2007 eight southeastern
counties were declared flood disasters.
And Moorhead set the heat index
record for the continent last summer at
134 when the dew point was 88.
Outlook:
“Be careful of outlooks,” warned Seeley.
While in 1974, 1976 and 1988 the
weather pattern worsened, Mother Nature
has come to the rescue in drought situations
in just as many years following a
drought.
“This year (2011) is a real aberration,”
Seeley said. “The correlations aren’t playing
out. I hope everyone has given crop
insurance some real consideration. It has
been at least a dozen years since we’ve
seen these precipitation deficiencies.”
Seeley said precipitation February
through April is anyone’s guess, a real
“crapshoot.” March through May is generally
when higher precipitation rates are
seen, but he said it was impossible to predict
what was going to happen in the near
future and La Nina was having absolutely
no impact on the weather patterns in the
Northern Hemisphere this year.
While Minnesota has been gaining
“generally longer growing seasons,” the
unanswered question is why the landscapes,
including the Great Lakes, are
emitting more water and creating the
higher dew points, said Seeley.
“Water vapor is the ultimate green
house gas.”
Storm coming over far western Renville County.
File photo
Trisha
805 E.Lincoln Ave.
Olivia
320-523-1114
www.lakeregion.com/insagents.htm
Your Hometown Insurance Agency
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 13 - AG SCENE
Garbers’ Meats, more
than meat market
By Alyssa Schauer
Staff Writer
Garbers’ Meats is more than just a market
where meat is processed and sold. The
business, owned and operated by Mark
Garbers, also caters to to those who enjoy
a good ol’ fashioned barbeque with homemade
buns and special seasonings.
Garbers’ Meats, located in Lester
Prairie, has been in business for seven
years, and continues to serve many farmers
and hunters in the area.
“My grandfather had a meat market
years ago. It was always something I was
interested in, and I reached a point in my
life where I thought, ‘If I don’t do this
now, I would never do it,’” Mark Garbers
said about opening his own store.
Previously, Garbers was employed as a
manager in the meat department at Sam’s
Club and worked at the grocery store in
Lester Prairie for 10 years before that. He
went to school in Pipestone for meat processing
classes.
Garbers said his
business processes
beef, pork, sheep,
and wild game.
“We do all custom
processing, and we
do on-the-farm
slaughtering, yearround,”
Garbers
said.
Those interested
can make appointments,
“and we are
open six days a
week,” Garbers
said.
He added that
the market has a
full line of retail,
including a variety
of meats such as
summer sausage,
beef sticks,
bratwursts, and
much more.
Looking through
the glass windows
of the chilled deli, one can find barbeque
ribs, a variety of roasts, several different
deli meats and cheeses, as well as stuffed
meats and even bacon-wrapped goods.
“We also make gristwurst, which is a
type of breakfast sausage,” Garbers said.
Garbers added that his market carries a
bakery line. “We bake all of our own
bread and buns. Hamburger buns, hot
dog buns, dinner rolls,” he said.
He also said the market carries a line of
seasonings for the meat. “Our steak seasoning,
which is like a Montreal seasoning,
is very popular,” he said.
“We also do a lot of shredded meats for
graduation parties and other get-togethers,”
he said.
Garbers’ Meats, located on Juniper
Street in Lester Prairie, and is open six
days a week. Those interested in processing
and slaughtering can call Garbers at
320-395-8495 to make an appointment.
Photo by Alyssa Schauer
Mark Garbers owner of Garbers’ Meats, Lester Prairie.
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AG SCENE - 14 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
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AG SCENE - 16 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Residential & Commercial
Plumbing • Heating • Cooling
• Installation, Replacement or Repair
• Geothermal Experts
• Radiant in the Floor Heating
• Rotobrush ® Air Duct Cleaning
And More
NORTHERN PLUMBING & HEATING, INC.
320-523-5862 • 808 East DePue Ave. • Olivia
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CALL GREGG HELIN FOR A QUOTE TODAY!
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Aerial
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Office: 320-523-2186
Cell: 320-979-8326
P.O. Box 169
Olivia, MN 56277
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320-523-1637
Lonnie D. Kopel Agency
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David J. Maurice Agency
404 N Main St.
Renville, MN 56284
dmaurice@amfam.com
(320)329-3841

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 17 - AG SCENE
Let’s talk water
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Glencoe Advertiser
Tile drainage continues high on the
agenda of many farmers. The reason is
obvious: better drainage generally means
better yields. Plus farm income keeps increasing,
both gross income and for most
producers, net income also. So with
money in the bank, so to speak, farmers
are notoriously good at putting that new
cash to work. Tile drainage strikes the
fancy of many.
Kevin Hewitt, LeSueur, producer and
custom farming specialist also handles the
Stealth Golddigger Tile Plow and Intellaslope
Guidance equipment. Interviewed at
a recent Linder Farm Network Ag Outlook
meeting, he said, “We had a fantastic
year last year. And so far into 2012 our
sales are ahead of last year’s pace. It’s
looking like another strong year for
drainage.”
His firm sells virtually all the equipment
needed to successfully install tile drainage
systems. He handles both smaller tile
plows for three-point hitch hookups plus
bigger tile plows for 4WD power and/or
track tractors or behind dozers. His units
can plow in from three-inch to 10-inch
plastic tile, at depths down to 6-1/2 inches.
Perhaps not surprisingly these days,
about three quarters of his drainage
equipment is sold directly to farmers who
have the necessary horse power to do their
own installations. But small contractors
looking to diversify are also seeing
drainage work as an additional business
opportunity. And no surprise, pattern
tiling is rapidly becoming the standard, especially
with farmers now owning their
own plows.
He describes the 2011 season as “the
perfect storm” for being in the drainage
business. “The incredibly wet spring set
the stage. Then last fall with dry fields and
harvest wrapping up early, we, in the
drainage business couldn’t have asked for
a better situation.”
His drainage plows are made in Brazil,
Ind., near Terra Haute. The big pull-type
plow equipped with the electronics is
about a mid $30,000 package. He sells
across Minnesota, much of Wisconsin and
into northern Iowa. However, thanks to
the Internet, he is now pricing his equipment
to inquiries from the entire Midwest.
“Going west into the Dakotas, drainage
is just starting in much of that territory,”
said Hewitt. He does not lease or finance
equipment indicating cash on delivery is
how his business operates. His firm delivers
the equipment, does the necessary
setup work, plus the training for proper
use of the equipment. “Showing them
how the Intellaslope Guidance system operates
and then going to the field with
Trust Your Hearing
to a
“Doctor of Audiology!”
them is how we get our customers going.”
Over 90 percent of his plow buyers now
also buy the guidance system.
Hewitt indicated the Intellaslope package
makes tile drainage much easier and
more accurate because it works with a
GPS system that also does the mapping of
your drainage program. Because he is also
a crop farmer, Hewitt is very tuned to the
growing concerns about getting soil moistures
recharged ahead of the upcoming
planting season.
Dr. Pfaff provides the most complete hearing care available.
Dr. Pfaff has been the hearing healthcare provider of choice in the
Glencoe/Hutchinson area for the past 20 years and always welcomes new patients.
• Experience
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Questions?? Phone: Phone: 320-484-4323 or 4322 or 4322
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Dr. Pfaff is an expert with “difficult to fit” cases.
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Try any aid “risk free” for
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Kurt T. Pfaff, Au.D.
DOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY • MINNESOTA LICENSED AUDIOLOGIST
Glencoe/Watertown • www.hcshearing.com
Call Today 320-864-5262
or Toll Free 1-888-931-9144

AG SCENE - 18 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
It takes big culverts to freeze a beet pile
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Renville County Register
Harvesting over 2 million tons from
approximately 120,000 acres of sugar
beets is an annual process for the approximately
550 shareholders of Southern
Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative
(SMBSC), Renville. The unusually warm
and very dry late summer shrunk 2011
harvestable tonnage to about 19 tons per
acre factory average, approximately three
tons per acre less than the huge 2010
crop. But it also provided one of the
cleanest harvests on record. Tare (soil particles
adhering to beets) was barely an
issue.
However, harvesting this huge beet
crop each season requires multiple piling
sites simply because space, time and logistics
don’t permit hauling all beets directly
Refrigeration
Turn to page 19
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Photo by Dick Hagen
The frozen beet pile near Bird Island with the refrigeration unit fans standing guard on the outer rim. Refrigeration
(outdoors) is used to prevent or slow sugar loss during storage.
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 19 - AG SCENE
Refrigeration Continued from page 18
harvestable tonnage to about 19 tons
per acre factory average, approximately
three tons per acre less than the huge
2010 crop. But it also provided one of the
cleanest harvests on record. Tare (soil particles
adhering to beets) was barely an
issue.
However, harvesting this huge beet
crop each season requires multiple piling
sites simply because space, time and logistics
don’t permit hauling all beets directly
to the huge factory located one mile east
of Renville, just off U. S. Highway 212.
SMBSC has 11 piling sites throughout the
17-county area of its 550 beet growers.
But the challenge of beet storage piles
is how do you maintain quality once beets
are lifted out of the ground and piled 14
to 16 feet deep? Get them hauled to the
plant and processed as quickly as doable
seems the obvious answer. And for most
of the beet crop that is exactly the
process. Once ‘the lift’ gets underway, a
fleet of beet trucks, each hauling 25 tons
of beets, is hauling beets 24 hours per
day, seven days per week directly to the
plant. Also those growers with fields in
close proximity to the plant truck directly
to the plant. But all other growers dump
at the ‘country piling’ sites.
145 S. Main Street • Bird Island, MN 55310
Phone: (320) 365-4620
Website: www.smscpafirm.com
Recognized as the most modern beet
processing plant in America, SMBSC’s
huge processing factory goes through
about 600 tons of beets per hour, or
about 14,400 tons per day. Ten of the piling
sites get cleaned up as rapidly as the
factory can process the beets. But not so
the big Bird Island site and the factory itself.
We’re talking 281,898 tons piled at
Bird Island, 694,898 at the factory this
season. And these beets are the last to be
process so extended storage could generate
some quality issues.
Refrigeration to the rescue! No, we’re
not talking huge mechanical refrigeration
units. That simply wouldn’t work when
beets are stored outdoors. But harnessing
the ‘cooler temps’ of Mother Nature
through an extensive ventilation system
considerably extends the ‘shelf life’ of
beets at these two locations.
Ken Dahl, SMBSC Agricultural Superintendent,
explained, “We get Mother
Nature working by placing 30-inch diameter
steel ‘culverts’ crosswise every 11 feet
across the bottom of each beet pile at
both locations. Then we position 24-inch
fans powered with 7.5-hp electric motors
at the end of each culvert. When air temperatures
drop even if only to 40 degree
F, we turn on the fans and very quickly
beets start cooling down.”
Each of the two major beet piles at
Bird Island had piles about 1350 feet long
which meant 123 culverts per run.
Renville/Sibley REA installed special capacitors
at the Bird Island site to buffer
the electrical load on the power grid
should all 246 fans be running simultaneously.
Dahl said temperature probes are also
positioned in the beet piles. Temperatures
are then automatically transmitted via
radio to SMSBC agronomists alerting
them to special action that might need to
be taken. Also piles are walked each week
to further detect aroma or heating issues.
“If we’re reading 50 degree temps in
the pile and we get a night of 40 degree
temps, we turn the fans on. Sugar loss
doesn’t stop until beet temperature gets
down to 18 degrees because at that temperature
respiration stops. We’re cooling
beets in these subfreezing temperatures
because beets frozen in the pile virtually
have zero deterioration.”
If you don’t know why, this pipeline
ductwork system looks like a giant tinkertoy
gone lazy. Because of the shorter tonnage
for the 2011 crop, the processing
campaign is scheduled to wrap up late
February, considerably earlier than past
campaigns.
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AG SCENE - 20 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
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February 29th, 2012 • 9:00 a.m.
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Tina Olson, Matt Melberg, David Larson, Jane Shepersky, Andy Rostberg

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 21 - AG SCENE
Farm Outlook Seminar March 7 at SMSU
MARSHALL — Three new presenters
will be a part of the 28th annual Farm
Outlook Seminar on Wednesday, March 9
at the Southwest Minnesota State University
Conference Center.
The Farm Outlook Seminar raises
scholarship dollars for SMSU’s agriculture
programs and features agricultural experts
talking about topics such as weather, crop
outlook, livestock strategies and prices as
they relate to the upcoming spring farm
season.
Registration is from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.,
and will be followed by the speakers.
Lunch is provided, and the day concludes
at 4 p.m.
New speakers this year include Jamey
Holland, John Melius and Gary Hachfeld.
They will join John Johnson and Ed Case,
who presented a year ago.
The presenters include:
• Jamey Holland: He has been with
INTL FCStone since 2007 as a risk management
consultant specializing in energy
products. He works with fuel wholesalers,
retailers and end-users of refined fuels to
help them manage price risks in today’s
volatile energy markets.
• John Melius: He enjoys aligning marketing
strategies with each individual
farmer’s need in order to increase his or
her bottom line. Melius grew up on a
family farm near Chelsea, S.D., and graduated
from SDSU with degrees in agricultural
economics and agricultural business.
He has participated in The Executive Program
for Ag Producers and the South
Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership program.
He works for Hurley & Associates.
• Gary Hachfeld: He is a University of
Minnesota Extension educator with 40
years of experience in agricultural business
management. Hachfeld specializes in
working with farm transitions and estate
planning, and has experience in the areas
of pre- and post-harvest grain marketing,
federal crop insurance, AGR-Lite Revenue
insurance and general farm business
management topics.
• Ed Case: He is a marketing consultant
with Hurley & Associates with a broad
background in agriculture, including management
at a co-op grain and feed elevator,
a truck-in and truck-out grain handling
facility and several other grain operations.
• John Johnson: An Arkansas native and
a Hurley & Associates livestock market expert,
he has been engaged in all facets of
crop and livestock production. The past 10
years he has been involved in producer risk
management with an emphasis on livestock,
especially cattle. His real-world experience
gives him unique insight into the
problems faced by producers.
Tickets to the event are $100 per person,
or $150 per couple. The pre-registration
deadline is March 2. The preferred
method of registration is online at:
www.smsufoundation.org/farm
seminar2012. Registration can also be
mailed to the SMSU Foundation, 1501
State St., Marshall, MN, 56258. Make
checks payable to the SMSU Foundation.
For more information, call 1-800-260-
0970 or 507-537-6266.
Farm Outlook sponsors include Bremer
Bank; CHS Inc.; Granite Falls Bank &
F&M Bank Minnesota in Clarkfield,
Renville and Olivia; Minnesota Corn
Growers Assn.; Minnwest Bank Group;
Ralco Nutrition, Inc.; United FCS; and
Wells Fargo Bank-Marshall.
THE SCHEDULE:
8-9 a.m.: Registration
9-9:10 a.m.: Welcome and introductions, Brian Brandt
9:10-10 a.m.: John A. Johnson, Hurley & Associates, livestock market overview
10-11 a.m.: Shane Johnson, Hurley & Associates, hog market overview
11-11:10 a.m.: Break
11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m.: John Melius, Hurley & Associates, grain market overview
12:10-1:10 p.m.: Lunch, Conference Center, lower level
1:10-2:20 p.m.: Ed Case, Hurley & Associates, Make Volatile Markets Work for You
2:20-2:30 p.m.: Break
2:30-3:30 p.m.: Gary Hachfeld, University of Minnesota Extension,
estate planning and asset transfer
3:30-4 p.m.: Ed Case, wrap-up, Q&A
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AG SCENE - 22 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Agriculture is not dead!
If you walk down the
street and ask people if
they are excited about
their job, excited about
going to work every day
and look forward to the
future, many will say,
no. They work because
they have to.
If you ask a farmer
that same question, you
will find that people in
agriculture are there,
because they enjoy it! I
do not know what it is, love of the outdoors,
love of new opportunity, something
new everyday, and always looking ahead
instead of back ... but there is something
about farming, and something about being
tied into agriculture through a farm or
agribusiness that is in our blood. We like
what we do.
That is why I am a farm broadcaster.
I report on an industry that is growing,
and growing in many different ways. And
that is what is so exciting about covering
agriculture, it the most important industry
in the world, yes the most important, and it
becoming more so all the time.
A few years ago the Minnesota State
Fair Society asked me to come speak to
their country fair convention. They said
that fair people were pretty down in the
dumps about surveys that showed a lack of
importance for agriculture from those who
go to the Minnesota State fair.
I studied their research, and it showed
Lynn Ketelsen
that while 20 percent go
the fair to see livestock
and ag related exhibits,
70 percent went to eat
food and snacks. They
felt this showed agriculture
was becoming irrelevant
at the fair.
When I got up to
speak, my first sentence
was 90 percent of those
who attend the Minnesota
State fair come
because of agriculture.
Those in the room seemed stunned until I
pointed out that what is agriculture all
about? The production of food and fiber.
And that instead of feeling bad, we needed
to use that to our advantage.
I literally received a standing ovation for
something that seemed obvious, but was
not. And I heard from people all over the
state later thanking me for pointing out
what they should have known.
What’s interesting is that since that time,
the Minnesota State Fair and partners built
the Miracle of Birth Center, where people
attending can see live births of farm animals.
It is the number one attraction at
the fair. And the Dairy Building, which
had been changed to Century Commons is
now back to being called the Dairy Building,
and is a top attraction.
Agriculture dead? Not by a long shot.
Lynn Ketelson is the Farm Director
for Linder Farm Network.
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Glencoe, MN 55336
320-864-4397
www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC
AG SERVICE COOPERATIVE
330 E. 10th St., Glencoe
1-800-848-6753 • 320-864-5561
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• American Standard
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 23 - AG SCENE
HEAR LYNN KETELSEN &
LINDA BREKKE EVERY WEEKDAY ON
KOLV
Olivia
KTWN
Glencoe
TALKING TO AGRICULTURE’S MOVERS & SHAKERS
www.LinderFarmNetwork.com

AG SCENE - 24 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
PHOTO
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plus
For $50 your ad will run for 5 weeks in
these 11 publications:
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($50 is for 15 words, 50¢ each additional word. $45 without a photo.)
11 PUBLICATIONS 5 WEEKS
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716 E. 10th St., P.O. Box 188,
Glencoe, MN 55336 • 320-864-5518
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 25 - AG SCENE
Ear tags tells sows how much to eat
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Renville County Register
It looks elementary….electronic ear
tags that precisely determine how much
feed a given gestation animal gets to eat
during any 24-hour period. This isn’t new
technology and its very common in milking
parlors and robotic milking operations.
However, the display of NEDAP at
recent Minnesota Pork Expo certainly
generated questions. Why? Because it’s
relatively new to the swine world.
Gary Wyse, representing NEDAP
(Nedap Agri North America) at the Expo
explained his electronic sow feeding technology
this way.
“With the ear tag in place each animal
walks into a feed station which automatically
locks behind the animal providing
total security as it munches through its
daily ration. The antenna reads the ear
tag identifying the animal and then dispenses
the exact amount of feed for that
particular animal.”
Indeed! If it’s a five-pound. allotment
for that particular sow, feed gets dropped
in 3.5 to 4 ounce increments. Plus the system
simultaneously dozes some water into
the ‘feeding bowl’ so she’s enjoying a
mush meal so to speak.
“Sort of like getting milk with your
crackers,” said Wyse. It’s not enough
water to drink but it certainly makes dry
feed more palatable.
Feeding time is adjustable. If the producer
prefers his sows and gilts eating
only during an 8 a.m. till 10 a.m. period
so be it. However, ‘chow time’ can be
anytime within a 24-hour time frame.
Typically gestating sows eat only once per
day. But if a particular animal prefers eating
two or three times per day, she can be
ear tagged with information that triggers
the feeding stalls accordingly.
How many stalls are needed? Obviously
it depends on herd size but also the cost
efficiencies a particular producer is looking
for. He explained, “With fewer sows
and more space per sow the higher the
production on a piglet-per-sow-year basis
up to about 24 square feet per sow and 45
sows per station. In this scenario you can
see upwards of 30 piglets per sow per
year. More sows per feeding station and
arithmetically you see a downward trend
in piglets per sow/year.”
He indicated NEDAP doesn’t have
substantiated research to verify anticipated
production declines if sows per feeding
station get increased above that suggested
45-sow figure. “But you will see a decline
in a sow’s piglet production as you increase
up to 65 animals per feeding station.”
Cost per feeding station as compared
to a typical stall barn is about $200 to
$210 per sow space in the system. Electronics
of this sophisticated system are
guaranteed for 30 months from date of
manufacture. The systems are manufactured
in Holland, long a leader in animal
handling equipment. Ear tags are warranted
for five years.
“If they get dumped into the manure
pit, and you can find them send us the
damaged tag and we’ll send you a new
one,” said Wyse.
Tags
Turn to page 26
May We Help YOU with your
FARM Real Estate Needs?
Whether it be -
Photo by Dick Hagen
Gary Wyse presented a measured feeding system for sows and gilts for
the gestation period at the recent Minnesota Pork Expo.
Roger Heller,
AFLB
Pat Bryan Keltgen,
REALTOR ®
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AG SCENE - 26 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Tags Continued from page 25
Farm costs are about $10 per ear tag.
Wyse admits that these tags are expensive
but with a five-year warranty they can be
reused multiple times, meaning if the
‘older sows’ get marketed and the fiveyear
span hasn’t expired, detach the tags
of those older sows before they depart the
premises and retag into younger gilts.
Labor savings with this automated system
are difficult to predict.
“It depends so much on how a particular
producer sets up his overall housing
and handling for his gilts and sows. However,
with a dynamic group it can be substantial.
We have a 1,000-sow producer
in Manitoba that has only three guys to
run the entire operation,” noted Wyse.
The system can do several automated
jobs. For example, when you need to administer
shots, if they are spray marked
with a different color, it can sort out and
direct these individuals into a specific pen.
And it can adjust to handle DDG’s in the
ration, even up to a 40 percent level.
“As long as it’s still a dry feed the system
will handle such a ration. But you can
adjust each sow’s feed strategy by the parity
of that sow. Also you can adjust by
body condition scores of each animal.
You have the opportunity to use up to 999
feed strategies with this system.”
Note that this system is designed only
for sows/gilts during their gestation period.
It is not a lactation feeding system.
This technology dates back to 1982 according
to Wyse. However, the current
electronic system has been available since
1996.
“Today it’s just an easier system to
work with. It’s very common in the western
European nations. We have some installations
in China, and some in Eastern
Europe,” said Wyse.
And it’s now slowly working into the
American swine industry. Somewhat
speeding its acceptance in Western Europe
is the fact that by 2013 ‘open pen’
gestation becomes mandatory. So as sow
stalls disappear, the NEDAP system will
become much more common. For more
info: www.nedap.com or go:
gary.wyse@nedap.com
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 27 - AG SCENE
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Estimates/Bidding
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AG SCENE - 28 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
FOR MORE OF THE LATEST INFORMATION
on how to raise yields to new levels and learn about those changes you need to make in your crop production system next year:
CONTACT OUR TEAM AT 320-523-2252
Or you can check out their website at www.corncapitalinnovations.com

- 29 -
AG SCENE
Section 2
FEBRUARY
26 & 27, 2012
Minnesota’s oldest
continuouslyoperating
elevators
Renville County elevator history in pictures and words
Submitted photo
The earliest picture of the Sacred Heart Elevator, 1936.
By Susan Williams
Editor
The three oldest, continuously-operating grain
elevators in Minnesota are in Renville County
and part of the Co-op Country Farmer’s Elevator
(CCFE) system.
The oldest is Sacred Heart which started in
1886 and is today 126 years old. Next, just six
miles east is the 122-year-old Renville elevator
begun in 1890. That’s followed by Danube started
in 1906 and in continuous operation for 106
years.
Sacred Heart:
Before elevators were built in Sacred Heart,
farmers normally drove to Redwood Falls or
Willmar to trade their grain according to Sacred
Heart, Town and Country published in 2008 by the
Sacred Heart Historical Society.
The first elevator in Sacred Heart was erected
in 1879 by Pratt & Robinson according to The
History of Renville County published in 1916, but
not incorporated as a business until Sept. 30,
1886. It had 25 stockholders and a capital stock
of $25,000. The original silo was built to hold
15,000 bushels of corn.
Some of the names on the documents of incorporation
will sound slightly familiar to locals
including Haaken Agre, Karenus Agre, Simon
Johnson and Hendrick Skoberg. “The first two
carloads handled by the company were purchased
by Henry A. Paulson and Ole T. Ramsland
from Ole Enestvedt” according to The History.
The second elevator was called Farmers’ Produce
Company and the next in town was built
by Ed O’Connor and known as the Crown Elevator.
The village of Sacred Heart incorporated
in1883, but by 1882 “(t)he business of the village
is transacted by three general stores, one
millinery, one drug and fancy grocery store, two
blacksmiths, one shoe shop, a harness shop, tailor
shop, meat market, two hardware, two hotels,
two saloons; there is one physician; there are two
Elevator
Turn to page 30
Your area
businesses
appreciate it!
Farmers & Merchants State Bank
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* Service Since 1956 *

AG SCENE - 30 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Elevators Continued from page 29
elevators, the combined capacity of which
is about 50,000 bushels.”
Cooperatives caught on and in 1916
when the charter for the Farmers Elevator
expired, the stockholders voted to reorganize
as a coop. The coop survived the
depression of the late 1920s and early 30s
and a new 35,000 bushel, 90-foot tall elevator
was erected for $8,000 including a
20-ton scale, 26-foot weighing platform.
At one time there were six elevators
lining the railroad on the north side of
town.
Renville:
In 1878 the Griffin & Stevens elevator
was erected. Later called the Columbia
222 N. Main St.
P.O. Box 424
Renville, MN 56284
320.329.8317
Fax: 320.329.3487
communityelectric@
centurytel.net
The inside view of a bin in Renville just after completion.
elevator, it stood on the west side of Main
Street south of the railroad tracks.
While the City of Renville didn’t incorporate
until 1906, according to The
History, the Farmer’s Elevator Company
“was organized 25 years ago” (1891) and
“started in a small way with one horse for
power in elevating the grain.” By publication
date of the History, “(i)t is now well
equipped, built of concrete and capable
of housing the capacity of 45,000 bushels
of grain. It has as its stockholders some of
the best farmers in the country tributary
to Renville.”
By 1890 land was going for $15 an
acre and higher and by publication of The
History, there were “four line elevators
doing business.”
Danube:
The third oldest, continuously operating
elevator in the state originated in
Danube in 1906. Written up as a “pleasant
little village” in The History, Danube’s
beginning was contentious in that neither
neighboring Renville or Olivia wanted to
see a rival railway station built between
them, but “(i)n their anxiety to secure a
station, a number of farmers had organized
a company and had built a co-operative
elevator, the first building on the present
site of the village.” No side-track was
built, so the building was sold, eventually
to Crown Elevator.
When the station for Danube went in
and the side track was built in 1898, the
village grew and by 1916 had three general
stores, a furniture store, bank, newspaper,
hotel, livery, drug store, hardware,
blacksmith, creamery, restaurant, lumbar
yard, cement tile factory, produce station,
millinery, harness shop, one doctor, two
pool halls and four grain elevators –
Danube Farmers’ Elevator Company,
Empire Elevator, Pacific Elevator and
Crown.
The newest addition to CCFE’s elevator
business was completed in 2011 with
the addition of four elevators and a grain
Elevator
Turn to page 33
Submitted photo
drier in Danube. A large agronomy center
is planned for the site in the next year or
two.
Olivia:
The authors of The History smiled
brightly on the village of Olivia in 1916,
writing “(n)ature has done much for
Olivia, and to nature’s gift has been

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 31 - AG SCENE
Elevators Continued from page 30
K&S Electric
of Olivia
Dan Smith
(320) 583-3412
For all your
electrical needs!!
Good Old
Fashion Service!
Home • Farm
• Industrial and
Commercial
Greg Seidl
(320) 492-6274
CALL: 320-523-1458
Larkin Tree Care
& Landscapin g,
Inc.
•Tree & Shrub
Trimming & Removal
•Stump Grinding
•Landscape •Design/Installation
•Pavers, Retaining
Walls
Insured - Licensed
Doug Larkin
Arborist
Christa Larkin
Designer
Home: (320) 329-3855
Renville, Mn
Photos courtesy CCFE
The newest elevators in the Coop
Country Farmer’s Elevator system
are located in Danube along
the railroad tracks east of town.
Left, The new dryer in Danube
during construction 2011.
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Bird Island
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320-365-4525
507-426-7218
888-540-4525
800-645-3159

AG SCENE - 32 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 33 - AG SCENE
Elevators Continued from page 30
A view of the elevators in Olivia next to the railroad station. No date
available.
added man’s industry.” By publication
date, Olivia had “a farmers’ elevator and
four other elevators,” not to mention a
canning factory, co-operative creamery,
bottling works, “a new automobile supply
store,” and the list goes on for half a page.
Sometime after 1878, Isaac Lincoln
and his brother built the first “flathouse”
or elevator for storing grain. The History
does not give an exact date and while
CCFE believes it to be the same date as
Danube –1906, the 2007 Centennial Edition
of the Mill & Elevator News of the
Minnesota Grain & Feed Association does
not list Olivia as one of the first, continuously
operating elevators in Minnesota.
The first post office in the village was
housed in Lincoln’s elevator office.
In discussing the canning factory in
Olivia, The History states “Minnesota is
ranking high in corn production and
many farmers coming from the southern
The Danube elevators and Main Street sometime after 1908.
states are greatly surprised to see the fine
corn crops grown in Renville County…
yielding from 40 to 75 bushels per acre
are grown every year and seem to be
more popular than wheat in this section.”
Olivia also had a Crown elevator in
1916, along with Columbia Elevator, Empire
Elevator, Olivia Farmers’ Elevator
Company and “Wm. Windhorst, grain elevator,
lumber, sash and door, coal, etc.”
TauberConstruction
Jeff Tauber
78858 US Highway 71
Olivia, MN
(320) 523-5301
Photos courtesy Renville County Historical Society
In 1882, the population of Olivia was
only around 80, but reached 970 by 1900.
CCFE:
In the early history of grain elevators,
a lot of them burnt to the ground. Undaunted,
the farmers rebuilt, usually on
the same spot.
In 1986 the elevators in Sacred Heart,
Renville and Danube decided to talk
merger.
“All we can do is ask our people and
see what they say,” was the sentiment
around the discussions, recalled Michael
Johnson, Sacred Heart, one of the original
CCFE board members and chairman
of the Sacred Heart co-op elevator.
By July the co-ops had merged and in
1990, the Olivia elevator was folded into
the group.
“We brought our towns together,” said
Johnson. “Why fight each other?”
Today CCFE is a very successful company
with 2011 balance sheet assets and
liabilities at more than $72 million
through grain, storage, feed and agronomy
sales. As of 2011, CCFE had storage
capacity of over 8 million bushels, annual
grains sales of $103.8 million and a grain
handling capacity of 18.1 million bushels.
Metal
Buildings
Are Our
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John Halliday, Owner
General Contractor Since 1978 • Lic 4729
1302 West. DePue Ave.
Olivia, MN 56277
46’ wide x 17’6” Schweiss Bi-Fold
320-522-0332
800-334-4715
Pro Equipment Sales
West Highway 212 & 71 • Olivia, MN 56277
320-523-5050

AG SCENE - 34 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Elevators Continued from page 33
Photo courtesy Michael Johnson
The original Co-op Country Farmer’s Elevator Board of Directors, July
1986, (l-r), front row: John Nordby, Michael Johnson and Harold Groen.
Middle row: Dick Bakker, Miloyd Wertish and Delmar Mulder. Back row:
Ardell Tollefson,Woody Schemmel and Duane Standfuss.
Renville’s concrete Farmers’ Elevator circa 1915.
Photo Renville County Historical Society
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320-365-3655
A Commitment To Agriculture
When you need financing for your farming operation, come see
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* Service Since 1956 *

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 35 - AG SCENE
Local growers honor own at annual banquet
By Rich Glennie
Editor
The 28th annual banquet of the
McLeod County Corn & Soybean Growers
Association, also marked the 50th anniversary
of the Soybean Growers Association,
according to Francis Svoboda, president
of the county association.
It also was a time for the local growers
to honor some of their own members and
activities as well as talk with local ag dealers
and suppliers.
Svoboda also gave an update of the
group’s 2011 activities, while Don Baloun,
state conservationist, outlined the push on
the state level toward “wetland banking”
to address the need for wetland mitigation
throughout the state.
Svoboda said the Minnesota Soybean
Growers began in Sleepy Eye in 1962 and
now there are 41 county organizations in
the state as far north at Roseau County.
The associations are important to growers
dealing with policy issues that affect
producers, Svoboda said. “The association
is working on your behalf,” he added.
Tom Meium, a representative for 7th
District U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-
Minn., said the congressman “is up to his
elbows” in the next Farm Bill, which he
predicted “would be leaner than in the
past.”
The goal of Peterson, however, is to “reserve
a strong safety net for the farm program,”
Meium said.
Emcee Nathan Winter, regional Extension
educator with the University of Minnesota,
said the association is doing a lot
of positive things for agriculture, which
remains important to the region, state and
nation.
He said the Corn & Soybean Growers
continue to “highlight the positive things”
about agriculture.
In his annual report,
Svoboda highlighted a
number of the association’s
activities in 2011,
from the annual corn
and soybean plots, to
participation in four area
parades, to disseminating
information to various
groups and organizations.
One of the highlights
was the unveiling of the
ethanol blender pumps
at Glencoe Co-op in
2011. Also, the association
renewed contracts
with local radio stations
to broadcast the group’s
ads and commentaries,
and it was learned board
member Myron Oftedahl
was selected for a
trip to China.
Francis Svoboda
Don Baloun
nesota is unique in that it “has teeth and
Svoboda surprised Winter by naming
him the winner of the 2011 Friend of
Agriculture award winner.
The group also was reminded by Winter
that the 2012 Farm Family of the Year
nominations are being sought. The farm
family will be honored at the McLeod
County Fair in August.
Baloun was the main speaker of the
night and spoke on a hot-button issue of
wetland mitigation. He stressed that anyone
out of compliance with the Wetland
Conservation Act jeopardizes benefits
from other farm programs. He said Min-
can shut an operation down.”
He called the mitigation option a good
one, especially with prices for commodities
at a high point. “Now is a time to
make money in agriculture,” Baloun said.
Baloun stressed the need for “wetland
banks” in each county to allow those short
of mitigation credits to buy them.
He recommended farmers doing their
annual budgeting include a budget line for
conservation work.
Wetlands act as “Mother Nature’s kidneys”
that clean runoff from fields.
Baloun said.
Chronicle photo by Rich Glennie
Francis Svoboda, left, president of
the McLeod County Corn & Soybean
Growers Association, surprised
emcee Nathan Winter with the 2011
Friend of Agriculture Award Saturday
night at the Pla-Mor Ballroom. Winter
is a University of Minnesota Extension
educator and has emceed the
last several association banquets.
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Ag Specialists
320-238-2188
Plato
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AG SCENE - 36 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
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Olivia, MN 56277
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Fax: 320-523-5566
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Bird Island - Hawk Creek
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P.O. Box 0
Bird Island, MN 55310-0200
320.365.3546

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 37 - AG SCENE
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Beef Skewers
Ingredients:
1. 1-1/2 pounds boneless beef top
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2. 5 to 6 green onions, white part only,
cut into 1-inch pieces.
Marinade:
1. 1/2 cup country Dijon-style
mustard
2. 1/2 cup soy sauce
3. 1/4 cup honey
4. 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5. 4 teaspoons bottled minced or
fresh crushed garlic
6. 1 tablespoon ground red pepper
Instructions:
1. In large shallow bowl, combine
marinade ingredients; whisk until
blended. Remove and reserve 1/2 cup
for basting. Trim fat from beef steak;
cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes. Add beef
to remaining marinade in bowl; toss
to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator
20 minutes.
2. Remove beef from marinade; discard
marinade. Alternately thread an
equal amount of beef and green
onion pieces onto each of four 12-
inch metal skewers.
3. Place skewers on grid over medium,
ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered,
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basting frequently with reserved
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Recipe from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com
• Paint & Supplies
• Farm Supplies
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• Sporting Goods
• Automotive
• Farm Gates & Feeders
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Next to Pamida
• Animal Feed
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Since 1905

AG SCENE - 38 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
We Sell The Best
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 39 - AG SCENE

AG SCENE - 40 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
We have parts,
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 41 - AG SCENE
Local meat shops sprouting in Minnesota
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Renville County Register
Smaller, specialized meat shops are
sprouting across Minnesota, perhaps nurtured
by the states ‘Local Grown Food’
promotions but also because consumers
are getting more particular about the food
they buy, especially when it comes to meat
products.
“Yes, we’re seeing more of these local
meat markets and they’re all ‘state of the
art’ when it comes to the technologies of
processing, preparing and displaying their
products,” said Conrad Kvamme, dairy
beef quality assurance, Minnesota Beef
Council in an interview at recent Minnesota
Beef Cattlemen’s annual convention
and trade show, Jackpot Junction.
As Kvamme travels the state putting
on ‘meat tasting’ displays at various food
stores, consumers remind him that when
it comes to meat they want not only to see
the meat, they want to meet the meat cut-
Local meats
Turn to page 42
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Doug Steffel of Danube Meat Locker said his customers appreciate
knowing their beef is locally raised.
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AG SCENE - 42 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Local meats Continued from page 41
-ter. “They very much want to see the
meat guys on the job. Cutting meat is a
lot of work. But it seems that when the
consumer has interaction with the meat
cutter, the meat product is simply better
received.”
Commented Doug Steffel, Danube
Lockers, ”My customers seem to appreciate
that they know their meat is locally
grown when they buy from me. And
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they’ll sometimes even ask me specifically
who was the farmer that produced these
rib eyes, or T-bones, or pork chops.
“Yes, this local connection is important
in the meat business. And that of course
often means my customers tell me how
thick to cut their steaks, how much trim
to take off, even how thin they want their
bacon sliced. This interaction with the
local meat man is a vital part of what
makes our local shops work.”
So with the growing number of ‘local
meat markets’ will the COOL (country of
origin label) fever lessen? Kvamme indicated
it logically would because in these
smaller markets consumers not only get to
know the meat cutter, they may even
know the livestock producer who provides
animals to that particular shop.
At recent Midwest Dairy Expo, Saint
Cloud, Kvamme provided ‘taste’ samples
freshly cooked right at his booth. Unbeknown
to the tasters (often lined up for
their toothpick offering), the meat was
from a four-and-a-half year old cull dairy
cow that had gone through three lactations.
This critter however had been
‘grain fed’ about three-and-a-half months
prior to slaughter.
Taste bites from the chuck eye, rib eye
and New York strip were “seasoned nicely
while I was frying and they were tender,
and very, very tasty. Older animals have a
great beef flavor but they need that finishing
grain ration period,” said Kvamme.
He concluded, “Local meat plants will do
well if they have the right people working
with them, and if they continually pay attention
to their customers.”
Terrific example of such a meat shop
is McDonald’s Meats, Hwy 24, Clear
Lake, MN. Known as ‘The Jerky Stop’,
this third generation meat business dates
back to 1914 when J.L. McDonald started
processing and selling locally produced
livestock meats. His son Richard ran the
business from 1953 to 1989. Richard’s son
David, age 55, took over in 1989, capably
assisted by his two sons and daughter-inlaw.
Evidence of the quality reputation of
McDonald’s Meats was the recent recognition
by the Minnesota Meats Council
designating McDonald’s Meats as the
2011 award winner.
“When I took over in ‘89, I could see
the large food stores were going to eat us
so I decided to make our store a special
meat shop. We’re making sausage, brats
and jerky plus doing special work on
hams and bacons. The beef jerky was
our starting point. Once you got a sample
into the shoppers, the meat business really
started to take off,” reflected David Mc-
Donald.
Yes, he attended a few short courses,
even University classes that would teach
the meat cutting and the meat retailing
business. But as you might expect in the
meat business, OTJ (On the Job) training
predominated. “My step daughter is
studying meat science and we’re finding
out there are a lot of things we can do
even better,” volunteered McDonald.
Besides their own retail operation in
Clear Lake, McDonald’s Meats also dis---
Local meats
Turn to page 43
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 43 - AG SCENE
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Local meats Continued from page 41
-tributes their products to about 20 other
locations, mostly convenience stores that
like to handle jerky, sticks and other such
meat snacks. A Maple Lake market is
doing more with McDonald’s sausages
and prepared meats.
Jerky leads the retail sales for McDonald
Meats but change is occurring.
“Consumers keep asking for specialized
preparations so we’ve gotten into
marinating steaks, pork chops, stuffing
chicken breasts and special brats. We’re
now up to 36 different flavors of
bratwurst. It’s just endless what you can
do and it’s fun to create the different flavors
that people are looking for.”
However, protein continues to be the
prime driver as to why people buy meats.
“The protein factor in our red meats is
a wonderful nutritional value and something
we all need,” said McDonald. They
slaughter weekly 12 to 15 beef/dairy animals
and about a dozen hogs.
His business is a member of Minnesota
Association of Meat Processors. His
family sees a growing future for these
small, locally owned and operated meat
businesses. “It’s a niche market that keeps
growing partly because the big food stores
don’t have any control in the making of
their meat products. We smaller shops
are totally in control. We’re not competing
against the major box stores. Instead
we’re filling a void for the smart consumer
that wants to know about her meat dollars,”
concluded McDonald.
Photo by Dick Hagen
Conrad Kvamme, dairy beef quality assurance, Minnesota Beef Council.

AG SCENE - 44 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 45 - AG SCENE
Agricultural career opportunities abound
A career in agriculture can prove richly
rewarding. While it’s common to envision
overalls and tractors when imagining careers
in agriculture, the opportunities to
work in the agriculture industry stretch beyond
the farm and into the corporate
world. The following are a few of the
paths men and women with a passion for
agriculture can pursue.
Business: Agriculture is big business,
and the industry has many opportunities
for those who want to pursue a career in
business. Farmers and producers of agricultural
products need someone to draft
contracts for their agreements with the
large corporations
who distribute
those products.
In addition,
purchasing
agents and agricultural
financiers
are just two
of the many career
opportunities
that enable
men and women
to work on the
business side of agriculture.
Social service: The agricultural industry
also has positions of social service. In
addition to food inspector, who ensures
agricultural products are safe for human
consumption, social service positions within
the agricultural industry include environmental
consultant and conservation officer.
Men and women can also work to develop
programs that encourage youngsters
to pursue careers in the agricultural industry.
Production: Of course, the agricultural
industry has a host of careers for those
who want to get their hands dirty. Farms
need to be plowed, seeds must be planted
and fertilized and farms need to be wellmaintained
to continue operating efficiently
and effectively. Though technology has
taken the place of many agricultural production
positions, there are still many opportunities
out there for those who want to
work under the sun.
Education: Those who want to share
their love of agriculture with others can
put their skills to work in the classroom.
Agricultural instructors can train the next
generation of agriculture professionals at
the university or high school level, ensuring
today’s farms are left in good hands tomorrow.
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AG SCENE - 46 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 47 - AG SCENE
Change, keep moving ahead
When I began, weather
reports were basically
here at home. Global
agriculture was not
thought of then. But we
began talking with other
farm broadcasters about
weather in other states,
and that was of interest
to farmers, and we
found meteorologist
who tracked weather in
other countries, and that
became part of what we
do. And it has grown from there.
One day when cell phones were a relatively
new phenom, I was on the air and it
was a slow news day. I gave our studio
phone number and asked any farmer in
the field who might have a cell phone to
call. I did not expect results, but sure
enough I got that first call. And it was the
first crop report in history from a farmer
with a cell phone live on the radio. And it
did not stop with one call. We have been
doing those call ins ever since, and have
taken hundreds of calls from farmers.
We have gone from local elevator prices
to futures trade. From one county weather
to world weather.
Our analysis was talking with a county
agent in the coffee shop to hearing a regular
market expert talking markets
Instead of waiting for outdated USDA
Farmers
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crop reports, we can
have a pretty good idea
of the crop live in the
field from farmers, and
it is a lot more fun to listen
to.
And the list goes on.
Just as farming has
changed, so has farm
broadcasting. And with
anything, you either get
better and grow, or you
do not change and get
left behind. I chose
long ago to keep moving ahead.
The world is changing very quickly. Just
look at the equipment we have available to
help us farm better. Just a few years ago,
tractors did not have cabs and radios were
a new thing. We had a radio on only one
tractor, and my brother and I fought over
who would get to plow or cultivate with
that one.
And the crops and weed and insect control
has improved dramatically. The new
hybrids that are stacked with traits have
revolutionized farming. And farmers are
making the change to better varieties. And
being creative.
Lynn Ketelson is the Farm Director
for Linder Farm Network.
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(320) 864-5518 • Fax: 320-864-5510
E-mail: trishak@glencoenews.com • www.glencoenews.com

AG SCENE - 48 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Entitlement society is getting impatient
By Dick Hagen
Contributing Reporter
Glencoe Advertiser
When you ask John Baize to reflect on
what has happened since 2008 when
change was the buzz word, you expect a
few comments.
Baize, a long-time international traveler
and renowned spokesman for the America
Soybean Association, was on the weeklong
Agricultural Outlook series of meetings
hosted recently by the Linder Farm
Radio network.
Here are excerpts from a private Q & A
session with Baize, who is never bashful regardless
the issues.
Q. Is America well on its way to becoming
a socialistic society because voters keep
on voting for the source of their entitlements?
Baize: America is on a troubling trend.
Coming through this current recession
means lots of people are hurting. That
means people are open to anybody who offers
a lifeline. But the flip side is that millions
of younger people, who got fired up
about Candidate Obama in 2008, are now
disenchanted with what they’ve seen. So
this could mean a significant vote switch,
or simply no voting among this sector.
The thing that troubles me the most is
this ongoing conversation that we’ve become
a country of two nations; a nation of
wealth and the nation of people without
money. I appreciate that too much income
disparity is a problem. But 47 percent of
our population now pays zero income tax,
which means, obviously, richer people are
paying a huge portion of our total taxes.
Our society has been living beyond its
means a long time. We’ve pushed up wage
rates beyond our ability to compete in a
global market place. We have income benefits
today that extend out to 99 weeks of
unemployment compensation. And let me
assure you 99 weeks is a pretty strong disincentive
to go looking for a job. And this
keeps wage rates artificially high, which
keeps us from being internationally competitive.
I don’t know how we come out of this
mess. But unless some miracle happens, we
are definitely lowering the average standard
of living in America! We can’t continue
down the road we are currently traveling.
Q. So what might the miracle
be?
Baize: I don’t think there is a
miracle other than a huge breakthrough
in energy technology or
some such area that would involve
tremendous resources and
will power. But even that takes
years. The miracle is simply
going to become a rude awakening
that America is going broke.
And when incomes no longer are
sustainable, then you have the
possibilities of riots and total indifference
to law and order.
Q. Isn’t Europe now recognizing
that their socialistic governments
are unsustainable?
Baize: Very definitely. Greece
is a prime example. People retiring
at age 50; eight weeks of paid
vacations; free education for their
kids and total health coverage.
They became a government
promising too much for too many.
They’re now broke and none of their
neighbors care to fund them. They are
such a financial liability. They will likely be
going through a period of near-anarchy
before there’s some settlement. Italy is in
much the same situation. France is hurting.
Ireland has already gone through the
wringer, so too Iceland. Spain and Portugal
are heading that way too.
The U.S. recently raised its debt to GDP
ratio to 100 and it’s going to go higher. We
are really no different than Western Europe
except that our government benefits
are not as high, at least not yet. But with
47 percent of the people not paying income
taxes you know their vote will go to
whomever makes the bigger promises.
Q. America’s “Golden Age of Agriculture”
has continued since 2008. Is the
glimmer lessening?
Baize: Well, yes. This remarkable period
of commodity markets expanding even
beyond the expanding costs of production
agriculture has generated tremendous
“new money” in the country. It’s very visible
in bigger and better equipment, new
technologies, better living, and of course
inflated land prices. But 2012 will be a
tighter scenario. And by 2013, penciling in
a profit might be impossible.
Q. What’s the impact if China’s economy
slows down?
Baize: Already there are indications of
some tough times ahead for China. If their
current 8 to 9 percent economic growth
slows to 2 to 3 percent, their standard of
living declines. They then can’t afford as
much meat, milk and eggs in their diets.
That means less soybean meal, less imported
soybeans, less imported corn, less imported
pork and it starts backing up all the
way to America
I don’t think you can stress enough that
our world today because of transportation,
telecommunications, more liberal trade
and of course the Internet, is a world
much more intertwined than ever before.
So what happens in one part of the world
can very rapidly have ramifications spreading
across the world. We, the United
States, are not immune to these happenings.
We’re only 3 percent of the world’s
population, but we’re subject to whatever
happens elsewhere in the world.
Q. So can American agriculture continue
to provide the economic foundation for
America and much of the world?
Baize: American farmers will always be
a player simply because of the continually
rising world population. Agriculture is the
most basic industry in the world because it
provides the daily food requirements for
File Photo
the world. So it will continue a bedrock industry,
but that doesn’t mean we won’t go
through tough periods. Farmers have
amassed huge increases in net worth the
past three and four years, but that doesn’t
mean they will keep them. I think land
prices will fall back. Prices for used equipment
will start backing off. Land cash rents
will have to be corrected. Ag is doing
about $100 billion in profits, but we’ll
wring $30 billion to $40 billion out of that
at some point.
Q. Last year you suggested that with
rapidly expanding world populations, the
world eventually might indeed run out of
food. Your thoughts today?
Baize: I think we can keep up because
we must. Most of the world today is still
not using high-level production technology.
Most of the world is still not using biotechnology.
So there is still ample opportunity
to increase food, especially on a per-acre
basis. But a bigger challenge may be water.
We can’t increase world water. Yes, we can
get plants to use water more efficiently.
And we can be more conservation minded.
But with rising world populations, especially
in urban areas, water demand is skyrocketing.
So lack of water is already becoming
a limiting factor in many parts of
the world.
JERRY
SCHARPE, LTD
Income Tax Preparation
Business, Farm & Personal,
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Monthly Accounting & Payroll
Financial Statements
Compilation, Review & Audited
Jerry Scharpe,CPA
Jeffrey Scharpe, RAP
712 E. 13th St., Glencoe
Tel: 320-864-5380
Fax: 320-864-6434
Serving clients since 1971
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605 13 th St. W., Glencoe
320-864-3414
www.glencoevet.com
Serving area farmers with quality products since 1965
- Products for farm, home, industry
and construction equipment.
- Delivering quality gasolines, diesel fuels and fuel oils.
- Offering a complete line of Chevron
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- We welcome your lubricant and fuel questions.
“GIVE US
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SCHMELING
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Phone: (320) 587-3361 or (800) 578-5636
35 Adams Street SE • Hutchinson, MN 55350

FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 49 - AG SCENE
Crop Insurance today offers..
8
Lots of Choices
If you want a crop insurance agent that
can help you make choices from a
farmer’s perspective call...
Chad Schmalz
54362 805 th Ave, Buffalo Lake, MN 55314
320-296-5422
chad.schmalz@plantpioneer.com
Independent Agent
This agency is an equal opportunity employer.
Cloud photos: www.sxc.hu ©SXC or its Image providers.
®, TM, SM
Trademarks and service marks of Pioneer Hi-Bred.
© 2010 PHII. 10-3170
GAYLORD
Kranz Lawn & ATV
19 Sixth Street
507-237-5313
HUTCHINSON
Kranz Lawn & Power
15893 Hwy. 7 East
320-587-2102
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AG SCENE - 50 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
Independent. Options.
1.877.G0.LATHAM
Contact a dealer near you or visit www.lathamseeds.com for more information.
John Dallenbach, Morgan, MN – (507) 430-2148 Dale Filzen, Renville, MN – (320) 894-7480
Larry Litzau, Glencoe, MN – (320) 864-5482 Tom Maiers, Stewart, MN – (320) 583-4564
Robin Doering, New Auburn, MN – (320) 864-4938 Gerald Henke, Gaylord, MN – (507) 237-5236
Greg Brandt RSM, New Ulm, MN – (507) 354-7220 Bill Kessler, Henderson, MN – (612) 756-2664
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FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012 - 51 - AG SCENE
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Receive a GAF $ 300 Rebate to ALL VETERANS,
past & present, when reroofing using
GAF Certified contractors and products.
Great Selection In Stock!
40+
VALUE PRICED!
Pre-Owned 4x4s in Stock!
Pickups • SUVs • Crossovers
GLENCOE, MN
320-864-5181
Toll-Free 800-950-5180
GREAT FINANCING
as low as 2.9% APR*!
* 2.9% on select GM CUVs to qualified buyers, OAC.
HOURS
Sales: M/Th 8-8,
Tue/W/F 8-5:30, Sat 8:30-4
Service: M-F 7:30-5
Parts: Saturday until Noon
www.harpelbrothers.com
www.schauerconstructioninc.com
Virgil: 320-864-4453
or 612-280-6870 Lic. # BC331123
We are on
site for each
project working
on our jobs.
YOUR ONE-STOP FOR YOUR
PRECISION AG NEEDS!
Measure up
If you really want meters that count, come in and take a
look at our Precision Planting line.
There are vacs like the brand-new vSet and widely praised
eSet ® . There’s the finger meter leader, Precision Meters.
And there’s the MeterMax ® Ultra test stand for annual
calibration that brings out the best in any meter.
Stop settling for less than the best singulation and maximum
yield. The next time you plant, go for unbeatable performance.
NEW!
Come see how Precision Planting meters measure up
and put more money in your pocket.
The Complete
Precision Package
– Backed By A Network of Experts
Who you partner with
for your precision farming
technologies is important. Ag
Leader has been a pioneer in
precision farming since the very
INTEGRA
beginning. In fact, Ag Leader has
the most complete lineup of precision
farming technology available. From hardware
to software, your Ag Leader Dealer is there to
provided dedicated training and support.
www.agleader.com
VERSA
GUIDANCE/
STEERING
SMS MOBILE
Lafayette
800-642-4104
Hector
320-848-2296
YIELD IS IN THE DETAILS.
Lafayette
800-642-4104
(Insert dealer
information here)
Hector
320-848-2296

AG SCENE - 52 - FEBRUARY 26 & 27, 2012
HIGH SPEED INTERNET
FROM
for Any One, ANY WHERE!
SPEED 12 Mbps 12 Mbps 12 Mbps
download download download
3 Mbps 3 Mbps 3 Mbps
upload upload upload
CUSTOMER Light Moderate Heavier
Internet Users Internet Users Internet Users
Great for staying Perfect for connecting The plan for people who
connected with friends families with multiple want to do more. You use
and family via email and computers. You can do your internet service for
social networking. Browse everything listed under our heavy web browsing,
the web, download photos, 7.5 GB Plan, just more of it: frequent streaming of movies,
PRICE
stream music, and watch more browsing & even video chat.
an occasional video
downloading more music
& streaming of movies. & video.
7.5 GB/mo. 15 GB/mo. 25 GB/mo.
$
49.99 $
79.99 $
129.99
per month per month per month
All plans require 24 month commitment. One-time setup fee of $149.99 and $9.99/month equipment lease apply.
Speeds are “up to” and not guaranteed. Actual speeds will vary.
Serving the
ENTIRE State of MN!
866-662-5751