AgweekTV Full Show: Ag and climate, avian influenza, SDSU Little I, the Fruit Truck

By AgweekTV

March 25, 2023 at 5:30 AM

This week on AgweekTV, we continue our Special Report coverage of ag and climate. How dairy producers are coming together to combat climate change. With spring officially here, avian influenza could spike with the upcoming migratory bird season. South Dakota State gets ready to host its 100th Little I. And a fresh fruit truck rolls through the region, offering delights from fields and orchards across the country.

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WELCOME TO AGWEEK TV, I'M

EMILY BEAL.

THIS WEEK WE CELEBRATED NATIONAL

AG DAY. THIS YEAR'S THEME IS

"AGRICULTURE: GROWING A CLIMATE

FOR OUR FUTURE", EMPHASIZING

HOW AG AND CLIMATE ARE CLOSELY

LINKED. SO THIS MONTH AT AGWEEK,

WE'RE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT

THE SUBJECT. WE BEGIN TODAY WITH

THE CATTLE INDUSTRY, WHICH WANTS

TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT WHAT

PRODUCERS ARE DOING TO BE GOOD

STEWARDS OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

Don Schiefelbein:WHAT

IS THIS INDUSTRY DOING TO HELP

THE CLIMATE? WHAT ARE WE DOING

TO HELP GLOBAL WARMING?

LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS SOMETIMES

GET A BAD RAP FROM

ENVIRONMENTALISTS, BUT DON

SCHIEFELBEIN WANTS TO GET THE

WORD OUT.. HE FARMS NEAR

KIMBALL, MINNESOTA, AND IS JUST

WRAPPING UP A TERM AS THE

PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL BEEF

CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION. HE

SAYS

PRODUCERS ARE WORKING HARD TO

IMPLEMENT PRACTICES THAT NOT

ONLY MAKE THEIR OPERATIONS MORE

EFFICIENT, THEY'RE

ENVIRONMENTAL

LY RESPONSIBLE.

Don Schiefelbein: IF

YOU JUST DIVE IN ABOUT TWO

INCHES DEEP, YOU'LL FIND OUT

THAT CATTLE ARE A SOLUTION TO

THE ENVIRONMENT AND TO CLIMATE,

TO MANAGEMENT, NOT A PROBLEM.

4537 2:22 Don Schiefelbein:WE

HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A PATH

FORWARD THAT DEFENDS OUR

INDUSTRY, BUT ALSO TALKS

LOGICALLY AND PRACTICALLY TO

CONSUMERS.

STEVE SCHLANGEN IS A DAIRY

FARMER NEAR ALBANY, MINNESOTA,

AND IS ON THE BOARD OF THE

NATIONAL MILK PRODUCERS

FEDERATION. HE AGREES THAT IT

IMPORTANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW

THAT FOR THE LAST FEW DECADES,

HIS INDUSTRY HAS BEEN DOING A

LOT TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION,

WITH CONSERVATION PRACTICES THAT

REDUCE CARBON IN THE ENVIRONMENT

AND KEEP THE WATER CLEANER.

Steve Schlangen:

WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH SOME

COVER CROPS OVER THE LAST COUPLE

OF YEARS, DOING A LITTLE BIT

BETTER JOB WITH NUTRIENT

MANAGEMENT, TRYING TO

REALLY GET THE MOST PRODUCTIVITY

OUT OF YOUR ACRES WITH THE LEAST

AMOUNT OF INPUTS AND PRESERVING

THE SOIL AS BEST YOU CAN.

HE SAYS DOING THE RIGHT THING IS

A WIN-WIN FOR PRODUCERS AND

CONSUMERS.

Steve Schlangen:

WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO THE

BEST

WE CAN WITH THE RESOURCES WE

HAVE, AND PRESERVE OUR NATURAL

RESOURCES, TAKE CARE OF OUT

ANIMALS, TAKE CARE OF THE

ENVIRONMENT.

NEAR KIMBALL, MINNESOTA, THIS IS

JEFF BEACH FOR AGWEEK.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALSO

DISRUPTING THE AG INSURANCE

BUSINESS.

WHILE VARIABLE WEATHER HAS

ALWAYS AFFECTED FARMERS, RECENT

PATTERNS ARE CAUSING MORE

DAMAGE, AND MORE EXPENSIVE

LOSSES. WHETHER IT'S SEVERE

DROUGHT, DEVASTATING DERECHO

WINDS, OR EXCESS WATER, A CHANGE

IN THE WEATHER CAN QUICKLY

IMPACT FARMERS. IT CAN ALSO

RESULT IN LARGE INSURANCE

PAYOUTS, AND THAT CAN LEAD TO

INCREASES IN PREMIUMS. RISK

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT JENNIFER

FERRIS SAYS THERE ARE SOME

THINGS PRODUCERS CAN BE DOING TO

PREVENT OR MINIMIZE DAMAGE, AND

HOLD DOWN COSTS FOR THEMSELVES

AND INSURANCE COMPANIES.

Jennifer Ferris: IT'S HAVING

VERY GOOD MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS

IN PLACE, IT'S GETTING OUT

THERE

RIGHT AWAY WHEN WE DO HAVE A BIG

HEAVY WET SNOW AND MOVING THAT

OFF OF THE ROOF. AND SO IF CAN

START WITH THINGS THAT ARE

CONTROLLABLE AND REALLY MAKE

SURE THAT WE'RE DOING A GOOD

JOB

THERE, I THINK THAT'S NUMBER

ONE.

IN ADDITION TO EXTREME WEATHER,

ANOTHER PART OF THE PROBLEM,

ACCORDING TO RISK MANAGEMENT

CONSULTANT CHANDLER GRAHAM, IS

THAT THE AG INDUSTRY HAS A LOT

OF "TIRED ASSETS"....OLDER BARNS

AND FARM STRUCTURES MORE

SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE.

Chandler Gramm: AND THOSE TIRED

ASSETS ARE EXPERIENCING THESE

EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS AND

WE'RE OBVIOUSLY SEEING A

HIGHER

AMOUNT OF CATASTROPHES, AND

HIGHER CLAIMS, DUE TO THAT AND

THE CONDITIONS THEY'RE IN.

FERRIS ADDED LABOR AND MATERIALS

ARE BOTH IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND

THAT DRIVES UP THE COST OF

REPAIRS, PUTTING MORE PRESSURE

ON THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.

SHE SAYS SOME INSURERS ARE

GETTING OUT OF THE AG SECTOR OR

LIMITING WHAT COVERAGE THEY CAN

PROVIDE.

CROPS DEPEND ON THE SUN, BUT A

SOLAR DISRUPTION CALLED A

"CARRINGTON EVENT" COULD HAVE A

DISASTROUS EFFECT ON AG.

KATHY DRAEGER IS STUDYING THE

POSSIBILITY, WHILE ON SABBATICAL

FROM HER JOB WITH THE UNIVERSITY

OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION. SHE

LOOKS AT MARKET DISRUPTIONS

CAUSED BY PANDEMICS, WAR AND

WEATHER DISASTERS. BUT SHE ALSO

LEARNED ABOUT ANOTHER HISTORIC

EVENT IN 1859, A SOLAR STORM

CALLED THE CARRINGTON EVENT,

THAT SENT POWERFUL ELECTROMAGNET

IC PULSES TOWARD EARTH. DRAEGER

THINKS IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN, IT

HAS THE POWER TO TAKE OUT A

LARGE PORTION OF THE ELECTRIC

GRID AND OTHER TECHNOLOGY. SHE

THINKS A CARRINGTON EVENT COULD

KNOCK OUT POWER FOR WEEKS OR

MONTHS, AND SHE THINKS EVERYONE

SHOULD BE PREPARED TO WITHSTAND

SUCH AN EVENT BY BUILDING UP

RESILIENCE THROUGH LOCAL FOOD

SYSTEMS.

Kathy Draeger: THIS IS, RIGHT

NOW WE THINK THAT WE WOULD HAVE

BETWEEN 18 AND PROBABLY 36 HOURS

WARNING, DEPENDING ON THE

STRENGTH OF THIS SOLAR FLARE

THAT WE MIGHT BE WITHOUT POWER

FOR ONE TO 10 YEARS. BUT WHAT

ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO IN THOSE

17 TO 36 HOURS? AND ACTUALLY THE

US GOVERNMENT IS WORKING ON THAT

QUESTION.

FOR MORE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND

ITS IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE, CHECK

OUT AGWEEK.COM OR THE LATEST

EDITION OF AGWEEK MAGAZINE.

MINNESOTA SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR

WANTS DRIVERS TO BE ABLE TO BUY

E15 GAS THIS SUMMER, INSTEAD OF

WAITING A YEAR.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY WANTS TO ALLOW SALES OF

GASOLINE WITH THE HIGHER ETHANOL

BLEND IN SOME MIDWEST STATES IN

THE SUMMER OF 2024, BUT EIGHT

GOVERNORS IN MAJOR

CORN-PRODUCING STATES WANT E15

TO BE AVAILABLE THIS SUMMER.

SENATOR KLOBUCHAR, SENIOR MEMBER

OF THE SENATE AG COMMITTEE

AGREES. SHE SAYS GIVING DRIVERS

ACCESS TO E-15 THIS SUMMER WOULD

BOOST AG AND LOWER PRICES AT

THE

PUMP.

UP NEXT ON AGWEEK TV...

HIGH SCHOOLERS IN SOUTH DAKOTA'S

BIGGEST CITY NOW HAVE THE CHANCE

TO LEARN ABOUT THE STATE'S

LARGEST INDUSTRY....IN THE

CLASSROOM...

USDA IS INVESTING MORE THAN 43

MILLION DOLLARS IN MEAT AND

PROCESSING RESEARCH, INNOVATION

AND EXPANSION IN THEIR ONGOING

EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM THE FOOD

SYSTEM..

IT'S FUNDED THROUGH THE

AMERICAN

RESCUE PLAN AND THE AGRICULTURE

AND FOOD RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

$14 MILLION IN GRANTS FROM THE

MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PROGRAM

WERE AWARDED TO 14 SMALL AND

MID-SIZED MEAT AND POULTRY

PROCESSORS. ADDITIONALLY, $25

MILLION WAS AWARDED TO

WHOLESTONE FARMS FOR A MAJOR

PLANT EXPANSION IN FREMONT,

NEBRASKA.

HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN

INFLUENZA CONTINUES TO BE A

PROBLEM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

NORTH DAKOTA HASN'T SEEN A

CASE

OF AVIAN INFLUENZA SINCE

NOVEMBER OF 2022, BUT THAT COULD

CHANGE WITH THE UPCOMING

MIGRATORY SEASON. HAVING A SOLID

BIOSECURITY PLAN IS ALWAYS

IMPORTANT FOR POULTRY PRODUCERS,

BUT EVEN MORE SO DURING

MIGRATORY SEASONS.

Samantha: Unfortunately, we're

probably going to see a rise in

it again as migratory birds make

their way back into our area.

And so setting up a good

biosecurity plan, which you can

have biosecurity for a flock of

three birds, or fifty.

Biosecurity includes how are you

going to clean pens and areas,

how are you going to dispose of

waste?

FOR THOSE WHO HUNT AND HAVE

POULTRY, IT'S ADVISED TO NOT

WEAR YOUR HUNTING CLOTHES AROUND

THEM. INFECTED BIRDS CAN SPREAD

HPAI THROUGH SALIVA, MUCUS AND

DROPPINGS.

High school students in South

Dakota's largest city now have

the option to take classes about

the state's largest industry:

agriculture. And this semester,

they welcomed some new friends

to the classroom.

Agriculture and FFA courses are

being offered in Sioux Falls for

the first time this school year.

Now, they are not only learning

about animals, but they are also

getting to take care of their

own right in the classroom.

Jensen: So we have some

chickens, we have some guinea

pigs and some quail and then in

April we will bring in a sow to

farrow and our students will

have all the hands-on

opportunities of processing pigs

and taking care of them.

Students are each assigned

chores.

Bree Koepke: So it's really

fun, it teaches us ways to take

care of the animals that you may

not do if you live in Sioux

Falls. Like chickens, I don't

have chickens at home but it's

really fun working with them and

getting the eggs and cleaning

their cage, like it seems

horrible, but I feel like it's

more fun.

Lillian Wright: It gives you

really important life skills on

how not only to take care of

animals but how to work together

in a team to do it.

The class has also added space

for aquaponics. For Alyssa Bade, working with the

plants has been her favorite

part of the ag education

program.

Alyssa Bade: I really enjoy

learning about all the different

types of plants, roots, stems

and propogating all those plants

Bringing a better understanding

of the agricultural industry to

the students through hands-on

learning.

Jensen: It's just so important

because there is such a

disconnect between food

production and where students

are getting their food. I know

maybe several of them said I had

no idea this is where this came

from or this is how this is

produced. So it's really nice

to be able to bridge the gap in

Sioux Falls.

This year's enrollment number

of 30 has already nearly doubled

for next year.

FRESH FRUIT IS A HOT COMMODITY,

WHEN THE FRUIT TRUCK ROLLS INTO

TOWN.

ON THIS COLD MARCH DAY IN

ROCHESTER, TRUCKER TOM KLEIN

QUICKLY UNLOADED THREE THOUSAND

CRATES OF FRESH STRAWBERRIES, TO

A LONG LINE OF WAITING CARS.

KLEIN HAULS FOR "THE FRUIT

TRUCK" YEAR ROUND, BRINGING

FRESH, IN-SEASON FRUIT FROM

AROUND THE COUNTRY . THE COMPANY

IS RUN BY IRENA KLEINSASSER OF

SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA. FRUIT

TRUCK BRAND AMBASSADOR PENNY

OLSON SAYS THE KLEINSASSERS WERE

IN THE TRUCKING BUSINESS WHEN

THEY STARTED THE FRUIT TRUCK IN

2010. IT'S A UNIQUE WAY TO GET

FRUIT RIGHT FROM FIELDS AND

ORCHARDS AROUND THE COUNTRY,

DIRECTLY TO CUSTOMERS.

Penny Olson: SO MUCH OF OUR

FRUIT GOES TO A WAREHOUSE, YOU

KNOW AND IT GETS WAREHOUSED AND

GASSED AND ALL THAT STUFF. IT

WAS A YOUNG MOTHER WANTING

FRESH, GOOD, DELICIOUS FRUIT FOR

HER CHILDREN. THAT'S HOW IT

STARTED.

MOST OF THEIR ADVERTISING IS

DONE ON FACEBOOK, AND THE FRUIT

SELLS OUT QUICKLY. THE

KLEINSASSERS ALSO HAVE A STORE

IN SIOUX FALLS THAT SELLS A

VARIETY OF FRUIT PRODUCTS.

STILL AHEAD ON OUR SHOW...

WHAT WERE THE DAKOTAS LIKE

DURING THE DUST BOWL? A NEW

EXHIBIT OFFERS SOME INSIGHT...

AGRIWEATHER OUTLOOK SPONSORED BY

EXCALIA FUNGICIDE FROM VALENT

U.S.A.

WILL THE REGION FINALLY ESCAPE

THE SNOWY WEATHER? HERE'S JOHN

WITH OUR AGRIWEATHER OUTLOOK

John: The weather pattern here

in the latter part of March, the

start of April, still looking

colder than average. Places like

North Dakota and northern

Minnesota will see a few days

get up above freezing as we get

to the end of March and the

start of April. But the majority

of days will still remain cold.

Little further south, it'll be

little more spring like as far

as the precipitation belt goes.

Still looking for fairly wet

weather. It looks like it's

turning a little east more than

where it has been. We'll take

the heavy snows, probably out of

North Dakota and send them a

little bit south and east and

start them start mixing with a

little bit of rain and the

California area. Still, the

onslaught continues there. It

will continue to be wet.

And as we get into spring

weather there, less snow, more

rain with potential for

flooding. In fact, it's likely

they'll be over again. Some

rounds of flooding in the

Southwest jet stream pattern.

And this is the secret to this

whole pattern, of course. It's

way south. And while the frigid

weather, the below zero weather

days have gone up north, we're

keeping freezing weather

throughout the Rockies.

Much of the northern tier of

states and that includes the far

northeast as well, the northern

Great Lakes, Minnesota, too, and

North Dakota. Warm weather is

building up in the south. These

warm temperatures that 70 few

days up around 80, Florida will

be 80. I don't think we're

seeing a lot of 90 degree heat

yet, but it is warming up down

in the Florida peninsula, the

southeast and the Caribbean, and

the lower part of the Rio Grande

Valley.

But really, most of the nation

is not seeing a lot of warm

weather as we get toward the end

of the week. Still, there is

this flow out of the southwest

likely to bring a storm up into

some part of the northern Plains

upper Midwest region. My money

is on it being a little further

south in the last couple, but

you can't predict that very

far

in advance.

So we'll have to keep an eye

that. There may be a brief warm

up in some parts over the

weekend, first weekend of April

getting up above freezing. But I

think the weather, even through

the first week of April, will

remain mostly pretty chilly in

the far north and south of where

that deep snowpack is still

going to be a little bit on the

cool side.

If you want warmth, you need to

go south, young man. All right.

Here's what's going on for

precipitation. One storm late

this week or into the early part

of the weekend will bring snow

and then a transition to rain. I

think the heavier part of this

may be rain, but there could be

a band of very heavy snow with

this storm.

I just can't predict exactly

where it will be likely late in

this week. The West Coast, there

is still getting some

precipitation. And the second

week of this forecast, which

will be the first full week of

April, it still looks like the

onslaught will continue. The

snow will go higher up in the

elevation. So we're going to

melt away some of that lower

elevation snow.

And if we still get rain in the

lower elevations and add to it

with melting snow, flooding

could become a problem in the

eastern part of the country. I

think the wet weather will shift

a bit east, but it still will be

that rain to snow transition.

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE 100

YEARS AGO, DURING THE DUST BOWL

AND GREAT DEPRESSION? A NEW

EXHIBIT AT THE SOUTH DAKOTA

AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE MUSEUM IN

BROOKINGS, GIVES YOU A CLOSER

LOOK.

*nat sound of the radio voice*

You just heard the voice of one

of the first soil scientists in

South Dakota, Joseph Hutton. You

can now take a look at his life

and the impact his research had

on soil science practices in

South Dakota.

Gwen McCausland: Unlike other

scientists, Joseph Hutton really

believed that soil was the

source of all life, and he was

passionate about conserving it.

He wanted it to be an endless

resource through sustainability

for farmers to be able to be

prosperous.

The display features Hutton's

personal research, poems he

wrote, clips from his radio

program and several photographs

taken by Hutton.

Tom Schumacher: In the exhibit,

you have these poems all around

from him that really describe

his interbeing and his deep

connection with the soil and a

deep connection to agriculture

and the farmers. It's quite

different from an exhibit that

just shows numbers and pictures

and so forth, you've got

someone

who is really involved.

You can also walk through the

farmhouse and get a look at what

life was like for farm families

during the 1920s and dirty 30s.

McCausland: We talk about life

on the farm, not only the

struggles within having little

crops or the drought, but also

about the locust .we also talk

about how many families had to

abandon their farms.

Taking a piece of history and

turning it into a valuable

lesson about conservation today.

Schumacher: If you don't know

what's happened in the past or

how people have worked to try to

keep the soil going, we will

have an ecological disaster,

it's almost guaranteed.

McCausland: I really want people

to realize that what is being

discussed about soil

conservation is nothing new, but

it is very important to know.

The exhibit is open Monday

through Saturday at the South

Dakota Ag Heritage Museum.

UP NEXT ON AGWEEK TV...

THE LITTLE INTERNATIONAL AT

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE IS GETTING

READY TO CELEBRATE A HUGE

MILESTONE...

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LITTLE

INTERNATIONAL IS YEARS OF LITTLE

INTERNATIONAL IS BEING

CELEBRATED at South Dakota State

University. STUDENTS are hard at

work GETTING READY to welcome

hundreds of visitors FOR THE

MILESTONE.

In just a few days this Animal

Science arena will be packed

with spectators, showmen and

alumni as SDSU is set to host

the Little "I" centennial

celebration.

Cody Gifford: This has been a

long time comingjust this year

alonethe dedication has really

been impeccable this year. And I

think everyone's spirits when

comes to the Friday of Little

"I" and seeing everything get

put together and start rolling

is just going to be great.

This year, the organization has

added new events to the weekend,

including alumni activities and

socials.

Gifford: We always hope to get

our alumni involved every year

but being the 100th and the

centennial celebration we would

really like to see a really

large turn-out.

The very first Little I was

hosted in the building where the

Agricultural Heritage Museum is

now located. To honor that

legacy, the museum has spent all

year collecting items and

stories from Little I's past

and

curating an exhibit to open to

the public.

Sarah Jacobs: It's such a rich

part of the history of SDSU in

terms of agricultural life here

so we really knew it would be a

great fit for an exhibit here.

Preserving a campus tradition

and keeping it alive for

generations to come.

Jacobs: I'm hoping that they

take away what Little "I"

exactly is and how people come

together to showcase

agriculture, not only within the

community, but within the state

as well.

Gifford: The memories, the

lifelong connections that you

build and the leadership skills

that you gain from being a part

of this organization are really

what I think makes it appeal to

so many college kids.

SDSU's Little international is

March 31st and April 1st.

STORIES YOU'LL ONLY SEE ON

AGWEEK.COM AND IN AGWEEK

MAGAZINE THIS WEEK.

A North Dakota farmer is

searching for a vintage combine

special to his family.

And the U.S. Department of Ag is

putting 3.1 billion dollars into

projects to fight climate

change.

WE APPRECIATE YOU WATCHING

AGWEEK TV. REMEMBER TO CHECK US

OUT DAILY ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER,

INSTAGRAM AND TIK TOK,

TO KEEP UP ON ALL YOUR AG NEWS.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK

EVERYONE...

AgweekTV Full Show: Ag and climate, avian influenza, SDSU Little I, the Fruit Truck

We continue our Special Report on ag and climate. Avian influenza could spike with the migratory bird season. SDSU will host its 100th Little I. And a fresh fruit truck rolls through the region.