AgweekTV Full Show: Agweek Farm Show, ag teacher shortage, yield boost, Little Red Dairy

This week on AgweekTV, we're coming to you from the Agweek Farm Show in Rochester, Minnesota. The region faces an ag education teacher shortage. A new technology could help boost your yields. And the Little Red Dairy tests tastebuds by hosting a favorite flavor cheese curd contest.

WELCOME TO AGWEEK TV, I'M EMILY BEAL.

WE'RE COMING TO YOU THIS WEEK FROM THE 41ST ANNUAL AGWEEK FARM SHOW IN ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA.

THE FREE SHOW WAS AT THE OLMSTED COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS. IT INCLUDED A TRADE SHOW WITH VENDORS, AG SPEAKERS, FREE CHEESE CURD SAMPLES FROM LITTLE RED DAIRY, AND A FREE MEAL AND MUSIC. PANELS COVERED ESTATE PLANNING, AG CAREERS, TRANSPORTATION REGULATIONS AND OATS MARKETING.

EMILY: ONE OF THE PANELS WAS EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT FOR AG CAREERS. JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS THE TOPIC IS JEN STRAND FROM JOBS HQ. JEN, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT OBSTACLES EMPLOYERS ARE FACING RIGHT NOW?

JEN: EMPLOYERS RIGHT NOW ARE HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING EMPLOYEES, WHETHER IT IS PART TIME, FULL TIME, SEASONAL, SKILLED OR UNSKILLED. THEY'RE JUST IT'S THE PEOPLE OUT THERE AND THE JOBS THAT ARE OPEN. IT'S NOT A MATCH.

EMILY: AND THE AG INDUSTRY IS CURRENTLY FACING A SERIOUS LABOR SHORTAGE.

JEN: YES. THE AG INDUSTRY SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE AG EGG INDUSTRY FOR YEARS AND THEIR CHILDREN MAY OR MAY NOT BE TAKING OVER THE BUSINESS AND FILLING SOME OF THAT BACK IS VERY DIFFICULT.

EMILY: WHAT KIND OF JOBS ARE AVAILABLE IN AG CAREERS?

JEN: YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT AGRICULTURE, YOU REALLY HAVE A PLETHORA OF POSITIONS. YOU HAVE SALES POSITIONS, YOU HAVE FARM POSITIONS, YOU HAVE MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN POSITIONS, YOU HAVE PARTS POSITIONS. IT COULD BE IN AN OFFICE. IT COULD BE A HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL. IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER. I MEAN, THERE'S ALL TYPES OF POSITIONS AVAILABLE JUST WITHIN THAT AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY.

EMILY: AND IF YOU WERE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY WHO'S LOOKING FOR A JOB IN THE AG INDUSTRY, HOW WOULD YOU SUGGEST THEY GO ABOUT DOING SO.

JEN: IF THEY'RE LOOKING IN THE AG INDUSTRY, THERE'S A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS. ONE, WHEREVER THEY'RE AT, THEY SHOULD BE LOOKING AT AG COMPANIES THAT ARE WITHIN THEIR AREA AND LOOK TO LOOK TO THEIR WEBSITES, GO TO FARM SHOWS, GO TO CAREER FAIRS, LOOK TO SEE WHO'S HIRING. LOOK ON WEBSITES. BUT SPECIFICALLY, IF THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AG, LOOK UP THOSE AG COMPANIES.

EMILY: SO WHAT ARE SOME LOCAL RESOURCES THAT CAN BE USED?

JEN: ONE OF THE BIGGEST TIPS I CAN TELL YOU IS GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, ANY OF THEM REALLY YOU KNOW, THAT SECTION OF PEOPLE IS THE ONLY GROWING SEGMENT OF THE WORKFORCE. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO KIND OF BUILD YOUR PIPELINE AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM IN THEIR AREA AND KEEP THEM, YOU KNOW, LIVING IN THE AREA THAT THEY'RE GROWING UP IN.

EMILY: WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

JEN: YES, YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU.

EMILY: JEN STRAND OF JOBS HQ.

SCHOOLS AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND ESPECIALLY THE UPPER MIDWEST, ARE FACING A SHORTAGE OF AG EDUCATION TEACHERS. IN THIS WEEK'S AGWEEK COVER STORY, WE HIGHLIGHT GARY WALD, AN A TEACHER IN MADDOCK, NORTH DAKOTA, WHO IS RETIRING AFTER NEARLY FORTY YEARS OF TEACHING.

GARY WALD: WHEN I STARTED IT WAS COWS AND PLOWS AND SOWS, YOU KNOW.

GARY WALD HAS TAUGHT AG EDUCATION FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER, NEARLY FORTY YEARS. MOST OF THAT WAS SPENT IN MADDOCK, NORTH DAKOTA. HE SAYS HE'S SEEN A LOT OF CHANGES OVER THE DECADES...

GARY WALD: BUT NOW IT'S AGRI-SCIENCE, AGRI-BUSINESS, NATURAL RESOURCES. IT'S REALLY EXPANDED. WE GET 3-D PRINTERS, AND WE GET A VERZA CAM. VERZA LASERS, DRONES, SO THEY'VE KEPT UP WITH THE MODERN, WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING.

LIKE MOST OF THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, NORTH DAKOTA HAS AN AG TEACHER SHORTAGE. ONE REASON MAY BE THAT OTHER AG CAREERS OFFER BETTER PAY. EVEN WALD LEFT TEACHING FOR A DECADE, FOR A MORE LUCRATIVE CAREER SELLING AG INSURANCE. BUT HE SAYS MONEY IS NOT THE REASON HE WENT INTO AG EDUCATION, AND HE WAS CALLED BACK TO THE CLASSROOM.

GARY WALD: WE WERE TOLD IN AG EDUCATION YOU CANNOT GO INTO THIS FOR THE MONEY, OR YOU WON'T STAY. IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LOVE FOR THE CAREER.

MANY SCHOOLS ARE ADDING AG PROGRAMS, BECAUSE OF HIGH DEMAND FOR AG CAREERS. BUT THERE AREN'T NEARLY ENOUGH TEACHERS TO FILL THOSE CLASSROOMS. ADAM MARX IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF AG EDUCATION AT NDSU. HE SAYS SOME OF THE TEACHER SHORTAGES ARE CAUSED BY RETIREMENTS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF EXPANDING PROGRAMS AT SCHOOLS AROUND THE REGION. THEY'RE NEEDED TO FILL A GROWING NUMBER AND VARIETY OF JOBS IN AG.

ADAM MARX: WE HAVE A HIGH DEMAND FOR A DIVERSE WORKFORCE IN AGRICULTURE, AND THAT REQUIRES, AT A MINIMUM, FOR PEOPLE TO BE AT LEAST LITERATE OF WHAT THE AG ECONOMY IS.

WALD SAYS AT 75, HE THINKS TEACHING, AND BEING AROUND KIDS KEEPS HIM YOUNG. ALTHOUGH HE'S RETIRING, HE SAYS HE'LL BE BUSY. HE'S VERY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, AND HE'LL KEEP DRIVING A SCHOOL BUS, AND WILL DO SOME SUBSTITUTE TEACHING.

GARY WALD: THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO KEEP ME BUSY, AND GO SEE MY GRANDKIDS.

YOU CAN READ ON AGWEEK.COM OR IN AGWEEK MAGAZINE.

FERTILIZER SUPPLIES AND PRICES ARE LOOKING BETTER THAN A YEAR AGO.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO ONE EXPERT IN THE FERTILIZER INDUSTRY. JOSH LINVILE, THE DIRECTOR OF FERTILIZER FOR STONEX SAYS LAST SPRING, FACTORS LIKE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT BANS ON EXPORTS, AND THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE, WERE LIMITING SUPPLIES. BUT THOSE UNCERTAINTIES SEEM TO HAVE EASED THIS SPRING.

JOSH LINVILLE: WE ARE EXPECTING A PRETTY BIG DEMAND CYCLE, BUT WE FEEL A LOT BETTER SUITED THAN WE WERE LAST YEAR. WE SEE THAT IN THE PRICE, WE SEE THAT IN THE AVAILABILITY. IT'S JUST A MUCH IMPROVED SITUATION. >

LINVILLE SAYS ALTHOUGH FERTILIZER PRICES ARE STILL HIGHER THAN NORMAL, GRAIN PRICES ALSO REMAIN HIGH, SO THAT HELPS BALANCE IT OUT. BUT LINVILLE CAUTIONS THAT MANY OF THE FACTORS THAT AFFECTED FERTILIZER PRICE AND SUPPLIES LAST YEAR, INCLUDING WEATHER AND GLOBAL POLITICS, COULD STILL COME INTO PLAY, SO HE SAYS RISK MANAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT.

UP NEXT FROM THE AGWEEK FARM SHOW IN ROCHESTER, WE'LL TALK WITH POPULAR COLUMNIST MYCHAL WILMES

EMILY: WELCOME BACK TO THE AG WEEK FARM SHOW IN ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA. JOINING ME NOW IS SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN HERE AS LONG AS ANYONE. FORMER AGRI NEWS EDITOR AND CURRENT AGWEEK COLUMNIST MYCHAL WILMES. MYCHAL, WHEN DID YOU FIRST START COMING TO THIS FARM SHOW?

MYCHAL: 1983. IT'S SO FUN TO BE BACK AND I'M SO THANKFUL THAT AGWEEK HAS REALLY WORKED SO HARD TO PUT ON A FINE SHOW HERE IN ROCHESTER.

EMILY: AND HOW HAS THE SHOW EVOLVED OVER TIME?

MYCHAL: WELL, THE EQUIPMENT HAS GOTTEN BIGGER, MORE SOPHISTICATED, BUT I'M IMPRESSED WITH THE DIVERSITY OF THE EXHIBITORS. THEY OFFER SO MANY DIFFERENT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE EXISTED IN 1993 WHEN I STARTED.

EMILY: AND WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN AGRICULTURE?

MYCHAL: OH, I WAS A FARM BOY, THE YOUNGEST OF 12 CHILDREN. SO I DID THE WHOLE RANGE OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, MILKING COWS AND FEEDING HOGS, DOING CHORES.

EMILY: AND WE ARE IN ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA. WOULD YOU CLASSIFY THAT AS A DIVERSIFIED AREA IN AGRICULTURE?

MYCHAL: YES, IT HAS THE FULL RANGE. AND NOT TO FORGET THE ORGANIC SEGMENTS AND INCREASING SHEEP PRODUCTION. AND IT'S A WONDERFUL AREA AND WE'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH PRETTY GOOD WEATHER THROUGH THE LAST FEW GROWING SEASONS.

EMILY: SO YOU'RE QUITE A POPULAR COLUMNIST. HOW DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION TO WRITE WEEK AFTER WEEK?

MYCHAL: WELL, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES AND I PANIC, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE SCREEN IS BLANK. BUT I THINK I TRY TO WRITE FOR ONE PERSON AND THE PEOPLE I MEET ARE SO APPRECIATIVE OF THE STORIES THAT THEY GREW UP WITH AND THE LIVES THEY GREW UP WITH. AND IT'S KIND OF FUN FOR ME TO MEET THEM FACE TO FACE AND TO THANK THEM FOR READING IT, BECAUSE IT'S AN HONOR TO BE INVITED TO THEIR KITCHEN TABLE, TO BE READ AND TO ENTER THEIR HOME.

EMILY: AND HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL BE DOING COLUMNS FOR AG WEEK?

MYCHAL: WELL, I AS LONG AS THEY WANT ME TO, MAYBE I THINK IS A GOOD QUESTION.

EMILY: WELL, WE CERTAINLY ENJOY THEM. AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

MYCHAL: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

EMILY: MYCHAL WILMES.

ANOTHER TOPIC AT THE AGWEEK FARM SHOW WAS GROWING AND MARKETING OATS. JEFF BEACH INTRODUCED THE DISCUSSION AND HAS MORE.

A GROUP OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA FARMERS STARTED TALKING ABOUT CROP ROTATIONS AS A PART OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES.

THEY ENDED UP FORMING A COOPERATIVE AIMED AT GROWING AND MARKETING FOOD GRADE OATS. MARTIN LARSEN FROM BYRON, MINNESOTA IS ONE OF THE FARMERS INVOLVED. HE TALKED ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF THE CO-OP, AND TIPS FOR FARMERS INTERESTED IN GROWING OATS.

MARTIN: DO THE MARKET RESEARCH UP FRONT IN YOUR AREA SO THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A BUYER. FOCUS ON PLANTING EARLY, PUTTING ENOUGH SEEDS OUT THERE. PLANT HEAVY. KNOW THAT HARVESTING OATS MAY BE SUBTLELY DIFFERENT THAN YOUR CORN OR SOYBEAN CROP BUT WE CAN DO IT WITH THE SAME COMBINE, THE SAME BEAN HEAD, AND LEARN HOW TO DO THAT.

THE OATS CO-OP WOULD LIKE TO GROW TO ONE MILLION BUSHELS IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS. EMILY?...

ALFALFA ACRES ARE DROPPING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND THAT'S LEADING SOME MAJOR COMPANIES TO LEAVE THE INDUSTRY.

BAYER AND CORTEVA ARE EXITING THE ALFALFA SEED INDUSTRY DUE TO DECLINING ACRES, AND THAT'S AFFECTING FUNDING FOR GROUPS LIKE THE MIDWEST FORAGE ASSOCIATION. IT'S THE LARGEST AFFILIATE OF THE NATIONAL ALFALFA AND FORAGE ALLIANCE. ABOUT 400 GROWERS MET RECENTLY FOR THE ANNUAL MFA SEMINAR. PRESIDENT BETH NELSON SAYS ALTHOUGH ACRES ARE DROPPING, FORAGE IS STILL A LARGE INDUSTRY, AND ALFALFA IS STILL THE NATION'S FOURTH MOST VALUABLE FIELD CROP, SO SHE ENCOURAGES ALL GROWERS TO JOIN THEM.

BETH NELSON: SO THAT WHEN WE ARE WORKING TO HAVE THAT VOICE IN WASHINGTON D.C. ON POLICY ISSUES AND RESEARCH FUNDING THAT WE HAVE THAT CRITICAL MASS TO HELP CARRY OUR MESSAGE.

AFTER THE SYMPOSIUM, NELSON HEADED TO WASHINGTON D.C. TO LOBBY FOR MORE RESEARCH FUNDING, AND GEAR UP FOR WORK ON THE NEW FARM BILL.

CURIOSITY ABOUT BACKYARD CHICKEN FLOCKS HAS BEEN INCREASING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

THE RISING COST OF EGGS, AVIAN INFLUENZA AND CONSUMERS WANTING A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION TO THEIR FOOD ARE SOME OF THE DRIVING FACTORS. SAMANTHA LAHMAN WITH NDSU EXTENSION ADVISES TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE OVERALL TIME COMMITMENT THAT A BACKYARD FLOCK REQUIRES.

SAMANTHA LAHMAN: WHEN YOU REALLY LOOK AT, KIND OF EVALUATING OKAY THIS IS MY INPUT, THIS IS WHAT I WANT OUT OF IT. CERTAINLY I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND ANYONE THAT SAYS I JUST WANT TO AVOID EGG PRICES AT THE GROCERY STORE. TO INVEST IN A FULL FLOCK OF BIRDS.

ACCORDING TO LAHMAN MORE CITIES AND TOWNS ARE ALSO PERMITTING BACKYARD CHICKENS INTO THEIR ZONING LAWS, MAKING IT EASIER FOR CONSUMERS TO HAVE A FLOCK OF THEIR OWN.

STILL AHEAD ON OUR SHOW...

ARE SALTY SOILS AN ISSUE? WE'LL TELL YOU ABOUT A PRODUCT THAT MIGHT BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

AGRIWEATHER OUTLOOK SPONSORED BY EXCALIA FUNGICIDE FROM VALENT U.S.A.

COULD A WARM FRONT BE ON THE HORIZON?

HERE'S JOHN WITH OUR AGRI-WEATHER OUTLOOK.

JOHN: AS THE MONTH OF MARCH MOVES ON, WE ARE SEEING THE REALLY COLD AIR RETREAT OUT OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND HEAD BACK UP INTO THE ARCTIC WHERE IT BELONGS. THAT BEING SAID, MUCH OF THE DAKOTAS, NORTHERN MINNESOTA, THE GREAT LAKES REGION LOOKING AT STILL COLDER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. MARCH IS JUST REALLY NOT MOVING TOWARDS SPRING AT ALL HERE IN THE NORTH.

JOHN

ONE GOOD THING, IT DOES LOOK LIKE ANY PRECIPITATION THAT WE GET WILL BE LIGHTER OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. WE'VE JUST COME OUT OF SOME VERY HEAVY PRECIPITATION EVENTS. THESE ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE QUITE SO HEAVY. THE MAIN HEAVY SNOW IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS WILL EVENTUALLY LIKELY LET UP OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT NOT BEFORE MORE HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOWS AND LOWER ELEVATIONS.

JOHN

RAINS CONTINUE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DOWN INTO CALIFORNIA. LET'S LOOK AT THE JET STREAM. BOTTOM PRIMARY JET RIGHT NOW IS THE SOUTHERN ONE. THERE IS A BIT OF AN ARCTIC JET THAT I'M SHOWING BECAUSE IT DOES REVEAL THIS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS OVER THE WEEKEND THAT RATHER QUICKLY MOVES ON TO THE EAST, TOO, REPLACED BY A LITTLE BIT OF RIGGING.

JOHN

AS WE GET INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK, THAT'S GOING TO BRING SLIGHTLY MILDER TEMPERATURES TO NORTH THE DAKOTAS AND PARTS OF MINNESOTA. THE FRIGID AIR, YOU'LL NOTE IT, STAYING UP NORTH, FRIGID, MEANING LIKE SUBZERO WEATHER, THE DARK BLUE, THAT'S WHERE HIGHS ARE LIKE NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING. SO WE WILL LIKELY GET AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF A MID-WEEK BREAK.

JOHN

BUT THEN THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL HEAD BACK TO MOSTLY FREEZING OR NEAR FREEZING WEATHER. WHILE THIS IS ALL GOING ON, THE SOUTHERN STATES LOOK LIKE THEY WILL BE, YOU CAN SAY, FAIRLY WARM WITH EVEN THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME OCCASIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM TIME TO TIME. AND WE ARE SETTING UP FOR MORE HEAVY PRECIPITATION IN THE WESTERN STATES BY THE TIME WE GET TO THIS COMING WEEKEND.

JOHN

IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE SEEING THAT. A LOT OF THAT HEADED TOWARD THE NORTHERN PART OF CALIFORNIA AND ON UP INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AS WE MOVE INTO THE SECOND WEEK OF THE PERIOD HERE. PATTERN STILL LOOKING PRETTY COLD, THOUGH, NOT REALLY FRIGID AT ALL, BUT GENERALLY MOSTLY BELOW FREEZING FROM NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES REGION. WHILE THE GOOD, THE GOOD WARM WEATHER WILL CONTINUE DOWN INTO THE SOUTHERN STATES AND IT'LL LIKELY STAY FAIRLY COLD THROUGH THE MONTH OF MARCH, NOT GOING TO SEE A GREAT DEAL OF SNOW MELTING IN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHERN MINNESOTA.

JOHN

AS FAR AS ADDING NEW PRECIPITATION FOR THIS WEEK. THERE WILL BE, OF COURSE, THE SNOW MOVING OUT OF THE DAKOTAS ON SUNDAY. WE'LL MOVE ON ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES, TURNING INTO MOVING EVENTUALLY OUT TO SEA. LATER IN THE WEEK, THERE'LL BE A WEATHER SYSTEM IN WARMER AIR, A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH WITH SOME THUNDERSHOWERS AND A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN, SNOW ON THE NORTHERN SIDE.

JOHN

AND THEN NOTICE THE PRECIPITATION OUT WEST, MOSTLY THE NORTHERN PART OF CALIFORNIA UP INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE SECOND WEEK NOW, THIS IS GETTING INTO THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND HALF OF MARCH. STILL LOOKS WET IN THE MOUNTAINS OUT WEST. LOOKS LIKE THE SNOWS WILL MOSTLY BE THE SAINT LAWRENCE SEAWAY DOWN THROUGH THE EAST COAST, WHERE THERE WILL BE SOME THUNDERSHOWERS AND SOME WARMER AIR.

JOHN

A LITTLE RAIN COMING UP INTO IOWA. BUT FOR MOST OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS AREA, PRECIPITATION, THE NEXT TWO WEEKS WILL BE A BIT LIGHTER.

EMILY: JOINING ME NOW IS SEVRIN ANDERSON. SO SEVRIN, TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR OPERATION.

SEVRIN: WE FARM UP BY DRAYTON, NORTH DAKOTA. WE FARM ABOUT 2500 ACRES AND I'M A FIFTH GENERATION FARMER.

EMILY: AND YOU USE CALCINE ON YOUR ACRES. HOW DID YOU COME TO DISCOVER CALCINE?

SEVRIN: ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WE SAW A COMMERCIAL ON AGWEEK FOR IT. IT STARTED OUT ESSENTIALLY AS A VANITY THING ON THE HIGHWAY JUST TO TRY AND NOT MAKE IT LOOK SO BAD WHEN PEOPLE DROVE BY. YHE EFFECTS WE HAD THERE, IN TALKING WITH JIM AND DARCY, AT ECO, WE REALIZED THAT IT HAD MORE OPTIONS IN DIFFERENT CROPS AND DIFFERENT THINGS, SO WE ENDED UP USING IT. NOW, IN SUGAR BEETS, WE USE IT IN BEANS. AND THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO TRY IT IN WHEAT.

EMILY: AND WHEN YOU GUYS ARE IMPLEMENTING CALCINE IN YOUR ACRES, HAVE YOU SEEN THE SOIL BECOME HEALTHIER?

SEVRIN: YEAH. I MEAN, WE DIDN'T BELIEVE RIGHT AWAY WHEN THEY WERE TELLING US, PROBABLY WITHIN ONE OR TWO APPLICATIONS IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. BUT ON A FEW SPOTS ON THE HIGHWAY, WE HAD SUCCESS. WE ENDED UP, LIKE I SAY, TRYING IT IN FURROW IN THE SUGAR BEETS, AND WE TRIED IT FOLIAR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IN SOYBEANS NOT ONLY FOR GETTING RID OF THE SALT, BUT IN FOR, OH, IT WARMED UP THE SOIL A LITTLE BIT. WE'RE ABLE TO SEE IT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER WITH THE SUGAR BEETS AND WE'VE HAD SUCCESS IN EVERY CROP WE'VE TRIED IT SO FAR.

EMILY: AND WHAT KIND OF RATE OF RETURN ARE YOU GETTING WHEN YOU'RE USING CALCINE ON THESE SPECIFIC ACRES?

SEVRIN: THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS AND THOSE SMALL SPOTS, IT WAS JUST GENERALLY WE COULD SEE THEY WERE BETTER AND IT LOOKED BETTER. SO THAT WAS WHAT WE WENT BY. BUT NOW THAT WE'VE BEEN ACTUALLY ABLE TO MEASURE IT IN VITRO AND IN SOME DIFFERENT PLOTS AND THE SUGAR BEETS AND BEANS, THE RATE OF RETURN HAS BEEN ANYWHERE FROM ONE OR TWO SPOTS HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN PROBABLY 4 TO 5 TIMES ON A RATE OF RETURN, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, EXCEPTIONAL.

EMILY: AND WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT THE RATE OF RETURN, AS YOU GUYS KEEP USING THIS PRODUCT YEAR AFTER YEAR, DO YOU THINK THAT RETURN GETS GREATER?

SEVRIN: I THINK ON THE WORST SPOTS, LIKE I SAY, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE HIGHWAY AND WHERE WE ARE RIGHT ALONG THE RIVER, WHERE YOU'RE DEALING WITH FLOODING AND RETURN PROBLEMS EVERY YEAR. WE'VE DONE IT FOR TWO YEARS NOW ON SOME OF THESE AND THE FIRST YEAR WE'RE ABLE TO BASICALLY GET BARE GROUND TO GROW SOMETHING. AND THEN THE SECOND YEAR WE'RE GETTING ACTUAL YIELD ON IT THERE. SO THE HOPE IS THAT IT KEEPS EXPANDING EVERY TIME WE TRY IT. BUT YEAH, WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING EVERY YEAR AND EXTRAPOLATION OF WHAT'S WORKED FOR SURE.

EMILY: SO IS CALCINE A PRODUCT THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO A FELLOW FARMER?

SEVRIN: ABSOLUTELY. WE'VE HAD OTHER NEIGHBORS THAT HAVE STARTED USING IT TOO AND LIKE I SAY, ESPECIALLY FOR FOR US, WE HAVE OUR GUYS THERE THAT DEAL WITH FLOODING ISSUES ALONG HIGHWAYS. BUT PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE THAT HAS SALT ISSUES, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS UP HERE AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT CROPS, TOO. SO WE'VE DEFINITELY HAD INTEREST FROM OTHER GROWERS. AND I THINK THAT THERE'S PROBABLY AN APPLICATION ON ALMOST EVERY FARM IN SOME IN SOME WAY.

EMILY: WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHT ON THIS PRODUCT, SEVRIN ANDERSON.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW AQUA YIELD WORKS, CONTACT JIM ERICKSON AT E.C.O. AT THE NUMBER OR EMAIL ON YOUR SCREEN

STILL AHEAD ON AGWEEK TV, WE'LL SEE WHO'S THE CREAM OF THE CROP OF CURDS...

A TASTY ADDITION TO THIS YEAR'S AGWEEK FARM SHOW WAS THE LITTLE RED DAIRY. THEY OFFERED FREE CHEESE CURD SAMPLING.

LITTLE RED DAIRY IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY ALAN AND EMILY MILLER. THEY OWN 250 COWS ON THEIR FAMILY FARM NEAR THIELMAN, MINNESOTA. THEY BEGAN PROCESSING CHEESE IN 2018 AND SELL THEIR CHEESE AT LOCAL STORES, FARMERS MARKETS AND AT THEIR FARM STORE.

ALAN: EVERYTHING WE FARM FEEDS OUR COWS. AND THEN THIS IS JUST KIND OF AN ADDED SIDE GIG. I DON'T REALLY BELIEVE IN HAVING TO MILK MORE COWS ALL THE TIME SO I WAS HOPING THIS WAS A WAY TO KEEP THE FARM HOPEFULLY MORE PROFITABLE IN TODAY'S WORLD.

ATTENDEES WERE ABLE TO VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE CHEESE CURD FLAVOR AT THE SHOW. AND THE WINNER WAS...DILL.

STORIES YOU'LL ONLY SEE ON AGWEEK.COM AND IN AGWEEK MAGAZINE THIS WEEK...

THE NSDU COLLEGE OF AG, FOOD SYSTEMS AND NATURAL RESOURCES WILL LAYOFF FIVE PROFESSORS AND MERGE A PROGRAM, TO REDUCE ITS BUDGET BY 600-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

AND RURAL MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ARE FEELING THE STRAIN OF THE CURRENT WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.

WE APPRECIATE YOU WATCHING US THIS WEEK FROM THE AGWEEK FARM SHOW IN ROCHESTER.

REMEMBER TO CHECK US OUT DAILY ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM AND TIK TOK TO KEEP UP ON ALL YOUR AG NEWS. HAVE A GREAT WEEK.