Soil moisture may carry crops through season
Justin Dagen, Karlstad
Planting intentions for 2017 on the Dagen Heritage Farm were based on this sound advice from the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 11: "Plant several types of crops because you do not know which will prosper, maybe all of them."

Crop rotations on our farm, many of which are designed years in advance, always leave some room to respond to market signals. The loudest communication we have received since last fall has been "plant less corn, plant more soybeans." Our vice president of production and marketing has always demonstrated a significant contrarian element in his personality. That being said, we are decreasing corn acres somewhat this year, but replacing them with contracted dry edible beans.

In addition, a fairly stable level of hard red spring wheat acres always produce an excellent seedbed for potatoes and sugarbeets the following year. Herbicide resistance management options continue to expand, with Liberty and dicamba having a significant impact.

Crop prospects in Kittson County are very bright due to the fact that we have received above-average to substantially above-average rainfall for three consecutive growing seasons. Currently, our stored subsoil moisture level is somewhat in excess of 100%.

Did I mention it's wet around here? We are in a very good position to be sustained through some period of drought, should that occur. The old timers have a saying around here: "It takes three months to get dry, but only three hours to get wet."

In closing, I would like to say that I am very thankful and proud to be a Minnesota family farmer, and I appreciate having this opportunity to open the window on farm life in northwestern Minnesota. A blessed 2017 to you.

Remaining positive amid cash-flow challenges
Rochelle Krusemark, Trimont
It’s mid-March, and I’m looking out the window at 10 inches of fresh snow as I sit by the fireplace to draft my last column. A week ago, the wind and warm weather melted all the ice off the lake, and I resisted the temptation to roll the dock in — mainly due to no willing help.

Our farm shop lacks appropriate equipment and personnel, so Brad and I traveled to Rochester for his surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff from an injury sustained from slipping on the ice mid-January. We hope the surgeon gives Brad the nod to "sit in the tractor, push ‘resume’ and turn the planter on the end" in time for corn planting.

Projected cash flow for 2017 represents challenges for agriculture and rural communities. When farmers are blessed with prosperity, we pay down debt and upgrade equipment. During economic and/or production challenges, we remain generous, yet frugal. Farming is not for wimps or those with negative attitudes!

Our planting intentions for 2017 crop are 50/50 corn and soybeans. Since we will not be planting any corn-on-corn acres, we decided to plant some double-stack corn rather than all triple-stack. We will scout fields more often throughout the growing season to determine if rootworms infest the plants, and may have to harvest those acres early. If we are not faced with a challenge, we save drying corn from early harvest. Calculated risk or gamble?

Our family enjoys and appreciates cohabitating with wildlife. White-tailed deer compete with the cows as they glean the harvested . The migrating geese feast on the cereal rye we planted last fall. I hope their nutrient intake is sufficient and they fly north soon.

Should your journeys find you in or close to Martin County, Google me and stop in! Until we meet (again) …

Finishing up fall fieldwork
Paul Kvistad, Wood Lake
Wet fall fieldwork conditions left a few extra jobs to be completed this spring. We planned a tiling job on a farm that wasn’t started before freeze-up, so that farm will need to be tiled before planting. Most of our turkey litter was applied last fall, with the exception of the farm that will get tiled this spring. Typically, we use fall-applied anhydrous ammonia in addition to our litter to get to the target nitrogen available for each farm. Last fall, only one field was able to be applied with anhydrous, so we will be using 28% N at planting time to supplement the rest of the fields this year.

Soil moisture levels remain high in our area and could be problematic to spring fieldwork if early rains persist, but a full soil moisture profile will help to carry the crop through summer months.

Our planting intention this year will keep us on a near 50/50 corn soybean rotation. Low commodity prices keep me scrutinizing every input cost, and looking for areas to save money and to lower the overall cost per bushel produced. For the second year, we will be using variable-rate seeding on corn in scripts to lower our seed costs. This year, we will also be doing some side-by-side corn population tests, to see how population affects yield on my own soils with the hybrids I plant this year.

I hope my writing over the past year has given you a little insight on my turkey and row crop productions. Thank you for taking the time to read these articles.

This experience of writing a column each month has given me an appreciation for those that do this regularly or as a career. It reinforces the idea that farming is the only job that I could make a living at.

— Compiled by Paula Mohr