Tri-State Neighbor

Be aware of nutrient loss from harvesting corn silage and baling cornstalks

More farmers this year chopped silage and baled crop residue to extend tight hay supplies. Removing that valuable crop residue from the field is not without consequences.

What could have been

"Every year is a bit different from the others. This one for me ends up in the 'what could have been' pile."

Fed survey finds more cash filling farmers’ pockets, and land values soaring

Good crops and higher commodity prices are putting more money in farmers’ pockets while agricultural land values are soaring, according to a new multi-state survey by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve.

End of harvest a cause to celebrate

The first week of November, my long-time, best friend from Onida, Bob Yackley, texted me a photo of his grandson and great-grandson, seated in the cab of their combine, about to make the last round of a long season.

Hopeful for more rain in 2023

“It maybe wasn’t the worst year ever, but it wasn’t great.”

Z. Harvest Gems is producing a bumper crop of jewelry

Tammi Zentic of Fremont, Nebraska is generating an unusual corn byproduct: jewelry.

Not sad to see the season go

"From deer chowing down on our corn crop, to fires burning ground a little too close to home, we are more than happy to open the door for this year’s crop season to head out."

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New technology coming for 2023 post-harvest season

Hay Grinding

FFA Chapter goes for gold with Ag Olympics competition

Angus VNR: Hadrick family named 'Progressive Partner'

The billions of benefits from E15

A recent study showed with year-round E15 sales, drivers would save $20 billion dollars while putting some $36 billion in the pockets of American households.

SDCA convention to focus on tech, data and security

Attendees of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA) 74th Annual Convention and trade show can expect a focus on tech, data and operational efficiencies.

Drought persists as fieldwork comes to an end

SLAYTON, Minn. – Just under a half-inch of rain fell in early November at Vos Farms.

Treat thin horses well ahead of winter weather

Skinny horses need to be seen, but unfortunately we do not have a lot of time to put weight back on before the cold really sets in.

Tough times can lead to better things

"I had a reader inform me that “Americans are spoiled.” If spoiled means I’m stressing over trying to run a successful business instead of having the government do it for me, I’ll wear that badge."

Always an early riser

"A fairly common for is the inability to sleep soundly for any length of time. In fairness, for the old cattle guy, that goes back to the early 1960s, when I began my tenure at the Stockyards."

Community, generosity central at new Thank a Pig Farmer event

Several organizations came together to honor the work of South Dakota pork producers Nov. 2.

Corn harvest completed, field prep begins in Murray County

SLAYTON, Minn. – Fields opened rapidly with the fast corn harvest in October.

A vacation from the ranch but not from livestock

From a Mediterranean Equestrian Tour to an Irish sale barn, Jaclyn's time away from the ranch is never spent far from livestock.

Dung beetles – openers of the cow pie

“Dung beetles are so important because they’re the recyclers.”

'No better weather for growing cattle' at Vos farms

Abnormally dry (D0) to extreme drought conditions (D3) settled over Murray County in October, despite 2 inches of rain in mid-August.

An off-farm adventure

One of my favorite stories about my dad in his younger days involved the time he and one of his brothers hopped a freight train in the middle of South Dakota and rode to the World’s Fair in Chicago.

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Tri-State Neighbor Crop Watchers

It’s been hot all over

Midwest Messenger correspondent Barb Bierman Batie and her husband, Don, recently returned from nine days in Europe where they visited farming friends in four countries. All were impacted by severe drought this summer. She shares their first-hand crop report.