Erick Johnson

Grand Forks, ND (AgNews890.com) – NDAWN Director and ND State Climatologist Daryl Ritchison spoke in front of a large crowd on Thursday at the Prairie Grains Conference in Grand Forks, ND. Ritchison usually speaks every year at the event to give his prediction on what the upcoming growing season will be like. A La Nina is likely to factor a bit into next years growing season.

BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota Senator John Hoeven recently addressed the North Dakota Farmers Union state convention, where he outlined his efforts to provide relief and certainty to the state's farmers and ranchers. Sen. Hoeven has been working with his Senate colleagues and the incoming Trump administration, including in a recent meeting with Agriculture Secretary nominee Brooke Rollins, to:

(Nafb.com) – The U.S. continues benefiting from solid economic growth, low unemployment, and moderating inflation, and the overall economy will likely continue on that trajectory next year. However, the rural economic outlook is more uncertain. According to a comprehensive year-ahead outlook report from CoBank's Knowledge Exchange, the high level of policy uncertainty facing rural industries adds to their already long list of headwinds. “Open access to export markets and labor availability are critically important for agricultural producers and processors,” says Rob Fox, director of CoBank's Knowledge Exchange. “Depending on how policy plays out, those two areas could be big challenges for 2025 and beyond.” That's because the President-elect came out victorious on two main economic policy proposals: enact significant import tariffs and reduce immigration while deporting illegal immigrants. Meantime, falling feed costs and rising margins have renewed expansion interest in animal protein segments. Dairy processing investment will jump by $8 billion through 2026.

(NAFB.com) – The National Association of Farm Broadcasting's Board of Directors sent a letter to Congressional leadership on the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act being included in the Omnibus Continuing Resolution. The CR will be introduced before the end of the Lame Duck Session. The letter points out that for over 80 years, the NAFB's broadcasters have worked hard to serve rural and urban residents with timely and accurate information in daily programming. “Failure to approve this critical AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will allow automakers to eliminate access to critical information to the people we serve,” the letter says. “Rural and urban residents should not be forced to subscribe to an unreliable data stream for urgent information.” Radio access is especially important for America's producers and rural audiences in times of emergency. For people working out in the open and miles from home, response time is critical.

(NAFB.com) – USDA's inspections of corn and wheat for export rose week to week while soybean assessments declined during the week ending on December 12. Corn inspections for offshore delivery rose to 1.13 million metric tons, up from 1.06 million the week prior, and the 960,000 tons assessed during the same week in 2023. Wheat examinations increased to 298,000 tons from 247,000 tons the previous week and the 284,000 tons inspected at the same point last year. Soybean inspections fell to 1.68 million tons, down from the 1.74 million assessed a week earlier. That was higher than the 1.43 million assessed during the same week last year. Since the marketing year began on September 1, the government has inspected 13.3 million metric tons of corn, 25.2 million tons of soybeans, and, since June 1, 11.5 million tons of wheat. All three commodities are ahead of their yearly pace from last year.

(NAFB.com) – National Sorghum Producers announced the winners of the 2024 National Sorghum Yield Contest. That included the Bin Buster awardee Kenny Rathjen of Texas, who took the top spot in the contest at 240.01 bushels per acre. “On behalf of NSP, I'm so proud to congratulate our 2024 Yield Contest winners,” says NSP Board of Directors Chair Amy France. “These outstanding results highlight the resilience and innovation of U.S. sorghum farmers.” She also says from Texas to New Jersey, the achievements of those growers continue to inspire and set a high standard for the industry, and they look forward to honoring this year's winners at the 2025 Commodity Classic. Noteworthy yields are spotlighted across three distinct divisions spanning from the eastern to western regions in the U.S. “These yields are a reminder of the vital role sorghum plays in a sustainable agriculture landscape,” France added. The winner's list is at sorghumgrowers.com/yieldcontest.

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. The legislation includes measures Hoeven worked to advance to benefit water management, flood control and recreation in North Dakota. Specifically, the bill:

(NAFB.com) – Mueller was crowned December 8th at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. She also received the Appearance Award. The Landstrom's Black Hills Gold crown is accompanied by over $20,000 in educational scholarships and prizes. This year's national pageant featured 29 contestants from across the country. The competition included a horsemanship contest, a written test on equine science and rodeo knowledge, extensive interviews, extemporaneous speaking, and a fashion show. As Miss Rodeo America 2025, Callie will serve as the official representative of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. During her reign, she will travel over 40,000 miles and appear at nearly 100 rodeo performances, as well as attend various schools, civic groups, and special events to educate the public about rodeo, its sponsors and its opportunities. According to the Miss Rodeo America website, prior to Mueller, the most recent Miss Rodeo South Dakota to also earn the national title was Jordan Tierney in 2020-21.

(NAFB.com) – For the 46 million people living in rural America, the holiday season can present added pressures to an already stressful time of year. In addition to higher rates of depression, suicide rates among people in rural areas are 64 to 68 percent higher compared to people living in large urban areas. Rural Minds is a nonprofit with the vision of a rural America where there's no more stigma, silence or suffering around mental illness.

Bismarck, ND (ND Monitor) – North Dakota's population hit a record high of 796,568 people in July, according to new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau — indicating another year of steady growth for the state.