MGEX Offers Marketing Information

Joe Victor, Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) business development specialist, recently informed me that MGEX and DTN have partnered in an effort to conduct two informative webinars that will address market outlook for spring wheat and durum along with weather forecasts for the spring wheat growing areas of the U.S. and Canada. The webinars are scheduled for March 29 and April 4.

On March 29, Victor will address both spring wheat and durum wheat markets, their similarities, proteinbasis spreads and correlations between their respective cash markets and the MGEX North American Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) futures contract.

Joining Victor on March 29, 2:30 p.m. CDT will be Darin Newsom, DTN senior analyst. Newsom promises to break down the spring wheat market to its basic factors and discuss hedging strategies for the various market participants.

On April 4, Victor will be joined by Bryce Anderson, DTN senior ag meteorologist, who will discuss the weather outlook and the potential effects on marketing strategies throughout the growing season.

Both webinars are scheduled to last approximately 45 minutes each. There is no charge to participate but registration is required. To do this, go to a link MGEX (Joe Victor) or our web page http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/williamscountyextension.

Update to County Comprehensive Plan

The Williams County Commission and its staff are in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan. The plan is about managing orderly growth needed for the present energy boom and protecting the values of its citizens who have lived a lifetime in Williams County and for those who want to make the community their home.

The Comprehensive Plan for Williams County is expected to be a public document that will guide local residents, developers, officials and county staff in making decisions for many years. In fact, the plan is expected to take the county to 2035.

To ensure that the Comprehensive Plan continues to reflect the interests of Williams County residents, the public needs to express its concerns, experiences, likes and dislikes. Developing the plan is expected to be completed over an eight-month period. The county staff has held its first round of public meetings. Another is scheduled this week as follows: Tuesday, March 27, Ray High School; Wednesday, March 28, Tioga Senior Citizens; and Thursday, March 29, Williston MDU Building.

Each of the meetings is expected to convene at 7 p.m. and adjourn by 9 p.m. Judging from my daily conversations with my acquaintances, just about everyone has deep concerns about the future of this area. The concerns usually center around orderly growth or lack of roads, public facilities and services, safety, protection of the area’s rural character and natural resources. Many also have deep concern about protecting the agriculture base of this region.

The quality of this Comprehensive Plan will be determined by the level of public input. This is an opportunity for all of us to help find solutions to current and future problems and prepare for the time when the energy industry takes another direction.

If you cannot attend any of the listed meetings, I encourage you to visit the following website: http://www.planwillco.com.