MonDak Pulse Day Scheduled Feb 20

Plans for the 13th annual MonDak Pulse Day are now complete. It will take place on Wednesday, February 20 at the Airport International Inn in Williston beginning at 8:30 am CST with registration.

One of the featured speakers will be Dr. Rosalind Buckert, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Some of her research is to study whole plant and field responses of crops (particularly pulse crops) to nutrients, water, and weather. In her research, she is working to understand and improve yield formation of pulse crops in a warming climate and also nitrogen fixation in pulse crops. One of the expected outcomes is to characterize the yield response of pea and lentil to temperature and rainfall and to predict sensitive growth stages and yield response when certain weather occurs during specific crop development stages.

Other production related topics to be discussed at the workshop include pulse crop desiccation, weed control, diseases and their management, dry bean productions, soil quality and soil health.

Speakers will include Extension staff of the Carrington and Minot Research Extension Centers along with industry leaders who will discuss market issues including price outlook, handling issues and quality standards.

The registration fee, payable at the door, is $20 per person. This will include the noon lunch sponsored by the Northern Pulse Growers Association and a copy of the Pulse Day proceedings.

Producers will be able to visit with industry representatives participating in the Trade Show. The MonDak Pulse Day is open to the public and was organized by Extension staff of Montana State University and North Dakota State University.

Corn Deserves Consideration

In a recent column I called attention to the crop budgets prepared by the agricultural economics department of North Dakota State University. The staff at NDSU prepare budgets specific to regions which share common production potentials. The northwest region of North Dakota includes Burke, Divide, Williams, Mountrail and McKenzie counties.

According to the budgets for this area, corn grain is one of the most profitable crops to grow in this region coming in at $149 as a return to labor and management. For income, the budget used a yield of 80 bushels per acre and a market price of $5.98 per bushel for a gross income of $478 per acre. The direct costs which include seed, fertilizer, fuel, repairs, etc totaled $247 per acre. The fixed cost such as machinery and land was $82 for a total production cost of $329.

Crop rotations in this area do not normally include corn but the potential profits listed in the NDSU crop budgets and yield obtained at the Minot and Williston Research Centers just may be enough for some producers to include corn in their cropping systems.

Last year about 55 varieties of corn were tested at Minot. The dryland yields of these varied from a high of 109 bushels to a low of 73 bushels per acre. Of these varieties, 10 have been tested for at least 2 years and have a two-year yield ranging from 88 to 128 bushels per acre.

Last year at Williston, 16 varieties were tested producing yields of 75 to 100 bushels per acre. Four of the varieties were also tested in 2011. Those yields brought down the two-year variety average ranging from 65 to 74 bushels per acre.

Corn production has come to North Dakota. It is no longer a crop restricted to the southeastern portion of the state. Shorter growing season varieties with improved drought resistance are making corn a viable crop across North Dakota. Yes, there are risks but most of us once thought lentils and peas were too risky to grow in this area. It looks to me that corn deserves some consideration.