Ramsey County Ag Column

By Bill Hodous

March 31, 2008

Howdy!!!

The weather is feeling more like spring each and every day.  With that comes the hustle and bustle of getting prepared for the upcoming farming season.  It is strange how we can think about things in the most unlikely places but a though crossed my mind last night as I was driving home from looking at a place to live for our youngest son.  We were admiring the fields and how they have lost most of snow and just how high the input costs will be this spring and I got to thinking.  I have heard some very high fertilizer costs with costs approaching or exceeding $1000/ton.  What do you think these prices would be if we had $4.00 wheat or $2.00 corn or $12.00 Canola.  I think you get my drift!!!!  With input costs of this nature and commodity prices like I just mentioned not one farmer would be farming this spring.  I know there is supposed to be a short supply but is there also skimming going on because of the higher commodity prices available today?  I am not suggesting or saying big profits are being made but sure makes you wonder what if!!!!!  There are fields this spring needing 110 plus pounds of N this spring and at $.40-$.50 per pound would be in the $45-$65 per acre.  Add these costs to the other higher input costs and there is a lot riding on weather conditions this summer.  I can remember way back when it cost about $.40 an acre for a herbicide application and about $5-$6 per acre for nutrient costs.

Cattail signup now in progress

Sign up is now underway for growers concerned with Black Bird problems during the 2008 growing season.  North Dakota sunflower producers are encouraged to participate in the 2008 cattail management program to help control blackbird depredation of their fields.The management program, conducted by the Wildlife Services division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, reduce cattail habitat for blackbirds through aerial applications of herbicides. Removing cattails helps disperse large concentrations of blackbirds that move from the cattails to feed in sunflower fields.  The program is free to participating landowners.  For more information or application materials, interested landowners should contact USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services, 2110 Miriam Circle, Suite A, Bismarck, ND 58501; telephone: (866) 487-3297 or (701) 250-4405.

Applications must be received by July 1.

Wildlife Services operates in North Dakota under a memorandum of understanding with the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

524 4th Ave #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu