News from the Minnesota Association of Wheat
Growers for Monday, January 3, 2000

FEDERAL RESERVE BANK PREDICTED GMO's WILL BE SEGREGATED/LABELED IN 2000
GMOs to be segregated next year, economist predicts Next year's GMO crops likely will need to be segregated, tested, labeled and regulated, according to Mike Singer, an agricultural economist with the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. The result will be higher food prices, as well as new demands on farmers. Most farmers, handlers and processors are not prepared to segregate grain, he said. Segregation will require either considerable downtime during harvest or additional equipment and storage, with either approach adding to the farmer's costs. Harvest testing procedures and standards must be developed, "perhaps similar to standards already in existence for levels of foreign matter allowed in various commodities," Singer said

USDA AG CREDIT SUFFICIENT IN ND
Fargo, N.D., December 22, 1999--The North Dakota Farm Service Agency has received its yearly allocation of agricultural loan funding for FY 2000.

"USDA's original budget left us quite short of funds available for categories which are most heavily used in North Dakota.  When final decisions on the budget were made in Congress, sufficient funds were appropriated so that the Agency now has more loan funding available throughout the nation than was utilized in the past year.  We believe this situation will allow the North Dakota Farm Service Agency to meet nearly all of the requests we receive in the coming months," said State Executive Director Scott Stofferahn.

Stofferahn continued: "Although our initial allocations in Direct Operating and Guaranteed Interest Operating are less than we utilized in FY99, a sizeable reserve of funds has been maintained in the National Office for distribution on a need basis.  North Dakota has regularly utilized pooled funds to fund loans well in excess of our initial allocations.  We anticipate this to be true again this year and expect funds to be available when we need them."

CBOT, U.S. BUSINESSES EXPECT SMOOTH START
The Chicago Board of Trade said markets are expected to open at regularly scheduled times after a smooth transition over Y2K, and successful tests showed the exchange to be ready for 2000.

More than 300 exchange staff members were on-site at the exchange over the holiday weekend to ensure Y2K compliance of CBOT systems.

Reports from major businesses across the U.S. also indicated a successful transition. Stock markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and India all reported smooth operations, as well as new highs as relieved traders pushed stocks higher.
(Agdayta)

CHINA'S WINTER WHEAT ESCAPED FREEZE HARM
USDA is reporting that China's winter wheat areas do not appear to have suffered harm from a recent cold shot.

"Timely rain in October and warmer than normal autumn temperatures resulted in fairly good germination and tillering, with the result that in early December the crop was entering dormancy in good condition," according to USDA.

"Temperatures started dropping rapidly after December 15 and reached their lowest levels on December 20 and 21. Minimum temperatures dipped below 0 degrees C as far south as Guangdong Province, and below 5 C in the province south of the Yangtze River. North of the Yangtze, minimum temperatures ranged from -6 to -14 C before gradually rising again," USDA details.

"Although snow cover was very light or nonexistent on the North China Plain, these low temperatures were well above the threshold for winterkill for dormant crops and caused no damage to winter wheat," according to USDA analysts. "No serious damage to the crop has been reported by trade or government sources in China."
(Profarmer)

EXPORT SALES: WHEAT GOOD BUT CORN, BEANS SLIP
Export sales this week show wheat at 455,000 mt, much better than traders were guessing, while corn and soybeans turned in marketing year lows.

Corn sales were 538,900 mt, compared to trade guesses of 600-850,000 mt. Soybean sales were just 313,000 mt, at the low end estimates that ranged from 200-700,000 mt.

Traders had expected wheat in the 150-250,000 mt range, so the wheat number should look good to the market today. Corn was expected to come in between 600-850,000 mt as traders knew we'd be down from the 1,000,000 mt mark with the holidays. Soybean sales guesses ranged from 200-700,000 mt, so today's actual 313,000 mt is at the low end of the range. But soymeal came in at 100.2 mt, right in the middle of trade guesses, and soy oil, at 7.9 wa nearer the high end of estimates.
(Agdayta)

CROP DIZ PROGRAM Q & A
Crop Disaster Program Questions and Answers compiled by the ND FSA Office

The Crop Disaster Program began December 13 and is expected to end February 25, 2000.  The following are questions and answers for the program:

            1. What are the eligible disaster conditions?
Crop losses must be directly attributed to adverse weather and related conditions.

             2. When and where will applications be taken from producers? 
Applications will be accepted at local Farm Service Agency offices beginning December 13, 1999.  The sign-up period is expected to end February 25, 2000.

            3. When will payments be issued?
An advance payment of 35% will be issued after the application is approved.  Final payments will be issued in April.

            4. What rates will be used to calculate payments?
The 1999 Crop Disaster Program payment rates are:

a. 65 percent of the maximum established by Risk Management price for insured crops
b. 65 percent of the NASS 5-year average for non-insurable crops
c. 60 percent of the maximum established Risk Management price for uninsured crops.
Note: Crop Revenue Coverage prices cannot be used.

            5. Will payments be factored?
|If the value of all eligible applications exceeds the available money, the payments will be factored.              

             6. Which crops are eligible for assistance under the 1999 single-year provisions?
All crops for which Federal Crop Insurance is available, regardless of whether insurance was purchased and all crops eligible for NAP.

              7. Will pasture losses qualify for assistance?
Pasture losses may be made under the Livestock Assistance Program and NAP, if eligibility requirements are met.   Therefore, pasture losses will not be covered under the 1999 Crop Disaster Program.

            8. Will assistance be available for prevented planting? Prevented planting will be covered under the 1999 Crop Disaster Program.  Payment will be calculated separately from planted acreage.

            9. Is there any loss threshold?
To qualify for the 1999 Crop Disaster Program, losses must exceed 35 percent of normal production.  Producers will only be compensated for losses greater than the threshold.

            10. Under the 1999 Crop Disaster Program, will FSA use an "historic" yield for determining the 1999 production loss?
Yes, historic production will be the higher of a producer's actual production history or the NASS 5-year county average.   If NASS data is unavailable for non-insured crops, State Committees (STC) will establish yields using the best data available including county expected yields previously established for NAP.

            11.      Under the 1999 Crop Disaster Program, must a producer provide actual yield history or can the producer simply accept the NASS 5-year average yield or the STC-established yield for the crop?
FSA will not calculate any approved yields for disaster purposes only.  Therefore, producers that do not have an Actual Production History/approved yield must accept the county average yield.

            12. Are quality losses covered under this program?
Yes, but quality adjustments can not be applied on crops that the Risk Management Agency has already adjusted due to quality.          

            13.  Will eligibility be calculated on a farm or unit basis?
Units will be used.  If units have not been established for a producer, they will be established using basic units according to NAP and crop insurance rules.

            14.  For the 1999 Crop Disaster Program, will harvested and unharvested payment factors apply? Yes.  There will be prevented planting and unharvested payment factors established for insured, uninsured, and non-insurable crops.

            15.  Are conservation compliance provisions applicable?  Yes.  Conservation compliance provisions apply to all producers.

            16.  Is there a payment limitation?
An $80,000 per person payment limitation will apply.  Any applicable payment limit will be applied before the determination of any National payment factor.

            17.  How do signed crop insurance waivers affect eligibility? The signing of a crop insurance waiver will not prevent producers from receiving a disaster program payment, if they are otherwise eligible.

            18.  Will producers be required to purchase crop insurance in future years?
Legislation requires producers who did not purchase crop insurance for 1999 to purchase crop insurance for 2000 and 2001 crop years on crops that receive a Crop Disaster Program payment.

            19.     Are producers eligible for this program if they are also receiving benefits under different programs for the same disaster? Yes. A producer will be eligible to receive benefits under this program and NAP, Multiple Peril Crop Insurance, and FSA Emergency Loans.

            20.  What year's gross income will be used to determine if the $2.5 million annual gross income limitation is exceeded? The producer's income from the 1998 tax return will be used.

            21.  If no appraisal was performed for a crop, what will be required of an applicant to verify acreage not harvested?
The producer will be required to certify to disposition of the crop and whether or not any secondary use or salvage value was obtained.  If salvage or secondary use value was received, the producer shall furnish available records, that is, weight tickets, sales receipts, for County Committee use in determining secondary or salvage value obtained.  If no records of any kind are available, the Committee may require the producer to provide input cost, that is, seed receipts, fertilizer bills, etc., to verify a crop was planted.

            22.  What kind of production evidence is required?
Production records must be acceptable to the County Committee and must be verifiable. Producers must provide records of production from any source.  If no records are available, a producer must provide a certification as to disposition of the crop and the amount of production.   The County Committee shall establish and the State Committee shall approve a maximum loss level for the crop based on other county losses.  Producers without evidence will receive the higher of their certified production or the State Committee-approved maximum loss level for the crop.

            23.  Some producer are going out of business because 1999 was such a disastrous year.  If they apply for their 1999 losses but will not be continuing their insurance coverage because they are no longer in business, can they qualify?
Those producers no longer farming or having an interest in an insurable crop in 2000 and 2001 will be eligible for 1999 Crop Disaster Program payments.

            24.  If a producer had insurance in 1999, is the producer exempt from taking insurance in 2000 and 2001?
If the producer had insurance on all insurable crops in 1999, legislation does not require that producer to obtain insurance in 2000 or 2001.  Premium reductions will apply for 2000 to encourage producers to continue to purchase insurance.

            25.  Will applications be processed for each shareholder on a unit or will the application include all names of all producers in the crop(s) on the unit?
Applications will be taken separately for each producer.

            26.  Prevented planting (corn) is followed by planting a second different crop (canola) that fails. Is the payment earned on both crops?
If a subsequent crop is planted on a prevented planted acreage, the prevented planted crop is not eligible unless the second crop is a cover crop.

            27.  If a producer requests payment on a crop on only one unit, does production from all units the producer has an interest in have to be reviewed?
The County Committee may require producers to provide records from other units to use in determining acceptable production or to assign production.

FINPACK 99 TRAINING TO BE OFFERED IN FARGO
The North Dakota State University Extension Service will hold a two-day FINPACK 99 farm financial management software workshop in Fargo at the Cass County Government Annex on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 6 and 7. Sessions will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. 

The FINPACK 99 workshop is for producers, lenders, educators, and consultants in agriculture, says Andrew Swenson, extension farm and family resource management specialist at NDSU. The workshop will provide hands-on training and the step-by-step procedure to use FINPACK 99 for farm financial analysis and management. Experienced FINPACK 99 users will receive an update on the latest features of FINPACK 99 for Windows. 

FINPACK 99 software can project farm cash flows for up to 10 years and provide monitoring worksheets to gauge a farm's progress during the year. A year-end analysis gives an accrual income statement and financial performance measures for a whole farm and each farm enterprise. FINPACK 99 also keeps a historical database on each farm to evaluate the trends of any financial orproduction items such as net farm income, acreage, seed cost per acre and feed cost.

FINPACK has been in development since the early 1970s at the University of Minnesota. More than 100,000 farmers, lenders and ag professionals have used this software in the last 11 years.The personal version of FINPACK 99 costs $395 and the professional version costs $1,195.

Attendance in the FINPACK 99 workshop is limited so preregistration is required. The registration fee is $70. To register, either call (701) 231-8642 or mail the $70 fee to Extension Agricultural Economics, NDSU, P.O. Box 5437, Fargo, ND 58105-5437.

NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Andy Swenson (701) 231-7379
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136

LAKE REGION ROUNDUP SET FOR JAN. 11-12
The annual Lake Region Extension Roundup is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 11 and 12, at the Memorial Building in Devils Lake. The program will feature presentations on a wide range of topics including crop production and marketing, farm and family financial management, and computer topics. Both days open with a sponsored breakfast at 8 a.m. with the program starting at 9:30 a.m.

Topics at the opening session on Tuesday morning will include wheat and durum variety performance, what General Mills needs from production agriculture, thinking and farming globally, and the market outlook for wheat and durum.

Following a sponsored lunch, afternoon topics will include the economic impact of farm programs, options for dormant seeding canola, challenges facing the farm family, herbicide-tolerant canola, fungicide performance in small grains, head and leafdisease tolerance of small grain varieties, and flax varieties and flax weed control.

Concurrent sessions held in the Armory Room on Tuesday will include when the time comes, indoor air quality, storage tips for oilseed crops and dealing with change. Sessions in the Courthouse Historical Room will include using the World Wide Web efficiently and  E- commerce. Presentations in the Courthouse Meeting Room will include fungicide application research, maintaining personal health, what neighbors are for, markets and world issues in wheat and partnerships to reduce machinery ownership costs. Sessions in the Memorial Building basement will include interagency project for assistive technology, crop protection product updates from DuPont, ProSeed, Novartis and AgrEvo, multi-peril crop insurance, and the North Dakota Pea and Lentil Assocition.

Topics at the Wednesday morning session in the Memorial Building will include sunflower midge management, Sclerotinia head rot in sunflower, the organic market, how white mold impacts the edible sunflower market, and confection and oil sunflower markets.

Following a sponsored lunch, afternoon topics will include genetically modified crops, dry bean seeding rates, the farm financial situation, winter wheat varieties and production, herbicide update and stored grain management.

Wednesday concurrent sessions in the Armory Room will focus on Power Pay debt- reduction computer program, sunflower midge research, managing white mold and dry bean markets.  Sessions in the Courthouse Historical Room will include the Goldboard Dakota strawboard plant, decision evaluation for the cattle industry, bull selection and managing farm financial resources. Sessions in the Courthouse meeting Room will include early maturing dwarf corn, rotation studies, feed grain markets, tax considerationswhen leaving farming and finding humor when you need it most. Wednesday sessions in the Memorial Building basement will include a product update from Dow, an overview of senior health insurance, tree planting, depression and suicide prevention, changes in the confection industry, lifelong learning, use of canola and Nu Sun sunflower seed, domestic violence, floor warming, miracles in daily life and Roundup Ready canola.

There will also be informational exhibits both days in the Memorial Building and the Courthouse.

For more detailed information contact the NDSU Extension Service area office in Devils Lake at (701) 662-1364 or local county extension offices.

NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Terry Gregoire (701) 662-1364
Editor: Gary Moran (701) 231-7865

ADVANCED CROP ADVISERS WORKSHOP SET FOR FEB. 24-25 IN FARGO
The eighth annual Advanced Crop Advisers Workshop is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 24 and 25, at the Memorial Union on the North Dakota State University campus in Fargo. The event is organized by the NDSU and Minnesota extension services.

This workshop is designed for agricultural professionals who advise farmers with crop production recommendations. Topics to be covered during the two days include soybean plant development and management; diagnosing customer problems; water management and tile drainage; canola plant development and management; disease forecasting systems for more accurate fungicide decisions for wheat, canola, and potatoes; and commodity marketing and crop insurance insights.

Preregistration is required, and workshop enrollment is limited. The registration fee of $125 is due by Monday, Feb 14. To receive a workshop brochure or for further information, contact Greg Endres at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center, (701) 652-2951 or recenter@ndsuext.nodak.edu, or Ken Pazdernik with the
Minnesota Extension Service in Ada at (218) 784-7183.

NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Greg Endres (701) 652-2951
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136

NCI OFFERS INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL WORKSHOP
An interactive workshop focusing on protocol and international
business relations will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
Thursday, Jan. 20, at the Ramada Plaza Suites and Conference
Center in Fargo. The workshop is being sponsored by the Northern
Crops Institute (NCI), located on the campus of North Dakota
State University.

"Proper protocol is a necessity, whether traveling
internationally or hosting foreign customers," says Patricia
Berglund, NCI director. "Workshop participants will learn
practical ways to handle social and business situations that they
may encounter when hosting and interacting with international
business leaders, government officials and foreign dignitaries." 

Robert W. Frye, senior vice-president and chief of protocol for Protocol International will lead the workshop. As the former
chief of protocol for AT&T and Lucent Technologies, Frye has more
than 25 years of experience in marketing and international
business relations. He has planned and directed more than 4,000
senior-level marketing visits worldwide for CEOs, board of
directors, ambassadors, chiefs of state, heads of government, and
royalty.

The workshop is designed to assist regional businesses that sell
internationally, as well as state and local government officials,
agricultural commodity group leaders, and meeting and event
professionals. Participants will learn about creating the perfect
distraction-free environment so the groups they represent and
host can focus on business issues and building relationships.

Frye will combine humor and anecdotes to take participants
through a myriad of details: proper greetings, seating
arrangements, gift giving, receiving lines, dining etiquette,
working with interpreters and translators, overcoming
cross-cultural communications barriers, and more. The workshop
also includes a four-course luncheon to demonstrate the practical
issues surrounding formal meal design, management and
implementation.

Cost for the workshop is $100 and includes the four-course
luncheon. Group discounts for more than three registrants are
available. The registration deadline is Friday, Jan.14. For more
information, call the NCI at (701) 231-7736.

The NCI is an international center for meeting and learning about
northern-grown crops. It is funded through state appropriations
and supported further by commodity check-off groups from the
Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana.

NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Patricia Berglund (701) 231-7736
Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136

MN WHEAT COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULED
Next Council Meeting:
Date:  January 5, 2000
Location:  Red River Inn, Moorhead, MN
Time:  10:00 a.m.

FARM BUSINESS MANAGEMENT CLASSES NORTHLAND COLLEGE-MOORHEAD

Rick Morgan – Greg Tullis, Farm Business Mgt Instructors

INTRODUCTION TO FARM COMMODITY MARKETING
Do marketing seminars and meetings start at a level that is confusing to you?  Would a better working knowledge of marketing terms and how they relate to marketing recommendations help you with your marketing needs?  We will start at the beginning by defining marketing terms and how they relate to professional marketing recommendations and build that information into an individual farm commodity-marketing plan.  With our group and individual instruction a producer will be able to become more confident using professional marketers and/or joining local marketing clubs.  We will meet two hours, once a month, for four months beginning in January, plus individual instruction on breakeven prices and a marketing plan for next year's crop.

Classes will begin at 9:00 am on Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at Hendrum, MN and Thursday, January 13, 2000 at Moorhead. MN.

===============

QUICKBOOKS FOR FARM ACCOUNTING
Receive hands-on training using the latest version of Quickbooks for your farm accounting needs.  This course will be presented over two days to cover the basic accounting package that we have adapted for farm enterprises and the payroll portion of Quickbooks.  Individual instruction will be provided at a later date to answer individual questions and problems that you may have encountered.  We recommend Quickbooks over Quicken if you have a need for a payroll package for employees. 

Classes will begin at 9:30 am – 4:00 pm on Monday, December 27, 1999 and at 9:30 am – 12:00 noon on Wednesday, December 29, 1999, at Moorhead, MN.

(2 management semester credits) FBMT 2205 Special Topics – General Farm Mgt.

===============

QUICKEN FOR FARM ACCOUNTING
Receive hands-on training using the latest version of Quicken for your farm accounting needs.  This course will be presented over two days to cover the basic accounting package that we have adapted for farm enterprises.  Individual instruction will be provided at a later date to answer individual questions and problems that you may have encountered.  We recommend Quicken over Quickbooks if you do not need a payroll package for employees. 

Classes will begin at 9:30 am – 4:00 pm on Tuesday, December 28, 1999 and at 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm on Wednesday, December 29, 1999, at Moorhead, MN.

(2 management semester credits) FBMT 2205 Special Topics-General Farm Mgt.

===============
Costs: $114.00 for Minnesota residents and $151.00 for ND residents with reciprocity (forms provided) for each two credit course.

Two people from the same farm unit can share a class for one cost!

Lunch is on your own.

For more details, call or email: 
Rick Morgan (218) 299-5827  or
Greg Tullis    (218) 299-5863

Our offices are at: Townsite Center, 810 4th Ave. S., Moorhead, MN  56560 (old high school, downtown Moorhead, south of McDonalds)

Also check our website at: www.moorheadcity.com/~fbm-moorhead