May / June 2017 www.allamericancoop.com Issue 454

Manager’s Notes ..........................................................................2

Grain News ...................................................................................2

Announcing 2017 All American Co-op Scholarship Recipients ...3

Teaching Minnesota Youth about Modern Agriculture .................4

A New Path for a Century Farm: Bare Meadow Farms ...............5

Feed Department News: People Come First ...............................6

Common Fermentation Problems ................................................7

Spring has Sprung!!! .....................................................................8

Spring Rush ..................................................................................8

June Dairy Month .........................................................................9

Cook’s Corner ..............................................................................9

A Duluth Grad and Ag Tech .......................................................10

What Else Can I Do? ..................................................................10

How can our Drone go to work for you? ....................................11

From the Seed Shed ..................................................................11

Follow Through with Robust Weed Control Program .................12

What’s Inside

Manager’s Notes

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-32752

Glenn Lutteke, General Managerglutteke@allamericancoop.com (507) 533-4222 Our area has had a different kind of spring in 2017. With above normal temps in March followed by a wet April. We need to feel really blessed we had two nice stretches in May to get most of our corn planted and a high percentage of beans planted. Looking ahead to future fertilizer pricing. We could see lower nitrogen prices again this summer. Contributing factors could be carryover product

from this spring, plus our domestic production is now producing both Urea and UAN. It really looks like Urea will be the driving nitrogen source dictating nitrogen pricing with NH3 and UAN following Urea’s lead. I’m sure this will make for an interesting summer. All American Co-op is working on some projects. At the Stewartville feed mill we are adding a fine corn grind bin. This will greatly improve our efficiency versus weighing and running the product through our scale. At Elgin we are working on 2 projects. We are speeding up our soybean dump. We are putting in a new pit and conveyor, leg, and fill conveyors. This investment will more than triple our unload speed for soybeans. Finally, at Elgin we are adding another million bushel corn storage bin to our facility. This will allow us to store more grain at Elgin and ship out less bushels in the fall. June is Dairy Month. Let’s take time to recognize and support our local dairy farms. Be sure to buy Real dairy products for your family year-round. Ice cream and chocolate shakes sound good to me! Have a great summer!

Lutteke

Todd Stockdale, Grain Managertstockdale@allamericancoop.com (507) 438-8535 I am writing this article on May 17th, 2017. No sign of a significant market rally is on the horizon. The grain buyers I visit with daily are willing to squeeze basis a little tighter now and then for spot deals but are not posting bids that encourage a lot of farmer selling. All the buyers are expecting a flood of grain after planting is done so they won’t bid up for future delivery. All American Co-op still has over 3 million bushels

of customer stored grain, which is about 1/3 of our owned and leased storage capacity. You won’t be reading this until after the first of June and I don’t expect a lot to change by then. We are already seeing higher damage levels in farm bin stored grain that is being brought in. I believe much of it was dumped directly into the bins because the moisture level we are seeing come in is generally over 16 percent. It takes a lot of aeration and frequent rotation to prevent 16% moisture corn from going out of condition during summer months. The older facilities around the area were never designed to store grain more than 9 or 10 months, at least not at those moisture levels.

Nationwide planting for corn and beans are statistically right on pace for a normal year. Some wet areas are struggling but there are almost no drought areas in the U.S. growing regions at this time. Everything is proceeding that will provide us with a normal year of production. The U.S. and the world have ample supplies to get us to the next crop and there is no reason to believe the coming crop won’t be a good one. A lot can still happen to create a market rally but the odds of it diminishes with each week of normal production. All American Co-op is building another 1,000,000 bushel grain bin in Elgin this summer. The contractors will be working on the foundation by the time you are reading this, weather permitting. The north dump site in Elgin, built in 1983 I believe, will also have its unloading speed tripled from what it has had. These improvements will continue to enhance the efficiency of the Elgin location. It will help us reduce the traffic congestion in the fall by moving bean trucks through quicker and not needing to loadout 800 truckloads of corn and move it to leased sites in the fall. These two simple improvements should reduce patron unload times by a total of 60 hours for soybeans and over 120 hours for corn if historical grain volumes remain the same. Everyone knows speed is expensive, but it is what everyone is demanding. Have a great summer. Get out and support our community events and spend time with family.

Grain News

Stockdale

Glenn Lutteke, General Manager All American Co-op

Progressive Ag Center, L.L.C.

Todd Stockdale, All American Co-op Grain Manager

Brent Vorpagel, All American Co-op Feed Department Manager

Editor: Beth Pagel

Design & Production: Smyth Co, L.L.C. formerly Paper & Graphics

All American Co-op Board of Directors Mike Heim, President

Ed Twohey, Vice President David Severson, Secretary

Lawrence Schwanke, Director Jim Klavetter, Director

Progressive Ag Center, L.L.C. Board of Directors

Lawrence Schwanke, President Dave Severson, Vice President

Mike Heim, Secretary Jim Klavetter, Governor Ed Twohey, Governor

“ Working with you”Progressive Ag Center, LLC

https://www.facebook.com/allamericancoop

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 3

All American Co-op has honored 5 area students with $2,500 in scholarships, each student receiving a $500 scholarship. The All American Co-op scholarship program is designed to support local students that are continuing their education in an agricultural field of study at an accredited two or four year college, university, or vocational-technical institute. All American Co-op feels it is important to encourage students to consider agricultural studies. “There is a wealth of opportunity in the agricultural industry today and All American Co-op is proud to be able to offer these scholarships”, says Glenn Lutteke, General Manager for All American Co-op. “It is an honor to be able to award scholarships to such a distinguished group of individuals that represent the future of agriculture in Southeast Minnesota.” The Scholarship Committee was pleased with the number of quality applicants the co-op received and said that choosing the Top 5 Finalists was a difficult decision. Each winning student will be awarded a $500 scholarship that can be used towards costs associated with their college education fees. All American Co-op is committed to supporting students seeking a continued education in an agricultural field of study. “Congratulations to all of the 2017 finalists; we wish them continued success in their academic and professional goals.”

Travis Capelle, Stewartville, MNStewartville High SchoolParents: Kevin & Sheryl CapelleAttending: University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Gretchen Corson, Wykoff, MNKingsland High SchoolParents: Brett & Nancy CorsonAttending: University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Erica Earley, Wykoff, MNKingsland High SchoolParents: James & Rachel EarleyAttending: North Iowa Community College- Calmar

Erin Gudknecht, Wanamingo, MNUniversity of Wisconsin-River FallsParents: Brian & Holli GudknechtAttending: University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Leah Ruen, Lanesboro, MNLanesboro High SchoolParents: Eric & Kristi RuenAttending: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (CFANS)

Announcing Our 2017 All American Co-op

Scholarship Recipients

All American Co-op Awards $2,500 in Scholarships

to Area Students

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-32754

Beth Pagel, Marketing and Communications Directorbethp@allamericancoop.com (507) 259-7529 Recently, a friend of mine said, “There should be a camp for kids to go to where they can learn about farming!” “Well there is” I said, “It’s called, Farm Camp Minnesota!” In 2010 a group of area farmers, businesses

and organizations all put their heads together and decided it was time to do something about the disconnect that children have with the food on their plate. In 2011 the first Farm Camp Minnesota 1-day camp took place at Farmamerica near Waseca, MN. The goal was to provide opportunities for youth to learn about modern agriculture, where their food comes from, how their food is grown, and how farm products are used in people’s daily lives. This sounded like a great idea to the staff here at All American Co-op and we wanted to be a part of it. So, when the Farm Camp Minnesota committee approached All American Co-op to ask if we would be interested in participating, of course we said “Yes!” All American Co-op is now in our 6th year of being a Gold Level sponsor of Farm Camp Minnesota. The camp is now offered four different days at three locations in Minnesota with the hopes that it will continue to grow and evolve.

I think we would all agree that Consumer Education is very important for the future of Agriculture. What better way than to bring school age students together for a fun day of interactive learning! I am not sure who has more fun, the kids or the volunteers there to teach. Stacy Hoffman, Livestock

Production Specialist and myself have been involved with the Farm Camp Minnesota efforts from their early beginnings. Stacy and I have both acted as presenters for the Dairy station of the camp. We try to make things fun, interactive, and educational. We get to talk about all of the dairy products that kids see at the grocery store. We have recruited support from local producers like Karli Moger, Moger Farms and Bridgette Hoffman, North Creek Dairy; as well as industry support from Beth Schwertel from DariConcepts out of Zumbrota, MN as well as area dairy princess royalty. Bringing a “Real Dairy Farmer” to talk about what they do really ties it all together for the students. Beth’s job is a pretty fun one for the kids to learn about. Who wouldn’t want to know that the cheese for their mac-n-cheese, Doritos, and so many other fun foods are made right here in SE Minnesota.

The camp isn’t all about milk cows, cheese, and petting a baby calf. There are seven stations in all including Swine, Beef, Corn, Soybeans, Poultry, and Farm Equipment with presenters from the Minnesota Corn & Soybean Growers, Minnesota Pork Ambassadors, Minnesota Turkey Growers, Minnesota Beef Ambassadors, as well as overwhelming support from other industry partners like AgStar and the Minnesota Farm Bureau to name a few. To see all of the sponsors from throughout Minnesota visit the Sponsors page of the Farm Camp Minnesota website at www.farmcampminnesota.org In 2016 pollinators were highlighted, students learned from a real bee-keeper about the importance of pollinators and campers got to take home seeds that they planted in a cup to be transplanted at home to start their own pollinator garden. For 2017, instead of pollinators, the Twin Cities Road Crew is going to join Farm Camp and offer an interactive round-up of the day and have some fun with the campers and their chaperones. I have to tell you that Farm Camp Minnesota is something that campers look forward to coming back to again next year. I would bet that if you asked the adult chaperones that are there with the kids, they would say the same thing. The kids learn so much from the interactive activities and the chaperones ask awesome questions and really seem to want to know more. Some great conversations are had that I am sure are taken home with everyone that is involved. Personally, I feel this is the measure of a successful day of advocating; when everyone there goes home and has a new conversation that sparks another, and another, and another. This is how those of us in agriculture are going to get the word out that what we do every day is positive and important. The dates and locations for Farm Camp Minnesota 2017 are:

• August 7th – Farmamerica, Waseca, MN• August 8th – Farmamerica, Waseca, MN• August 15th – Schmitt Family Farm, Rice, MN• August 16th – Wolf Creek Dairy, Dundas, MN

The camp will be held from 9am to 3pm each day. Campers must be entering grades 3-6. Pre-registration is required. Early bird registration is $15 per camper if registered by June 10, or $25 after June 10th. Registration includes lunch, snack, a camp t-shirt, and a take home bag filled with lots of goodies and educational materials. For more information or to register a camper please go to www.farmcampminnesota.org and look for the Registration button on the home page.

Teaching Minnesota Youth about Modern Agriculture

Pagel

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 5

Wade Holst, Shane Holst, Lennie Holst of Plainview MN,

Sometimes keeping relevant in agriculture is about reinventing one’s self. This is exactly what the Holst family is doing to keep their family’s century farm viable in today’s volatile marketplace. In 2014 the family decided that it wasn’t ok for their dairy facilities to continue to set empty, but they knew that for them, starting back up with a milking cow herd probably wasn’t the best choice for them. They did a lot of research and decided to convert the cow facilities to accommodate a milking goat herd. Three years later, it looks like that decision has been a very good one for all of them. The Holst family currently milks about 130 milking goats. Their milk is contracted to Montchevre (www.montchevre.com) in Belmont, Wisconsin. In April, nearing the end of kidding season, the Holst herd was averaging about 10# of milk per head per day. Wade expects milk production to rise thru mid-summer. Currently, the creamery picks up milk 2x a week. Wade says that the herd’s production is doing well and he is researching the possibility of installing a bigger bulk tank to accommodate plans for future herd expansion. The Holst family’s goals for the future are to increase the herd size to about 250 head. Currently, any young stock that is not kept for replacements are sold to other herds or as project animals for youth exhibitors. Most of the bucklings (male kid goats) are sold to a grower in Wisconsin and where they will be fed and raised as meat animals. Part of the success of the business plan for milking goat herds is that the income from the milk is typically locked in with contracts at the creamery. There are three major creameries that local dairy goat herds sell their milk to. The challenge at this time is that they are all in Wisconsin. There is not a creamery for goat milk in southern Minnesota. Wade is hoping that someday this will change. Wade commented that at this time Montchevre; the creamery that he works with, is not taking on any new

herds simply because they are at the maximum capacity for processing what they can manage. Wade says this does not affect his contract with the creamery but it is something that he encourages anyone who is considering starting up a new milking goat herd keep in mind. Currently, the Holst family rents out all of their non-hay ground. The family harvests the hay ground for feed for the goat herd. The pelleted feed for the production herd is manufactured at All American Co-op and delivered in bulk to the farm. “All American Co-op along with RCS Nutrition offers booking programs for milk replacer and other feeds when they feel it is cost effective for us as producers. Knowing what we are going to spend on feed helps us to manage our cash flow and work on our plans for expansion, equipment updates, and facility improvements. Having our local co-op support our efforts is reassuring for us and we are happy to have them here for us to do business with” says Wade. At the end of 2016, Holst’s built a new housing shed to accommodate newborn kids and dry does that are near kidding. They have a warm house built into the facility that houses the necessary accommodations for newborn kids as well as the water heater and milk replacer mixing station needed to feed the baby goats. Once the kids are dried off and a couple days old they are moved into small group pens in the new building and “that is where the fun really begins” says Wade. “If you haven’t ever taken the opportunity to visit a working milking goat farm, everyone should! It brings an INSTANT smile to your face to see those kid goats behave like ‘kids’.” The Holst’s pride themselves on doing things right to get their kids off to a strong start. “Feeding RCS Goat feeds is the key to our success” says Wade. “All American Co-op is the only feed manufacturer in SE Minnesota that has a goat specialist on staff. Callie Courtney has been an asset for us. She has worked closely with Shawn Quinn at RCS to help us learn what we need to know to make our new investment in our milking goat herd take off to a great start!” As Wade was preparing to take his idea to his local financial lender, he went into great detail with is business plan, which his lender greatly appreciated since at the time, they were not very familiar with the startup necessary for a milking goat herd. Wade has taken this to the local classrooms, talking to students about Ag Business for young, up and coming farmers. This has been well received and Wade says that it has been fun to give back to area students, supporting the efforts of our Ag educators is important. Wade says that he has four area high school students that come to help with feeding and chores. He says that this is a great opportunity for our neighbors and other area students to be a part of our farming experience. Wade says that their timing of the transition to a milking goat herd has been perfect for him. Wade and his wife had their first child in March and Wade says that the herd has grown enough that he is now able to be home 100% of the time. His brother, Shane, has a job away from the farm helping a local hoof trimmer and is able to be there to help with the chores and farm work. Their father, Lennie, has his own hoof trimming business as well, and is also there to help. They all enjoy working with the goats and say that they are a lot of fun! It is a definite family farming business that Wade and Shane are excited to be able to raise their children on the Family’s Century Farm.

A New Path for a Century Farm: Bare Meadow Farms

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-32756

Brent Vorpagel, Feed Department Managervorpagel@allamericancoop.com (507) 533-4222 May is Beef Month and June is Dairy Month. Being that dairy and beef are the number one and two largest portions of our total feed business, I thought it might be appropriate to highlight some of the things that make All American Co-op different than other Dairy and Beef feed suppliers. People come first. We understand that your operation is your way of life. We work extremely hard to hire the best people we can to be able to

help you in every encounter you have with our staff. Our nutrition staff is highly trained with many years of experience in their area of expertise. No matter if you are a robot dairy, parlor dairy, custom forage harvester, calf or heifer raiser, commercial feedlot, cow calf herd or a hobby operation, we have the experience and expertise to help you meet your goals and be successful. Our delivery staff understands that when they deliver feed they are entering your family’s home and we need to be helpful and respectful to your employees and family. Our customer service group understands that you are busy and you need your feed and supplies to arrive correctly every time. We take the time to understand your ordering habits and offer many options to best fit your needs. We also believe that there is value in being involved in the local communities we live, work and conduct business in. We are proud to support many producer groups, breed associations and community groups. We especially find it valuable to support and be involved with youth groups that are providing opportunities and experience to the next generation. This concept is where our student scholarship program originated. After all, the youth in rural America is our future customers and/ or employees. Options and flexibility. We know that your operation is not the same as anyone else’s and that is why we do so much more than most other feed suppliers. We are your local source for pellets. We have the equipment and people to make pellets right here in Stewartville. Weather it is a custom pellet that no other feed suppliers can get you or a stock product, we can normally get it to you with less lead time and at a better price. All American Co-op is also your local source for roasted soybeans. Roasting soybeans allows us to supply our customers with another by-pass protein that other suppliers don’t have. Roasting soybeans also gives our customers a way to feed the soybeans they produce on their own farm to reduce out of pocket cost and increase the value of their soybean crop. We are proud to offer delivery of bags and bulk feed throughout our entire trade area. From full truckloads of bulk feeds to smaller quantities of bagged feed, we have many different delivery options to fit the needs of all producers. We also offer endless options for liquid feed supplements. From feedlot, to cow calf, to traditional dairy and most recently liquid supplementation in robotic milkers, we have

you covered with the products, experience and equipment to make liquid feeding successful. Feed safety and technology. All American Co-op is proud to be Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certified for over 4 years. HACCP is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. We undergo third party audits annually to ensure that our system is meeting the standards of this third party certification. We also work closely with Purina Animal Nutrition and many other ingredient suppliers to bring our customers the latest technology to help our customers meet their goals. All the technology and products we bring to our customers are tested and proven to be effective; unlike some of the “magic ingredients” that other feed suppliers offer with no research to support their claims. For 109 years, All American Co-op has focused on providing reliable, continuous service. In order to provide quality products and services that fit our producers’ goals, we strive to know each of our members and customers on a personal level. Combining that focus with a dedicated, hard-working staff has contributed to the growth of All American Co-op. From humble beginnings as a local market to a progressive cooperative serving southeastern Minnesota. We are proud to be able to continue to provide production Ag services for farmers in SE Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Visit our webpage at www.allamericancoop.com to learn more about ALL of the services we have to offer. Thank you for your business and have a great summer!

Feed Department News: People Come First

Vorpagel

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 7

Callie Courtney, Dairy and Forage Specialist, Purina Animal Nutritioncjcourtney@landolakes.com (563)880-3080 When we make baleage, corn silage or haylage our microbiology skills come alive to produce high quality feed for our livestock. As a biological system, the fermentation process doesn’t always go as planned. While our great homegrown forage goes through fermentation, microorganisms feed on sugars and soluble carbohydrates to produce organic acids such as lactic, acetic, and butyric.

Having high amounts of lactic and acetic will lower pH and drives a good fermentation and preserves the feedstuff. Some key factors can inhibit the lowering of pH and drives a less desirable fermentation, moisture, chop length, packing, covering, and of course, mother nature.Having a great fermentation is important for 2 reasons:

1) To preserve nutrients to optimize livestock intake and performance.

2) To minimize dry matter loss and spoilage at feed out, there is a 12-15% loss of dry matter with a good fermentation and much higher with a poor fermentation and spoilage loss as well.

We know what good quality feed smells and looks like, so what about those times when it doesn’t look or smell so perfect; what went wrong? The only way to get better is to learn from our mistakes and do a better job the next crop or the next year. Here are a few problems that we might smell and what might have caused it.

• Rancid or Fishy Odor This is butyric acid resulting from clostridia contamination

from soil. Clostridia silage can result from cutting or raking too close to the ground, soil from packing tractor tires, and splash from rain, or manure applied too late after the previous cutting. Butyric acid also commonly results from silage that is too wet (>65% moisture) As well as the rancid smell, the feed may have a slimy sticky texture. Haylage can clump into “butyric balls”. Fermentation losses of non-structural carbohydrates are high so ADF levels can be high, and protein is degraded. Palatability, intake and digestible energy are low and livestock performance is poor.

• Moldy or Musty Smell Moldy feed results in high dry matter losses, as well as poor

palatability and livestock performance. This spoilage is the result of aerobic (oxygen) condition from poor pack, slow filling, dry feed, poor sealing, and slow feed out or poor face management. If silage feels warm or hot, microbial spoilage is still going on.

• Vinegar Odor Acetic acid is more commonly known as vinegar. Lactic acid is

the most desirable product of fermentation and is produced more efficiently with the least dry matter losses. Too much acetic acid relative to lactic (Fermentation Ratio) means the fermentation was less than optimally efficient. Most times when using a L. buchnri inoculant, you will have a higher acetic acid; this helps control wild yeast growth in corn silage and fermented feeds with corn in them. It also keeps feed cooler in the summer months and you will have a longer face life.

• Sweet Odor This smell is likely high concentrations of ethanol produced by

spoilage yeasts, mixed with acetic acid. Fermentation losses were likely high and this silage will be prone to heating and spoilage in the bunk. An optimum amount of lactic acid will have little smell.

• Ammonia Odor This indicates excessive protein break down to ammonia

and amines, which could be due to a clostridia fermentation or high pH.

• Caramelized Odor This is heat damaged haylage and will be dark in color with a

tobacco odor. In several cases it can smell burnt, indicating excessive heating. Heat damaged silage is the result of forage that is too dry. Protein becomes bound and is less digestible.

A tool I use on many farms that work with All American Co-op on the forage side is a fermentation analysis. This is a test that can be run at the lab when sending in samples; it will show you how much lactic, acetic and butyric acids are in the feed stuff. This can help gauge how well your fermentation went. Also to help drive a great fermentation it is important to use inoculants to help drive down the pH of the forage quickly to reduce dry matter loss. You pay to plant and harvest the crop; let’s keep more of it as good feed for livestock, not throwing spoiled feed away or having it disappear through dry matter loss. All American Co-op has top-of-the-line inoculants that can fit anyone’s needs, call and order yours today! Find Links to all of the inoculants we carry; including Biomax Pro, Silo Solve MC, Silo Solve AS, Silo Solve FC, and Silo Solve OS, on our webpage at www.allamericancoop.com/dairy-feed

Common Fermentation Problems

Courtney

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PO Box 125 Stewartville, MN 55976

www.allamericancoop.com

ASK US ABOUT THESE SERVICES • Nutrient Scorecard Program

• Bunker Density Testing

• Fermentation Analysis

• Thermal Infrared Testing of Bunker Face

• Pre and Post Harvest Corn Testing

• Product Applicator Program to Qualified Buyers

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-32758

Stacy Hoffman, Livestock Production Specialist, Purina Animal Nutritionsjhoffman@landolakes.com (507) 676-6401 Spring has arrived and with that comes some things that can be easily overlooked. This can happen into what we call a nutrient gap. We think that the green grass will take care of our cows as well as our young calves, but there are some things that we need to make sure we are doing to help them prevent the gap. One of the main things to consider is as we are turning these cows out to fresh grass, even though

there seems to be plenty, the short grass that isn’t plentiful doesn’t have enough nutrients to supply a cow that is at her highest nutrient needing time. We also need to remember that by providing them with supplemental feed, this also allows us to ensure that they are getting all of the vitamins and minerals that they require to nurture that newborn calf. By using a mineral such as the Wind and Rain 7.5 XPC AV4 with Altosid, this will not only provide the cows with the needed chelated trace minerals of the Availa 4 to ensure a sound breed back and optimum uterine health; it will also provide the calf as well, through the milk, with essential trace minerals for immune health. The XPC in the mineral provides us with an opportunity to maintain and promote intestinal gut health as well. This will aid in the cows getting more out of the grass that they are eating. The final component in there is the Altosid to aid in fly control. This part is very important when dealing with the horn fly that costs the beef industry over $1 billion a year in lost performance. The Altosid passes through the cow and into the cow pie. Here it interacts with the larvae of the horn fly and restricts it so that the fly cannot fully develop. By using the Wind and Rain minerals in conjunction with supplementation on early pastures, we can take advantage this spring

and help those cows to maintain the needed BCS (Body Condition Score) for breed back. If this is lost during the first 60 days, it is very hard to get that back in time; as well as to put on more as many of you know for breeding season. You can also use the Wind and Rain 4 with Altosid after your breeding period has ended and get the advantage of the Altosid all summer long. And remember……it’s weatherized, so when it rains, all of the mineral is intact and doesn’t stick to the bottom of your mineral feeder and end up in the field! Mark Werner from our beef team also found a too good to be true method to make a mineral feed for little to no cost. If you are interested, you most likely have everything already at home!! Give us a shout and we can get you started or help you get it positioned a little easier for your operation today!! Thank you for your continued business with All American Co-op and Purina Animal Nutrition!! I look forward to working with you this summer!! Happy Beef Month and Dairy Month!!

Spring has Sprung!!!

Hoffman

Scott Schwanke, Location Manager, Plainviewschwanke@allamericancoop.com (507) 259-7611 As I write this, we are in the midst of a rainy spell that gives me a little time to reflect on the spring season we have had so far at the Plainview location. We started out with a lot of damp, cold weather that caused many to wait to plant corn. Then, from May 4th through May 8th, we had beautiful weather that allowed a large portion of the corn crop to get planted. This was the busiest run I have seen since I have worked for All

American Co-op & Progressive Ag Center, LLC. If you happened to be picking up product at our plant during this time, I am sure you would agree with that. What does it take to get fertilizer to your farm during planting season? It does not just happen with the snap of a finger. I thought I would give you a little behind the scenes look at what it takes. In order for your fertilizer to be delivered when and where you need it, the fertilizer has to be purchased months in advance. Since we do not have on site storage for all of your spring fertilizer needs, we need to have the majority of it delivered to our plant in season. On the busiest days, we load out fertilizer up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

Unfortunately, we can only get fertilizer off the river in Winona for about 10 hours a day, 5.5 to maybe 6 days a week. When we have a big planting weekend like we did on May 6th and 7th, it is difficult to keep enough product in our facility to keep you planting. During these peak times, we have 4 to 5 semis bringing fertilizer in while the river is open. In order to turn them around fast enough, we unload some of them at our west fertilizer plant during the day and transfer it back down to the main plant at night. Another part of the equation is good people. We are fortunate to have a crew of dedicated people that know what it takes to get the job done. They work through the winter to make plans and have equipment ready to roll. Then, when spring hits, they put in long hours and do whatever it takes to get you what you need. I know over the years they miss (in addition to sleep) many graduations, weddings, and birthdays because they understand the job that needs to be done. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our employees for their effort and dedication to their job. We couldn’t do it without them! I hope this gives you a little idea of what it takes to get fertilizer to your farm. I also want to thank you, our customers, for working with us through these busy times. Your communication and flexibility are key to helping us get products to you as timely as possible. Thank you for your business and have a safe rest of the spring!

Spring Rush

Schwanke

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 9

Bill Hammel, Dairy Production Specialisthammell@allamericancoop.com (507) 273-1882 Since 1937 dairy producers have been recognized for producing delicious and nutritious dairy products. It was initially created to stabilize demand by promoting drinking more milk when there was surplus production. Guess we have a ways to go on that issue yet. My, how the world has changed since then, or has it? We still seem to have an overabundance of dairy supplies throughout the world, even though millions do not have enough to

eat each day. Dairy producers still struggle to make ends meet at times and face unpredictable weather. Only now it has come to the point that some producers were notified that in 30 days they would have no market for their milk. I don’t think anyone saw that one coming. Talk about some difficult nerve racking times around the kitchen table. Despite all of this we can’t throw in the towel yet. Producing a product that helps mankind fight off certain cancers, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, along with many other health benefits is a noble profession that requires unbelievable ambition. Milk continues to be hammered on when it comes to school nutrition programs, restrictions on dairy products with the federal food assistance program (WIC), and more competition from bottled water. It’s hard to believe this can happen when milk provides many high quality proteins which aid in tissue repair, the formation of antibodies which circulate in the blood stream to fight off infections, fat for energy, and many minerals for proper bone formation. In order to provide all of these dairy products I want to touch briefly on dry cow management, particularly those on pasture. Putting dry cows on the back 40 and forgetting about them isn’t a program for success. Yes, exercise is good to a point. Make sure they have their feet trimmed at or around dry-off and you will see improvements in feet and legs and easier calving due to improved muscle tone. Forage testing is important to determine what needs to be supplemented and particularly to watch what the potassium level is of the diet. A simple grain mix with a 4-5 pound feeding rate with our Dry Cow Mineral is generally all that is needed until pastures get short or rain is deficient. ClariFly is included with it for season long fly control. We also carry the Dairyland Dry Cow Tubs which can be used as a convenience in many cases. As cows reach close-up status, you may need to take them off a potassium rich pasture or dilute the diet with another forage. It is difficult to feed a DCAD ration in a pasture situation due to palatably issues. Pasture can be an economical and beneficial way to give your dry cows a great chance at having an outstanding lactation. Thank you to all dairy farm families for the contributions you provide in our diet and communities.

June Dairy Month

Hammel

ALL AMERICANCO-OP

COOK’S CORNERBeef Burrito with Pepper Jack Cheese and Black Beans½ pound ground beef sirloin2 teaspoons minced garlic1 cup chunky salsa, divided2 cups cooked brown or white rice6 (9") whole wheat flour tortillas1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed1 (11-ounce) can corn kernels, drained2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheeseSliced green onion, including green tops

In medium non-stick skillet, brown ground beef and garlic over medium heat; (break beef mixture up into smaller chunks with a

cup of rice on center of a tortilla, leaving a ½-inch border. Scatter about 2 tablespoons of beans and 1½ tablespoons of corn over rice.

corn. Top with 2 teaspoons of the salsa and a few pieces of green onion. Fold in two opposite edges of tortilla one inch each and roll up. Place, seam side down, on microwave-safe dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Place burritos in a microwave oven and heat 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with remaining salsa.Yield: Make 6 servings Total Time: 9 mins;Nutritional Facts Per Serving: Calories 140, Total Fat 7g, Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 330mg, Carbohydrates 13g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 7g (3.8g from dairy), Calcium 15% Daily ValueRecipe by: Midwest Dairy Association www.midwestdairy.com

Apply for the $1,000 Purina®

AMPLI-CALF® Scholarship!

To learn more about the scholarshipvisit allamericancoop.com/amplicalf

or email website@allamericancoop.com.

Applications aredue by July 31, 2017.

Awardedby All American Co-op

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-327510

Pete Collins, Agronomy Sales, Stewartvillecollins@allamericancoop.com (507) 259-7439 My son graduated in December from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Yes, it was a very happy day for many reasons. First, what parent isn’t proud to see their son or daughter accomplish earning a degree from any University let alone an Engineering degree. Second, it marks the beginning of his future and all that life can hold for him. Third, IT MARKS A PAY RAISE FOR

OLD DAD. Now he can pay is own bills… For his senior design project he and his team/teams had to build an autonomous machine for the Air Force that could carry gear and supplies for soldiers in remote locations in a wide variety of settings and terrain. They ended up using the front ends of two atvs and joining them together so it could have 4 wheel steering capabilities. It was designed to run on 2 Tesla car batteries with a diesel motor for recharging the system. If the batteries failed, they could use the diesel motor to power the unit. It was designed to be able to operate remotely with either a hand-held controller or be set to follow you wherever you went with just a sensor you would carry with you. Pretty incredible to think that my son was capable of building something like this. He was part of 5 teams from mechanical to electrical engineers that worked on this. This marks the first time this many teams worked on a project of this magnitude at Duluth. And yes, he vented frequently about some of the other team members, but ultimately they got it done. The project was to be a competition with other Universities across the U.S. and I just found out they won first place. Here is my son with his project and award. This got me to thinking about all the innovations happening in the Ag sector these days. We have robotic milkers, robots that can roam poultry buildings checking for sick chickens/turkeys by sensing their temperatures, auto-steer in almost everything, smart phone apps to monitor and control a wide variety of things, drones to monitor crop fields, and these are just to name a few.

According to AgFunder, an online marketplace tracking the Ag technology sector, investors have poured more than $10 BILLION into agtech since 2014 and $3.2 BILLION in 2016 alone. Wow. That’s hard for me to comprehend that much money. There are new innovations being developed right now for robotic apple pickers and a spraying system that can differentiate between weeds and crops to spray only weeds as it goes across the fields. It says it may be able to use 90% less chemical. It uses “facial recognition” to differentiate between the weeds and the crop and only “paint” or apply chemical to the weeds. That’s incredible! What next, a space ship that will hover over your field and use lasers or static electricity to destroy weeds in your crop 24hrs a day???? Maybe it’s not far-fetched! It will be very interesting to see what our next generation of innovators and engineers will come up with. I am actually looking forward to it. Maybe it will be your son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter that will come up some of these things.

A Duluth Grad and Ag Tech

Collins

Brian Orth, Agronomy Sales, St. Charlesorth@allamericancoop.com (651) 332-1307 We are at a fork in the road. The 2017 crop is planted and off to a great start. The decisions that we have to make yet in the 2017 crop year are numerous. We can decide to not spend any more money on this crop, or we can decide to pick and choose from a list of things that could very well enhance yield for us. You may find yourself asking; “what else can I do?” Well, there are a few things. You could

start with a tissue sample. With the information that you get back you can better determine your crops in season hunger. Maybe this will tell you that the rains that we had in May leached more of your nitrogen away and that you may benefit from a side dress application. Perhaps you might see that you are deficient in a micronutrient and that you may benefit from foliar feeding your crop. What about a fungicide? Is

this a part of your plan for at least a portion of your acres? Perhaps the acres that you plan to harvest last are the ones that you want to ensure are standing yet late in the season. What impacts will mother-nature have during the rest of the growing season regardless of the decisions that we make today? The other choice that could be made is to do nothing more than what you have been doing in the past. This isn’t necessarily a wrong decision either. If this is the choice that you have made at this point, I would strongly encourage you to consider some of the options that are available. You might be surprised at the information that is available to you right on your own farm. Some of the things that you can do don’t even cost that much on a per acre basis. Whatever the decision is that you have made, or whatever the decision is that you need some advice on before you make it, know that the agronomists at All American Co-op Progressive Ag Center are here to help. We thank you for the continued opportunity to work with you.

What Else Can I Do?

Orth

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 11

Drew Underdahl, Precision Ag Specialistdunderdahl@allamericancoop.com (507) 696-4693 Driving along our local country side roads there is a sea of green starting to emerge in fields and although you may be able to see far across those fields now, before we know it the crops will be tall and our sight to the other side will be limited. What’s out of sight is out of mind, right? Well not quite; it’s important to remember that fields are variable from one side to another and

what we identify at one point may be very different at another. What tools will you use during the growing season to evaluate the health of your crops that may be out of sight? One of the tools we have utilized to gain this line of sight is remote sensing with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) through satellite imagery which can provide useful information for in-season management decisions by measuring the amount of plant biomass throughout a field. Another technology which can capture these NDVI images are drones mounted with Near-Infrared (NIR) Sensors. All American Co-op & Progressive Ag Center is excited to have our Precision Ag Team, Certified with their Remote Pilot Certificates, and a drone equipped with a Near-Infrared Sensor, 4K Camera and High Definition video to provide you with real time information, so you can make informed in-season management decisions. Drones can be used to make informed decisions throughout the entire crop cycle. Here are a few examples:

Field Analysis: Before the crop is even in the ground, drones can be used to produce precise 3-D maps for early season field analysis. This 3-D map can be used to evaluate the elevation changes throughout your field. These insights may aid in decisions related to planting patterns, drainage patterns, and identifying changes in soil types throughout the field. Early In-Season Management: Checking stand counts and uniform emergence takes time, especially when you have a lot of acres to cover by foot. Drones now have the capability to provide you with stand counts, emergence patterns throughout the field, and other early season scouting information. Mid-Late In-Season Management: Actionable Intelligence, the key to making informed management decisions to protect or increase yield. Drones can provide us with actionable intelligence during the growing season. One example is NIR sensors that detect vegetation levels based on the amount of light reflected off the leaves – the higher the biomass content, the more light that’s reflected. Measuring these vegetation levels leads to the creation of a Normalized Differentiation Vegetation Index (NDVI) Maps. These Maps show crop health throughout the field and allow us to pinpoint healthy areas and areas that call for further investigation by foot. Drones can also provide video and pictures to investigate weeds, diseases, crop damage, and an overall snapshot of your entire fields that you would not be able to see from the ground. Drones are an exciting step forward in precision agriculture and we are excited to share this technology with you. Please contact myself, Gary Suess or your Progressive Ag Center Agronomist to find out more about what benefits our drone can bring to your operation.

How can our Drone go to work for you?

Underdahl

Jared Tabor, Seed Specialist, Stewartvillejtabor@allamericancoop.com (507) 251-3914 I just want to say thank you to all of our growers, office staff, agronomists, and seed specialists that have worked together to make this spring planting season a successful one. It is always exciting to see how the months of hard work and planning go into making a highly productive planting season. A quick reminder, we are actively rounding up pallets, boxes, and seed

returns. If you have additional returns please contact us immediately so we can get them picked up and credited back to your account by June 15, 2017 or earlier. Also, our first grower Answer Plot Sessions will be starting up again in the next few weeks. Please mark your calendars.

Note: there are fewer sessions this summer than in 2016. If you can’t make these dates and would still like to learn more please contact an All American Co-op Progressive Ag Center Agronomist or Seed Specialist. We will gladly set up a time to take a tour with you. I would encourage each and every one of you to come join us to come learn about this year’s corn and soybean crop in Southeast MN.

From the Seed Shed

Tabor

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Jon Schmitz, Agronomy Sales Managerjschmitz@allamericancoop.com (507) 434-0016 If the dandelion population this year is any indication of what our weed pressure is going to be like in our corn and soybean fields, then it looks like we will be in for a battle. I don’t recall a year in the recent past where I have seen so many dandelions blooming in yards. You can certainly tell which homeowners have laid the foundation for a lush lawn and which have not. As the season progresses, the same will hold true in our row

crop fields. Fortunately, our agronomy staff has laid the groundwork by recommending robust weed control programs to combat the weed pressure (particularly Giant ragweed and waterhemp) we have seen in the past and will likely see in the short and long term. Until recent rains, we have had a good run which has allowed us to get a lot of pre-emerge herbicides on your fields which is a great start to a solid weed control program. There may be some corn and soybean fields

that have missed the opportunity for a pre-emerge herbicide, but all is not lost. There are still options available to set the stage for a clean field. Talk to our agronomy staff at your location and they would be happy to help. Although many pre-emerge herbicides will keep your fields looking clean going into early summer, it is important to continue with a post emerge herbicide application and in many cases another layered residual herbicide to keep your fields clean. Waterhemp will continue to germinate into August and sequential herbicide applications are critical to keeping this weed under control throughout the season and reduce the potential for weed resistance. We may have gotten a bit of a late start with the planting season but for the most part this crop has been planted into some pretty good soil conditions and looks to have gotten off to a very good start. Let’s give it every opportunity to thrive by doing our part on the weed control. Hopefully mother nature will cooperate and bless us with a bountiful crop this fall. Thank you for your continued patronage of All American Co-op and Progressive Ag Center, LLC.

Schmitz

Follow Through with Robust Weed Control Program

Welcome New Employees

Nate PetersonEquipment Operator

St. Charles

Greg SiemsFacility Operator

Stewartville

Scott WallaceFeed Delivery Driver

Stewartville