Jensen Seed Company
41439 330th Ave NW
Stephen, MN 56757
(218) 478-3397
jensenfarmmn@gmail.com
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Betsy's Blog

Sometimes pessimistic, mostly optimistic, always realistic.

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Navy Bean Harvest 101

9/18/2015

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The weather has turned cool, and it is time to make a big batch of bean and ham soup.  We just finished harvesting navy beans this week so we have plenty of beans available. 

Harvesting edible beans is unique.  The field may look like soybeans when you drive by at 55 mph, but harvest is quite different.  Think of the bag of beans you buy at the grocery store.  You don't want split beans, or mud stained beans, and it is our job to get those beans onto the shelf looking beautiful.


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You can harvest navy beans with a regular combine, the same one you would use for soybeans.  It's the cheapest and easiest method.  We have specialty equipment that does a better job, but also requires a lot more work, and expense.  We actually travel through the field three times when we harvest our navy beans.  The first pass through the field is with a knife that cuts the bean plants.  Step two, pictured above, is to windrow the beans for the combine.  This is a sunrise picture.  You have to knife and windrow the beans while it is damp outside so you don't break open the bean pods.  The beans need to stay in the pods until the final combining step.  Kevin and Brian did our knifing and windrowing this year so if they looked a little tired and cranky, they were!  They were up at 1 or 2 am and working through the night so they could handle the bean plants without cracking open the pods.
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Step three is the bean combine.  Ours is old, and held together with duct tape, chicken wire and the power of prayer, but it still works.  Amadas is actually a peanut combine manufacturer, and dabbled in edible bean combines for a few years.  We keep thinking the combine won't make it another year, but it still works and does a great job! 

You may notice the dirt cloud between the combine and tractor.   Harvesting navy beans is dirty, dirty, dirty.  And it's fine dirt that gets into every pinhole. 
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Traditional combines have augers to move grain, but not this one.  We want to avoid using augers because they may split the beans, or even nick the seed coats.  If you ever soak dry beans, and a few float to the top, it is because the seed coat has been nicked.  You can't tell by looking at the bean, but you can watch them float because air got under the seed coat.  We use conveyors to put the navy beans into the bin, and in the bins we have ladders so the beans don't fall from the top to the bottom.  Instead the beans trickle down the ladders slowly.  Anything we can do to make sure they don't crack. 

We have raised pinto, black, kidney, and pink beans.  For the past few years we've stuck with one variety to make harvest easier.  No one wants a black bean in their bag of navy beans on the grocery shelf, so you really need to clean out everything when switching varieties.  Think of the equipment in the spring, and in the fall.  Planters, combines, trucks, conveyors, it's a lot of cleaning.  We'll stick with one variety to make our lives easier. 

I hope you get a chance to make a nice big pot of bean and ham soup.  It's the perfect dish for fall.  Or maybe I just love it because I know how much work it took to harvest those pesky beans. 
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Waving the green liberty flag in soybeans #harvest15

8/26/2015

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Our soybean fields have green flags by the entrances.  If you look closely, the green flags read "Liberty Link".


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We use these flags to make sure everyone knows these soybeans are Liberty Link, and not Round Up.  They are both GMO soybeans, but one is resistant to Liberty Herbicide, and the other is resistant to Round Up.

Most soybeans grown in the U.S. are Round Up.  These flags help ensure our neighbors, or a custom applicator, don't assume these soybeans are RR Ready, and spray an adjacent field with Round Up.  

I am a big proponent of GMO technology.  I am very offended when GMO opponents claim farmers are nothing but pawns for Big Ag.   Farmers are often portrayed as poor, gullible suckers who have no choice but to blindly follow the recommendation of Big Ag.  That could not be more wrong! 

We have options when selecting seed.  We have public non GMO varieties.  We have private Round Up and Liberty Link varieties.  Next year when the patent expires, we will have public Round Up varieties available from universities. 

You can call me many things, but please don't call me a schill for Big Ag.  That's a surefire way to make me angry. 


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#TBT field fires and wheat #harvest15 fun

8/13/2015

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We are in the middle of wheat harvest.  Of course it is 90 degrees with 25 mph winds.  Perfect wheat drying weather.  Not good for much else.

We did have to shut down one combine for overheating.  I don't mean engine overheating, but smoke coming from somewhere else.  It's hot, things are overheating, and there is straw and grain dust everywhere. It is a fire waiting to happen. Our fire department has responded to one combine fire in Stephen this year.  Fortunately no one was hurt.
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It reminded me of August 2007, when Conner started his little 4 wheeler on fire.  We can laugh about it now, but there was panic for a few moments.

We were harvesting the field right by the house.  Conner asked to drive his little 90CC 4 wheeler out to ride in the combine, and make laps around the house.  He was so excited to have an open field to drive in instead of the same old tracks he made during the summer. 

I hadn't seen Conner drive by the house for awhile so I called Brian and he said "Yeah, let me see, HE'S ON FIRE."  Click. 

I grabbed 5YO Holly and we took off an another 4 wheeler.  When I got to the field, I see the grain cart tractor driving way too fast, and realize Grandpa John is racing to Conner.  There was an emergency.

I reach Conner, and he's running in circles screaming "Don't be mad, don't be mad."  He was physically fine, but in panic mode.  The 4 wheeler was on fire and the stubble around the 4 wheeler was black.  All the fire extinguishers in combines worked, and a disaster was averted.  Our guardian angel earned her wings that day.  It was hot and windy, and we were so fortunate no one was injured, and the fire did not spread throughout the field.   

I wasn't mad at Conner until I found out about his helmet.  As he was jumping off his 4 wheeler, he took off his helmet and set it on the seat!  So we had a melted 4 wheeler, and a melted helmet.  I still tease him about that.  Go ahead and throw $100 into a fire. 

I do park my car outside after returning from the wheat field.  I don't want it in the garage with an underbody full of hot straw.  Better safe than sorry.   Safe harvest!

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The Lost Elk in Augsburg Township

8/5/2015

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The past two summers we have had a neighborhood bear.  Two years ago the bear took a chunk out of the 4 wheeler seat and spent his summer in our corn.  Last year we found one a few miles west in another old yard.

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This summer has been devoted to this lost girl.  A neighbor spotted her a few weeks ago near our farm.  This morning she was making the rounds in the neighborhood.  We do have two elk herds in Northwest Minnesota.  Just a guess that this girl is from the Kittson County herd, which means she is 40 miles south.  The Grygla herd is 70 miles to the east. Here is a graphic from the MN DNR about where to find MN elk herds. 
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Let's hope this lost girl finds her way to the herd.  She seems awful lonely, especially with snoopy neighbors following her around trying to take a picture. 
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Why is the wheat and barley laying flat?

7/7/2015

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We got rain over the weekend.  Lots and lots of rain.  Stephen had around 4", some reports of 6" and some of less than 1".  Gravel roads were under water, and some of the wheat and barley fields were laying flat.  We had no hail, but heavy rains can flatten a crop just as much as hail.


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Above is one of our wheat fields that has "lodged", which means some of the wheat has fallen over.  We are hopeful this wheat will stand back up.

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Here is another field, and the wheat is standing straight and tall.  So why the difference?  Quite often it is the variety.  Each wheat variety is given a rating on lodging.  Some wheat varieties have stronger straw than other varieties.  It's just one of the factors farmers review before purchasing seed.  Straw strength isn't the only factor in lodging. It may also be soil type, seeding rates, or fertilization, just to name a few.

If the wheat remains flat, it will make for a difficult, if not impossible harvest.  The wheat won't dry because it's essentially a mat on the ground.  It also means very slow harvest speeds.  We really need to cross our fingers that the wheat
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A 70th Anniversary Party for my grandparents

6/23/2015

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This weekend we celebrated the 70th anniversary of my grandparents, Harry and Evelyn Risius.  We were only missing my brother and his family, who are stationed with the Army in Germany, and 2 granddaughters from Florida.  I think we're a pretty good looking group.
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I was lucky enough to be raised in the same town as Grandma and Grandpa Risius.  Grandma drove me to school on her way to work at the bank, and Grandpa drove me to physical therapy for 2 years.  Grandpa pulled us in a sled behind the snowmobile after school, and Grandma carefully counted out raspberries to make sure we had equal amounts on our angel food cake.  We saw them nearly every day.

Below is the building that once housed Risius Implement, a Case dealership.  The building seemed so big when I was a kid. When Grandpa decided to retire, and Dad decided to go back to flying, my friend and I hatched a great plan for this building.  We were going to make it a roller skating rink.  The shop floor was smooth, and the parts bins would hold the skates and concessions.  It sounded like a great idea to a 10 year old.  Of course it never worked.  
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It was a wonderful weekend with family.  My aunt shared the story of Grandma and Grandpa's courtship.  Grandma's family was questioning why a boy from Austin would waste gas money courting a girl from Owatonna (it's about 35 miles). Why couldn't he find an Austin girl?  Was there something wrong with him?  70 years and many children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren later, it looks like Grandpa was the smartest man in Austin. 
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How is wheat seed different than corn seed?

5/12/2015

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The spring wheat seed business is quite a bit different than the corn seed market.  The spring wheat seed market is dominated by public varieties from University of Minnesota, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University. 

 

In 2014, over one third of the spring wheat acres planted in Minnesota were Faller and Prosper, two public varieties from NDSU.  In North Dakota, 4 out of the top 5 planted varieties were public varieties.   At the moment, public varieties dominate the market.   There are private breeding companies such as Westbred, (owned by Monsanto), Syngenta, Limagrain Cereal Seeds, (has its roots in a French cooperative), and CROPLAN by Winfield.   There are four private spring wheat breeders.  The number of corn and soybean seed companies is well into double digits.

 

Wheat is also different than most corn and soybean varieties because it is legal to keep the seed for planting the next year.  The first year you buy the seed, you must pay a royalty to the breeding institution (public or private), but after that, you can keep the seed for as many years as you would like.

 

One reason you can keep the seed because wheat is not a hybrid.  Nearly every corn variety is a hybrid.  A hybrid means the seed loses its unique properties after the first generation.  You can plant the seeds again, but those special traits you wanted may not appear.  You are probably buying hybrid tomato plants for your garden.  If you keep the seeds from those plants and plant them in 2016, you will be disappointed.  Maybe the tomatoes won’t be as big, they may be susceptible to disease, or perhaps the flavor is missing.  A hybrid is effective in year 1, but not after that. 

 

Wheat hybrids are on the horizon.  Syngenta has announced a goal of hybrid wheat by 2020.  I’m excited about the possibility of hybrid wheat.  As a wheat farmer, we need a yield boost.  Average U.S. corn yields have increased from 90.8 bu/a in 1980 to 171 in 2014, an 88% increase.   During that same period, wheat yields increased 33% from 33.5 to 43.7 bu/a.    Wheat yield increases are severely lagging behind corn yield increases.  It can be a hybrid variety, or a GMO wheat, but something needs to help boost wheat yields.  Drought, disease, or pest resistance would be great traits to help boost wheat yields. 

 

The tradition of keeping wheat seed for subsequent years is also changing.  This year WestBred introduced CSO Spring Wheat.  CSO means Certified Seed Only, and you cannot keep the seed.  If you like a CSO variety, you must buy new seed every year, and pay the royalty every year.

 

There is likely to be some uprising over this new development.  Change is hard for farmers.   They had a hard time adapting to similar rules for Roundup Ready soybeans.  Farmers were used to keeping their soybean seed for use every year, and along came the requirement to buy new seed every year.   Now it seems like second nature.  We can still purchase public soybean seed varieties, and keep the seed for use the next year, but most farmers choose private varieties and buy new seed every year.

The world of wheat seed is slowly changing.  Change is hard but if it means better yields, change is good. 

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Non GMO Chipolte Can Be a Good Thing

4/28/2015

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Chipolte Grill made headlines yesterday when they announced they would no longer be using Genetically Engineered ingredients in their products.  This is great news for consumers who have a moral opposition to genetically engineered food, and for farmers who will receive a premium for raising non-GMO crops.

Jensen Farms raises GMO and non-GMO crops.  We have no moral opposition to GMO.  If we could pick GMO crops for all our acres, we probably would.  I would love white mold resistant navy beans, or high protein wheat, or aphid resistant soybeans.  Unfortunately, those traits are not available.  In the case of low protein wheat, we take a dollar discount PER BUSHEL at the elevator when our wheat crop doesn't meet the standards.  It is a punch in the gut when the elevator posts $5.50 for wheat, and when the check comes, I receive $4.50 because of low protein.  A GMO trait for high protein wheat would be celebrated throughout spring wheat county. 

My major concern with the Chipolte announcement is the Good vs Bad argument.  If you eat GMOs, you're a bad person.  If you choose to pay more for Non-GMO products, you're a good person.  That is completely false!  It is just a preference.  It's like Ford vs Chevy, or Apple vs PC.  One decision isn't right or wrong, it's just a decision. 

Chipolte is making a business decision based on their consumer preferences.  I am just fine with that.  Congratulations to the farmers who will be receiving more for their non-GMO corn, sugar, soybeans, and canola.  We are blessed to live in a country when consumers have enough disposable income to pay higher prices because of moral beliefs. 

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Why do you need a label on your food?

1/28/2015

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It's always important to surround yourself with smart people.  That was proven valuable last week as I participated in the Minnesota Ag and Rural Leadership (MARL) program in St. Paul.  We split into groups, and set off to visit different areas in St. Paul and Minneapolis.  I traveled to the Global Market, where we met with immigrant shop and restaurant owners who brought a little bit of their homeland to the middle of Minneapolis.  Other groups traveled to a shelter for teenagers, a low income housing unit, and the Hmong market. 

We all came back with broader minds, but there was one comment from the Hmong village that stuck with me.  At the Hmong market, there aren't many signs about "organic" or "cage free eggs" or "pesticide free."  It's not your usual farmers market where farmers are usually putting up signs about all the great attributes about their food.  One of our group members is Hmong, and she said they don't need labels.  Labels are just replacements for relationships.  If you know the grower, you don't need a label.  Let me repeat that:  Labels are just replacements for relationships.

I thought back to the global market I visited, and sure enough, the immigrant booths really didn't have much for labels.  You could buy mexican, or middle east food without looking at labels. The baklava look delicious in the box and it was a just a simple box.  The meat was labeled Halal, but that is a necessary distinction. 

It was only the more traditional American food stands that had labels.  There were free range chickens and eggs, Minnesota honey, and locally produced cheeses.   I still have my doubts about the gluten free pasta that was made with "locally sourced brown rice." We have wild rice in MN, but I've never seen brown or white rice in Minnesota.  Maybe someone reading this can help me find a brown rice field in Minnesota.

So think about the labels next time you buy food.  We need labels because we don't have relationships with the growers.  Whenever I support GMO food, I get called a shill for Monsanto.  Whenever I mention I'm a wheat farmer, I'm told that the new varieties of wheat are evil because they cause gluten intolerance.  And now autism is added to the evils of wheat.  Maybe if people had relationships with farms, they'd understand farming, and say thanks for the food. 
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Back to the Future in Farming,  Year 2050

1/15/2015

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It's 2015, the year Marty went into the future in Back to the Future II.  We have the 3 DVD set of Back to the Future.  And we even have the Lego set (which has the flux capacitor, but no nuclear power, and we don't know how to contact the Libyans).   So no hoverboards, hovercrafts, and really bad fashion as the movie suggested, but it has prompted many people to start guessing what will happen in 30 to 40 years.  I'm going to stick out my neck and make some predictions about agriculture in the year 2050.  You can't tease me about how wrong I was for 35 years, so I feel pretty safe.

My first guess/wish is that machinery will actually get SMALLER.  That's a complete turn around from where we've been for the past hundred years, but just picture every farm with 10 small, auto controlled tractors and implements.  Instead of having 2 big tractors, with 2 people in each tractor, we'll have 10 small tractors, controlled from an office, doing fieldwork.  Each morning farmers will decide what fieldwork needs to done, and tractors will go to those fields, and begin working.  Those 2 people who used to drive the tractors, will now provide fuel (or maybe solar!), and maintenance to those machines.  Maybe we can even get a little "scout" tractor to determine if the field is ready to be worked, or if there are wet areas that should be avoided.   It would even be easier to share machinery with your neighbors.  If they finish planting a few days before you, rent some of their little tractors, and finish your planting every faster.  Admit it, sounds awesome.
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This pic is barley harvest.  Look for pics like this to be accessible on your food, with a link to our farm website or facebook page.  Consumers want to know where their food comes from, and farmers want them to know.  We get little to no credit for the great food we produce, and frankly, we'd like a little recognition.  My farm on a bottle of Budweiser, with an explanation that the barley was grown in Stephen, MN, and another pic and explanation that the hops came from somewhere in Washington.  Or my farm on a can of navy beans.  Farmers are so proud of their hard work, and a little recognition from consumers would be a nice pat on the back.  Consumers want to know, farmers want to brag, and everyone supports each other.
Another idea is the specialization of farms, even more than we see today.  It's quaint to discuss Old McDonald with his cows, pics, chickens, corn, wheat, and one horse, but Old McDonald is gone, and he's not coming back.  There's just too much to know and learn to be that diverse!  Livestock farmers know feed efficiency, and what will get their livestock to the ideal weight, with the least waste.  Crop farmers know about insects, and disease, and weeds, and pests, and how to control them.  It is a full time job to keep up on the latest research about leaf disease, soil fertilization, seed spacing, the list goes on and on.  Now I'm supposed to add livestock topics to my list?  No thanks.  I'm already underwater, barely holding on.  Every food product has its challenges for production, and farmers cannot be jack of all trades.  I wouldn't know where to start if you dropped me at a California artichoke farm, or a Wisconsin cranberry farm.  Stick with what you know, and do it well. 
My final view into the future is for increased sustainability.  That's a big buzzword today, but "sustainability" is a moving target.  Every farm, since the beginning of time, has been focused on sustainability.  While consumers want to talk about sustainable food, farmers NEED sustainable food.  We need healthy soils, biodiversity, clean water, more than anyone else.  It's not just for our lives, but for our livelihood.  The catch is that sustainability is a moving target.  We learn more and more every year about how to produce more with less.  I am certain that in 2050, farmers will be even more efficient, and sustainable, than they are today. 
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    This is what I get for majoring in agriculture economics at North Dakota State University.  A farm near the Canadian border, far from any delivery restaurants or shopping centers.  Sometimes in life you get nothing that you prayed for, and yet so much more than you asked.  Life doesn't have to be easy to be wonderful and blessed.

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