Northland Partners INSIDE HAZEL ELEVATOR OF THE YEAR - COVER STORY: PAGE 22 - CHS Mahnomen
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Northland Partners
INSIDE
HAZEL ELEVATOR OF THE YEAR
COVER STORY: PAGE 22
2020 FIELD SIGN CONTEST
WINNERS
PAGE 20
DOING BETTER TOGETHER
PAGE 18
A PUBLICATION OF CHS AG SERVICES • CHS MAHNOMEN • CHS NORTHLAND GRAIN WINTER 2020
CHSINC.COM INSIDE THIS ISSUE 3
NORTHLAND PARTNERS
DIRECTORY
New Dry Plant Will Make Growth Possible
CHS AG SERVICES Decompressing current plants makes room for new customers............................Page 4
WARREN HEADQUARTERS
Warren main office: 218-745-4166 Prevent Injury During Harvest
Tips to help you come home safe at night...................................................................Page 6
Warren local number: 218-745-4361
Grand Forks main office: 701-772-4873 More for Your Propane Dollar
Toll-free: 800-732-4265 CHS trains more, right-sizes tanks and installs monitors......................................... Page 8
www.chsagservices.com
Insurance: Service Still No. 1 Priority
Despite changes in how we do business.......................................................................Page 9
CHS MAHNOMEN
Main office: 218-935-2261
Good Data Will Save You Money
Toll-free: 800-746-2558 The CHS YieldPoint® team will collect and organize it............................................ Page 10
Erskine terminal: 218-687-5400
www.chsmahnomen.com Collaboration for Grower Success
CHS business units work together to benefit their owners....................................Page 13
CHS NORTHLAND GRAIN
Full Shuttle Loaded at Mahnomen
St. Hilaire main office: 218-964-5252 Faster dumping and competitive prices for your grain.......................................... Page 14
Crookston main office: 218-281-2881
Crookston terminal: 218-281-5273 Autumn Rewards 2021
Hazel: 218-681-5280 What our input finance program will look like...........................................................Page 16
Warren: 218-745-5363
Doing Better Together
www.chsnorthlandgrain.com CHS grant protects essential workers...........................................................................Page 18
The Importance of Friendships
Growers value relationships, not just products and services.................................Page 19
COVER PHOTO:
Soybean pile grows at CHS 2020 Field Sign Contest Winners
Mahnomen’s Erskine terminal during The joy of driving slow and looking at good crops................................................. Page 20
the 2020 harvest.
CHS Northland Grain Honored by Railroad
PHOTO ABOVE: CP names Hazel their U.S. Elevator of the Year.........................................................Page 22
The price of all grains pushed higher
with China’s summer soybean The Big Soybean Export Program
purchases. Produces a $2.00/bu. rally in the cash price..............................................................Page 24
The Beat Goes On
Market says “sell beans”...................................................................................................Page 26
©2020 CHS Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4 A MANAGER’S VIEW
New Dry Plant Will Make Growth Possible
By Ryan Anderson, General Manager, CHS Ag Services
Our new Hazel, Minnesota, dry and Thief River Falls.
fertilizer plant will be ready for spring. At the same time, the construction of this new 17,000-
In fact, we’ll probably be receiving ton plant with storage for 10,000 tons of urea takes major
fertilizer at this new facility by the end of pressure off our Erskine hub plant, and it opens up new
calendar 2020. It’s the first time CHS Ag opportunities at our Oklee location, which will now rely on
Services has built a fertilizer plant with Hazel instead of Erskine.
such an impact on so many locations. Before we were handcuffed from exploring new
As I noted in the Summer 2020 opportunities. Now, we feel good about meeting with
edition, bringing our new Hazel dry new growers in areas that our facilities at Hazel, Oklee
plant online will allow us to shut down and Erskine serve. We’re currently having some strategic
Ryan Anderson two smaller, aging facilities at St. Hilaire meetings with our sales and operations teams about how
we can enhance the customer experience, not only for our
existing customers but for our future customers.
New plant removes risk
One big plus that will result from the construction
of our new Hazel plant is we will have almost all of
our spring fertilizer needs on hand for our customers.
Logistically, this removes risk to our owners of having to
wait for their fertilizer because of late river opens, delayed
trains and lack of available trucks in-season. Their spring
fertilizer will already be in one of our buildings, waiting
for them when they head for their fields. Not many
competitors can say that.
We’ve been building up our rolling stock for this moment.
We’ve added a lot of horsepower in floaters and tender
trucks to make sure we’re ready to meet the expectations
of our growers.
The other thing this new dry fertilizer plant offers is
our proximity to other CHS entities with which they do
business. We’re in the same yard as CHS Northland Grain.
Not only does it bring efficiencies to our customers, but
it strengthens relationships with our co-workers in grain
marketing, which should benefit our growers.
Importance of the Northland
Our company is investing in few capital projects at a
time when our nation struggles through a health crisis.
The Hazel project is one of those few, and we can be
proud of it. We’re building something during a difficult
time. That shows the commitment of CHS to growers in
the Northland region.
By the way, CHS Ag Services is also making a $2.5
million investment at Crookston, Minnesota, this fall. We’re
building a new 50’ x 200’ crop protection warehouse at
our agronomy plant south of that city. The warehouse will
feature twin load bays and a fully automated bulk chemical
and liquid fertilizer storage and mixing system.
The new CPP warehouse will be finished by the end of
calendar 2020.
This 17,000-ton dry plant under construction at Hazel will be filled over winter and
ready to deliver fertilizer to area fields next spring.
A MANAGER’S VIEW 5
“The Hazel project is one of the few CHS has
invested in during this difficult time. It shows the
Serving Our
company’s commitment to our area.” Second Family
During our nation’s health crisis, the CHS
business units serving you have been operating
under emergency policies and procedures.
Communication is less in-person, less coffee talk,
more calls, texts and e-mails. Still, many things stay
the same.
CHS Ag Services, CHS Mahnomen and CHS
Northland Grain have observed the best practices
set forth by our company and the states, counties
and municipalities in which we operate. But we
continue to serve our customers, who are our
owners, on a high level. That won’t change.
We’re still taking care of our growers, and we’re
enormously proud of our agronomy, energy,
finance, grain marketing and insurance teams for
accomplishing that during the 2020 growing season.
It’s not easy to follow the anti-viral protocols and
still do our jobs, but our teams have gone the extra
mile during this growing season and still made sure
our customers and employees stayed safe.
Delivering needed inputs to our growers’ farm
and marketing their grain is a big part of what we
do. In the grand scheme of things, however, the
relationships we’ve formed and continue over the
years is what’s most important. We’ve served some
customers for 20-30 years, and others are new. This
business remains fun because of the relationships
we’ve made and been able to maintain. You’re
almost like our second family.
6 SAFETY
Prevent Injury During Harvest
By Jesse Bushelle, Bernie Perreault, Steve Spaeth and Trevor Staehnke,
CHS Safety Specialists for CHS Ag Services, CHS Mahnomen and CHS Northland Grain
Jesse Bushelle, Bernie Perreault, Trevor Staehnke and Steve Spaeth
At harvest time, our farmer-owners spend countless Last year, corn went into the bins wet. As a result, there
hours in equipment. A lot of grain (and the equipment used were many grain bin accidents and several fatalities. Don’t
to harvest that grain) is transported on narrow highways be one of those fatalities this year.
and gravel roads. You and everyone else would do well to Farmers put in long hours during harvest. Slow down.
exercise caution on and off these roads. Make sure you know where your helpers are. With remote
People who work with numbers tell us agriculture ranks learning and more families homeschooling, there will be
among the nation’s most hazardous industries. Here are more children around the farm this harvest. Make sure you
a few tips to help you, your family and friends, and your know where your children are at all times.
employees come home safe at night. Harvest is a stressful time of year, and the current national
1. Read the operator’s manual. Know the equipment health crisis makes things even more stressful. So, be safe.
you are operating. Why are we telling you this? You are our patrons and
2. Make sure your vehicles have slow-moving signs. the owners of this company. Most of us live in small
3. Wear your seat belt. communities. We know your families, and you know ours.
4. Put your equipment in neutral or park and turn off the We want you to stay safe and return home to yours at the
motor before dismounting. end of these long workdays.
5. Limit riders.
6. Keep all guards in place.
7. Stop if you feel fatigued. Getting just a little more “With remote learning, there
done IS NOT worth the risk.
8. Have all your safety equipment in good condition and
will be more children around
use it. the farm. Make sure you know
9. Practice grain bin safety. where they are at all times.”
If you are interested in on-site
safety training, give us a call. We’d
be happy to set up a time to talk
with you, your employees and any
children on your farm.
JESSE BUSHELLE 218-686-6119
TREVOR STAEHNKE 2 1 8 - 2 8 9 -3 574
STEVE SPAETH 218-556-2643
SAFETY 7
8 ENERGY
More for Your
Propane Dollar
By Tom Prout, David Hunt,
Clay Syverson, and John Grandstand,
Certified Energy Specialists of CHS Ag Services
John Grandstrand, David Hunt, Tom Prout and Clay Syverson
With cold weather ahead, we wanted to remind you of will never run out of clean burning propane, but it helps us
the extra value CHS Ag Services offers its LP gas customers. organize our routes more efficiently and offer you the most
Whether you use propane to heat your residence, your shops competitive price.
or your livestock barns — you get more for your propane Now that you know about the extra value you receive from
dollar with us. CHS Ag Services, give your Certified Energy Specialist a call
Did you know our LP drivers, service people, sales staff today. We’ll sign you up.
and even our office personnel are required to have more
training than most propane suppliers? Government and Propane incentive program
industry regulations require refresher courses every five If you’re currently a propane customer of CHS Ag Services,
years. CHS propane employees are required to take basic, you may know of someone else who would appreciate a
delivery and set-up refresher courses every three years. supplier with extra value. By introducing friends, family, or
We also customize our tank set-up and deliveries to your neighbors to CHS Ag Services, you will receive $50 for every
needs. Before we deliver the first gallon of propane to a referral, provided they become a CHS Ag Services propane
new customer, we’ll talk about how you will use it and how customer.
much you will need, so you can be sure your storage is There’s a lot to like about our propane delivery services:
sized correctly. • No lease on a CHS propane supply tank for the
We’ll also monitor your tanks, so we know when they are first year.
getting low and need a refill. Yes, we’ll keep an eye on your • No charge for the tank monitor – in fact, we’ll monitor
tank for you — but you can see the tank levels, too. You can a tank you own if we are your propane supplier.
download an app that shows you how much LP is in the tank • No worries of running out or being charged extra for
at any time. out-of-gas calls with our Keep Fill plan.
Best of all, we offer a Keep Fill Program so we can fill your Got a referral? Call one of us today with the name, address,
tank whenever we’re in the area. It not only assures you and phone number of the person you are referring.
CHS employee Harlan Iverson makes
the first delivery of propane to
the home of David Manley of Lake
Bronson, after setting a new tank.
CHS AG SERVICES — CERTIFIED ENERGY SPECIALISTS
JOHN GRANDSTRAND Stephen, Greenbush, Badger and Thief River Falls 218-478-4181 john.grandstrand@chsinc.com
TOM PROUT Grand Forks, Hillsboro and Fargo 701-739-3304 thomas.prout@chsinc.com
DAVID HUNT Oslo, Argyle, Minto and Drayton 218-201-1517 david.hunt1@chsinc.com
CLAY SYVERSON Crookston, Erskine, Ada, Mahnomen and Oklee 218-280-3451 clay.syverson@chsinc.com
INSURANCE 9
Service Still Our No. 1 Priority
By Lonnie Longtin, CHS Northwest Insurance Services
The year 2020 will be remembered A couple of reminders on insurance.
for a long time to come. 1. Keep very good yield records of
The start of your crops coming off the fields.
the crop year CFAP and now CFAP2 base their
coincided with the payments on your yields. There
beginning of the have been audits from CFAP,
COVID-19 pandemic. and I expect more from CFAP2.
This limited the 2. If you have a loss, try to keep the
businesses which production separate. If that’s not
were deemed possible, keep truckload records
essential and could of what goes into your bins from
Lonnie Longtin be open, and it each field.
made it difficult to I have been asked how this
conduct our day-to-day activities. pandemic is going to change the
Where our growers could get in insurance industry. For crop insurance,
the fields to plant wheat, they had I expect less contact from agents and
to contend with ruts from last year’s adjusters. I see more emails, more doc-
soybeans. In part of our market area, u-sign and more technology. I expect
once small grains were planted, they underwriters will stay working from
were deluged with six to eight inches home, company representatives will
of rain. “Preventive plant” became the travel less, and meetings will be over
buzz words. the internet.
Soybean planting went somewhat These changes may make it more
better. It helped that the wheat ground difficult at first. But rest assured,
from last year was in good shape. serving you will remain our number
Crops were looking fairly good when one priority.
the hail hit. As a provider of crop
insurance, we went from two claims
to 66 claims in three weeks. Damage
ranged from 5% to spots over 80%.
Wheat yields have been somewhat
“Keep good yield records and
disappointing, and quality has been an keep track of what goes into
issue in some areas. Fields of barley your bins from each field.”
and oats also produced lower-than-
normal yields, on the average. Soybean
harvest has just begun, and the
prices have rallied, so it is easier to be
optimistic about them.
CHS NORTHWEST INSURANCE SERVICES
LONNIE LONGTIN 218-964-5252
BRIAN BERDAHL 218-964-5252
LYLE FUCHS 2 1 8 - 9 4 5 - 69 6 4
JANADEE FUCHS 701-371-6193
10 TECHNOLOGY
Good Data Will Save You Money
By Mark Halley, Michael Beiswenger, and Paul Davey, CHS YieldPoint® Specialists
Mark Halley, Michael Beiswenger, and Paul Davey
With the 2020 season behind us, it is a great time to information can be entered into various apps for ease of
make sure all your planting, growing, and harvesting data access. We can also make hard copies to put in a binder for
was collected correctly and is organized to make it work making final plans for 2021.
for your operation in 2021. Knowing the seed, chemical and fertilizer you need for
Whether it is seed varieties, seeding populations, your ongoing operation will save you valuable time and
spring applications, in-season treatments, yields or fall money. Contact the CHS YieldPoint® team through your
applications, your data must be properly broken down to CHS Ag Services agronomist to help you organize all of
see what farming practices worked best on your operation. this and make sure your data is put to work for you.
CHS YieldPoint® can help you utilize this information to
make good decisions for the next cropping season. The
“Data must be
properly broken
down to see what
farming practices
worked best on
your operation.”11 Examples of 2020 data needed to put together a 2021 farm plan.
ENERGY
STRONGER TOGETHER 13
Collaboration for
Grower Success
By Andrew Schultz, Sales Manager, CHS Ag Services and
DuWayne Thompson, General Manager, CHS Northland Grain
When you trade with business units like CHS Ag
Services, CHS Drayton, CHS Northland Grain or CHS
Mahnomen, you
trade with CHS, the
company you own.
At times, we get so
focused on what each
of us does well that we
forget our connection
and our ability to
collaborate in areas
Andrew Schultz DuWayne Thompson
that could add value to
our member/growers.
This past year offered many opportunities to collaborate.
In fiscal year 2019-2020, which ended on Aug. 31, 2020,
CHS Ag Services’ energy business continued to grow
within the same trade area, simply by telling customers
of all CHS business units about the Automated Farm Fuel
Delivery (AFD) program, which is truly one of a kind,
and about other services offered by our Certified Energy
Specialists (CES).
Also this year, CHS Mahnomen and CHS Ag Services
worked together to source and provide quality seed and
seed treatment options in our southern trade area. For the
first time, Allegiant-brand soybeans were planted on the
farms of several CHS Mahnomen grain customers.
Joining hands for the growers’ good
In 2019-2020, CHS training brought together grain
merchandisers, agronomy sales reps, certified energy
specialists, credit managers and insurance providers to
discuss programs and options in their respective fields that
might benefit customers of all CHS business units.
As a result, sales agronomists began referring growers
to grain merchandisers who could answer questions
about canola contracts. Agronomists and grain
merchandisers began working together in earnest to
address the problem of low falling numbers in wheat.
Our grain personnel gained a better understanding of
the advantages and availability of wheat seed treatments
offered by our agronomy personnel. Our grain companies
agreed to make it their first priority to purchase propane
for drying from CHS energy units. Doing business with
ourselves is good for CHS, and good for all growers with
a stake in this company.
Expect this collaboration to continue.14 NEW IDEAS
GROWING
Full Shuttle Loaded
at Mahnomen
By James Hardy, General Manager, CHS Mahnomen
The process of expanding the track and grain
handling facilities at the Mahnomen elevator to allow
the loading of full shuttles took
us a few years to navigate, but we
finally completed the expansion
this past summer. On July 31,
2020, we began to load our first
full shuttle of grain. On Aug. 1,
2020, we billed it out.
Loading the first shuttle went
better than expected. When using
James Hardy
new equipment for the first time,
you never know what is going to happen. These
things usually look better on paper than they work in
reality. But the process of loading 425,000 bushels
of corn bound for an ethanol plant on the west coast
worked surprisingly well.
Our CHS Mahnomen location manager,
Justin Haus, and his crew did an excellent job
understanding the system beforehand. We were
also thankful for the help of employees from our
Callaway location. Having all hands-on-deck made
this first experience a good one.
Since then, we’ve loaded several shuttle trains
of corn, soybeans and wheat, and the system is
working well.
Why we built it
I think it is important to remind ourselves of
the reason we constructed the shuttle loader at
Mahnomen. We had been co-loading shuttles
between Calloway and Mahnomen, but the Canadian
Pacific Railroad (CP) told us they would no longer
permit us to co-load.
For CHS Mahnomen, the choice was clear. We
needed to build the shuttle loader if we wanted to
continue to provide a viable market for our growers.
The completion of this project assures our growers
of a competitive market and price for their grain into
the future.
Although they are not the main reasons we built
this shuttle loader, there are other benefits which
growers will appreciate. We can receive their grain
50% faster than we previously could, and the new
outbound scale speeds up the overall flow of
trucks, which is particularly important at this time
of the year.
Interested in hauling your grain into the
Mahnomen elevator? Call 218-935-2261.
Kevin Teiken and Jeff Kjolberg operate the blue locomotive pulling cars south from
the Mahnomen shuttle loader.GROWING 15 On the switch engine, Chuck Forester (left) talking with John Kersting (right) and Taylor Carlson (on the ground). The new shuttle loader at the Mahnomen elevator can fill a rail car with corn in four minutes and 35 seconds. A 105-railcar shuttle must be loaded with 425,000 bushels of corn within 24 hours of the railroad delivering cars. One of the first cars in a shuttle of corn loaded on July 31 at the Mahnomen elevator. An aerial view of a shuttle being loaded at CHS Mahnomen.
16 FINANCE
Autumn Rewards 2021: What It’ll Look Like
By Jake Brown, Credit Manager, CHS Ag Services
I want to thank everyone who participated in Autumn One thing is new this year. In past years, we needed
Rewards, CHS Ag Services’ input financing program, during your original application. This year, all we need is the
the 2020 growing year. This year, a signed copy.
record 485 growers financed a portion If you have not participated in previous years, reach out
of their inputs through this program, to your CHS Ag Services representative, and ask them for
which offered chemical purchases at an Autumn Rewards application.
0% interest until Nov. 15, 2020, seed As in the past, we would like to receive all the completed
purchases at 0% interest until Jan. 15, applications at our Warren, Minnesota, headquarters by the
2021, and AFD fuel purchases at 3.4% end of March. That will give us ample time to process and
APR, due Jan. 15, 2021. approve them before you go to the field.
Jake Brown Individual growers borrowed anywhere Enjoy the winter. We look forward to working with you
from $10,000 to $500,000 through again next season.
Autumn Rewards, which is designed to help with cash flow
and eliminate the need to worry about seed and chemical
payments until after harvest.
Autumn Rewards for 2021 will be very similar to this past
year’s program. The terms will still be 0% interest until Nov.
“Zero percent interest on
15, 2021 on chemical purchases, 0% interest until Jan. 15, chemical and seed until after
2022 on seed purchases, and 3.4% interest on AFD fuel harvest.”
purchases until Jan. 15, 2022.
We’ll have applications ready for all who participated in
2020 and your sales agronomist will bring them around
this winter for you to sign.FEEL THE PULSE
OF THE LAND
IN THE PALM
OF YOUR HAND
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To learn more visit climate.com or contact your local dealer.
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iPad® is a registered mark of Apple, Inc. Climate FieldView™ is a trademark of The Climate Corporation. ©2020 The Climate Corporation. All Rights Reserved.18 COMMUNITY
Doing Better Together
Through its participation in the CHS Seeds for “to protect the most fire fighters we possibly can.” The
Stewardship program, CHS Ag Services is making it specialized hoods will address that goal. Two other goals
possible for local organizations to do things for residents will also be satisfied: annual training of the importance of
of northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota safety equipment and maintaining up-to-date personal
that they would have difficulty doing on their own. protective equipment (like the hoods) for all fire fighters.
This fall, Mentor Volunteer Fire and Rescue (Mentor, The award of this CHS grant will enable Mentor
Minnesota) was granted $2,000 Volunteer Fire and Rescue to purchase
to purchase specialized hoods up-to-date PPE equipment for all
We’ve had to cancel several events,
to help protect firefighters from firefighters in the department.
cancer-causing agents while but Seeds of Success is something we “In these uncertain times, we
responding to fire emergencies. can continue to do.” –Kristy Horne have had to cancel several annual
One thousand dollars came from Dunn, CHS Ag Services events,” says Kristy Horne Dunne,
CHS Ag Services, headquartered HR/Marketing Director for CHS Ag
at Warren, Minnesota and a Services, “but Seeds of Stewardship is
matching amount came from the something we can continue to do.”
CHS corporate office at Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. “I like that we can donate back to our communities and
Mentor Fire and Rescue is comprised of 29 members show everyone we care,” she continues.
who volunteer to protect and serve the municipalities Kristy says Heather Burd heard about Seeds for Success
of Mentor, Grove Park-Tilden, Woodside, Maple Bay, and from CHS YieldPoint® Specialist Mark Halley. Heather called
Godfrey Townships. Kristy on May 5, 2020, and CHS Ag Services applied right
The most important goal of this fire and rescue unit is away for the matching grant program. CHS Ag Services andCOMMUNITY 19
The Importance
of Friendships
By Kristy Horne Dunn, HR/Marketing,
CHS Ag Services
Thanks to all our grower/customers for
bearing with us during this unusual time of
mask wearing and social
distancing. To keep you
safe, we have put into
place certain rules and
regulations that we hope
— and expect — will not
be permanent.
We look forward to
the return of face-to-face
Kristy Horne Dunn
transactions, morning
coffee gatherings and the conversations
we have thoroughly enjoyed at many of
our locations. Would you believe it, some
growers and retired farmers have even
called me to ask if we are having coffee yet.
Through it all, we’ve found that you
appreciate not just the products and
services you receive from CHS Ag Services,
CHS Mahnomen and CHS Northland Grain.
It is the relationships and the conversations
that you value.
We treasure those friendships, too, and
we are looking forward to the day when we
can all get together again.
Mentor firefighters Jay Anderson and Heather Burd accept a check for $2,000
from CHS Seeds for Stewardship.
Mentor Fire and Rescue both heard on August 24 that a
grant had been approved.
“It’s a long review process,” explains Kristy. “CHS puts a
lot of care and thought into each application and not all
applications are approved.” Priority is given to projects
that improve ag safety in rural communities and cultivate
ag leaders, according to the CHS website.
Last year, CHS Ag Services applied for and received
matching grants to fund HOPE Coalition, a program
designed to raise mental health awareness in rural
Minnesota. Earlier the same year, CHS Ag Services
contributed to Stephen-Argyle Central High School to
purchase equipment for a new educational program,
and to the Crookston Fire Department to purchase a
new fire truck.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A new donation year is rapidly
approaching. CHS Seeds for Stewardship applications are
accepted Dec. 1, 2020, to Feb. 1, 2021, and May 1 to July 1,
2021. To apply, contact CHS Ag Services, CHS Northland We look forward to the return of face-to-face
Grain or CHS Mahnomen for more information.
transactions and morning coffee.20 SEED
2020 Field Sign
Contest Winners
It hardly seems possible that the second year of our
Field Sign Contest is in the rear-view mirror. This year, a
whole new group of growers entered the contest, which
offers each winner a $250 statement credit.
“The chance to win a $250 credit may have sweetened
the pot, but I think many growers who entered the sign
contest did so because they are legitimately proud of
their crops,” says Kristy Horne Dunn, CHS Ag Services
marketing director. Grower: Schulz Farms Agronomist: Todd Sommerfeld
Eligible crops this year included Allegiant® corn,
soybeans, and wheat; Asgrow® soybeans; DEKALB® corn;
Mycogen® corn and soybeans; NK® corn and soybeans;
SESVanderhave® sugar beets; and WestBred® Wheat.
Contest rules state that signs must show both the brand
and the hybrid or variety of the crop.
Andrew Schultz, Kristy Horne Dunn and Terry Sonju,
seed team leader for CHS Ag Services, administered
the contest. They announced 10 winners in August.
Here are the 2020 Field Sign Contest winners in no
particular order:
• Duck Younggren, Hallock, MN.
• Schulz Farms (Dennis Schultz), Euclid, MN
• Haugen Family Farms (Mark Haugen), Roseau, MN
• Kurt Peterson, Warren, MN
• Brent Riopelle, Argyle, MN
• Jason Smith, Badger, MN
• Blawat Farms, Greenbush, MN
• Ken Magnusson, Argyle, MN
• Tracy Anderson, Warren, MN
• Mekash Farms (Dale Mekash), Greenbush, MN
“We all enjoy driving around during the summer and
looking at good fields of wheat, soybeans and other
crops,” says Terry. “Although this past summer had its
challenges with weather, there were some excellent-
looking fields.”
“We like to see farmers show off their fields and the
seeds they’ve planted,” said Andrew Schultz, CHS Ag
Services sales manager. “I think that is worth recognizing.”
“This sign contest was one of the few events we were
able to hold this summer, and the response to it for a
second year in the row tells me we need to make this an
annual event,” says Kristy Horne Dunn.
“This contest may become an
annual event.”
Grower: Duck Younggren Agronomist: Chip OlsonSEED 21 Grower: Curt Peterson Agronomist: Cole Zimmerman Grower: Blawat Farms Agronomist: Bryar Klopp Grower: Brent Riopelle Agronomist: Cole Zimmerman Grower: Ken Magnusson Agronomist: Cole Zimmerman Grower: Haugen Family Farms Agronomist: Bryar Klopp Grower: Mekash Farm Inc. Agronomist: Bryar Klopp Grower: Tracy Anderson TDA Agronomist: Cole Zimmerman Grower: Jason Smit Agronomist: Bryar Klopp
22 GRAIN
“This is
indeed a great
honor, and
there is a
lot of credit
to spread
around. The
credit begins
with our Hazel
employees.”
–DuWayne Thompson,
General Manager,
CHS Northland Grain
CHS Northland Grain’s Hazel elevator has
been awarded Elevator of the Year in the U.S.
for the 2019-2020 Crop Year.GRAIN 23
CHS Northland Grain Honored by Railroad
By DuWayne Thompson, General Manager, CHS Northland Grain
Our Hazel grain terminal has received an award from the Canadian Pacific (CP) Railroad: Grain Elevator of
the Year in the United States. According to Joan Hardy, the railroad’s vice-president of sales and marketing
for grain and fertilizer, our Hazel elevator shipped 4,255 railcars of grain with the CP for
2019-2020.
“The award is presented to the grain elevator that achieves high volumes from a single
loading point while consistently demonstrating efficient railcar loading and a strong
commitment to safety,” says Hardy.
This is indeed a great honor, and there is a lot of credit to spread around. The credit
begins with our Hazel employees. To accomplish loading 4,255 cars in one year, our
employees exert a tremendous amount of effort on nights, weekends and holidays,
sometimes working long 16-to-24-hour shifts.
DuWayne Thompson
Many times, we have employees come from other locations to help prep cars, open lids
and run the locomotive.
Steve Miller, our location manager, does a great job making sure everyone is on task and everything is ready
to go. Most importantly, he keeps everyone safe when working the long shifts.
I must mention Jeff Blom, our grain merchandiser, who coordinates our grain sales and rail freight to
accommodate the sales. Jeff and Steve work closely together to make all of this happen!
CP has been a good partner for CHS Northland Grain. They are continually trying to improve their systems,
too! That helps us find market access for our grains to either exports or to flour mills and processors here in
the United States.s
What the award tells me is simple: we are doing a good job for our growers. We transfer grain into Hazel
from our Oklee, Grygla, St. Hilaire, Roseau and Greenbush locations. Growers also haul directly into Hazel from
as far away as 125 miles.
So again, there are a lot of people who should be proud of this award as it takes all of us working together to
make it happen.24 LOCAL MARKETS
The Big Soybean
Export Program
By Pat Knutson, Grain Merchandiser,
CHS Mahnomen
China came into our markets over the last 7-8 months
and bought a lot of U.S. soybeans that they didn’t buy
over the same period last year. The
result was a rather good price rally,
Danny Zima combines soybeans east of Waubon, Minnesota.
both in the basis and in the futures.
As an example, we’ve seen a good
Room for corn after February
$2.00/bu. rally in the cash price. These
beans will be shipped September 2020 Corn prices have crept up, with premiums primarily
through January 2021. in the deferred months. Part of that’s because the bean
In the middle of bean harvest, the export program is so big, there’s just no room for corn.
yields in our area are better than Most of the export capacity from September through
Pat Knutson
average. January is taken up with beans.
What is unknown is whether China will come in and buy The industry should have more capacity to export corn
more U.S. soybeans before switching over to South America. from February forward. Keep selling the deferred months
Their bean harvest begins at the end of February or the and watch the export numbers to learn whether China
beginning of March, depending on the planting date. keeps on buying corn.
My advice is to watch the South American weather from
this point on and have a good portion of your beans priced
What about next year?
by the end of February. Use a futures contract to lock in a profit on your 2021
production. We’re seeing historically good numbers — like
we haven’t seen for two years — on all crops.THANK YOU FARMERS.
LOCAL MARKETS
YOU ARE ESSENTIAL.
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and outperforming other methods of boron delivery year after year.
Visit AspireBoron.com to learn more or contact your local retailer.
©2020 The Mosaic Company. All rights reserved. Aspire is a registered trademark of The Mosaic Company.26 GLOBAL MARKETS
The Beat Goes On
By Ami L. Heesch, Commodity Broker III, CHS Hedging LLC
The summer of 2020 proved to be favorable for the of purchases, their imports could reach from 100.0 MMT to
U.S. soybean crop. Condition ratings were some of the as high as 103.0 MMT.
best seen in several years. The crop The South American soybean planting season is
got hit with a terrible windstorm across here, and the weather has been mostly hot and dry. It is
Iowa, although it may have been more expected to continue that way for a while longer. Brazil
destructive to the corn crop than it was is expected to see a sizable increase in soybean acres
to the soybean crop. The Western Corn resulting in a production figure around 133.0 MMT, up from
Belt got hit with a couple of days of 126.0 MMT in 2019/20 and 119.0 MMT in 2018/19. The key
freezing temperatures across parts of will be whether they get the moisture needed, during both
the North and South Dakota, along with the planting season and the growing season.
Ami L Heesch
portions of Minnesota. U.S. exports have grown significantly over the past few
The harvest began early with mostly months and are expected to continue as Brazil is thought
favorable weather conditions. Early yield reports were to have nearly exhausted its supply of soybeans for this
pretty decent. Many folks were saying the yields are better year. The USDA may need to increase total exports for
than they thought (40-70 bushels per acre). There is
concern that the later-planted beans may not yield as well,
as they missed out on beneficial moisture in late August
and September. Harvest was reported at 20% complete
through Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. Conditions have been
decent for harvesting the crop, with progress expected to
be near 50% complete by October 5.
China began purchasing U.S. soybeans at the end of
May, for Oct./Nov./Dec. positions. There were many days
of reported sales of U.S. soybeans to China or Unknown,
with the lion’s share being for the 2020/21 marketing year.
Some say they have yet to fulfill their Phase One Trade
Agreement commitment, although they are said to be
making a concerted effort to satisfy that commitment.
China’s soybean imports for 2020/21 were estimated at
99.0 MMT in early September. Given their stepped-up paceGLOBAL MARKETS 27
the U.S. as we near the current
target of 2.125 billion bushels with
a little over 10 months left in the
marketing year.
The key will be whether the
U.S. can fulfill their current
obligation, while continuing to
make additional sales.
In their September 30 Grain
Stocks report, the USDA reported
a much smaller Sept. 1 soybean
stocks number than the trade
was expecting. In the September
11 report, ending stocks for
2018/19 were reported at 909
million bushels, 2019/20 stocks
were reported at 575 million
bushels, and 2020/21 stocks were
reported at 460 million bushels.
With a Sept. 1 stocks figure of
523 million bushels, some believe
that the ending stocks for the
October 9 USDA Supply and
Demand report could come in under 300 million bushels.
As the rest of the year plays out, the soybean market should be supported from strong demand for U.S. soybeans
(especially from China), a reduction in U.S. ending stocks, and a possible reduction to the South American soybean
production (should the current hot/dry weather conditions persist into the end of the year and early next year).
The November 2020 soybean futures have seen a strong rally from the mid-August low of $8.65 1/4 to the mid-September
high of $10.46 3/4 ($1.81 1/2 run). It took a step back to a low of $9.85 3/4 at the end of September and rallied back to
$10.35 after the Sept. 30 stocks report. The Funds hold an estimated net long position of 229k contracts (in soybeans) as
of September 29
(record long is
254k contracts)
which could
leave the market
vulnerable to a
selloff. In the
meantime, sell
orders should be
in place to take
advantage of
the current price
strength. The
soybean market is
saying “sell beans”
with a slight carry
to January and an
inverted market
after that.
Disclaimer: This material has been prepared by a sales or trading employee or agent of CHS Hedging LLC and
should be considered a solicitation. This communication may contain privileged and/or confidential information
and is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this message is
not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any unauthorized dissemination, distribution, and/or use
of this communication is strictly prohibited. CHS Hedging LLC makes no representation or warranty regarding the
correctness of any information contained herein, or the appropriateness of any transaction for any person. Nothing
herein shall be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any commodity contract.PO Box 128
St. Hilaire, MN 56754
Protien Premiums Back — for Now
By Pat Knutson, Grain Merchandiser, CHS Mahnomen
The 2020 wheat crop is in the bin. It appears to have time, there is a lot of U.S. wheat, so the market is very
been an average crop, or in some areas a little better than fragile. If too much wheat hits the market all at once, we’ll
average. There was a variety of qualities this year — some see premiums back off.
high protein and some low protein — and for the first time It will be important for growers to exercise restraint and
in a couple of years the wheat market is actually offering sell their wheat a little at a time, rather than selling the
protein premiums. whole crop. In other words, do a cash contract and lock in
Export demand for wheat appears good. Drought in the a price, rather than doing a futures or basis contract.
Black Sea region has created some demand. At the sameYou can also read
