North Dakota
AgweekTV Full Show: North Dakota soybean crush, corn planting, ag grad, Farm Rescue
This week on AgweekTV, we’ll take a better have a look at the way forward for soybean crushing in North Dakota with two large crops on the horizon. We’ll go to the southern Crimson River Valley, the place corn planting is lastly getting began. We’ll start our “Observe A Farmer” collection as soon as once more, the place we’ll meet a 22-year-old ag engineering graduate who’s starting her profession as a full-time farmer. And a well known group that helps farmers in want is on the mercy of Mom Nature.
WELCOME TO AGWEEK TV, I’M EMILY BEAL.
IN JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS, NORTH DAKOTA WILL GO FROM A STATE THAT EXPORTS 90% OF ITS SOYBEANS, TO PROCESSING AND ADDING VALUE TO MORE THAN HALF ITS SOYBEAN CROP.
JEFF BEACH JOINS US NOW WITH MORE ON THIS WEEK’S AGWEEK COVER STORY.
THE TRANSFORMATION WILL COME WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOYBEAN CRUSHING PLANTS AT SPIRITWOOD AND CASSELTON, NORTH DAKOTA.
NORTH DAKOTA SOYBEAN PROCESSORS IS BUILDING THE CASSELTON PLANT. IT’S A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN MINNESOTA SOYBEAN PROCESSORS AND CGB OUT OF LOUISIANA. CONSTRUCTION IS EXPECTED TO START THIS SUMMER. BACKERS SAY IT WILL BE GOOD FOR GROWERS, AND THE STATE.
Scott White: North Dakota is likely one of the prime 10 soybean producing states in the USA, it’s the just one that doesn’t have a devoted soybean processing facility in-built it. So it is an ideal place to place a plant. And the entire concept is so as to add worth to North Dakota produced soybeans.
THE TWO PLANTS ARE BEING BUILT IN COUNTIES THAT ARE NOT ONLY NORTH DAKOTA’S TOP SOYBEAN PRODUCERS, BUT RANK AMONG THE NATION’S TOP PRODUCING COUNTIES.
JERAMIE WELLER, THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE MINNESOTA SOYBEAN PROCESSORS PLANT IN BREWSTER, SAYS MORE SOYBEAN ACRES ARE BEING PLANTED IN RESPONSE TO A GROWING INDUSTRY.
Jeramie Weller: YIELD HAS CONTINUED TO INCREASE OVER THE YEARS, AND WE EXPECT THAT SAME THING TO HAPPEN IN NORTH DAKOTA, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME DEDICATED CRUSH PLANTS THERE, THAT THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF SOYBEANS TO GO AROUND FOR ALL THESE CRUSH PLANTS THAT ARE BEING BUILT.
STUDIES SHOW GROWERS CAN EXPECT A FIVE TO TEN CENT A BUSHEL PREMIUM BECAUSE OF THE PLANTS. AT SPIRITWOOD, ADM IS PARTNERING WITH MARATHON PETROLEUM TO CONVERT THE FORMER CARGILL MALT PLANT
INTO THE STATE’S FIRST DEDICATED SOYBEAN PROCESSING PLANT.
IT’S CERTAINLY AN EXCITING TIME FOR THE STATE. THANKS JEFF.
AND YOU CAN READ MUCH MORE ON JEFF’S COVER STORY IN THE NEXT AGWEEK MAGAZINE, OR AT
AGWEEK.COM
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COLD, WET WEATHER CONTINUES TO HAMPER PLANTING, BUT THERE IS SOME PROGRESS THIS WEEK.
CORN PLANTING IS STILL WAY BEHIND IN NORTH DAKOTA, AT 4 PERCENT, BUT IN THE PAST WEEK JUMPED 20 PERCENT IN SOUTH DAKOTA, 26 PERCENT IN MINNESOTA AND 43 PERCENT IN IOWA. NATIONALLY, THE PERCENT IS NOW 18 PERCENT BEHIND THE 5 YEAR AVERAGE.
SOYBEAN PLANTING, NATIONALLY, CREPT UP OVER THE LAST WEEK, AND IS NOW ONLY 9 PERCENT BEHIND THE 5 YEAR AVERAGE. BUT IT’S STILL WELL BEHIND IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS.
SPRING WHEAT IS STILL WELL OFF ITS NATIONAL AVERAGE PACE OF 67 PERCENT, BUT SOUTH DAKOTA AND MONTANA ARE RIGHT AROUND OR ABOVE AVERAGES. AT 5 PERCENT, MINNESOTA IS 70 PERCENT BEHIND ITS 5 YEAR AVERAGE.
OATS ARE 67 PERCENT PLANTED NATIONALLY, DOWN ONLY 15 PERCENT FROM AVERAGE. AT 40 PERCENT, SOUTH DAKOTA IS JUST 18 PERCENT BEHIND ITS 5 YEAR AVERAGE FOR OATS, WHILE IOWA IS 20 PERCENT BEHIND AND MINNESOTA LAGGING BY 30 PERCENT.
USDA HAS DECREASED ITS PROJECTIONS FOR THE U.S. CORN CROP.
IN THE LATEST WASDE REPORT, USDA LOWERED THE NATIONAL AVERAGE YIELD ON CORN TO 177 BUSHELS PER ACRE. RANDY MARTINSON, OF MARTINSON AG RISK MANAGEMENT, SAYS IT’S EARLY IN THE SEASON TO MAKE THAT PREDICTION.
Randy Martinson: That is actually uncommon for them to try this, they usually do not. They usually wish to see you understand, it is attending to the rising season a little bit bit earlier than they make changes on the manufacturing aspect, so this was an enormous to see them try this and it tells us that they are a little bit bit apprehensive in regards to the planting and that you understand the place the acres are going to get put, they don’t seem to be going to get put in the most effective situation. So that’s vital for the corn market.
IN ADDITION, USDA LOWERED FEED DEMAND BY 275 MILLION BUSHELS, AND EXPORTS BY 100 MILLION BUSHELS FROM THIS YEAR, GOING INTO 2022. THAT MAY INDICATE TIGHTER STOCKS THAN THE USDA WANTS TO SEE.
YOU CAN HEAR ALL OF RANDY MARTINSON’S MARKET WRAP AT
AGWEEK.COM
.
THE LATE START MEANS SOME GROWERS ARE SKIPPING WHEAT THIS YEAR, AND GOING STRAIGHT TO CORN AND SOYBEANS.
DWAYNE GORDER FARMS NEAR ESTELLINE, IN EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. AFTER A DRY YEAR IN 2021, RAIN DELAYED PLANTING UNTIL MAY 10TH THIS YEAR. GORDER WILL PLANT ONLY CORN, SOYBEANS AND ALFALFA ON HIS 700 ACRES. THERE WAS WHEAT IN HIS ROTATION LAST YEAR, BUT THERE WON’T BE THIS YEAR.
Dwayne Gorder: IT’S GOTTEN TO BE LATE THIS YEAR, AND LATE PLANTED CEREAL GRAINS IS NOT A GOOD COMBINATION USUALLY.
GORDER SAYS HE’S CONCERNED THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY BE RUSHING TO GET THE CROP IN, AND IF THERE’S AN EARLY FROST OR OTHER BAD WEATHER, YIELDS WILL SUFFER.
AFTER THE VIOLENT STORMS THAT MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE REGION EARLIER THIS SPRING, LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS HAVE HAD TO NAVIGATE SOME CHALLENGES DUE TO EXCESSIVE MOISTURE, AND AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF MUD IN THEIR PASTURES.
Miranda Meehan: We have had some difficult climate the final month as everybody is aware of.
MIRANDA MEEHAN IS A LIVESTOCK AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP SPECIALIST WITHIN NDSU EXTENSION. SHE SAYS THE MUD LEAVES MANY FARMERS AND RANCHERS WITH NOWHERE TO PUT THEIR CATTLE.
Miranda: There’s simply not quite a lot of choices for folks to get their animals out of the mud too as a result of heaps are muddy.
Zac: Mud harbors pathogens very very properly.
ZAC CARLSON, AN NDSU EXTENSION BEEF CATTLE SPECIALIST, URGES RANCHERS AND FARMERS TO BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBLE HEALTH RISKS THAT COME ALONG WITH CALVES BEING IN A MUDDY AREA FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
Zac: Possibly the cow’s udder’s soiled. Lined in mud which incorporates manure and a few of these pathogens. That calf goes to eat that then, that mud and get that in its mouth and its digestive system. After which now we have now a digestive an infection after which we’ll see it in scours.
HOWEVER, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE CATTLE ARE NOT MOVED FROM THE MUDDY LOTS TO THE PASTURE BEFORE THE GRASS IS GRAZING READY.
Miranda: If we graze our grasses too early, it will possibly set us again by way of whole manufacturing for the grazing 12 months. As much as sixty-percent or extra.
BECAUSE OF THAT, MEEHAN ADVISES RANCHERS USE GOOD JUDGMENT WHEN PUTTING ANIMALS OUT TO GRAZE. SHE ALSO SAYS SOME OF THE REGION’S TAME GRASSES, SUCH AS BROME, HAVE REACHED GRAZING READINESS.
COMING UP ON AGWEEK TV, WE KICK OFF ANOTHER SEASON OF OUR POPULAR “FOLLOW A FARMER” SERIES… WITH A YOUNG WOMAN JUST GETTING STARTED..
LAST YEAR WE FOLLOWED THREE FARMERS FROM AROUND THE REGION, THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. IT WAS SO POPULAR, WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN THIS YEAR.
WE’RE KICKING IT OFF WITH A WOMAN WHO’S JUST STARTING OUT. LILY BERGMAN GOT HER DEGREE IN AG ENGINEERING THIS SPRING FROM NDSU. BUT AT 22, SHE’S BEEN WORKING ON THE FAMILY FARM IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA FOR HALF HER LIFE. AND SHE’S BEEN FARMING ON HER OWN SINCE SHE WAS 17. SHE GROWS SUGARBEETS, WHEAT, PINTO BEANS AND SOYBEANS ON 600 ACRES OF RENTED LAND. MOST YEARS, SHE WOULD HAVE STARTED PLANTING, BUT SHE SAYS THEIR DRYEST GROUND ISN’T READY YET, AND SOME IS STILL UNDER WATER. BUT SHE REMAINS OPTIMISTIC.
Lily Bergman: WE’VE HAD A LOT OF YEARS WHERE WE AREN’T IN THE FIELDS UNTIL THE END OF MAY AND STILL COME OUT WITH A GOOD CROP. SO I JUST TRY TO STAY HOPEFUL AND KNOW THAT THINGS CAN STILL TURN AROUND. BUT YEAH, WE’RE GETTING PRETTY ANTSY NOW.
IN THE MEANTIME, SHE’S KEEPING BUSY, GETTING THE EQUIPMENT READY. SHE AND HER DAD, WHO FARM TOGETHER, BOUGHT A BEET LIFTER AND BEAN COMBINE LAST YEAR, SO SHE’S EXCITED TO TRY THE NEW EQUIPMENT LATER THIS SEASON.
NOW WE TRAVEL FROM THE NORTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY TO THE SOUTHERN VALLEY, TO MEET ANOTHER FARMER WE’LL BE FOLLOWING THIS SEASON.
VANCE JOHNSON RAISES CORN, SOYBEANS, WHEAT AND SUGARBEETS ON THIS FOURTH GENERATION FARM ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RED RIVER NEAR BRECKENRIDGE, MINNESOTA.
WHEN WE STOPPED THIS WEEK, HE HAD JUST GOTTEN INTO THE FIELD, AND WAS GETTING STARTED WITH CORN. JOHNSON SAYS IN A NORMAL YEAR, HE WOULD HAVE HAD WHEAT AND BEETS IN BY EARLY MAY, BUT HE HADN’T EVEN STARTED THOSE. HE CALLS THIS SEASON…NERVE WRACKING.
Vance Johnson: ACTUALLY FRUSTRATING IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING. ALL SPRING WE’VE BEEN TO THE POINT WHERE WE NEED TWO DAYS TO GET DECENT FIELD CONDITIONS, AND ONE DAY OUT IT RAINS ON US. SO WE’VE BEEN A DAY OUT FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS.
JOHNSON’S FARM IS ALSO THE SITE OF A SIXTY-ACRE TEST PLOT. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR. LAST SUMMER JOHNSON PLANTED CORN INTO WHAT HAD BEEN A WHEAT FIELD. THIS SUMMER, HE’S FOLLOWING CORN WITH SUGARBEETS. THERE WILL BE A DEMONSTRATION DAY JULY 13TH.
LIKE MANY FARMERS IN THE REGION, A LOCAL NON-PROFIT IS ALSO AT THE MERCY OF MOTHER NATURE.
FARM RESCUE HELPS FARM AND RANCH FAMILIES DURING TRYING AND DIFFICULT TIMES, SUCH AS A DEATH WITHIN THE FAMILY OR AN ILLNESS. DURING A NORMAL YEAR FARM RESCUE WOULD BE WELL UNDERWAY WITH THEIR PLANTING SEASON, BUT DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE MOISTURE, THEY HAVE BEEN AT A STANDSTILL.
Dan Erdmann: Our schedule is full for the spring right here and quite a lot of planting help requests that we have taken on and the window is getting smaller to offer that help.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME AREAS WITHIN FARM RESCUE’S TERRITORIES WHERE PLANTING HAS FINALLY BEGUN
We had a planting case down in Kansas and a pair earlier than that in that very same state, after which we have additionally been working in Iowa and Minnesota this week. So we’re undoubtedly holding busy, however issues are going to be lots busier when circumstances are lastly proper to get into the sector in a few of these moist locations.
FARM RESCUE HELPS FARM AND RANCH FAMILIES IN SEVEN DIFFERENT STATES.
LEADERS FROM THE FEDERAL AGENCY THAT REGULATES THE NATION’S LARGEST PROVIDER OF AG FINANCING GOT A FIRST-HAND LOOK AT MIDWEST AG THIS WEEK.
THE FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION OVERSEES THE FARM CREDIT SYSTEM, WHICH IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF AG FINANCING. LEADERS OF THE AGENCY TOURED MINNESOTA AND IOWA, SO THEIR EMPLOYEES CAN LEARN ABOUT PROJECTS THEY FINANCE. FCA CHAIR AND CEO GLEN SMITH SAYS HE’S PLEASED TO SEE HOW THEIR YOUNG, BEGINNING AND SMALL FARMER PROGRAMS ARE WORKING, AS THEY VISITED A FARM RUN BY THE HMONG AMERICAN FARMERS ASSOCIATION.
Glen Smith: I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THAT. THEY TOOK THE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESEARCH, THE TECHNOLOGY, THE FINANCING OF THE GROUP AS A WHOLE, AND THEN MADE IT AVAILABLE TO THE INDIVIDUAL PRODUCERS. SO THAT’S AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN HELP THOSE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS GET STARTED.
THE GROUP ALSO VISITED SOME OTHER SMALL FARMS, A RURAL HEALTHCARE FACILITY, AND FARMAMERICA, THE MINNESOTA AGRICULTURAL INTERPRETIVE CENTER.
Jessica Rollins: IT’S EXCITING TO HAVE THEM IN OUR SPACE, BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM HAVE NOT BEEN TO FARM AMERICA BEFORE. AND A LOT OF THEM HAVE NOT, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, BEEN ON FARMS BEFORE. SO IT’S A NEAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO GET A NEW EXPOSURE TO WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
THE GROUP MADE SEVEN STOPS IN MINNESOTA AND IOWA.
AHEAD ON AGWEEK TV, LATE PLANTING CAN LEAD TO EXCESS WEED PRESSURE THIS YEAR FOR SOYBEAN GROWERS. WE’LL HAVE SOME ADVICE ON PREVENTING IT.
AS WE INCH TOWARD SPRING, THE REGION SAW A MIXED BAG THIS WEEK.
HERE’S JOHN WITH OUR AGRI-WEATHER OUTLOOK.
AGWEEKTV SOY INSIGHT BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE NORTH DAKOTA SOYBEAN COUNCIL
THIS SEASON HAS BEEN TOUGH FOR GROWERS SO FAR, AND IT COULD MEAN PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. AS ROSE DUNN REPORTS IN THIS MONTH’S SOY INSIGHT, WE SEE HOW PLANTING DELAYS COULD GIVE WEEDS THE CHANCE TO GET A FOOTHOLD.
Greg Endres: THIS SPRING IS QUITE A CONTRAST TO LAST SPRING.
THAT MAY BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. LAST YEAR’S DROUGHT HAS GIVEN WAY TO A COOL, WET SPRING THAT’S SIGNIFICANTLY DELAYED PLANTING AROUND THE REGION. NDSU CROPPING SYSTEMS SPECIALIST GREG ENDRES SAYS THIS COULD ESPECIALLY AFFECT THE SOYBEAN CROP. BUT HE URGES GROWERS TO WAIT FOR SOIL TO DRY OUT AND WARM UP.
Greg Endres: SOYBEAN AGAIN IS A CROP THAT WILL PERFORM VERY WELL WITH MINIMAL SOIL DISTURBANCE, SO WE’D ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO MINIMIZE THEIR TILLAGE THIS SPRING, PLUS IT WILL SAVE SOME TIME. BUT IT’S HARD TO BE PATIENT.
TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, LATE PLANTING COULD GIVE WEEDS, ESPECIALLY KOCHIA AND WATER HEMP, THE CHANCE TO GET A FOOTHOLD IN FIELDS, BEFORE CROPS.
Joe Ikley: THOSE WEEDS SPECIFICALLY, IT’S VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO SKIP APPLYING A PRE-EMERGENCE HERBICIDE.
NDSU EXTENSION WEED SPECIALIST JOE IKLEY SAYS THIS IS ESPECIALLY A CONCERN FOR SOYBEANS. HE SAYS GROWERS IN A TIGHT PLANTING WINDOW MAY BE TEMPTED TO SKIP THE PRE-EMERGENCE HERBICIDES, BUT HE STRONGLY URGES GROWERS NOT TO MISS THAT STEP.
Joe Ikley: IF YOU CAN, SLOW THE PLANTERS DOWN. MAKE SURE YOU GET WITHIN THREE DAYS AFTER PLANTING THE FIELD, TRY AND GET A SPRAYER INTO THAT FIELD, GET A PRE-EMERGENCE HERBICIDE APPLICATION MADE.
IKLEY SAYS ANOTHER TACTIC IS TO INCORPORATE HERBICIDES AHEAD OF PLANTING IN CONVENTIONAL TILL SYSTEMS. BUT NO MATTER WHEN YOU DO IT, IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER WIND SPEED.
Joe Ikley: CROP YOU CAN PLANT IN 30, 40 MILE PER HOUR WINDS. WE CAN’T BE SPRAYING HERBICIDE WHEN IT’S THAT WINDY.
ENDRES SAYS IT’S LIKELY THE LATE START WILL AFFECT YIELDS, BUT IT’S TOO EARLY TO PREDICT HOW MUCH.
Greg Endres: THIS YEAR, WHO KNOWS. BUT ANYWAY, WE’LL DO THE BEST WE CAN. WE’VE GOT GOOD SOIL MOISTURE AND EVENTUALLY WE’LL HAVE CONSISTENT WARM DAYS, AND WE’LL HOPE FOR THE BEST FOR HAVING A GOOD SOYBEAN YIELD.
IN FARGO, THIS IS ROSE DUNN FOR AGWEEK.
ENDRES ALSO SAYS IT’S GOOD IDEA TO USE A FUNGICIDE SEED TREATMENT IN A YEAR LIKE THIS WITH COLD, WET FIELDS.
STILL AHEAD, A BIG NAME IN AG WILL BE BACK AT BIG IRON THIS YEAR…
SLOWLY BUT SURELY, THE AGRICULTURE AND FARM SHOW WORLD IS RETURNING TO PRE-PANDEMIC FORM.
AFTER TAKING A YEAR OFF, TITAN MACHINERY WILL BE BACK AT THE BIG IRON FARM SHOW THIS FALL IN WEST FARGO. LIKE MANY OTHER EQUIPMENT DEALERS, TITAN OPTED OUT OF THE 2021 BIG IRON SHOW DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
Mike Corridor: Quite a lot of that stuff went on maintain due to the pandemic, so we did step again from Large Iron. Additionally our producers had the identical downside, they didn’t need to ship folks out doubtlessly in a dangerous state of affairs. So we stepped again from Large Iron together with Case I-H.
HOWEVER, SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR TITAN TO HAVE A LOT OF MACHINERY AT BIG IRON.
As for gear, that basically is the difficult half. In a 12 months like this the place demand for gear may be very excessive, commodity costs are excessive, we nonetheless have provide chain points identical to everyone else is coping with. Our rivals have the identical downside.
TITAN MACHINERY WILL HAVE CASE I-H, CASE CONSTRUCTION AND NEW HOLLAND EQUIPMENT AT THEIR BIG IRON BOOTH.
STORIES YOU’LL ONLY SEE ON
AGWEEK.COM
AND IN AGWEEK MAGAZINE THIS WEEK…
AS THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE LOOKS TO WRAP UP SOON, THE AG COMMISSIONER SAYS LEADERS HAVE AGREED ON A $18.4 MILLION DROUGHT RELIEF BILL AND $15 MILLION FOR SUPPLEMENTAL AG.
AND A METEOROLOGIST AND COMMODITY ADVISER SAYS THIS YEAR’S LA NIÑA IS ACTUALLY STRONGER THAN THE LA NIÑA EVENTS OF 1989, ’99, 2008 AND 2011.
WE APPRECIATE YOU WATCHING AGWEEK TV.
REMEMBER TO CHECK US OUT DAILY ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM, TO KEEP UP ON ALL YOUR AG NEWS. HAVE A GREAT WEEK.
North Dakota
Riders say encounter with bachelor stallion at Theodore Roosevelt National Park was 'magical,' not dangerous
MEDORA, N.D. — A group of six riders had just finished packing and started on a trail ride through the Badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park when a wild horse came scurrying down a butte toward them.
“All of a sudden I heard a whinny come from up on the bluff,” Kelly Ringer said. She was one of the riders visiting the park from Park Rapids, Minnesota. “He came barreling down.”
The horse’s dramatic arrival came with a spirited exchange of whinnying and neighing as the wild horse, a 5-year-old stallion named Alluvium, and the horses in the riding group chatted.
At first, Ringer, who was riding a young horse who had never before been exposed to a wild horse and was unfamiliar with the terrain, was concerned. But her worries quickly faded.
“It was magical,” Ringer said. “He was fine. He wasn’t aggressive.”
It soon became apparent that Alluvium had a particular interest in a “little mare” named Gypsy in the riding group, she said, which was departing from the Roundup Group Horse Camp 12 miles from Medora in the park’s south unit, where 185 to 200 wild horses roam.
“He decided to hang around” and followed the group as it left for the trail ride on Thursday, May 16, Ringer said. Alluvium circled the riders and after about five minutes, Ringer’s horse, Boone, bucked, and she fell. She was not hurt.
“That’s just what horses do,” she said. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Alluvium followed the riders for a time but stopped after a while, seeming to keep to a certain area while avoiding others.
“I think that was probably his territory,” and he appeared to regard other areas as off-limits, possibly because they were the turf of other wild stallions in the park, Ringer said.
The wild horses are organized into social groups called bands, each led by a stallion.
Later on during the ride, when Alluvium was no longer tailing the group, Ringer’s horse again bucked, possibly spooked by some brush.
“It’s horses,” Ringer said. “They have a mind of their own. It’s a risk that you take.”
Horse advocates have said Alluvium, a bachelor stallion, was acting naturally by trying to recruit mares to form his own band.
Ringer and her fellow riders had another drop-in visitor at Roundup Group Horse Camp — a bison that came up close to the corral and charged, spooking Boone, who was inside the corral.
“He took a couple of charges at the corral with my horse in it,” she said. “That was a little unsettling.”
Contributed / Kelly Ringer
But the group of riders came to the park knowing that it is home to wildlife, including horses and bison, Ringer said.
“These are just risks that you take,” she said. “What would that park be without the bison and the wild horses? The park would not be what it is without the wildlife, and that includes the wild horses.”
During their stay, a park ranger paid a visit to the group of riders at Roundup camp, and they told him about their encounter with Alluvium.
“We didn’t necessarily report it,” Ringer said. “We didn’t contact the park, but a ranger came in one day and the horse (Alluvium) was there and asked if he was a nuisance.”
Ringer mentioned that she had been bucked off. The ranger asked if they wanted Alluvium removed and was told no. The ranger left soon after, and Ringer thought no more of it — until she learned the park considers Alluvium a “nuisance animal” that poses a danger to the public and will remove him from the park.
“That’s why I feel so bad,” she said. “We told the ranger, ‘No, leave him.’”
She added: “This is a young bachelor stallion. He’s just doing what is natural. Horses are herd animals.”
Another rider in the group, Kaylee Bickey, also of Park Rapids, said Alluvium was not acting aggressively around Gypsy and the other horses.
“He wasn’t really trying to cut her out or anything,” she said. “When we said, ‘Git,’ he got, he went away. He just wanted other horses to be with.”
After their ride, when Gypsy was returned to the corral, Alluvium stayed close by.
Bickey’s recollection of the discussion with the park ranger about Alluvium matched Ringer’s.
“We told the ranger about him, but we never complained. We went to see wild horses. It was probably a top-five experience of my life.”
The riders brought young horses that hadn’t experienced situations like those in the park and reacted more than seasoned horses would have, Bickey said.
“It wasn’t any fault of Alluvium,” she said. “It was our fault for not exposing them to things before just taking them out. Once they had been around him for a little bit, they were fine.”
Ringer, who has ridden horses for 30 years, recalled encounters with dogs, deer and even inanimate objects that spooked horses. “If I would go and eliminate something every time it spooked my horse — that’s just insane,” she said.
Park officials have not given interviews about Alluvium but issued statements.
Park Superintendent Angie Richman said Alluvium was “harassing visitors and visitor’s horses at the horse camp campground. Park staff relocated it once and it found its way back to the camp the next day. This is a nuisance animal that can potentially harm visitors or their animals.”
Park officials have been holding Alluvium in a pen for several weeks “until it can be sold or transferred to a tribal partner or other government agency,” Richman said earlier.
Contributed / Chris Kman
Chris Kman, president of Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates, asked park officials to allow Alluvium to stay in the park. He was in his home and acting naturally in the encounter with visiting horses, she said, noting bison are dangerous but remain in the park, apparently even after goring visitors.
By describing the horses as livestock instead of wildlife, a term the park formerly used, park officials are doing a disservice to visitors by making the horses seem tame, Kman wrote in an email to Richman.
In an interview, Kman said it appears Richman is determined to reduce the size of the herd, and Alluvium’s encounter with the mare provided an excuse to get rid of a horse. She said a horse trailer has been parked near the pen where Alluvium is being held, apparently in preparation for transporting him.
Contributed / Gary Kman
Park officials did not directly respond to the points raised by Kman or the account given by Ringer and Bickey that found no fault with Alluvium’s behavior.
“I would adopt him if I could,” Bickey said. “For a wild horse, he was pretty well-behaved.”
Park officials haven’t yet made arrangements for an auction sale of Alluvium.
“We currently do not have any additional details concerning an auction,” Maureen McGee-Ballinger, deputy park superintendent, said in an email. “When/if there is an auction, the details will be announced.”
Leaders of tribal nations highlighted efforts to bolster their communities and strengthen their sovereignty at an annual summit this week.
Frank Jamerson, vice chair of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said the tribe has made progress building relationships with other government agencies.
“We’re now able to take those steps forward so we can start showing the United States government that we as Native Americans can start taking care of ourselves,” Jamerson said.
Mary Steurer / North Dakota Monitor
During the event, which took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Bismarck Event Center, the five tribes that share geography with North Dakota were invited to provide updates on projects and programs and to speak to accomplishments and challenges in their communities.
Standing Rock, for instance, will soon start construction on several new greenhouses. The goal of the program is to help the tribe produce more of its own food.
Standing Rock is planning a new records building, as well. The facility will store the tribe’s historical documents, Jamerson said.
“It will be like a teaching tool for our younger generation — that they can see the history,” said Jamerson, who spoke at the conference on behalf of Chair Janet Alkire.
The vice chair also highlighted a successful housing program for employees of the Prairie Knights Casino and a program that provides free meals for elders.
Spirit Lake Nation Chair Lonna Jackson-Street said her tribe is working to administer more public programs without assistance from the federal government.
“We believe that tribal government is the best-situated to provide for public welfare and law and order on the reservation,” Jackson-Street said at the conference.
Spirit Lake leaders are considering assuming responsibility for law enforcement services currently provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Jackson-Street said.
The tribe has already signed an agreement with the bureau to employ three of its own law enforcement officers. She said the agreement allows the tribe to bypass the agency’s background check process, which in the past has significantly lengthened the hiring process.
She noted that the tribe already manages programs formerly administered by the Indian Health Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa recently opened a food distribution center and this fall will welcome a new addiction treatment center, Chair Jamie Azure said.
Turtle Mountain also is adding new recreational facilities, he added.
A new water park recently opened on the reservation, and a trampoline park is slated to open within the next few weeks.
“We started hearing that the kids wanted a safe haven to go to — somewhere fun in the community that was safe, where they felt safe,” Azure said.
Mary Steurer / North Dakota Monitor
Azure said the tribe has formed a drug task force to combat drug trafficking.
The task force and state are “working together to stop the drugs from coming into our communities,” he said.
MHA Nation Chair Mark Fox shared a long list of new developments on the Fort Berthold Reservation, including public schools, medical facilities, government buildings and community centers. Like Standing Rock, the MHA Nation is also planning to build a greenhouse.
Fox also noted that the 4 Bears Casino has taken a significant revenue hit due to the explosion of electronic pull tabs in North Dakota.
In order to help its tourism industry bounce back, the MHA Nation is also planning updates to the 4 Bears Casino, as well as to build a new casino near White Shield, Fox said.
“Our strategy is not to retreat,” Fox said. “Our strategy, given our resources and everything else we do, is to reinvest.”
In the future, the MHA Nation hopes to open a regenerative treatment center for diabetes and other illnesses.
Fox said the MHA Nation is also investing its wealth outside the reservation. It has purchased land for development in Las Vegas, for example.
Mary Steurer / North Dakota Monitor
“Real estate development makes money,” Fox said.
Leadership from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe was unable to attend the conference.
Many tribal leaders also took the opportunity to bid farewell to Gov. Doug Burgum, who started the conference six years ago. Burgum is not seeking reelection to the office of governor. His term ends in December.
During the conference, Burgum urged a continued focus on state-tribal relations.
“My first challenge for all of you is to say, ‘Hey, this is just the beginning. … We’re keeping this thing going, we’re moving forward,’ ” Burgum said. “One of the advantages we have as a state is that we’re nimble, we’ve got all these abundant resources, and we can tackle even the biggest challenges.”
This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com
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FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – NDSU and the North Dakota Air National Guard signed a Memorandum of Agreement Thursday, to better serve NDSU’s Military Students.
The partnership promises more direct communication and meetings between NDSU and the 119th Wing to discuss potential academic opportunities for recruits, and gather data about opportunities they’d like to see at NDSU.
NDSU President David Cook said that this partnership is important to ensuring a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences on NDSU’s campus.
“It’s a different kind of student bringing a different perspective into the classroom, which is absolutely critical for us. And it’s an opportunity for them to come here and get an associates degree through the Air Force, and then go across the street and get a four year degree at NDSU.”
NDSU will also streamline degree pathways for North Dakota Air National Guard members, and provide them with professional academic advising support to help them find the best path towards degree completion.
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