Look back on Agriculture in ND

It s that time of year when we look back at the past 12 months For Agriculture in the state it was a turn around year Shaun Sipma reports 2007 was not only a year for records in agriculture it may could very well have been a turning point for ag markets and the way business is done away from the combine Agribusiness was looking for more Canola and Corn acres from farmers this season to supply the biodiesel and ethanol plants that were set to go on-line Spring Planting the acres were going in but into dry soil until early May then the sky s opened up Record rainfall fell across the North Central Part of the state along with massive amount of moisture around the state However when the tap turned off very little rain could be found around western and central North Dakota and the heat turned up in July and August putting lots of pressure on those fields planted after the rain delay It was about this time too commodity prices started to edge higher and higher and crop production in the midwestern United States suffered as well as in other parts of the world Harvest began with winter wheat barley and peas fields yielding good numbers despite the midsummer heat Spring wheat and durum fields also had promising numbers but as harvest moved further into fall the damage could be seen from the high temps as Canola and flax yields came in below expectations along with late grain fields By September much of the attention had shifted to the commodity price climb Durum surged to 18 dollar a bushel and along with it nearly every price at the elevator escalated However very few producers were left to take advantage of the unforeseen price run-up because much of the year s crop was marketed earlier in season All the while as prices for bushels climbed so did the cost nearly every input Meanwhile the U S House of Representatives and Senate finally passed a new Farm Bill which now sits waiting for lawmakers to return so they can iron out a joint piece of farm legislation to send to the President for his signature Right now farmers are already planning and plotting for the 08 growing season and trying to figure out how the industry altering year of 07 will affect how they do business for years to come With Your Eye On Agriculture Shaun Sipma KX News