COMMITTED TO OUR OWNERS’ SUCCESS

HARVEST LAND

Springfield expanSion Update

Spring 2015

YoUth edUcation

recipeS

Comfrey • Morgan • Morton • Springfield • Wabasso• Blomkest • Lake Benton

afiS certification

ContentsCheck us out at Harvestland.com

20-21

6-7

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Springfield Terminal••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Agronomy

Grain

Feed

Energy

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15-18

22 Safety

23-24 Community

AgQuest25-28

29-30 Family

Committed to our Owners’ Success 3

Being “Committed to Our Owners’ Success”, is truly a TEAM effort. At Harvest Land and AgQuest, we are fortunate to have a great team. As I have mentioned in the past, it is an honor and privilege to be working for such a great company. I am especially grateful for the Board of Directors who have such a big responsibility in leading, supporting and guiding this unique, diversified and growing company. One of our newer directors, Dan Tauer, has been a valuable addition to the board.

As you read the article from Dan, and the other articles in this edition of Harvest Land, I trust you will get a true sense of the unique company we have. At Harvest Land, we do not worry or fixate on what the “competi-tion” is doing. Instead, we continue to implement our strategy of building a complete local relationship, which will be second to none in our industry. Simply stated, it is a platform that is “Committed to Our Owners’ Success”.

Each of our employees bring their own level of commitment, experience, passion and perspective to Harvest Land. From there, we continue to focus

on building a unified team which is dedicated to deliver exceptional service to each and every one of our valued customers.

Once again, the entire staff thanks you for the privilege of being able to serve you. We do have an amazing story to tell and we look forward to building on that story in 2015!

• DaveStuk

• RogerKettner

• RobertLiesenfeld

• TimSullivan

• AlPlotz

• JohnSchwartz

• ColeTrebesch

• ChadEdwards

• TerryFlesner

• DanTauer

Board Members

DAVE STUKCEO

Dan Tauer

Rural Morgan farmer Dan Tauer considers himself fortunate to be a member of the Harvest Land board, a place where he feels that his voice can make a difference. It’s a position he’s held since September 2012. Tauer commented, “I support the cooperative way of doing business. After many years working for both a corpora-tion and farming, I have come to appreciate it even more.” Tauer sees this as a very challenging time in the Ag industry. He said, “One of the biggest challenges I see are the numerous groups influencing farming and farming practices which affect our profitability, because of the effects they have on how consumers view our products.” On the other hand, Dan sees this as a time of opportunity. He explained, “The world demand for food and renewable energy continues to grow and is projected to continue. Many opportunities will present themselves that will allow farms to remain profitable, no matter what size the operation it may be. That is exciting.” Dan and Mary, his wife of 32 years, own and operate a family farm just south of Morgan where they raise corn and soybeans and market hogs. They have four children who will provide them with lots of excitement in the coming year. Daughter Marisa and son-in-law Nate are expecting their first child and will move back to the Morgan area to get involved in the family hog operation. Daughter Stephanie lives in Fargo and works for Swanson Health Care in inventory control. Son Bryant works for Moorhead Public Utilities as an electrical engineer and is engaged and planning an August wedding. And, youngest daughter Liz is finishing her degree at Minnesota State University, Mankato in corporate finance/accounting and will move to St. Cloud in May to start a new job. It looks like a busy year for the Tauers!

When Dan is not busy with his passions—farming, hauling hogs, or working outdoors—he enjoys spending time snowmobiling, camping with the family, and water sports.

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Board Profile

Relationships Deliver

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As General Manager of HLC, I have always known that is it easier to run a business built on sales than a company built on relationships. Over the past 4 years, I have challenged my team to choose building rela-tionships every time. Relationships is where the work truly begins. Our culture continues to evolve and is based on truly getting to know our customer’s individual needs.

Trust & transparency are two cornerstones essential in relationship building. When we make a decision that affects our members, we’re go-ing to communicate that decision honestly. While some decisions aren’t always easy to make, or popular, our decisions will always be fair, and in our judgment best for the entire organization.

Honest communication creates the trust on which strong, long-term rela-tionships are built. Ultimately, our goal is to know you well enough that we can help you succeed on your terms. We realize that everyone defines success in different ways. Each farming operation has their own unique story, it is our goal to be with you each step of the way to offer our knowledge to help you succeed. With this reality in mind, we are constantly working to improve in three areas: First, in understanding your definition of success. Second, in communicating that definition to our team and, third, in utilizing the resources we have within our organization to help you realize your goals. Establishing relationships will continue to be our top priority as it has been in the past. Every day we are working hard at it, you may be receiving phone calls to visit with new members of our team, or just re-ceiving this magazine to let you know what is happening at HLC. We’re building a culture that prioritizes relationships and empowers our employees to use their greatest judgment on behalf of you the patrons, our member owners. Again, thank-you for your dedication to Harvest Land Cooperative and we look forward to serving you in 2015 & beyond.

DENNIS SCHREIERGENERAL MANAGER

News from the GM

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Crop Protection Building

Shop Facility

Seed Shed Expansion

Corn Bunker

Bulk Liquid Fertilizer Storage

7

hlc financialS Show excellent reSUltS

By the time you read this article we will all be busy with the hustle and bustle of spring rituals. Also, most of you should have received your patronage dividend check. This is one of the benefits you receive by being an active member with Harvest Land Cooperative. For this patronage we are grateful. These checks are based upon the amount of business you had done with us during the fiscal year ending August 31, 2014. Some of the financial high-lights from the year ending August 31, 2014 include:

For year ending 2014, HLC returned $2,565,000 back to the current and past members. This equates to a total of $25.5 million over the last 12 years. As you can see, 2014 was a very successful year. Because of your business it allowed Harvest Land Coopera-tive, your cooperative, to continue to aggressively retire equities and build state of the art facilities to help us be of better service to you.You have heard it many times before and we cannot say it enough, we want to thank you for your business and we will continue to prove to you that doing business with Harvest Land Cooperative does benefit our communities, our employees, and especially you, the member and producer.

PAUL WIENEKECONTROLLER

Sales $ 225,763,000

Local Earnings $ 4,017,000

Patronage Refunds Rec’d $ 2,401,000

Net Margin after Taxes $ 6,050,000

Patronage & Equity Distribution 2014

Cash Patronage 50% $ 1,677,000

Revolving Equity 50% $ 1,677,000

Age and Estate Equity Retired $ 873,000

Scholarships paid by Equities $ 15,000

Capital Projects/Purchases 2014

Springfield Agronomy Addition- $ 3,303,000

-Seed Warehouse Expansion

-Crop Protection Facility

-Shop Facility

-Bulk Liquid Fertilizer Storage Addition

Rolling Stock $ 587,000

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changeS continUe at Springfield terminal

From staff to facilities, changes continue at Springfield. Recently, Joel Kretsch returned to the Agronomy Operations team after 16 months away. It’s some-thing that Scott Arnsdorf appreciates, as the crew has been busy with expansion on the site.

Scott & Joel gave an update on the construction project, noting that the shop was pretty much enclosed by mid-March. They are waiting for concrete work to be finished so that interior work can be done. “We should be in by mid- to late summer,” they said. The seed warehouse is completed and in full use. The chemical warehouse is complete and should be in full use by the time you read this. They also added that, on the liquid side, plans are to include the liquid fertilizer plant into the new chemical facility this summer.

In addition to Kretsch returning, there are a number of other new faces at the plant. Steve Gatzlaff, Nick Meine, Garrett Jenniges and Mitchell Anderson are new applicators—and there may be more as spring field work amps up.

As they anticipate the spring rush, they commented, “We ask that producers plan ahead for their application needs. As always, the spring season will be busy. There’s a lot of things to get done in a short time. Pre-planning and giving us advance notice for spring and summer spraying is greatly appreciated. Please plan!”

JOEL KRETSCH & SCOTT ARNSDORF

AGRONOMY OPERATIONS

9

Agronomy

To be honest, this article originated from the semi-annual debate that ensues when a box or bag from Cabela’s “somehow” shows up at my house with a shiny assortment of the latest fishing lures for the upcoming season. Not surprisingly, my wife and I sometimes tend to disagree on the value or perceived need of that box(es). But it started me thinking about some winter conversations I’ve had at work.

Oddly enough, I’ve had a few more questions posed to me the last few months about starter fertilizer. This was an interesting change since I’ve usually answered questions centered on chemicals, weeds, surfactants, and rotational restrictions in recent years.

After I had done my best to answer the questions from a value versus cost compari-son (and yes, it went better than the discussion with my wife), I thought, “Why don’t more customers ask what is it?” Or, more importantly, “Tell me why I need it.”

The reason the fertilizer starter question interested me was that it deals with both of these questions. First, lower use rate starter blends say a 7-17-3 with trace amounts of iron, copper, and manganese versus 10-34-0 plus a quart of Zinc. What are you actu-

ally getting for your money? And secondly, the need—or possible need—for certain micronutrients that may be included in some of the low rate starters, and what the probable—or generally accepted—crop need is.

Once you know the weight, analysis, and cost of the products, it becomes fairly simple to compare two different programs to arrive at the better value. Then, looking at the different micronutrients supplied in a starter, you can decide whether it’s probable or even somewhat possible that the absence of these micros would be yield limiting.

Remember there are many sources of information you can turn to with questions on various agricultural topics like the starter fertilizer comparison.

Harvest Land has always strongly recommended the macronutrients N, P, K, along with addressing sulfur and zinc defi-ciencies. Many publications support potential yield limiting deficiencies without them.

I encourage you that—when faced with decisions about starter comparison programs, etc.—you search out second opin-ions. You can find excellent unbiased resources from the university specialists at the Minnesota, Iowa State, and South Dakota State agriculture departments. Although the three don’t always completely agree on each topic or question, the answers—or at least a general consensus—aren’t very difficult to find, with a little research and time. More often than not, a simple study of the percent of active ingredients on the label itself will answer most of your questions.

We believe that Harvest Land and its agronomy staff have proven to be a trusted advisor when questions about agricultural products and practices arise. We sincerely hope that, if you have questions about a product we recommend—or want an opinion on a product someone else recommends—that you won’t hesitate to ask us.

In this upcoming year of probable lower commodity prices and tightening margins, the last thing you want to do—or we would want you to do—is spend money on inputs without receiving the value you thought you were getting or should expect to receive.

Never be afraid to ask Harvest Land—or any other agricultural input provider— “What’s in it?” Or “Why do I need it?”

One thing is sure; my wife would definitely appreciate an unbiased second opinion on the contents of that Cabela’s box!

what iS it? whY do i need it?agricUltUre and cabela’S

TIM WOELFELCROP PROTECTION MANAGER

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Agronomy

looking beYond the 2015 crop Year

We’re barely into the 2015 crop year, but growers are already concerned about 2016. In discussions I’ve had with growers and what they see moving forward, most mentioned concerns about commodity and input prices for the 2016 crop year. Many mentioned that it’s going to come down to producing maximum bushels to cover cash flows, and to be profitable.

So where are the opportunities? There are several investments that will offer increased probabilities to raise the maximum yield. The first would be—once this planting season is complete—that you spend the necessary time with your account manager to put together your farm plans for the 2016 crop year. Taking this proactive approach early this spring will help you identify and understand your investments for next year. This will assist you in planning inputs for 2016 and putting together a more accurate marketing plan to help identify when to market your crop.

Growers tell me there are usually several times during the growing season that a person can lock in a profit. Part of this is knowing the investments to grow the crop. We want to help you identify your cash flow for next year, so you can take advantage of opportunities that may arise in the market. You’re best marketing opportunity for the 2016 crop may be early this summer—and we don’t want you to miss that opportunity.

The second thing we want to promote is smart investments in your crop. It’s hard to raise maximum yields if you’re thinking of cutting back on inputs such as crop nutrients or using a cheaper seed variety with less genetic potential. It’s understandable to become more conservative if the markets start to trend downward. That’s why we encourage you to look at investments in your crop to achieve your yield goal, as opposed to looking for ways to reduce costs and thus reduce yields.

So what is the best way to achieve this? We suggest that the best way forward is to utilize our precision division, “Harvest Max.” It analyzes data information that exists in each of your fields, acre by acre, allowing you to make more informed decisions on your individual farm to reach maximum yields while investing wisely acre by acre. This will improve your odds of achieving maximum yields.

Over the past few years, many producers have made improvements in their equipment. A lot of those improve-ments included monitors with the ability to collect yield data, do variable rate seed planting, and more. The ma-jority of you have the capabilities to invest wisely, acre by acre. We’d like the opportunity to help you recognize the best way forward for your farming operation.

JIM BOYLECROP NUTRIENT MANAGER

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Agronomy

As we enter another crop year, it’s important to talk about Harvest Max and some of the things that Harvest Max growers and their account man-agers are doing to maximize their yields. With new crop corn hovering between $3.50 and $3.75 the past few months, it’s more important than ever to be efficient with your inputs. Whether it’s seed or fertilizer, Harvest Max growers have the ability to dig deeper into their operations and validate that the dollars spent are going to the right places. Harvest Max growers track hybrids, populations, soil types, fertility, and weather data across their op-erations, and across more than 100,000 acres in Southern Minnesota. This dataset of over 50 different operations allows us to pinpoint what works and where it works, maximizing efficiency of today’s high priced inputs.

Harvest Max Offerings – Yield Analysis – Fertility, Hybrids, Soil Types, Population, Treatments – Grid Sampling – 2.5 acre - 3.3 acre - 4.4 acre - Zone – Application Reports – Site Specific Record Keeping – Variable Rate Fertility Management – Multiple Year Yield Analysis – Variable Rate Planting Recommendations – Hybrid Placement Recommendations – Variable Rate Starter Recommendations – Benchmark yourself against like operations – Harvest Max Online – Online Application Records – Live Weather Data

MATT PIETIGHARVEST MAX

Check Out Your Options

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Agronomy

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One last item I’d recommend is to contact your account manager to see which fields need to be grid sampled—many of your fields are up to be re-gridded after four years. Re-grid sampling is critical to a successful intensive soil sampling program as it allows us to return to the original geo referenced points to re-test and evaluate your fertility program. This past year we had our interns sample a field utilizing three different sampling methods, as shown in the table and pictures below. The methods used included a conventional soil sample, a 4.4-acre grid sample, and a 4.4-acre grid/zone sample where we moved our sample points within the soil types that are historically poor or high yielding. Looking at the results, it becomes very clear that by fine tuning sampling methods, we can see what nutrients are yield limiting and where they are deficient. Then we can apply nutrients accordingly. Harvest Max data shows—year over year—that the grid-spread acres within our dataset have a five to nine bushel advantage over non-grid-ded acres.

Agronomy

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Understanding Seed Traits

Finding the line between economic and agronomic decisions is very challenging and can cause us to lose a lot of sleep. With that being said, let’s talk about traits for a while and compare platforms to each other on what they protect against. For 2015, some producers are purchasing and planting trait packages that are unfamiliar; most of those are the VT2P (Double Pro) platform. This package has two modes of action above ground to protect corn from earworm, fall army-worm, European corn borer, and southwestern corn borer. It does not have any protection below ground to control corn rootworm. The Smartstax trait package offers seven modes of action that expresses eight different proteins to protect corn. It controls corn rootworm, southwestern corn borer, European corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, western bean cutworm, and corn earworm. When positioning VT2P products, try to place them on rotated ground which did not have a heavy corn rootworm pressure in the past.

We still have to consider northern corn rootworm beetle pressure on rotated farms because of extended dia-pause. The northern corn rootworm beetles laid their eggs in soybean fields the previous year. When selecting a VT2P, look for one with an excellent root score, and putting an insecticide on VT2P hybrids is highly rec-ommended. The VT2P platform will continue to elevate in the future, along with the Smartstax platform. A combination of both of these will allow you to plant the best genetics on your acres while keeping your bottom line in mind. Getting a healthy crop up and out of the ground is the first hurdle to jump on your path to big yields. Early season scouting is important. When you’re out in a field, look for seed corn maggot, white grub, wireworm, cutworm, rootworm larvae, pythium, phytophora, rhizoctonia, fursarium, and seedling blight. Talk to your account manager to get more in-depth information on these pests and diseases. Getting a picket fence stand is one of the most important goals for the year. Take extra time to make sure your planter is ready for spring planting. Planters today are a lot different and much more complex than the ones 30 years ago. Then, a can of WD 40 and tube grease was all that was needed to make them run for the season. Keeping your planter running in tiptop shape will drastically reduce skips and doubles, which are some of the biggest yield robbers. Check your population and stand early and often. Use this chart to determine the correct distance to measure, then simply count the kernels/plants in that distance to get your stand. Looking ahead to 2016, we are hoping that the Extend and Enlist traits are approved and hit the market. If they

are approved for 2016, 10 to 15 percent of our supply will be Dicamba or 2, 4-D tolerant. We are also testing several new seed treatments and looking at new drought tolerant hybrids, as well as other products that we hope will give us a yield bump. All of that data will be tracked and processed through Harvest Max, Harvest Land’s precision program. We have a great supply of the market’s best hybrids and varieties for your in-season needs. Please let your account manager know if you have questions about product placement, pests and diseases, or agronomic practices.

BRETT BRAULICKSEED DIVISION

Agronomy

Row Width Length of Row38 inches 13 ft 9 in36 inches 14 ft 6 in30 inches 17 ft 5 in22 inches 23 ft 9 in20 inches 26 ft 2 in15 inches 34 ft 10 in

prodUction & marketing—two SideS of the Same coin

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s probably that profits are going to be a lot tighter than we’ve experienced recently. Old news, yes, but what does that mean going forward? With the price environment we’re currently in, it’s become more important than ever to know your numbers, and to know them well.

By numbers I’m talking about cost of production, or break even. Without having a good idea of where you’re sitting, it makes marketing your grain a shot in the dark and an emotional decision rather than a data-backed decision. That makes grain marketing more difficult, something none of us need. Once you have your COP nailed down, it allows you to start setting realistic sales targets and putting in orders so that your price goal can be traded electronically any hour of the day, so that no rallies are missed. Many producers also like to set time targets as well, meaning that a percentage of grain needs to be sold by a certain date. This is just another way to stay disciplined in your grain marketing, and to protect against market downfalls without any sales, similar to the market slide late last summer.

Along with knowing your numbers and setting sales targets, it is also important to understand your grain marketing options. Hedge-to-arrive contracts (HTA’s), basis fixed contracts, and simple forward price contracts are all good options offered by Harvest Land Cooperative. Even if you’re used to using the same contract in the past, it’s important to know the benefits and risks of many different kinds of contracts, in order to find one that suits your farm’s current situation and matches the current market situation.

I think it’s important to look at futures and basis as two separate markets. They are related, but move based on different factors. Supply and demand says that in times of high or rising prices when producer sales are high, the basis is going to be wider. Adversely, in times of low prices, the end-user demand for grain is going to be higher, resulting in a better basis. Because of this, HTAs and basis fixed contracts can be used to take advantage of one market while waiting for the other to improve. Now this isn’t always true, of course, but being aware of the current situation and understanding your options doesn’t hurt. If you are content with the cash price for the delivery period you’re looking at, there’s nothing wrong with a good old forward contract as well.

Again, in a year like this one, it’s just important to know all of your options and implement them into a market-ing plan. That’s something I’d be happy to assist you with.

In conclusion, I want to leave you with a thought. The production side of agriculture is becoming extremely advanced and efficient. Everyone has some sort of production plan, and higher yields are being achieved with every new growing season. However, that’s only half of the business. Having a detailed production plan with-out a disciplined marketing plan leaves your business running on only half its potential. Yes, the markets are as unpredictable as the weather, but just like various crop protection strategies and seed varieties, there are different marketing tools and goals that can be adjusted to fit every farm’s needs. It all starts with knowing your numbers—allowing you to be a proactive grain marketer rather than a reactive one.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” —Bobby Unser

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JALEN PIETIGGRAIN MARKETING

ADVISOR

Grain

looking ahead

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Globally, South America has been harvesting what appears to be a very good crop. Just recently, Brazilian corn production was estimated to be 1 mmt higher which brings it to 75 mmt. Also, the Argentine bean crop is expected to grow by the same amount. As for the rest of the world, there has been very little as far as production threats, but it’s early.

With the March 31st report behind us, trade will be focused on the weather and plant-ing progress. At this time there are no major threats for the vast majority of the U.S. Yes, it is true that corn acres have been trimmed by 2%, but with favorable growing conditions, we should produce adequate supplies. Also, the March stocks for corn were in the top 4 largest stocks going back to 1985. It’s possible that we have seen the high-est printed numbers for the year from the USDA. There has been speculation that the southern U.S. is experiencing delayed corn planting and may switch to planting beans. The USDA already has beans slated to increase by 1% to 84.7 million acres, which is a record for the U.S. If an average crop is realized, and the possibility of more acres being

planted into beans, it will only pad our existing stocks, putting added pressure on the futures market.

KURT SOUPIRGRAIN MERCHANDISER

In the last 31 years , we have ended the crop year at or above the trend line 23 times(74%) and below 8

times(26%).

In the last 31 years, we have ended the crop year at or above 18 times(58%) and below 13 times(41%).

Grain

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I put the chart below together to get an idea of what the prospective planted acres actually would mean at different yields. As you can see, below trend line yields would be cause for some concern. Be aware of the near and long range weather forecast, as well as the planting progress in the US. However, stay proactive with your grain mar-keting.

On the home front, the corn and bean market for Harvest Land had been strictly a truck market. Even though ev-erything we have shipped so far this crop year has been to the local processors, we have been able to keep up with our shipments. Because of the adequate supplies, the export market has been satisfied without having to come up to us to get it. The same can be said for domestic needs as well. The strength in the U.S. dollar has hurt our export market, because the rest of the world is a cheaper source for grains and oilseeds.Lastly, I would like to remind everyone to check your grain stored at home more often as the temperature outside increases. You could take advantage of our free PL program and not have to worry about your grain spoiling. If you have any questions on our Free PL program, please do not hesitate to call any one of our Locations-Morgan, Morton, Springfield, or Comfrey.

Future Report DatesMay 12-Crop Production

June 10-Crop Production (winter wheat production forecast)June 30- Grain Stocks (June 1) & Acreage for 2015

July 10- Crop Production (forecast for all small grains)

2015/16 Crop Year

CORN YIELD SOYBEANS YIELD Trend Below Above Trend Below Above

Planted Acres 89.2 89.2 89.2 Planted Acres 84.7 84.7 84.7

Harvested Acres 82.2 82.2 82.2 Harvested Acres 83.9 83.9 83.9

Yield 165 160 170 Yield 45 42 48

Total Crop 13563.0 13152.0 13974.0 Total Crop 3775.5 3523.8 4027.2

Carry In 1777.0 1777.0 1777.0 Carry In 385.0 385.0 385.0

Total Supply 15340.0 14929.0 15751.0 Total Supply 4160.5 3908.8 4412.2

Usage 13695.0 13695.0 13695.0 Usage 3701.0 3701.0 3701.0

Carry Out 15 1645.0 1234.0 2056.0 Carry Out 15 459.5 207.8 711.2

Stocks/Use Ratio 12.01% 9.01% 15.01% Stocks/Use Ratio 12.42% 5.61% 19.22%

Note: Carry in and usage numbers are from March 10th

Grain

Getting to know the team

Every day is busy, but grain truck driver Clete Ludewig made time in his schedule to pause long enough to tell us about his work with Harvest Land. His route that day brought him to Morgan where he stopped to visit for few minutes. The days can be long, but Ludewig likes the freedom he has, and the fact that he’s home every night. He told us about his daily routines. “I check the truck over, then head out to where I’ve been dispatched. It might be a farm pickup or it could be one of our facilities. I pick up grain on the farm. I might haul it to a destination like a corn plant, or to one of our own facilities. I usually start about 6:00 in the morning. How late I go

depends on grain lines where I’m hauling. I usually try to be parked by 5:00 p.m.—some days it’s earlier, some days it’s later.”Ludewig especially enjoys the independence he has as a driver. “We get dispatched and go do it. I like the farm pickups and meeting patrons. The biggest challenges can be maneuvering in and out of farm yards.”Clete completed two years at Harvest Land March 18. It’s a day that’s easy to remember, as it’s also his wedding anniversary. Ludewig joined the co-op with 18 years of experience, working construction and driving a semi that pulled side dump or belly dump units. He hauled gravel or “pretty much anything that would go in the box.”That job kept him on the road, away from home, too much. “It was long days, six days a week. You do a years’ worth of work in seven months. That wears on family life. Here I’m home every night. I like it here—I love what I do. I work with good people.”

Clete and his wife Julie live on a farm site four miles south of Sleepy Eye. They have two grown children—Trevor and Tiffany—and a 12-year-old daughter, Trisha, who’s a sixth grader at Sleepy Eye Public, and a grandson Adri-

an-age 4. Clete enjoys camping, riding his Ranger, and cutting wood.

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Grain

feed Update

PIG SOURCINGCall us. We have seen sources of pigs open up and these options include: Spot Loads, Investor/Pig Coops, Select Flows and Genetic Sources.

Harvest Land has placed groups of quality pigs through multiple systems. If you need something soon or even a year from now, let us know as there systems in the works that may fit your operation. Getting your name on the list well in advance is helpful to get what you want, when you need it.

FUTURE PLANSDo you have plans to expand or diversify? Maybe a hog barn is a fit for you. Many quality area producers are looking for facilities or you want to stay indepen-dent. AgQuest and Harvest Land can help you.

ELECTROLYTESPEDV is out there and some early breakouts have been an issue across the country so no operation is immune. Up your game by reviewing sanitation protocols and keep your pigs hydrated with LOL Swine Electrolytes that may be administered in the feed or water. Elec-trolytes are very effective at restoring or maintaining the water balance for those pigs about to be hauled or just arriving.

CATTLE MINERALSCattle markets remain positive, you improve genetics, and herd health is important. You can boost immunity, conception rates and performance just $.10-$.15/head per day.

Wind and Rain Cattle Mineral is for-tified to meet the needs of your cow herd with a variety of drug options. The larger particle size is unique as it resists blowing away and is coated eliminate bricking up after it becomes wet. Less

wasted $.

Minerals are too important. Skip somewhere else!

SUPPLEMENTAL TUBSAre you grazing Corn Stalks and Pastures? How about incoming cattle for the feedlot that may need an extra boost?

Lick tubs offer convenience with proven results. These low moisture, hard cooked tubs; 30-13 Protein, Stress, Mineral and All Stock Tubs cover a variety of needs. 30-13 protein tubs are perfect for low quality pastures and corn stalks and help better fiber digestion.

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JEFF BERDANFEED SPECIALIST

Feed

TRAVIS WENDTENERGY SERVICE

SPECIALIST

Travis graduated from Springfield Public Schools in 2005. After High School, he attended Minnesota West Community and Technical College for Auto Body. After school, he started with Harvest Land in the Agronomy Division. Growing up on a family farm, agronomy was always an interest.

After Harvest Land, he went to work with his uncle at his body shop in Springfield, learning many tricks of the trade. While doing body work, he started a motorcycle shop with his spare time. A year and a half ago, he decided to make the move back to Harvest Land, where he is now your Propane Service Technician. He handles all of the bidding, installation, and billing for propane involved projects. Trenching lines, leak testing, and heater repair are just a few of the services that he can pro-vide.

If you have questions about propane, or your propane system, don’t hesitate to call! If he doesn’t have the answer, he knows where to find it.

TravisWendtCell:507-227-7119Email:twendt@harvestland.com

RUSS HACKER

meet the energY team

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Russ has been a part of the Harvest Land team for 21 years. Russ started in Agron-omy when he arrived in 1994, he then took over the petroleum position in 2007.

Today, his duties include: Fuel pump repair and replacement, cardtrol maintenance, monthly fire extinguisher reports, transferring LP from rail cars to storage tanks, works with LP service department when needed, fill in for driver for fuel and LP

products, and also does bulk oil and package oil deliveries.

Russ enjoys getting to know each of you when he makes deliveries to your farm site. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, he is here to assist you with all your petroleum needs.

Energy

taking advantage of a volatile petroleUm market

To say the least, the last three months have been a learning experience for me. That’s partly because I accepted the Energy Sales Specialist position at Harvest Land Cooperative and even more so because the petroleum market can’t make up its mind what direction it wants to go.

The petroleum market has been very volatile of late, as are the grain and currency markets. The correlations that we look for aren’t happening. If the dollar goes down, grain and energy should go up & vise versa. But, that doesn’t always happen. On any given day, all three can go up, down, or sideways. At one time, some speculators were screaming $30 for a barrel of crude, while others were screaming $75 a barrel. Where is it really? It’s a little bit lower than halfway between the two. Where is it going? If I knew that answer, I’d have my toes in the sand on my own private island, and you would all be invited for BBQ and drinks.

I’ve certainly learned that patience is a virtue—that is, until you’re patient too long. There is nothing more frustrating than standing on the dock, ticket in hand, waving goodbye to a boat that you are supposed to be on.

Take a good look at your fuel usage; if you need to reduce your input cost per acre—and have not contracted any fuel for the coming year—don’t miss your chance. As of April 6, you can fill your barrels with Ruby Fieldmaster for $2.049. That’s about $1.36 per gallon less than last year. Our current contract price for fall 2015 is $2.299. That’s about $1.03 a gallon less than filling off the truck during harvest 2014. These prices are of great value to you, the producer. Whether the price goes up or down, right now is a great time to make sure that your barrels are full going into spring, and to lock in at least 50 percent of your fuel needs for fall 2015. Like I said, patience is a virtue. Just don’t be the guy or gal waving goodbye to the party boat you could have been on!

Don’t be afraid to offset your operating costs with a forward contract. Give me a call, and we can talk through your options. Curty Meyers Cell: 507-430-1884 • Morgan Office:507-249-3196 • Email: cmeyers@harvestland.com

CURTY MEYERSENERGY SALES

SPECIALIST

Recently, Curty Meyers -accepted the Energy Sales Specialist position at Harvest Land Cooperative. His duties include, but are not limited to: LP and fuel sales and contracting, lubricant sales, and LP and fuel equipment sales.

Curty has been a part of the Morgan Fire/Ambulance Department since November, 2004. He enjoys spending time with his wife Claire and daughter Nadia. In his spare time, family motorcycle rides, evening drives in our 1951 Pontiac Chief-tain, and softball keep me busy. Softball is a passion of his, but reoccurring injuries have placed him in a coaching role.

Whether it be home heat or full fuel and lubricant service for your farm and/or shop give Curty a call to discuss your op-tions. Fuel prices are very consumer friendly, and look to remain that way for a while. Fuel contracts are well over a dollar per gallon cheaper than last year. Curty looks forward to getting to know everyone and establishing a trusting relationship to assist you with your petroleum needs.

Getting to know Curty Meyers

Energy

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SafetY tipS aboUt propane and carbon monoxide

Make time for safetyPropane is a safe, econom-ical, clean-burning, and versatile fuel when properly used. Remember, only you can keep your family safe, so be sure that all family mem-bers review this important safety information. Can you smell propane?Propane smells like rotten

eggs, a skunk’s spray, or a dead animal—but not everyone can smell it. Older people may have

difficulty smelling, as their sense of smell may be less. Medical conditions or the effects of medication, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs may also reduce the ability to detect the smell.On rare occasions, propane can lose its odor due to:•The presence of air, water, or rust in a propane tank or cylinder•The passage of leaking propane through the soilBecause of the possibility of odor loss, or problems with a sense of smell, a person should respond immediately to even a faint odor of gas.If you suspect a propane leak, these are important things to do—or not do. • No Flames or Sparks! Immediately put out all smoking

materials and other open flames. Do not operate lights, ap-pliances, telephones, or cell phones. Flames or sparks from these sources can trigger an explosion or fire.

• Leave the Area Immediately! Get everyone out of the build-ing or area where you think that gas is leaking.

• Shut Off The Gas. If it can be done safely, shut off the main supply valve on the propane tank. To close the valve, turn it to the right (clockwise).

• Report the Leak. From a neighbor’s home or another nearby building—away from the gas leak—call the propane retailer immediately. If you can’t reach the propane retailer, call 911 or the local fire department.

• Do Not Return to the Building or Area until the propane re-tailer, emergency responder, or qualified service technician determines that it is safe to do so.

• Have the System Checked. Before you attempt to use any

propane appliances, a propane retailer or a qualified service technician must check the entire system to ensure that it is leak-free.

Should you light a pilot light that has gone out?If a pilot light repeatedly goes out or is very difficult to light, there may be a safety problem. Do not try to fix the problem yourself. It is strongly recommended that only a qualified ser-vice technician light any pilot light that has gone out.If you light a pilot light yourself, you are taking the risk of start-ing a fire or an explosion. If you feel that you must, carefully follow all the manufacturer’s instructions and warnings con-cerning the appliance before attempting to do so.

Carbon Monoxide and your safetyWhat is Carbon Monoxide (CO)?Carbon monoxide is a very dangerous gas that can’t be smelled or tasted. It is produced when any fuel burns. High levels of CO can come from appliances that are not operating correctly, or from a venting system or chimney that is blocked.Monoxide Can Be Deadly! High levels of CO can make you dizzy or sick. In extreme cases, CO can cause brain damage or death.Symptoms of CO poisoning include:• Headache • Shortness of breath• Dizziness • Nausea• Fatigue

If you suspect CO is present, act immediately!1. If you or a family member shows physical symptoms of CO poisoning, get everyone out of the building and call 911 or your local fire department.2. If it is safe to do so, open windows to allow entry of fresh air, and turn off any appliances you suspect may be releasing CO.3. If no one has symptoms, but you suspect that CO is present, call your propane retailer or a qualified service technician to check CO levels and all propane equipment.

AARON GUGGISBERG

SAFETY DIRECTOR

Safety

2015 farm SafetY & wellneSS & emergencY reSponSe daY

On June 2, 2015, from 4:30-7:00 P.M., at Riverside Park, Harvest Land Cooperative & AgQuest Financial Services will be hosting a Farm Safety & Wellness Day. This event will be open to the public and is not limited to just the youth living on the farm. For the past 2 years the event has been hosted in Morgan. However, Harvest Land & AgQuest are known through our 5 locations, and we feel it is beneficial to reach out to each of these communities. This year, we have incorporated all emergency response volunteers into this event, including: Springfield Fire Department, Springfield Ambulance, MN State Patrol, Brown County Sheriff ’s Department, and North-Star K9 Services, LLC. The purpose of adding Emergency Volunteers into this event is for the youth to be able to meet them, and also get familiar with the equipment in the event of an emergency. More importantly, it’s an opportunity for the volunteers to get to know the youth of the community. Also included will be ATV Safety by the MN Valley ATV Riders, healthy snack options from members of the HLC/AgQuest Wellness Committee, and Parthenon Insurance will be hosting a grain bin simulator for all Emergency Service volunteers from the area to train and educate them. We are looking for support from all Springfield businesses, the community of Springfield, and all of our Emergency Volunteers to make this event a complete success. While donations will be accepted to help fund a meal, take home literature, and other items, we are mainly looking for volunteers to help keep the youth safe from any accidents. If you would like to support this educational event or have any questions, please contact Fawn Mc-Namara, at 507-249-3196 (work), 507-430-1348 (cell) or fmcnamara@harvestland.com.

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Community

coopS YeS! leaderShip conference

The Coops Yes! Youth Leadership Conference was held last month in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Harvest Land & AgQuest Financial Services sponsored 22 students from the area schools including: Springfield, Sleepy Eye, Morgan, Comfrey & New Ulm to attend the conference.

Students in grades 10-12 who are members of the FFA,4-H, DECA, FBLA, FHA/HERO, VICA, and HOSA, andstudents whose parents/grandparents are members of Harvest Land, are eligible to attend. Those who attend the conference develop new friendships and meet youth leaders from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin, learn from exciting speakers with powerful messages about leadership and the value of cooperation, discuss important teen issues, and solve challenging cooperative case studies.

During one of the presentations students are split into groups where they develop and build their own cooperative. Students must work as a team and educate the group on what they will sell, who their customers are, how will they market to their customers, will they have a board of directors, etc. The entire program is very edu-cational for students who plan to pursue a career in the field of agriculture. For more information or to attend in 2016, please contact Fawn McNamara @ 507-249-3196 or fmcnamara@harvestland.com.

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Community

growing team, growing energY

AgQuest’s Business Relationship Management (BRM)team is fairly new—and growing. Kari Scholtz joined the team in May 2014, and Sara Compart and David Luepke signed on in November. “With this group, our goal is to take a team concept out to our borrowers,” Scholtz said. “It’s kind of a new concept at Harvest Land/AgQuest. Originally, we were more territorial. Now we’re going out on joint calls to-gether. Along with that, we’re trying to make ourselves available at different locations—even if our primary location is the Springfield Terminal site.”Luepke added, “It’s multiple people serving customers. That’s based more on the BRM skill set and how it fits. We work with Harvest Land staff, especially the ac-count managers, to help our clients.”“Sara and David will help customers dig in and under-stand the numbers. We know the cash flows are tight for many of our producers and we are here to help, but that takes hard work and trust for both the producer

and our team. That’s where we are to building our strengths. This is where AgQuest can separate itself from oth-er lenders. We do ag all day, every day,” Scholtz explained. Administrative assistant Melissa Robertson is the fourth member of the BRM team. She plays a key role as the others redefine the team concept. “Melissa is our go-to gal, whenever you call to schedule an appointment or need assistance, she’s always there to meet your needs. She knows customers on a different level, with her two-and-a-half years experience, she has been able to bridge the gap—she can do about anything. The customers have grown to trust her—she’s the first one they call,” Scholtz said.

The team encourages anyone with questions to call or email. They’re available to help!

Kari Scholtz @ 507-430-9094; kscholtz@agquest.netMelissa Robertson @ 507-723-7378; mrobertson@agquest.net

Sara Compart- 507-430-7748; scompart@agquest.etDavid Luepke- 507-430-6831; dluepke@agquest.net

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KARI SCHOLTZ, SARA COMPART, DAVID LUEPKE, MELISSA ROBERTSON

AGQUEST BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGERS

AgQuest

meet the neweSt team memberS

26

DAVID LUEPKE AGQUEST BUSINESS

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

SARA COMPART AGQUEST BUSINESS

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

David Luepke graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University with majors in ag business and accounting in 2010, then worked in commercial and agricultural lending in the metro area for four years. “I enjoy getting back to rural Minnesota, working face-to-face with customers, meeting their needs, and adding value to their operations,” Luepke said. “Every-one’s operation is different—we figure out ways to help.” Luepke continues to be involved in, and lives on, the family farm near Court-land. He was involved in academic and fine arts and graduated from Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School at rural New Ulm. At college, he was involved in student government and academic organizations. He’s currently finishing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of South Dakota. David enjoys international travel and has been to Western and Eastern Europe and Central America.

Sara Compart graduated from South Dakota State University with an ag busi-ness major and animal science minor in 2013. She worked for a bank in south-west Minnesota for 18 months before coming to AgQuest.“It’s fun to be out with customers, getting to know their operations, and being able to offer all the different aspects of AgQuest. We can make things work for our customers,” Sara said. Compart grew up on the family’s rural Nicollet hog farm but she and her brother Dusty developed their own business, raising and showing rabbits lo-cally, state-wide, and nationally. It’s something they still enjoy. Like Luepke, she graduated from Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School. She took part in FFA at Nicollet High School. At SDSU, Sara was active in and held various offices in Block & Bridle, Little International, and Swine Club.

AgQuest’s two newest Business Relationship Managers have parallel lives. Both grew up on Nicollet County farms, both were 4-Hers, and both gained valuable experience by working in banks before joining the AgQuest/Har-vest Land team last November.

AgQuest

afiS certification

Farming is not what it was 50 years ago, or even 15 years ago. Innovations in technology continue to change and enhance how we farm. With those changes can come new exposures and risks. Making a simple call to your local insurance agent to purchase a cookie cutter plan may have worked in the past, but today one size does not fit all.That is where the experienced and agricultural focused agents at AgQuest come in. We recognize that each oper-ation is uniquely different, and under-stand that farmers expect and require agents with a dedicated knowledge of this ever-changing environment.

AgQuest has a deep-rooted commitment to the ag industry, and one way we are able to achieve this is though our agents continued training and designa-

tion as an Agribusiness Farm Insurance Specialist (AFIS). AFIS focuses specifically on agriculture and is the only designation of its kind offered in the insurance industry. This designation is an intense and rigorous process of learning, and understanding policy impact in the agricultural industry, with the ultimate goal of passing the bene-fits of our knowledge on to the farmer. Of the 37,100 licensed insurance agents in Minnesota, just 22 hold this title, two of whom are AgQuest agents. Tim Lewis received his AFIS certification in 2007 and Amber Weber received hers in 2013. They are both Property & Casualty Specialists and are located right here in this area.

As each farmer and operation has unique needs, our agents sit down at the kitchen table with customers right in their homes. This allows the best opportunity to understand what goes on at the farm first-hand that we could never do in an office setting.

AgQuest is an advocate for farmers. In other words we are farming professionals FOR farmers. Our knowledge, background and passion in this industry is not only a valuable asset to AgQuest and our retailer partners, but most importantly, to our customers.

For more information and details contact one of our AFIS certified agents Tim Lewis (612-756-2903) or Amber Weber (320-894-0663.) Email • insurance@agquest.net or visit us on our website- www.agquest.net

AgQuest Insurance Agency is an Equal Opportunity Provider.

AMBER WEBERTIM LEWIS

P & C INSURANCE

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AgQuest

crop inSUrance dateS to remember

It’s that time of year, spring planting, new Farm Bill decisions and deadlines… By now, you should have been to the FSA office to make your elections for the 2014 Farm Bill, not to mention make sure that all your AD-1026s have been filed. With the new Farm Bill, these are two matters that you will want to address, so you will not lose out on a potential 2014 payment and/or subsidy premiums on your crop insurance.

With the warm dry temperatures we’ve had this spring, please remember that the earli-est plant dates to qualify for replant insurance payments are

Spring wheat: March 21 Corn: April 11

Sugar Beets: April 11 Soybeans: April 21

Before taking any action—destroying a damaged crop or replanting—it is essential that you contact our office. This enables proper notification to the insurance company, to make sure that you do not lose out on a potential replanting payment.

Also remember that Replanting = Planting back to the same crop. To qualify for a replant payment, you must meet the 20 acre or 20 percent of the unit requirement.

We sure hope that Mother Nature takes a more favorable approach this year, keeping rains to a minimum during planting. If not, and you are delayed in planting—please contact AgQuest to discuss late planting and/or prevent planting options. For a prevent plant claim, 20 acres or 20 percent of an insurance unit unplanted would qualify. The prevent plant payment would amount to 60 percent of your guarantee on qualifying acres.

Please make sure to contact your AgQuest agent within 72 hours after the final plant date, or within 72 hours after you determine that you won’t be able to plant during the late period. The late plant period is the 25 days after the final plant date, with a one percent reduction in your guarantee each day through the 25th day.

Final plant dates are:

Spring wheat: May 15

Corn: May 31

Sugar beets: May 31

Soybeans: June 10

Two final dates to remember:

—July 15 is acreage reporting date. This is the last date to report all of your acreage types, planted, replanted, and prevent plant, as well as uninsured and uninsurable acres.

—Premium bill date is August 15. Payment must be postmarked by September 30, 2015 to avoid any accrued inter-est.

For more information contact your local agent @ 866-259-3666 or at AQInsurance@aguest.net

AgQuest Insurance Agency is an equal opportunity provider.

KATHY MAINERAGQUEST INSURANCE OFFICE

MANAGER

AgQuest

29

what’S cooking?

We know that our readers can really cook and are just as creative as anyone on the Web, so we want to hear from you. If you have a do-it-yourself project or favorite

recipe you’d like to share, send it to media@harvestland.com or mail to us at: Harvest Land Cooperative Attn: Fawn McNamara--711 Front St. PO Box 278 Morgan MN 56266

We’re looking for the best from the country to share in our next issue of Harvest Land magazine.

This recipe is a favorite at Ingle Farm, not only because it’s delicious and filling but because the recipe came from her children’s favorite babysitter. Karen’s recipe was a winner during our Coop Month Casserole Contest. You too, can submit your articles to share with other farm wives!

Family

kid friendlY taco cUpS

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a regular sized muffin tin with non stick spray. Add two wonton wrappers to each muffin cup (criss cross the wrappers).

Bake 5-7 minutes until lightly golden brown. Watch them carefully so they don’t get too brown.

Remove from oven and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat cook the ground beef or turkey until browned. Drain off any grease.

Add the taco seasoning, water and drained beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through.

Spoon two tablespoons of the meat and bean mixture into each wonton cup. Top with shredded cheese. Return to the oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes until cheese melts.

Carefully remove the cups from the oven and garnish with your favorite taco toppings.

Recipe yields: 12-16 taco cups

1 - pound lean ground beef or turkey 1 - packet taco seasoning 1 - cup water 1 - can bush’s pinto, kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed 24 - wonton wrappers 1 - cup shredded cheddar cheese Taco toppings of your choice: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream additional cheese, avocados , black olives, salsa and cilantro.

eating on the rUn

Spring planting is right around the corner and to most of you this means long hours in the field and eating on the run. Many people grab a candy bar and a pop for the energy needed to pull through but there are many other choices that can help keep your body fueled until the last seed is planted. Let’s look at some alternatives to that oh-so-sweet candy bar and pop.

Protein. Protein is a good source of nutri-ents and is a key food that helps fill you up. Healthy proteins in your lunch box might include meat, poultry, eggs, cheese, grains

and unsalted nuts like walnuts, almonds and pistachios. Nuts may also reduce the risk of heart disease (USDA.com). It’s like getting the protein from a candy bar without the sugar crash later. Fruits and Veggies. Fruits and veggies have lots of essential nutrients. They are also low in calories and have no cholesterol. Fruits and veggies are easy to grab along and throw in the truck, tractor or cooler. The vita-mins and nutrients are sure to keep you from being run down and keep your body regular. On top of all that, studies show that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may protect against certain types of cancers and reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Water. Just like your crops need water your body does too. Starting the day with caffeine might be needed for many but you don’t need to drink caffeine all day to keep going. Our bodies are composed of about 60% water, it is vital to replenish ourselves with water to keep our organs functioning, to avoid dehydration and to help energize muscles. If water seems boring to you check out the On the Go packets that you can add to your water or add a slice of fresh lemon for a natural energy boost.

BETH OSLUNDWELLNESS COORDINATOR

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Wellness

Morton: 507-697-6113 Morgan: 507-249-3196

Springfield: 507-723-7350

Comfrey: 507-877-2441Wabasso: 507-342-5184