irrigation workshop set in december · 2019-11-18 · artificially high cec values, espe-cially if...

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Page 10 – Monday, November 18, 2019 Cavalier County Republican AGRICULTURE Markets Winter Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.45 Hard Spring Wheat . . . . . . . . . 4.90 Feed Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NA Soybeans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.05 Canola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.20 Weather H L P Fri., Nov. 8 22 -2 0 Saturday 31 22 0 Sunday 29 8 .04 Monday 11 -5 .01 Tuesday 9 -5 0 Wednesday 22 - 0 Thursday 22 2 .01 The weather this year has pre- sented many challenges, includ- ing a cold, late spring that delayed planting and excess rain starting in late July that significantly affected the harvest season. “However, there is a future upside to excess rain in that it re- charges both the subsoil in the root zone and fills the aquifers used for irrigation,” says Tom Scherer, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineer. Technology developments ap- plied to water storage structures for irrigation and using subsurface tile for subirrigation will be the high- lights of the NDSU Extension irriga- tion workshop being held Dec. 5 in Bismarck, N.D. Irrigation provides more consis- tent crop production on a year-to- year basis, allows growth of longer- season crops, diversifies the farm enterprise and provides a consistent supply of forage for animal opera- tions. However, North Dakota typi- cally has excess water in the spring followed by a dry July and August, when crops are maturing and us- ing the most water. Finding ways to store excess water for later use in the growing season is one way to ensure a reliable irrigation water supply. “The competition for water is increasing every year and access to good-quality water for expanding irrigated acres will become more difficult in the future,” Scherer says. “However, with a reliable water source, investing in irrigation is a great hedge against drought peri- ods during the growing season.” The workshop will be in the Grand Pacific Room at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Bis- marck. It will be held in conjunction with the North Dakota Water Users Association convention. NDSU Extension and the North Dakota Irrigation Association spon- sor the workshop. An irrigation exposition for sup- pliers to display their products and services will be held at the same time. The registration fee of $30 is pay- able at the door and includes lunch. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and workshop presentations begin at 8:30 a.m. The morning session will include remote monitoring of aquifer wa- ter levels, using the local terrain to develop water storage structures, using spring snowmelt water to re- charge an aquifer, an update on the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) and three pre- sentations by farmers using their drain tile systems to subirrigate. The North Dakota Irrigation As- sociation will hold its annual meet- ing in the same room from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The afternoon session will in- clude a presentation on using solar power to provide the energy for pumping irrigation water, followed by a special session on irrigation and bioenergy production. Irrigation Workshop Set in December FARM LAND FOR CASH RENT CITY OF LANGDON The following described farmland located in Cavalier Coun- ty will be offered for cash rent: Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter (NW¼SE¼), Section Twenty-three (23), Township One Hundred Sixty-one (161), Range Sixty (60). Tillable Acres: 21.86 acres TERMS: Three-year contract. First year’s payment shall be due April 1, 2020 and each April 1st thereafter for the term of the contract. City reserves the right to reduce the acreage or cancel the land contract with prior sufficient notice. BIDS: Bids must be submitted in writing to Langdon City Auditor, 324 8th Avenue, Langdon, ND 58249, on or before November 22 at 12:00 p.m. All bids will be considered at the Langdon City Commis- sion meeting on November 25, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. All bidders submitting written bids may be present at that time and may raise their bids orally if they so desire. The owner reserves the right to reject any or all bids. INFORMATION: For further information contact RoxAnne Hoffarth, City Auditor at 324 8th Avenue, Langdon, ND. Phone 701-256-2155. Extent of soil salinity and sodicity in Northeast North Dakota in 2018 by Naeem Kalwar, Extension Soil Health Specialist, LREC Soil salinity and sodicity are two critical soil health issues produc- ers face in northeast North Dakota. Both result in poor stands or barren spots, especially along the head- lands. As per the 2019 NDSU pro- jected crop budgets for NE North Dakota, producers spend an aver- age of $82 to $187 per acre just to plant soybean, spring wheat, canola and corn. That is a net loss on these areas. It is estimated that at least 15% of the crop land out of a total of 39 million acres in our State is af- fected by salinity. That will be about six million acres. Excessive levels of water soluble salts result in salinity and deprive plants of water as salts compete with plant roots for water. Soil so- dicity is caused by excessive levels of sodium (Na+) that is attracted to the negative charges of soil clay and humus particles and is not present as a salt. Sodicity makes the soil layers tight by causing “dispersion and swelling”. Sodicity will happen if calcium (Ca2+) levels are lower than sodium. In additions, higher magnesium (Mg2+) levels than cal- cium in the soil exchange complex can also lead to excessive swelling resulting in dense soil layers, es- pecially in case of shrinking and expanding type of clayey soils. Oc- currence of high magnesium levels compared to calcium resulting in dense soil layers in the Red River Valley had been reported by Ellis and Caldwell in 1935 and Clayton in 1936. Remediation of salinity and so- dicity start by sampling the problem areas three to four-feet deep and analyzing all samples and depths for Electrical Conductivity or EC to assess salinity, Sodium Adsorp- tion Ratio or SAR to assess sodicity and pH by using “Saturated Paste Extract Method”. SAR analysis will also provide individual levels of Ca2+, Mg 2+ and Na+, which could be used to determine if Mg2+ lev- els are higher than Ca2+. If sodicity is established, in order to calculate the rates of soil amendments like gypsum that add Ca2+ to the soils, 0-12-inch depths will also need to be analyzed for Cation Exchange Capacity or CEC by using “Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extrac- tion Method”. Analyzing the problem areas for salinity, sodicity and in some cases high magnesium levels provides producers a basis to establish a re- mediation plan. Sensing the need, the NDSU Langdon Research Ex- tension Center, NDSU Extension and in some cases crop consultants have been helping producers with sampling and analyzing the unpro- ductive areas three to four-feet deep since 2012. In 2018, however, this ac- tivity reached its peak as the Lang- don Research Extension Center ac- quired a new pick up mounted soil probe. A total of 40 producers were helped in nine Counties in north- east North Dakota with sampling 136 unproductive sites. Sampling was followed up by a detailed ex- planation of soil results along with suggestions for remediation. The 2018 results of 133 producer soil samples confirmed the high levels of salinity, sodicity and ex- cessive Mg2+ versus Ca2+ contrary to the common belief that they are not serious soil health issues in the northeast (Graph 1). Though some individual EC levels were higher than 20.0 dS/m, however, even the average EC of the 133 samples for the 0-12-inch depth was 8.96 (dS/m), which is not even suitable for the most salt-tolerant annual crops like barley, oat and sugarbeet. EC levels decreased with depths with an average of 7.13 dS/m (12- 24-inch), 6.43 dS/m (24-36-inch) and 6.32 dS/m (36-48-inch). At these salt levels, producers will be better off planting a mix of peren- nial salt-tolerant grasses like Tall Wheatgrass, Slender Wheatgrass, Western Wheatgrass, Green Wheat- grass (AC Saltlander) and Russian Wildrye. These grasses will estab- lish in about a year, reduce evapora- tion, use excess water, add biomass, induce increased microbial activ- ity and could be hayed, grazed or mowed. The soil SAR levels also were found to be the highest in the 0-12- inch depths with an average of 10.74 for the 133 samples. These SAR results confirmed the sodicity issues in northeast and will require application of soil amendments like gypsum, which will add Ca2+ to the soils. The average SAR levels for the 12-24-inch, 24-36-inch and 36-48-inch depths were 9.17, 8.25 and 8.33 respectively for the 133 samples. High SAR results are also reflected by the high average Na+ (Meq/L) levels compared to aver- age Ca2+ (Meq/L). Higher Ca2+ levels versus Na+ will prevent so- dicity from happening. Graph 1. Average EC, SAR, pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ results of 0-12-inch, 12-24-inch, 24-36-inch and 36-48-inch depths by using Saturated Paste Extract Method and average CEC levels of 0-12-inch depth by using Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extraction Meth- od for 133 producer soil samples (excluding the results of three sam- ples) that were taken in 2018. Though not as widespread as sodicity, higher Mg2+ versus Ca2+ levels were also found to be an is- sue, which may need application of amendments that add Ca2+. The higher levels of Na+ and Mg2+ versus Ca2+ and the need for the amendment application to correct these issues also highlights the im- portance of analyzing the true soil CEC by using “Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extraction Meth- od”. The common Addition or Sum- mation Method generally results in artificially high CEC values, espe- cially if salt levels are high, which is the case for almost all of the un- productive areas in the northeast. Higher CEC values will calculate higher rates of soil amendments that are not needed, however, will cost more. The average soil CEC of 133 samples was 25.40 Meq/L. The average soil pH levels were alkaline and were 7.93 for 0-12-inch, 8.11 for 12-24-inch, 8.09 for 24-36- inch and 8.05 for 36-48-inch depths. The 2018 results highlight the importance of sampling the areas that either do not produce anything or produce way below the yield potential three to four-feet deep in 12-inch increments and analyzing the samples for EC, SAR and pH by using the Saturated Paste Extract Method and CEC by using Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extrac- tion Method. That is especially im- portant as often there are no clear visual symptoms of sodicity and high Mg2+ issues at the soil surface. For salinity, salts may form a vis- ible crust at the soil surface when excess water evaporates, however, analyzing the samples for EC will help determine, which crop/grass type will actually have a chance to get establish. For detailed information please refer to the following publications and websites: 1. Soil Testing Unproductive Ar- eas, SF1809. 2. Managing Saline Soils in North Dakota, SF1087 (revised September 2019). 3. The NDSU Langdon Research Extension Center Soil Health web- page: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/ langdonrec/soil-health 4. The NDSU Soil Health web- site: https://www.ndsu.edu/soil- health/ 5. The North Central Research Extension Center Soil Health web- page: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/ NorthCentralREC/soil-health NDSU Extension Notes Anitha Chirumamilla Ag & Natural Resources Agent Cavalier County Extension The NDSU Harvest Bowl pro- gram recognizes the success, dedi- cation and hard work of outstand- ing agriculturists in 53 counties in North Dakota and seven counties in Minnesota were honored during the 46th annual Harvest Bowl pro- gram at North Dakota State Univer- sity on Nov. 8. Brian and Julie Hardy of Wal- halla were the winners chosen for Cavalier County. Brian and Julie Hardy raise wheat, canola, sunflowers and beans on a fourth-generation farm near Walhalla using conventional and no-till farming practices. The Hardys, who have been farming for 40 years, farm with their son. They previously farmed with Brian’s father and brother. Brian also is a member of the North Olga Town- ship Board, and has served on the Walhalla Farmers Elevator and township officers boards. Julie is a registered nurse and regional co- ordinator for the Cavalier branch of Altru Home Care/Hospice. She also is a member of the Cavalier County Health Coalition, Pembina County Behavioral Health Coali- tion, Palliative Care Committee and Pembina County Health Coalition. They have one child. An agribusiness award recipi- ent also is chosen annually. This award recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of agriculture and busi- ness in North Dakota and beyond. This year’s award recipient was Bill Bowman, former North Dakota state senator. More Bowman infor- mation is available at http://bit. ly/2019HBAgriAward. Several scholarships also were awarded to outstanding male and female athletes during Harvest Bowl. Scholarship winners and photos are available at http://bit. ly/2019HBAthletes. Cavalier County Outstanding Agriculturist Award for 2019 honored at NDSU Harvest Bowl is Brian and Julie Hardy Midwest AgEnergy Group (MAG), the parent company to eth- anol biorefineries, Blue Flint, near Underwood, ND and Dakota Spirit, near Spiritwood, ND today an- nounced it is taking the next step in a feasibility level study on Carbon Capture and Storage. The Blue Flint Ethanol facility near Underwood, ND purchases about 25 million bushels of corn and produces over 70 million gallons of ethanol along with about 200,000 tons of dry distillers grains each year. It also produces about 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). The company is investigating the potential to capture the CO2 from the plant and safely sequester it from the atmosphere. Geologic Storage is the process of inject- ing CO2 captured from an indus- trial or energy-related source into deep subsurface rock formations for long-term storage. This is part of a process frequently referred to as “carbon capture and storage” or CCS. Preventing CO2 from enter- ing the atmosphere will decrease the carbon intensity of ethanol fuel produced at the facility. The project could also create federal income tax credits for investors. “We had the Energy and Envi- ronmental Research Center (EERC) conduct a technical feasibility study on the geology surrounding our site for its potential to safely store CO2 from Blue Flint. They concluded that CCS appears technically viable but need much more detailed in- formation about the geology in the area surrounding the plant” said Adam Dunlop – Director of Regula- tory and Technical Services at MAG. The next step will be a geophysi- cal survey to gather information about rock formations buried deep beneath the plant and surrounding area. MAG plans to contract with geophysicists who will use vibra- tions to study the geology in about a nine square mile area surround- ing the plant. The survey method is similar to what is used for oil and gas exploration and is commonly completed in western ND. Analy- sis of the data collected in the study will help to determine if CO2 stor- age is possible and could lead to ad- ditional investigations. Midwest AgEnergy to study carbon capture and storage Men’s Health Clinic Friday, November 22 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. INCLUDES FREE BLOOD SUGAR, PSA, LIPID PANEL AND BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK Call the Langdon Clinic at 256-6120 to reserve your appointment

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Page 1: Irrigation Workshop Set in December · 2019-11-18 · artificially high CEC values, espe-cially if salt levels are high, which is the case for almost all of the un-productive areas

Page 10 – Monday, November 18, 2019 Cavalier County RepublicanAgriculture

Markets Winter Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.45Hard Spring Wheat . . . . . . . . . 4.90Feed Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NASoybeans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.05Canola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.20

Weather H L P Fri., Nov. 8 22 -2 0Saturday 31 22 0Sunday 29 8 .04Monday 11 -5 .01Tuesday 9 -5 0Wednesday 22 - 0Thursday 22 2 .01

The weather this year has pre-sented many challenges, includ-ing a cold, late spring that delayed planting and excess rain starting in late July that significantly affected the harvest season.

“However, there is a future upside to excess rain in that it re-charges both the subsoil in the root zone and fills the aquifers used for irrigation,” says Tom Scherer, North Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineer.

Technology developments ap-plied to water storage structures for irrigation and using subsurface tile for subirrigation will be the high-lights of the NDSU Extension irriga-tion workshop being held Dec. 5 in Bismarck, N.D.

Irrigation provides more consis-tent crop production on a year-to-year basis, allows growth of longer-season crops, diversifies the farm enterprise and provides a consistent supply of forage for animal opera-tions. However, North Dakota typi-cally has excess water in the spring followed by a dry July and August, when crops are maturing and us-ing the most water. Finding ways to store excess water for later use in the growing season is one way to ensure a reliable irrigation water supply.

“The competition for water is

increasing every year and access to good-quality water for expanding irrigated acres will become more difficult in the future,” Scherer says. “However, with a reliable water source, investing in irrigation is a great hedge against drought peri-ods during the growing season.”

The workshop will be in the Grand Pacific Room at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Bis-marck. It will be held in conjunction with the North Dakota Water Users Association convention.

NDSU Extension and the North Dakota Irrigation Association spon-sor the workshop.

An irrigation exposition for sup-pliers to display their products and services will be held at the same time.

The registration fee of $30 is pay-able at the door and includes lunch.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and workshop presentations begin at 8:30 a.m.

The morning session will include remote monitoring of aquifer wa-ter levels, using the local terrain to develop water storage structures, using spring snowmelt water to re-charge an aquifer, an update on the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) and three pre-sentations by farmers using their drain tile systems to subirrigate.

The North Dakota Irrigation As-sociation will hold its annual meet-ing in the same room from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

The afternoon session will in-clude a presentation on using solar power to provide the energy for pumping irrigation water, followed by a special session on irrigation and bioenergy production.

Irrigation Workshop Set in December

FARM LAND FOR CASH RENTCITY OF LANGDON

The following described farmland located in Cavalier Coun-ty will be offered for cash rent: Northwest Quarter of the Southeast Quarter (NW¼SE¼),

Section Twenty-three (23), Township One HundredSixty-one (161), Range Sixty (60).

Tillable Acres: 21.86 acresTERMS: Three-year contract. First year’s payment shall be due April 1, 2020 and each April 1st thereafter for the term of the contract. City reserves the right to reduce the acreage or cancel the land contract with prior sufficient notice. BIDS: Bids must be submitted in writing to Langdon City Auditor, 324 8th Avenue, Langdon, ND 58249, on or before November 22 at 12:00 p.m. All bids will be considered at the Langdon City Commis-sion meeting on November 25, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. All bidders submitting written bids may be present at that time and may raise their bids orally if they so desire. The owner reserves the right to reject any or all bids. INFORMATION: For further information contact RoxAnne Hoffarth, City Auditor at 324 8th Avenue, Langdon, ND. Phone 701-256-2155.

Extent of soil salinity and sodicity in Northeast North Dakota in 2018

by Naeem Kalwar, Extension Soil Health Specialist, LREC

Soil salinity and sodicity are two critical soil health issues produc-ers face in northeast North Dakota. Both result in poor stands or barren spots, especially along the head-lands. As per the 2019 NDSU pro-jected crop budgets for NE North Dakota, producers spend an aver-age of $82 to $187 per acre just to plant soybean, spring wheat, canola and corn. That is a net loss on these areas. It is estimated that at least 15% of the crop land out of a total of 39 million acres in our State is af-fected by salinity. That will be about six million acres.

Excessive levels of water soluble salts result in salinity and deprive plants of water as salts compete with plant roots for water. Soil so-dicity is caused by excessive levels of sodium (Na+) that is attracted to the negative charges of soil clay and humus particles and is not present as a salt. Sodicity makes the soil layers tight by causing “dispersion and swelling”. Sodicity will happen if calcium (Ca2+) levels are lower than sodium. In additions, higher magnesium (Mg2+) levels than cal-cium in the soil exchange complex can also lead to excessive swelling resulting in dense soil layers, es-pecially in case of shrinking and expanding type of clayey soils. Oc-currence of high magnesium levels compared to calcium resulting in dense soil layers in the Red River Valley had been reported by Ellis and Caldwell in 1935 and Clayton in 1936.

Remediation of salinity and so-dicity start by sampling the problem areas three to four-feet deep and analyzing all samples and depths for Electrical Conductivity or EC to assess salinity, Sodium Adsorp-tion Ratio or SAR to assess sodicity and pH by using “Saturated Paste Extract Method”. SAR analysis will also provide individual levels of Ca2+, Mg 2+ and Na+, which could be used to determine if Mg2+ lev-els are higher than Ca2+. If sodicity is established, in order to calculate the rates of soil amendments like gypsum that add Ca2+ to the soils, 0-12-inch depths will also need to be analyzed for Cation Exchange Capacity or CEC by using “Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extrac-tion Method”.

Analyzing the problem areas for salinity, sodicity and in some cases high magnesium levels provides producers a basis to establish a re-mediation plan. Sensing the need, the NDSU Langdon Research Ex-tension Center, NDSU Extension and in some cases crop consultants have been helping producers with sampling and analyzing the unpro-

ductive areas three to four-feet deep since 2012. In 2018, however, this ac-tivity reached its peak as the Lang-don Research Extension Center ac-quired a new pick up mounted soil probe. A total of 40 producers were helped in nine Counties in north-east North Dakota with sampling 136 unproductive sites. Sampling was followed up by a detailed ex-planation of soil results along with suggestions for remediation.

The 2018 results of 133 producer soil samples confirmed the high levels of salinity, sodicity and ex-cessive Mg2+ versus Ca2+ contrary to the common belief that they are not serious soil health issues in the northeast (Graph 1). Though some individual EC levels were higher than 20.0 dS/m, however, even the average EC of the 133 samples for the 0-12-inch depth was 8.96 (dS/m), which is not even suitable for the most salt-tolerant annual crops like barley, oat and sugarbeet. EC levels decreased with depths with an average of 7.13 dS/m (12-24-inch), 6.43 dS/m (24-36-inch) and 6.32 dS/m (36-48-inch). At these salt levels, producers will be better off planting a mix of peren-nial salt-tolerant grasses like Tall Wheatgrass, Slender Wheatgrass, Western Wheatgrass, Green Wheat-grass (AC Saltlander) and Russian Wildrye. These grasses will estab-lish in about a year, reduce evapora-tion, use excess water, add biomass, induce increased microbial activ-ity and could be hayed, grazed or mowed.

The soil SAR levels also were found to be the highest in the 0-12-inch depths with an average of 10.74 for the 133 samples. These SAR results confirmed the sodicity issues in northeast and will require application of soil amendments like gypsum, which will add Ca2+ to the soils. The average SAR levels for the 12-24-inch, 24-36-inch and 36-48-inch depths were 9.17, 8.25 and 8.33 respectively for the 133 samples. High SAR results are also reflected by the high average Na+ (Meq/L) levels compared to aver-age Ca2+ (Meq/L). Higher Ca2+ levels versus Na+ will prevent so-dicity from happening.

Graph 1. Average EC, SAR, pH, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ results of 0-12-inch, 12-24-inch, 24-36-inch and 36-48-inch depths by using Saturated Paste Extract Method and average CEC levels of 0-12-inch depth by using Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extraction Meth-od for 133 producer soil samples

(excluding the results of three sam-ples) that were taken in 2018.

Though not as widespread as sodicity, higher Mg2+ versus Ca2+ levels were also found to be an is-sue, which may need application of amendments that add Ca2+. The higher levels of Na+ and Mg2+ versus Ca2+ and the need for the amendment application to correct these issues also highlights the im-portance of analyzing the true soil CEC by using “Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extraction Meth-od”. The common Addition or Sum-mation Method generally results in artificially high CEC values, espe-cially if salt levels are high, which is the case for almost all of the un-productive areas in the northeast. Higher CEC values will calculate higher rates of soil amendments that are not needed, however, will cost more. The average soil CEC of 133 samples was 25.40 Meq/L.

The average soil pH levels were alkaline and were 7.93 for 0-12-inch, 8.11 for 12-24-inch, 8.09 for 24-36-inch and 8.05 for 36-48-inch depths.

The 2018 results highlight the importance of sampling the areas that either do not produce anything or produce way below the yield potential three to four-feet deep in 12-inch increments and analyzing the samples for EC, SAR and pH by using the Saturated Paste Extract Method and CEC by using Sodium Saturation and Ammonium Extrac-tion Method. That is especially im-portant as often there are no clear visual symptoms of sodicity and high Mg2+ issues at the soil surface. For salinity, salts may form a vis-ible crust at the soil surface when excess water evaporates, however, analyzing the samples for EC will help determine, which crop/grass type will actually have a chance to get establish.

For detailed information please refer to the following publications and websites:

1. Soil Testing Unproductive Ar-eas, SF1809.

2. Managing Saline Soils in North Dakota, SF1087 (revised September 2019).

3. The NDSU Langdon Research Extension Center Soil Health web-

page: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/langdonrec/soil-health

4. The NDSU Soil Health web-site: https://www.ndsu.edu/soil-health/

5. The North Central Research Extension Center Soil Health web-page: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/NorthCentralREC/soil-health

NDSU Extension NotesAnitha ChirumamillaAg & NaturalResources AgentCavalier County Extension

The NDSU Harvest Bowl pro-gram recognizes the success, dedi-cation and hard work of outstand-ing agriculturists in 53 counties in North Dakota and seven counties in Minnesota were honored during the 46th annual Harvest Bowl pro-gram at North Dakota State Univer-sity on Nov. 8.

Brian and Julie Hardy of Wal-halla were the winners chosen for Cavalier County.

Brian and Julie Hardy raise wheat, canola, sunflowers and beans on a fourth-generation farm near Walhalla using conventional and no-till farming practices. The Hardys, who have been farming for 40 years, farm with their son. They previously farmed with Brian’s father and brother. Brian also is a member of the North Olga Town-ship Board, and has served on the Walhalla Farmers Elevator and township officers boards. Julie is a registered nurse and regional co-ordinator for the Cavalier branch of Altru Home Care/Hospice. She also is a member of the Cavalier County Health Coalition, Pembina County Behavioral Health Coali-tion, Palliative Care Committee and Pembina County Health Coalition.

They have one child.An agribusiness award recipi-

ent also is chosen annually. This award recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the field of agriculture and busi-ness in North Dakota and beyond. This year’s award recipient was Bill Bowman, former North Dakota

state senator. More Bowman infor-mation is available at http://bit.ly/2019HBAgriAward.

Several scholarships also were awarded to outstanding male and female athletes during Harvest Bowl. Scholarship winners and photos are available at http://bit.ly/2019HBAthletes.

Cavalier County Outstanding Agriculturist Award for 2019 honored at NDSU Harvest Bowl is Brian and Julie Hardy

Midwest AgEnergy Group (MAG), the parent company to eth-anol biorefineries, Blue Flint, near Underwood, ND and Dakota Spirit, near Spiritwood, ND today an-nounced it is taking the next step in a feasibility level study on Carbon Capture and Storage.

The Blue Flint Ethanol facility near Underwood, ND purchases about 25 million bushels of corn and produces over 70 million gallons of ethanol along with about 200,000 tons of dry distillers grains each year. It also produces about 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

The company is investigating the potential to capture the CO2 from the plant and safely sequester it from the atmosphere. Geologic Storage is the process of inject-ing CO2 captured from an indus-trial or energy-related source into deep subsurface rock formations for long-term storage. This is part of a process frequently referred to as “carbon capture and storage” or CCS. Preventing CO2 from enter-ing the atmosphere will decrease the carbon intensity of ethanol fuel produced at the facility. The project

could also create federal income tax credits for investors.

“We had the Energy and Envi-ronmental Research Center (EERC) conduct a technical feasibility study on the geology surrounding our site for its potential to safely store CO2 from Blue Flint. They concluded that CCS appears technically viable but need much more detailed in-formation about the geology in the area surrounding the plant” said Adam Dunlop – Director of Regula-tory and Technical Services at MAG.

The next step will be a geophysi-cal survey to gather information about rock formations buried deep beneath the plant and surrounding area. MAG plans to contract with geophysicists who will use vibra-tions to study the geology in about a nine square mile area surround-ing the plant. The survey method is similar to what is used for oil and gas exploration and is commonly completed in western ND. Analy-sis of the data collected in the study will help to determine if CO2 stor-age is possible and could lead to ad-ditional investigations.

Midwest AgEnergy to study carbon capture and storage

Men’s Health ClinicFriday,

November 227:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.

INCLUDES FREEBLOOD SUGAR, PSA,

LIPID PANEL ANDBLOOD PRESSURE CHECK

Call the Langdon Clinicat 256-6120

to reserve your appointment