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jschramm@minotdailynews.com Combines bring in the 2020 grain harvest near Minot. Strong commodity demand has caused prices for wheat, corn and soybeans to go up this winter. Jill Schramm/MDN A rally in market prices for corn, soybeans and wheat this winter has area producers taking their time making planting decisions this spring. Tony Smith, grain division manager at CHS SunPrairie, said the company has been getting numerous calls and questions from farmers related to planting. “I am not sure that a lot of decisions have been made,” he said. “Some in our area are really dry so they nee...

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Photo by The Nature Conservancy A fire crew watches over a prescribed burn in North Dakota. On a sunny day last May, Craig Larson saw 110 acres of grassland on his ranch in Sheridan County go up flames. Driven by a steady breeze, the fire chewed quickly through the heavy thatch on the soil surface. The two-foot tall orange flames seemed alive as they leapt over each other. White smoke billowed into the blue sky. But Larson didn’t despair. It was a planned burn being done by the North Dakota Prescribed Fire Cooperative (NDPFC) – a coalition l...

Mar 2, 2021 On Jan. 30, four 4-H members from Ward and McLean Counties travelled to Rapid City, South Dakota to compete in the Black Hills Stock Show Hippology and Horse Quiz Bowl Contests. The combined Senior Team included Emily Fannik, Max; Olivia Lebrun, Berthold; Anne Schauer, Carpio; and Mikaela Woodruff, Garrison. Hippology is divided into four phases: horse judging, written exam, stations, and team problem. Points are combined by the top three scores in each category. Age divisions are split into Junior (ages 8 to 10), Intermediate (11 to 13), and Senior (14 to 18). The eight teams th...

kfundingsland@minotdailynews.com Dry conditions during the winter season are­­ not particularly unusual in North Dakota, where winter snowfall is relied upon to replenish soil moisture. So far this winter though, snowfall has been very minimal. The lack of snow cover, following a year of much less than average precipitation, becomes more concerning as the days become longer. Without an ample snowpack to melt and soak into the soil the reversal of dry conditions heading into spring becomes dependant on sufficient rainfall. The U.S. Drought Monitor rates 62% of the state as being in “s...