Interesting infographic provided by the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council that shows the results of their 2024 wheat variety survey of Minnesota wheat producers.
2024 Wheat Variety Survey Results
Propagation
NOP Delays Organic Mushrooms and Pet Food Final Rule Effective Date
From the USDA:
Today, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service published a document to delay the effective date of the Market Development for Mushrooms and Pet Food Final Rule (89 FR 104367), which was published on December 23, 2024. An effective date is the date when a regulation or rule starts to apply or take effect. The effective date of the Market Development for Mushrooms and Pet Food Final Rule is delayed until March 21, 2025.
The delay is being published in accordance with the memorandum of January 20, 2025, from the President to executive departments and agencies, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” (90 FR 8249).
The final rule provided an additional two (2) years for organic operations to comply with the requirements of the final rule. With the change in effective date, all organic mushroom and pet food operations must comply with the rule by March 22, 2027.
Organic Final Rule Published for Mushrooms and Pet Food
From the USDA:
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) published the final rule on Market Development for Mushrooms and Pet Food in December 2024. This change to the USDA organic regulations will promote a fairer market for all mushroom and pet food producers and encourage growth in these sectors by ensuring that USDA-certified organic products are produced to the same consistent standard. The rule will provide increased certainty to support conditions necessary for growth in the organic mushroom and pet food markets and markets for related inputs (e.g., organic production by-products).
What does the rule do?
The rule adds consistent standards for organic mushroom production and pet food handling. It clarifies the requirements for these products to ensure the standards are consistently applied and enforced. In general, the rule will:
- Clarify which crop production standards mushroom producers should use, and which new requirements should be followed for mushroom substrate and spawn used in mushroom production.
- Standardize existing practices in organic pet food handling by applying the regulations for organic processed products to pet food.
- Allow the synthetic amino acid taurine to be used in organic pet food.
Establishing clear and uniform standards will give organic mushroom and pet food producers the confidence and certainty to know they are operating in a fair and competitive market.
When must organic operations comply with the rule?
The final rule goes into effect on February 21, 2025.
AMS is allowing an additional two (2) years for organic operations to comply with the requirements of the final rule. All organic mushroom and pet food operations must comply with the rule by February 22, 2027. However, organic operations may choose to comply with the final rule prior to the compliance date.
View the Final Rule here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30211/national-organic-program-market-development-for-mushrooms-and-pet-food.
Thank You, Annual Meeting Sponsors and Exhibitors
Every year, MCIA is honored to have the support of sponsors and exhibitors for our Annual Meeting. Our sincere thanks to following organizations and businesses whose support contributed to the success of the 2025 MCIA Annual Meeting, held January 29, 2025, at the Holiday Inn & Suites in St. Cloud.
Premier Sponsor
Foundation Sponsors
Certified Sponsors
Achievement in Crop Improvement Award Sponsor
Door Prize Sponsor
- Northern Excellence Seed
Exhibitors
- Bratney
- Grain Millers
- Natural Resources Conservation Service—Minnesota
- Profile Industries
- SDSU Seed Testing Lab
- Strategic Wealth Group and Strategic Tax Group
Some photos of our exhibitors:
Members Elect, Ratify Three Directors to MCIA Board, and Approve Bylaws Amendment
The 2025 MCIA Annual Meeting, which was held Wednesday, January 29, 2025, included an election to fill two Category A Director seats on the MCIA Board of Directors. Category A directors serve 3-year terms of office. MCIA members elected two persons who are new to the MCIA Board: Brian Jensen (District 1) and Michael Backman (District 2). Members also ratified the nomination of incumbent Nancy Ehlke as the board’s Category B Director (who is nominated by the Director of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station to serve a one-year term of office). In addition, members approved an amendment to MCIA’s bylaws that was proposed by the MCIA Board of Directors.
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Background information about the newly elected and ratified directors follows.
Brian Jensen (District 1). Brian grew up on the family farm near Stephen, Minnesota, and enjoyed helping on the farm and working in the seed conditioning plant at an early age. After graduating high school from Stephen, he attended NDSU and received a degree in agronomy and agriculture economics. He has continued farming and running Jensen Seed Co. with his father and family to this day. The farm grows wheat, barley, soybeans, sugar beets, corn, and dry beans among other crops over the years. The on-farm MCIA-Approved Seed Conditioning facility primarily conditions small grains. Jensen Farms and Jensen Seed Co. have been MCIA members for over 40 years, producing and conditioning certified seed including foundation wheat and barley for MCIA.
Brian has served on the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council, Augsburg Township, Storm Booster Club, and Church Council. Brian and his wife Betsy have three children and enjoy the diversity of their farm and seed business and look forward to helping the next generation grow. In his spare time Brian enjoys spending time at the lake and outdoor activities with his family.
Michael Backman (District 2). Michael Backman is a fourth-generation farmer from Herman, Minnesota. Michael farms alongside his parents, Tim and Marilyn, and his brothers, Pat and James. The Backman family raise corn, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets. In addition to selling corn and soybean seed, they also operate a seed cleaning facility that primarily processes hard red spring wheat.
Off the farm, Michael is an active member of Herman Fire & Rescue, head coach of the local youth downhill ski racing team, Logan Township board member, and a parish council member at St. Charles Catholic Church. Michael and his fiancée, Jonnah, will be married this coming July.
Nancy Ehlke (Nominee from the University of Minnesota) Nancy Ehlke is a professor and plant breeder in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota. She has been a member of the department faculty since 1986 and is nationally recognized as a plant breeder working on forage legumes, turf grasses, and native plant species. She is also a fellow in both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. In addition to her administrative and teaching responsibilities, Nancy leads research and outreach activities in northern Minnesota with the grass and legume seed producers. She received her PhD from Pennsylvania State University. She has been an MCIA board member since 2006.
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Members approved the following amendment to Article XII—Miscellaneous, 12.8 Financial Accounts, of the MCIA bylaws:
The Board of Directors shall examine the accounts of the Association at their meetings as set forth herein, and shall, in addition, conduct a financial review every year and a financial audit at least once every three years by a disinterested competent accountant, or by a committee of three members of the Association who are not members of the Board of Directors.
Approved bylaws revision, above, highlighted in red.
MCIA Presents Annual Awards
On January 25, 2029, Minnesota Crop Improvement Association presented its highest honor, the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award, to brothers Mac Ehrhardt and Tom Ehrhardt of Albert Lea Seed. The award, presented annually since 1972, recognizes exemplary service to the seed industry as well as outstanding leadership in agriculture.
MCIA also recognized four Premier Seed Grower awardees, Brad Barth of Thief River Falls, Brian and Betsy Jensen of Stephen, and Maynard Peterson of Stephen. Each year since 1928, MCIA has presented this award to recognize individuals or partners involved in quality seed production, active in MCIA, and who provide excellent service to the seed industry.
The recipients of MCIA’s Honorary Premier Seed Grower Award this year were retired MCIA field inspector Lonnie Perrine and Brent Turnipseed, Professor Emeritus of Agronomy, South Dakota State University. This award recognizes individuals not directly involved in seed production but who have actively supported the seed industry, MCIA, and their local community. MCIA has presented this award annually since 1930.
The awards were presented at the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association’s 122nd Annual Meeting. The event was held at the Holiday Inn and Suites in St. Cloud, Minnesota, January 29, 2025.
Following are brief profiles of each awardee. More detailed coverage will be provided in the spring issue of the Minnesota Seed Grower.
Achievement in Crop Improvement Award
Mac Ehrhardt and Tom Ehrhardt are third-generation co-owners of Albert Lea Seed, a family business located in southern Minnesota, founded in 1923. At the start, it provided seed and other farm supplies. As children, the two brothers did age-appropriate work for the business, sweeping the seed conditioning plant and bagging seed potatoes and garden seeds. After graduating from college, both brothers found their way back home and eventually assumed leadership of the family business, working side-by-side for over thirty years.
While the company has always worked with a wide range of certified crop species, their growth and niche has been in nontraited and organic seed. Albert Lea Seed became one of the top suppliers of non-GMO and organic seed in the United States. Their Blue River Organic, Viking Non-GMO, and Albert Lea Seed product lines are well known across the country. Their success story continues today with over 40 employees and 6,000 customers across the Midwest and beyond. The business has adopted a stock-ownership structure that will, over time, transition ownership of the company to an employee group, establishing the next generation of management.
Mac and Tom’s involvement with MCIA runs deep, as heirs to decades of certified seed production and as advocates for new program development; for example, MCIA’s Non-GMO Seed Traceability and 99.9% Non-GMO programs.
The Ehrhardt brothers have worked with countless farmers and seed producers across the state, building relationships as well as a tremendous reputation. Among Albert Lea Seeds’ innovations are online seed sales, field days, and crop production conferences. Tom and Mac have both said that personal relationships with their customers and seeing their customers’ success in the field have been two of the greatest rewards of Albert Lea Seeds’ business.
Mac Ehrhardt accepted the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award, saying, “I’m really honored because I feel like I’m accepting it on behalf of everybody in my company, because it’s a team.”
Premier Seed Grower Awards
Brad Barth, of Thief River Falls, grew up in northern Minnesota, and was introduced to farming through his father’s work in agriculture. However, Brad’s first career, lasting 17 years, was in accounting. Around 1997, he and his wife, Joyce, started Brad Barth Farms, doing custom work and their own crop production. About 10 years later, they built an MCIA-approved, on-farm seed conditioning facility and seed business.
Today, Brad Barth Farms grows certified wheat varieties that they sell and supply to many area growers and MCIA Approved Facilities. Almost all their soybean seed production is for a private company.
Brad has served on the MCIA Board of Directors for six years, five of those years as chairman. Hosting the AOSCA annual meeting in Minesota in 2023 was a highlight of his board tenure.
Brian and Betsy Jensen, of Stephen, farm from the edge of the Lake Agassiz beach ridge to the heart of the Red River Valley. Brian grew up on his family’s farm near Stephen, Minnesota. Betsy grew up near Bricelyn, Minnesota. Her family had a crop and livestock farm and owned a Case farm equipment dealership.
The two met while studying at NDSU. After they married, Brian returned to the farm and seed business; Betsy worked as a commodity broker. A few years later, she began teaching farm management at Northland College. She has also conducted marketing classes and written a regular column for Prairie Grains magazine.
Brian and Betsy have continued to grow their farm, raising wheat, barley, soybeans, sugar beets, canola, and pinto beans. Their seed business, Jensen Seed Co., conditions certified seed and does custom cleaning. They raise and condition MCIA foundation seed. Brian and Betsy are very active in their local community.
Maynard Peterson, of Stephen, grew up in a farming family in northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. He attended East Grand Forks Technical college for diesel mechanics, all the while working on the family farm. After college, he worked for neighboring farmers, and at his own farm operation. His farm grew, field by field. Maynard’s certified seed production started when a nearby farmer, John Jensen, asked him to grow certified seed, as Jensen Seed Co. had an on-farm seed conditioning facility. Seed production became an important part of the farm.
Today the farm grows wheat, soybeans, sugar beets, corn, and canola. Seed production continues for both certified wheat and soybeans for a private company. Maynard says he has always enjoyed growing crops, raising seed, and the great friendships he has made in the seed business.
Honorary Premier Seed Grower Awards
Lonnie Perrine, of Perham, began working for MCIA as a part-time field inspector in 1999. He inspected his final fields for MCIA in 2021. Over the years, Lonnie has inspected tens of thousands of acres of small grains and soybeans. He also inspected approved seed conditioner and bulk handling facilities for 10 years.
Describing varieties is both a technical ability and art. Through the years, Lonnie’s report writing and documentation became well known for their detail, clarity, and professionalism. Lonnie provided MCIA with one of its most valuable inspection tools ever: “Lonnie’s Soybean Grading” card. It is used by MCIA’s inspectors to determine the timing of field inspections.
Lonnie and his wife, Linda, have lived on their farm in the Perham area for over 47 years. Lonnie was recently recognized by his local church for over 50 years of dedication as a member of the worship team.
Brent Turnipseed has had a long and illustrious academic career. In his 33 years (so far) at South Dakota State University he has served as an assistant department head, professor, seed laboratory manager, student advisor, research lead, and crops team coach. Today, in what is described as a “working retirement transition,” he serves as Interim Department Head of the Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Science Department. Brent’s seed laboratory work and research, along with his teaching and student advising, is well known throughout the Midwest and the entire country.
Brent has worked closely with MCIA in many aspects of seed testing, including conducting all seed tests on MCIA samples for many years and, today, the SDSU Seed Laboratory partners with MCIA on tests that need to be outsourced.
There is no way to truly measure the impact Brent has made on his students, staff, and the seed industry over the years. His contributions may best be described as unmeasurable.
MCIA Board to Propose Bylaws Amendment
The MCIA Board of Directors intends to propose an amendment to the Association’s bylaws at the MCIA Annual Meeting on January 29, 2025.
The proposal would change the wording of the following passage of Article XII—Miscellaneous, 12.8 Financial Accounts:
The Board of Directors shall examine the accounts of the Association at their meetings as set forth herein, and shall, in addition, have the books audited at least once a year by a disinterested competent accountant, or by a committee of three members of the Association who are not members of the Board of Directors.
The amended version would read:
The Board of Directors shall examine the accounts of the Association at their meetings as set forth herein, and shall, in addition, conduct a financial review every year and a financial audit at least once every three years by a disinterested competent accountant, or by a committee of three members of the Association who are not members of the Board of Directors.
(Changes, above, highlighted in red.)
The proposed amendment will be considered at the meeting. Adoption of the proposed amendment requires an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present and entitled to vote at the meeting.
You may view this proposed amendment in the context of MCIA’s complete Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, here: https://docs.mncia.org/public/annual_meeting/Proposed-Bylaws-Amendment-250129.pdf.
Seed Testing and Labeling Reminders
Properly Label Seed in Totes
MCIA requires that seed being sold in tote containers must be labeled with a certification tag. A bulk certificate should not be used when distributing seed in tote containers. Any seed class may be sold in tote containers using a certification tag as proof of certification.
In cases where tote containers are unloaded into the buyer’s vehicle, the tags must be provided to the buyer.
Submit Sampling Reports with Test Samples
Remember to submit a completed Sampling Report with every sample submitted for testing—this includes preliminary germs and germ updates, retesting, etc. Also, be sure to include any other documentation required to complete certification, such as Dome and Anthracnose results for field beans, Diaporthe and Pseudomonas results for OECD/EC soybeans, or molecular testing results when applicable for corn.
When Interagency Certification applies, include a completed and signed Certificate of Transfer for Seed Certification or proof of final certification (label or bulk cert). This will prevent delays in processing your samples.
Seed Certification Handbook Updated
The MCIA Seed Certification Handbook has been updated to indicate that the maximum size limit for small grain and soybean seed sold in bags or totes was increased from 2,500 to 5,000 bushels.
Download a current copy of the Handbook from this link: https://docs.mncia.org/public/seedcert/Seed-Certification-Handbook.pdf.
The Handbook is also available on the Client Resources page of the MCIA website: https://www.mncia.org/resources.
MCIA-MDA Collaboration Upholds Quality Seed
BY Fawad Shah, President/CEO
The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association plays a key role in enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability across the state of Minnesota. A cornerstone of this work is MCIA’s partnership with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Seed and Biotechnology Unit. This collaboration aims to ensure the availability of high-quality seed through seed certification; the use of high-quality seed is encouraged through educational and promotional activities.
MDA’s Seed and Biotechnology Unit is integral to maintaining and enhancing the quality of seed sold in Minnesota. By working closely with MCIA, MDA helps facilitate a comprehensive framework for seed certification, which guarantees that farmers have access to reliable, disease-free, and genetically diverse seeds. This is crucial not only for crop yield but also for the long-term health of Minnesota agriculture.
MCIA recently hosted a group of officials from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, including seed inspectors and seed lab staff, at Western Integrated Seed’s operation in Cokato. MCIA’s staff distributed educational materials and delivered talks regarding seed certification, seed testing, and foundation seed. This presentation was followed by an informal roundtable discussion to explore and explain various scenarios that can and do occur in the seed industry, and to answer questions about Plant Variety Protection (PVP) and species tested in our seed lab.
One of the chief results of this organizational collaboration is the development of new educational programs and resources that foster cooperation and information sharing in the seed space. Another significant outcome of MCIA-MDA collaboration is to strengthen the commitment to regulatory compliance and seed quality assurance. MDA’s regulatory framework, combined with MCIA’s certification processes, ensures that seed varieties distributed within the state meet stringent quality standards. This joint effort helps to maintain Minnesota’s reputation as a leader in agricultural innovation and productivity. By ensuring high-quality seed availability and enhancing educational outreach, this partnership not only benefits farmers but also contributes to the overall vitality of the state’s agricultural sector.