Cattle sales ending

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Sioux Falls Stockyards held its fi nal cattle sale in June, after 92 years of business.

The stockyards are ending cattle auctions in part because of its inability to comply with city wastewater rules. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the growth of suburbs around yards and new ways of marketing cattle, such as video sales, also have hurt stockyards.

The Sioux Falls Stockyards opened in 1917 and grew to become a focal point for livestock in the Upper Midwest. Thursday’s auction attracted a standing-room-only crowd of 150 at the stockyards’ Cattle Arena.

In Sioux Falls, 210,620 head of cattle went through the barn in 2004, manager Paul Scott said. By last year, the number declined to 90,131, he said.

The 35-acre Sioux Falls property is for sale, listed at $3.5 million.

Potato storage down

North Dakota potato growers, dealers and processors held 29 percent less potatoes in storage this year from a year ago, and 5 percent less than two years ago, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, North Dakota.

Current stocks represent 9 percent of production, down from 12 percent last year but up from 8 percent two years ago. Total stocks are defi ned as all potatoes on hand, regardless of use, including those that will be lost through future shrinkage and dumping.

Extension specialist honored

The National Sunflower Association (NSA) will be honoring Dr. Duane Berglund, former North Dakota State University Extension specialist with its highest honor: the Gold Award. The award is presented to individuals who have contributed extraordinarily to the overall sunfl ower industry.

Berglund was a newly appointed NDSU agronomist when sunfl ower was introduced to the upper Midwest in the middle 1970s. He adopted the crop and became a key resource for new growers throughout the region speaking at hundreds of meetings.

Despite his retirement, Berglund continues to coordinate the annual sunfl ower crop survey which includes the area from Manitoba to Texas.

ND receiving grant

North Dakota will be receiving a Specialty Crop Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) in the amount of $526,675.46.

The grants are to be used to “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops”. This is the scope of the grant as stated in the federal register and can be found on the Department of Agriculture Web site at www.agdepartment. com. Click on the “specialty crop grant 2009.”

NDSU rider places fifth nationally

Janelle Lanoue, a member of North Dakota State University’s horse show team, fi nished fi fth in the advanced division of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association’s national competition in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The competition was held at Middle Tennessee State University on April 24-26. Lanoue, a sophomore from Alexan-dria, Minn., earned the trip to the national competition by placing third in semifinal competition at the University of Findlay, Findlay, Ohio, in March.