Truth In Advertising -- September 22, 2019

Earlier this week, a reader sent me a link to this KFYR [K-Fire] TV, Bismarck, ND: Taiwan to purchase agricultural products to the tune of $3.5 billion from the US over the next two years. That includes soybeans and wheat, some of which could come from North Dakota, along with corn and beef.

Sounds huge, doesn't it?

Sounds like another bragging point for President Trump.

What irritates me with today's journalists: so much is never put in perspective. In this case, how does $3.5 billion over two years compare to recent history?

It took less than a New York minute to find the answer.

Here's the USDA link.

Here's the screenshot:

So, note. From the same source, the USDA via IHS Markit, in 2018, Taiwan imported $11.746 billion worth of agricultural products from around the world. It was estimated that 36% of that was from the US.

36% of $11.746 billion = $4.223 billion. For one year.

$4.223 billion for one year.

Now, back to the KFYR-TV story:$3.8 billion over two years. Taiwan plans to buy less over two years than they bought from the US last year, and the year before that, and in 2014.

Disclaimer: I often make simply errors in arithmetic.

Why I Love To Blog -- Reason #1 -- Feedback From Readers -- August 11, 2019

It's hard to believe but I had a great post on PBR almost ten years ago, July 20, 2010:

In addition to being number four in production of oil in the continental United States, number one in dry edible beans, and number one in honey production, North Dakota can now add another first: first in broncing bulls.

Up until this year the number one contractor for rodeo bulls came from Oklahoma or Texas. The best bulls in the world now come from North Dakota.

This year (2010_ PBR Professional Bull Riders Stock was named Contractor of the Year. PBR is located seven miles south of Mandan, ND. Look for the dust raised by stomping bulls. 

Chad Berger:

Chad Berger's ride to the top was meteoric and took only a bit longer than a ride on one of his bulls.

In 2003, Berger, a longtime professional cattle buyer, started building his own string of bulls that now numbers about 200 head, including Professional Bull Riders association stars Big Tex and Code Blue.

So, now, fast forward to earlier this summer, from The Bismarck Tribune:

The Mandan-based, eight-time PBR Stock Contractor of the Year – including the last five in a row – is primed for No. 9 with another loaded pen of behemoths in 2019.

With three of the top six ranked bulls in the world – Smooth Operator (No. 2), Smooth Wreck (No. 3) and Legit (No. 6) -- and six of the top 16, it’s been another banner year even by Berger’s lofty standards.

More from the article:

Berger will have many of his top-ranked bulls inside the Bismarck Event Center for the 19th Annual Dakota Community Bank & Trust PBR Bull Riding Challenge this weekend. The action begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The stars are turning out.

Among the A-list of riders coming to town are current world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, No. 3 Chase Outlaw, No. 4 Jess Lockwood, No. 5 Cody Teel, No. 6 Cooper Davis, No. 7 Luciano De Castro, No. 8 Derek Kolbaba and No. 9 Ryan Dirteater.

“All the guys you see on TV, the top bull riders, the best bull fighters, the top funny man (Flint Rasmussen), they’re all going to be there,” Berger said.

For the team challenge, Berger set up a draft with five captains. Held in April in Sioux Falls, S.D., each captain drafted three bull riders to create teams of four.

The team captains are Lockwood, Davis, Vitor Leme, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney, and six-time PBR World Finals qualifier Stetson Lawrence from Williston.

Lawrence’s team is made up of all Native Americans, including Dirteater – replacing the injured Colton Jesse – plus Cody Jesus and Cannon Cravens.

The Graphiic Page: Random Update On World Agriculture; US Crude Oil Production -- March 3, 2019

From FAO, a definition, ha/hg:

The data reported under this element represent the harvested production per unit of harvested area for crop products. In most of the cases yield data are not recorded but obtained by dividing the data stored under production element by those recorded under element: area harvested. Data are recorded in hectogramme (100 grammes) per hectare (HG/HA).

Reminder: Thomas Robert Malthus, 1766 - 1834.

Worldwide, here is the productivity of land used for growing wheat:

I find that absolutely amazing. It is simply amazing how productive terra firma is for growing wheat. The y axis is productivity, hg/ha. The graphic is for wheat. 

Now, the next question, is more or less land being turned over to agriculture? Here's the data:

The y axis is hectares of land on a global basis. Again, I find that amazing, all the land that is being added over the years to grow wheat. I assume the same holds for corn, and other agricultural products, depending on demand.

To get to those graphs, start here. At that link, scroll down quite a ways.

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US Crude Oil Production

From Mark Perry, last week:

Reminder: M. King Hubbert, 1903 -- 1989. Never lived to see the Bakken revolution, or as Art Berman calls it, the Bakken retirement party.

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Pew

Also from Mark Perry:

 I assume folks being polled were not told that humans have but 12 years left on earth.

Almost As Bad As Crying, "The Sky Is Falling, The Sky Is Falling" -- February 19, 2019

When I saw the headline in The Williston Herald, I said to myself, "oh, no, here we go again."

Fortunately it's an old story, easily explained, easily managed. From Montana State University almost one year ago at msuextension:

Due to Montana’s arid environment, we tend to have soils with a high pH, usually ranging from 6.5 to 8.5.

The average soil pH for Broadwater County is about 8.0.

If you have a high pH soil, one of the first questions you’ll likely ask is “how do I change it?” Unfortunately, it’s not easy. 

The two most common amendments to lower pH are sulfur and aluminum sulfate.  Aluminum sulfate works more quickly, whereas sulfur can take several months.  Routinely adding organic matter can also improve the pH.  Always be cautious when adding fertilizer and soil amendments.  Too much of a good thing, isn’t always a good thing.  Use your soil test to determine how much fertilizer or organic matter should be used. 

Acidic soils and the need to raise pH is rare in Montana. Cropland in central Montana are starting to have an issue with soil acidification due to high inputs for many years, but this is rare.  Limestone is the common amendment used to raise pH.

Broadwater County, Montana, is pretty much near the center of the state, just east of Helena, and a long, long way from the Bakken. 

Diamonds and Rust, Joan Baez