🧵 Episode Description:
A stormy start to the week brings a packed episode of Weather & Ag In Focus as Dean and Bridgette dive into everything from field hail damage and severe weather alerts to ag finance recovery programs and chemical disposal efforts across North Dakota. Special guest Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring joins to unpack two huge statewide efforts:
🌾 The Project Safe Send pesticide disposal initiative, and
🏗️ A new bridge loan program for storm-damaged grain storage, irrigation systems, and more.
Plus:
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🌩️ Flash flood tragedy in Texas sparks a passionate safety PSA
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🚜 Farm replant deadlines and the race against frost
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🦺 How Gen X exited agriculture — and why we’re still feeling it
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🛡️ New $25M cybersecurity bill targeting threats to America’s ag sector
⏱️ Key Moments & Timestamps:
00:00 – 04:00 | 🌧️ Weather Rundown & Storm Recap
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Showers rolling through Lakes Country and South Fargo
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Severe risk peaking Thursday evening with hail + damaging wind
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“The real LRC stormy cycle” coming late July into early August
04:00 – 06:15 | 🌾 Here We Grow: Field Damage & Crop Progress
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35% hail damage in wheat field from June 27th storm
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Canola blossoms lost nearby
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Too late to replant wheat; soybeans replant window has just passed
Bridgette: “We’re hoping for no frost until Halloween!” 😅
06:15 – 11:50 | 🚨 Texas Flash Flood Tragedy & Weather Radios PSA
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Hill Country storm dropped feet of rain in 45 minutes
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Dean debunks social media blaming NWS: “They were overstaffed!”
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Urges everyone to carry NOAA radios when off-grid
“Cell service doesn’t work in canyons. Radios save lives.”
11:50 – 13:40 | 🧪 Interview: Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring – Project Safe Send
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Free pesticide disposal program (July 8–23, 12 cities across ND)
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Accepts: herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides
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Won’t accept: fuels, antifreeze, fertilizers, and… TNT 💥
🚫 “Please don’t put dynamite in your trunk and drive it around.” 😂
13:40 – 20:40 | 🧯 What Happens to All That Chemical Waste?
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Products incinerated by a high-temp contractor in Minnesota
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Paid for via registration fees (think: Roundup to Raid to OFF!)
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Public, farmers, gov agencies, and small agribusinesses all welcome
20:40 – 30:15 | 💰 Bridge Loan Program for Storm-Damaged Ag Sites
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$37M released by ND Industrial Commission
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Covers: bins, grain legs, dryers, machine shops, irrigation, livestock barns
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Process: Apply via local bank → Bank of ND backs the loan
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Program open now through Dec 31, 2025
⚠️ Farmers urged to act quickly before harvest crunch
30:15 – 35:37 | 📉 Ag Leadership Gap, Cyber Threats & The 80s Legacy
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Land-grant college ag enrollment down 37% since the ‘80s
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New bill proposes $25M/year to launch 5 regional Ag Cybersecurity Centers
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Food supply, irrigation, and seed companies are all vulnerable
👩💻 Bridgette: “Maybe it’s time to ditch the Yahoo account…”
35:37 – 37:01 | ⚠️ Closing Weather Alert & Umbrella Hat Nostalgia
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Be weather aware 5–9pm: scattered storms possible
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Bridgette proposes concert “umbrella hats” as stylish storm gear