If you need a reminder that winter is upon us, the annual Prairie Grains Conference is usually a pretty good indicator. For starters, it’s the first big conference of the winter meeting season, and secondly, it never fails that Mother Nature’s impact is felt on the northern valley during that week as well.  

That was again the case in 2025: A solid eight inches of snow and a little ice hit the Red River Valley on the eve of the conference, but that didn’t stop producers from taking in the meetings, breakout sessions and keynote speakers Dec. 10-11 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D.  

It will take more than a winter wallop to keep these hearty folks away from the region’s premier indoor ag conference and trade show.  

“It’s kind of to be expected at this point,” said Kyle Jore, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) secretary. “Luckily it wasn’t as cold this year, but it was pretty snowy, and it might have taken folks a little longer to plow out their driveways to get here.”  

The Prairie Grains Conference is a joint effort of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and North Dakota Grain Growers Association, bringing together soybean, wheat and barley producers from throughout northwest Minnesota and North Dakota to learn about the latest in research, weather, marketing and more.  

MSR&PC Research Director Sergio Cabello Leiva gives an update during the Soybean Reporting Session Dec. 11, 2025, at Prairie Grains Conference.

“I really enjoy Prairie Grains because as someone who lives in the northern part of the state, I see a lot of faces that I recognize, so it gets to be a reunion of sorts,” said Jore, who farms in Thief River Falls. “There’s always a great lineup of speakers, and this year was no different.” 

Research discoveries 

On Day One, members of the area Minnesota soybean county associations gathered for a meeting to learn about happenings at the state level as well as learn from other local county soybean organization on how they are promoting soybeans and agriculture in their counties. While MSR&PC directors were unable to attend, an old friend returned to Prairie Grains: former Director Kris Folland. Mike Skaug, past MSGA president and director, also reunited with Minnesota Soybean colleagues in his role on the Polk County Board.   

On Day Two, MSR&PC Director of Research Sergio Cabello Leiva hosted the soybean reporting session, where producers had the opportunity to learn from a handful of the University of Minnesota researchers on their latest checkoff support research projects and agronomic issues and trends throughout the state.  

“Minnesota is a very big and diverse state, but overall, as a whole our average yield was above average at 51 bushels an acre in 2025, so despite less planted acres than 2024 we still had produced more bushels this year,” Cabello Leiva said. “We did, however, discover red crown rot for the first time, which could drastically damage our yield. We are working on it and it’s something producers should be aware of.”  

Cabello Leiva also reported on soybean iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) and soybean cyst nematode problems that were common throughout the state. Other topics presented during the session focused on pest management, diseases and fertilizer management.  

It was also the first Prairie Grains experience for the new MSR&PC research director, who took advantage of the opportunity to mingle with producers and gather feedback in the northern half of the state.   

“Prairie Grains is a very special conference when you see hundreds and hundreds of farmers interacting with each other and giving firsthand experience with us scientists and researchers,” said Cabello Leiva. “I’m super honored to be here and thankful for the support. We had a lot of great conversations and interactions that I truly do appreciate.” 

The 2026 Prairie Grains Conference returns – with, hopefully, more favorable weather conditions – Dec. 9-10, 2026, to Grand Forks.