Jamestown farmer JP Lueck plants soybeans amid busy Stutsman County season

JP Lueck was in the field north of Spiritwood, putting soybeans into Stutsman County ground while the 2026 planting season moved at a steady clip across North Dakota. For the Jamestown farmer, the work tied his own acres to a much bigger picture: District 6 growers were pushing through long days, and the county’s farm economy was again being shaped by how quickly seed could go in and how well spring weather held.

Lueck represents soybean producers in District 6 on the North Dakota Soybean Council. He farms with his dad and brother north of Spiritwood, raising soybeans, wheat and corn, while also working as engineering services manager at Collins Aerospace in Jamestown. A business administration graduate of the University of Jamestown, he also serves on the North Dakota Farmers Union, is a Rose Township supervisor and represents the council at Specialty Soya Grains Alliance meetings.

His planting came during a season that remained important far beyond one farm. USDA’s March 31 Prospective Plantings report estimated U.S. soybean acreage at 84.7 million acres for 2026, up 4% from 2025, signaling that soybeans remained a major national crop. In North Dakota, USDA’s May 18 Crop Progress report put corn planting at 76% statewide, a sign that fieldwork was advancing quickly as producers tried to stay ahead of weather and keep every available day in the planting window.

The stakes for Stutsman County reach beyond the current spring rush. North Dakota soybean farmers contribute one-half of 1% of the bushel price at first sale to the soy checkoff, money that helps fund research and promotion. The North Dakota Soybean Council says it serves more than 10,000 soybean farmers across the state, and its recent materials say soybean production in North Dakota has grown 60-fold since 1980, putting the state among the top five soybean acreage states on a routine basis.

That growth has also changed the local market landscape. North Dakota Soybean Council material points to the first crush plant in Stutsman County as part of a demand shift that helped lift the state’s soybean sector, with another plant coming in Casselton. For producers like Lueck, who was already planting in Stutsman County, this year’s field season was part of a longer economic story about acreage, processing demand and the county’s place in North Dakota agriculture.