Wheat and Canola Fields Near Starkweather, North Dakota

North Dakota leads the nation in canola production, growing roughly 90 percent of the U.S. crop, much of it across the Devils Lake and Langdon Plain regions near Starkweather. Canola planted here in May typically reaches full bloom by early July, the stage captured in fields like this one. The crop is crushed for vegetable oil and animal meal, with canola processing plants in Velva and other North Dakota towns anchoring the state's supply chain. Wheat remains the state's other dominant crop, and spring wheat varieties planted alongside canola are usually still green and unheaded at the same point in the growing season.

Photo taken in July 2015.