WEATHER: From Minnesota Corn via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Great presentation today by MCGA board member John Swanson about @mnagriculture's Ag Weather Station Network at the @mnfarmersunion Convention!” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4fGFfUx (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
SIGNUP: Now signing up for Fluence tip sheets is easy and can be found at one site, www.fluence-newsletters.com - VISIT: www.fluence-newsletters.com
TREE: From Mark Freie via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “A 19-foot Frasier fir now stands tall at the Minnesota State Capitol thanks to Happy Land Tree Farms in Sandstone which delivered the tree to St. Paul on Tuesday just in time for the holiday season. Happy Land Tree Farms was the 2024 Minnesota State Fair Christmas Tree Grand Champion for a third-straight year which came with the honor of placing one of their Christmas trees in the rotunda.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4i5nJLx
MORE: From Happy Land via Facebook, the tree at the capitol. PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/3Vbt9e8
FINANCES: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A southern Minnesota farmer is focused on cost as he plans for the 2025 growing season. Sam Ziegler of Good Thunder tells Brownfield his area has suffered consecutive years of poor corn and soybean yields. ‘A lot of it is putting behind us that year and really focusing on going forward, trying to pick varieties with having kind of not great plots and stuff in our area for the past couple of years. It’s a little bit of a challenge to pick those varieties.’ He says managing costs will be critical with commodity prices below the cost of production.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3VdNDCR
SIDE GIGS: Via Marketplace, VERBATIM: “Only 37% of farmers held a primary job off the farm in 1974. Today, roughly 85% of family farmers rely on other jobs to support their livelihoods, according to a 2023 report from the Department of Agriculture. The cost of seed, fertilizer and labor have generally gone up, but the prices farmers get for their products are down. Agricultural economist Daniel Munch with the American Farm Bureau Federation said competing in a global market means farmers have to keep scaling up.” QUOTE: “We’re never in the position of saying it’s bad that farms are getting bigger,” Munch said. “They’re just doing it because that’s what they need to survive in the marketplace we have now … which is a harsh reality.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4g6Y6rN
GOODNEWS: MNGood – the good stories of Minnesota from non-profits, philanthropy and corporate giving. SIGNUP: https://fluence-media.co/MNGOODSignUP
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
TRADE: Via a report from the U.S. Census Bureau released today, VERBATIM: “The international trade deficit was $99.1 billion in October, down $9.6 billion from $108.7 billion in September. Exports of goods for October were $168.7 billion, $5.6 billion less than September exports. Imports of goods for October were $267.8 billion, $15.2 billion less than September imports.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OrSwV5
SOYBEANS: Via Marketplace, VERBATIM: “One export that’s been on the rise in recent months is soybeans. That’s because soybeans are getting cheaper. In fact, soybean prices have been falling for more than two years now. And that price drop is because global supplies of soybeans have been rising. Soybean supplies are up because soybean production is up. And soybean production is up because of China.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3CX3aAB
CATTLE: Via Agriculture Dive, VERBATIM: “The United States has paused imports of cattle from Mexico after a positive detection of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating pest that can be fatal to animals and in some cases humans. Authorities identified an infected cow at a livestock inspection checkpoint close to the border of Guatemala. Given the northward movement of screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it is ‘restricting the importation of animal commodities’ — live cattle and bison — that originated or were transported through Mexico, effective immediately. The suspension of Mexican cattle could affect U.S. beef production and prices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fRm0bi
From morning take…
TARIFFS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Many Minnesota business leaders worry that President-elect Donald Trump’s call for new tariffs on goods from China, Mexico and Canada will spark a trade dispute that ultimately hits consumers’ pocketbooks, disrupts supply chains and hurts the state economy. Canada, Mexico and China combined make up 55% of Minnesota’s fast-growing $7 billion export market. … There will be an ‘inflationary impact, supply-chain disruptions, and ultimately, it could create retaliation against U.S. products, which would hurt our export markets to those same countries,’ said Doug Loon, chief executive of the 6,300-member Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g2vMa0
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz and his agriculture advisers weighed in on possible tariffs coming from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who said this week he’d impose 25% import tariffs on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. ‘It’s important that we both have domestic and international partnerships,’ Walz said. ‘We’ll watch those moves closely.’ … ‘Our main partners are always Mexico and Canada,’ Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said about the state’s turkey production. ‘Seventy four percent of our exports go to Mexico.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Zab0yw
Sign up for morning take… www.fluence-newsletters.com
TURKEY: From Christopher Vondracek via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Unlike the two lucky birds from Northfield that flew to Washington D.C. this week for high-thread-count sheets at the Willard InterContinental and a Monday morning pardoning by President Joe Biden at the White House, the turkey named ‘Tom’ by his FFA handler, Paisley VonBerge, and who spread wide his wings for a couple emphatic sweeps before staring down First Lady Gwen Walz, will accept a more traditional turkey fate. ‘After today, this turkey will go back to my farm to be enjoyed the way turkeys were intended to be enjoyed,’ VonBerge said.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4i76SYI
USDA: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “President-elect Trump has tapped Brooke Rollins, a former White House aide in his first administration, to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in his second term. ‘Brooke’s commitment to support the American Farmer, defense of American Food Self-Sufficiency, and the restoration of Agriculture-dependent American Small Towns is second to none,’ Trump wrote in a release. Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development and earned her J.D. from the University of Texas, was Trump’s domestic policy chief during his first term and now leads a Trump-aligned think tank.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fNqGPb
MORE: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says he looks favorably on the nomination of Brooke Rollins to be the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Iowa Republican tells Brownfield he’s somewhat familiar with the Texas native from her time serving on the Trump administration Economic Advisory Council in 2016.” GRASSLEY: “I look at her nomination in a very friendly way, I hope it’s something I can vote for. But in most cases, I don’t announce until after the hearings.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3CLF5gp
TRUMP: From Mary Murphy via Agweek, VERBATIM: “As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for a second term, his economic proposals have left experts wondering about the potential impact on Minnesota’s economy. Economists and industry leaders are watching closely, as proposed tariffs and trade negotiations could affect supply chains, while changes to immigration policies might affect everything from farm income to workforce availability.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fII9s7
BLACK FARMERS: From Christopher Vondracek via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “This is not your typical north Minneapolis backyard. But it’s the newly-fashioned home for the farmer, 46-year-old Derek Ellis, who stares in wonder, marveling at his Berkshire pigs and what he’s accomplished in a short-time as a beginning farmer . . . Ellis is an urban farmer now. But he hopes for land in the country. He’s filled out a slew of applications for special grants from governmental or nonprofit groups. He’s trying to be what remains rare in Minnesota: a Black farmer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VdiRtM
MARKETS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The senior director of brokerage for CHS Hedging expects a lot of market volatility through the end of the year. Joe Barker says exports have been strong for corn, soybeans, and wheat.” BARKER: “Trade will continue through the coming months, even though there’s a transition in Washington D.C., agriculture continues. So I think you’ll continue to see some price action around what trade continues to happen, and of course basis can be impacted a lot.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3OzZK9v
MNLEG: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “One of the biggest priorities for Minnesota farmers in 2025 is emergency preparedness, specifically around animals and livestock. During the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting, stopping the spread of and preventing illnesses that affect cattle and livestock, such as avian influenza and H5N1, arose as a key issue. President Dan Glessing told MPR News guest host Phil Picardi on Monday morning that legislation could support strengthening prevention measures for these outbreaks such as vaccines and research.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3OrVdpF
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
COVER CROPS: From Kevin Schulz via Farm Progress, VERBATIM: “Most changes in farming practices come with a learning curve, and Andy Linder of Easton, Minn., has learned that, as he went all-in when he started using cover crops. It is often recommended to start slow when adopting a new practice, but Linder dove in, as he planted 100 acres in a high-visibility field on the north end of Blue Earth, right along U.S. Highway 169. ‘It was a billboard right from the start,’ he says. That was the fall of 2015, when he planted cereal rye into soybeans that would be corn the following spring.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/413YTFB
FFA: Via Farm Bureau, VERBATIM: “Sleepy Eye FFA Advisor Katie Emmett has been named the Minnesota Farm Bureau FFA Advisor of the Year, and was honored during the awards banquet during the organization’s 106th Annual Meeting on Friday, Nov. 22 in Minnetonka. Emmett has served the Sleepy Eye community for the past three years. Known for her self-motivation and initiative, Emmett has quickly built strong relationships with students, parents, and colleagues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Vd6mi2
DECORATIONS: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “If you're heading out to pick up some holiday greenery this weekend, make sure you know what to do to keep unwanted pests from spreading by listening to the latest episode of #SmartyPlants, our podcast about invasive insects & noxious weeds.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4fKgvLr LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3WTnJo6
Copyright © 2024 Fluence Media, All rights reserved.
As someone who subscribed, or as a member of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council you are receiving this email.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Golden Valley, MN 55427