THANKFUL: From Minnesota Corn via X, VERBATIM: “We’re grateful for the dedicated CommonGround Minnesota volunteers who share fact-based stories about modern farming with the public. Thank you for 15 years of service.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3M472EE (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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THANKSGIVING
TURKEY: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The turkey industry is gearing up for another Thanksgiving. Minnesota Turkey Growers Association executive director Ashley Kohls says this is a special time of year.” KOHLS: “We like to think of Thanksgiving obviously as the Super Bowl of holidays for the turkey industry, and it’s something that our growers prepare for year-round.” She tells Brownfield there’s been good demand throughout 2025. “But we do tend to focus on Thanksgiving just because of the tradition of having turkey being the center of the plate that comes with that holiday.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ok87FQ
MINNESOTA: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “@GovTimWalz welcomed this year’s Swanville-based MN Thanksgiving turkey to the Capitol. MDA Commissioner @thommypetersen joined him and leaders of @2Harvest, @MN4H, & @MinnesotaTurkey, which donated $10k to hunger relief. MN is the #1 turkey-growing state in the USA. #MNAg” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3XkfhyM
MONTICELLO: Via St. Cloud Times, VERBATIM: “Tucked away in the rolling hills of farmland outside Monticello, Fresh Acres Farm has 28 acres of fields, pumpkin patches, its annual fall festival and classes to process maple syrup. The farm is also home to animals, including goats, a donkey and 30 turkeys the farm is raising for Thanksgiving meals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48dS4EV
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
2025
HARVEST: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A southwest Minnesota organic crop farmer describes harvest as smooth. Carolyn Olson farms in Lyon County. ‘We had some very minimal breakdowns, and I like to joke that we had minimal breakdowns on machinery or mentally. So that’s always good.’ She tells Brownfield yields were decent.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4pwTVu1
OATS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Truckloads of oats will be sold at a loss this year in the Midwest as farmers cannot find a viable market for their crop in a part of the country dominated by corn and soybeans. … On top of the lack of a viable market, tariffs are increasing farmers’ input costs and depressing prices and access to global markets. … Farmers tried to get Quaker Oats and Minnesota-based General Mills interested in their crop this year, but were unsuccessful.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3K4iek5
FEEDING THE WORLD
HUNTERS: From Second Harvest Heartland via TikTok, VERBATIM: “Calling all hunters! Did you know you can donate a deer you harvest in Minnesota? Local processors will process your deer at no cost and the meat will be distributed to food shelves in the surrounding area! We have a lot of room to grow this program!” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/484FDv0
MORE: Via DNR, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, has a program that allows Minnesota deer hunters to donate deer carcasses to food shelves and feeding programs. This program provides an excellent source of protein to people in need while helping reduce local deer populations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4afWxrQ
INNOVATION
CROP TRIALS: Via University of Minnesota, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) at the University of Minnesota have published the 2025 Minnesota Field Crop Variety Trials . . . Crops included in this year’s trial include barley, canola, oat, soybean, spring wheat, winter rye, and winter wheat. Crops were trialed at several CFANS Research and Outreach Centers and in cooperating farmers’ fields across the state.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4ijF5oe
FEED: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “There’s a little-known legume that blooms brilliant pink flowers and brings all sorts of benefits to both the soil it grows in and the animals that graze on it. It’s called sainfoin, and Mary Hartman is building an industry on it. ‘This is going to be the forage of the future,’ she said. Hartman’s business, StableFeed, is doing what many governments and universities have tried and failed to accomplish: create a sustainable market for this novel hay that nourishes animals with high protein without causing bloating and acts as a natural de-wormer to boot.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KkWaSd
GRAPES: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota is releasing a series of three new seedless grape varieties, the first time it has developed grapes for the table — not the bottle — in 45 years. Why it matters: The U’s fruit breeding program — which created the blockbuster Honeycrisp — is hoping the grapes, as well as two new apple varieties, are the next hit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oCX9eV
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
LOOKING AHEAD
2026: Via Brownfield, a pair of stories looking ahead to the new year:
PRICES: “An ag economist expects downward pressure on commodity prices to continue in 2026. Matt Erickson with Terrain says global corn supplies should remain plentiful. ‘I mean 2.15 billion bushels, and again this could change in future WASDE’s, but an over 2 billion bushel carryout is going to put some stress on the ’26, ’27 balance sheet. Demand still remains relatively strong on the corn balance sheet, which is good.’ He tells Brownfield there are two bearish factors for the soybean market in the year ahead.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48jMwYe
ACRES: “The co-founder of AgMarket.net says he expects U.S. farmers to plant fewer corn acres in 2026. Matt Bennett tells Brownfield, ‘We know it’s going to be a struggle for producers in ‘26 with these high input costs, particularly fertilizer,’ he says, ‘and so you’ve got to think corn acres will scale back to an extent.’ Bennett says China’s re-entry into the U.S. soybean market and its subsequent rally may also play a factor.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/49HdGuh
AGENCIES & ORGANIZATIONS
USDA: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced that Nevada has met USDA’s rigorous ‘at least equal to’ food safety standard and will be joining the State Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) Program . . . Nevada becomes the 30th state with an approved MPI program, supporting more than 1,500 small processors nationwide with the benefit of state inspection . . . USDA also signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) to deepen cooperation with states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ae50f4
MORE: Via USDA, the list of states in the MPI program, which includes Minnesota. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3M1Sd5G
MSGA: Via news release from Minnesota Soybean, VERBATIM: “Minnesota, one of the nation’s leading producers and consumers of biodiesel, will again have a strong voice on the Clean Fuels Alliance America Governing Board. During its annual fly-in and governing board election in November in Washington, D.C., the board reelected Brewster farmer Chris Hill to his third term representing the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC) on Clean Fuels.”
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
TREE: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Today, we welcomed Turck’s Trees of Litchfield to the MN State Capitol as they delivered the tree which will be on display throughout the holiday season. The 15-foot balsam fir was the MN Christmas Tree Growers’ 2025 State Fair Christmas Tree Grand Champion.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4imIJ0J
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