AG EVENTS: From Minnesota Corn via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Great turnout at recent county corn grower events in south-central Minnesota! On Friday, the Nicollet / Sibley County Corn & Soybean Growers held their 2025 Plot Results & Crop Management Update, featuring Jamie Gieseke of Paradigm Futures. Yesterday, the Renville County Corn & Soybean Growers held their Winter Breakfast and heard from MCGA Public Policy Manager Alex Trunnell about the latest policy updates.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4rXfGoT (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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FIRST
BIRD FLU: Via Watt Ag Net, VERBATIM: “Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has appeared in a commercial poultry flock in Minnesota for the first time since October. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that on December 9, the presence of HPAI was confirmed in a flock of 20,900 commercial meat turkeys in Waseca County.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4j2i7m6
TRADE
DEMAND: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The USDA says global demand for corn and wheat continues to be solid. Both corn and wheat export inspections during the week ending December 11th were above year ago levels and remain ahead of last marketing year, thanks to competitive prices. Sorghum and soybeans continue to trail the previous year’s pace, but China was the top destination for both as that nation resumes its purchases of U.S. ag goods.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48DVocu
DAIRY: Via U.S. Dairy Export Council, VERBATIM: “The United States’ three-month U.S. dairy export growth streak came to an end in September, as export volume fell 2% in terms of milk solids equivalent (MSE). The decline came despite impressive growth in cheese and butterfat, as well as gains in lower-volume categories such as high-protein whey (WPC80+), milk protein concentrate (MPC) and whole milk powder (WMP).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rZFcKd
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
AID TO FARMERS
WHAT IT IS: Farm management analyst Kent Thiesse has guidance for farmers on the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program. VERBATIM: “The FBA program will provide economic assistance payments to producers of certain crops to offset low prices and poor profit margins for the 2025 crop year, as well as the market price impacts from tariffs on export markets for certain crops in the past year. Full details of the FBA payment calculations have not yet been announced by USDA; however, it appears that many aspects of the FBA payments will be very similar to the Economic Community Assistance Program (ECAP) that was implemented earlier this year for losses from the 2024 crop year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44wbG4N
MORE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Row crop farmers will receive $11 billion by February 28, 2026. The rest will be divided among farmers who grow non-row crops, such as sugar, at a yet-to-be-determined time. The February payments serve as temporary relief until farmers receive additional funds stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is expected to arrive in October of next year, per a USDA release.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/499giQV
MORE: Via KAXE-Radio, VERBATIM: “Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, said a quick infusion of aid can ease some pressure but does not get to the bottom of how expensive it is to farm these days.” QUOTE: “It doesn’t address the underlying problems, and really, the big one is increased costs,” Lilliston explained. “Many of those costs are associated with these tariffs. So, higher prices for machinery, for crop inputs.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48Et7m9
OUTSIDE IMPACTS
RIVER: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An ag transportation specialist says low water conditions continue to impact the lower Mississippi River. Mike Steenhoek is the executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition and says, ‘We have received some precipitation over the last couple of months that has helped take the edge off, but we still have barge restrictions that have been imposed due to low water conditions.’ He tells Brownfield it was surprising to see levels decrease through the fall after the region received large amounts of rain during the spring and summer.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4pFa5SN
DATA CENTERS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The rapid development of data centers has Wisconsin Farmers Union members hoping for restrictions to protect farmland and natural resources. President Darin Von Ruden tells Brownfield delegates passed new policy at their annual convention Sunday addressing data center issues.” QUOTE: “We’re seeing some really good farmland around the state in different areas that could be threatened by that, and how do you get those centers to not gobble up 40 or 50 acres of prime farmland is the big concern.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4aRjou6
FARM BUREAU: Via Red River Farm Network, VERBATIM: “State Farm Bureau presidents will be in Washington, D.C. this week to go through the resolutions process ahead of next month’s American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting. ‘The economics of agriculture and where we’re at right now will be the overarching theme, anything that can be done, whether it is taxes or on the input side,’ said Dan Glessing, president, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iV3qRI
ENVIRONMENT
POLLINATORS: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump‘s administration has delayed a decision on whether to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies indefinitely despite years of warnings from conservationists that populations are shrinking . . . The Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups started pushing for federal protections for the butterfly in 2014, petitioning the fish and wildlife service to list the insect. The center sued in 2022 to force the agency to make a listing decision.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KSIJcC
GRANT: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Reminder: Apply for our Urban Farm Conservation Mini-grant by Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. Up to $5,000 available for commercial urban farmers in Minnesota to implement conservation practices.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/48WFJ7a MORE: https://fluence-media.co/44uu12d
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)
MEATY ISSUES
BEEF: Via The Land, VERBATIM: “To truly experience the Trump tariff rollercoaster, hop on the ear-popping ride American cattlemen, meatpackers, and U.S. beef eaters have been on over the past few months. In mid-August, the White House raised import tariffs on Brazilian beef to 50 percent because, it explained, the nation was conducting a ‘politically motivated persecution, intimidation ... and prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’ . . . That news came after the Administration closed the U.S. border to Mexican feeder cattle due to an outbreak of screwworm . . . The two actions propelled U.S. cattle futures prices from $210 per hundredweight (cwt) to $250 per cwt, adding $400 or so in value per head of slaughter cattle.very smiling cowboy, however, lost his humor three months later.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KSJjXG
MEAT LOCKER: From MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen via X, VERBATIM: “Today in Lismore, MN to join partners in cutting ribbon on Global Center Meats locker plant! A great story and excellent for community & local farmers, congrats Alejandro & family!” PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/4rZWGpU
AWARD: Via Ag Update, VERBATIM: “Under Amy Mastin’s leadership, students have learned the beef industry from the ground up. Mastin is the recipient of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association’s (MSCA) 2025 Industry Service Award, announced Dec. 5 during the Minnesota Cattle Industry Convention in Saint Cloud.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rYvbwJ
MORE AG HEADLINES
NUTRIENT TESTING: Via University of Minnesota, VERBATIM: “With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and collaborations with the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the team worked with laboratories, researchers and other data collaborators to bring together and standardize manure sample data from across the country into a first-of-its kind manure nutrient database called ManureDB. ManureDB, a publicly available database, houses U.S. manure and organic amendment data from multiple laboratory sources. The ManureDB website allows for simple summaries, data visualizations and data downloads.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MDW7BZ
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
MEMOIR: Via KWIT-Radio, VERBATIM: “Howard Schaap grew up on a small farm in Minnesota, where even in the quiet moments the forces of mental health, economics, and culture were relentlessly at work. In Brooding Upon the Waters: A Memoir of Farming, Fishing, and Failure in America’s Lost Landscape, Schaap explores the fault lines, pressures, and ends of these forces with courage, compassion, and contemplative prose.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4oRTaef
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