FARMERS DAY: From Minnesota Corn via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers impact our lives in more ways than we can count. They help supply us with nutritious, high-quality protein products, low-carbon biofuels, bioplastics, personal care items, and much more. They drive on-farm innovation, utilizing the latest technologies to increase efficiency while boosting yields. And they support their local communities, developing the next generation of agriculture leaders while enhancing quality of life for all residents. Today, on National Farmers Day, join us thanking our state’s family farmers for all that they do. We salute their efforts to productively and efficiently provide us with the resources we need in our modern world.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/48t9NbS (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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CHINA: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “For months, bubbling trade tensions between China and the U.S. seemed to calm to a simmer, with words like ‘thaw’ and ‘truce’ swapped in for warnings of economic ‘war.’ Now, hostilities appear to be returning to full boil. A series of tit-for-tat moves this week by the two superpowers has thrust trade hostilities back in the global spotlight, roiling markets and raising alarms of what might come next.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nNzEQq
MORE: Via PBS NewsHour, VERBATIM: “Farm bankruptcies were already on the rise when President Trump’s trade war added to the financial pressures on America’s soybean farmers. Now, the world’s largest soybean consumer, China, has stopped buying American beans in a retaliatory move against the Trump administration. Megan Thompson visited two Minnesota farmers to hear what’s on their minds this harvest season.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3L8iU7X
WORKFORCE: Via The Washington Post, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration said that its immigration crackdown is hurting farmers and risking higher food prices for Americans by cutting off agriculture’s labor supply. The Labor Department warned in an obscure document filed with the Federal Register last week that ‘the near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens’ is threatening ‘the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.’ ‘Unless the Department acts immediately to provide a source of stable and lawful labor, this threat will grow,’ with increased funding for immigration enforcement from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Labor Department said in the Federal Register, which is the place where all proposed rules are recorded for the public to view and comment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3W3r0Bb
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
BEEF: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “Tyson Foods and Cargill have agreed to pay a combined $87.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by consumers who accused the companies of conspiring to inflate U.S. beef prices by restricting supply. The preliminary class action settlements were filed on Monday in federal court in Minnesota and require a judge’s approval. Tyson, the largest U.S. meat company, will pay $55 million. Cargill agreed to pay $32.5 million. The proposed accords are the first for consumers in the price-fixing litigation, which began in 2019.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42AYQkS
PORK: Via Farm Progress, VERBATIM: “USDA’s latest Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report issued in late September says the nation’s total hog inventory dropped 1% from September 2024 but is up 1% from this past June. Of the 74.5 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, 68.5 million were market hogs, while 5.93 million were kept for breeding. Lee Schulz, chief economist with Ever.Ag, says USDA forecasts 2025 pork production to be down 0.8% versus 2024. During a webinar hosted by the National Pork Board, he said to expect to see reductions in the 2026 pork production forecast, which USDA had up 2.9% before the report.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nKM1wB
CHALLENGES: Via WJON-Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota farmers are facing financial challenges now and in the immediate future. Minnesota Farm Advocate for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Steve Zenk joined me on WJON to discuss. He’s been working with farmers in Minnesota since 1988. Zenk says among the challenges are crop prices. He says corn has been below $4 a bushel and soybeans have dropped below $10 a bushel. Zenk says when they were making cash flow plans they were hoping for $4.25 for corn and $10 to $10.50 for beans. He says there are some who’ve had additional yields because it’s been a good year.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/47j44Ep
OCT 30: Via AgriGrowth, VERBATIM: “Economic data from the first quarter of 2025 showed that Minnesota’s GDP decreased by 2.42% from the previous year, driven by mounting challenges in the agriculture industry. Minnesota’s agriculture and food sector has been a cornerstone of the state’s economic growth, often mitigating or cushioning recessions. To strengthen our agriculture and food economy, change is required. Minnesota AgriGrowth’s fall summit will continue the hard questions being asked at kitchen tables and board rooms: ‘How do we build a robust agriculture and food economy in Minnesota by 2040?’” AGENDA: https://fluence-media.co/3L2utxu (SPONSORED: AgriGrowth)
NEW HOPE: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “The skies opened up as members of the Sudanese Farm Group gathered at their plot in New Hope on a recent Sunday — a welcome respite to the group’s parched field. As the storm passed through, the members, who gather each Sunday to tend the farm and share a meal, began to set up for dinner. Salwa Suliman and Faeiza Hazag set out mouthwatering dishes and kisra, a flatbread used to scoop the food from plate to mouth.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4q9Cb94
FERTILIZER: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Volatility in the fertilizer market is making it difficult for farmers to know when to lock in prices for 2026. Jay Debertin, the CEO of the nation’s largest agricultural cooperative CHS, tells Brownfield it might be good to spread out the risk. ‘For example, ‘well I’ll wait for all my fertilizer for spring.’ Or on the other hand, ‘I’ll do all my fertilizer here in the fall.’ I think diversifying that risk and spreading it out a bit is frankly, with the knowledge that we all have today, is a route that I think should get a lot of consideration.’ He says that’s true of other ag management decisions too.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/47ab3hT
AMMONIA: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Anhydrous ammonia, which is used in the agriculture industry in Minnesota as a nitrogen fertilizer, typically finds its end use here. While the United States is the top importer of the fertilizer to be placed on fields for growing crops, countries like Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Canada are the world’s top exporters, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Production of ammonia is typically done where there is an abundance of natural gas supplies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hb6RTp
PUTNAM: Via St. Cloud Times, VERBATIM: “Two and one-half years after becoming chair of what’s now called the Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development Committee, state Sen. Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud, has visited more than 100 Minnesota farms. Putnam told the St. Cloud Times he tours farms across the state and has met welcoming people along the way. ‘They’re so generous,’ Putnam said. ‘The farmers are so generous with their time and their houses.’ These visits have inspired policy ideas, he said, such as boosting the number of agricultural mental health providers to three.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4q6KEtF
TUNNELS: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “When snow covers the frozen ground, and most South Dakota farmers have sold or stored their products for the season, the operators of Cedar Creek Gardens are still able to grow vegetables and harvest a lucrative crop. Located in a remote area southwest of Murdo, about 12 miles south of Interstate 90, the sprawling farm is one of dozens in the state that utilize what are called farm tunnels to extend the planting and growing seasons. The tunnels are fortified above-ground hoop buildings covered in plastic that capture heat from the sun, creating a greenhouse effect. Many of the tunnels at Cedar Creek are covered with two separated layers of plastic and have fans that circulate warm air between the layers, creating even warmer growing conditions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47mxMZc
HARVEST: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “By early October, the 2025 soybean harvest was in full swing in most portions of the Midwest. In addition, a majority of corn hybrids had reached physiological maturity and was rapidly reaching desirable moisture levels for harvest. The very warm and dry weather in the Upper Midwest during late September pushed the 2025 corn and soybean crop very rapidly toward maturity. The 24-hour average temperature during September this year at the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca was 65.9 degrees, which was 4.3 degrees above normal. The warm weather trend in Southern Minnesota continued during the first seven days of October, with the Waseca location averaging 65.6 degrees, or 12.4 degrees above normal.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3KGpl2d
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Harvest is progressing in southwest Minnesota. Riley Sandmeyer is an agronomist with New Vision Cooperative, based in Brewster. ‘Pretty much all of the beans are taken out. Some growers are still going on corn, working on a lot more of that later corn now. A lot of the early corn is already out, so I’d say for sure 50 to 75 percent on corn.’ He tells Brownfield yields have been a pleasant surprise.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/43dPxYb
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)
NEXT MONTH: Via Worthington Globe, VERBATIM: “‘Know Your Numbers, Know Your Options’ is a discussion-based workshop to connect farm managers and subject-matter experts in the areas of financial records and interpreting results. Participants should plan on attending each of the four workshop dates. The virtual series will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 11, 13, 18 and 20.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nULatA
FARM TO SCHOOL: From Minnesota Department of Education via X, VERBATIM: “This Farm to Kids Month Nutrition staff partnered with Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools and @MNagriculture to taste test local peppers, greens and apples from Farm to Kids providers Waxwing Farms, Spring Lake Farm and Thompson’s Hillcrest Orchard.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/46Pcjb7
MINNEAPOLIS: Via Minnesota Daily, VERBATIM: “On the wildflower-filled Rusnak family farm in Wanamingo Township, Minnesota, fields of fresh produce are harvested and sent to Minneapolis public schools through the Farm to School program. MPS has purchased poultry, meats, grains and beans from small to mid-sized farmers across the state since 2013, MPS Farm to School Coordinator Madison Taylor said. This October, schools across the country are celebrating National Farm to School Month. For nearly ten years, MPS has hosted a locally sourced barbecue to celebrate the month, Taylor said. This year, over 10 farmers and 600 community members attended.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nUJS1I
WEEDS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Weeds were tough to manage this season in west-central Minnesota. Swift County farmer Harmon Wilts says they prioritized in-season nitrogen when conditions were finally dry enough to get back in the field after planting. ‘Everybody focused on getting the nitrogen side-dressed, and we thought we could spray later. And there wasn’t a window to spray later for about another 10 days to two weeks, so a lot of the weeds were bigger than we wanted (them to be) when we sprayed.’ He tells Brownfield weed pressure remained despite three herbicide passes.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4q9GBwG
FARM TO TABLE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Trees hold great significance in Grand Rapids, Minn. They grow in regimented rows on the outskirts of town and frame the Mississippi River that winds through the middle of it. And they serve as the anchor and inspiration for a new restaurant downtown. Amanda and Kyle Lussier opened the Pines in June with a seasonally evolving menu, polished service and sleek Scandinavian design. It’s the kind of restaurant that would do just as well on any bustling corner of the Twin Cities, but it’s built by and for the people of this northern Minnesota town.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nToABq
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SIMEK’S: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “Families visited Simek’s Farm in Kelsey, Minn., to enjoy fall festivities before the farm closes for winter. The Simek family is celebrating 100 years on the farm, which has now grown more beloved since they started sharing the farm with the community in 2012.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4q9OORB
HEMP: Via KROC-Radio, VERBATIM: “It’s that time of year when Minnesota families start heading out to pick apples, hit up fall festivals, and explore corn mazes. But there’s a very unique type of maze in southeast Minnesota, not too far from Rochester, MN, that you should definitely check out this fall. If you drive Highway 52 north of Rochester, you’ve probably seen this maze before. It’s The Hemp Maze at Willow’s Keep Farm!” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WCfDAm
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