PHOTO SHOOT: From Minnesota Corn via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Earlier this summer, Minnesota Corn worked with AgriLife Studios on a photoshoot at the family farm of Todd Wentzel in Murdock, Minnesota. A member of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) Board of Directors since 2020, Todd farms with his wife, Shari, and his brother Craig and sister-in-law Bonnie. His nephew Adam is also part of the operation.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3HN3zbJ (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
STATE FAIR: 137,148 attended the Great Minnesota Get Together on day one – that’s just shy of the opening day record set last year. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3HKM7EI
MORE: From Commissioner Thom Petersen via X, VERBATIM: “Opening day of 2025 Minnesota State Fair, fun to visit with farmers from all over the state like my friends Tom & Gail, who are showcasing their Snake River Farm at the @MNagriculture booth in Horticulture building!” PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/3HKL5bU
MFU: Minnesota Farmers Union president Gary Wertish was on WCCO-Radio this morning talking about the struggles facing farmers and how his organization’s restaurant in Minneapolis helps. WERTISH: “We source as much as possible direct from Minnesota farmers and do what we can to advocate for family farmers. There’s so many people who are so many generations removed from the farm, they don’t know where their food comes from.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/462B6rM
CROP ART: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Nearly 800 people registered to show crop art at the Minnesota State Fair, and 451 of them submitted their work, a record breaking amount. People use the art form to express everything from state pride and pop culture to political beliefs. A lot of crop art this year referenced famous artworks from history like Van Gogh, Picasso, Botticelli and Vermeer. This could be influenced by the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which is hosting a crop art exhibition after the fair closes.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4620hdT
KAY: Via KEYC-TV, VERBATIM: “Midwest Dairy announced on Wednesday that the 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way was crowned during a ceremony at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds the same day. Malorie Thorson, a 20-year-old college student currently attending South Dakota State University, was awarded the honor. Thorson is originally from Waverly and represented Wright County in the contest.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45wLk3x
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
NEXT MONTH: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Family obligations sometimes trump work, especially when your dad is Willie Nelson. Lukas Nelson has canceled his performance at Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Tennessee in order to join his dad at Farm Aid on Sept. 20 in Minneapolis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41fQqyz
DONATION: Via KEYC-TV, VERBATIM: “Minnesota State University, Mankato has received a first-of-its-kind donation from a University alum. Sherry L. Arndt, a 1970 School of Nursing graduate from Capitola, California, has donated 160 acres of family farmland to the newly created Maverick Real Estate Foundation.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41XEtxF
CHALLENGES: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The DFL majority leader of the Minnesota Senate says she’s aware of challenges facing farmers in the state. Erin Murphy tells Brownfield agriculture is a critical part of Minnesota’s economy.” MURPHY: “And I think farmers are concerned about their access to markets, especially when we see things happening with SNAP and USAID. I think they are worried about tariffs, I’m hearing of that from individual farmers. And the uncertainty of where the markets will be and what their prices will be is a concern.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/45wHbfZ
HEMP: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minnesota hemp farmers might soon get a boost from an unexpected ally: Congress. The U.S. Senate passed an ag spending bill by wide margins this month, which will deliver $1 million to the University of Minnesota if it passes the House. Half of that grant would support hemp research to develop markets for the crop.” QUOTE: “Minnesota can be a national leader in industrial hemp,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said during a virtual news conference this week. “But it needs a reliable market.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45SAcNl
ETHANOL: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “There are concerns politics could disrupt U.S. ethanol exports to its top customer. American Coalition for Ethanol senior vice president Ron Lamberty says for more than two years Canada has been the top export destination for U.S. ethanol.” LAMBERTY: “They wouldn’t have any of that ‘what about food versus fuel?’ They didn’t have all that in there, they just looked at the economics of it. And their policy that they had was non-denominational, it was just whatever gets us to that target we do it.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/45tEGek
KOREA: Via KFGO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Building export markets across the globe is a critical component toward maintaining and improving Minnesota’s farm economy. Soybeans are Minnesota’s No. 1 agricultural export, a market worth over $2 billion each year. In total, about 60 percent of the nation’s soybean crop is exported to markets across the world. This August, buyers from a top market for U.S. Soy, Korea, are touring the Upper Midwest, including multiple stops to Minnesota farms.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HNjUx5
FORESTS: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a memorandum announcing a new policy directive prioritizing land use efficiency when evaluating proposals for power generation projects on National Forest System lands. The Secretary’s Memorandum underscores USDA’s commitment to strengthening American energy production and reducing reliance on foreign energy sources, like foreign adversary-manufactured solar panels, while protecting our lands for future generations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46285MJ
PROJECTS: Via USDA Forest Service, a news release announcing $2 million for restoring tribal, state, and private forestlands in six locations including in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mwfz0w
CROP TOUR: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “Prospects for corn and soybean crops in Iowa and Minnesota are the strongest in at least 22 years, scouts on an annual tour of top grain-producing states said on Thursday, but diseases already lurking in fields could limit yields at harvest. The four-day Pro Farmer crop tour, which concluded in Rochester, Minnesota, on Thursday, found above-average production potential in each of the seven Midwestern states it covered. Several states boasted the highest projected corn yields and soybean pod counts in tour records dating to 2003.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mW00iq
KIMCHI: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Yon’s Foods has been supplying the Twin Cities with kimchi for decades, packing the Korean staple in Burnsville and stocking the jars at local Cub stores and Asian markets. The fermented cabbage, doused in chili flakes and fish sauce, still uses the original recipe and packaging from founder Yon Quinlan, who emigrated from South Korea and started the company in 2003. But it’s Ethiopia native Tsehai Wodajo, the new owner as of three years ago, who is forging connections in the local African community to make this Korean side dish wholly Minnesotan.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41eYm3a
GREENHOUSE: Via Farm Forum, VERBATIM: “When a tornado swept through southeast Minnesota in June, Owl Bluff Farm in Houston County took a hit. The storm peeled the roof off a storage shed, destroyed two high tunnels growing peppers, melons, and cucumbers, and brought down trees across a deer fence. Yet, a brand new farm-scale deep winter greenhouse built in partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) was left nearly untouched.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Vgmb72
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)
SOIL HEALTH: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “On the prairie bluffs south of the Minnesota River near this southwestern Minnesota farm town, Grant and Dawn Breitkreutz grow crops and livestock — and soil. Rather than depleting the soil with intensive industrial farming practices, they are leading a growing number of farmers who are using so-called regenerative practices on their land. ‘You take care of the soil, build soil health, and everything you grow on it gets more healthy,’ Grant Breitkreutz said. Recently, 100 young farmers descended on the Breitkreutz’s 1,900-acre farm for a ‘soil health school’ — not only to learn about healthy soil practices but also to find inspiration in the words of the model’s champions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fLMaNa
SOYBEANS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Some farmers in the Upper Midwest might have fewer options for delivering new crop soybeans this fall. Southwest Minnesota farmer Bob Worth says basis levels in the region are anywhere from 92 cents to $1.25 under Chicago Board of Trade futures and he expects them to widen during harvest.” WORTH: “We could be talking $1.60, $1.70 basis. They’re basically saying they don’t want the beans. It’s going to be a serious situation (because) a lot of farmers do need some cash in the fall.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4mZm8bH
USDA: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the latest slate of presidential appointments for key Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Rural Development (RD) State Director roles . . . Mick Ditlevson serves as State Director for Rural Development in Minnesota. Most recently, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47Odubw
CONFERENCE: Via USA Rice, VERBATIM: “Earlier this week, USA Rice staff participated in the 2025 Minnesota Ag Leadership Conference (MALC), where farmers, agribusiness leaders, policy experts, and elected officials met to discuss topics impacting agriculture in the state and across the nation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3HL04Tc
MEDIA: Via Farm Progress, VERBATIM: “Our team at Farm Progress strives for continued improvement, to bring the best product daily to your inbox and monthly to your mailbox. We do that by meeting with farmers, attending field days and a plethora of meetings across the countryside, to tell stories about you and stories that are important to you.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4mZp1cE
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
FARM FAMILIES: Via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota Farm Family Recognition program has named its 2025 Farm Families of the Year recipients. Among the five families honored this year are the Rognes Family of Freeborn County, the Timm Family of Mower County, and the Vang Family of Steele County. They were recognized at the annual Minnesota Farmfest this summer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45H7pew
MORE: Via University of Minnesota, the Farm Families of the Year for each county. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3HPFlxs
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