FUEL: From Minnesota Corn via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Today's announcement on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit is long overdue, but lacks any clarity or certainty for Minnesota corn farmers to innovate and play a meaningful role in the SAF market. It doesn't appear that any of our previous input has been included in today's announcement and is a missed opportunity for corn farmers. We look forward to working with members of Congress and the Trump administration to ensure corn farmers can play a meaningful role in the 45Z program.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3E2Bpao (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
(DISCLOSURE: Delta Air Lines is a client of Fluence Advisory)
TOMORROW: Via Minnesota Farmers Union, VERBATIM: “The 2025 Minnesota legislative session convenes tomorrow, and Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) is preparing to advocate for a strong agriculture budget, affordable healthcare, support for beginning farmers and other priorities defined by our members.” QUOTE: “As a grassroots organization, we’ll be focused on priorities established by members at our state convention in November,” said MFU President Gary Wertish. “At a basic level, lawmakers are going to have to come together to pass a new two-year budget for our state. And we want to help make sure that it works well for farm families and others in rural Minnesota—continuing strong investments in agriculture programs, ensuring farm families have access to care and helping young people build lives in agriculture.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gSLNA6
MORE: From Michael Johnson via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Minnesota lawmakers are expected to go back to work on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to work on new bills and a state budget. Well, some of them are anyway. What ended in a chaotic rush to the finish line last year appears to be continued chaos in 2025. ‘I think it’s always going to be chaotic. This session is extra chaotic,’ said Sen. Aric Putnam DFL-St. Cloud, at a legislative panel hosted at the Minnesota Organic Conference on Thursday, Jan. 9. That’s especially true in the Minnesota House. Republicans currently have a one-vote majority (67-66) in the House, but that may only last a couple weeks.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fW0121
ICYMI… morning take and lunch take both shared major developments in the days leading up to the 2025 legislative session. MORNING: https://fluence-media.co/3PvJ97o LUNCH: https://fluence-media.co/4haq9XU
DC: From Christopher Vondracek and Sydney Kashiwagi via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Once upon a time, Minnesota Democrats seemingly ran out of farm-conscious leaders. When Rep. Collin Peterson, a son of the Red River Valley and an agriculture committee chair, lost his seat in the U.S. House in 2020, he told supporters that was it for his party. ‘When I lost the election in 2020, I told some allies, ‘That’s the last time we’re ever going to have a head job in agriculture for Democrats in Minnesota,’’ Peterson said. But when Congress convened in Washington, D.C., this month, much to Peterson’s pleasant surprise, two Minnesota Democrats — Amy Klobuchar in the Senate and Angie Craig in the House — ascended to the ranking member spots on agriculture committees. What they’ll bring back to their home states will be twin-powered political leverage, ever crucial in a divided Congress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3E4lWGP
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
RFK JR: From Ariana Schumacher via Agweek, VERBATIM: “On Nov. 14, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, leading to questions about how Kennedy's views could impact the agriculture industry. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy, who served as attorney general in his brother's administration, was a U.S. senator and was assassinated while running for president. He's an environmental attorney for the nonprofit RiverKeeper, fighting against companies including Monsanto, Columbia Gas Company, DuPont, the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gRfeTk
GRANT: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “A new Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) grant opportunity is available for farmers’ market associations to help support nutrition assistance programs at the markets. The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Assistance Grant will provide funding to farmers’ markets in the state so they can increase participation in food assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), Market Bucks, and Power of Produce (POP) Club. These programs help individuals and families who are experiencing food insecurity purchase foods directly from farmers at farmers’ markets.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fZU9Vk
REPORT: From farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “The January USDA World Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report is often known as being a ‘market mover’, and the WASDE report released on January 10th did not disappoint. USDA made significant downward adjustments to final 2024 corn and soybean production numbers, based on lowering the final 2024 national average corn yield by 2.1 percent and the average soybean yield by 1.9 percent. The reductions in the corn and soybean supply, together with only minor adjustments in corn and soybean usage, resulted in a significant decline in projected ending stocks for both crops compared to a month earlier. The initial market reaction following this report was an increase in both corn and soybean prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42iUsY2
MORE: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Among big growing states, Georgia's soybean harvest is shaping up to be 11% lower than the previous year while Minnesota and Indiana are forecast respectively to produce 11% and 7.2% fewer bushels of corn.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WfxP30
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
FARM BILL: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A South Dakota farmer is concerned conservation programs could be negatively impacted by the lack of a new farm bill. Rodney Koch of Garretson says he’s used the Conservation Stewardship and Environmental Quality Incentives programs to improve his operation.” KOCH: “How do we help more people? Or how do we broaden our horizons or get more people involved in trying to make some changes and try to be the best steward of the land that we can be if that’s not there? There’s really not an incentive otherwise.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3PBuzLL
TAXES: From Michael Johnson via Agweek, VERBATIM: “The old adage of ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ is something to consider this and every tax season, according to a longtime tax professional and educator with the University of Minnesota. C. Robert Holcomb, who works in the Ag Business Management department at the University of Minnesota Extension, recently led a tax planning webinar for agriculture producers and shared some helpful tips for those either preparing their own taxes or getting help from a tax professional.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42c1Fct
WEATHER: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An abnormally dry start to winter in the Upper Midwest could soon give way to wetter conditions. Bret Walts with BAMWX says the western half of the country has been warmer than the eastern half, which favors a southern storm track.” WALTS: “But what happens as we work into I would say mid-January and beyond, the core of the colder air kind of pulls back west. So the storm track starts to become a little bit more favorable for those bigger storms to be more into Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and northern Illinois.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hdyqdD
MORE: Via Associated Press, VERBATIM: “Farmers always watch the weather. Even so, depending on where they farm and what they produce, winter always presents mental challenges for growers, said Carolyn Olson, an organic farmer in southwestern Minnesota who also is vice president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors. Producers know that the timing and amount of winter moisture affect farming conditions for the rest of the year. It's also a time for planning ahead — something becoming increasingly difficult as climate change ramps up variability in snowfall, rainfall and other weather conditions that can make or break an operation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CiDz5f
RELIEF: From Ryder Blair via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Billions of dollars in federal relief funding are coming to aid Minnesotans impacted by the devastating floods last year. The funding will benefit Minnesota’s farmers, small businesses, and other damaged infrastructures. U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar announced an expected $2 billion for those impacted after President Joe Biden signed the American Relief Act into law in December.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/42bKvM9
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
FFA: Via Farm Progress, VERBATIM: “Minnesota FFA individuals and teams punched their tickets to the national convention by claiming first in state Leadership Development Events during the LDE Conference held in St. Cloud in early December.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4agCUhm
FARMS: Via Worthington Globe, VERBATIM: “Applications are now open for the Minnesota Farm Bureau Sesquicentennial Farm program, honoring Minnesota families that have owned their farms for at least 150 years. The deadline to apply is March 3.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gPdzh6
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