FLY-IN: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “The chair of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association’s Government Relations Committee says she’s more optimistic about the organization’s federal policy priorities after participating in its spring fly-in last week in Washington, D.C. Dana Allen-Tully was among the MCGA farmer-leaders who participated in the annual event. The group met with members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, and staffers from USDA, EPA, and the White House National Economic Council.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hZ9CWV (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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TARIFFS: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “China's retaliation on Friday against new U.S. tariffs is poised to accelerate Beijing's move towards alternative suppliers for agricultural goods including Brazil, a shift that began during the trade war of U.S. President Donald Trump's first term. Beijing unveiled a slew of countermeasures, including additional duties of 34% on all U.S. goods, which are on top of the 10-15% tariffs placed on roughly $21 billion worth of agricultural trade in early March.” QUOTE: "It is like shutting down all U.S. agricultural imports. We are not sure if any imports will be viable with 34% duty," said a Singapore-based trader at an international trading company which sells grains and oilseeds to China. "The main impact will be on products like soybeans and sorghum. It is not going to be so much on wheat and corn as China has not been buying much of wheat and corn from the U.S. this year anyway." READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i7uJX5
MORE: Via BBC, VERBATIM: “Beijing doesn't seem too worried about looking elsewhere for more chicken, pork and sorghum and – at the same time – it knows it is whacking the US president right in his heartland. Globally, all of this has analysts worried.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41XWpZz
MORE: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Minnesota farmers like Bob Worth, who were hurt by Trump’s tariffs before, are anxious about another backlash . . . Worth, who with his son John farms 2,200 acres in soybeans and corn near Lake Benton, said ‘we are all worried.’ A board member of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association who hosts a radio talk show about agriculture every Tuesday morning, Worth said soybean farmers in the state export about 60% of the beans they grow and can’t afford a trade war.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DUt8WB
MORE: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “‘People may feel effects of tariffs tomorrow, others may not feel them for six months to a year,’ said Thom Petersen, the commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Petersen said the last few years have been tough on farmers, and tariffs will add to the strain.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3XKgwb8
MARKETS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Soybean futures closed lower, and corn was mixed a day after President Trump announced tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners. Farm management analyst Kent Thiesse with Green Solutions Group says the market is most likely reacting to new 34 percent tariffs on Chinese imports . . . Thiesse tells Brownfield it’s too soon to grasp potential fallout, and says farmers should plan for an extended period of volatility.” THIESSE: “So I think whether you still have some old crop to market or new crop is, if we do get some strength in the market, reward the strength in the market (and) take advantage.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42gPoBT
MORE: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Crop prices tend to spike when there’s a shock to the global economy. President Donald Trump’s new round of tariffs announced Wednesday will certainly act like a defibrillator across farm country, but experts say it will only deepen the ongoing downturn in U.S. agriculture. ‘We invite retaliation by imposing tariffs and do damage to our own farmers,’ said University of Minnesota professor and trade policy expert C. Ford Runge. ‘It’s an absurd course: Ready, fire, aim.’ The tariffs, announced after the financial markets closed Wednesday, are in addition to previously announced import taxes on China, Canada, Mexico, automobiles, steel and aluminum. Countries will almost certainly fire back with counter-tariffs targeting America’s ag exports, including major Minnesota commodities such as soybeans and pork.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cg5DnB
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SPRING: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Activity is picking up on many farms across the Midwest. Stu Swanson grows corn, soybeans, and finishes feeder pigs in north-central Iowa.” SWANSON: “We’re putting our toe at the starting line, of course. It’s been a nice, open winter so we’ve had a lot of early prep. This week started work on a drainage project that we got started on last fall and didn’t quite get completed.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ldC3mN
INCOME: Via Ag Update, VERBATIM: “Minnesota farmers faced another challenging year in 2024, with net farm income continuing to decline. Falling crop prices coupled with below-trendline crop yields resulted in low incomes, especially for crop producers. As a result, many crop producers are bracing for an economic storm as they plan for the 2025 crop year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Ygw46G
STRAIN: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Farmers Union's People's Town Halls have heard bipartisan outrage about federal government actions in recent weeks. Although the majority of members in the organization are Democrats, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said members from both major political parties have been showing up to the town halls, of which the group is hosting 10.” QUOTE: "At the meeting last week, we had a number of people when they spoke up concerned about the cuts on various programs started out by saying 'I'm a Republican, and I don't like what's happening,'" Wertish said. "Whether it's Social Security and Medicaid, that type of funding, really all across the board. In farming right now, and in agriculture, it's really very uncertain times." READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Yg1Gt2
CHICKENS: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “Carol Lewis has no regrets about how she voted on the chicken issue. As a longtime member of the St. Cloud, Minn., city council, she’d heard all the arguments . . . Her grandmother, who raised chickens, always told her they were ‘dirty birds,’ she said in an interview. Lewis had other concerns, including bird flu. ‘I hate to be a Debbie Downer,’ the 68-year old said. ‘But until we get that under control, it’s just not even worth talking about.’ The measure failed, 5-1. ‘We put the kibosh on it,’ she said. A decade ago, backyard chickens were more a niche for part-time farmers and urban hipsters. But the Covid-19 pandemic—and more recently, a spike in egg prices—has sent Americans flocking for their own poultry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43zCelY
From lunch take…
CHS: Via Inver Grove Heights-based CHS, VERBATIM: “CHS Inc., the nation’s leading agribusiness cooperative, today released results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2025. The company reported a net loss of $75.8 million and revenues of $7.8 billion for the quarter that ended Feb. 28, 2025, compared to net income of $170.3 million and revenues of $9.1 billion in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42u6xtd
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LAND: Via news release from Sen. Tina Smith, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Zach Nunn (R-IA), and Joe Courtney (D-CT) introduced the New Producer Economic Security Act, a bipartisan bill to help bring the next generation into family farming. The bill addresses the issue of Minnesota’s aging farmer and rancher population by giving new farmers and ranchers the tools they need to succeed through grants, financial aid, and training. It ensures that the support goes where it is needed most.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i5ETr4
MNLEG: Via Minnesota House, VERBATIM: “The House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee heard Gov. Tim Walz’s budget recommendations for the department Wednesday and the bottom line is a requested appropriation of $152.8 million in the 2026-27 biennium, an 18% decrease from the current biennial budget of $186.6 million. But that request is also $16 million less than the Republican-sponsored HF1704 heard by the committee March 10 that proposes to appropriate $168.9 million from the General Fund. And the budget details discussed Wednesday also differ slightly from Walz’s own budget recommendations unveiled in January, before he revised them based on a lowered budget forecast released in early March.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3YgS80Y
ALFALFA: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An extension crops educator encourages growers to assess alfalfa conditions. Dave Nicolai is with the University of Minnesota. ‘We don’t know for sure, but we think it’s actually going to be okay. It’s somewhat based on having really cold temperatures without that snow cover, the other thing is ice-heaving and maybe even ice sheeting.’ He tells Brownfield the potential for freezing rain, which can damage early stands, is decreasing.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3XO9L8m
CSA: Via Pine Journal, VERBATIM: “Swaths of local land that have been historically overlooked are now devoted to a model of farming that is simultaneously new and extremely traditional model. Community-supported agriculture — commonly called CSA — is a form of agriculture that allows consumers to purchase a seasonal share in a farm and in turn partake in the farm’s harvest throughout the growing season. ‘We still have a really diverse mosaic across the landscape that has lent itself to these small farms,’ said Julie Allen, chapter manager of the Lake Superior Sustainable Farming Association, a farmer-to-farmer network trying to make ‘farming sexy again,’ as Allen puts it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cnix3h
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)
CORN: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “There could be another uptick in short-stature corn acreage this year. Stine Seed CEO Myron Stine says more farmers are talking about growing short corn.” STINE: “Our definition of short-stature corn is probably different than some other companies have, so as that whole thing has morphed into what it is today we certainly do see growers gravitating towards those types of genetics.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cjEtMn
TIMBER: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a Secretarial Memo to establish an “Emergency Situation Determination” on 112,646,000 acres of National Forestry System (NFS) land. This Memo comes on the heels of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order to expand American timber production by 25%, and it will empower the U.S. Forest Service to expedite work on the ground and carry out authorized emergency actions to reduce wildfire risk and save American lives and communities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jgyqKT
SURVEY: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Some dairy farms are looking to capture a potential growth market. Sanchez Philocles with the Minnesota Agricultural Utilization Research Institute says A2 milk is a result of breeding exclusively for A2 so that no A1 beta-casein is present in the milk. ‘With this study we went out to get some market information to understand what the forecast is for this market (and) what has been the growth during the past three to five years.’ He tells Brownfield the survey of Minnesota dairy farmers concluded the number of cows that will be converted to A2 genetics will rise as producers see positive market signals despite no current premium.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4i3lirI
CRAIG: The James Beard Awards named Rep. Angie Craig (MN-2) as one of its 2025 Impact Award honorees. VERBATIM: “As both the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture and representative for Minnesota’s second district, supporting agricultural communities is a top priority for Craig and her work has included ensuring that all parts of the farm bill are implemented effectively. She led efforts in the House to pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, legislation that tapped the power of family farmers to lower costs for Americans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3E8pTL6
BEANS: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Optimizing nutrient management to improve dry bean profitability is at the heart of a research project led by Daniel Kaiser, associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Soil, Water and Climate. Kaiser said this funding gave an added boost to fund continued research that was already taking place for nitrogen management. This research looks specifically at sulfur, potassium and phosphorus. Kaiser said such research hasn’t been completed in the last 20 years in dry beans. The results so far are showing that there are no new recommendations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3E9ZEUG
GRANTS: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s continuous living cover crops have received a boost to further their advancements across the state. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded a total of $431,637 to 10 new projects under the Developing Markets for Continuous Living Cover Grant. These grants help develop enterprises, supply chains, and markets for continuous living cover crops and cropping systems in the early stage of commercial development.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jgOQCT
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CROP ART: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A portrait of former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall includes mung beans. A portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor features dried red peppers for her red lips. These two ‘seedy’ portraits of famous judges are at the U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis, but they’re nothing like the stark photographs of the president and vice president that hang near the entrance. The eyes, noses, lips, skin tones and robes of these Supreme Court justices were painstakingly crafted using seeds, beans, grains, quinoa, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, lentils, dried peppers and more.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/42lYNs1
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