CHECKOFF: From Minnesota Corn via Facebook, VERBATIM: “With support from the corn checkoff, University of Minnesota Professor Dr. Paul Dauenhauer is studying catalytic technology that could allow for the conversion of corn into methanol. The research could expand the versatility of corn-based biofuels while increasing the efficiency of biofuel production. Today, Dr. Dauenhauer shared his research with a Taiwanese trade delegation visiting Minnesota after the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council‘s Global Ethanol Summit. The group also heard from Dr. Will Northrop about sustainable aviation fuel research, and it will visit ethanol sites in southern Minnesota tomorrow.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/43yB49i (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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SNAP: Via Minnesota House, VERBATIM: “Today, a coalition of Minnesota DFL legislators sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, strongly encouraging the Administration to release available funds so that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are not interrupted come November.” QUOTE: “As the clock ticks toward November 1, if SNAP benefits run out, half a million Minnesotans will face precarious situations, not knowing where their next meal may come from,” said House DFL Floor Leader Jamie Long. “It’s time for Trump and fellow Republicans to come back to the table to end this shutdown. In the meantime, his administration should commit to doing everything it can to protect access to this critical lifeline for families, including using USDA contingency funding.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/3Jn84KP
TRADE: From MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen via X, VERBATIM: “Honored tonight to host Dennis Lei Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago & Taiwan agriculture trade group at Mall of America to discuss trade and educational opportunities for both Minnesota and Taiwan.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/47sAICp
SUGAR BEETS: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “In the rural stretches of western Minnesota’s border with North Dakota, President Donald Trump won by big margins in 2024 and many are staunch supporters of his policies. But the momentum of his health czar Kennedy’s signature ‘Make America Healthy Again’ philosophy — targeting production agriculture and America’s sweet tooth — has run into a stubborn wall of farming cooperatives invested in protecting both. Harvests from the roughly 3,500 farms across the Red and Minnesota river valleys produce a third of the beet sugar in the U.S., resulting in 21,000 jobs and $3.1 billion for the state’s economy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JkR48b
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
BEEF: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “President Trump is in another fight with farmers. First it was over soybeans, which China stopped buying in retaliation for American tariffs. Now it’s beef. Trump has suggested buying meat from Argentina to lower prices for U.S. consumers. Ranchers say the move would hurt them.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3WmsoPC
MORE: From President Trump via Truth Social, VERBATIM: “The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States, including a 50% Tariff on Brazil. If it weren’t for me, they would be doing just as they’ve done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that, but they also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4o6BE6D
MORE: From National Callemen’s Beef Association sharing the President’s post via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Cattlemen and women cannot stand behind President Trump while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef. It is imperative that President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins let cattle markets work without interference. If the administration is truly an ally of America’s cattle producers, we call on him to abandon this effort to manipulate markets and focus instead on completing the promised New World Screwworm facility in Texas; make additional investments that protect the domestic cattle herd from foreign animal diseases such as FMD; and address regulatory burdens, such as delisting of the gray wolf and addressing the scourge of black vultures.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/47tMkVR
MORE: Via Des Moines Register, VERBATIM: “U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley praised the administration’s plan to support ranchers, but he said he opposes the president’s proposal to buy more Argentina beef and wishes he would stop talking about it on social media.” GRASSLEY: “The president would be better off if he’d keep his mouth shut on that issue and not tweet about it . . . You aren’t going to win it. He should concentrate on what he’s doing to help the beef producers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3L9pE5C
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)
FSA OFFICES: Via Minnesota Senate, from Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) on news shared in Wednesday’s ag take that 2,100 USDA Farm Service Agency offices would be reopened despite the government shutdown. NELSON: “It’s such great news that FSA offices are open again. It means that farmers and ranchers can finally get help with the challenges they are facing, including loans, crop insurance, and other aid they need to keep going. With harvest season upon us, time especially critical. While I hope U.S. Congressional Democrats will agree to end the shutdown as soon as possible, FSA offices reopening will at least give ag families some breathing room.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42TuvhA
ASSISTANCE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Crop farmers are anxiously awaiting more details on federal assistance to help offset economic losses caused by tariffs and other factors. Iowa State University Extension economist Chad Hart says most growers are looking at a cash flow pinch while preparing for next year.” HART: “So I think a lot of folks are balancing just how much do I need to sell right now to cover the bills, versus how much am I going to hang on to and how long am I going to hang onto that grain in order to try to realize the higher prices.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/47jAOfy
DROUGHT: The new Drought Monitor shows that, as of Tuesday, 22% of the state was in drought, up from 19% a week earlier. 65% of the state is abnormally dry or worse. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
FIRE WORRIES: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Recent rain has alleviated field fire concerns in north Iowa. Klemme farmer Brent Renner says warm, dry weather has made for a fast-paced harvest.” RENNER: “In fact it was getting a little too dry there for awhile, but we got about a half inch of rain less than a week ago. And that kind of made things a little safer because we were starting to get concerned about how dry things were, and fires and such.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4nptqoW
CLIMATE: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “MDA staffer Kajsa Beatty presented at the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference in Milwaukee earlier this week on how we’re working with farmers to help them adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change on their lands, crops, and animals.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4oEKIQ7
BIRD FLU: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “Bird flu is back. After a quiet summer, the virus has hit dozens of poultry flocks, resulting in the deaths of nearly seven million farmed birds in the United States since the beginning of September. Among them: about 1.3 million turkeys, putting pressure on the nation’s turkey supply in the run-up to Thanksgiving. Reports of infected wild birds have also surged this fall, and three states — Idaho, Nebraska and Texas — have identified outbreaks in dairy cows. The virus often flares up in the fall as wild birds begin migrating south; this year, the uptick is occurring during a government shutdown, as federal agencies that are typically involved in the response are working with skeletal staff.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oVqUYX
MORE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Minnesota alone has seen outbreaks affecting nearly 600,000 birds in commercially farmed flocks — most of them within the last month. That’s because bird flu often spikes during the fall migration of wild birds, according to Shauna Voss, an assistant director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.” VOSS: “[The] birds are moving,” Voss said. “They’re bringing [the] virus with them, a new virus that maybe hadn’t been around the state during the summer, and sometimes that virus does find its way into our barns.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qpRB9t
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)
SOYBEANS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A farmer in southern Minnesota who dealt with Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans this year will factor that into her 2026 plans. Wanda Patsche of Welcome says she did not apply a fungicide during the past growing season.” PATSCHE: “But I think that is going to be something we’re going to take a look at this next year. And especially with the SDS, we’ve already talked to our Pioneer salesman, so there might definitely be some things we need to do for next year and we’ll definitely take that serious.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hnBips
LAND: Via Wisconsin Watch, VERBATIM: “The average Wisconsin farmer is nearly 57, and a growing share are 65 or older. For generations, the answer was simple: Hand off the land and operations to their kids. But farmers are increasingly finding their grown children have other plans. To fund their retirement, today’s farmers will often weigh whether to rent or sell their land to larger agricultural operations, real estate developers, energy companies or even private equity firms. Meanwhile, a new generation of aspiring farmers is struggling to get started.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hrKvgt
HARVEST: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Harvest progress is less clear following the cancellation of weekly USDA crop reports because of the government shutdown. Tony Lenz with Stine Seed covers portions of Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota.” LENZ: “Where we got south in Iowa where we started to see the southern rust in the corn, growers started to get into that, and into Missouri. Wherever they had some problems there they got started on their corn before they did beans. And I think even we had a couple derecho winds that came across Nebraska and Iowa, and those guys got started on that corn (because) they wanted to pick that up.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/478v5un
100 YEARS: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Simek’s Farm up in Kelsey Minnesota is celebrating its centennial this year. The four family generations that have operated the farm are also inviting community members to enjoy their annual fall pumpkin patch.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ohalqf
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SPIDERS: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Spiders tend to give some people the creeps. But the world of spiders isn’t as scary as it seems. On this Halloween episode of our Smarty Plants podcast, we discuss spiders in Minnesota and the role they play in our ecology. #MNAg” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4oh8HF5 LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/47iSisw
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