TRADE: From Minnesota Corn via X, VERBATIM: “This month, join the us and @AgForUSMCA in sending President Trump a unified message about the importance of USMCA.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4ururBh (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
AG HEADLINES
SUGAR: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “A large bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives have joined the sugar industry in asking U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to launch a Section 301 investigation into unfair and discriminatory practices by foreign sugar-producing countries . . . Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Reps. Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D., and Troy Carter, D-La., on May 20, 2026, were joined by 108 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Greer calling on USTR to ‘take appropriate action to protect American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers, processors, refiners, and factory workers from being undercut by discriminatory foreign trade practices.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wFUJRX
MORE: Via Rep. Michelle Fischbach, the letter, which was signed by Fischbach, as well as Represenatatives Brad Finstad, Angie Craig, Kelly Morrison, Betty McCollum, Ilhan Omar, and Pete Stauber, as well as Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v5CHXv
CHINA: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “U.S. Soybean Export Council CEO Jim Sutter says trade between the U.S. and China could level out following recent trade talks, but it’s not a guarantee. ‘One of the things we understand that has been agreed is that the tariffs will be kind of equalized between soybeans from all origins. So we’ll no longer be at this 10 percent duty disadvantage.’ Sutter says Brazil’s soybeans are cheaper than U.S. beans due to the tariffs, and price speaks to buyers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fBPH2y
RADIO: Via Red River Farm Network, VERBATIM: “The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act was included as an amendment to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s update to the National Highway Traffic Safety programs and passed on a 48-one vote. It is expected to be part of the Surface Transportation bill when it comes to the House floor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uq4bXL
MNLEG: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen has been a part of more than 25 years of legislative sessions, and this one rates up there with one of the more frustrating ones. Minnesota farmers had some last-minute wins, as legislators passed several important bills in the waning hours of the session Sunday, May 17. But some major items, including a large omnibus ag bill that was held up by ag committee disagreements over the banning of a herbicide, never made further ground since a failed vote in mid-April.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dG8Q0C
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Farm Bureau is giving mixed reviews at the conclusion of the 2026 state legislative session. President Dan Glessing tells Brownfield MFBF is disappointed legislators could not pass an agriculture bill.” GLESSING: “But pleased that the tax bill had some agricultural perspectives and benefits to farmers and ranchers, and bonding.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4f37oba
COCOA: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Cargill’s new chocolate alternative, which avoids cocoa markets that sent the price of candy on a rollercoaster ride in recent years, just tastes chocolaty. Kernels of the grape-seed-derived product called NextCoa, shown off in one of Cargill’s Minnesota corporate kitchens on a recent Friday, elevated fresh-baked cookies to taste like they emerged from a bakery. The sweet chocolate-alternative with vegan, allergen-free ingredients coated pretzels and made for indulgent truffles.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RW7U0R
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives—in the U.S. and abroad. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
OUTSIDE PRESSURES
WILDFIRE: Via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A fundraising effort is now underway to help a longtime Minnesota farm rebuild following a devastating wildfire. On Saturday, the Flanders Fire crossed County Road 11 and engulfed the Roberts Farm in Crosby, owned by Larry Roberts and his partner, Linda. The 160-acre farm has been in the family for nearly 40 years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dDEGuV
DROUGHT: The new Drought Monitor reflecting data as of Tuesday shows slight improvement, though 42% of the state remains abnormally dry or worse. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
CROP STRATEGY: Via Public News Service, VERBATIM: “With financial pressures mounting, Midwestern farmers are increasingly approaching bankruptcy territory. But a new analysis says the right land management strategy could help some farms stay afloat. Economists say rising input costs for fertilizer — made worse by the war with Iran, global trade disputes and depressed grain prices — are weighing down profits. Samuel Porter, an agricultural economist who is researching the topic for the Minnesota Farmers Union, said conventional wisdom holds that farms should expand acreage and increase yields to boost profits. But the information he is gathering suggests that is not always the case.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3PUAI9y
SOYBEANS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A technical service manager with FMC says he is expecting increased pest pressure for soybeans this year. Bruce Steward says drought conditions delayed planting in some parts of the Midwest.” STEWARD: “Those are usually the ones that are hit the hardest, and pest populations build up. You get one generation after another. As other crops dwindle by, you get those pests that invade green soybean fields.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wKERgM
CORN: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “The optimum window for making sidedress nitrogen applications in corn is narrower – and potentially earlier – than many growers might realize. Dan Kaiser, University of Minnesota Extension nutrient management specialist, says recommendations for Minnesota call for sidedress applications to be wrapped up by the V6 growth stage – not because the crop is already using large amounts of nitrogen, but because of when the nutrient is most needed by the crop.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49B0DKf
SOIL HEALTH: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Soil Health Financial Assistance Program (SHFAP) again saw exceptional demand this year, awarding 166 grants totaling almost $4.7 million to support conservation practices that build soil health and protect Minnesota’s water resources. Funding reached farms and watersheds in 79 counties, with an average award of about $30,000.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4flrVYL
FAIRHAVEN FARM: Via Farm Forum, VERBATIM: “Twenty-five minutes north of Duluth, at Fairhaven Farm, first-generation farmer and University of Minnesota Duluth alumnus John Beaton is redesigning small-scale agriculture in a changing world. Fairhaven Farm grows vegetables and flowers, but the farm’s bigger goal is to care for the soil and strengthen the farm for the future. As a sustainable farmer, Beaton believes that building soil health is foundational to the success of his farm.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43qg58c
AG ADVOCACY
GRANTS: Via Entrepreneur Fund, VERBATIM: “The Entrepreneur Fund (EFund), with support from the Wells Fargo Foundation, is excited to announce the 26 recipients of the Rural Field to Market Grant, a one-time funding opportunity designed to strengthen small- to mid-size farm and food businesses across EFund’s Minnesota service area.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4o3eIGl
KAY: Via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Ten young women were named as finalists for the 73rd Princess Kay of the Milky Way. According to a news release from Midwest Dairy, dairy princesses from across the state gathered May 15-16 at the Delta Hotel in Minneapolis for the annual May Leadership Event.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49M6pbK
MORE: Via Midwest Dairy, the finalists. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/4fCjV5v
NEXTGEN: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Commissioner @thommypetersen and Deputy Commissioner Andrea Vaubel joined students and educators at Jefferson Elementary School in New Ulm to proclaim May 18–22 as School Garden Week in the State of Minnesota!” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/4nPoyLQ
CAMPAIGN: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is teaming up with a broad coalition of farm, food, and commodity organizations to support a statewide Farm Suicide Prevention Campaign. The campaign, which kicked off during May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, looks to highlight the realities farmers experience and provide resources to those in need.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uqAsxU
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
TOMORROW: Via Ramsey County Historical Society, VERBATIM: “Join Gibbs Farm in getting excited for summer with an ice cream social! We’ll be serving our classic homemade ice cream with a fabulous array of toppings. Take a guided tour of the historic farmhouse, replica Dakota summer bark lodge, and tipi. Visit the farm animals, take a stroll around the restored prairie, grab a cheesesteak from the Philly Station food truck and listen to live music from Light of the Moon!” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uqvoto
DOG TAGS: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “On a 20,000-square-foot apple orchard tucked behind a chain-link fence, a quiet piece of rural Minnesota has become something far larger than fruit trees and farmland. It has become a living memorial, built from thousands of hand-made dog tags and the determination of a couple honoring those killed in service to their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. For Linda Hoffmann, the idea started with a search for stillness.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4tWSWFn
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