PATHOGEN DETECTORS: From Minnesota Corn via Facebook, VERBATIM: “Through the Minnesota corn checkoff, Minnesota Corn is supporting an initiative by Root Applied Sciences to establish a network of spore traps that detect pathogens like tar spot and southern rust. The goal is to provide farmers with a real-time monitoring system on these diseases, helping with efficient management.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/4qNUe3Y (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
MORE: From Linder Farm Network via YouTube, the project. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4gHyqWe
FARM LOGISTICS
AUGUST: Via Farmfest, VERBATIM: “In every even numbered year since 1990, Farmfest has featured Candidate Forums for the Minnesota election races for Governor, U.S. Senate, and the Congressional seats in Greater Minnesota. The 2026 Candidate Forums take on particular importance, as they are the week prior to the Minnesota Primary Election on August 11.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Srjlya
EXPORTS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “U.S. corn continues to ship out at a relatively rapid pace. The USDA says corn export inspections during the week ending June 25th were up on the year, mainly to the key customers of Japan and Mexico. With about two months left in the marketing year, corn sales have already met the USDA’s target thanks to competitive pricing and solid global demand. Sorghum and soybean export inspections were also above year ago levels, while wheat was down on the week and the year. The USDA’s next round of supply and demand numbers is out July 10th.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eV5WGd
USMCA: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “In advance of an official review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on July 1, some farmers are bracing for possible changes. ‘It’s so much out of my control,’ said Craig LaPlante, a farmer from Fisher in Northwest Minnesota. ‘I’m a bystander to what the politicians decide to do. That’s the hard part of it.’ The agreement, known as USMCA, allows for tariff-free trade among the three nations. However, President Donald Trump has signaled he’s not keen on extending it, as he told reporters a few weeks ago.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4eCghI9
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The North America economist for Coface, a global leader in trade credit insurance and risk management, says he doesn’t expect a quick solution to the USMCA renewal process. Marcos Carias tells Brownfield the tri-lateral trade agreement is set for renewal on July 1st, however…” CARIAS: “Talks have been faster with Mexico than with Canada, but even with Mexico, we’ve got a talk scheduled for the 20th of July.” He says, “It’s not going to be a clean resolution, and we expect negotiations to extend into later this year and probably even 2027.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/442Wz2a
PAPERWORK: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced an acreage reporting modernization pilot program that is a foundational part of the administration’s One Farmer, One File effort. FSA is focused on creating a more efficient, consistent, and customer-focused acreage reporting experience for producers and FSA employees. After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers should make an appointment with their FSA county office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline. July 15 is a major deadline for most crops, but acreage reporting deadlines may vary by county and by crop.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4we9x90
PIVOT: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “The USDA’s Prospective Plantings Report on March 31 showed farmers intended to plant 95.3 million acres of corn, down 3.45 million acres from last year. Those acres were shifted over to soybeans as farmers indicated they planned to plant 3.5 million acres more soybeans in 2026. However, with the war in Iran shutting down the Strait of Hormuz and global fertilizer movement prices spiked this spring. As a result, speculation ran high the fertilizer crunch would cause U.S. producers to abandon even more acres of corn and that would show up in USDA’s June 30 Acreage Report.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4v7RFvz
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Al Kluis with Kluis Commodity Advisors says he agrees with trade expectations shifting those acres to soybeans.” KLUIS: “Just the price of fertilizer, price of fuel. And last year, farmers had so much corn. So that would be consistent with what the farmers indicated in March.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3QwUBE6
CROP CONDITIONS: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “If you poll corn and soybean producers across the Corn Belt regarding the condition of the 2026 crop, you will probably get some pretty positive responses in most areas of the Upper Midwest. Many portions of the region have been getting adequate rainfall, which together with above normal heat units, has resulted in very favorable growing conditions. As is usual in late June and early July, some locations have received excess amounts of precipitation, while other areas are on the dry side hoping for more rainfall in the coming weeks. There is some concern with intensifying drought conditions in portions of the western Corn Belt, especially with the extreme heat expected in early July.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vCvEpT
DC + AG
RULING: Via SCOTUSblog, VERBATIM: “The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with Monsanto in a high-stakes dispute over cancer warnings on pesticide labels. In an opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Monsanto Company v. Durnell, the court ruled, by a vote of 7-2, that state lawsuits aimed at holding the company liable for failing to warn consumers about the potential risks of Roundup exposure are barred by the federal law governing pesticide sales.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44AOIc9
MORE: Via The Hill, VERBATIM: “For some MAHA supporters, Thursday’s verdict showed that despite Trump’s alliance with Kennedy, the administration would rather prioritize the interests of pesticide makers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vFasQf
SCREWWORM: Via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “Members of the New Democrat Coalition asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday to provide fresh details about the nation’s screwworm outbreak and demanded that the Trump administration allocate more resources to containing the spread. Reps. Sharice Davids of Kansas, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico and Jim Costa of California led 18 other members of the moderate coalition in a June 24 letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in which they highlighted ranchers’ and farmers’ growing concerns over the New World screwworm’s impact on livestock health and food prices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44z2s7h
MORE: Via Rep. Davids, the letter. Among the signers is Rep. Angie Craig. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QqeCMA
PLANNING AHEAD
AUGUST: Via Farmfest, VERBATIM: “With input costs rising, commodity prices under pressure, and policy moving slower than the farm economy needs, many producers are feeling the financial squeeze. This interactive 2‑hour session brings together agricultural economists, marketing specialists, financial experts, and mental health advocates to deliver real‑time insights, practical marketing strategies, and financial planning tools to help you maximize your 2026 crop revenue and position your operation for a stronger 2027 season.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eR5RTV
INPUTS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The USDA says farm production costs could hit a record high in 2027. Ag economist Brad Lubben with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says inflation has been the biggest factor since the COVID-19 pandemic.” LUBBEN: “We have continued to be at the higher levels along with trade and global security shocks that have amped up certain markets. Right now, we’re just dealing with higher production costs.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4uYuB2p
MARKETS: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Live and feeder cattle futures were lower early Monday with a risk off tone to the entire market place and it is end of the month and quarter and that creates some profit taking in profitable positions. However, Brad Kooima of Kooima Kooima Varilek says in cattle it also comes after a push to new highs for this move last week in the futures and even new contract highs in the June live cattle futures on Friday.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4w8ogCo
DRONES: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Spencer Neugebauer farms corn and soybeans with his family in Ethan, South Dakota. In 2022, his uncle mentioned purchasing a drone for their farm. ‘We kind of went out on a limb and ended up buying one,’ Neugebauer said. ‘Initially it was just for our own farm to use, spraying tough areas we’ve never been able to reach before and do a bunch of different stuff over top of corn and soybeans from spraying insecticide to spraying fungicides and stuff like that.’ But, what started as a personal drone, quickly turned into a booming business.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4eDolII
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
PRINCESSES: Via Perham Focus, VERBATIM: “Audrey Weller and Addison Dilly were crowned as the 2026 East Otter Tail County Midwest Dairy Princesses . . . In addition to the two princesses, three girls were honored as 2026 Dairy Ambassadors. These include Maggy Weller, daughter of Brad and Bridget Weller, Lucey Minten, daughter of Mike and Jen Minten and Ella Horn, daughter of Devin and Samantha Horn.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T7JYIu
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