RESEARCH: 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
INPUTS
STRAIT OF HORMUZ: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “As of [Thursday], 70% of the sulfur tons that were trapped behind the Strait of Hormuz due to its closure have now transited through and are in transit for the global market. That was the good news shared by The Fertilizer Institute’s Corey Rosenbusch on AgriTalk. Fertilizer is once again flowing through the critical part of the global supply, which had been largely blocked for traffic since the end of February. Every year more than one-third of all fertilizer globally transits through the Strait of Hormuz.” ROSENBUSCH: “Half of the world’s sulfur that’s traded comes through the strait,” he says. “Because it’s the key raw material in phosphate production– Saudi phosphate, Moroccan phosphate, US phosphate–they had all started to curtail production because they couldn’t get sulfuric acid to make it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43X7EBK
UNCERTAINTY: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An ag economist says uncertainty continues to surround a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. Jim McCormick with AgMarket.Net says there’s currently a dispute over some frozen Iranian funds that could impact U.S. agriculture.” MCCORMICK: “President Trump came out over the weekend and has talked several times saying how as we unfreeze some of these Iranian funds, they were going to essentially say that those funds would have to turn around to buy U.S. agricultural products.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4vJ8HBi
$11.1 BILLION: Via DTN, VERBATIM: “The White House on Wednesday asked Congress to pass a supplemental funding package that includes a request for $11.1 billion for farmers and calls for Congress to pass year-round E15. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a request for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. The lion’s share of that request -- $67.1 billion -- was for the War Department.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w3sP0M
DROUGHT: This week’s Drought Monitor shows 41% of the state in formal drought status, up from 38% a week earlier. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Across the Corn Belt, scattered showers accompany near- or below-normal temperatures. Friday’s Midwestern high temperatures will remain below 80°F, except across the southern tier of the Corn Belt. With soil moisture shortages mostly limited to parts of the upper Midwest, most corn and soybeans continue to develop with minimal stress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g2D8h3
PROUD TO CHAMPION ATHLETES EVERYWHERE: Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers may come from different fields than the athletes participating in the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, which are set for June 20-26 in Minnesota. But they share the same values, including dedication, hard work, and perseverance. This summer, Minnesota Corn salutes the talented athletes participating in the games. We’ll be cheering them on from our fields as they shine in yours. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
OUTSIDE IMPACTS
FARM BILL: Via KAXE-Radio, VERBATIM: “Minnesota dairy farmer James Kanne hopes politics stay out of the final push and that fairness for noncorporate operations becomes a priority. Kanne, who farms in Renville County, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to push for provisions in the sprawling agricultural policy package. He said the process in recent years has become so fraught with partisan approaches that smaller, independent operations like his are left fighting for scraps.” KANNE: “We’re just playing Whack-A-Mole,” Kanne said. “We’re just trying to bat down the biggest of the problems, and to support maybe one or two things that we can add to the farm bill that would be a positive.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g8CRcp
EXTENSION: Via Red River Farm Network, VERBATIM: “University of Minnesota Extension Dean Bev Durgan says strong county support remains critical to Extension’s success despite tight budgets. ‘State funding has not been increasing, but our county support is the strongest it has ever been.’ Speaking with the Red River Farm Network during a tour of northwest Minnesota, Durgan said county investments remain especially important for youth programming.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4f1d98J
RIVER PORTS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The director of operations for the Corn Belt Ports says the newly formed Northern Corn Belt Ports initiative brings five more key Mississippi River ports into the overall organization. Chris Smith says it builds on work began in 2022 in Minnesota and Wisconsin.” SMITH: “We want to create a governance structure to identify priorities for the region, have a regional identity, and use that to increase opportunities for multimodal investment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aoLEmT
MARKETS: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Grain markets saw a strong rally on Thursday. Don Roose of U.S. Commodities says corn made new contract lows, filled long held chart gap from last fall at $4.05 ¼ on the July corn and then closed higher scoring a key reversal. He says the market was oversold and due for a correction and funds covered some of the short position they had recently built. However, the market had also removed too much weather premium.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uYgzxO
CONCERNS & OPPORTUNITIES
RED CROWN ROT: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Red Crown Rot has officially been confirmed in Wisconsin, and an Extension field crops pathologist is encouraging farmers to increase scouting efforts this season. Damon Smith with the University of Wisconsin–Madison tells Brownfield the disease was reported last September in Columbia County.” SMITH: “It’s kind of a head-scratcher on how it just sort of like leapfrogged from the closest county confirmations are down in Illinois, and so how did it get to sort of a south-central county in Wisconsin.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4w4bULM
MORE: Via UofM Extension, news from last October that Red Crown Rot had been found in southwest Minnesota. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3R6R1k6
REGENERATIVE: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “On the heels of President Donald J. Trump signing an Executive Order advancing regenerative agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke L. Rollins simultaneously announced a final Regenerative Feedstock Rule, a landmark action that will help farmers voluntarily capture new value from regenerative agricultural practices through biofuel markets.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vBHEIm
FSA: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Do you have a passion to support fellow farmers? Nominate yourself to be a @USDAFSA county committee member.” INFOGRAPHIC: https://fluence-media.co/4w6z2Jp
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
DICAMBA: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The commissioner of agriculture for Minnesota says dicamba restrictions seem to be working. Thom Petersen tells Brownfield the final dates for over-the-top applications of the herbicide in the state are June 12th south of Interstate 94 and June 30th to the north.” PETERSEN: “It’s hard to tell how much dicamba is there, we do have some. And we want to remind producers of that, that’s worked really well for Minnesota (with) dicamba being back on the market right now.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3R58nhl
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