MNLEG: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “It’s been a busy few weeks for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) of testifying in support of the organization’s legislative priorities at the State Capitol. In both written and verbal testimony, farmer-leaders have advocated for legislation that would increase opportunities for corn growers while protecting natural resources and boosting the productivity of farming.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FzNNzo (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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CREDIT: Via news release from Rep. Angie Craig, VERBATIM: “This week, Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02) and Brad Finstad (MN-01) introduced the bipartisan Producer and Agricultural Credit Enhancement (PACE) Act to improve agricultural producers’ access to credit.This legislation would modernize current limits on the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Ownership and Operating loans, enacted through the 2018 Farm Bill.” CRAIG: “This bipartisan bill will bolster generational operations, while ensuring that new and beginning farmers have access to the resources they need to get their businesses up and running.” FINSTAD: “It is imperative that the limits on FSA loans align with the current challenges farmers and producers face today. I’m proud to reintroduce the PACE Act, which will provide farmers with certainty and make it easier to obtain the loans they need.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FppdkN
USDA: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending. Roughly $660 million that schools and child care facilities were counting on to purchase food from nearby farms through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program in 2025 has been canceled, according to the School Nutrition Association . . . The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which supports food banks and other feeding organizations, has also been cut.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41KMN2W
MORE: From MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen via X, VERBATIM: “For Minnesota the impact is $18 million canceled for farmers, food banks & schools.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3Fz82gD
MORE: Senate ag chair Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud) and Senator Heather Gustafson break that total down:
· $9,226,348 for school food purchasing
· $4,045,518 for child care institution food purchasing
· $4,732,009 through the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program
PUTNAM: “Farmers have trusted these programs, depended on them to get the food they grow to the increasing number of hungry people who need it. The USDA’s decision to undermine this relationship between farmers and food shelves is irresponsible.” GUSTAFSON: “Demand for Farm to School funds has always exceeded what we can afford, while the overall impact on the federal budget is very small. Cutting this funding is not cutting waste, it’s only hurting our food supply.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Flg6Se
LETTER: Via RFD-TV, VERBATIM: “The announcement comes as more than 300 food and ag organizations sent a letter to Secretary Rollins, Secretary Kennedy, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. They are expressing their concerns over the Make America Healthy Again Initiative. The group emphasizes a need to use sound science when tackling MAHA concerns like pesticides, biotechnology, and food and feed ingredients. They argue using them safely is critical to maintaining an affordable food supply.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FAiUuF
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
BUDGET: Via Minnesota House, VERBATIM: “The chair of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee unveiled a committee budget bill Monday that he said ‘supports all kinds of agriculture here in Minnesota.’ ‘All sizes of farmers, large and small, organic and conventional. It supports urban farming, it supports rural farming,’ said Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck). The committee heard a walk-through of an Anderson-sponsored delete-all amendment to HF1704 appropriating $168.9 million from the General Fund for the Department of Agriculture, plus several other agencies and programs under the purview of the committee, including the Office of Broadband Development. The funding request is $17.1 million above the current amount budgeted in 2024-25, or a 10.1% increase.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3R22Y6Z
WORKERS: Via Reuters, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture will comply with the Wednesday deadline issued by a federal board to temporarily reinstate its fired probationary employees, according to an agency statement. The Merit Systems Protection Board, an agency that hears appeals from federal employees when they are fired or disciplined, on March 5 told the USDA that it must temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 probationary workers who were fired as part of President Donald Trump's cuts to the federal workforce.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41YliUT
MORE: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “By Wednesday, March 12, the Department will place all terminated probationary employees in pay status and provide each with back pay, from the date of termination. The Department will work quickly to develop a phased plan for return-to-duty, and while those plans materialize, all probationary employees will be paid.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bI1Wqm
BIRD FLU: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen says biosecurity is the most important part of the USDA’s 5-point plan to address Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. ‘The farms that have had USDA’s Wildlife Services inspections have had little problems; it’s a good thing.’ Another part of the plan included vaccines. USDA says there’s no vaccines currently available to help address HPAI, but Petersen says he’s optimistic the agency will continue to support research for it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FzWMAE
WORKFORCE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Dairy farms in Minnesota and around the country rely on immigrant workers, many of whom are undocumented. Dairy workers’ families often count on the portion of their wages they send back to their home countries. A group of farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin have been following these connections to Mexico to meet the families of their employees.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3XEg79Z
TOMORROW: Via UofM Extension, VERBATIM: “Nitrogen management faces unique challenges in southeastern Minnesota due to its karst topography. Join us for this special Nitrogen Smart session to dive into practices that maximize profitability while minimizing environmental losses.” DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/3XJO1dv
From morning take…
AGRICULTURE: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “The chair of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee unveiled a committee budget bill Monday. … ‘It supports urban farming, it supports rural farming,’ said Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck). The committee heard a walk-through of an Anderson-sponsored delete-all amendment to HF1704 appropriating $168.9 million from the General Fund for the Department of Agriculture. … The funding request is $17.1 million above the current amount budgeted in 2024-25, or a 10.1% increase. It is also above the budget amount proposed by Gov. Tim Walz. … The committee took no official action on the bill or the amendment and laid them over.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hkBSml
GRAIN: via AgWeek, VERBATIM: “Smaller grain buyers in Minnesota faced with challenges of finding and paying for services of an accountant to review their finances may have some pressure released under a bill that has passed the Minnesota House and Senate. It now moves on to Gov. Tim Walz for consideration. Minnesota Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, [said] it was the result of a lot of compromise among the grain elevators and grain buyers in Minnesota, as well as between legislators.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FzdAYv
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)
GRANTS: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “Three community development organizations in Minnesota will receive grant funding to strengthen agriculture-focused financial services through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA)’s new Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Technical Assistance Grant. The MDA awarded $270,000 in total to three CDFIs for the following purposes:
African Economic Development Solutions: $80,000 to train staff on resources for farm businesses, establish partnerships with agriculture-related organizations, and create new loan products, programs and policies to serve farmers.
Hmong American Partnership: $90,000 to increase staff expertise in agricultural financial services, enhance farmers’ knowledge through loan readiness workshops and technical assistance, and develop tailored loan products to fit the financial needs of farmers.
Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC): $100,000 to strengthen their agricultural lending program through a new ag loan policy manual, a dedicated ag loan fund, technology and processes that deploy capital to farmers faster, and professional development for LEDC staff to better serve farmers.
Awardees for this grant are certified CDFIs who serve or intend to serve farmers in Minnesota and have participated in at least one U. S. Department of Agriculture grant or loan program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Dyg6xH
INSURANCE: From NCIS via Business Wire, VERBATIM: “With the March 17 deadline approaching for farmers to purchase crop insurance for spring seeded crops like corn and soybeans, National Crop Insurance Services (NCIS) released results of a near-record year in 2024 . . . The states with the most coverage included Iowa (22.4 million acres, $16.3 billion liability protection); Illinois (20.1 million acres, $14.5 billion liability protection); California (17.1 million acres, $12.5 billion liability protection); Minnesota (18.1 million acres, $10.9 billion liability protection); and Nebraska (24.7 million acres, $10.4 billion liability protection).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41In9Mb
GRANTS: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Implementing no-till farming and other conservation practices can be great for your farm’s soil health and overall environment. But many have concerns when it comes to the cost of adding these methods to their operation. Vance Johnson farms corn, soybeans, wheat and sugar beets in Breckenridge, Minnesota, in the Red River Valley. He has been using no-till and minimal tillage since 2010 and cover crops since around 2016. Johnson says he gets a lot of questions from producers about the cost of implementing conservation practices on their farms, especially when it comes to adding cover crops.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41KWw9o
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
MEMBERSHIP: Via Northern News Now, VERBATIM: “With spring near, it’s almost time for farm fresh produce. A Northland farm has opened a new farm membership program to help them get a kick start preparing their land for the season. The farm, called The Golden Bog Farm, is located in the Greater Sax-Zim Bog. They announced recently that they were introducing a farm membership program that is different from a traditional Community-Supported Agriculture program.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41YI0wa
WATER: Via Wadena Pioneer, VERBATIM: “After a year-long evaluation, the R.D. Offutt Wadena Farm earned the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification, joining other growers as a recognized leader in the state for water stewardship.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QV5kEK
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