TOMORROW: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday, March 3, the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture will conduct a full committee mark-up of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 or Farm Bill 2.0. In advance of the hearing, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association issued the following statement.” STATEMENT: https://fluence-media.co/4r1RvE3 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
OUTSIDE IMPACTS
IRAN: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Cattle futures were lower on the opening in reaction to the risk off selling in the financial markets and the higher dollar, which is tied to the U.S. and Israel attacking Iran over the weekend. That has also sent energy prices higher. Brad Kooima of Kooima Kooima Varilek says the cattle futures are reacting negatively to that uncertainty and had already started selling on Friday in fear of the increased tensions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l4eXPy
MORE: Via Successful Farming, VERBATIM: “Agri-Pulse’s Kim Chipman and Oliver Ward reported that ‘a prolonged military conflict in the Middle East could potentially upend key commodity markets due to Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important trade routes. America’s crop growers could see fresh price spikes for inputs like fertilizer while battling a multi-year downturn in profitability, experts warned ahead of the attack.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rLJqEV
MARKET IMPACT: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An extension ag economist points to the duration of the military action in Iran as a major market factor. Chad Hart with Iowa State University says this is the second attack conducted by the U.S. and Israel in less than a year.” HART: “We saw a brief spike up in prices, but we saw things calm down in the days after that. So it was a very short-lived interaction. The sense is this one’s going to be a much-longer military action, and that’s going to lead to bigger ramifications.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/46zKCTa
TOMORROW: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “Republicans lawmakers are pushing ahead with the long-overdue farm bill, facing the tall task of navigating between GOP fiscal hawks who generally oppose massive spending packages and Democrats still smarting from being frozen out of last year’s reconciliation talks. The House Agriculture Committee is set to gavel in at 5 p.m. Tuesday to consider a slew of policy updates as they look to break a yearslong stalemate fueled by partisan clashes over nutrition and climate. But the dark clouds hanging over the talks include Republican policy divides and food aid cuts that many Democrats say have left the historically bipartisan farm bill coalition on life support.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ckd13n
MORE: Via a separate story from Politico, VERBATIM: “Ag Committee ranking member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) has said it will be challenging for Democrats to provide the necessary bipartisan support after watching their nutrition priorities be gutted last year to pay for the GOP’s tax cuts and farm safety net boosts. Craig said the bill’s inclusion of measures to bar states from requiring pesticide labeling that differs from EPA guidance and to undo restrictions of livestock sales under laws like California’s Proposition 12 make it ‘very difficult, if not impossible,’ to vote for it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ckd13n
E15: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Fuel retailers are frustrated by the lack of progress on E15 legislation. Renewable Fuels Association CEO Geoff Cooper says gas stations and truck stops are growing tired of waiting on Congress to pass a year-round, nationwide standard.” COOPER: “We’ve certainly heard that remark from the retailers and truck stop folks before, and I think there is a risk if we don’t get something done fairly soon, then everybody is going to go back to their own corners.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3N1mwKl
PRODUCTS & MARKETS
MILK: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A bill to bring whole and two percent milk back into Minnesota schools is moving through the state legislature. The language aligns with federal law allowing students more choices for milk. Republican Senator Torrey Westrom of Alexandria calls it a win-win for students and dairy farmers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OL7ngP
CORN: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated farmers grew more than 17 billion bushels of corn in 2025, which is a record yield. At the same time, the nation is sitting on roughly 2 billion bushels in surplus, the largest ending stock this decade. For reference, the country has capacity to store about 25.5 billion bushels of corn, according to the National Corn Growers Association. For Minnesota farmers, that record production has translated into a painful reality. Corn prices have dropped by nearly half over the past three years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MHcHBn
MEAT: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Meat sales hit a record high of $112 billion in 2025, with a pound increase of 2%. Millennials and Gen Z were a driving force behind the growth, according to the 21st annual Power of Meat report released today at the Annual Meat Conference by the Meat Institute and FMI — The Food Industry Association.
According to Circana, more than 98% of American households purchase meat, and 45% of shoppers are actively trying to prepare more meals containing meat or poultry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l8umi3
FBA: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “Sign-up for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program began on February 23 at local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices and will continue until April 17. A total of $12 billion was allocated for the FBA program to provide economic assistance payments to producers of certain crops to offset low prices and poor profit margins for the 2025 crop year, as well as the market price impacts from tariffs on export markets for certain crops in the past year. Of that total, $11 billion of the payments will be paid to producers of traditional farm program Title I crops, which includes corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice. The remaining $1 billion will be held back for economic assistance for specialty crop producers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cociOx
FARMER RESOURCES
THIS MONTH: Via MLBA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association (MLBA) will hold its 129th Annual Meeting on March 19, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel, welcoming livestock enthusiasts from across the state for a day of connection, recognition, and industry leadership.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aM9kCq
NEW OAT: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “As construction continues on the farmer-backed Green Acres Milling oat plant, plant breeders at the University of Minnesota are working to deliver new genetics aimed at helping local growers compete in a food-grade market long dominated by imports. The effort was one of several topics covered at the University of Minnesota Extension’s Grain Gathering in Rochester on Feb. 18, where more than 100 farmers attended to discuss small grains, markets and crop diversification. Kevin Smith, the university’s oat breeder and a professor of agronomy, said the release of MN-Amber marks the first new variety developed entirely since Minnesota’s oat breeding program was restarted after a seven-year gap.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b1qbzV
WEIRD EARS: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Abnormal corn ears may look like a cosmetic problem, but depending on the severity, they can deliver a significant hit to yield, reports Osler Ortez, Ohio State University corn specialist.” ORTEZ: “If a field is managed for 200-bushel corn but only delivers 100 bushels because abnormal ears dominate, then every pound of nitrogen, every inch of irrigation and every pass you make across that field becomes much harder to justify.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cTIw4n
INVASIVE: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Tree of heaven, a deciduous tree that can grow in a large colony & hosts invasive spotted lanternfly, was confirmed in MN for the first time in 2025. Find out how we’re preventing it from spreading statewide in the latest Weed of the Month newsletter.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4cYmPQF MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3OBG20G
RESEARCH: Via Morning Ag Clips, VERBATIM: “Have you ever been interested in testing out a new practice, product or research question that could improve the nutrient crediting and benefit you get from the manure you apply? The Manure Management team at the University of Minnesota is currently partnering with farmers in southeast and southwest Minnesota who are interested in conducting on-farm research. This opportunity is part of a collaborative project with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture focused on improving and promoting manure best management practices that are regional and animal specific.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aM8pBY
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
AGRIBANK: Via Gene Online, VERBATIM: “[St. Paul-based] AgriBank released its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2025, reporting steady performance across key metrics. The institution highlighted its net income for the year, which reached $750 million, reflecting a slight increase compared to the previous year. For the fourth quarter alone, AgriBank reported a net income of $185 million. Total loans outstanding grew by 4% year-over-year, reaching $120 billion by December 31, 2025.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4r9vGCC
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