ST PAUL: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Last Tuesday, Minnesota Corn farmer-leaders traveled to the State Capitol as part of MCGA’s annual Day on the Hill to highlight policies that benefit family corn farmers and rural communities. Farmer-leaders met with more than 25 elected officials from both political parties as they navigated the Capitol complex. The event concluded with a joint legislative session with the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uApSVx (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY
NEXT WEEK: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration could be poised to make a big announcement on biofuels policy next week. U.S Senator Chuck Grassley tells Brownfield he’s hopeful Renewable Volume Obligations for 2026 and 2027 will be announced during a celebration of agriculture at the White House March 27th.” GRASSLEY: “We want RVO’s to be what was speculated last year, that we get 5.6 billion gallons without harm done to whatever they do on RINs. And then at least the 15 billion gallons or more on ethanol.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4sUtHU1
BIOFUELS: Via Agri Pulse, VERBATIM: “Demand for cleaner jet fuel in Japan and higher ethanol blends in the U.S. will be a boon for American farmers in the not-too-distant future, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden says.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40YFvZH
ETHANOL: From MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen via X, VERBATIM: “Starting the day in SW Minnesota in Luverne touring the Agri-Energy ethanol plant. The plant has been sitting idle for a few years and will begin producing ethanol again hopefully next week with new owners and over 100 investors.” PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/4dej2PF
CHINA: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is postponing his long-anticipated trip to China by ‘five or six weeks,’ citing the ongoing war with Iran as the reason for the delay. The summit, originally scheduled for late March, has been pushed back as the administration focuses on addressing escalating tensions in the Middle East . . . While soybeans were in the green on Tuesday, the news was enough to spark a sell-off in soybeans — closing down 70¢ on Monday. According to Ag Trader Talk’s Garrett Toay, soybeans closing in a limit-down move hadn’t happened in 17 years — since January 2009.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lyxnbA
MORE: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Monday’s news further compounded a years-long struggle for Minnesota farmers, and a recent rise in fuel and fertilizer costs. Agriculture, a $26 billion industry, is the foundation of the state’s economy, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. ‘It’s going to be about survival. I mean, farmers might not be able to survive this for too long,’ said Ryan Mackenthun, vice president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3NM2xzN
IRAN WAR: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “American corn and soybean prices experienced a short-lived price rally last week following the start of the war in Iran. That’s because the conflict led to a virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade passageway in the Middle East. The trade disruption sparked uncertainty surrounding the global availability of crops such as soybeans and corn.” QUOTE: “There’s the concern saying we need to buy some additional grain to make sure that it’s in process or in shipping,” North Dakota State University Crop Economist Frayne Olson said. “So that if there is any kind of additional disruptions, we don’t fall short, especially for international buyers or for international processors.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Pq63QL
FERTILIZER: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The chief economist with The Fertilizer Institute says the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is raising concerns about U.S. fertilizer supplies. ‘We think we’re about 2 million tons short on nitrogen for the spring market.’ Veronica Nigh says around 50% of global exports of urea moves through the now-closed Strait of Hormuz, which doesn’t bode well for spring applications.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4bhBHsj
PIVOT: Via Twin Cities Business, VERBATIM: “Amid the uncertainty, one Minnesota-based company is positioning itself as part of the solution. Pivot Bio, a fast-growing agtech firm that relocated its corporate headquarters to Minnetonka earlier this month, is betting that its alternative approach to nitrogen fertilizer can help farmers navigate both price volatility and long-term sustainability challenges.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uCwpPJ
CRITICAL MARKETS FOR MINNESOTA: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s 24,000 family corn farmers export hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of corn, ethanol, and dried distillers grains (DDG) to Canada and Mexico each year. Those exports support consumers in those countries and account for thousands of Minnesota jobs and over $1 billion in economic activity. That’s why the Minnesota Corn Growers Association supports a full renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the landmark trade agreement that modernized North American agricultural trade.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
KEY DECISIONS
FRIDAY: From FSA via X, VERBATIM: “The deadline for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program is this Friday, March 20! Under Continuous CRP, you’re paid an annual rental payment for voluntarily converting environmentally sensitive land from ag production and planting resource-conserving vegetative cover.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lHvnxY
AG ECONOMY: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The senior vice president with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers says the industry is closely watching for signs of increased confidence in the ag economy. Curt Blades says equipment dealer inventories are key.” BLADES: “It’s in the best interest of rural America for those dealer lots to not be too full.” He says, “Too much inventory on a dealer lot, all of a sudden, they’re in a bad financial space and that has a devaluation effect on the used fleet that a farmer might have. It also does end up being a little bit of a leading indicator of where manufacturers assume that the market is going.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4sWEZr2
MARKETS: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Soybeans were mixed early Wednesday with the market still trying to find its footing after the limit down closes in old crop contracts on Monday in response to the China summit delay and China talking about looking for other non-soybeans row crop purchases from the U.S. Brady Huck from Empower Ag Trading says,” QUOTE: “After the volatility that we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, sometimes these markets just need to find some stability afterwards. And we’re trading a lot of headlines right now. Beans are trying to find some stability, kind of retraced about 50% of the January to to recent February highs so we’ve given some of that back but looking for some stability.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sBTkcJ
VIETNAM: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “From the 16th floor of the Sheraton hotel overlooking the dense traffic and bright lights of downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Minnesota farmer Glen Groth is thinking about soybeans, and where they will go next . . . Groth, a southeast Minnesota farmer and chair of Northern Soy Marketing, is in Vietnam this week promoting northern-grown soybean meal to manufacturers, nutritionists and buyers. Two days into the trip, he said demand is there, but competition remains.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Nv5i8o
ROTATION: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A farmer in southern Minnesota doesn’t think deviating from her normal crop rotation is worth the risk. Rochelle Krusemark grows corn and soybeans in Martin County and says a lot of options are on the table with margins so tight.” KRUSEMARK: “We don’t normally change our crop rotations just because the challenges of diseases and insect pressures if you do go beans on beans or corn on corn, so we just stay in that rotation.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4bfhtzq
OUTPUTS
ACCELERATOR: Via Midwest Dairy, VERBATIM: “Midwest Dairy, in partnership with VentureFuel, has announced the launch of their second annual Accelerator — a program designed to discover and support emerging startups that are redefining the future of dairy. Applications are now open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis through May 5, 2026, at 11:59 pm CST.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rAs0dd
FERTILIZER: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Ag groups are pushing back on fertilizer trade policy. In a letter sent last week, 64 state and national organizations have asked Mosaic and J.R. Simplot to drop support for phosphate import duties the groups say are inflating prices. Also on Friday, a class action antitrust lawsuit was filed against several major fertilizer producers and distributors, alleging price fixing and coordinated supply restraint for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (potash) fertilizers. As of Tuesday, the companies have not responded to the farm groups’ request, and the Colorado District Court has not assigned a judge to the lawsuit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sUtX5r
SCHOOL MEALS: Via Sentient Media, VERBATIM: “Jeanine Bowman has been working to improve school lunches in Minnesota for more than a decade. Long a champion of small farms and local agriculture, the district food service director for the Morris, Minnesota public schools uses as much of her budget as she can to supply school lunches with foods from local farms, including cabbage, peppers and tomatoes . . . There is plenty of debate about where the U.S. food system is headed, but Bowman is more focused on the communities where she lives and works. In her experience, sourcing from nearby farms has meant fresher-tasting food that appeals to kids, parents and school district officials. It’s also a way to keep more dollars closer to home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sh67Rj
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
EXPO: Via Expo 2031 Minnesota USA, VERBATIM: “Trivandi, the global leaders in planning and delivering mega events and experiences, has been appointed as the Official Advisory & Delivery Founding Partner for Expo 2031.The appointment sees Trivandi support Expo 2031 from early strategic advisory through to operational readiness and delivery, starting with the USA Pavilion at America’s first A1 International Horticultural Exposition. Taking place from May to October 2031, Expo 2031 is expected to welcome approximately four million visitors during its six-month run and host participation from 60 to 80 countries, making it one of the most significant international cultural and economic events in the United States in decades.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4shfnVA
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