TODAY: From National Corn via X, VERBATIM: “On Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women who have served our country with courage and dedication. We recognize their sacrifices and extend our deepest gratitude to them and their families. Thank you for your service.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3Axro3P (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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FARM BILL: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A U.S. Senator who will become Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee in the next Congress is concerned about extending the current farm bill another year. Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar says funding and tax reform will be prominent in 2025.” KLOBUCHAR: “Which interests all of us in the Midwest in different ways. The farm bill will be just kind of plopping along there, and we’re going to have to try to get floor time or be part of something else. And I am concerned that it will get lost.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3O4WliO
MORE: From Currey McCulough via RFD-TV, VERBATIM: “Republicans will hold the majority share of Washington come next year, leaving some to believe the Farm Bill could be on the road to a faster passage. However, as Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley points out, there are still several roadblocks. ‘I would expect it’ll be easier to get a farm bill, but we’ll still have a terrible fight with Democrats giving up any money on food stamps.’ The Nutrition Title has been a major partisan sticking point for some time, but most lawmakers agree the Farm Bill likely will not see any action until the next Congress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hGxy2d
MEATPACKERS: Via The Wall Street Journal, VERBATIM: “With 1.3 million chickens starving in barns across northern Iowa, state agriculture officials needed to decide what to do. The chickens’ owner, a company named Pure Prairie Poultry, had declared bankruptcy in late September, and said it could no longer afford to feed the birds. Eventually, state officials decided to euthanize them. Minnesota-based Pure Prairie launched in 2019 with aspirations to market premium air-chilled chicken to Midwestern supermarkets. The Biden administration and U.S. Agriculture Department had loftier ambitions: Pure Prairie could be part of a wide-ranging effort to inject new competition into the more than $200 billion meatpacking industry, dominated by a handful of huge companies. Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef control roughly 85% of U.S. beef processing. Three years later, some recipients of government grants or loan guarantees under the initiative have yet to break ground on new facilities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4esVGCL
TARIFFS: Via AFP, VERBATIM: “Donald Trump's first White House term saw a bruising trade war with China that left a lingering impact on farmers -- and many are bracing for further fallout as the President-elect threatens higher levies on Beijing. Trump tariffs since 2018 hit some $300 billion of Chinese imports, sparking retaliation that targeted key farm products like soybeans and caused such exports to fall. US farmers relied on subsidies to get by at the time and say China has since reduced its reliance on American agriculture products.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fnR026
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EXPECTATIONS: From John Perkins via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The USDA has lowered its expectations for this year’s corn and soybean crops. Corn production is now pegged at 15.143 billion bushels, less than 1% below the October guess on a 0.7 bushel cut in the still record large average yield estimate of 183.1 bushels per acre. Harvested area was steady with last month at 82.71 million acres.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3UNxKD4
VARIABLES: From Sheila McCoy via Morrison County Record, VERBATIM: “Kyle Schraut, president of the Morrison County chapter of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, said there are several variables to take into consideration when determining just how bountiful a planted crop was. Variables such as quality, weather conditions, whether the fields are irrigated or not and more. Last year was a hard year for many farmers as drought plagued the farmlands. However, this year’s harvest brought a lot better outcome than most producers expected, Schraut said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ClMeng
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EXPORTS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A global grain merchandiser is encouraged by an uptick in U.S. corn and soybean exports. CHS CEO Jay Debertin says foreign demand has slowly trended higher.” DEBERTIN: “North American grain results were more challenged largely due to export volumes earlier this year being particularly light, and we felt that being an export company. Volumes are picking up right now, and that’s great to see.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3UH2hCf
MARKETS: From Al Kluis via Successful Farming, VERBATIM: “The grain markets have turned lower with wheat futures getting hit hard. Last week the corn and soybean markets posted impressive gains after the bullish USDA reports. Wheat futures closed mixed to lower. The main factor today is the major rainfall event that moved through the dry areas of the southern Plains this weekend. This pressured wheat prices first during the overnight trade, and then weighed on corn and soybean prices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40IGCh1
MNLEG: From Larry Lee via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A Minnesota dairy leader says it is important for farmers to help educate lawmakers about rural issues. Lucas Sjostrom with Minnesota Milk tells Brownfield Democrats control the state legislature.” SJOSTROM: “We’ve had a Democratic trifecta here, and those people have pushed forward some initiatives that frankly, I think after we have conversations, we’re a lot more aligned than we think we are, but as you go to the Legislature as a freshman legislator and you’re sent by people and you maybe know nothing about farms, you put forth initiatives based on what you saw on YouTube or what you read on the Internet.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40GZeOg
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
PUMPKINS: From Carly Berglund via KAAL-TV, VERBATIM: “Halloween is long over, but if you’ve still got a collection of droopy pumpkins on your front porch there are options other than tossing them in the trash. At Atypical View Farm in Pine Island, MN, you can give carved pumpkins another life by helping feed animals, said owner Shannon McKay.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48IJyMs
WINTER: From Dave Thomas via KDHL-Radio, VERBATIM: “There’s a farm here in Minnesota that grows tomatoes, even in the dead of winter. Bushel Boy Farms is headquartered in Owatonna and has developed a method of being able to produce delicious fruits and vegetables all year long.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3O1janA
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