15 YEARS: From Minnesota Corn via X, VERBATIM: “We’re grateful for the dedicated CommonGround Minnesota volunteers who share fact-based stories about modern farming with the public. Thank you for 15 years of service.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3M472EE (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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FARM ECONOMY
MARGINS: Via Farm Bureau, VERBATIM: “A recent Market Intel report from the American Farm Bureau Federation shows that financial stress is severe and persistent across farm country. John Newton, the vice president of public policy and economic analysis for AFBF, said the factors behind the stress are well-known.” NEWTON: “Input costs have increased dramatically over the last few years, up in some cases, 30, 40, 50 percent, but at the same time, commodity prices have come crashing down. For many crops they’re at historically low levels. Trade has slowed, and the effect is we’ve had margins that have been at or below break-even for many crops and specialty crops for many years in a row, and that’s starting to impact farm financial conditions.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4pNznOh
WHEAT GROWERS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The president of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers hopes Congress prioritizes the farm bill early in 2026. Kevin Leiser says farmers need certainty.” LEISER: “The biggest thing is if you get it done then you’ve got some certainty about how these programs are going to work. Uncertainty is worse than actually knowing what is going on, so the biggest thing is to just get it done so we’ve got an idea of where we’re sitting for the next few years instead of everything up in the air.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/49PxTOB
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
ENVRONMENTAL EFFORTS
WEEDS: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “An 11-acre public park in Rochester became a showcase for what can happen when volunteer invasive plant removal allows native plants to return.” BEFORE & AFTER: https://fluence-media.co/4iw0TgJ
FOAM: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “A number of fire departments around Minnesota are trying out a new firefighting foam that’s made from soybeans. This spring, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council launched its campaign titled ‘Planting to Protect: From Farm to Flame’ as a way for farmers to add demand and diversify product options for soybeans through a new soy-based firefighting foam called SoyFoam. The council has been working to support special products made from soybeans at a time when volatility in export markets has been hurting farmers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pdrMZm
GRANTS: Via Radio Mankato, VERBATIM: “University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) invites farmers across Greater Minnesota to apply for funding for on-farm climate adaptation and mitigation projects through RSDP’s Farmer Climate Action Fund.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rrOYol
2025
CROPS: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “Profit levels from crop farming across the Midwest will likely be highly variable in 2025, depending on final crop yields, grain marketing decisions, and crop expenses. There were very few opportunities to market corn and soybeans at profitable prices during 2025, and sugar beet producers had one of their worst profit years in decades. Added government farm program payments provided some additional farm income in 2025; however, this did not offset the negative profit margins that many crop farmers have faced. Diversified farm operations that include livestock enterprises, especially beef cattle, have been able to better withstand the financial challenges in crop production.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3M6VCjD
BEEF: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Beef producers are reflecting on a year of ups and downs. Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association executive director Kaitlyn Root says 2026 has been kind of crazy. ‘I think that happens when new administrations are coming in at the national level, there’s a lot of change. Sometimes there’s some disruptions.’ She tells Brownfield trade and tariffs were prominent issues.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44GpOZ0
BALANCE: Also via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Strong beef prices are helping a Minnesota crop and livestock farmer compensate for low corn and soybean prices. Rose Karau farms near St. James.” KARAU: “On the crop side, the cattle are eating $3 corn. Which makes our budget line items for the cattle a little more affordable. But just having the support on the cattle industry market to build those operations and have a healthy local beef industry is very exciting.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4amyZS6
MARGE: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “After Riley Rickford gently takes off the halter of a black heifer and scratches the animal’s head, the young girl begins to walk away, leaving the pasture, but the heifer begins to follow. Without hesitation, Rickford turns on her heels and plants a kiss between the eyes of the same black heifer. It’s abundantly clear that Rickford and the heifer have a special bond, all thanks to the Minnesota Youth Beef Experience Program.” RICKFORD: “My heifer is Miss Marge. She was generously donated to me by St. Germain Simmentals through the Minnesota Youth Beef Experience Program. She’s a foundation Simmental heifer that I had the pleasure, and frankly, the honor, to grow up and raise and take care of over the last year.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/49K4mWC
NEW BUSINESS
TRADE MISSION: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “A delegation including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen went on a trade mission to Switzerland and Germany this month, visiting major business centers in Zürich, Düsseldorf and Berlin. According to USDA data, Germany was Minnesota’s eighth largest export market for goods, valued at $649 million in 2024. Switzerland is Minnesota’s 22nd largest export destination with exports valued at $232 million in 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Xt4bHP
NEW AT THE U: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “The University of Minnesota’s breeding program, famous for creating the Honeycrisp apple, has launched six new varieties of apples and grapes that it’s licensing to growers. The Superior Fruit Innovations program promises access to top-performing fruits, such as the Big Flirt Apple and the LumiGlo grape. Adam Bolton, a technology licensing officer at the University, said the program is meant to level the playing field for small-scale growers who compete with larger wholesale growers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3K5o4ll
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)
WEATHER
SNOW: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The season’s first snowstorm has ended fall fieldwork in north-central Iowa. Worth County Extension education specialist Dennis Johnson says harvest went smoothly.” JOHNSON: “The thing that happens then because of that is we can get a lot of tillage done, and that definitely happened this year. Had a little rain spell just after harvest, but it wasn’t enough to keep people out of the field very long. And I would say as far as next year we’re ready to go for another good year as far as having a lot of tillage out of the way.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/49QWVNk
DROUGHT: The data for the new Drought Monitor was collected too early to reflect the holiday weekend snowfall. As of last Tuesday, our drought situation was relatively unchanged. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
AFTER THANKSGIVING
TURKEYS: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “For sixth-generation farmer Eric Sawatzke in Kensington, Minnesota, 17,000 of her birds are served on Thanksgiving. But that flock does not differ much from all the rest: she raises 135,000 turkeys year-round. ‘We get them on our farm at the beginning of August, and then when they go to market, it’ll be within a couple weeks or a few days of Thanksgiving,’ she said. ‘And so that flock is really special to us, although they get the same amount of care.’ Sawatzke is among the 600 turkey farmers in the state, according to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. Together, they produce roughly 40 million turkeys annually.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/48LHLYI
TREES: Via Albert Lea Tribune, VERBATIM: “Tobi and Casey Houston last weekend held an opening for their Christmas tree business, which they originally opened in 2024. This is a new division of the family’s Homestead Evergreen farm in Wisconsin and Iowa.” QUOTE: “We bring our trees down from a farm we have in northern Wisconsin,” Tobi Houston said. “So we grow them, harvest them, bring them down here and sell them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XtCjmT
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
AGRITOURISM: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “The inner workings of a farm are on full display when agritourism gets thrown into the mix. A corn farmer adds mazes and live music. Cattle producers host cow cuddling. Dairy farms add cheese-making and tasting rooms. That’s just a small sampling of how farms are looking to add value to their operation by bringing people to the farm. Not only is there value in the income through these events, but value in educating the public on the passions of farmers and ranchers. A large group of these agritourism buffs gathered at Redhead Creamery in Brooten in November to learn from each other and plan for the next agritourism season at the second annual Agritourism Exchange, hosted by University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Farmers Union.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49Kl7AZ
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