HARVEST: From Minnesota Corn via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Thanks to our southeast Minnesota district field manager, Kaylee, for sending along this harvest footage from her family farm! Best of luck to all the farmers out there as they wrap up harvest and fieldwork!” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/3BYyaQt (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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CENSUS: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “About 40 percent of U.S. farmers worked 200 or more days off the farm in 2022, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The majority—93.2 percent—of the 3,078 U.S. counties for which data were reported had at least 30 percent of producers working 200 days or more off the farm. Further, 83 counties (2.7 percent) had at least 50 percent of producers working off farm 200 days or more.”
“Counties with relatively few producers working 200 days or more off farm were scattered across the country, with many in remote areas of the western United States, and several located in metro areas.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3At0IB0
EXPORTS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “There’s some hope among farmers the recent uptick in corn and soybean export sales will improve prices. Bryan Biegler farms in southwest Minnesota. ‘It’s been nice seeing this little bump coming up here, certainly going to need a little higher prices just to cover input costs for next year.’ He tells Brownfield margins are tight.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40jbhBj
OATS: From Christopher Snowbeck via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “From his combine on an October afternoon, harvesting dried-out soybeans the color of dust, Martin Larsen points to a hillside where his ancestors from Scandinavia homesteaded. History might be happening again on the Larsen farm. Last year, on this plot of land along the Zumbro River, the 43-year-old farmer from Byron grew oats. Not oats for hogs or cows. But oats for humans. He hauled the oats to a miller across the state line into Iowa. A previous year, Larsen even had a contract with Oatly, the trendy Swedish maker of milk alternatives. Something of an oat renaissance has been occurring down in the fields west of the Mississippi River. During winters, Larsen — through his job with the Olmsted County Soil and Water Conservation District — evangelized to fellow farmers on the humble small grain.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e41B0I
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NEXT WEEK: From Rusty Halvorson via KFGO-Radio, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Board of Animal will implement a new United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service official identification rule on electronic identification (EID) tags on Nov. 5, 2024. USDA issued the new guideline April 26, 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Yrw0Ae
CATTLE: From John Perkins via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The USDA says fewer cattle entered U.S. feedlots in September 2024 than September 2023. Placements were 2.156 million head, a decrease of 2% on the year, despite expanding drought conditions in many major feeding areas and declining feed costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fdce2m
FARM BILL: Via Iowa Agribusiness, VERBATIM: “USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says time is nearly up and it must be decided if there will or won’t be a new farm bill this year. He told members of the American Farmland Trust that action is needed. Vilsack says as a shortened lame-duck session of Congress quickly approaches, time is limited for work on the farm bill. The Ag Secretary argues the opposing sides—Republicans for ‘more farm in the farm bill’ versus Democrats against reducing food stamp benefits—must find a middle ground.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40o9k6G
HARVEST: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “The 2024 Fall harvest season had been progressing at a very fast pace across most of the Upper Midwest, with harvest nearly completed in many areas. The combination of above normal temperatures together with zero orvery limited rainfall from late September until late October has allowed corn and soybean harvest to progress rapidly in most of the Corn Belt, with very few glitches. Very few locations had received enough precipitation during October to cause any delays in harvest progress and Fall tillage. The corn and soybean yield levels have been highly variable across the Midwest, with portions of Iowa, Illinois, and the Eastern Corn Belt having some of their best yields in recent years, while farmers in a large area of Southern Minnesota realizing some of their lowest corn and soybean yields in the past two decades.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CdsEJF
AI: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Syngenta and Taranis are partnering to help farmers use artificial intelligence to make agronomic decisions. Syngenta digital ag solutions marketing manager Meade McDonald says the collaboration has the potential to revolutionize farming using the power of AI-driven precision. ‘This service will enable retailers to scout more acres more comprehensively from anywhere they can access the Taranis platform, and easily prioritize fields that require the most immediate attention.’ He tells Brownfield near-real time insights will allow growers to make faster, more informed decisions.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/48rbqom
NEXTGEN: Via Morrison County Record, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Beef Expo awarded 11 heifers to deserving youth through the Minnesota Youth Beef Experience Program (MYBEP) on Saturday, Oct. 19. Among the recipients was Madison Holtz of Little Falls. From a pool of 77 applications, each recipient was selected based on their passion for agriculture, commitment to raising a heifer, financial need and willingness to learn.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hgppBk
NEXTGEN: From Erin Anderson via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Cole Sundeen has a Supervised Agriculture Experience working for a landscaping company where he is responsible for planting and caring for plant specimens and installing them within clients’ properties. Sundeen is also in charge of the lawn mowing crew as well as customer communication. He is a member of the Rockford FFA Chapter Minnesota and his FFA advisor Joe Ramstad.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40i5rjJ
140 YEARS: From Fritz Busch via New Ulm Journal, VERBATIM: “A 174-acre Stark Township farm owned by brothers Joel and Randy Schroepfer is a 2024 Brown County Century Farm. The farm began 140 years ago when Franz Schroepfer bought 160 acres for $7.50 an acre after immigrating to the U.S. from Austria. Franz Schroepfer owned the farm 30 years. His son Frank owned the farm for 41 years, until 1944. Albert W., Leo A. and Darrell Schroepfer owned the farm before Joel and Randy became owners.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fjvpYk
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HALLOWEEN: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “There’s lots of fun coming up at Pinehaven Farm in Wyoming, MN. The Great Pumpkin Trail and the Dead End Hayride will go until Saturday, Nov. 2.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3YEa7PD
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