CANADA: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Last week, Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council (MCR&PC) Chair Duane Epland, who farms in Twin Lakes, joined the U.S. Grains Council’s Grain Export Mission to Toronto and Ottawa. He joined farmer-leaders from other states and USGC staff to meet with key end-users, council partners, trading company representatives, and U.S. and local government officials.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40lA6f3 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
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CUTS: Via the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, VERBATIM: “The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) joined a lawsuit filed [this week] with a group of USDA grantees suing for unlawful grant termination, seeking an order for the canceled grant funding to be restored. In the termination letter sent to IATP – and in similar verbiage to other plaintiffs who received letters of termination – the USDA stated that the awarded grant provided funding for programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and therefore was no longer consistent with ‘Department priorities.’ Following a Trump executive order targeting grants to nonprofit organizations supporting DEI initiatives and climate action, the lawsuit argues that the USDA canceled hundreds of grants illegally without due process.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kgZzxf
MORE: IATP’s Erin McKee VanSlooten talked about the lawsuit on WCCO-Radio’s The Morning News. QUOTE: “They did state that our termination was related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, that it goes against the current department’s policies and priorities. But, I will say, the resources we’re creating are available freely to anybody.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3FYkqaU
SNAP: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee has concerns about proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Amy Klobuchar says the One Big Beautiful Bill would raise grocery costs for many families. ‘Take food away from millions of families (and) fund tax breaks for the wealthy, all for that purpose.’ The Democratic Senator from Minnesota hosted a virtual call Wednesday that included Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who said American farmers would lose $24 billion in revenue over ten years from cuts to SNAP.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/45Mxniw
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
TORNADO: Via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “Community members are coming together near Hartland to rally around some of their own after a tornado left a path of destruction. Preliminary reports from NOAA have now officially classified this tornado as being an EF-1. Drone video shows the path the tornado took over fields, leaving a trail of damage behind. However, it was only a farm that sustained damage from this tornado.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4nplMfw
TRADE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A United Soybean Board director has mixed views on the current administration’s approach to trade. April Hemmes, who farms in northern Iowa, says farmers are used to uncertainty. ‘We’re always in the crosshairs when it comes to trade and negotiations because the world wants what we grow. So I’m always hopeful, but I hate it when they hold our crops hostage. Can I put it that way without getting too political? But it happens to us quite a bit.’ She tells Brownfield the world still needs U.S. soybeans as global stocks remain tight.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4lyyHtX
BIRD FLU: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today provided an update on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s comprehensive, five-pronged strategy announced in February to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). After reaching a record high due to the Biden Administration’s lack of action, wholesale egg prices have now dropped 64%, with retail prices falling 27% from their peak earlier this year. We must remain diligent, and egg farmers and producers can continue to utilize USDA resources to conduct biosecurity assessments before the Fall.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l2SVfk
MORE: Via Iowa Capital Dispatch, VERBATIM: “A Thursday press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about the department’s response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza, shows the nation imported more than 26 million shell eggs, counted by the dozen, since January, which is more than 10 times the amount imported during the same period in 2024. Increasing egg imports, enhancing biosecurity, researching vaccine options and providing financial relief to farmers were all elements of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ plan to combat HPAI and lower the cost of eggs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kbW0s8
GRAIN: Via Feedstuffs, VERBATIM: “The House Agriculture Committee held a subcommittee hearing June 26 to review the U.S. Grain Standards Act and consider its reauthorization before several key provisions of the legislation expire on Sept. 30, 2025.
The Grain Standards Act authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) to set official marketing standards for grains and oilseeds as well as grain inspection and weighing procedures, providing quality assurance that also benefits the reputation of U.S. grain in global markets. The act is designed to ensure transparency in domestic and international grain trading and prohibits deceptive practices in grain inspection and weighing, with penalties for violations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4luoI8X
MORE: Ag Committee Ranking Member Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) spoke at the hearing. CRAIG: “Considering the fact that we are in the middle of a worldwide trade war, we should be doing everything we can to avoid further disruption to our domestic trade system. Every summer, grains planted by hardworking Minnesotans cover 40 percent of my district. Ensuring grain can get from our farms and grain elevators and onto ships bound for overseas markets requires an operationally efficient and properly funded Federal Grain Inspection Service. That is why I am glad to see the bipartisan nature of this hearing today and the support from across this subcommittee for reauthorizing the U.S. Grain Standards Act.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kaUvus
E15: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The Renewable Fuels Association is asking the Trump administration to remove E15 barriers amid tensions in the Middle East. In a letter to President Trump, RFA emphasized that the U.S. has record-large ethanol inventories and underutilized production capacity due to artificial barriers that are blocking access to the domestic marketplace. CEO Geoff Cooper spoke to Brownfield last week, saying the turmoil in the Middle East is impacting oil prices.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/46hgzQI
WORKFORCE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The vice president of marketing for Associated Milk Producers Incorporated (AMPI) says access to skilled labor remains a challenge. Sarah Schmidt says the dairy industry is unique to agriculture because it is not seasonal.” SCHMIDT: “And unfortunately that’s what our workforce here in the U.S. as it comes to our ability to have the labor for our farms, we don’t have a system as far as legal work requirements that offers that year-round opportunity for those from out of the area.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kfiA3l
DROUGHT: The latest Drought Monitor reflecting data as of Tuesday (prior to the rain we saw late this week) shows 53% of the state remained abnormally dry or worse with 11% in formal drought. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3zN8TDo
FLOODING: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Waves of heavy rain swamped parts of rural southwestern Minnesota this week, leading to flooded streets and waterlogged fields. A declaration of a state of emergency is expected Friday afternoon in Big Stone County near the South Dakota border, said Dona Greiner, the county’s emergency management director. ‘There’s a lot of standing water in the fields, which is really concerning for the crops, and roads underwater,’ Greiner said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/463DdfB
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)
CANNABIS: Via Pine County News, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s first cannabis license was issued to a Pine County business. Herb Quest, LLC in Brook Park, was granted a microbusiness license with a cultivation endorsement–granting them the right to grow.” QUOTE: “We are very happy that Minnesota is progressing to this next step in the cannabis market,” Herb Quest, LLC’s owner, Deanna Coonradt states. “A lot of work has happened at the state and local levels to get us to this moment.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44vVNuq
COTTAGE FOODS: Via Morning Ag Clips, VERBATIM: “Did you know that in 2024, there were more than 10,850 registered cottage food producers in Minnesota? These small-scale, home-based food businesses are an important part of our local economy, and they rely on community support to thrive. Under the Minnesota Cottage Food Law, certain food businesses are exempt from the usual licensing requirements of food establishments. While these businesses don’t require a license, they must register annually with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and follow specific guidelines to ensure food safety.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3TeWSS8
LAND: Via The Farmer, VERBATIM: “The past month has seen a strong start to the growing season in Minnesota and beyond, with consistent weather and timely rains. The land market has remained stable, mostly due to little land coming to the market and improved outlooks from farmer-buyers. In a year with tariff and export uncertainty, as well as pending government spending bills looming, it really is a great time to be a farmland owner. Income-producing land is one of the most stable assets that a person can own.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l6GzmB
CORN: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A southeast Minnesota farmer is not reducing fertilizer use despite tight margins. Rob Tate of Cannon Falls says his fertility plan is the same as other years.” TATE: “We try to side-dress a fair amount of nitrogen on our corn, just economically I think there’s a better return to the side-dressing. And of course, from an environmental standpoint, trying to spoon feed the nitrogen throughout the growing season is much better.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4l83RZe
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
RESCUERS: Via West Central Tribune, VERBATIM: “A team of 20 volunteers with the Southwest Minnesota Advanced Rescue Team trains in the specialized skills needed and employs the latest in technology to assist those injured in accidents high above the ground or deep underground in confined spaces, typically at grain elevators and other agricultural processing facilities. The team's commander, Zach Chapman, spoke about the specialized rescue team at the Partners in Ag Innovation conference on June 17, 2025, at the MinnWest Technology Campus in Willmar.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44jhTju
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