MNLEG: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “As I set out to write this legislative update, it is after the unspeakable tragedy that occurred this past weekend where Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were murdered and Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were gravely injured. The weight of the tragedy weighs heavy on the hearts of the capitol community and Minnesotans as a whole. MCGA mourns the loss of Speaker Emerita Hortman and husband. It feels a little trite to be writing a wrap up of the legislative session and special session, which just ended a week ago. However, we place great value on the role our members entrust in us to advocate for Minnesota corn farmers and a part of that role is keeping you informed about the work we are fortunate to do on your behalf.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l7Lxil (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
IMMIGRATION: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “As agricultural and canning operations are ramping up for the summer, they are trying to figure out the possible repercussions of stepped-up immigration enforcement. The workforce for these businesses has become tighter over the past few years, and many were worried that the threat of raids coupled with increased security at the Mexican border would further deplete summer help. ‘It’s kind of a freak-out time [for the agriculture supply line],’ said Fernando Quijano, economics educator with the University of Minnesota educator in Moorhead. ‘We’re talking about agriculture, man, some of the most serious business we have in the United States.’ This week many farm groups and commodity associations are staying quiet about the latest guidance from the Department of Homeland Security. Just a week ago, DHS reportedly paused raids on rural areas, after pressure from those same groups. But on Monday, the Trump administration reversed course.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43Peqdz
TAXES: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The House and Senate Reconciliation packages differ on a tax deduction important to farmers. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says while the House proposal raises the Section 199A deduction for qualified business income to 23 percent, the Senate would make the deduction permanent but remain at 20 percent.” GRASSLEY: “Well remember, the 23 percent was sunsetting. And we feel that it benefits small business to have it permanent at 20 percent, so it’s a tradeoff.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40cFrFt
CUTS: Via Mankato Free Press, VERBATIM: “It’s still early in the season at Cedar Crate Farm in rural Waldorf, but Dan Zimmerli and a few of his employees are deep into getting their hands dirty, digging up and picking vegetables for farmers’ market in Mankato . . . This harvest, Zimmerli said, is already better than last summer’s when record-breaking rainfall and flooding in southern Minnesota destroyed thousands of dollars worth of his crops . . . What saved the farm was a federal food aid initiative called the Local Food Purchase Assistance program, or LFPA . . . Minnesota had signed an agreement for about $4.7 million for another round of the federal LFPA program. But the Trump administration eliminated the program in March. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News that the LFPA is a COVID-era initiative that is ‘non-essential.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/441xc08
DEI: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will terminate more than 145 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) focused awards, totaling a maximum savings of $148.6 million.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T0pdvf
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
MNLEG: Via KRWC-Radio, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Farm Bureau is applauding the work of this year’s state legislature. MFB Public Policy Spokesperson Hunter Pederson says lawmakers accomplished a lot while facing a looming budget deficit.” PEDERSON: “I feel pretty good about what got done for farmers and ranchers this session. The ag bill was one of the first ones done – it got done during the regular session. And you know we’re really encouraged for that bipartisan support for agriculture.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZDqKen
MORE: Via Farm Progress, VERBATIM: “One clear win for ag producers came in the form of increased funding for both elk and wolf depredation compensation for the next two fiscal years. The new ag finance bill sets livestock depredation payments at $525,000 and wildlife crop damage payments at $485,000 — a total increase for the two of $350,000. This is much-needed relief for farmers and ranchers dealing with the financial impact of predation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lhiAAW
MINING: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins announced the U.S. Forest Service has posted the final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision for the proposed Resolution Copper Mining Project. These documents, now available on the Tonto National Forest website, represent an important step in advancing President Trump’s goal of emergency and mineral independence by boosting domestic mineral production.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kJN9iz
MOTH: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is preparing to aerially manage seven sites in Fillmore, Houston, and Winona counties to slow the spread of spongy moth. Officials will likely conduct the aerial management activities July 1-3, beginning as early as 6:30 a.m. and continuing throughout the day. These dates are dependent on weather conditions in the area. This operation was originally scheduled for mid-June, however due to federal budget uncertainties and delays the operation was pushed back to early July.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4e5F6dq
MORE: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “The product will be applied by low-flying yellow planes contracted by the USDA Forest Service working jointly with us. The product is not harmful to humans, animals, birds, or other insects, and will help protect forest health, property values, and the state’s tourism industry.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/3ZAE1V3
TAR SPOT: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Tar spot has been confirmed in a central Iowa corn field. Iowa State University Extension plant pathologist Dr. Alison Robertson says the detection in Poweshiek County is not surprising because the crop disease has been observed in June the past three years. North central Iowa farmer April Hemmes tells Brownfield tar spot is a problem in her area.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4eippzS
FARM BILL: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The president of Minnesota Farm Bureau is concerned about the commodity and nutrition titles being moved from the farm bill. Dan Glessing says what lawmakers are doing with reconciliation is unprecedented.” GLESSING: “And concerns for if there was another trifecta on the other side, there’s no doubt that there would be some attempts to come and gut Title One and that’s not a place where we want to be. So the fact that it’s separated is concerning.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3SY3Bje
JET FUEL: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Every time we take flight, there's an environmental cost. Now, scientists are trying to grow a solution that could also be big business for Minnesota farmers. At the University of Minnesota research fields, the sun shines on a solution in bloom. ‘This is an ancient crop,’ said University of Minnesota researcher Matthew Ott. It's called Camelina. ‘It's similar to canola, so it produces oil, but unlike canola, it survives a Minnesota winter,’ said Ott. The seeds can be refined into cooking oil and further refined into sustainable aviation fuel.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/45v9RGv
HYDROPONICS: Via Wisconsin Public Radio, VERBATIM: “Across the Mississippi River on the Wisconsin border, a student at Winona Senior High School in Minnesota is growing up to 200 pounds of lettuce each month for school lunches — right in her school’s cafeteria. Sophomore Miriam Jackson is in charge of her school’s Flex Farms, which are hydroponic farms developed by Green Bay company Fork Farms for use in educational environments. Under Jackson’s care, the compact indoor growing systems have turned into a significant food source for more than 800 students at Winona Senior High School.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jYhA3t
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)
CROP PROGRESS: Via Successful Farming, VERBATIM: “Minnesota farmers reported 98% of this year’s corn crop had emerged by the week that ended June 15. This is slightly ahead of the 95% five-year average and 6 percentage points ahead of this time last year. Tim Dahl is an agronomist for Syngenta working across southern Minnesota. He told Successful Farming, ‘The corn crop looks really good in Minnesota the first half of June.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3G5tcUl
BRAZIL: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Brazil remains on track to produce a huge corn crop despite harvest delays. Market analyst Michael Cordonnier with Soybean and Corn Advisor says Safrinha corn is five percent harvested compared to 21 percent a year ago.” CORDONNIER: “And the reason is there’s been a lot of late season rains in Brazil, much later than normal, so the crop is still very high in moisture. And very few farmers have on-farm storage, much less drying facilities.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4l5dQy6
SHADE: Via Farms.com, VERBATIM: “At Windland Flats in Princeton, Minnesota, Highland cattle breeder Josh Krenz has adopted mobile shade systems to improve herd health and reproductive efficiency. His 60-head herd now benefits from year-round rotational grazing, supported by two Shade Haven SH600 structures. Krenz shared that lack of shade previously limited pasture use. ‘That’s the beauty of the Shade Havens—we now have the ability to utilize every square inch of our farm,’ he said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/407Vx38
WARMUP: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Southeast Minnesota farmer Rob Tate says warmer temperatures are welcome this week. ‘Challenges wise, probably needing a little more heat. And that looks to be in the forecast, so the crop is moving along nicely. Most of the post-emerge spraying is done on corn, even side-dress now. Some right before the rain, so it was good timing on that.’ He tells Brownfield some of his soybean acres are waiting for postemergence herbicide.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3FI9fD6
ALFALFA: Via High Plains Journal, VERBATIM: “As spring brought warmer temperatures and rain, Minnesota’s alfalfa fields hosted many a winged creature, as well as University of Minnesota Extension educators conducting the work of the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program. Now in its 29th year, the collaboration between Extension and the Central Minnesota Forage Council serves farmers gearing up for the first cut of alfalfa, a valuable component of dairy cow diets.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/44uVnED
COVER: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Conservation, agronomy and nutrition met in the middle at a recent field day at a southeast Minnesota dairy. Mitch Thompson of Thompson Family Farm and his agronomist, Daniel Olson from Forage Innovations, discussed cover crop rotations, ways to get more digestible fiber per acre and the nutritional value of cover crops at a field day on the dairy farm on June 9. The field day was put on by the Driftless Area Ag Alliance, which formed in 2023 with a group of farmers in southeast Minnesota farmers who feel they are the unfair target of a band of environmental groups in the region. Olson is a seventh generation dairy farmer from Lena, Wisconsin, and the founder of Forage Innovations, a forage consulting company.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3T0rnuR
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
BERRIES: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “This year’s unpredictable weather — hot and steamy, cool and rainy — has left berry season unpredictable, too. Strawberry season is in full swing at many farms, and you’ll want to use the fruit in everything from cocktails and salads to ice cream — after immediately eating a few handfuls right from the field, of course.” LOCATIONS: https://fluence-media.co/4ebC47t
MORE: Also from the Strib, tips for making the most of strawberry season. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4jWp078
Copyright © 2025 Fluence Media, All rights reserved.
As someone who subscribed, or as a member of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council you are receiving this email.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Golden Valley, MN 55427