ETHANOL: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Today, a group of Democratic and Republican members of Congress introduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025. The bill would allow for nationwide, permanent year-round sales of fuel with up to 15% ethanol by volume. The fuel blend is known as E15, a nod to its 15% ethanol concentration, and/or Unleaded 88 in reference to its 88 octane rating.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aXN32X (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
TARIFFS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “There is concern tariffs could impact U.S. ethanol exports. Iowa Renewable Fuels Association executive director Monte Shaw says the Trump administration has targeted Canada, the top foreign market for ethanol. ‘But we’re just hopeful that maybe some shots have been fired now and they can sit down at the table and work some things out.’ He tells Brownfield the strong trade relationship between the U.S. and Canada needs to be maintained.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41hrgzZ
USDA: Via USDA, reaction to the confirmation of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, including from Minnesota Representatives Angie Craig and Michelle Fischbach. CRAIG: “Family farmers are struggling with high input costs and low prices; tariffs are being proposed that will raise costs on American producers and American consumers; the agricultural workforce is being threatened; and Congress is behind schedule in passing a new, bipartisan farm bill. If we want to tackle these challenges in a way that supports family farmers and the communities they feed, we will need to work together. I look forward to building a strong working relationship with Secretary Rollins as ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.” FISCHBACH: “Congratulations to the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins! This is a great appointment for Minnesota farmers, and I look forward to working with her and the Trump administration for our strong rural communities.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/436OKsG
MORE: Via USDA, a list of actions taken by Secretary Rollins on her first day in office. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4b6NqIj
MORE: Via USDA, a list of contracts terminated and other actions taken to conform to the White House efforts to eliminate DEI and other initiatives in conflict with the Trump Administration’s directives. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4gM8BRa
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
CORN VS BEANS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A north Iowa farmer is considering more corn acres this year. Caleb Renner of Klemme says prices are favoring corn over soybeans, but pest management is a factor.” RENNER: https://fluence-media.co/3EGAAod
JET FUEL: From Michael Johnson via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Sustainable aviation fuel efforts in the upper Midwest are on the move — and there’s no place better prepared in the world than the Midwest to make it work. That’s according to Jeff Davidman, Delta Air Lines vice president of state and local government affairs. It’s something he believes in so much that he shared the message to thousands of eventgoers between stops at the South Dakota Corn Conference, Minnesota Ag Expo, both in January, and once again at the Northern Corn and Soybean Expo in West Fargo, North Dakota, on Feb. 4. He even made his first appearance at the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy committee to boost SAF on Feb. 10.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hZzW3u
(DISCLOSURE: Delta Air Lines is a Fluence client)
FOAM: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The past chair of the United Soybean Board is excited about the market potential of SoyFoam. Steve Reinhard says the environmentally friendly wetting and smothering agent used by firefighters is made from soybeans.” REINHARD: “It contains no PFAS, so none of the forever chemicals. It’s what I call a ‘triple win’ because it’s good for the environment, it’s good for our first responders, who a lot of those happen to be farmers in our rural areas, and then it’s good for the farmers then that sell the soybeans as well.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41hrPtB
From morning take…
USDA: via Reuters, VERBATIM: “U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has fired probationary staff at two U.S. Department of Agriculture research agencies and its farm loan agency, three sources familiar with the situation said on Friday. … The affected research staff worked at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which supports agricultural science and technology research, and the Economic Research Service, which produces reports and data on the farm economy. Also fired were probationary loan officers at the Farm Service Agency, which processes farm loans and administers other farm programs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k32XwX
RESPONSE: via a Sen. Amy Klobuchar statement, KLOBUCHAR: “U.S. Department of Agriculture employees support farmers and ranchers, invest in rural communities, prevent wildfires, protect our natural resources, and more. It is one thing to institute reforms. It is another to mandate across-the-board layoffs that stop or delay work on avian flu, wildfires, rural hospitals, and loans for farmers and ranchers. This will hurt U.S. agriculture and rural Americans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41gG41L
BIRD FLU: via an MDA press release, VERBATIM: “In order to open funds to Minnesota farmers, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board has declared an emergency for three animal diseases: avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus. This makes zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans available for Minnesota farmers whose operations have sustained livestock losses due to the diseases from February 12, 2025 to February 12, 2026.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hE8hFp
Sign up for morning take…
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
CASH FLOW: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Congress passed a ‘Continuing Resolution’ in late December that included $10 billion in farm economic assistance to offset low commodity prices and $21 billion in disaster assistance to provide aide for farmers with losses from natural disasters in 2023 and 2024. Many Midwest crop producers are counting on receiving this extra income in 2025 to help offset the current tight margins in crop production. As of this writing, USDA has not yet released any information through local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices to provide any details to farmers and rag lenders on what those payments might be. Now that Brooke Rollins has been confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, many ag experts are expecting details on these ad hoc programs to be made available very soon.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gM7u3W
RURAL: From Trish Johnson via Lakes Area Radio, VERBATIM: “Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach has reintroduced the Investing in Rural America Act, a bill aimed at boosting capital investment in rural communities by improving access to funding for hospitals, childcare centers, and senior care facilities. The bill seeks to:
Restore farm credit institutions’ eligibility to finance essential rural facilities.
Require partnerships between farm credit institutions and other lenders.
Increase oversight, with a report to Congress on lending partnerships and projects.”
READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gFIQlL
WEATHER: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Weather extremes are becoming the norm to many involved in production agriculture. Jodi DeJong-Hughes is an extension educator with the University of Minnesota. ‘I think every year we’re starting to see an extreme sometime during the season. So one of the ways you can kind of combat the variability in the weather is if you build a soil that has better soil health, they become more resilient to those extreme changes.’ She tells Brownfield certain practices can minimize the impact of weather extremes.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/40ZV6HL
COMPEER: From Noah Fish via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Compeer Financial's Minnesota GroundBreakers conference is all about boosting its youngest farmer members. The cooperative hopes to help them prosper under harsh times and an already tumultuous year for the ag industry. Serving 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, Compeer Financial is the third largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, providing loans, leases, risk management and other financial services. The annual GroundBreakers events took place at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester on Feb. 7-8. Attendees met in ballrooms with meat and cheese trays and soda coolers, networking with similar individuals and learning from speakers from FSA, NRCS and the cooperative itself.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CSoCr4
(DISCLOSURE: Compeer is a Fluence sponsor)
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
NEXT MONTH: From Katie Drewitz via The Caledonia Argus, VERBATIM: “A multitude of issues related to nitrates in water in southeast Minnesota have come to the forefront over the past few years. This has led to a reexamination of how nitrogen fertilizer and manure are managed in the region. The University of Minnesota Extension will conduct a day-long meeting in Rochester on March 13 for farmers and those involved in agriculture to discuss the current situation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3EIoz1D
SMSU: From Jim Tate via Marshall Independent, VERBATIM: “The agriculture programs at Southwest Minnesota State University contribute greatly to the area, feels Sarah Lee, Director of Agriculture and Business Recruitment/Outreach Coordinator at the university . . . She’s in charge of recruiting agriculture, business, and culinology and hospitality majors to SMSU, and said ‘agriculture programs are my number-one priority.’ There are a total of six Bachelor of Science majors at SMSU.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/412MSP9
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