FERTILIZER: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) has joined a coalition of state corn farmer organizations in a formal letter to U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, requesting a status update and continued action on the Department of Justice’s investigation into fertilizer pricing and market concentration. The letter, representing corn grower organizations from 14 corn-producing states, underscores the depth and breadth of farmer concern over the current state of the input marketplace.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47GCuk8 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
OUT-OF-STATE IMPACTS
WAR: Via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “With bags of seed corn lined up behind him on his Wright County farm, [Minnesota Farm Bureau president Dan Glessing] said winter can feel long as he waits to get into the field, and he is watching global events with growing concern. ‘If you don’t have that fertilizer to get that genetic potential out of the seed, you’ve got a lot of expensive equipment for not a lot of crop,’ he said. Glessing described fertilizer as food for crops, and said the current hold on shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which he called essentially blocked because of the Iran war, has added uncertainty to a market that is global in scope.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4s5VQYb
MORE: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “The closure of this vital oil shipping channel is causing gas and diesel prices to rise, impacting Minnesota’s 65,000 farmers who rely on these prices for their livelihood. ‘This is the worst possible time for this to happen,’ said Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. ‘Oh, farmers are very stressed right now. There’s no doubt,’ said Gary Wertish, president of the Minnesota Farmers Union.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46TncII
TARIFFS: Via news release from Senator Klobuchar, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and other colleagues to introduce the Reclaim Trade Powers Act, legislation to end the President’s latest 10 percent tariffs on most goods by repealing Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. After the Supreme Court ruled last month that the President’s tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) were illegal, the President invoked Section 122 to impose a 10 percent surcharge on nearly all imports and has announced plans to raise the tariff to 15 percent. This is the first time the authority has been invoked in its 50-year history.”
FARM BILL: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A U.S. Senator from Minnesota says the Senate Ag Committee is expected to mark up on a skinny farm bill later this spring. Tina Smith says committee leaders are working on the details.” SMITH: “Senator Boozman is still trying to assess whether it makes sense to bring the House bill over or whether we would mark up a Senate bill,” she says. “I would bet on marking up a Senate bill. I hope that happens, because it’s been so long overdue. The current farm bill extension will expire at the end of September.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4uxKJco
FARMLAND: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “While farm economics face tightening margins, the ground beneath them has never been more valuable. New USDA data reveals a 47% surge in rented farmland value over the last decade, even as the footprint of available acreage shrinks. With $1.7 trillion in assets now held by a shifting demographic of landlords, the landscape of American agriculture is undergoing a transformation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4cHkKso
AG RESOURCES
MONDAY: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “With the March 16 deadline approaching for farmers to finalize crop insurance decisions on 2026 spring-seeded crops, participation in the federal safety net continues to grow. Many farmers are focused on new programs and higher subsidies, but according to Ben Rand, regional director for Federal Crop Agency, some of the most important decisions producers can make this year involve parts of crop insurance that have existed for years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46VhjL8
FBA: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An ag economist with University of Missouri Extension says farmers have been using the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program payments to help with cash flow. Ben Brown tells Brownfield ‘whether that’s to pay down debts or to keep it in liquid cash to pay for inputs throughout the growing season until we get to harvest. It’s very much a liquid asset to most producers.’ Brown says it’s unclear whether debt is being repaid with the ad-hoc assistance, because farmers also need flexibility to pay expenses.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cKBvTF
DROUGHT: The latest drought monitor which reflects data as of Tuesday shows 66% of the state is abnormally dry with 34% in formal drought status – a slight improvement from a week ago. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
EXTENSION: Via University of Minnesota, VERBATIM: “Spend time in any Minnesota county and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Extension faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. A new project, ‘Minnesota 87: Extension in Every County,’ offers a snapshot of Extension’s educational programming over the past year — including photos, stories and data — in each of the state’s 87 counties.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NBR8T1
FARM PRODUCTS
MILLING: Via Albert Lea Tribune, VERBATIM: “Anticipation is building as Green Acres Milling continues construction on its new oat processing operation in Albert Lea. As the tallest building in the city, the structure is hard to miss when driving down Margaretha Avenue and other nearby streets. Landon Plagge, founder and general manager of Green Acres Milling, said the project is about three years in the making.” PLAGGE: “Green Acres Milling is a group of about 130 farmers that have pooled together to build a mill here in Albert Lea to move ourselves down the supply chain to get beyond being commodity producers to growing food that people eat.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/470NYPk
MEDICINE: Via The Rockefeller Foundation, VERBATIM: “Food is Medicine (FIM) programs, which provide produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals and groceries to people with diet-related conditions, could generate more than $45 billion in state economic activity, create 316,000 jobs nationwide, and generate $5.6 billion for America’s small and mid-sized farms if scaled to reach the 43 million Americans who need them most, according to new research released today by The Rockefeller Foundation. The report, ‘From Farm to FIM: The Economic Impact of Local Food is Medicine,’ reveals that when states design FIM programs to prioritize local farms and food businesses, they can transform healthcare spending into a powerful driver of rural development and economic growth for all 50 U.S. states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4luPizR
MORE: from the report:
REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/4rz1yAF
VENISON: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “Minnesota hunters donated nearly 14,000 pounds of venison to food banks, food shelves, and feeding programs in 2025, an amount that exceeded 2024 donations by more than 50%. The Hunter-Harvested Venison Donation Program, which is a cooperative effort among Minnesota deer hunters, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), provides an excellent source of protein to people in need and supports efforts to manage local deer populations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NzagBa
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
NEXTGEN: Via Red River Farm Network, VERBATIM: “Developing the next generation of farmers was a key focus at the National Farmers Union annual convention in New Orleans. Minnesota Farmers Union Vice President Anne Schwagerl says the organization is making a strategic investment in young farmers and ranchers to prepare them for leadership roles in agriculture.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3NgLnKw
AI: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Nematodes are nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, but their impact on soybean yields is about to come into clear focus. Thanks to a new digital tool from Syngenta called Nema Digital, the invisible is becoming visible.
The technology uses satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to scan soybean fields for crop stress that mimics nematode damage.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sE2q87
PARTNERSHIP: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The president and CEO of American Farmland Trust says a new partnership with ADM aims to help farmers strengthen resilience in a changing agricultural landscape. John Piotti tells Brownfield the initiative will have a large focus on succession planning. ‘We estimate that upwards of 300 million acres of farmland will be in transition in the next 15 years or so just due to demographic issues, the age of farmers.’ He says it’s critical to provide farmers with direct technical assistance to get ahead of upcoming transitions.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4bpt8ur
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