THANK YOU: From Minnesota Corn via Instagram, VERBATIM: “Thank you to Minnesota’s family corn farmers for 35 years of continued support for the Minnesota corn checkoff! Learn more about how the checkoff delivers markets opportunities for corn farmers and agricultural economies at the link in our bio.” POST: https://fluence-media.co/3CYaPzh MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3EPMQmt (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
POULTRY: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Poultry diseases are running rampant across several Midwest states. Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen says producers in his state are dealing with highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, and avian Metapneumovirus.” PETERSEN: “Which has kind of been a tough go of it for our turkey growers. (Metapneumovirus) doesn’t necessarily kill the whole flock, but it really can cause a lot of mortalities. And the issue with that is that there’s no federal funds available at the moment to really help those producers out.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4kge3Pe
MILK: From Charles Kelley via KTTC-TV, VERBATIM: “The spread of H5N1 flu virus is impacting dairy cattle across the country. This week, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will start testing raw cow’s milk. It’s collaboration with industry partners and the state government. The focus is to find where it’s present, monitor the trend of the virus and prevent the spread to other poultry flocks and dairy herds.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41cHglx
CUTS: From Hannah Yang via MPR, VERBATIM: “Matthew Moscou is a plant pathologist who worked at the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Cereal Disease Lab in St. Paul for about two and a half years. Part of Moscou’s job was to help growers breed wheat, barley and oats that are more disease resistant . . . Moscou was one of at least three federal employees who lost their jobs from that particular lab, a small research facility on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus. His termination letter from the USDA states that it was based on ‘performance.’ But, he and a few other colleagues who were fired say they never received negative evaluations.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4164V6Y
SPORTS: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has initiated a compliance review of the University of Maine following the State of Maine’s blatant disregard for President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14201, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports . . . As a federally funded land-grant institution, the University of Maine receives over $100 million in USDA funding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D6PMdJ
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
CORN: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A market analyst expects more than a quarter of Brazil’s second crop corn to be planted outside its optimal window. Michael Cordonnier with Soybean and Corn Advisor tells Brownfield 25 to 30 percent of Safrinha corn is going to be planted after the end of February. ‘And right now it’s still raining of course, and the unknown is when will the rainy season end?’ Brazil’s Safrinha crop accounts for 75 to 80 percent of the country’s total corn production.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4bbRd7n
USDA: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins wrapped up her first week on the job. Secretary Rollins traveled to four states to hear directly from farmers and ranchers and to see their operations firsthand. Additionally, she hosted a roundtable for roughly a dozen Governors to discuss their collaboration in combatting Avian Flu; met with Forest Service firefighters to thank them for their service and to hear their perspective on preventing and curtailing fires; spoke at the Republican Governors Association, the Western Governors’ Association, and the National Governors Association; and convened multiple policy briefings with her team, including on trade, Avian Flu, and work with the Department of Government Efficiency to optimize USDA.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41svoNw
NEXT MONTH: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “The deadline to purchase crop insurance for corn and soybeans for the 2025 crop year is March 17. It appears that the 2025 Spring price for corn will be similar to 2024; however the soybean price will be considerably lower than the base price last year. This should still should be some favorable crop insurance guarantees again this year at reasonable premium costs, especially with the incentivized ECO insurance option this year. Producers have several crop insurance policy options to choose from, including yield-only (YP) and revenue protection (RP and RPE) policies, SCO and ECO policies, and other private insurance options. Crop producers need to closely analyze their 2025 crop insurance coverage to adequately cover the rather large investment in this year’s crop.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hQeDS5
POLLINATORS: From Dan Gunderson via MPR, VERBATIM: “Honeybee officials are raising the alarm about severe colony losses over the past few months. The extent of the bee deaths is still being tallied, but one estimate suggests more than a million colonies have died. ‘No one is aware of the massive nature of this year’s die off,’ said Steve Ellis, a Minnesota beekeeper. ‘It is unprecedented.’ Over the past 20 years commercial beekeepers have often lost nearly 50 percent of their bees over the winter. But Ellis, who is also president of the national Pollinator Stewardship Council, said he’s hearing from beekeepers who have losses ranging from 70 to 100 percent this year. One immediate repercussion is that there aren't enough bees to fully pollinate California’s almond crop.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kbPVxk
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)
ETHANOL: Via Ethanol Producer Magazine, VERBATIM: “Annual Unleaded 88 sales in Minnesota reached a new milestone in 2024 with 142.75 million gallons sold, an increase of 11.63 percent from the previous record of 127.87 million gallons in 2023. Unleaded 88 is a gasoline fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol, and available to consumers at over 500 retail locations across the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gUDyCW
NEXTGEN: Via Farms.com, VERBATIM: “If Minnesota wants a strong network of up-and-coming farmers, including those who want to farm on healthier land, the state can help them become business savvy, according to backers of a bill to boost ag education funding. A Minnesota House measure would increase the budget for an initiative to fund instructors who guide beginning farmers on the financial side of running a farm.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41uezBN
THIS WEEK: From Teagan King via St. Cloud Times, VERBATIM: “The Central Minnesota Farm Show will be returning to St. Cloud Tuesday and Wednesday. Learn about the latest in regenerative agriculture or the newest tractor. The 58th annual Farm Show, with the theme ‘Embracing Land, Life & Legacy: Growing the Future of Agriculture Together’ is scheduled for Feb. 25 and 26 at the River's Edge Convention Center. It is free to attend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41FlV5T
SUMMIT: From Maureen Dudley via KIMT-TV, VERBATIM: “Birds are chirping, the snow is melting and spring is almost here. For local farmers that means that planting season is coming. The Minnesota Farm Bureau District One held its annual summit on Sunday, giving farmers a chance to relax and catch up before the work begins.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4165VYM
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
CONTEST: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “Educators across the state are encouraged to participate in the 2025 Minnesota Grown Cream of the Crop Contest for Farm to School and Early Care. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), through its Minnesota Grown program, is proud to launch the second year of the contest, now expanded to recognize K-12 schools, early care centers, and family day cares that go above and beyond to serve and promote Minnesota-grown foods.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hO2GfI
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