STATE CAPITOL: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Last Tuesday, the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) hosted its annual Day on the Hill event at the State Capitol. Farmer-leaders visited with over 25 state legislators from both political parties along with Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Katrina Kessler, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, and Minnesota Department of Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i7NDxy (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
CRAIG: Via Roll Call, VERBATIM: “House Agriculture Committee ranking member Angie Craig, with one eye on a Senate run in 2026, faces a daunting task in delivering legislative benefits to her constituents in the next two years. Craig, D-Minn., became the panel’s top Democrat just as the majority Republicans began looking at steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as part of the budget reconciliation process. Those cuts, in turn, would make drafting a bipartisan farm bill a much bigger lift for the committee. Both issues fall squarely into House Agriculture’s jurisdiction. And cuts to food stamps and the absence of a farm bill would give Democrats little to take to voters in the fall of 2026. For Craig, the disappointment would come after she persuaded colleagues that it was time for a younger lawmaker to lead panel Democrats. And do little to raise her profile back home.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41kDIhd
USDA: From Nicole Heslip via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Ag Committee are demanding answers from the U.S. Ag Secretary about recent staff firings. During Wednesday’s hearing, Minnesota’s Tina Smith said the committee’s efforts to address staffing shortages at the Farm Service Agency have gone out the window. ‘What the administration is doing right now goes absolutely counter to, I think, what is a shared bipartisan goal,’ she says. ‘I hope that we can find a solution that will make sure that our farmers across the country have the support that they need.’ She questioned former Michigan FSA director Tim Boring, current director of the state’s ag department, about the importance of their expertise.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41dzqbr
MORE: Via Senate Ag Committee, today’s hearing. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3QD8GvS
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
BIRD FLU: Via NBC News, VERBATIM: “The U.S. will invest up to $1 billion to combat the spread of bird flu, including increasing imports of eggs, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday. A three-year bird flu outbreak in U.S. poultry has killed 166 million chickens since 2022, according to USDA data. The virus has also infected nearly 1,000 dairy herds and almost 70 people, including one death, since early 2024. The USDA will spend up to $500 million to provide free biosecurity audits to farms and $400 million to increase payment rates to farmers who need to kill their chickens due to bird flu, Rollins said at a conference of state agriculture officials.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hYdGYi
MORE: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley tells Brownfield he’d like vaccinations to be part of USDA’s plan to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza. ‘It would be nice if we could vaccinate for it so you don’t have to worry about it in the future.’ The Iowa Republican says there are concerns U.S. ag exports would be affected if vaccines are used. He’s expecting USDA’s plan to include tighter controls.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bh2OlG
MORE: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins met with poultry farmers and industry leaders as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ongoing response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Secretary Rollins toured a Cal-Maine Foods egg-laying facility in Bogata, Texas before traveling to Mount Pleasant, Texas, where she hosted a farmer roundtable focused on avian flu response efforts.” READ/PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/3QWkABv
TRADE: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “American trade enforcement priorities are a focus of the new Congress. During a House Ways & Means subcommittee hearing Tuesday morning, former Trump Administration Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish testified there’s a need for strong trade enforcement to protect the economic and national security interests of the United States.” GERRISH: “Countries around the world engage in trade policies and practices that harm American companies, workers, farmers, ranchers, and innovators both here in the United States and in export markets.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3EWWOm5
MEXICO: From Ruth Conniff via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “John Rosenow climbed into a pickup truck in Zongolica, a small city in rural southern Mexico, squeezing into the front with several friends and relatives from Wisconsin and Minnesota . . . ‘This never gets old,’ said Rosenow, a 75-year-old dairy farmer from Waumandee, Wisconsin, who has made the same trip every winter since 2001, often joined by other dairy farmers who come to visit the families of their Mexican workers. He warned the group he might cry when he met up with some of his former employees. One current employee he’s particularly close to, Roberto, was contemplating moving home in December, but decided against it. ‘Man, that was the best Christmas present,’ he said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4igUpB6
LOANS: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board has further expanded eligibility for zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans available to Minnesota farmers whose operations have sustained livestock losses due to three animal diseases: avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus. The RFA Board is now allowing losses from April 1, 2024, to February 24, 2026, to be eligible for the loan program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QxZV6x
CORN: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Old crop bushels are moving along with higher corn prices. West-central Minnesota farmer Jim Kanten says the rally since early January has triggered sales on his farm. ‘We have a decent amount of corn in storage and we’ve been hauling pretty consistently over the last month or so.’ The Milan corn and soybean grower tells Brownfield the runup is improving margins for the 2025 crop year.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ijF56N
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)
GRAIN BINS: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An Iowa farmer is looking to patent technology that would improve grain bin safety. Caleb Renner of Klemme calls his invention AgriNet.” RENNER: “I had a pitch competition through my local community college that I applied for, and I kind of just threw around this crackpot idea of cleaning (the grain bin) out with a net and electrical winches. And that idea ended up winning the competition.” LISTEN/PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/41dn1nT
TRADE: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Make it Minnesota Program is hosting 10 Minnesota brands at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West (Expo West) tradeshow. Expo West is one of four national business-to-business (B2B) tradeshows where MDA will gather local brands in ‘Minnesota Pavilions’ in 2025 – an approach that allows for cost savings and cooperative promotion and event execution.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4h5ozWF
TODAY: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “During #PoultryDay at the MN State Capitol, MDA Deputy Commissioner @afvaubel talks w/ @MinnesotaTurkey growers about our role in ensuring the integrity of our state's food supply, the health of our environment, and the strength and resilience of our agricultural economy.” PHOTO: https://fluence-media.co/4hWNtcs
AG ECONOMY: From Erin Anderson via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Two Minnesota Democratic members of Congress are concerned about how farmers can navigate the current ag economy without a bipartisan farm bill. Angie Craig is the Ranking Member of the House Ag Committee. ‘216 farms filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy last year, that a 55% increase,” she says. “The uncertainty that we’re experiencing in America right now and in ag country is leading to additional challenges.’ Amy Klobuchar, Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee, says the ag sector needs more stability.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D6nHmY
FOOD STAMPS: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today directed the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately clarify and enforce all rules restricting its beneficiaries to U.S. citizens and legal residents only. This Secretarial directive enforces President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order of February 19th, 2025, ensuring taxpayer resources are not used to incentivize or support illegal immigration.” QUOTE: “The days in which taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize illegal immigration are over,” said Secretary Rollins, “Today's directive affirms that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will follow the law—full stop." READ: https://fluence-media.co/41heakX
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
COOPERATION: Via Red River Farm Network, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen was part of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Winter Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. and addressed trade, disaster assistance, and regulatory uncertainty. There was also an opportunity to network with other state agriculture directors, commissioners and secretaries. Peterson also emphasized the importance of cooperation among neighboring states, particularly in trade and transportation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gYbMFK
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