PUBLIC WATERS: From MN Soybean Growers via X, VERBATIM: “‘Giving farmers regulatory certainty is very important.’ Exec. Dir. Joe Smentek spoke on behalf of MSGA, @MNCorn & @MNFarmBureau today in the House Env. & Nat. Res. Finance & Policy Comm. to support providing regulatory guidance in the language of the Public Waters Inventory.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3DId5Ln (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
TOWN HALLS: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Rising concerns over the potential impacts from tariffs on family farms, cuts to health care and the uncertainty of trade wars have rural communities gathering together for town halls. The Minnesota Farmers Union is sponsoring two town halls on Tuesday, March 18 in Jackson and Sleepy Eye. Similar meetings are also planned around the state later this month and in April. These events are free and open to the public. Attendees will have the chance to discuss what they need and want from their government representatives.” QUOTE: “We’re opening it up to people to talk about farm issues, but also talk about public policy issues so people got a voice,” said Ted Winter, executive director of Minnesota Farmers Union. “You have to get people a chance to educate, to let politicians and let people know what’s going on in their lives and how it impacts them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hDxTBt
TARIFFS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Many in the ag industry continue to express concern about how President Trump’s tariffs will impact the farm economy. West Central Ohio farmer Fred Yoder says the trade tensions are creating uncertainty and volatility in agriculture that the industry can’t afford.” YODER: “It makes me really nervous when we start putting tariffs on our favored importers like Mexico and Canada,” he says. “It makes me very nervous that those markets will go away.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3DIhhe5
MORE: Via Heartland Signal, VERBATIM: “U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) applauded President Donald Trump’s tariff policy, bizarrely arguing that higher tariffs will only make farmers love the president even more.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XXojCp
FUNDING: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Last year, Filiberta Cano’s small farm provided fresh produce for Channel One Food Bank through the Village Agricultural Cooperative. The sales were a good addition to the weekly markets where Cano would sell her family-grown tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, zucchini and sweet corn. They were also a reason Cano decided to try to expand the farm looking ahead to 2025 . . . However, with the apparent cancellation of funding for a state program that helped fund purchases of local foods and help small farmers with start-up costs, expansion for Cano looks unlikely for 2025. Throughout Minnesota, farmers, farmers markets, food banks, tribal nations and others are left in limbo as federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Minnesota Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) have been cut off.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bUgmDO
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
STUDY: Via Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s ethanol industry contributed $2.1 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2024, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota Extension. The study said 1.4 billion gallons of ethanol was produced in Minnesota last year, which in turn, generated $5.2 billion in economic activity and supported 18,434 jobs in the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41xHB2q
FUNDING: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “More than $1 billion might be at risk for farmers across the country if Congress eliminates conservation funds appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act. But U.S. Senate Ag Committee Chairman John Boozman tells Brownfield the money doesn’t go away if it’s re-authorized through reconciliation. ‘It’s not as easy as saying the money is going away and you’re not going to see it.’ Boozman says the funding decisions will be made in the next few months.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4iuyuX5
MORE: Via WDIO-TV, VERBATIM: “The USDA are terminating the Local Food for Schools and the Child Care Cooperative Agreement. These two programs provided funds to food banks and schools to buy from local farms. Missy Bakker Roach is the President of St. Louis County Farmers Union and owns Bear River farm. She says the lack of funds impacts more than just farmers, but rural communities throughout the Northland.” QUOTE: “This is a room full of farmers that have great concerns. One of the things that we’re doing is trying to put our heads together to figure out how we can work together. There’s a great need for food shelves in our area,” Bakker Roach said. “Our farm-to-school programs are really popular. Seeing that on the chopping block has been really disheartening and downright scary for a lot of folks. Everybody needs to eat. So we want to make sure that we are putting the connections together to help ride the rough waters” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kO5RpI
REPORT: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “The March 11 USDA World Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report did not offer many significant changes from the February WASDE report. The 2024-25 ending stocks for soybeans, and wheat are expected to increase slightly from a year earlier; however, the 2024-25 corn carry-over level is expected to decline from the previous year. The expected 2024-25 market year average (MYA) prices for soybeans and wheat were lowered slightly compared to a month earlier, while the corn MYA price projection stayed the same in the March estimates. All eyes will now be on the USDA 2025 Prospective Planting and Grain Stocks reports that will be released on March 31, as well as early season growing conditions in the Midwest.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bBLmsn
WIND: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced today that USDA will be delivering any assistance it can for communities and agricultural producers affected by the weekend storms that cut a path of devastation through the South and Midwest. These storms have sparked tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires that have engulfed hundreds of square miles, left hundreds of thousands of homes without power and taken dozens of lives.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41xxgne
CHICKENS: Via CCX Media, VERBATIM: “Pets come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s becoming more common for people to have the ones that cluck. ‘They’re definitely pets now. Yes, that’s for sure,’ said Sarah Meagher of Golden Valley. She and her husband, Justin, jumped on the backyard chicken bandwagon in 2021 at the urging of their two kids.” QUOTE: “Going into this, never having any kind of farm animal or being really around chickens, and a lot of it was fun,” said Meagher. “The original three that we got were very friendly, very highly food motivated.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kwSqKO
URBAN AG: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “Black women have long been at the heart of agriculture, from ancestral sharecropping to modern-day urban farming movements. Princess Titus, co-founder of Appetite for Change, a local nonprofit that uses food as a tool to promote health, wealth, and social change, is a leader dedicated to reclaiming land, food and power for her community. Titus’ journey into urban farming was deeply influenced by her grandmothers, Odessa and Laura, who used food as medicine and a means of community-building.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42d5e1G
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)
From morning take…
FARMERS: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “[Last week] was fly-in week for the nation’s farmers and ranchers who swamped Capitol Hill on their traditional spring lobbying blitz. … About 20 Minnesota farmers were [in D.C.] to try to find allies on Capitol Hill and capture the ear of the White House. ‘We’re concerned with the tariffs, and we need to find a solution,’ said Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation President Dan Glessing. … Glessing, who attended a meeting Tuesday at the White House, said one big question is, ‘How long are the tariffs going to be on?’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41WHtcO
Sign up for morning take…
SHUTDOWN: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today applauded President Trump and Republican leadership in Congress for securing critical victories for American farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through the passage of a continuing resolution that keeps essential funding in place.” ROLLINS: “President Trump and Republicans in Congress have taken action to support agriculture by making smart policy fixes that protect farmers and strengthens markets. It also ensures that those who safeguard our land and resources are recognized for their heroic work through critical pay reform for our Forest Service wildland firefighters.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iWLrZQ
WOLVES: Via Red River Farm Network, VERBATIM: “Minnesota saw a record 252 calls for wolf management assistance last year, with Kittson County reporting the second-highest number of complaints. Representative John Burkel of Badger has introduced a bill to establish an open hunting season for wolves, citing depleted state funds for livestock depredation payments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42asA82
WATER: Via MN PCA, VERBATIM: “Brent Olson’s life is deeply connected to the land he calls home. He grew up on a 1,000-acre farm on the edge of the prairie in Big Stone County, where his family has lived for generations. He still lives in the house his great-grandparents built in the 1880s. This deep connection to place shapes not only his work as a farmer, journalist, and county commissioner but also his passions . . . Olson shared his story as a part of We Are Water MN, a traveling exhibit and community engagement initiative that explores Minnesotans’ relationship with water. Big Stone Arts Council will host the exhibit this spring.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FLv04d
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
RETREATS: Via Swineweb, VERBATIM: “Multigenerational Farm Transition Retreats are available for Minnesota farmers considering farm transition or succession plans. The University of Minnesota Extension offers the retreats in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Southern Agriculture Center for Excellence.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4i9Ey7N
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