ADVOCATES: From MDA’s Meg Moynihan via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “In the face of mounting financial headwinds, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) wants to make sure that corn growers know about the Minnesota Farm Advocates. There are now 12 Farm Advocates throughout the state who offer one-on-one help and advice to farmers who are facing crises caused by financial problems or natural disasters. The services are confidential and provided at no charge.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3P5edhc (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
AG MONEY
BRIDGE PAYMENT: Via Forum, VERBATIM: “Minnesota ag leaders say farmers should apply for bridge payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture despite uncertainty over when funds will be distributed. The USDA has made $11 billion available to high-yielding crop producers who have been affected by market disruptions and higher costs. It’s unclear whether the payments will be distributed soon or in a few years because of legal challenges over federal tariffs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4seXx5c
TAX CREDIT: Via Senate DFL Media, VERBATIM: “Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud) renews his effort to lift the annual credit cap on Minnesota’s Beginning Farmer Tax Credit (BFTC), ensuring that every aspiring farmer who qualifies for the program can actually use it.” QUOTE: “The Beginning Farmer Tax Credit works.” Senator Putnam said. “It helps new farmers get on the land, it provides more options to current farmers hoping to sell their land, and it helps rural communities thrive. The only problem is we haven’t funded it well enough to meet the needs of aspiring farmers. In 2025, nearly half the farmers who applied were turned away.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aWIqGy
E15: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The president of the National Corn Growers Association says frustration continues to mount over the lack of progress on nationwide, year-round E-15. Ohio farmer Jed Bower told the general session of the 2026 Commodity Classic, ‘With the lack of work we’re seeing in D.C., we’ve been Midwest nice for too long.’ He says, ‘They need to hear from us. We need to be aggressive. The American farmer’s been pushed around and bullied for too long, and it’s time we stood up and said, we’re done.’ John Delmotte, president of the Michigan Corn Growers, says missed deadlines by Congress’ Rural Domestic Energy Council are discouraging.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4cjtoNI
OUTLOOK: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Minnesota agricultural leaders painted a picture of an industry headed toward crisis, but still resilient at a town hall event in Barnesville, Minnesota. Around a dozen area residents attended the town hall meeting hosted by the Minnesota Farmers Union on Tuesday, Feb. 24. The event was part of a series of town hall meetings the organization is holding across Minnesota to hear from farmers and rural residents. During the event, Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish compared economic conditions today to those of the 1980s farm crisis.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4u10oAx
FRUSTRATION: Via Perham Focus, VERBATIM: “About 30 people attended the Minnesota Farmers Union Town Hall in Perham on Tuesday, Feb. 24 to discuss concerns farmers in the region are facing. The most discussed topics included the cost of health care, monopolies, the right for farmers to fix their farm equipment, unstable markets and what could be done to force change.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3OGexTB
AURI: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “With over 100 phone calls from consumers assuming they were calling a nutrition company with the name of Auri Nutrition, a Minnesota non-profit that goes by a similar name is seeking assistance in a fight for that brand. AURI, also known as the Agriculture Utilization and Research Institute, made Minnesota legislators aware of their court battle with a request of about $78,000 to cover this unanticipated cost. That money would help cover legal fees they have incurred so far in holding onto their trademark name.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4s05awZ
AG NUMBERS
LAND: Via KARE-TV, VERBATIM: “The USDA’s annual report on farms and farmland in the United States is out, and Minnesota is down big. According to the report, the number of farms in Minnesota fell from 65,300 in 2024 to 64,000 in 2025. The amount of farmland across the state also fell by 100,000 acres.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/471uXMw
HOW BIG?: Via Marshall Independent, VERBATIM: “It’s a big question facing farmers, Garen Paulson said — does farming more acres mean better profits? Based on financial data from southern Minnesota, bigger isn’t necessarily better, said Paulson, assistant Extension educator at the University of Minnesota Southwest Research & Outreach Center in Lamberton. ‘I think we need to look at improving our efficiency before we can get bigger,’ he said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MC2NB0
USDA: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “Today at the Commodity Classic Convention in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the ‘One Farmer, One File’ modernization, another action putting Farmers First with sweeping technological improvements at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through ‘One Farmer, One File,’ USDA’s mission is to create a single, streamlined record that follows the farmer — no matter where they go in the USDA system.” ROLLINS: “This modernization of old, duplicative, wasteful systems has one goal in mind, improve our customer service so the people we serve are able to farm and feed America and the world.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rCAhy9
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Kansas farmer Clay Schemm says this can make a huge difference.” SCHEMM: “We’ve all gone through it, where you get to the FSA office, they don’t necessarily have all the files read,” he says. “They’ve got most of them, but there was a system that was down and they weren’t able to get it, so you need to come into the office on another day. And depending on how far you live out of town, it’s just not hardly practical.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ceKHiM
DAIRY: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “ATTN Minnesota dairy farmers! Apply for our Dairy Assistance, Investment & Relief Initiative (DAIRI) program before March 19! DAIRI provides funding to help offset premiums for those enrolled in USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage program.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4sj4oLd
EXPORTS
SOYBEANS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A market analyst says the continued optimism that China could buy eight million metric tons of additional U.S. soybeans has kept prices stronger, longer than many expected. ‘It’s been going since the first week of February.’ That’s when President Trump posted on Truth Social about a call he’d had with China with the news, which caused the soybean markets to move higher. Ted Seifried with Zaner Ag Hedge tells Brownfield the market movement is a little bit of déjà vu, as President Trump prepares to meet with China at the end of March.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3OERB7h
BEEF: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Final 2025 export numbers are in, and while U.S. beef exports reflected the realities of tighter cattle supplies and lost access to China, the broader global demand story remains historically strong, according to Dan Halstrom, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Speaking during Commodity Classic, Halstrom detailed not only where exports landed in 2025, but what the numbers mean for cattle producers, grain farmers and the industry’s outlook in 2026 as the United States’ ability to supply high-quality corn-fed beef is feeding some of that growth in demand.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4l0nenT
FUNDING: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The Trump administration plans to expedite funds to boost U.S. ag exports. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley says the One Big Beautiful Bill Act doubles the money available for market development programs at FAS. ‘Doubled it. But it doesn’t go into effect until program year 2027, so that’s next year.’ Speaking at the National Ethanol Conference in Orlando Thursday, he said U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins insisted that wasn’t soon enough.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4r1LcAu
PLANNING AHEAD
NEXT MONTH: Via KFGO-Radio, VERBATIM: “Women in Ag Day at the Capitol invites individuals working in agriculture to share their stories with legislators and state leaders during a special gathering on Wednesday, March 18 at the Minnesota State Capitol.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4u1oQSf
DROUGHT: The new Drought Monitor reflecting data as of Tuesday shows 64% of the state remains abnormally dry or worse, relatively unchanged from a week ago. 31% remains in formal drought, slightly lower than last week. MAP: https://fluence-media.co/3PP2Kzy
MORE: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Sandy Lunderman in southwest Minnesota says his operation needs spring rains to help recharge the soil profile.” LUNDERMAN: “It’s been a pretty nice open winter, but there is not a lot of moisture and snow.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40x687x
HERBICIDE: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Acetochlor—a widely used herbicide found in products like TripleFlex, Resicore, Warrant, & Harness—has been detected at high levels in southern MN waterways, especially in May/June following heavy rains.” MAP: https://fluence-media.co/4aHyty5
SEEDS: Via Farm Forum, VERBATIM: “Minnesota gardens may be frozen right now, but many gardeners are planning for spring — paging dreamily through seed catalogues, readying their indoor seed-starting spaces, and plotting their vegetable beds. For many dedicated University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener volunteers, preparations for seed libraries are also well underway.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4aIEYR6
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
SOYBEANS: Via Ag Web, VERBATIM: “Frogeye leaf spot (FLS) is a fungal disease named for its signature visual pattern: an eye-like circular or angular lesion on leaves of infected plants. The small spots of this soybean leaf disease may not appear threatening at first glance, but each spot not only impairs the plant’s growth but can also potentially spread the infection. If left unchecked, it can spread to pods and seeds and cause substantial yield loss. Infected residue can overwinter in your field, leading to potential losses the following year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sg4Qd5
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