BUFFER LAW: Via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) has led efforts to correct the property tax inequity that exists for acres in compliance with Minnesota’s 2015 buffer law the last several legislative sessions. MCGA is again leading on this issue in 2025 and the effort has taken its next step in the State Legislature. SF960/HF1680 aims to reduce the property taxes on acres in compliance with Minnesota’s buffer law.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iVmxtV (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: “About 60 people gathered inside the Sleepy Eye Brewing Company for the town hall sponsored by the Minnesota Farmers Union. Rising concerns over the potential impacts from tariffs on family farms, cuts to health care and the uncertainty of trade wars had many speaking their minds in an open forum.
Many farm families are still trying to recover from the trade war tariffs caused during the first Trump administration. Though there were several good years, some markets in Minnesota weren’t gained back. Some farms closed down.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/422aV10
MNLEG: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota House and Senate are far apart on agriculture budget funding. Senate Ag, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development chair Aric Putnam says his committee has been very diligent and thoughtful about spending.” PUTNAM: “Unfortunately the House went a little crazy on us about two weeks ago and passed a budget with funny money, which makes it look like what we’re doing is a little bit more I guess sort of conservative and slow.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4hIUUCY
MORE: Via Red River Farm Network, from an interview with MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen, QUOTE: “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, it hasn’t been the greatest start. I’d like to see a little more compromise.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42f2h0x
LINE SPEED: Via Farm Journal, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced new actions to reduce burdens on the U.S. pork and poultry industries on March 17. She says the new measures will allow for greater efficiency while maintaining food safety standards. The directive instructs the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to eliminate outdated administrative requirements that have slowed production and added unnecessary costs for American producers, USDA said in a release.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41AdE1H
MORE: Via DTN, VERBATIM: “Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), said the group represents 15,000 poultry workers across southern states as well as meatpacking and processing workers in other areas of the country. Appelbaum said the increased line speeds will lead to more injured workers. Appelbaum also said the faster production speeds will put food safety at risk.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kvMQbH
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
YESTERDAY: The White House proclaimed Tuesday as National Agriculture Day. PROCLAMATION: https://fluence-media.co/41Bh7gy
INSURANCE: Via news release from Rep. Angie Craig, VERBATIM: “U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) recently introduced the Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act to bolster crop and livestock insurance protections for new, beginning and veteran farmers and producers. The bill would align the definition of ‘beginning farmer’ to match most other beginning-farmer programs, extending crop and livestock insurance protections to 10 years. This increase from the current definition of five to 10 years would apply to all federal crop insurance programs, including livestock policies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hIWPYc
TARIFFS: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An extension ag economist is concerned the fluid situation with tariffs is complicating risk management for farmers. Chad Hart with Iowa State University tells Brownfield the landscape seems to be constantly changing. ‘You think back over the past month, month and-a-half, we have seen tariffs introduced and pulled back multiple times. So it’s really challenging to try to factor that into your marketing.’ He encourages farmers to continue looking for opportunities to market grain.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kYcVjA
LUNCHEON: Via KIMT-TV, VERBATIM: “Over 100 Freeborn County farmers came out to the Albert Lea Chamber of Commerce 2025 Agriculture Luncheon at the Freeborn County Fair Grounds on Tuesday, March 18 to talk about expectations going into the 2025 growing season and celebrate recent accomplishments in the local ag community.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/41zvpyd
YESTERDAY: The White House proclaimed Tuesday as National Agriculture Day. PROCLAMATION: https://fluence-media.co/41Bh7gy
MORE: From USDA Secretary Brook Rollins via X, VERBATIM: “President Trump’s National Agriculture Day proclamation honors every farmer and rancher who makes our country strong. @POTUS shows unprecedented personal commitment to empowering our agricultural community to forge a long, successful, and bountiful American future.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3RkZAEo
ASSISTANCE: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, on National Agriculture Day, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DStqNG
PORK: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A newly elected board member of the National Pork Producers Council says Congress needs to provide a solution for Proposition 12. John Anderson, a pork producer from Belgrade in central Minnesota, points out the House farm bill includes language that addresses California’s livestock confinement law.” ANDERSON: “Of course we want to get that new farm bill passed and getting a fix for Prop 12 with California and some other states looking to possibly enact something like that so you have different requirements for different states, which makes it really tough for pork producers.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41JZ6Nc
From morning take…
AGRICULTURE: via an MFBF press release, VERBATIM: “More than 170 farmers and ranchers representing 48 counties across Minnesota gathered at the State Capitol on March 18 for the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation’s (MFBF) annual Day on the Hill, sharing their stories and highlighting the critical role of agriculture in the state. The day began with a policy briefing before attendees assembled on the Capitol steps to hear from key agricultural leaders, including Governor Tim Walz, Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, Senator Aric Putnam, Representatives Paul Anderson and Rick Hansen, and MFBF President Dan Glessing.”
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Industries like agriculture and horticulture rely on planning ahead and investing to get ready for the planting season. … However, the Trump Administration’s recent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian products leave many in the agricultural and horticultural industries anxious and worried about unfulfilled contracts or trying to figure out how they’re going to take on the financial losses as the growing expenses are mounting on their bottom line.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iySVSM
BIRD FLU: via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s U.S. senators spent Tuesday on a Minnesota farm as concerns continue mounting over the spread of bird flu. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith held a roundtable discussion at a turkey farm near Wilmar. They hope to help Minnesota farmers better protect their flocks against the bird flu.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3FQHVSs
Sign up for morning take… https://fluence-media.co/3ClMOla
TURKEYS: Via KARE-TV, a central Minnesota farmer whose turkey flock was hit with bird flu in 2023. VERBATIM: “Sawatzke said the one silver lining was that fall they had decided to take a break from raising poults. ‘Knowing that high-path avian influenza is a foreign animal disease, there's a very long process after that to get rid of any of the virus in your environment in the barn. That's quite a process,’ Sawatzke said. In Oakdale Farm's case, they needed to bring in 13 semi-truck loads of mulch. Tires had to get disinfected coming in and also going out. Everything in the barns was put into compost piles and then temperatures were monitored every day for the first two weeks.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4igRskm
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)
GRANTS: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “Minnesota partner organizations who serve meat and poultry processors are encouraged to apply for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Meat Processing Train & Retain Grant. The Meat Processing Train & Retain Grant program will award one-time funding to partner organizations that will work with small- to medium-sized meat and poultry processors in hiring and training new employees through the development of incentive projects like tuition reimbursements, sign-on and retention bonuses, and childcare stipends.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hjSNWb
MFB: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Farm Bureau members gathered at the state capitol in St. Paul to discuss legislative priorities with lawmakers this week. President Dan Glessing says there was a lot of engagement. ‘We had 175 members on the Hill Tuesday, and we started out the day with some briefings of what bills we’re following. But then we went to the capitol steps, we had a tractor up there and did a rally, heard from those elected folks who are leaders within agriculture.’ He tells Brownfield Farm Bureau emphasized the need for proper funding for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Board of Animal Health.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3E3iP2h
CONSOLIDATION: Via Tri State Neighbor, VERBATIM: “As winter winds howled outside, farmers gathered in a machine shed near Donnelly on March 4 to share stories with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on how consolidation in everything from livestock markets to ag implement repairs is negatively impacting their operations and communities. The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) meeting was held at a time when four large firms handle 85% of all beef cattle purchases and 67% of all hog purchases. Just seven corporations control roughly half of the grain and oilseed market globally. And during the past few decades, the farm equipment manufacturing industry has consolidated at an unprecedented rate, with Deere & Company now dominating the market.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hHWzJ6
SEMINAR: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Myron Sylling plants green cover crop into the 650 acres of corn and soybeans on his farm in Spring Grove, Minnesota. Sylling, who spoke at a planting green seminar hosted by University of Minnesota Extension on March 4 in Rochester, transitioned his family's operation to no-till in the early 90s, when information on the farming practice was much harder to find . . . Sylling's operation was impacted by the federal government funding freeze which has lasted for over a month now . . . He said the money being frozen was a setback but it won't put him in the hole. ‘I'll be okay if I don't get the money,’ he said. ‘I outlaid between my time, the equipment and other stuff, roughly $10,000 is my out of pocket.’ Sylling said he wanted to do the practices anyway, and the program was ‘just a bonus.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iZuePo
WORM: Via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Corn rootworm is one of the most devastating crop pests. Syngenta U.S. insecticide technical product lead Kevin Langdon says growers have relied heavily on traits to control rootworm larvae and resistance has developed.” LANGDON: “There are new trait technologies, which is great. But at the end of the day for best performance, we really need to be looking at a corn soil-applied insecticide.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3E48TWe
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
NOVEL: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Writer Margie Sarsfield has a confession. She’s not sure how to pronounce the title of her debut novel. ‘I call it ‘BAY-tah vull-GAH-riss’’ she said. ‘Somewhere out there, there’s probably a scientist who knows Latin who’s saying, that’s not how that’s pronounced, but that’s how I pronounce it.’ It’s the Latin name for the beet family. Sarsfield admits when she left Brooklyn a little more than a decade ago to take a beet harvest job in Minnesota she was just looking to make money. She said before her trip to the Red River Valley, she’d never made the connection between sugar beets and the little white packets she saw at the diner.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42bMKyB
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