INS & OUTS: From Brooke Appleton via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “If you expect twists and turns during an election year, this year certainly did not disappoint. In 2024, we navigated a presidential election like no other as we pushed Congress to act on our major legislative priorities and as voters contemplated the nation’s future. While we will end 2024 with a divided Congress and Democratic administration, soon into 2025 we will have a Republican president and a GOP Congress. Suffice it to say, our Ins & OUTs this year runneth over!” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3P4EtFo (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
KLOBUCHAR: Via Axios, Senator Amy Klobuchar is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s pick to be ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/3ZLI0NA
MORE: Via Senator Klobuchar, QUOTE: “When I first came to the Senate, my number-one request was to be on the Agriculture Committee. I wanted to work on behalf of Minnesota’s farmers, make sure Americans could feed their families, and boost our rural economy. From working across the aisle to strengthen our defenses against animal disease outbreaks to bolstering our ability to produce home-grown fuel and supporting conservation efforts, the work of the Agriculture Committee touches every aspect of our lives. I look forward to working with Chairman Boozman and Representatives Craig and G.T. Thompson to pass a strong farm bill.”
CRAIG: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) will lead Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress after winning a caucus vote Tuesday. Craig, 52, beat out Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), 72, for the role by a vote of 121 to 91, according to five Democrats in the room, granted anonymity to share the private vote tally. She will become the first woman ranking member of the House Agriculture panel and is part of a larger generational shift among House Democrats, who have forced out a number of aging committee leaders in the wake of their November election losses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ghQgfq
MORE: Via Farm Progress, VERBATIM: “In a public statement issued shortly after the vote, she vowed to focus on improving people’s lives. Craig says that as the granddaughter of an Arkansas farm foreman, and as someone who grew up relying on nutrition assistance, she understands firsthand how critical good ag policy is.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/403y9EA
REACTION: From Jared White via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) says the organization is thrilled U.S. Congresswoman Angie Craig, of Minnesota, has been chosen by Democrats as ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee for the 119th Congress. Kenneth Hartman, Jr. tells Brownfield, ‘We want to congratulate her on being in that new position.’ She says, ‘She’s been great to work with over the years and she’s been a great a supporter of ethanol. We’re very excited that we’re going to get to work with her in the future here.’” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/41GfVdf
MORE: Via Minnesota Corn, from president Jim Kanten, KANTEN: “The Minnesota Corn Growers Association is excited by the selection of Minnesota Representative Angie Craig as the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture committee. Representative Craig is a great champion of Minnesota’s farm families and rural communities, advocating for policies that benefit growers and the agriculture industry. We appreciate her work on behalf of farmers and look forward to working with her and all members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee to deliver results for agriculture.”
(DISCLOSURE: Minnesota Corn is a sponsor of Fluence Media)
MORE: Via American Farm Bureau, from president Zippy Duvall, DUVALL: “Rep. Craig has a long history of working in a bipartisan manner to advance the needs of America’s farmers and ranchers. Her leadership is needed now more than ever, as farmers face economic headwinds including inflation, high supply costs and decreasing commodity prices. Those challenges can quickly become a crisis if they’re not addressed with a new, modernized farm bill. Congress has kicked the can down the road too many times. Now is the time to act. We stand ready to work with Rep. Craig to ensure passage of a new 5-year farm bill and to address other matters important to agriculture and rural America.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gEGAeC
MORE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Fellow Minnesota U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum issued a statement saying that Craig ‘is the leader we need to help rebuild trust with America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers. She’ll also be a strong defender of the food and nutrition assistance that so many seniors and children rely on to stay healthy. Minnesotans and our nation will benefit from Congresswoman Craig’s leadership in this new role.’” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/49LxPxu
MORE: Via Successful Farming, reaction to Craig’s win from agriculture stakeholders. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ZK3J8D
MORE: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Minnesota farm groups are excited to see legislators from the state emerge as leaders in both the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees. Minnesota Farmers Union president Gary Wertish says as Ranking Members, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Angie Craig bring balance to their ag committees . . . Minnesota Farm Bureau president Dan Glessing tells Brownfield Craig and Klobuchar represent diverse agricultural production.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3P2gTJj
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
BIRD FLU: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The H5N1 virus is a concern for pork producers going into 2025. Swine Health Information Center executive director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says there’s risk associated with poultry and dairy.” NIEDERWERDER: “Are our animal caretakers on the swine farm potentially having access to dairy farms or poultry farms? Are there other operational connections that could put our swine farms at risk such as contract crews that maybe work at poultry farms and then come to a swine farm?” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3ZLm1q8
DAIRY: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing the second round of states coming on board as part of its National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS) that was launched Dec. 6., and which requires that raw (unpasteurized) milk samples nationwide be collected and shared with USDA for testing. Today’s announcement represents the next step toward conducting complete nationwide surveillance under the NMTS and continues to build on measures taken by USDA and its federal and state partners since the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in dairy cattle was first detected in March 2024.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BEpgYv
CONGRESS: From Chris Clayton via DTN, VERBATIM: “Congress on Tuesday released the details of a disaster package that includes nearly $31 billion overall for farmers. The year-end funding bill congressional leaders released includes nearly $21 billion to help farmers recovering from natural disasters and another $10 billion in economic aid to crop producers. Congress late Tuesday released the full bill text of a Continuing Resolution, or CR, to fund the federal government through March 14. The bill adds roughly $100 billion overall for disaster aid. The bill also includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill through the end of September.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ghSBHe
FERTILIZER: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is making domestic fertilizer production investments in nine states to increase competition, lower fertilizer costs for American farmers and lower food costs for U.S. consumers . . . USDA is awarding more than $116 million through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) to help eight facilities expand innovative fertilizer production in California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fvnZAJ
NEXT YEAR: Via Morning Ag Clips, VERBATIM: “‘Farming Your Way, Creating Balance’ is the theme for the 2025 Extension Women in Ag Conference, hosted by the University of Minnesota Women in Ag Network, in partnership with the Minnesota Farm Service Agency.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3BycdYE
BUTTER: From Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “‘Local butter was all about skill and scale,’ explains Hope Creamery owner Victor Mrotz, who took over the century-old Minnesota creamery in 2001 and now runs it with his family. ‘The old-fashioned way of making butter was: Get fresh milk straight from a farm, low-heat pasteurize, separate the cream, constantly agitate to churn, culture at a controlled temperature, and the next day: butter.’ That’s how Hope still does it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Dmt3u6
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 in January. Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
DEFORESTATION: Via USDA, VERBATIM: “The Biden-Harris Administration today released a policy framework to guide potential demand-side measures to reduce the importation of deforestation-linked commodities and derived products into the United States, with an initial focus on agricultural commodities. This policy framework, which was developed through an interagency process initiated by section 3 in Executive Order 14072 on stopping international deforestation, reaffirms the Administration’s support for the collective goal of halting and reversing global deforestation by 2030 and outlines six framework elements aimed at maximizing policy effectiveness in achieving this goal.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gHTqJm
AGVANTAGE: Via Agweek, VERBATIM: “Michelle Blomberg never set out to be the CEO of a computer software company, but that's where she found herself 24 years ago, responsible for ushering a company into the 21st century. Blomberg, CEO of the Rochester-based AgVantage Software Inc., now oversees a much larger company with customers across the country and a product line that covers every inch of the agricultural supply chain.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/400fIk4
MAPLEWOOD: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “@thommypetersen attended the grand opening of Today's Harvest Maplewood, a free market program that provides fresh food 6 days/week without appointment/documentation requirements. The store received assistance from our Local Foods Purchase Assistance Program.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/41Hg1RZ
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
TREES: Via MDA, VERBATIM: “Holiday greenery and Christmas trees bring joy throughout the season, but they can also hide dangerous pests. Diseases and invasive species can make their way into our landscapes on trees and boughs brought into Minnesota from other states. To protect our environment, the State of Minnesota is asking residents to take these steps to properly dispose of greenery and trees after the holiday season.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3VJp0yh
Copyright © 2024 Fluence Media, All rights reserved.
As someone who subscribed, or as a member of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council you are receiving this email.
Our mailing address is:
Fluence Media
PO Box 270031
Golden Valley, MN 55427