BACTERIA: From Jonathan Eisenthal via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “American farmers lose nearly 13 million bushels of corn every year to Goss’ Wilt, a bacterial infection. Currently, there’s no satisfactory treatment for the disease. Often, farmers are forced to destroy part or all of a field’s crop in order to prevent the spread of the infection. In research funded by the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council, University of Minnesota Scientist Mikael Elias has found a means to blur/interfere with the ‘the language’ of bacteria in a way that disrupts their behavior without the need for chemical controls. This will allow the bacteria to continue to live normally in the environment but prevent them from becoming pathogenic.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40mOHq0 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn Growers Association)
VEGAS: From MDA via X, VERBATIM: “Our Minnesota Pavilion is back in Las Vegas for the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show. Six local food and beverage businesses are exhibiting at the event - Mixly Cocktail Co, Von Hanson’s Snacks, Riff’s Smokehouse, Maud Borup, Maazah & Peace Coffee.” PHOTOS: https://fluence-media.co/42lxSOF
USDA: Via Politico, VERBATIM: “The Senate Ag Committee will meet for [USDA nominee Brooke] Rollins’ confirmation hearing on Thursday, as your host first reported. Rollins’ hearing was delayed due to missing financial disclosures and ethics agreements, which were released publicly Friday. Despite those paperwork delays, Trump’s USDA nominee is still flying through the process compared to the president’s first USDA pick, Sonny Perdue. Perdue wasn’t confirmed until late April.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42h9cXC
VILSACK: From outgoing Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack via X, VERBATIM: “The more than 100,000 public servants at USDA who carry on this work are some of the most dedicated and talented professionals around. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done together, and forever grateful for my time at the People’s Department.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/4g5eKHS
TARIFFS: From Christopher Vondracek via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “From windmills to cow pastures, Minnesota farmers may seem far from global markets. But with access to the sea in Duluth, Mississippi River ports and rails headed west to the Pacific, crops coming off Minnesota farms reach every corner of the Earth. They also remain extra vulnerable to trade saber-rattling. ‘A lot of the ag production in the [Upper Midwest] is exported,’ Jay Debertin, the CEO of Inver Grove Heights-based agribusiness CHS Inc., said on Wednesday at a Federal Reserve conference in Minneapolis. ‘If trade flows become interrupted, we have a fundamental problem of what to do with the crop. Because we’ll grow it again next spring. It’s not like manufacturing where we can slow [factories] down.’ Farmers might be holding their collective breath as Trump, who once said trade wars are ‘easy to win,’ moves back into the Oval Office.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4g5dSmA
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3VZAwp9
BROADBAND: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A new report shows high-speed broadband reaching more rural Americans. Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of NTCA—the Rural Broadband Association, says their 2024 survey found more than 76 percent of customers have access to Gigabit downstream speeds, an increase from 67 percent in 2023.” BLOOMFIELD: “These community-based providers are continuing to lead the charge, closing the divide (and) deploying these robust networks to the communities that they serve.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4axcbNF
MORE: Via NTCA, from the report, QUOTE: “Nearly nine in 10 (88.6%) of 2024 respondents' customers on average could receive a maximum downstream speed greater than or equal to 100 Mbps, noticeably higher than the 84.0% stated in the 2023 Broadband/Internet Availability Report and the 81.9% in the 2022 report. Of note again this year as compared to past reports, there were large gains for those able to obtain maximum downstream service greater than or equal to 1 Gig (76.4% vs 67.1% in 2023, 60.9% in 2022, 55.4% in 2021 and 45.1% in 2020).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4h571Ls
DEADLINE: Via farm management analyst Kent Thiesse, VERBATIM: “Eligible farm operators have from January 21 until April 15 to enroll in the 2025 farm program, either online or at local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. Late in 2024, the 2018 Farm Bill was extended for one year, extending the expiration of the current Farm Bill until September 30, 2025. This also meant that the provisions and parameters that existed for traditional farm programs will continue for the 2025 crop year for corn, soybeans, wheat, and other crops. The good news for farm operators is that the reference prices for corn, soybeans, and wheat will all increase for the 2025 crop year. The reference prices are used to calculate potential PLC payments for a given commodity. The benchmark prices that are used in determining potential ‘Ag Risk Coverage’ (ARC) payments for corn, soybeans, and wheat are also increased for the 2025 farm program.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/42n9vQO
FUNGICIDES: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “An extension plant pathologist says some farmers are looking at fungicides for cost savings. Alison Robertson with Iowa State University tells Brownfield corn growers are concerned about input costs. ‘And I saw that there’s a lot of interest in generic fungicides. I think generic fungicides would be okay in low disease pressure.’ But she tells Brownfield if disease pressure is heavy, farmers would be better off with a name brand fungicide.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42mUyOp
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)
From morning take…
STATE FAIR: Via news release from the Minnesota State Fair, VERBATIM: “At its 166th annual meeting, the Minnesota State Agricultural Society board, governing body of the Minnesota State Fair, approved a total of more than $20.1 million to support critical projects aimed at improving the State Fairgrounds and enhancing the guest experience for years to come. The 2025 budget includes $13.9 million for the first phase of major renovation work on the Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum. … To fund [improvements], the Society is set to implement a $2 admission ticket increase in each category for the 2025 State Fair.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40kshpf
Sign up for morning take…
DRY: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “A weather expert is concerned parts of the Midwest could experience a dry growing season. Bret Walts with BAMWX says long-term forecasts indicate regions where moisture has been more plentiful will continue in a wetter pattern.” WALTS: “Ohio Valley, Central Plains, (but) I’m concerned a little bit about the Northern Plains. That’s an area where the soil moisture was not great throughout the fall, yeah they may get some snow late January into February, but probably not going to catch them up to where they need to be.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/42lcJ7m
EQUIPMENT: From Mark Dorenkamp via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “Past cycles could shed light on how the ag equipment market will perform in 2025 and beyond. Kim Schmidt with Ag Equipment Intelligence suggests agriculture is cyclical, which she says is encouraging given the current slowdown in machinery sales.” SCHMIDT: “That cyclicality of it is definitely something that I think helped people stay more positive about it, there’s this ‘we’ve done this before (and) we know it’s not going to be the end of the world’ type attitude. Which is pretty refreshing really.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3C394jW
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
URBAN AG: Via Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, VERBATIM: “In the heart of Minneapolis, a movement is growing—one that’s as much about empowerment as it is about planting seeds. Plant-Grow-Share, a program rooted in the Black community’s long tradition of resilience and resourcefulness, is launching an eight-month urban farming academy designed to give local residents the tools to cultivate their own food, their way.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4amdkaN
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