In this Edition
Save the Dates
- MCPR Annual Golf Outing - August 7th, 2024
- CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show - December 10-12, 2024
Capitol Corner- State
- Requests Far Outpace Funding for New Soil Health Grant
- Legislative Activity the week of 4/1 to 4/5
Capitol Corner - Federal
- USDA Announces $1.5 Billion Investment to Help Farmers with Conservation, Climate-smart Agriculture
- The State of U.S. Agriculture, According to the Secretary of Ag
Industry Related News
- Human HPAI Case Confirmed in Texas
- As Port Remains Closed, Concerns Rise over Fertilizer
- Cautious Optimism for Minnesota Ag
- Agri-tech Market Contraction Drives Shift to Resilience, Sustainability and Tech Integration
- Virtually Tour Top Ag Retail Facilities
- What Does Future of Cover Crop Seeding Look Like?
- Are You Disposing Pesticides Properly? Here’s How to Know
- Q&A with Author Austin Frerick on Farm Policy, Cargill and Food Industry ‘barons’
Partner News/Announcements
- EPA Implements Mitigation Measures for Insecticides Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, and Malathion to Protect Endangered Species
- Minnesota Capitol Conversations with AgriGrowth
- The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) Agronomy Conference and Expo
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MCPR Annual Golf Outing - August 7th, 2024
The 2024 MCPR Annual Golf outing will be held Wednesday, August 7th at The Wilds Golf Club, located in Prior Lake, MN.
Registration and lunch at the The Wilds Golf Club will begin at 10 AM. After lunch the shot gun start will take place at 11 AM. Dinner and awards will conclude the days event.
More information and registration information will be available soon! Keep an eye on your inbox.
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CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show - December 10-12, 2024
MCPR staff, Board of Directors and the University of Minnesota are already planning the 2024 CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show, that will be held December 10-12, 2024 at the Minneapolis Hilton hotel.
Be sure to mark your calendars!
Further information regarding programming and registration will hit your inbox late summer/early fall.
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Requests Far Outpace Funding for New Soil Health Grant
Demand is high for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) new Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant.
The MDA recently awarded 81 grants to individual producers, producer groups, and local governments to purchase or retrofit soil health equipment. The grants total over $2.35 million.
Interest far outpaced available funding. The MDA received 284 applications for $8.4 million in requests – more than three times the money in this round of grants.
The grants will provide up to 50% cost-share for equipment and parts, up to a cap of $50,000.
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Legislative Activity the week of 4/1 to 4/5
House Ag Committee (4/4/24)
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HF5231 (Vang)Supplemental appropriations and transfers relating to broadband made.
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USDA Announces $1.5 Billion Investment to Help Farmers with Conservation, Climate-smart Agriculture
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a $1.5 billion investment into the Regional Conservation Partnership Program while visiting Minnesota State University, Mankato’s campus Wednesday.
Vilsack said this level of investment will help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners adopt and expand conservation strategies and to adopt climate-smart ag practices. He added it could also save farmers money, create new revenue streams and increase productivity.
“It is the overall contribution that rural America makes to the country,” Vilsack said. “And, for far too long, that part of the world, a part of the country, has not received its fair share. It’s now receiving its fair share and we’re beginning to see the results of that.”
Project applications are being accepted now through July 2.
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The State of U.S. Agriculture, According to the Secretary of Ag
Every year, just before the planting season begins in earnest, most of the folks who do business in the agricultural marketplace head to the annual Commodity Classic trade show. Each year, this late February/early March event typically draws thousands of attendees from across the grower, ag retailer, and industry supplier/manufacturer worlds to one spot in the U.S. for a three to four day tour de force of what’s going on in the world of agriculture.
And the 2024 Commodity Classic was no exception. Overall, the four-day show, held in Houston, TX, February 28 to March 2 attracted almost 12,000 attendees to the George R. Brown Convention Center — a record-setting number, according to the show’s organizers.
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Human HPAI Case Confirmed in Texas
The Center for Disease Control states the public risk remains low after an individual contracted avian influenza following exposure to sick dairy cattle.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a person in Texas tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, after exposure to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with HPAI.
The National Veterinary Service Lab confirmed the H5N1 strain of Influenza A caused recent outbreaks of avian influenza in dairy cattle across at least five U.S. states. This is the same strain contracted by the patient in Texas.
The patient describes eye redness as their only symptom and is recovering. The individual is being treated with an antiviral drug for flu while they isolate.
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As Port Remains Closed, Concerns Rise over Fertilizer
Shipments of fertilizer bound for Baltimore are being diverted, which could raise prices.
A week after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, there are signs that shipping channels may be reopening sooner than expected.
Cranes have busy clearing the debris from the Dali, the ship that collided into one of the bridge’s columns in the early-morning hours of March 26, sending the bridge tumbling into the Patapsco River and likely killing six people.
Meanwhile, the effects on agriculture continue to unfold as planting season is just weeks away from starting. Chip Bowling, who grows nearly 2,000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat in Newburg, Md., is waiting on when he will be able to get his shipment of 30% UAN. He says he got an email from his fertilizer distributor stating that his shipment would be delayed until April 20 or later.
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Cautious Optimism for Minnesota Ag
Fifth GreenSeam State of Agriculture Report shows the majority feels state’s agriculture is heading in the right direction.
Cautious optimism is the overreaching theme from the 2024 State of Agriculture Report, an initiative of GreenSeam.
Overall, 76% of respondents feel that Minnesota agriculture is headed in the right direction. Though that is a good majority, Megan Roberts says that is down from 82% in the 2023 survey.
This is the fifth year of the State of Ag Survey, and this year’s general feel for the direction of Minnesota agriculture mirrors the 2020 survey with 76%. In between that first year and now, the positive outlook has been 92%, 83% and 82% for 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively.
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Agri-tech Market Contraction Drives Shift to Resilience, Sustainability and Tech Integration
Venture capital investment experienced a significant contraction in 2023, as global business underwent a period of turbulence. According to PitchBook data, the agri-tech sector followed this pattern, with investments decreasing from $11.8 billion in 2022 to $7.1 billion last year, a reduction of 40%. Indoor farming was one area where this fall was particularly severe, falling from $2 billion to under $500 million.
The early signs show that the market contraction has sown the seeds for robust M&A activity in 2024. In reaction to the downward trend, startups have been forced to create more sustainable business models. On top of this, tech companies are new entrants to the market, enticed by the critical role of data in agriculture and the need to transform the industry in response to growing environmental concerns.
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Virtually Tour Top Ag Retail Facilities
Check out what others have in terms of equipment and capacities at their top-notch locations.
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What Does Future of Cover Crop Seeding Look Like?
Missouri Soybeans drills down on the efficiency of drones, harvest seeders and robots for cover crop seeding.
Farmers are excited and ready to plant cover crops, says Eric Oseland, director of agronomy and research at Missouri Soybeans. But the cost of the seed, fuel, equipment and labor turn some away from this soil health practice.
While Missouri Soybeans provides education on cost-share programs to offset input expenses, Oseland says labor is often a sticking point.
“There’s definitely a labor shortage in farming and agriculture,” he explains. “Not everybody has an extra set of hands to go out and get those cover crops planted.”
So, commodity groups, companies and universities are exploring new technologies to improve seeding efficiency of cover crops, including drones, modified seeding equipment and robotic seeders.
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Are You Disposing Pesticides Properly? Here’s How to Know
As you prepare to spray fields this spring, consider these tips to ensure you’re complying with federal regulations when it comes to pesticide disposal.
In a recent webinar held by the Agricultural Retailers Association, Carlye Patterson, associate at Faegre Drinker law firm in Des Moines, shared anyone disposing pesticides needs to check the instructions on the pesticide label, state and local laws, and the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
However, she says the first step to proper disposal begins before the pesticide is even used.
“The user needs to aim to only mix enough pesticide for the job,” Patterson says. “Then, if there is any extra product they can’t use or can’t be mixed into the sprayer, the product needs to be stored according to regulations.”
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Q&A with Author Austin Frerick on Farm Policy, Cargill and Food Industry ‘barons’
Certain familiar images shape public understanding of American agriculture: The struggling farmer working long harvest days to feed the world and his family; the cattle rancher on horseback; pitchforks and hay and green John Deere tractors.
In “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry,” author Austin Frerick instead tells the story of the agriculture industry through a series of “barons” — a word choice meant to evoke the likes of John. D Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan — each of whom controls a large share of their respective market: hogs, grain, coffee, dairy, berries, meatpacking and groceries.
The story of each baron is intertwined with some other aspect of the agricultural system: the Farm Bill, monopolies, working conditions and modern-day indentured servitude, and more.
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Partner News/
Announcements
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EPA Implements Mitigation Measures for Insecticides Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, and Malathion to Protect Endangered Species
The U.S. EPA is implementing measures to protect federally threatened or endangered (listed) species and their designated critical habitats from the effects of the insecticides chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion. The measures include changes to pesticide labeling requirements and issuing of Endangered Species Protection Bulletins that set geographically specific limitations on pesticide use.
Chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion are organophosphate insecticides commonly used to control foliage and soil insect pests. Pesticide products containing chlorpyrifos are registered for use on agricultural crops and on nonfood sites such as ornamental plants in nurseries, golf course turf, or as wood treatment. Diazinon is used on a variety of fruit and vegetable crops, orchards, outdoor nurseries, and in cattle ear tags to control flies. There are no residential uses of chlorpyrifos or diazinon. Malathion is used in the production of a wide variety of food and feed crops to control many types of insects such as aphids, leafhoppers, and Japanese beetles, by home gardeners for outdoor residential uses including to protect vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and a variety of ornamentals, as well as for controlling mosquitoes.
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Minnesota Capitol Conversations with AgriGrowth
An update from the Minnesota Capitol and conversation with AgriGrowth's government affairs team.
April 24, 2024
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Join AgriGrowth for our second update on the 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session. This complimentary virtual conversation is open to all AgriGrowth members and will include updates on legislation and policy that could impact the agri-food industry, as well as a discussion on the latest issues influencing Capitol politics.
This event is of no cost to attend and exclusive for AgriGrowth members, but advance registration is required.
Once registered, you will receive a Zoom link via email.
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The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) Agronomy Conference and Expo
August 12-14, 2024: Union Station: St. Louis, MO
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Are you following MCPR on social media? Make sure you like and follow us so you don't miss out on events, what's happening with our members and the latest news impacting Minnesota’s agricultural retail sector!
Does your organization or company have news or a press release that you would like to share with the MCPR’s membership? If so, please contact MCPR - lee@mcpr-cca.org.
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Minnesota Crop Production Retailers | P: 763.235.6466
www.mcpr-cca.org
601 Carlson Parkway, Ste 450, Minnetonka, MN 55305
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