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MCPR Board Update
The MCPR Board of Directors met at the new MCPR offices in Mankato on Nov. 14. In March 2024, MCPR signed an association management agreement with Ag Management Solutions (AMS) to provide additional back-office support and assistance with communications, membership and events. Having the board meeting at the Mankato location allowed the board members to connect with the staff team and the AMS leadership. The AMS offices have great training facilities, including an auditorium that can hold up to 90 people. Several of the board members commented on the high-quality look and feel of the space and the staff team’s professionalism. They appreciated having the built-in technology and staff support to facilitate remote connections.
The board meeting provided a great opportunity to make some strategic decisions and prepare for the upcoming Short Course event in December. They reviewed MCPR's finances and approved changes to our reserve fund investment accounts, and the transfer of money from a money market account into longer-term CDs. They also discussed the upcoming annual meeting and the importance of informing members about MCPR's work over the past year, including MCPR’s legislative efforts. In the last session, MCPR worked to defeat the proposed fertilizer tax increase and renew the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council for five years. The board also discussed the value of having ag retail facilities host legislative visits and working to build strong connections with legislators and key public officials.
The board was joined by State Senator Nick Frentz, who represents the Mankato area and is the Assistant Senate Majority Leader. Sen. Frentz has been very helpful in pushing back on some onerous legislative proposals that would negatively impact agriculture and the ag sector. After visiting with Sen. Frentz, the board was joined by several MDA staff who engaged with members discussing various regulatory issues. The board discussed the recent changes related to RUP requirements for mixers/loaders/handlers. It was a good opportunity for industry leaders to connect with MDA staff to share some specific examples and talk through a variety of scenarios.
As a reminder, the board elections are currently underway. We would encourage the key contacts for each voting member to cast your ballot. Also, register your staff teams for the upcoming MCPR/University of MN CPM Short Course and Trade Show. The board is looking for a strong showing from industry leaders and ag retailers.
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Pest management from 12 feet above
Drones are changing the way of farming.
Whether you are currently using a drone, interested in adding one to your operation or new to the idea of using a drone on the farm, this session at the CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show will cover it.
On Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. three industry experts will sit on the “Sky-High Pest Management Solutions: The Role of Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in Pesticide Applications” panel.
Full story.
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Pesticide Applicator Re-certification Session changes!
Pesticide Applicator Re-certification Sessions will be held Dec. 10, 1:30-4:30 p.m. and Dec. 11, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. during the CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show at the Hilton Minneapolis Hotel.
*Please note Category C starts at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10! This is a schedule change from previous years. *The start time on Wednesday, Dec. 11 is 7:30 a.m.!
These MDA-approved sessions are for applicators that need recertification credit in Categories A (Core), C (Field Crop Pest Management) and/or H (Seed Treatment). Workshop topics will include insect, disease, and weed updates, new pesticide safety topics, prevention of off-target movement of pesticides and more. Please bring your current license card with you.
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Category A + C: Attend Dec. 10 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Dec. 11 recertification sessions from 7:30-11:15 a.m.
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Category A + H: Attend all Dec. 11 recertification sessions (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
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Category A + C + H: Attend all Dec. 10 and Dec. 11 recertification sessions.
Do you need to recertify? Please refer to your pesticide applicator license for your recertification due date. If the due date is 12/31/2024, you will need to take a recertification workshop, or retest with MDA by the end of 2024 to renew your license in 2025.
You can also check the status of your license, including your recertification date online at: http://www2.mda.state.mn.us/webapp/lis/default.jsp. For any licensing questions, please contact MDA at: 651-201 6615 or Pesticide.Licensing@state.mn.us.
Please note: 2025 renewal notices will be printed prior to this event. After credit is given to participants, the retest fee will be removed from renewal amount.
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Stabenow finally releases full text of Senate Farm Bill; Here’s what it means for agriculture
From The Daily Scoop
Stabenow unveiled 1,397-page details of her long-awaited farm bill Nov. 18.
Stabenow said in a news release and summary of the bill, “The foundation of every successful farm bill is built on holding together the broad, bipartisan farm bill coalition. This is a strong bill that invests in all of agriculture, helps families put food on the table, supports rural prosperity, and holds that coalition together.”
Full story.
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How is Stabenow’s Senate Farm Bill proposal different from the House Bill?
From AgWeb
The five-year Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act was released Nov. 18 from Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow.
The bill contains $39 billion in new resources including:
- $20 billion to strengthen the farm safety net and establish permanent disaster assistance so emergency relief reaches farmers faster.
- $8.5 billion to improve access to nutrition assistance and
- $4.3 billion to improve quality of life in the rural communities.
Full story.
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Ag groups say Stabenow’s lame-duck Farm Bill is lame; gets lambasted for timing, details
From The Daily Scoop
Most farm bill observers wonder why Senate Ag Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) even bothered to release text of her long-awaited farm bill at this late date, especially after seeing its contents. Even always optimistic House Ag Chair GT Thompson (R-Pa.) signaled it’s time to focus on a 2018 Farm Bill extension by year’s end.
Full story.
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The ‘super year’ of elections has been super bad for incumbents as voters punish them in droves
From AP News
Whether on the left or the right, regardless of how long they’ve been in power, sitting governments around the world have been drubbed this year by disgruntled voters in what has been called the “super year” for elections.
Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election was just the latest in a long line of losses for incumbent parties in 2024, with people in some 70 countries accounting for about half the world’s population going to the poll.
Full story.
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House committees, meeting schedule announced for 2025-26 biennium
From the Minnesota House of Representatives
One of the first orders of business in preparing for the upcoming legislative session has been completed.
The respective caucus speaker-designates — current House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) and current House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) — have jointly announced the House committee structure and the schedule lawmakers will follow when they convene Jan. 14, 2025.
Full story.
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ESA changes will impact all of agriculture
From CropLife
A critical issue facing agriculture is the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This past August, revisions to this act were introduced, which will have a major impact on how farming operates going forward. In fact, as Jeffrey Smith, Associate Director of Industry & Government Relations at Valent U.S.A. LLC, explained, the process for crop protection product registration has always been a cost borne by the suppliers.
But that’s changed now.
Full story.
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Could Trump actually be good for U.S. ag trade?
From AgWeb
President-elect Donald Trump has released a slew of key cabinet and advisory picks at a historic pace the past two weeks, but the agriculture industry is waiting on two key selections — Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative.
Full story.
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Trump trade policy seen as wild card for U.S. soybean farmers, opportunity for crushers
From The Daily Scoop
American farmers are worried that President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plans will curb their access to top soy buyer China, but tariffs could also lure companies to build more U.S. crushing plants, hungry for domestic supplies.
Trump’s plans to roll out blanket import tariffs could slam the door on imported vegetable oil supplies, which renewable energy analysts said could in turn lure the U.S. crush industry to revive lagging plans to build new plants and expand capacity.
Full story.
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Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
From NPR
President-elect Donald Trump won farm country by wide margins in this month's election, with rural voters helping fuel his return to the White House.
But some farmers, economists, analysts and others in the agriculture industry are voicing alarm over Trump plans that could disrupt America's $1.5 trillion food industry.
Full story.
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Managing risk in a tighter ag economy
From Brownfield Ag News
A senior vice president of insurance says farms will have to adjust their risk management options in this lower-price environment.
Tony Jesina with Farm Credit Services of America says the market trends have not been friendly to the farmer when looking at commodity prices. He tells Brownfield with declining commodity prices, base-level coverage isn’t going to be enough. “Across our footprint, I looked at a lot of different counties, and if you look at the most common policy that producers are purchasing, it will not cover their break evens in 2025,” he says.
Full story.
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Ag Lenders: Just over half of farmers will be profitable in 2024
From AgWeb
The American Bankers Association (ABA) and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) have released their joint 2024 Ag Lender Survey.
The big takeaway: lenders believe only 58% of farmer borrowers will be profitable in 2024. That’s down from 78% in the previous year’s study.
Full story.
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Indigo Ag and Truterra form ‘landmark collaboration’ in carbon
From AgWeb
Today, Indigo Ag and Truterra announced they are aligning their carbon efforts for further expansion.
After being in the market alongside each other for four years, Truterra will begin offering Indigo Ag carbon programs, and Indigo Ag science will back Truterra’s carbon measurement.
Full story.
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Crop disease pressure: Top three threats fueling 2025 seed decisions
From CropLife
Intensifying disease pressures are impacting fields and costing farmers yield potential across the Corn Belt. Tyler Stastny, retail sales agronomist for Brevant Seeds in Nebraska, says tar spot, Goss’s wilt and soybean cyst nematode (SCN) are three of the top threats from 2024 that are driving growers’ decisions for the upcoming season.
Full story.
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Make tough calls for fertilizer program in ’25
From Nebraska Farmer
Ask three people if you can cut fertilizer for your 2025 cropping program, and you get three different answers. But they agree on one point: If you can defer certain fertilizer costs, still think about the future at the same time.
“Growers may be able to adjust and apply less next year, but there could be implications in 2026 and beyond,” says Matt Clover, a soil fertility researcher and agronomist with Pioneer.
Full story.
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CHS raises offer for Minnesota ag firm to $225M ahead of member vote
From The Minnesota Star Tribune
The board of a western Minnesota cooperative said “CHS is the right fit for us” after weighing a competing offer from North Dakota-based Arthur Cos., but members will still have the final say next week.
CHS initially announced a $200 million deal to acquire West Central Ag Services in May. Arthur publicized its own $250 million bid for the coop this month, causing West Central to delay a vote on the CHS deal.
Inver Grove Heights-based CHS has since increased its offer to $225 million.
Full story.
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MDA seeks public comment on currently unavoidable use of fertilizer with intentionally added PFAS ingredients
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is requesting public input on currently unavoidable use exemptions for fertilizer, specialty fertilizers, soil amendments, plant amendments, and agricultural liming material products with intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The questionnaire will gather input from Tribes, stakeholders, groups, and individuals to inform the guidance the MDA is developing to determine currently unavoidable use exemptions for fertilizer, specialty fertilizers, soil amendments, plant amendments, and agricultural liming material products with intentionally added PFAS ingredients. The deadline to submit comments is Jan. 15, 2025.
Click here for the questionnaire.
Additional information: MDA PFAS in Pesticides Report Feb. 2024
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