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MCPR Day on the Hill on March 11
- MCPR is planning to host a Day on the Hill event where members can hear from key state legislators and schedule meetings to visit with their State Representatives and State Senators.
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Mark your calendar for March 11 and plan to come to St. Paul.
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MCPR Summer Golf Event
The 2025 annual golf outing will be held Thursday, August 14 at The Wilds Golf Club in Prior Lake, MN.
Watch your inbox for further details and registration information in the coming months!
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Trump is sentenced in his hush money case, but the judge declines to impose any punishment
From The Minnesota Star Tribune
President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday to no punishment in his historic hush money case, a judgment that lets him return to the White House unencumbered by the threat of a jail term or a fine.
Full story.
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Trump Continues to Build USDA Team, Names Stephen Vaden as Deputy Secretary
From AgWeb
President-elect Donald Trump announced the appointment of Stephen Vaden as deputy secretary of USDA for his upcoming administration. Vaden, who served as general counsel for USDA during Trump’s first term, brings extensive legal expertise and a personal connection to farming.
Full story.
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Klobuchar to keep farm bill at the forefront
From Brownfield
The Ranking Member of the Senate Ag Committee is not concerned the farm bill will become an afterthought in the new Congress.
Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar tells Brownfield the aid package passed during the Lame Duck will help farmers through difficult financial times.
“I think the farm bill is going to be at the forefront because of the challenges we have. You still have avian flu out there and animal diseases, and I think that’s going to create a lot of pressure to get a farm bill done.”
She says 2025 will be a year of change with a new administration.
Full story.
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GOP to Propose ‘Biggest Bill in American History'; Includes Tax Cuts, Deregulation and Border Security
From The Scoop
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), in an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, announced plans to pass a sweeping bill addressing President-elect Donald Trump’s priorities, including border security, tax cuts, and deregulation, by May. Johnson said he wants this bill done by the House the first week in April, with the goal of getting it to Trump’s desk by the end of the month, though Johnson acknowledged yesterday that the bill could slip into May.
Full story.
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Canada Gears Up for Potential Trade Tensions with Trump
From The Scoop
As expected, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation after more than nine years in office, citing declining approval ratings and internal party discord.
Trudeau, currently the longest-serving leader among G7 nations, plans to step down as head of the Liberal Party within months but will remain prime minister until a successor is chosen. Parliament is suspended until March 24 as the leadership transition unfolds.
Full story.
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House Republicans plan to act as majority, DFL threatens Opening Day absence in power sharing tug-of-war
From Session Daily
House Republicans plan to fully exercise their rights as the majority on the first day of the 2025 legislative session, but House DFLers plan to not be in the Capitol if a power-sharing agreement isn’t in place.
Republican House Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) reiterated at a Monday press conference that with a 67-66 split in the House, the tie following the general election no longer exists.
“We will be showing up on Jan. 14 ready to do the work that Minnesotans have sent us to the House of Representatives to do. House Republicans are ready to act on what we have heard from Minnesotans across the state over the last two-plus years,” Demuth said.
Full story.
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DFL Senators Announce Launch of Blue Dog Coalition
From Minnesota Senate DFL
Today, Senator Matt Klein (DFL-Mendota Heights), Senator Nick Frentz (DFL – North Mankato), Senator Judy Seeberger (DFL – Afton), Senator Grant Hauschild (DFL – Hermantown), Senator Ann Rest (DFL – New Hope), Senator Rob Kupec (DFL – Moorhead), Senator Aric Putnam (DFL – St. Cloud), and Senator John Hoffman (DFL – Champlin) announced the formation of the Blue Dog Coalition in the Minnesota Senate. The group of legislators represents a diverse range of communities from urban, suburban, regional hubs, and rural towns. The group looks forward to playing a role in the upcoming policy and budget discussions given the 67-67 split in the Minnesota State House, where the Senate voice could tip the balance.
Full story.
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MCPR 2025-2026 Legislative Position
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John Deere rolls out autonomous tractors
From Farm Progress
Green-machine autonomy is finally here. Unveiled at this week’s electronics show CES in Las Vegas, John Deere’s new autonomy kit turns its newer high-horsepower row crop tractors into robots.
Full story.
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Farm Futures survey: Grain acres may shift in 2025
From Farm Progress
Early indications are that U.S. farmers will increase planted grain acres this year despite low prices, according to a survey by Farm Futures magazine, a Farm Progress publication.
In the survey that closed in late December, farmers in major corn-producing states seem swayed by an ongoing corn rally. However, more than half of the responding farmers plan no change in their crop mix.
Full story.
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Buying Intentions Survey: What Are Ag Retailers Planning to Purchase in 2025?
From CropLife
Each year, CropLife® Magazine attempts to gauge the mood among ag retailers through its annual Buying Intentions Survey. For the 2025 edition, most respondents believe the 2025 growing season will see virtually every segment of the business remaining flat, sales wise, compared with 2024.
Full story.
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CHS adds fertilizer delivery capacity
From World-Grain.com
CHS Inc. has entered into an exclusive services agreement with Ingram Barge Co. subsidiary SCF Lewis and Terminals LLC that provides CHS exclusive rights to fertilizer throughput at Ingram’s Municipal River Terminal in St. Louis, Missouri, US, and for fertilizer transport services.
CHS, the nation’s largest farmer-owned cooperative and a global agribusiness, said the agreement will expand the cooperative’s capacity to deliver fertilizer to farmers during the busy spring growing season.
Full story.
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U.S. Fertilizer Industry Faces Familiar Concerns Heading Into 2025
From CropLife
As U.S. farmers and the domestic fertilizer industry march towards a new crop season, the concerns in 2025 will be familiar to participants as the unease over supply restriction potentially resulting in price escalation is likely to be foremost when it comes to the crop strategy undertaken.
Full story.
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Tariffs Aren’t Going To Be Our Largest Trade Issue
From The Scoop
The most overused word in the English language since November has to be the word “tariff” as speculation runs rampant on how much a Trump 2.0 presidency will use this controversial trade negotiation tool.
Full story.
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China’s Tipping Point: What Looming Crisis Means for U.S. Pork in 2025
From The Scoop
There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” This quote from Vladimir Lenin is particularly relevant as globalism, the dominant economic system of the past several decades, faces radical transformation entering 2025.
Full story.
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Ag Retail 2.0: Leveraging AI for Superior Customer Engagement Introducing Ag Assistant
From CropLife
The future is now. In this Tech Talk at Tech Hub LIVE, Taranis CCO Jason Minton discusses how Taranis Ag Assistant, powered by a generative AI model, will revolutionize the retail sales and agronomy industry. Ag Assistant provides field-specific, detailed, comprehensive insights and actionable recommendations to advisors and growers with an unprecedented level of timeliness and accuracy, introducing an entirely new approach to farm management for the age of AI.
Full story.
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Farmer Poses 4R Question On How To Make Fertilizer Use More Efficient In Soybeans
From The Scoop
In this week’s Boots In The Field podcast, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Ken Ferrie addresses a 4R-type question regarding strip-till fertilizer placement. The grower says he currently is strip-tilling phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) ahead of corn and also broadcasting some P and K ahead of his soybean crop. He’s contemplating changing his practice in soybeans.
Full story.
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Ag equipment dealers brace for another challenging year
From Brownfield
Ag equipment dealers are bracing for another challenging year.
Kim Schmidt with Ag Equipment Intelligence says issues that weighed heavily on the industry in 2024 like high interest rates, high inventories, and low farmer sentiment persist.
“Dealers are definitely looking for new equipment revenue to be down versus this year, which was a down year. Same goes on the used equipment side.”
Full story.
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U of MN Extension - Minnesota Crop News
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Pesticide Registration and the Endangered Species Act
Pesticide Labels Will Be Changing To Protect Threatened and Endangered (Listed) Species and Their Habitat. Only a few labels will be changing this year!
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