In this Edition
Capitol Corner - Minnesota
- Lawmaker: Raise fertilizer fees to help pay cost of nitrate pollution
Industry Related News
- Dozens of Minnesota dairy farms folded in November, alarming farm advocates: Minnesota had 146 fewer dairy farmer permits this month than at the beginning of the year.
- 5 AgTech Trends to Watch in 2024
- Leading Ag Retailers Rank the Most Important Ag Developments Over Past 40 Years
- Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed into law Legislation S.1856-A/A.7640, known as the Birds and Bees Protection Act.
- Red Sea: The supply chain is reeling, again
- How Bad is Brazil’s Crop and When Will the Market and China Get Concerned?
Partner News/Announcements
- Safe Drinking Water for Private Well Users Grant
- ARA Management Academy: Elevate Your Leadership
- MDA - Minnesota-specific Dicamba Herbicide Restrictions Announced for 2024 Growing Season
- Clean Water Council – 7 Open Seats
- PSEE CNC Newsletter
Regulation Update
- Random Drug & Alcohol Testing Rates for Calendar Year 2024
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I hope everyone found time to enjoy the Holidays. On behalf of the MCPR Board and staff, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!
Lee Helgen,
MCPR Executive Director
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Lawmaker: Raise fertilizer fees to help pay cost of nitrate pollution
Long before he was a state lawmaker, Rick Hansen worked for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, helping develop best practices for managing nitrogen fertilizer.
Three decades later, Hansen, a DFL representative from South St. Paul, says the state’s approach to preventing nitrogen pollution hasn’t worked.
Hansen, chair of the House environment committee, thinks the state should raise its fees on fertilizer, the source of the majority of nitrate in southeast Minnesota waters.
“We have tried incentives. We’ve tried education. We’ve tried voluntary management practices,” Hansen said. “We’ve had meetings after meetings … and the nitrogen fertilizer use continues to go up.”
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Dozens of Minnesota dairy farms folded in November, alarming farm advocates: Minnesota had 146 fewer dairy farmer permits this month than at the beginning of the year.
Minnesota lost 58 dairy farm permits in November, a devastating blow to a farm sector already drained by contraction.
"We have some seasonality to this. In October, November and December, you'll always see some herds go," Lucas Sjostrom, executive director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association, said. "But I have not seen [a monthly declines in permits] over 50 for a long time."
The end of the year is typically a time to see more farmers opt out of milking cows, either permanently or temporarily, as producers put up silage or feed for the coming year.
But Sjostrom says last month's numbers underscore the razor-thin financial margins for dairy farmers under a crush of economic pressures, such as high input costs and low commodity values, just a year after dairy enjoyed higher prices for milk, cheese and butter in the aftermath of the pandemic.
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5 AgTech Trends to Watch in 2024
#1: Generative Artificial Intelligence in AgTech
#2: Using Digital Twins to Optimize Field Trials
#3: Technical Innovation in Regenerative Agriculture
#4: Managing Data with Advanced Cloud Solutions
#5: Innovation Across the Agricultural Spectrum
A Pivotal Year for AgTech: In 2024, the rise of Gen AI, impact of digital twins on field trials, and the evolution of cloud-based technologies will revolutionize the AgTech landscape. Various entities, including my own company, are using these cutting-edge technologies, crafting advanced software solutions to reshape the field of agronomy.
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Leading Ag Retailers Rank the Most Important Ag Developments Over Past 40 Years
As with the globe itself, the world of agriculture in 2023 is radically different than it was back in 1984. Indeed, many of the companies and agricultural practices of those days have disappeared completely or been altered to feature new names and/or different ways of being employed than they were previously.
As Don Harberts, Vice President of Agronomy for Cooperative Farmers Elevator, Rock Valley, IA, wrote on his 2023 CropLife 100 survey: “The biggest development in ag retail during the past 40 years is the changing dynamics of farming and the shift to the surviving segments of growers.”
Victor Lopez, President and CEO at Rockwood Ag Services, Brawley, CA, agreed. “Over 40 years, we in ag retail have become, by default, hyper-aware of the better use of resources,” he wrote. “We have been able to provide solutions to customers from different sources and categories in order to maintain relevancy.”
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Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed into law Legislation S.1856-A/A.7640, known as the Birds and Bees Protection Act.
This nation-leading legislation protects New Yorkers from potentially harmful toxins by prohibiting the use of certain neonicotinoid pesticide (neonics) treated corn, soybean, or wheat seeds and neonicotinoid pesticides for outdoor ornamental plants and turfs, creating important protections for New York’s pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
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Red Sea: The supply chain is reeling, again
The price of sending goods around the world is spiking after six weeks of disruptions in the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi militants are attacking commercial shipping vessels, Emily writes.
Why it matters: The disruptions pose a threat to the global economy, nearly four years after COVID woke the world up to the existence — and fragility — of supply chains.
The situation could mean higher prices, just as inflation is coming down, and cause shortages of goods, just as retailers have finally recovered from the roller coaster of the past few years.
State of play: About 30% of global container ship volume moves through the Suez Canal, which links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, says Jonathan Colehower, managing director of the global supply chain practice at UST.
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How Bad is Brazil’s Crop and When Will the Market and China Get Concerned?
Grains were all down for the week with light holiday volume, shipping concerns and more favorable weather in Brazil and winter wheat areas in the U.S. For the week, March soybeans ended 25¼ lower, while still holding the $13 level. March soybean meal dropped $5.50 per short ton, with March soybean oil losing 113 points. March corn was down 10 cents, March Chicago wheat lost 13 cents, March Kansas City wheat dropped nearly 20 cents and Minneapolis wheat was off 16 cents.
Pressure in the soybean complex came from rains that fell in the driest areas of Brazil late in the week but more on the rain chances in the extended forecast and a possible pattern change. Areas of central and northern Brazil have been suffering from early season drought with rainfall 40% to 50% below normal and temperatures consistently 10 to 12 degrees above normal. That has delayed planting, and some farmers have had to replant soybeans several times, which pushes back the crop and hurts yield. CONAB and private firms have already shaved the size of the soybean crop, with this week’s lowest estimate at 153 million metric tons (mmt). However, the rain chances trumped that news.
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Partner News / Announcements
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Safe Drinking Water for Private Well Users Grant
CLEAN WATER FUND: Grant application period will be open from January 5, 2024 - February 16, 2024.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) received funding from the Clean Water Fund to protect private well users. A portion of this funding is being offered as grants to promote private well testing among private well users and to provide financial assistance to eligible households to address private well water quality issues. Each entity will have the opportunity to apply for up to $100,000 to promote well testing for households that rely on private well water for drinking water and provide financial assistance to address high levels of arsenic, coliform bacteria, lead, manganese, and/or nitrate in the water for eligible households.
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ARA Management Academy: Elevate Your Leadership
In today's rapidly evolving landscape, it is critical for ag retailers and leaders to have effective decision-making tools to create value and differentiate from competitors. The ARA Management Academy empowers you to refine your business acumen, enabling you to identify and seize opportunities.
During this three-day academy, you'll elevate your understanding of fundamental business functions and their interrelations and explore management challenges to drive improved outcomes.
This experience offers a way to network with diverse peers nationwide, allowing discussion around the state of the industry and its future trajectory.
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MDA - Minnesota-specific Dicamba Herbicide Restrictions Announced for 2024 Growing Season
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced that state-specific use restrictions for three dicamba herbicide products will be in place for the 2024 growing season in Minnesota. The restrictions are aimed at curbing off-site movement of the products.
The affected dicamba formulations are Engenia by BASF, Tavium by Syngenta, and XtendiMax by Bayer. These are the only dicamba products labeled for use on dicamba-tolerant soybeans.
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Clean Water Council – 7 Open Seats
Seven positions on the Clean Water Council are up for appointment this year by the Governor. See more information at the Secretary of State's office web site.
There are business and farm organization seats available.
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PSEE CNC Newsletter
2024 Pesticide Safety Workshops and Information for Commercial and Noncommercial (CNC) Applicators
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Random Drug & Alcohol Testing Rates for Calendar Year 2024
The following chart outlines the annual minimum drug and alcohol random testing rates established within U.S. DOT for 2024.
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Based on this year’s results of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Management Information Survey, the random testing rate for controlled substances will remain at 50 percent and the random testing rate for alcohol will remain at 10 percent for the calendar year starting on January 1, 2024.
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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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