Year: 2017

EXCERPT:  “Farmers attending last week’s National Corn Growers Association Corn Congress called for faster access to new biotechnology-enhanced crop traits.  The move reflects growing frustration among NCGA members over excessive regulatory delays in the international marketplace . . . The NCGA’s new policy supports the commercialization of new biotechnology-enhanced corn traits that: a) have been ...

Farm Fest 2017 will be the site for a couple of important opportunities to hear more about the next Farm Bill and enter into the discussion, says Kent Thiesse, vice president at MinnStar Bank in Lake Crystal, MN, and program coordinator for Farm Fest’s lineup of discussion panels.

EXCERPT: “Ag is a big deal in this state, generating $16 billion in economic output and 150,000 direct and indirect jobs. Minnesota ranks fifth in the nation for ag production, including livestock (in turkeys it’s first, hogs third and dairy cows sixth). It ranks first, second and third in production of sugar beets, corn and soybeans, ...

EXCERPT: “A new program, one which (Hoffman, MN farmer Andrew) Barsness worked to create, should help beginning farmers in Minnesota. The program, approved this spring, gives a state income tax credit to landowners when they sell or rent land or other ag assets to beginning farmers. The credit equals 5 percent of the sale price, or ...

There are a lot of well paying jobs out there looking for workers, and they don’t necessarily require lots of post-high school education, says Luke Greiner, labor market analyst for the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development.

EXCERPT: From the New Ulm Journal — Minnesota’s Human Services Assistant Commissioner Jim Koppel visited a new childcare center in Franklin to celebrate a success that he’s like to see repeated around the state. Koppel visited the 6-month-old Cougar Cub Child Care Center to emphasize the challenges facing childcare, particularly in greater Minnesota. Read the ...

EXCERPT: “With talks underway in Congress for the next Farm Bill, Minnesota Farmers Union invites rural citizens to attend two Rural Issue Discussions about what’s essential to the bill. ‘The Next Farm Bill: A Rural Voices Discussion’ will be held on July 26 in Mankato and July 27 in Willmar. Both sessions are open to the ...

Minnesota State Climatologist Greg Spoden writes about the 2012 drought’s lasting impact on the state in a report issued by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. EXCERPT: “Minnesota is facing increased pressure on its water resources. This pressure is accentuated during drought. Minnesotans used a record amount of water in 2012. Even in a water-rich state ...

Dave Ladd of RDL Associates joins us again to talk about some of the politics that go into passing a federal farm bill and why we won’t see one passed this year.