*|MC:SUBJECT|*

FIELD TALK

FIELD TALK PODCAST

Despite rising input costs and climbing interest rates, farmland values across Minnesota have remained strong. Chuck Wingert with Hertz Farm Management joins this podcast to explain what's happening with land values and why.

LISTEN NOW

LFN VIDEO

Compeer Financial President and CEO Rod Hebrink will be stepping down from those roles in January after nearly 40 years with Compeer and its predecessors. Hebrink was CEO of AgStar Financial Services when the organization merged with two others to form Compeer in 2017. The LFN talked with Hebrink about his plans and what he’s most proud of during his time at Compeer.

WATCH NOW

Farm News

November 30, 2022

HOUSE VOTES TO AVERT POSSIBLE RAIL STRIKE
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Wednesday that would force railroad unions to accept an agreement that was reached earlier this fall and would make a strike illegal. Against objections from some labor unions, the House voted to impose a contract on an estimated 115,000 rail workers. The Biden administration and Congressional leaders argued the move was necessary because a rail strike would have devastating effects on the U.S. economy. The Senate will now take up the issue. The House also voted in a separate resolution to provide 7 days of sick leave for railroad workers, which had been a major sticking point.

Numerous groups, including many in agriculture, had urged President Biden to get Congress involved to prevent a strike.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said “America’s economy is driven, in large part, on its rail system, which makes the smooth operation of the railroads crucial. Farmers not only rely on trains to transport food and feed, they also rely on rails to bring important supplies like fertilizer to the farm. A shutdown or slowdown would have devastating consequences to our national and global food security."

Eight of 12 unions affected by the contract had voted to ratify the agreement brokered by the administration in September. Four unions rejected it.

MEXICO GMO BAN
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said this week that he is seeking a deal with Washington after the United States threatened legal action over Mexico's plan to ban genetically modified (GMO) corn in 2024.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with Mexican officials this week. He said Mexico's decree could violate the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement. Lopez Obrador said the ban was focused on genetically modified yellow corn for human consumption.

U.S. farm groups had argued the move would hurt Mexican citizens. Mexico is the second largest importer of U.S. corn.

MEXICO ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR TRADE AGREEMENTS
Syngenta Governmental Relations Director Mary Kay Thatcher says the ongoing threat of Mexico banning GMO products highlights the need for the United States to enter into and enforce trade agreements. Listen

SURVEY OF AGRICULTURE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed survey codes to all known agriculture producers with an invitation to respond online to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The ag census is the nation's only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county, and territory. By completing the survey, producers across the nation can tell their story and help generate impactful opportunities that better serve them and future generations of producers.

According to USDA, the 2022 Census of Agriculture will be mailed in phases, with paper questionnaires coming in December.. Farmers can also reply online at agcounts.usda.gov. Producers need only respond once, whether online or by mail. Responses are due Feb. 6. Farm operations of all sizes, urban and rural, which produced and sold, or normally would have sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products in 2022, are included in the ag census, which takes place every 5 years.

E15 LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraskia this week ntroduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022. The legislation would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%. Increasing the availability of biofuels like E15. The federal legislation would end years of regulatory uncertainty and prevent a patchwork of uneven state regulations. The bill has support from a broad mix of stakeholders, including the National Corn Growers Association, Renewable Fuels of America, Growth Energy, and the American Petroleum Institute.

Additional cosponsors of the bill include Minnesota's U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith,

LAME DUCK CONGRESS ISSUES
House and Senate members have returned to work in Washington following the midterm elections with plenty of work to do. Perry Aasness, Vice President of Legislative Affairs for Compeer Financial says among the items to be addressed is the passage of a Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which funds government operations. Aasness says work is being done to get the Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed. The House has passed the bill but it is bogged down in the Senate. The act would modernize the visa program that could help address some farm workforce issues. Listen

Aasness says work on a 2023 Farm Bill will begin in the first quarter of 2023 with new leadership in the agriculture committee and many ag sub-committees.

MINNESOTA FARMERS TO UNITED SOYBEAN BOARD
Dumont farmer Tom Frisch has beent appointed to represent Minnesota on the United Soybean Board (USB). Lake Wilson farmer Gene Stoel was reappointed to the USB, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff funds.

SNOW RETURNS, LA NINA STAYS
Four to over eight inches of snow fell over a large portion on Minnesota on Tuesday, followed by some cold, blustery conditions. DTN meteorologist John Baranick says we remain in a La Nina pattern, which typically favors colder weather for the Upper Midwest along with fast-moving Alberta Clipper weather systems. He expects the La Nina to remain in place through the early winter. Listen

NEAR NORMAL NOVEMBER
Much of Minnesota remains in a moderate, severe and even extreme drought conditions according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Assistant Minnesota State Climatologist Pete Boulay says rainfall and snow made were about normal for November and it provided some much needed relief. Listen

Boulay says that despite some widely variable temperatures that ranged from the 60s to below zero, the average temperatures were about normal for November.

LFN LISTENER TOUR
Tired of cold already? Then plan your summer getaway! The Linder Farm Network is once again partnering with Holiday Vacations to offer an exciting trip to the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian Rockies. Join Dan Lemke and his wife Jackie on this once in a lifetime excursion July 15-24. Click on the photo below for more information.

Upcoming Events

Dec. 1 GreenSeam Rural Forum, Mankato
Dec. 9-10 Minnesota Cattle Industry Convention, Willmar
Dec. 15-16 Soil Management Summit, St. Cloud
Jan. 18-19 MN Ag Expo, Mankato