FIELD TALK FIELD TALK PODCAST The Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association has filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop Minnesota's clean cars rule which ties the state to standards set by California's Air Resources Board. Minnesota Auto Dealers Association President Scott Lambert joins Lynn Ketelsen to highlight the association's opposition.  LISTEN NOW FOLLOW LFN HERE LFN on F A C E B O O K LFN on T W I T T E R LFN on YouTube Farm News June 15, 2022 CROPS PLAY CATCHUP Planting progress is nearing completion across Minnesota, according to the latest USDA crop progress report. The June 13 reports pegs corn planting progress at 98% completed and 85% emerged. Soybeans are 88% planted with 62% of the crop emerged. USDA estimates 98% of Minnesota's sugarbeet crop has been planted.  WATCH SOY EMERGENCE University of Minnesota Extension Soybean Agronomist Seth Naeve says now is a good time for farmers to take a close look at their plant stands. Planting date, soil type and other variables can influence how soybeans emerge. Naeve says examining how stands get established can provide valuable information for future years. Listen OCEAN SHIPPING REFORM ACT PASSED The U.S. House of Representatives this week voted to pass the Senate's version of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act which was created to reduce bottlenecks and improve conditions for agricultural exports. Legislation was introduced more than a year ago to deal the with increasing challenges presented by port logjams and the availability of shipping containers. President Biden is expected to sign the bill. American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Director of Government affairs says the bill has been a long time coming. Listen FUEL ETHANOL WORKSHOP Hundreds of ethanol industry workers and leaders gathered in Minneapolis this week for the Fuel Ethanol Workshop (FEW). In it's 38th year, the FEW is the longest running ethanol conference in the world.  HEAT IS ON Very warm temperatures will once again make their way into Minnesota as the weekend approaches. Temperatures exceeding 100 degrees are possible Sunday and Monday, delivering some much needed heat to the state's crops.   AVIAN INFLUENZA SHOWING IMPROVEMENTS Dr. Dale Lauer with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health says the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) situation across Minnesota is showing improvement. Dr. Lauer says it has been 4 weeks since there has been a detection in a commercial flock and 3 weeks since a detection in a backyard flock. Warmer weather and the completion of the spring waterfowl migration are credited with helping to slow the spread. About 80 premises had avian influenza outbreaks and about 3 million birds were depopulated. Dr. Lauer says even though the outbreak has slowed, testing is ongoing and farm biosecurity efforts can never take a break. Listen COMMONGROUND MINNESOTA ADDS FUN TO TWIN CITIES RACE CommonGround Minnesota, a volunteer initiative of women in agriculture who connect with urban women about food and farming, has kicked off its 2022 events. On May 21, CommonGround partnered with Twin Cities in Motion (TCM) for its Women Run the Cities, sharing information about food and farming and how our food is produced right here in our state. CommonGround volunteers also helped racegoers make their own mini-pollinator plots and distributed literature, cutting boards, and reusable grocery totes. Read more here. FARMFEST WOMAN FARMER FINALISTS NAMED Five finalists have been selected for the 2022 Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year. They include Dawn Breitkreutz of Redwood Falls, Nancy Hinricher of Pipestone, Karen Kasper of Owatonna, Emily Ponwith of Cleveland, and Kristin Reiman-Duden of Princeton. Niki Jones, Direcotr of Events Marketing for IDEAg says the finalists will be recognized and the winner will be announced at the Farmfest Women in Ag event on August 4. Listen Upcoming Events June 15-16:  Midwest Farm Energy Conference, Morris July 26-28:    North Star Ag Expo, Owatonna Aug. 2-4:        Farmfest, Redwood Falls   Farm Fun Fact You may not recognize the term "sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia," but you may have experienced it if you eat your ice cream too fast celebrating June Dairy Month. It's more commonly known as "brain freeze."