Top 5 Ag Stories of 2019

On Tuesday December 31, 2019 I will be hosting a special hour long AM Minnesota Program. The topic will be my picks for the Top 5 Ag Stories of 2019. You may agree or maybe have in mind another one that I did not choose. Maybe I just did not think of it! Here are my picks for the Top 5 Ag Stores for 2019:

My top pick was the weather. Farmers will remember the 2019 growing season for a long time. It was difficult from delayed planting in the spring to the latest harvest I can remember last fall. Tom Hoverstad Scientist at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca will  go over the weather data for 2019.

My second pick for the Top 5 was the Trade War, not just with China, but also Canada, Mexico, Japan and the European Union. The Trade War had a big impact on all of Agriculture. Ag analyst Kent Thiesse will discuss the Trade War.

My third pick for the Top 5 Ag Stories for 2019 is the severe financial and emotional stress on farm families. This is about the fourth or fifth year in a row farmers have endured low commodity prices. My guest for this topic will be Meg Moynihan with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

My fourth pick is the Renewable Fuel Standard, or law and the Small Refinery Wavers that were granted by the EPA. Those waivers cut the corn demand for ethanol by 1 billion bushels! Randy Doyle from Al-Corn in Claremont will discuss the waivers.

My fifth pick is new diseases and pests on the horizon. I have in mind Palmer Amaranth, Black Tar Spot in corn and the Soybean Gall Midge. All of them have been identified in Minnesota. We do not know what impact they will have but we need to be aware and scout for them. Pioneer Agronomist Jay Zielske will discus these possible production concerns.

Special thank you to these sponsors of my Top 5 Ag Stories for 2019: Ag Partners in Morristown, the Syngenta Research Center at Stanton, the River Country Coop in Randolph, the Craig Keller Insurance Agency in Nerstrand, Kecks Repair in Owatonna, and Cashwise Foods in Owatonna and Waseca.