Many times people wonder about the history of the educational forums at Farmfest. Actually, 2025 will mark the thirty-eighth anniversary of educational forums at Farmfest. The forums actually started in 1988, when Farmfest was held near Lake Crystal, which was a year of a major drought in Minnesota and the Midwest. Current Farmfest Forum Coordinator Kent Thiesse worked with the late Marlyn Buss, former owner and manager of Farmfest, to bring in crop and weather specialists from the University of Minnesota, as well as other crop consultants and grain marketing specialists, to discuss various topics related to the drought that year. After a successful first year, the forums have continued in every year since 1988, including for five years at Austin, MN (1990-1994) and at the current site near Redwood Falls, MN from 1995 until the present time.
 
Ag trade issues, the large reconciliation bill recently passed by Congress, the future of renewable energy, and workforce development initiatives will be key topics to be featured during the Farmfest Forums in 2025. These topics and more will be highlighted during the educational forums at Farmfest on August 5, 6 and 7 in the Wick Buildings Farmfest Center at the Gillfillan Estate near Redwood Falls. Farmfest is coordinated by IDEAg Group, LLC, a subsidiary of American Farm Bureau Federation.
 
The feature forum at 10:30 am on Tuesday, August 5 is titled: “Developing a Reliable Safety Ag Policy Net”, which will include four members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation. The forum will include discussions on the Title I and crop insurance provisions in the Reconciliation Bill that was recently passed by Congress, as well as the future prospects for passing a new Farm Bill, and the potential need for another round of farm economic assistance later in 2025. The forum panel will include Second District Congresswoman Angie Craig, Ranking member of the U.S. House Ag Committee, and First District Congressman Brad Finstad, who also is on the House Ag Committee, along with Seventh District Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach and Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber, The forum will be moderated by Mark Dorenkamp, Brownfield Ag News Anchor.
 
Tuesday, August 5 will start out with a forum at 9:30 am that is titled: “How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Agriculture”, which is a topic that has created a lot of interest among farmers and the agriculture industry. The forum will be moderated by Zach Johnson, the “Millennial Farmer”, Presenters on the forum panel will include Ken O/Brien, Agronomy Innovation Leader for Corteva, and Don Scriber, with the TeraClear firm, which is a leader in drone technology.
 
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Minnesota Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen will headline the feature forum on Tuesday afternoon August 5 at 1:15 pm that is titled: “Building a Sustainable Future for Midwest Agriculture”. They will be joined by Charlotte Lollar, Director of Sustainable Aviation Fuel for Delta Airlines and Julia Silvis, Vice President of the Minnesota Sustainable Aviation Fuel Hub, along with Minnesota farm leaders Dan Glessing, President of Minnesota Farm Bureau and Gary Wertish, President of Minnesota Farmers Union. Jerry Groskruetz, KDHL Farm Director, will serve as moderator for the forum. This forum will focus on the current economic challenges facing crop and livestock producers, enhancing support for beginning farmers, the future direction of conservation and carbon sequestration programs, as well as the current status of E15 ethanol, SAF fuel, 45Z, and other renewable energy initiatives.
 
 
 
As has been tradition for several years at Farmfest, Wednesday August 6 will kick-off with the free pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 am in the Minnesota Farm Bureau Tent on the north end of the Farmfest site, which is sponsored by MN Farm Bureau. Another highlight in the Wick Buildings Farmfest Center on Wednesday morning, August 6 at 9:15 am will be the “Farmfest Ag Outlook Forum”, featuring an update on current crop conditions, growing season weather, and grain marketing strategies. The outlook forum speakers will include Kurt Blomgren, Minnesota State FSA Director, Dave Nicolai, University of Minnesota Crops Extension Educator, Brian Werner, Minnesota Biofuels Director, Mark Schultz, Grain Marketing Analyst with Northstar Commodities, and Dan Glessing, MN Farm Bureau President.
 
The feature forum on August 6 at 10:30 am is titled: “Beyond the Trade Deficit: Rethinking Trade Balance and Opportunities”. The forum will include discussions on ag trade deficits, the impact of tariffs on both ag exports and imports, and opportunities for new trade agreements. The forum panel will include Jorge Cicero from the Mexican Consulate in St. Paul, MN, along other Minnesota ag leaders, including Randy Spronk, Past President of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, Chad Willis, Past Chair of the U.S. Grains Council, and Darin Johnson, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association President. The forum will be moderated by Don Wick, Farm Director for the Red River Farm Network.
 
The afternoon forum at 1:15 pm on August 6 is titled: “The Future Outlook for Minnesota’s Agricultural Higher Education & Workforce”, which will be moderated by Blois Olson, WCCO Radio Political Analyst. The panel will include: Dr. Hara Charlier, President of Central Lakes College, Mary Holz-Clause, Chancellor at the University of Minnesota Crookston, Brian Buhr, Dean of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Science, Bev Durgan, Dean of University of Minnesota Extension, and Keith Olander, Executive Director of MNSCU Ag Centric. The panel will focus on recent joint workforce enhancement efforts between the University of Minnesota and the MNSCU system, as well as ongoing educational programs in higher education, outreach efforts through U of M Extension, and the Farm Business Management program in Minnesota.
 
Since the late 1990’s, Farmfest has been the host for the University of Minnesota “Farm Family of the Year Recognition Program” Over 80 County farm families of the year from throughout Minnesota will be honored at this year’s event on Thursday, August 7 at 1:15 p.m. Earlier on Thursday, August 7 at 10:45 am, the “Farmfest Women in Ag Event” will be held, where the 2025 “Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year” will be announced.
 
As usual, Farmfest will feature the latest innovations and advancements in farm machinery and equipment, numerous exhibits in the Ag Tents, entertainment, and of course plenty of food choices. There are also some excellent informational forums and cattle chute demonstrations in the Livestock Tent each day, which will be newly located this year to the southwest corner of the Farmfest site. For more information on the Farmfest forums, schedule, exhibitors, food vendors, and other information, visit the Farmfest website at: Farmfest.com.
 
******************************************************************************************
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst, Green Solutions Group
Phone --- (507) 381-7960; E-mail --- [email protected]

The USDA World Supply and Demand (WASDE) Report released on July 11th included a slight decrease in the projected 2025 corn production, based on the small decrease in the estimated 2025 U.S. corn acreage that was in the June 30th USDA Crop Acreage Report. USDA also indicated a slight reduction in the anticipated corn ending stocks for the current 2024-25 marketing year, which ends on August 31, 2025. The combination of these factors resulted projected lower corn ending stocks for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 marketing year. Corn futures prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) showed very little reaction to the WASDE report and continued to react to favorable growing conditions across much of the Corn Belt, resulting in corn futures prices being down slightly following the release of the report.
Following are some highlights from the July 11th WASDE Report:
CORN
The most encouraging news in the July 11th WASDE report was an increase of 100 million bushels of corn exports in the 2024-25 marketing year. Following a reduction of 75 million bushels in the anticipated corn used for feed in the current marketing year, the result was projected 2024-25 corn ending stocks of 134 billion bushels, which was a decrease of 25 million bushels from a month earlier. The estimated corn ending stocks for 2025-26 in the July WASDE report was 1.66 billion bushels, which was a decline of 90 million bushels from the June estimate. The estimated 2025-26 ending stocks would be an increase of 420 million bushels from the projected corn ending stocks for the current year; however, they would still trail the 2023-24 ending stocks of 1.763 billion bushels.
The July 11th WASDE report used the estimated planted U.S. corn acreage of 95.2 million acres, which matched the acreage in the USDA Crop Acreage Report, and compared to 95.3 million acres in the June WASDE report. USDA also decreased the projected harvested acres of corn for grain in the July report to 86.8 million acres, compared to 87.4 million acres in the June report. USDA left the estimated 2025 U.S. corn yield at 181 bushels per acre, which is unchanged from the June report and would be a record U.S. corn yield. The current record U.S. corn yield is 179.3 bushels per acre, which was set in 2024. The adjusted corn acreage together with the projected record corn yield increased the estimated 2025 corn production to just over 15.7 billion bushels. The projected 2025 total U.S. corn production compares to other recent U.S. corn production totals of 14.87 billion bushels in 2024, 15.34 billion bushels in 2023, and 13.65 billion bushels in 2022.
The total corn usage for 2024-25 is estimated at just over 15.31 billion bushels, which would be an increase of approximately 349 million bushels from the total corn usage for 2023-24. Corn used for ethanol production, corn fed to livestock, and corn export levels for the 2024-25 marketing year are all expected to up slightly from a year earlier. Total U.S. corn usage for 2025-26 is projected at just over 15.4 billion bushels, with most usage categories very similar to the current projected usage levels in 2024-25.
USDA is projecting 2024-25 market year average (MYA) corn price at $4.30 per bushel, which was a decline of 5 cents per bushel from the June WASDE report. USDA is estimating the 2025-26 MYA corn price at $4.20 per bushel, which was the same as a month earlier. The 2024-25 marketing year for corn and soybeans ends on August 31, 2025 and the marketing year for the 2025 crop year begins on September 1, 2025, and continues through August 31, 2026. The current price projections compare to recent national average corn prices of $4.55 per bushel in 2023-24, $6.54 per bushel in 2022-23, $6.00 per bushel in 2021-22, $4.53 per bushel in 2020-21, and $3.56 per bushel in 2019-20. CBOT corn futures prices closed 3-4 cents per bushel lower following the release on the July 11th report, with December 2025 futures closing at $4.13 per bushel. New crop cash bids for Fall delivery were $3.75 per bushel or lower at many locations in the Upper Midwest.
SOYBEANS
Based on the July 11th WASDE report, USDA is now estimating 2025 U.S. planted soybean acreage at 83.41 million acres, which was a slight decrease from the June estimate and compares to 86.1 million acres in 2024. The record national soybean acreage was 89.2 million acres in 2018. The July 11th report projected a U.S. average soybean yield of 52.5 bushels per acre in 2025, which was unchanged from the June report and compares to a final national yield of 50.7 bushels per acre in 2024. Total U.S soybean production for 2025 is now estimated at just over 4.33 billion bushels, which would be very similar to the final U.S. soybean production of 4.37 billion bushels in 2024, but is still below the record U.S. soybean production of 4.54 billion bushels in 2018.
USDA is projecting total soybean usage for 2024-25 at just over 4.38 billion bushels, which is up from just over 4.1 billion bushels of usage in 2023-24. The projected soybean usage for the current marketing year includes increases in both the expected soybean crush level and the projected soybean export level, compared to a year earlier. USDA is now estimating soybean ending stocks at the end of the 2024-25 marketing year that ends on August 31, 2025 to be at 350 million bushels, which would be very similar to the carryout level of 342 billion bushels in 2023-24. USDA is projecting soybean ending stocks to decline by 40 million bushels to 310 million bushels by the end of the 2025-26 marketing year. The current estimated carryout levels for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 marketing years are still well below the large soybean carryover levels that existed from 2018-2020.
USDA is estimating the national MYA soybean price for the 2024-25 marketing year at $10.00 per bushel, which is an increase of 5 cents per bushel from the June report. The July WASDE report projected the farm-level average MYA soybean price for the 2025-26 marketing year at $10.10 per bushel, which was lowered by $.15 per bushel from the June report. The current MYA soybean price projections compare to recent final MYA soybean prices of $12.40 per bushel in 2023-24, $14.20 per bushel in 2022-23; $13.30 per bushel in 2021-22, $10.80 per bushel in 2020-21, and $8.57 per bushel for 2019-20. The CBOT November soybean futures price for the 2025 crop closed at $10.10 per bushel following the release of the WASDE report, with new crop cash bids at many locations in the Upper Midwest at $9.00 to $9.50 per bushel.
WHEAT
Total U.S. wheat production for 2025 is estimated at nearly 1.93 billion bushels, which would be very similar to the 1.97 billion bushels in 2024, with both being above the 1.8 billion bushel production level in 2023. The estimated average U.S. wheat yield for 2025 is 52.6 bushels per acre, which was unchanged from the June WASDE report and compares to 51.2 bushels per acre in 2024 and 48.7 bushels per acre in 2023. The total wheat usage level for 2025-26 is projected at just over 2 billion bushels, which compares to usage levels of 1.97 billion bushels in 2024-25 and 1.81 billion bushels in 2023-24. U.S. wheat ending stocks for 2025-26 are now estimated at 890 million bushels, compared to 853 million bushels in 2024-25 and 696 million bushels in 2023-24.
The 2025-26 USDA marketing year for wheat and other small grains runs from June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026. The July WASDE report estimated the 2025-26 MYA wheat price at $5.40 per bushel, which was unchanged from the price estimate a month ago in the June report. The MYA wheat price estimate for 2025-26 compares to recent final MYA wheat prices of $5.52 per bushel in 2024-25, $6.96 per bushel in 2023-24, and $8.83 per bushel in 2022-23. The current wheat price projections are very similar to the low wheat price levels that existed from 2014 to 2020.
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst, Green Solutions Group Phone --- (507) 381-7960; E-mail --- [email protected]

USDA has initiated sign-up for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP) at local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. A total of just over 16 billion dollars will be available for this program, with funding derived from the total of $21 billion in farm disaster assistance funds that were allocated by Congress in December of 2024. SDRP will cover losses from eligible crops for both the 2023 and 2024 crop years. The crop losses will be calculated separately for each year, so eligible producers could receive a payment for each year. SDRP builds off previous federal disaster programs, including the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP+) from 2018-2020, and the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) from 2020-2022. The SDRP sign-up process for “Stage 1” of the program began on July 10 and should be quite simple for most eligible farmers.
 
Standard FSA payment limits will apply to all SDRP payments. The payment limit is $125,000 per eligible individual or entity, which increases to $250,000 if at least 75 percent of the reported gross income on the tax returns are derived from eligible farm-related operations. There are potential higher payment limits for certain specialty crops. There will be a separate payment limit for both 2023 and 2024. Farmers that receive SDRP payments will be required to maintain at least 60 percent federal crop insurance coverage for at least the next two years. Failure to comply with this requirement will require full repayment of the SDRP payment plus interest.
 
“Stage 1” of SDRP will focus on farmers with crops in 2023 and 2024 that had a federal crop insurance policy in place, or had crops that were enrolled in the Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) in 2023 and 2024. To qualify for “Stage 1”, farmers must have received a crop insurance indemnity payment or a NAP payment tied to a qualifying disaster in 2023 or 2024. Qualifying disasters include floods, wildfires, hurricanes, freezes, excessive moisture, heat, and qualifying drought.  Eligibility for drought losses is restricted to counties that experienced a drought level of “D3” or higher at in 2023 or 2024, or in counties that were at a “D2” drought level for eight or more consecutive weeks, based on the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor. A county must be listed as eligible for the SDRP due to drought, in order for individual farmers to qualify for SDRP payments due to drought.
 
Producers must exhibit a qualifying yield loss relative to their APH or NAP yield guarantee, based on the type of disaster listed, to qualify for SDRP payments for 2023 or 2024. Due to a substantial decline in the final harvest price for some crops compared to the Spring base prices in 2023 and 2024, it may have been possible for farmers with revenue insurance policies to receive crop insurance indemnity payments without a decline in yield below APH levels. For further clarification on this requirement, producers should consult their crop insurance agent.
 
Stage 2” for the SDRP will be announced later this summer, probably in early-mid September. “Stage 2” will include assistance for losses from uncovered losses, shallow, quality losses, and losses that did not meet the threshold requirements for Stage 1 SDRP payments. The application process for “Stage 2” may be a bit more complicated than the relatively easy sign-up process for “Stage 1” SDRP payments. This is due to “Stage 2” including non-traditional crops and commodities that are normally not covered by crop insurance, as well as the utilization of alternate criteria other than RMA and NAP yield data.
 
Sign-up for “Stage 1” of the SDRP is now underway at local FSA offices. Eligible farmers for Stage 1 of SDRP should receive pre-filled “Stage 1” SDRP application form (Form FSA-526) from their FSA office with the 2023 or 2024 crop insurance (RMA) or NAP yield data already entered. They will then just need to designate the type of disaster that caused the crop loss, verify the data, and sign the form to initiate SDRP payments. SDRP applications must be signed by all parties that share in the crop value. Farmers will need to report any discrepancies in the data to both the FSA office and their crop insurance agent. Farmers will also need to have all other required FSA forms on file at their local FSA office, which are typically already on file if the farmer regularly receives government farm program payments.
The calculation for SDRP payments is quite basic, and is based off of crop insurance RMA APH or NAP yields and actual crop yields for 2023 and 2024. Here is a brief summary for the calculation of SDRP payments:

• Calculate the original crop insurance revenue guarantee (APH yield times the Spring price for the crop).

2024 Spring prices were $4.66/bu. for corn; $11.55/bu. for soybeans; $6.84/bu. for Spring wheat.
2023 Spring prices were $5.91/bu. for corn; $13.76/bu. for soybeans; $8.87/bu. for Spring wheat.
 

• To determine the “Stage 1” SDRP guarantee, multiply the crop insurance revenue guarantee times the following factor, depending on the level of crop insurance coverage:

80-85% coverage = .95
75-79% coverage = .925
70-74% coverage = .90
65-69% coverage = .875
60-64% coverage = .80
CAT coverage = .75
 

• To determine the eligible gross SDRP revenue, subtract the actual crop value (final 2024 or 2023 crop insurance yield times the RMA harvest price) and the “net” crop insurance indemnity payment received (gross payment minus the premiums and administrative fees) from the SDRP guarantee.

2024 harvest prices were $4.16/bu. for corn; $10.03/bu. for soybeans; $5.79/bu. for Spring wheat.
2023 harvest prices were $4.88/bu. for corn; $12.84/bu. for soybeans; $7.97/bu. for Spring wheat.
 

• Then multiply the gross SDRP revenue eligibility times a factor of 35 percent (.35) to arrive at the net SDRP payment amount.

 
Following is a SDRP payment example for 100 acres of corn in 2024, with a 200 bu./A APH yield and an actual 2024 corn yield of 150 bu./A, with an 85% revenue insurance policy, with a premium of $30/A. a $4.66/bu. Spring price and a $4.16/bu. harvest price, with a 35% payment factor:

• Original 2024 crop insurance guarantee = $79,220  (200 bu./A x $4.66/bu. x .85 x 100 A.)

 

• Harvest value of the 2024 crop = $62,400  (150 bu./A x $4.16/bu. x 100 A)

 

• 2024 Crop insurance indemnity payment = $16,820  ($79,220 - $62,400)

 

• Net 2024 indemnity payment = $13,820  ($16,820 - $3.000 crop ins. premiums)

 

• 2024 gross SDRP eligibility = $88,540  (200 bu./A x $4.66/bu. x .95 x 100 A.)

 

• Net 2024 SDRP eligibility = $12,320  ($88,540 - $62,400 - $13,820)

 

• Net 2024 SDRP payment = $4,312  ($12,320 x .35) or ($43.12/A)

 
The SDRP payment will certainly be helpful to farmers that had some financial hardship following significant crop loss in 2023 and 2024 due to drought and other natural disasters. It should be pointed out that the 35 percent payment factor only accounts for a small portion of the losses that were incurred by the farmers that were affected. It is possible that there could be a second smaller SDRP payment later this year, if disaster funds remain after all “Stage 1” and “Stage 2” applications have been finalized. Any farmers with questions or needing clarifications on the SDRC payments should contact their local FSA office.   
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst, Green Solutions Group
Phone --- (507) 381-7960; E-mail --- [email protected]