Kent Thiesse is a former University of Minnesota Extension educator and now is Vice President of MinnStar Bank, Lake Crystal, MN. You can contact him at 507-726-2137 or via e-mail at kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com.

Future of Ag Biotechnology 

By Kent Thiesse

Within the past couple of years, USDA released a report about the future of biotechnology in agriculture that is quite interesting. This report, “Opportunities and Challenges in Agricultural ...

Swine Industry Vital To Southern Minnesota 

By Kent Thiesse

If someone were to mention what industry in Minnesota generates nearly $2 billion/year in direct sales, and contributes approximately $7 billion to the state’s economy, very few people would guess the pork ...

USDA Crop Report 

By Kent Thiesse

The USDA Crop Report issued on August 12 came in with a larger-than-expected crop production estimate for the 2008 corn crop in the ...

Farmfest Forums Summary 

By Kent Thiesse

Another very successful year of Farmfest Forums has come and gone. After Farmfest is over, it is interesting to ...

Crops Update 

By Kent Thiesse

Crop conditions across the Midwest vary in early August depending on planting date, impacts from the heavy rains in June, timeliness and ...

Hot-Topic Issues at Farmfest 

By Kent Thiesse

As we head into the heat of summer, there are many hot-topic issues related to agriculture and rural communities that are likely...

Some Rain 

By Kent Thiesse

Depending where you are located, you probably got some much-needed rainfall in the past week, or may have received very little rainfall. There have been several rainfall ...

Dry Weather Concerns 

By Kent Thiesse

Many areas of Minnesota and Northern Iowa are currently experiencing a fairly dry ...

Early-Out For CRP? 

Kent Thiesse

As of the writing of this column, USDA was still reviewing the possibility of offering...

June 30 USDA Report 

By Kent Thiesse

The 2008 June 30 USDA Acreage and Grain Stocks Report was much more anticipated than normal...