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.

Farm Income And Expenses Increasing  

By Kent Thiesse

At a time when much of the overall U.S. and Minnesota economy is struggling, the ag economy remains quite strong, especially in the Midwest...

Harvest Ready To Begin 

By Kent Thiesse

Above-normal temperatures during most of the month of September in southern Minnesota, have allowed the 2008 corn and soybean crops to either reach maturity, or be very close to maturity. Many of the early planted corn hybrids have now reached physiological ...

September Crop Report 

By Kent Thiesse

The USDA Crop Report released on Sept. 12 decreased the estimated U.S. corn production for 2008 by about 2%, or by approximately 216 million bushels, from the Aug. 1 estimate. The expected total production level ...

Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program 

By Kent Thiesse

The Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program is the new Federal Disaster Program that is part of the new farm bill, and will be available to all eligible producers...

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...