Month: January 2021

The Polk County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Task Force made a recent purchase to help protect waterways in Polk County. The Polk County Commissioners authorized the Task Force to use $34,575 in state grant funding to purchase a CD3 Wayside Solar boat cleaning station.

Polk County Planning and Zoning Administrator Jake Snyder says the station will help clean water, which is the biggest transmitter of invasive species, out of boats. “The AIS Task Force purchased a CD3 Wayside Solar trailered boat cleaning station that we’ll have on boat access sites in the upcoming season,” said Snyder. “We hope to have it in early April so we can test out some of the tools on it. Basically, the unit is a way for people to clean, drain, dry their boats, and get all the water out of them. If they have some water left in the live well or billage or whatever. It’s got a vacuum on it. It’s basically to get people coming into our area lakes or out of our area lakes to clean their boats, get the water out of it because that’s what harbors the invasive species.”

The cleaning station is solar-powered and can clean up to 100 boats a day on its solar charge. It also includes several tools to help boaters keep Polk County waterways free of invasive species. “There’s a vacuum, that’s probably the biggest feature,” said Snyder. “It goes to a reservoir within the unit itself. The unit is solar-powered. It has lights on it for access use when it’s dark. There is also a grabber tool, a brush, as well as an air compressor that shoots compressed air. A nice feature to get in areas under the trailers, the nooks, and crannies within the mower, the lower unit. Ways to spray off to get the water dispersed out of those areas. Water is really the enemy in how these things are getting transported from lake to lake. If you get rid of the water, you’re getting rid of whatever you’re carrying from lake to lake.”

Snyder said inspectors will be promoting the use of the station this coming year. “The area inspectors that we’re having out at our boat access sites are going to promote these hard, let people know what to do,” said Snyder. “If they want to use them, they are totally free. Pull up to it, use the tools, clean boats, help keep our lakes clean too. We hope people use it, hope it’s popular. We’re excited to have the opportunity to put those tools on lake access sites in Polk County.”

The cleaning station will move between some of the more heavily used lakes, but Snyder said it will also be taken to specific water events. “We want to target where activities are going on,” said Snyder. “We want it to get used. That’s going to be our Maple, Union, Sarah Lakes. In a normal year, you have certain things that happen over in the Red River. Launch sites where they have the Catfish Days and Catfish Tournaments. We hope to haul it over there. Help people keep boats going through Polk County cleaned and drained, and in order before they go to different lakes and rivers.”

2020 AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES REPORT
Snyder also reported no new infestations of aquatic invasive species found in Polk County lakes during 2020. “We had no new infestations in area lakes,” said Snyder. “We do our zebra mussel test kits in our area lakes and make sure we don’t have a really dense population of zebra mussels. It doesn’t mean they’re not in there. It just means that we’re putting out the kits, which are simply things they can attach to, and we didn’t get any new hits on any of those. That’s always a plus. We know they work because they’re in the Red River, and we get them on the kit that we put in there every year. If they are in a water body, they seem to attract to that.”

That was especially impressive because Snyder said the lakes were busier than ever before. “COVID has been something that we’ve been dealing with for months now,” said Snyder. “Really lake access sites in Polk County were up, and people were recreating on them more than ever. It seemed that the pandemic pushed people to do things we all like to do – enjoy the lakes and enjoy the weather. We want people to be able to do that. It’s an important tourism thing for Polk County. For years, the thing we’ve talked about is giving people easier ways to clean their boats and get the clean, drain, dry initiative out. What we feel is if we put the tools out there, they are going to use them. This is a means of the AIS Task Force purchasing something with the state grant money we get. Area lake and boat users can use that. It’s free; go clean your boats with it.”

The Crookston City Council will meet Monday, January 4 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing guidelines, there will be limited seating during the meetings. However, the public can participate in the Crookston Forum by phone by calling 281-4515. The doors to City Hall will be unlocked at 6:30 p.m.

The winners of the November election for City Council will be sworn in at the meeting. Being sworn in will be Kristie Jerde (Ward 1), Clayton Briggs (Ward 3), Joe Kresl (Ward 5), and Wayne Melbye (At-Large).

The agenda has one resolution, to set the depositories for public funds for 2021. The depositories to be set are Northern Sky Bank, Bremer Bank, American Federal Bank, Minnesota Municipal Money Market, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, and First Community Credit Union.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce and Minnesota Housing are alerting homeowners who have federally backed mortgage loans and who are facing financial hardships to apply now for mortgage relief to avoid foreclosure. 

The deadline for mortgage relief applications for certain mortgages has been extended to February 28, 2021, but homeowners who may qualify should begin the process for application now. Call your mortgage lender or servicer immediately to determine if you are eligible for this assistance.  You can find a homeownership advisor near you today who provides free services to help you.  

In Minnesota, there are an estimated 120,000 households, or about 15 percent of mortgages, that are backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). In Minnesota, about 13,000 Minnesota homeowners, or more than one in ten, have FHA-backed mortgages that are delinquent, which means thousands of Minnesota homeowners are behind on mortgages and could be impacted by the deadline to apply for mortgage relief. 

“Borrowers that are experiencing hardships and can’t make their mortgage loan payments should proactively reach out to their lenders to see what options they have. In many cases, the borrower’s options are better before the loan goes delinquent, or severely delinquent,” said Commerce Temporary Commissioner Grace Arnold.

The CARES Act passed by Congress earlier this year included providing assistance for homeowners impacted by the COVID-19 financial hardships. The CARES Act required federal agencies to allow homeowners with federally backed loans to delay making mortgage payments, without penalty or interest, for 6 to 12 months, if the homeowners demonstrated their ability to pay had been impacted by the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. 

If a homeowner is unable to make mortgage payments, but is unsure of their eligibility for CARES relief, they should still contact their lender or mortgage servicer to discuss options.

Homeowners with federally backed mortgages can learn more about mortgage relief, how they are eligible and how to apply for mortgage assistance in the Consumer Relief Guide [PDF].  For additional details on mortgage relief, see this Commerce consumer alert from May 19, 2020. 

Loan types that are federally backed and therefore are required to be provided relief include:

• Conventional loans purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
• Federal Housing Administration (FHA), including Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)
• U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) loans, including direct and guaranteed loans

If you do not have a federally backed mortgage, you may still be eligible for assistance. Contact your mortgage lender or servicer for more information.  Note that not all federally backed loans are currently subject to the stated deadline of February 28, 2021. 

If you have a question, contact the Minnesota Homeownership Center at 651-659-9336 to speak to a nonprofit homeownership advisor who can help you navigate your situation. Services are free.  Find a homeownership advisor near you today to get the help you need.

Anyone interested in improving access to wildlife management areas (WMAs) for people with disabilities can share their ideas online with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“We want to hear how we can improve recreational opportunities and reduce barriers on WMAs,” said David Trauba, southern region wildlife manager. “Public lands are for all Minnesotans, including those with disabilities.”

People can share their input now through Friday, Jan. 22, on the DNR’s community engagement page.

The DNR will use the input to shape recommendations the agency will make to the Minnesota Legislature in February about increasing accessibility to WMAs. The DNR continues to work closely with the Minnesota Council on Disability and others to identify ways to increase access to the state wildlife lands. Legislation championed by Rep. Dan Fabian and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz this year requires the DNR to make it easier for people with disabilities to access WMAs and publicize access opportunities.

The DNR manages a system of 1.3 million acres of land in about 1,500 WMAs. This land is open to everyone for a variety of outdoor activities, including hunting and trapping, fishing, wildlife watching, and nature photography.

Ways to access WMAs
Most parts of WMAs are closed to motorized access, but people with mobility disabilities can use “other power-driven mobility devices” (OPDMDs) on WMAs with a permit. More information about applying for and using OPDMD permits on WMAs and other DNR-administered land is available on the DNR website. The best way for people to begin the process of obtaining a permit to use an OPDMD on a WMA is to contact the area wildlife office in the county where the WMA is located.

Using OPDMDs is only one way to access WMAs. People can search for wheelchair accessible WMAs by using the WMA Finder on the DNR website. This search will direct users to WMAs with infrastructure like hunting blinds or trails with grades and surfaces accessible using a wheelchair. In addition, each year the DNR administers 16 special hunts for people with disabilities. For more information about these hunts, call the DNR Information Center at 888-646-6367.

U.S. farmers are expected to end the year with higher profits than last year and the best net farm income in seven years thanks to the government paying nearly 40% of their income. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farm income forecast. Farmer challenges in 2020 included the impact of trade disputes, drought and wind damage, and low prices for corn, cotton, wheat, chicken, cattle, and hogs. Farm cash receipts are forecast to be the lowest in more than a decade. But farmers are expected to receive $46.5 billion from the U.S. government. That’s the largest direct-to-farm payment ever. It lifts net farm income to $119.6 billion. And that’s the highest profitability since 2013.

The USDA’s forecast information is below – 

Farm Sector Profits Forecast to Increase in 2020

Net farm income, a broad measure of profits, is forecast to increase $36.0 billion (43.1 percent) to $119.6 billion in 2020. In inflation-adjusted 2020 dollars, net farm income is forecast to increase $35.0 billion (41.3 percent) from 2019, increasing for the fourth consecutive year. If realized, net farm income in 2020 in inflation-adjusted terms would be at its highest level since 2013, 32.0 percent above its 2000-19 average of $90.6 billion.

Net cash farm income is forecast to increase from $24.7 billion (22.6 percent) to $134.1 billion in 2020. Inflation-adjusted net cash farm income is forecast to increase $23.4 billion (21.1 percent) from 2019, which would put it at its highest level since 2014 and be 22.5 percent above its 2000-19 average ($109.5 billion). Net cash farm income encompasses cash receipts from farming as well as farm-related income, including government payments, minus cash expenses. It does not include non-cash items—including changes in inventories, economic depreciation, and gross imputed rental income of operator dwellings—reflected in the net farm income measure above.

Cash receipts for all commodities are forecast to decrease from $3.2 billion (0.9 percent) to $366.5 billion (in nominal terms) in 2020. Total animal/animal product receipts are expected to decrease by $9.7 billion (5.5 percent) with declines in receipts for broilers, cattle/calves, and hogs. Total crop receipts are expected to increase by $6.5 billion (3.3 percent) from 2019 levels. Higher receipts for fruit/nuts and soybeans are expected to more than offset lower receipts for corn and cotton. Direct Government farm payments are forecast at $46.5 billion in 2020, an increase of $24.0 billion in nominal terms (107.1 percent). The expected increase is because of supplemental and ad hoc disaster assistance for COVID-19 relief.

Total production expenses, including operator dwelling expenses, are forecast to decrease from $5.2 billion (1.5 percent) to $343.6 billion (in nominal terms) in 2020. Interest expenses, livestock/poultry purchases, and oils/fuels expenses are expected to decrease, but fertilizer expenses and net rent to landlords are expected to increase.

Farm business average net cash farm income is forecast to increase from $25,700 (32.6 percent) to $104,500 per farm in 2020. All resource regions are forecast to see farm business average net cash farm income increase. When grouped by commodity specialization, nearly all groups of farm businesses are expected to see average net farm income rise in 2020.

Farm sector equity is forecast to up by $28.9 billion (1.1 percent) to $2.69 trillion (in nominal terms) in 2020. Farm assets are forecast to increase by $45.5 billion (1.5 percent) to $3.12 trillion in 2020, reflecting anticipated increases in the real estate value and investments and other financial assets held by the sector. Farm debt is forecast to increase by $16.6 billion (4.0 percent) to $435.2 billion (in nominal terms), led by an expected 6.1-percent rise in real estate debt. The farm sector debt-to-asset ratio is expected to rise from 13.61 percent in 2019 to 13.95 percent in 2020. Working capital, which measures the amount of cash available to fund operating expenses after paying off debt due within 12 months, is forecast to increase 6.0 percent from 2019. When adjusted for inflation, farm sector equity and assets are relatively unchanged from 2019.

Get the 2020 forecast for farm sector income or see all data tables on farm income indicators.

Median Income of Farm Operator Households Forecast to Rise in 2019 and 2020

Errata: On December 11, 2020, text that characterized the 2019-20F percent decline in median off-farm income was corrected to state: “As in previous years, many farm households rely on off-farm income—the median is forecast to decrease in 2020, down 1.2 percent to $67,950 from $68,750 in 2019.” 

Total median farm household income is forecast to increase to $86,992 in 2020 from $83,111 in 2019; a nominal increase of 4.7 percent (a 3.4 percent increase after adjusting for inflation) in 2020. The forecasted rise in 2020 and the increase in 2019 relative to 2018 are notable because they are counter to the trend from 2015 through 2018 of declining median farm household income.

Farm households typically receive income from both farm and off-farm sources. Median farm income earned by farm households is forecast to increase in 2020 to $1,187 from $297 in 2019. The positive median farm in 2019 and further rise in 2020 is notable as median farm income earned by farm households was negative each year between 1996 and 2018. The increase in median farm income is partly because of increases in supplemental and ad hoc disaster assistance program payments. In 2020, programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Coronavirus Food Assistance Programs (CFAP) 1 and 2 provided financial relief to those affected by the global pandemic.

As in previous years, many farm households rely on off-farm income—the median is forecast to decrease in 2020, down 1.2 percent to $67,950 from $68,750 in 2019. This reflects estimated lost employment and wage income because of the coronavirus pandemic, which is partially offset by estimated Economic Impact Payments received by most U.S. households in response to the pandemic. (Because farm and off-farm income are not distributed identically for every farm, median total income will generally not equal the sum of median off-farm and median farm income.)

See the Farm Household Income and Characteristics data product tables for financial statistics of farm operator households.