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Local/state briefs

MARL Class XI applications being accepted

The application deadline for Class XI of the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) program is April 24, and program Executive Director Olga Reuvekamp is anticipating another outstanding group of ag leaders when the class kicks off its 18-month cohort in November 2020.

Class X marked the 20th anniversary of MARL program.

“Each class brings a new dynamic to the program. It is exciting to find new people who can become involved in MARL from different aspects of the industry. Each class has its own unique, diverse culture,” said Reuvekamp.

Class XI will hold its first session in St. Cloud in November. Other sessions will be spread out across the state, giving participants a first-hand view of the different types of agriculture and ag-related industries in Minnesota.

Other Class XI sessions will be held in Marshall, Crookston and Duluth, along with sessions in northern, southeastern and central Minnesota. Each MARL class also spends a session at the state Capitol in St. Paul, as well as an international study tour. Graduation for Class XI is scheduled for April 8, 2022.

The Class X study tour was in Cambodia and Taiwan.

Thirty applicants are selected for each class, and application forms can be found here: http://www.marlprogram.org/application-forms/.

In addition, there will be a “How to Apply” webinar on April 7. Information on how to access the webinar can be found at: http://www.marlprogram.org/.

A selection committee will personally interview each applicant the final week of May and first week of June, at one of five locations.

“That way the applicants won’t have to travel very far for their interview,” said Reuvekamp.

“The common thread that we have found, in conducting our exit interviews for each participant, is that the MARL Program has been life-changing,” said Reuvekamp.

Authorities: 2 from Minnesota died in Iowa helicopter crash

HAMLIN, Iowa (AP) — Two people were killed when a helicopter crashed and burned in west-central Iowa, officials said.

The crash was reported Tuesday afternoon in Audubon County, a few miles east of Hamlin.

The aircraft hit a power line before it went down, authorities said.

The names of those aboard have not been released. They were from Minnesota, authorities said.

The crash is being investigated.

Survey suggests pandemic draining vigor from Midwest economy

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A survey of supply managers in a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains is showing more signs of the coronavirus pandemic’s disruptive economic impact.

The Mid-American Business Conditions index sank in March to 46.7 — its lowest reading since September 2016, according to a survey report released Wednesday. The February figure was 52.8.

The survey’s confidence index suggested the business leaders were pessimistic about the next six months. The index plunged to a record low 14.5 from February’s 51.4 and January’s 58.8.

“The emergence of the coronavirus swamped the positive confidence impact of the recent passage of the U.S. Canada, Mexico trade agreement and phase one of the trade agreement with China,” said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

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