Agriculture

Minnesota Farmfest leader, innovator and founding father dies at 88
Marlyn Buss, who is considered the founding father of Minnesota Farmfest, died on Friday at 88 in Lake Crystal on what would have been his 55th wedding anniversary. He restarted and expanded the annual exhibition of farm equipment and agricultural products, turning it into a place when rural Minnesotans could come together to make connections and discuss agricultural policy, as well as for entertainment.
University of Minnesota grows non-native plants for immigrants to have a taste of home
Immigrants living in the United States inevitably miss a piece of home that can’t be found abroad. A new program at the University of Minnesota is working to change that.
Trump food aid cuts eliminate key income source from some smaller Minnesota farms
The Trump administration slashed funding for a program that helps feed school children and the food insecure this spring, and it’s affecting not only those in need but also those who grow that food, leaving some farmers without a critical source of income.
Hundreds of sheep helping keep prairie plants in check at Xcel’s Sherco solar project
Xcel Energy is managing vegetation at its Sherco Solar project by using sheep to graze beneath the solar panels. It’s an example of agrivoltaics, a growing practice of pairing renewable energy with agriculture that provides mutual benefits. 
Farmers weigh Trump’s trade war like they watch the weather, waiting to see how things go
Farm country voted heavily for Donald Trump last November. Now many farmers are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the Republican president’s disputes with China and other international markets. More than half of U.S. soybeans are exported internationally, with roughly half of those going to China, so it’s a critical market.
U.S. halts cattle imports from Mexico, citing fears of flesh-eating maggot
The New World screwworm is endemic in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean — and its northward spread into Mexico has alarmed U.S. officials. It can kill a full-grown cow in one to two weeks. 
Conservation group names Mississippi ‘most endangered’ U.S. river
The group American Rivers says the Mississippi faces threats including increased flooding and inadequate disaster prevention and response. In Minnesota, one environmental advocate says not much has been done to move the needle on the biggest source of pollution in the river — agriculture.
JBS Worthington plant workers demand safer work conditions
As the Trump administration sets the stage for faster processing speeds at pork and poultry plants, meatpacking workers at JBS Foods in Worthington are demanding safer work conditions in a new contract