Agriculture

Wanted: Apple pickers for food shelves
Photo courtesy of Fruits of the City As volunteer gigs go, this is one of the stranger ones. Twin Cities based Fruits of the City is looking for Minnesotans to pick apples and pears… in other people’s backyards. “All they really need is to show up,” said Jared Walhowe, coordinator of the program for The…
The heat and drought across the upper Midwest have taken a toll on corn and soybeans, but the weather has helped make other vegetables more flavorful.
A new report shows the U.S. with the fewest cattle in at least four decades as a widespread drought forces ranchers to sell off animals.
Drought brings concern for crops and livestock
MPR's Mark Steil speaks with Tom Crann of All Things Considered regarding the drought that affects parts of northwest, southwest and southeast Minnesota.
Minnesota crops starting to suffer from drought
Drought conditions in the Midwest are intensifying and starting to affect Minnesota crops, as both corn and soybeans took a step backwards over the last week.
Seven listening sessions will be held across Minnesota this month to assess employers' workforce needs in agriculture and agribusiness.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is conducting its annual surveys for new and emerging pests in some of the state's key crops.
An agronomist says much of southern Wisconsin's corn crop could be lost unless the region gets a significant amount of rain in the next week.
Food stamps, not subsidies, focus of House farm bill debate
The House Agriculture Committee met Wednesday for a contentious debate on the size of the food stamp program while generally signing off on the size and scope of commodity programs for farmers.
Parents defend putting children to work on farms
Some farmers say the U.S. Labor Department was misguided in its attempts to protect children from farm accidents and are relieved the agency dropped its plans this spring and has promised not to take up the matter again.