Agriculture

Grain traders get tied up in MF Global bankruptcy
Fallout from the collapse of MF Global is spreading worldwide, including to grain elevators and commodity traders in Minnesota, who have had funds frozen that the grain traders say they need to stay in business.
Production and yield estimates for Minnesota's major crops are showing declines from last year's record harvests.
Some Minnesota grain elevators have found themselves dragged by the bankruptcy of MF Global. The two are linked by grain futures contracts.
Minnesota farmers saw this year's weather problems reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture reduced harvest estimate.
Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil reports on the news in southwestern Minnesota. One of the stories he's been following is a new report out this morning from the U.S. Agriculture Department. It's the agency's latest estimate of the size of the harvest. And he has news about a town where no one, apparently, wants to run for office. He checked in with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer.
Quick turn to dry weather helps, hurts farmland
Much of Minnesota has gone from too wet to too dry, as spring floods have given way to fall drought. The quick turn to dry conditions this summer helped and hurt farmers.
Corn and soybean farmers are pushing for - and Congress is moving to create - a whole new subsidy that could maintain farm incomes at a nearly four-decade high should prices fall or crops be destroyed by weather.
In its final weekly crop-weather report for Minnesota this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says corn was 98 percent harvested as of Sunday.
Proposed Farm Program Cuts Affect Minnesota Farmers
Leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees plan to propose cuts to the country's farm subsidy programs. Those cuts could affect Minnesota, the fourth largest agricultural producing state in the nation.
Wisconsin's dairy industry is continuing a modest turn-around in production, and Minnesota is inching closer to its own positive reversal.