Agriculture

Tunnel farming helps South Dakota farmers extend growing season by up to 4 months
Some farmers in South Dakota are using farm tunnels to extend their growing season. The tunnels are similar to greenhouses in that they capture heat from the sun, but plants are grown in the ground rather than in raised boxes or beds.
Truce fizzles as U.S.-China trade tensions return to full boil
Months of relative calm in the long-simmering trade war between the U.S. and China may be coming to an end. A spate of moves between the two nations this week has thrust trade hostilities back in the global spotlight, roiled stock markets and raised alarms of what might come next.
MPR News' regional reporters on the importance of living where they report
MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks with some of our regional reporters about what it means to report on the communities they live in and why that connection matters. 
Expert: Soybean bailout doesn't make up for loss of demand for Minnesota farmers
The soybean harvest is underway in Minnesota. The bean’s biggest buyer, China, isn’t buying them. The Trump administration is expected to announce a significant bailout package to help make up the loss.
Minnesota Farm Bureau president speaks on soybean bailout, Trump tariffs and shutdown
Soybeans make up for a quarter of Minnesota’s exports, which equates to about $2 billion in annual sales — and China has yet to buy a single bean. Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing joined Morning Edition Monday to talk about trade, tariffs and ripple effects of the government shutdown.
Trump plans aid package for U.S. soybean farmers while seeking trade deal with China
President Donald Trump is planning a significant aid package to U.S. soybean farmers to help them survive China’s boycott of American beans in response to his trade war even as the president says he is still seeking a soybean deal with Beijing.
Feds say Feeding Our Future defendant tried to strong-arm cooperator into keeping quiet
Prosecutors are asking a judge to jail a defendant in the next Feeding Our Future trial for allegedly trying to stop a cooperator from testifying. Abdiwahab Ahmed Mohamud is the second defendant in the sprawling fraud case accused of witness tampering.