Agriculture

DNR reviews impacts of farmer’s plan to irrigate cropland in Pineland Sands
Farmer Tim Nolte wants to irrigate about 300 acres to grow hay and other crops, and graze his cattle. But the request has gotten caught up in a larger debate over the conversion of forests to potato fields in the region, which covers Wadena, Cass, Becker and Hubbard counties in north-central Minnesota.
Food comes full circle in Sleepy Eye, where even the bison eat local
A new brewery in downtown Sleepy Eye has partnered with a local bison farmer in an unusual arrangement: The bison eat the spent grains that the would otherwise get thrown away, a byproduct of the brewing process — and eventually, the meat from those bison shows up on the brewery cafe’s menu.
'Momma on a mission' backs Walz's call for farm safety money
Gov. Tim Walz has proposed more funding to reduce farm accidents by reimbursing farmers who retrofit their tractors and grain bins with safety equipment. He was joined at a news conference by Michele Gran, the mother of Landon Gran, who was 18 when he died in a grain bin accident last August.
Some U.S. farmers boxed in by coronavirus outbreak
Fewer ships from China are docking in the U.S., which hurts U.S. farmers who send exports on the ships' return trips. And perishables that do make it sometimes rot on the docks in China.
An Airbnb for farmland hits a snag, as farmers raise data privacy concerns
The internet startup Tillable wants to match farmers with farmland available for rent. The problem? Farmers already on that land fear their farm data is being used against them.
Trump signals he's prepared to give farmers more federal aid
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue had said that a third year of financial assistance would not be necessary since China had committed to increasing its agriculture purchases under a trade deal. But China’s economy is being rocked by the new virus.
First, they invented a way to rescue people from grain bin accidents. Now they’re trying to prevent them.
They’re ubiquitous in farm country: Tall silver grain bins that are used to store the fall harvest. But they’re also dangerous. Now a western Minnesota family has developed a way to avoid deaths when workers fall in, and they hope state officials will do something to ensure farms have the equipment to prevent accidents altogether.
Winter veggie gardens bloom in Minnesota as home greenhouse options grow
New energy-efficient structures are enabling homeowners and small farmers to grow veggies year-round. “There isn't a whole lot you can't grow,” says the founder of GroShed — even when it's 30 below zero, the days are short or the sun is weak.