Agriculture

 Minnesota farmers anticipate strong harvest
The latest crop report shows more than 80 percent of corn and soybeans in the state are in good to excellent condition — a big jump from this time last year. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer checks in with a farmer in southwestern Minnesota about her crop and financial outlook.
Did you get mystery seeds in the mail? Don't plant them
Officials are warning recipients not to plant the seeds and introduce potentially invasive plants to the state. The Agriculture Department isn’t sure what plants the seeds are from, but warn they could pose a risk to farm crops or natural landscapes.
Waiting for justice for Floyd, north siders work the land as an act of healing
An urban garden in the Hawthorne neighborhood in north Minneapolis has been in the works for months. But after the police killed George Floyd, it has become a healing space — particularly for Black residents who often feel targeted and criminalized. 
DNR: Irrigation wells in Pineland Sands don’t need in-depth study
Tim Nolte wants to irrigate about 300 acres to grow hay and other crops, and graze his cattle. But the request got caught up in a larger debate over the conversion of forests to potato fields in north-central Minnesota’s Pineland Sands region.
Swarms of locusts continue to plague large swaths of Africa, Asia
Titanic swarms of desert locusts resembling dark storm clouds are descending ravenously on the Horn of Africa. They're roving through croplands and flattening farms in a devastating salvo experts are calling an unprecedented threat to food security.
Pressure eases on farmers to destroy hogs as meatpacking operations restart
When COVID-19 infections forced pork companies to close processing plants, some farmers predicted that it would force them to euthanize millions of hogs. The actual number has been much lower.
Pandemic disruptions taking a toll on farmers' mental health
Plant backlogs caused by the pandemic are forcing farmers to destroy their products instead of shipping them to market. The situation is heaping more stress on farmers.
Is it a farm or a sculpture park? Both
Fresh produce meets the arts in a planned north Minneapolis installation.
USDA secretary says despite plant closures, he does not anticipate food shortages
Sonny Perdue says he expects "85-90 percent production in probably a very few days or weeks." He also says the government is stepping up efforts to buy food from farmers and distribute it to families.
As food supply chain breaks down, farm-to-door CSAs take off
Community Supported Agriculture programs that sell a weekly box of produce directly to consumers are popular amid concerns about grocery shopping during the pandemic.