Agriculture

November 8, 2019 4:16 PM

With floral candles, Hmong sisters honor parents’ farming legacy

Each November, the Hmong American Farmers Association offers artwork people can buy alongside produce grown by Hmong farmers. This year’s art — candles featuring flowers from a Hmong family’s field — comes with a good story.

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November 7, 2019 3:24 PM

Walz seeks agriculture disaster declaration for NW Minnesota

Gov. Tim Walz has asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to declare a disaster for 12 counties of northwestern Minnesota where farmers are having a difficult harvest season.

by The Associated Press

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November 7, 2019 11:14 AM

Ask a ‘sotan: How does the state regulate buying raw milk?

An audience question about where customers can buy raw milk leads us to ask a farmer and a food inspection expert about state regulations over unpasteurized dairy.

by Matt Mikus

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November 5, 2019 2:30 PM

Fargo scientists search for next generation of plant-based plastics

A national collaboration of scientists from four universities is breaking new ground in the search for plant-based plastic to replace petroleum-based materials.

by Dan Gunderson

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November 2, 2019 6:03 PM

StoryCorps: Brothers pass on their farmer father's life lessons

Arguster and Lebronze Davis and their 14 siblings grew up and worked with their parents on the family's Alabama farm. "There's only two things in life a person actually owns, and that is his name and his word,” Arguster says. "In his own way, that's what Daddy left me with."

by Emma Bowman and Camila Kerwin

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November 1, 2019 10:54 AM

Regenerative farms 'producing more, opening new markets' while fighting climate change

How do farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions and keep productivity high at the same time? Experts say it’s possible with regenerative farming.

by Paul Huttner and Megan Burks

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November 1, 2019 4:00 AM

New tax credit for ag land might help rural schools increase funding

Schools in rural districts have struggled to pass property tax increases to pay for new schools at least in part because farmers have often opposed big property tax increases on farm land. A new tax credit will significantly reduce the share farmers pay, and rural schools hope the change will make it easier to replace aging buildings.

by Dan Gunderson

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October 29, 2019 5:02 PM

Smoke and power outages near California wildfires hit farmworkers hard

October marks not only fire season in California, but also the peak of the grape harvest. In areas not imminently threatened, some workers labor through heat and smoke to save harvests and paychecks.

by Anna Maria Barry-Jester

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October 25, 2019 4:00 AM

Closing the farm gate: Struggling farmers take emotional step to forge new career paths

Even when times are tough, farmers have traditionally resisted the idea of giving up a profession that is rooted in family history. But a new program in southeastern Minnesota aims to make it easier for struggling farmers to make that decision and sharpen their skills for a new career.

by Mike Moen

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October 24, 2019 4:00 AM

Mentors help hopefuls overcome biggest hurdle to getting into farming: Finding land

Finding land is a big barrier for those who want to get into any kind of farming, but a mentorship program pairing beginning farmers with farmland navigators is working to make things easier.

by Elizabeth Dunbar

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