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Agriculture

Food is growing more plentiful, so why do people keep warning of shortages?

Food is growing more plentiful, so why do people keep warning of shortages?

For more than a century, food has been getting more abundant, and cheaper. Yet people keep worrying about food shortages. Some economists say the fears actually create their own problems.
by Dan Charles

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Miles from the farm, U.S. Senate rivals debate ag policy

Miles from the farm, U.S. Senate rivals debate ag policy

The annual FarmFest event was relegated to a virtual gathering during the pandemic, pushing a pair of U.S. Senate candidates from an open-air tent to a stilted debate via computer.
by Brian Bakst

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Washington farmworkers ask state Supreme Court for overtime pay

Washington farmworkers ask state Supreme Court for overtime pay

Farmworkers in Washington state have gone to court to demand overtime pay. Coronavirus outbreaks in agricultural communities have focused new attention on working conditions and pay on farms.
by Eilís O'Neill

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Red pine shoot moths leaving their mark across much of Minnesota

Red pine shoot moths leaving their mark across much of Minnesota

If you live near red pine trees — and in much of Minnesota, chances are you do — you may have noticed some dead, brown patches in the upper branches this summer. They're proof of a moth outbreak the likes of which the state hasn’t seen in more than 20 years.
by John Enger

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Big-money investors gear up for a trillion-dollar bet on farm land

Big-money investors gear up for a trillion-dollar bet on farm land

A trillion dollars worth of American farmland will change hands in the coming years. Wealthy investors are likely to buy more of it, with the power to shape rural communities and the environment.
by Dan Charles

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NW Minnesota's wet cycle persists, putting crops again in peril

NW Minnesota's wet cycle persists, putting crops again in peril

Minnesota’s northwest corner can’t catch a break from excessive rain. After a soggy last fall and spring flooding, heavy rains are damaging crops and roads.
by Dan Gunderson

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Minnesota farmers anticipate strong harvest

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.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Did you get mystery seeds in the mail? Don't plant them

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.
by Tim Nelson

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Waiting for justice for Floyd, north siders work the land as an act of healing

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. 
by Melissa Townsend

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DNR: Irrigation wells in Pineland Sands don’t need in-depth study

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.
by Kirsti Marohn

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