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First, they invented a way to rescue people from grain bin accidents. Now they’re trying to prevent them.

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.
by Dan Gunderson

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Winter veggie gardens bloom in Minnesota as home greenhouse options grow

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.
by Martin Moylan

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In long-running dispute over water and land in Pineland Sands, a farmer is caught in the middle

In long-running dispute over water and land in Pineland Sands, a farmer is caught in the middle

Cattle rancher Tim Nolte's plan to expand his farm has gotten caught up in a yearslong debate over the effects of changing land use on the water of the Pineland Sands region, which covers four counties in north-central Minnesota.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Planning, training, challenge and hope: Passing the family farm to the next generation

Planning, training, challenge and hope: Passing the family farm to the next generation

As Minnesota farmers get older — their average age is now 58 — many are thinking about what's next for the family farm. A challenging ag economy in recent years makes passing the farm on to the next generation more difficult.
by Dan Gunderson

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Some Midwest farmers see hope in Democrats' climate platforms

Some Midwest farmers see hope in Democrats' climate platforms

A small group of farmers in Iowa believe they’ve influenced the field of Democratic presidential candidates to focus more on climate change and how agriculture can be part of the solution to global warming.
by Cody Nelson

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Minnesota considers raising water permit fees

Minnesota considers raising water permit fees

Cities, industries and some livestock farmers could pay more for water quality permit fees under a proposal by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. But some cities and farmers are objecting, saying the money should come from the state's general fund instead.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Locust swarms in Africa are worst in decades

Locust swarms in Africa are worst in decades

The worst outbreak of desert locusts in Kenya in 70 years has seen hundreds of millions of the bugs swarm into the East African nation from Somalia and Ethiopia. Those two countries have not had an infestation like this in a quarter-century.
by The Associated Press

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MPCA estimates greenhouse gas emissions for Winona Co. dairy farm expansion

MPCA estimates greenhouse gas emissions for Winona Co. dairy farm expansion

After Minnesota’s appeals court revoked a controversial permit for a proposed dairy farm expansion in Winona County, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released a draft permit and an additional environmental review that shows the project’s potential impacts to the climate.
by Hannah Yang

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