Agriculture

Farm loan delinquencies highest in 9 years as prices slump
The nation's farmers are struggling to pay back loans after years of low crop prices and a backlash from foreign buyers over President Trump's tariffs, with a key government program showing the highest default rate in at least nine years.
Is fear driving sales of dicamba-proof soybeans?
Some farmers say they're buying a popular new soybean seed partly because they're afraid of crop damage from herbicide drift. A new lawsuit claims the seed maker is violating antitrust laws.
MnDOT says new snow fencing is paying dividends this winter
During the first storms of the season, from December into early January, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said there was a noticeable decrease in crashes in areas where the new fencing is located.
Lawmakers look to boost funding to address farmer stress, suicide
The Minnesota House agriculture committee heard Thursday from a Kittson County farmer who lost her husband and from a counselor who gets calls seven days a week from those in need.
Ask a 'sotan: How did George Hormel, grandfather of Spam, get to Minnesota?
Hormel, the company that brought the world Spam (the eating kind) and other meaty meals, makes its home in Austin, Minn. The writings of a young George Hormel reveal just why this international food giant ended up here.
Don't panic: The government shutdown isn't making food unsafe
The Food and Drug Administration is inspecting less food these days, thanks to the shutdown. And while that has raised questions about food safety, the food business is largely carrying on as usual.
Beef-friendly Nebraska eyes regulations on the word 'meat'
More than four months after Missouri became the first U.S. state to regulate the term "meat" on product labels, Nebraska's powerful farm groups are pushing for similar regulations on veggie burgers, tofu dogs and other items that look and taste like real meat.
Nobody is moving our cheese: American surplus reaches record high
Americans consumed almost 37 pounds per capita in 2017, but that wasn't enough to reduce the country's 1.4 billion-pound cheese surplus. The stockpile of cheese started to build several years ago.