Agriculture

Nitrates are polluting Minnesota’s water. Environmental groups say the state isn’t doing enough
The public comment window will soon close on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s rules for protecting groundwater from nitrates, which can be detrimental to human health in large amounts.
Ag group heads to Minnesota Capitol to defend farm drainage systems
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association is heading to the state Capitol Tuesday to make the case for a farming practice that is a flashpoint with environmental groups.
 Holdingford fire highlights the importance of small-town grain mills as community hubs
The Holdingford Mill, which stood for over a hundred years, burned down on Feb. 15, leaving only a warehouse behind. While the business is not shutting down for good, it will never operate at the same scale it used to.
Farm income is declining in the Upper Midwest
A survey of lenders said farm incomes were down in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will stay down into 2026.
Many Midwest farmers have mixed feelings about upcoming USDA payments
Farmers across the country will receive a check at the end of the month to partly compensate for losses experienced last year. Soybean growers in Minnesota and North Dakota say the payments won’t be enough to make them whole.
Trump administration scales back threats to cut off funding to Minnesota ag programs
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins had previously announced that nearly $130 million in federal funds for Minnesota would be paused, citing alleged fraud in the state. Now, the USDA is allowing some of that funding to go through.