Agriculture

A 'new normal': Health officials, poultry farmers brace for likely return of avian flu
Avian influenza has returned to Minnesota after a brief break. A new outbreak of the virus was reported this week in a backyard flock in southern Minnesota. The virus caused 110 outbreaks in poultry flocks across Minnesota last year and caused the deaths of numerous wild raptors and waterfowl. Here’s what experts tracking the virus are expecting this year.
Ag Department sees need to support local food in Minnesota
When the pandemic disrupted food supply chains in 2020, many people scrambled to buy food directly from farmers. That local food movement is still growing. A new initiative hopes to provide more state support for small farmers and local food networks.
Bird flu costs pile up as outbreak enters second year
The ongoing bird flu outbreak has cost the government roughly $661 million and added to consumers' pain at the grocery store as officials slaughtered more than 58 million birds to help limit the spread of the virus.
Black farmers call for justice from the USDA
Decades after a major lawsuit against the USDA, Black farmers still face inequality. They say not all settlements from the case made it into their hands, which has exacerbated debt and other problems.
Report: Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped, but work still needed
Transportation remains Minnesota’s biggest source of greenhouse gases, followed by agriculture. Emissions from electricity generation continued to fall as utilities shuttered coal plants and relied more on wind and solar energy.