Agriculture

How Minnesota’s farmers handle extreme weather, inflation and supply chain woes
Rising costs, supply chain trouble and extreme weather are causing problems for farmers. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with Minnesota’s agriculture commissioner about the state of farming.
Hydroponics: The latest fad in food or the future of agriculture?
Hydroponics is seeing a rebirth -- and with fresh urgency as food shortages and the effects of climate change intensify. Micah Helle, hydroponic farm manager for Pillsbury United Communities, joined host Tom Crann to share more.
Des Moines tries cooperation to reduce farm runoff
A Des Moines utility has for years engaged in a bitter struggle to clean up drinking water that comes from rivers teeming with agricultural pollutants, filing lawsuits, proposing legislation and even public shaming to try to force farmers to reduce runoff from their fields.
As avian flu cases slow, farmers struggle with mental stress
New cases of avian influenza in Minnesota commercial flocks have slowed in recent weeks, suggesting the worst may be over. But the unpredictability of this year’s outbreak has caused a lot of mental strain for farmers, their families, veterinarians and others in the poultry industry.
The plot to keep meatpacking plants open during COVID-19
Newly released documents reveal that the meatpacking industry’s callousness toward the health of its workers and its influence over the Trump administration were far greater than previously known.
Comic: One Sioux chef's attempt to reclaim Native American cuisine
When it comes to North American cuisine, Indigenous foods don't typically come to mind. Chef Sean Sherman is changing that by serving food that celebrates and preserves his ancestors' Lakota cooking.
Wet spring slows planting for many Minnesota farmers
Planting for most Minnesota crops is well behind average because of wet conditions and cold soil temperatures. Warmer weather over the past week is helping to dry fields, but widespread rains continue and in many parts of the state farmers are waiting as prime planting time slips past.