Agriculture

Rural Voice: How to sustainably grow regenerative agriculture in rural Minnesota
Rural Voice was in Detroit Lakes on Monday, Sept. 9, for a town hall about farming. They discussed everything from how to cultivate a mindset shift in farmers to how to incentivize regenerative practices.
Regenerative agriculture is sold as a climate solution. Can it do all it says?
Governments and industries are pouring billions of dollars into so-called “regenerative agriculture.” But while scientists say some of these farming practices do reduce planet heating pollution, for others the science is less clear.
The man who put the ‘snap’ in Honeycrisp is stepping aside
Jim Luby, who has led the fruit breeding program at the University of Minnesota since 1982, is retiring. His is one of the researchers credited with developing such apples as the Zestar!, the SweeTango and, the giant among them, the Honeycrisp. He’s also developed many other fruits too. It’s involved a lot of hard work, experimentation and tasting thousands of apples.
Bringing back ‘bio supermarkets’: Program helps landowners restore vanished wetlands
Wetlands help prevent flooding, filter nutrient pollution, store carbon and provide wildlife habitat. But many have disappeared due to draining and filling. A partnership between the federal government and a nonprofit is helping willing private landowners restore wetlands in the Upper Mississippi headwaters.
The cost of senior care: Why aging farmers fear the nursing home
Small family farmers are often “land rich, cash poor,” and nursing homes and other types of long-term care are expensive. Many worry about sacrificing their land to pay for care at the end of life.
U.S. Senate candidates give closing arguments at Farmfest ahead of Tuesday’s primary
Farmfest, an agricultural trade show, has become a rite of passage for politicians to talk with rural constituents in farm country. The forum was the last chance for voters to see the U.S. Senate candidates on the same stage before Tuesday’s primary.
Minnesota Farmer’s Union president on stalled Farm Bill, weather extremes and Walz veepstakes
U.S. Congress has to pass — or at least pass an extension of — the 2018 Farm Bill by Sept. 30, but talks have stalled after months of party-line debate.