Agriculture

Lambs, family and garlic help this couple build a new life in rural Minnesota
Mark Anema and Kate Ritger met at a garlic harvest party, started a farm, got married and had a kid. For Anema, it meant a huge change from a life in finance to farming. It isn’t easier or more profitable, but he says changing his life has changed him for the better.
Minnesota farmers face challenges as farm incomes continue to decline
The median net farm income for Minnesota farms statewide dropped to $21,964 in 2024, marking the lowest level this century. Crop producers had some of the worst financial difficulties, with net farm incomes for crop farmers at almost zero dollars.
Minnesota food shelves worried as USDA cancels truckloads of food
This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled almost half of food shelf orders from Minnesota farmers under the federal Commodity Credit Corporation. Organizations providing nutrition programs say they are concerned about how to provide for their clientele.
Stearns County dairy herd tests positive for avian flu
The H5N1 virus appeared in raw milk samples collected from a Stearns County herd. Health officials say there's no concern for public safety, because milk sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses.
Rural voices, farmers push for government accountability in town halls
Tariffs, federal cuts and Medicaid were just some of the concerns rural residents and farmers voiced during a town hall meeting in Sleepy Eye Tuesday night. The event was one of the first organized by the Minnesota Farmers Union in response to the recent cuts in federal programs. More meetings will be held around the state in the coming weeks.
Author Margie Sarsfield’s ‘got the beet,’ and it’s really creepy
If you were going to write a horror story about something in Minnesota, what would you choose as a focus? The newly released novel “Beta Vulgaris” features potentially malevolent sugar beets. They are far from sweet.