August 9, 1976 - An address by futurist author Robert Theobald before a conference on rural America, held in Crookston, Minnesota. The speech is titled "The Role of Rural America in the Year 2000."
August 16, 1976 - Excerpts from Conference on Rural America held in July at Crookston, Minnesota. Father John McRaith, director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, spoke about land use and the future of rural America; and Father William Ryan, director of the Center of Concern in Washington, D.C., discussed options in international politics. William Ryan’s speech was titled “Toward a New International and Political Order” John McRaith’s speech was titled “People, Justice, Land (Suggestions for Rural America)”
October 1, 1976 - "Preserving the Rural Environment" was discussed at the Conversations in the Countryside conference held this summer at Southwest State University in Marshall. Speakers were Stewart Udall, a former Secretary of the Interior and Charles Reinert, an Associate Professor of Physics at Southwest State University. Moderator of the discussion was Morris Behrman, a farmer from Wood Lake. Another participant was Clint Haroldson, a farmer from Renville, who served as a resource person for the discussion. The program began with some formal remarks from Udall.
December 4, 1976 - On this regional public affairs program, a discussion of handbook on agricultural areas (aka Agricultural Planning Handbook), in the metropolitan area. Dan Olson interviews Alexander Dean and Jim Schoettler, both from the Metropolitan Planning Commission, about strategizing land use in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including farming.
February 8, 1977 - Dr. Hiram Drache, an agricultural historian, author, and professor of history at Concordia College in Moorhead, talks with Bill Siemering and John Ydstie about transitions in farming and his book “Beyond the Furrow: Some Keys to Successful Farming in the Twentieth Century.”
March 5, 1977 - On this regional public affairs program, Marilyn Chou, a policy analyst from the Hudson Institute in New York, speaks at the Farm Forum in Minneapolis. Chou shares her impressions of agriculture within the People's Republic of China.
March 11, 1977 - A news feature of British economist E. F. Schumacher, author of the book "Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered." Schumacher talks about need for change in agriculture and energy practices.
April 18, 1977 - Dr. Philip Raup, agricultural economist and professor at the University of Minnesota, speaking on land use and growth in Minnesota at conference of the Minnesota Planning Association. The Minnesota Planning Association Annual Conference theme was "Who Says Planning is for Pros?" and at held Sheraton Inn Northwest, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Objectives of the conference were to identify issues in state & regional planning; identify means of coordinating planning with other governmental agencies; and determine economic and environmental impacts of planning.
May 28, 1977 - On this regional public affairs program, an investigation of latest research at the University of Minnesota into agriculture. A tour of University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment station is presented, highlighting food science, plant genetics, and animal science.
July 11, 1977 - MPR’s John Ydstie presents sound portrait of a migrant farmily working the sugar beet fields of the Red River Valley.