August 5, 1976 - An address by educator-farmer-writer Hiram Drache on the family farm and the future of American farming before a conference on rural America, held in Crookston, Minnesota. The speech is titled "Agriculture in the Year 2000."
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)”
August 31, 1976 - Midday presents a special report on the drought in the southwestern Minnesota. Report provides speeches, interviews, and commentary from climatologists, scientists, government officials, and residents as they respond to the crisis. Topics include climate change and cloud seeding.
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.
November 30, 1976 - An MPR Special, titled “Power Line Dispute,” looks into the controversy over high voltage power lines planned in numerous rural counties in order to bring additional electrical power to Minnesota and the Twin Cities.
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 4, 1977 - Midday presents segments of a sound portrait on Strasburg, North Dakota, a town rich in old-world heritage. It examines the town through music and discussion by the people of Strasburg.
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.