August 27, 1981 - MPR’s Dale Connelly visits the Minnesota State Fair horse barn. Connelly talks with Elmer Jones, who raises Belgian horses, and trainer-rider Simone Tremblay.
November 10, 1981 - A discussion on the grain export boom, with participants Willard Cochrane, Philip Raup and Vernon Ruttan, all professors of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul; and Bill Larson, a USDA soil scientist based at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. Harlan Cleveland, Director of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs moderates the discussion. He opens with brief intro which refers to the Spring 1981 article in the magazine, "Foreign Affairs", where author Lawrence Soth discusses his view that our reliance on the export of agricultural products is mining our soil. The panel members discuss that view and other topics.
March 6, 1982 - With spring’s approach, MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Bill Nunn about vegetable gardening. Topics include seeds, fighting Dutch Elm disease, container gardening and weather. Nunn also answers listener questions.
May 23, 1982 - A discussion of the trouble facing the farm economy, such as government subsidies, record high interest rates and the world food situation. Midday guest G. Edward Schuh, professor of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota, answers listener questions.
June 26, 1982 - On this Weekend program, Jane McKinnon, horticulturist at University of Minnesota, discusses flowers and plants. McKinnon also answers listener questions.
October 11, 1982 - ELECTION '82 PREVIEW - NPR’s Linda Wertheimer and Cokie Roberts lead lively discussions of major election issues with commentary from reporters and analysts around the country. Topics include high unemployment figures and trouble on the farm.
November 30, 1982 - Climatologist Iben Browning speaking to Investment Advisors, Inc., in Bloomington. Browning states a combination of natural forces will cause what he terms a double-dip winter for most of the United States. It will be cold at first with lots of snow, then warm, then cold again late into next spring. For the long term into the next century, Browning predicts that crop growing seasons in many countries will be shortened by a trend to cooler weather in the Northern Hemisphere. Iben Browning holds a PhD degree in zoology, genetics and physiology from the University of Texas, and the author of several books including one titled, "Climate and the Affairs of Man".
January 25, 1983 - Philip Raup, professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota, speaking at the Minnesota Horizons Conference, held in St. Paul. Raup provided an outlook for the Minnesota farm economy, in relation to the recession and the worldwide food situation. The conference was intended to give state legislators a more comprehensive view of the difficult problems facing the state than they normally get during regular hearings. The conference brought together experts from such fields as economics, energy, housing, agriculture, education, natural resources, and the funding of public services.
March 26, 1983 - Bill Nunn, discusses gardening, spring planting, soil testing, and other matters. Nunn also answers listener questions.
April 29, 1983 - MPR’s Jim Ragsdale reports on ten Hmong men selected for a farm training project with the hope that they would settle with their families on a plot of farmland near Homer, Minnesota.