April 10, 2001 - Minnesotans in several areas of the state are fighting to keep their homes and cities dry today. State safety officials say water levels are quickly meeting levels last seen during the major floods of 1997. The main trouble areas are in the Red River Valley. In Breckenridge the river could reach 19 feet, which is 9 feet above flood stage. The situation is improving in Crookston, where the Red Lake River has crested at just over 26 feet and is dropping. Communities along the Minnesota River are expecting crests later this week. In Montevideo, Mayor Jim Curtiss has put out a call for volunteers to help fill 25-thousand sandbags. He says so far, the response has been only fair.
April 10, 2001 - Farmers in the United States who grow food organically--- without using chemicals --- are in the minority. Not so in Cuba. In the past decade that island nation turned from growing food using chemicals, heavy machinery and huge farms....in favor of small-scale organic farming and urban gardens. Production of vegetables has soared....which has attracted attention from experts in the United States ... and Minnesota. In the second of a series of reports on Cuban agriculture, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky takes a look at one country's experience using organic farming methods to feed a nation.
April 10, 2001 - President Bush wants to eliminate emergency farm spending as part of his new budget plan. Over the past three years, Congress has provided $25 billion in special assistance to compensate farmers for falling commodity prices and weather-related crop losses. The Bush plan would cut about 6 and a half billion in emergency reserves from the Department of Agriculture's 2002 budget. Steven Taff is a Professor of Agriculture and Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. He says the President's proposal isn't as dramatic as it sounds.
April 10, 2001 - Minnesota director of Emergency Management and MnDOT are examining the floods and what potential problems that could arise.
April 10, 2001 - Xcel Energy is planning to complete the final phase of the nation's largest windfarms next year in southwest Minnesota. Public meetings on the project will be held tonight and tomorrow night in Lake Wilson. Most residents have embraced wind power, but near the town of Chandler one farmer sacrificed a great deal of money to oppose the modern day wind mills. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports:
April 11, 2001 - Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson. The heaviest rain is yet to come. Meteorologist Greg Gust is with the National Weather Service in Grand Forks. He says most of the heavy rain is centered in Nebraska but it is moving into the region.
April 11, 2001 - The average Minnesota farmer is 50 and earns about $12,000 after expenses. It is hard for beginner farmers to get a good start.
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April 11, 2001 -
April 11, 2001 - INTRO: Cuba is in the middle of an unprecedented experiment in organic agriculture. When the Soviet Union collapsed ten years ago, so did Cuba's economy, and before long the island nation faced a severe food shortage. Without enough money to import food, or the fuel and fertilizer to grow it, the Cuban government made a bold move --- embracing alternative agricultural methods including organic farming and natural pest control. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky traveled to Cuba with a group of Minnesota agriculture experts. In the last of her series of reports, she takes a look at the lessons Cuba may have for other nations.