April 9, 2001 - There's a new revolution on the island nation of Cuba --- this time in the production of food. The collapse of the Soviet Union forced Cuba to turn to small-scale organic farming and urban gardens. This dramatic agricultural transformation is unparalleled in the world today. And American agricultural experts, including some Minnesotans, are taking notice. In the first of a series of reports on Cuban agriculture, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky takes a close look at Cuba's new urban gardens.
April 9, 2001 - Like many writers, Australian author Richard Flanagan wanted to write about what he knew and loved. His experiences, though, are a little out of the ordinary. He grew in Tasmania, the island a couple of hundred miles off the Australian coast, and worked as a river guide on the Franklin River which rages through the wilderness. As a result his novel "Death of a River Guide" is a little out of the ordinary too. It tells the story of a man with his head jammed between two rocks underwater who is slowly drowning. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he wasn't sure how to write a book but knew he wanted to...as he puts it... "sing his world into being."
April 9, 2001 - The possibility of getting 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/2 inches of rain could mean higher waters.
April 9, 2001 - A dike is being made on Harriet Island.
April 9, 2001 - The Minnesota River is expected to crest seven-feet above flood stage on Saturday in Granite Falls. The town has constructed an emergency levee across the street from City Hall and is suplementing that with sandbags. Bill Lavin is the city manager of Granite Falls. He says the town needs lots of volunteers to help:
April 9, 2001 - The city of Crookston narrowly avoided disaster early this morning when ice jams caused the Red Lake River to jump two feet in a matter of minutes. The river is *now* slowly dropping, but city officials are concerned waterlogged levees may fail if rain later this week pushes the river higher again. Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
April 10, 2001 - Flood fighters across Minnesota are watching the river, and the skies. With a lot of rain in the forecast, river crest projections have been raised across the region. Along the Red River in the north, devastated by the flood of 1997, officials say they are confident they can handle the higher water levels, although some will add a couple more feet to their dikes. Along the Minnesota River and the Mississippi, where communities had problems in 97, but on a lesser scale, there's now greater concern. National Weather Service Hydrologist Gary McDevitt says taking projected rainfall over the next few days into account, there could be record water levels.
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.