December 22, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports on the people behind the balsam boughs in Minnesota.
December 23, 1998 - In these days of plastic, tinsel and even aluminum christmas trees, many people prefer the smell of a REAL tree. An increasing number of Americans are returning to the tradition of cutting their own Christmas tree... But as Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports this surge in sales comes as many Christmas tree growers are getting out of the business... Driving down the lane through Sherman Mandt's 60-acre tree farm near Perham, Minnesota...Durk and Bobbie Currier and their three children are trying to pick the perfect Christmas tree. Bobbi Currier explains the difficulty:
December 23, 1998 - Elk once roamed much of Minnesota, but unregulated hunting in the 1800s so reduced the elk population it's now limited to a handful in the northwestern part of the state. A herd of about 30 animals lives near the town of Grygla, a product of an elk reintroduction program in 1935. Since then, the herd has been the subject of controversy because of damage it has caused to local crops. As Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji, the Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comment on a draft management plan for how best to deal with Minnesota's elk.
December 23, 1998 - Greg Lemond retired from the world of cycling four years ago, but his bike hasn't had a chance to get rusty. He spent two weeks last January riding from Hanoi to Ho Chi Min city on "The Vietnam Challege" organized by World Team Sports. The 12-hundred-mile ride was the first officially sanctioned event between the United States and Vietnam. It brought together veterans, many who were disabled, from both countries. Participants hoped to heal some of the wounds caused by the Vietnam war. Lemond went along to lend encouragement, help change flat tires and offer support. A new film, which will air on NBC Saturday afternoon, brings the 16-day adventure to life. Lemond says it was the most amazing ride of his life:
December 23, 1998 - The U.S. was once a nation of farmers. But now, we're a country full of people who's families once farmed...so the story of foreclosure, bankruptcy and the letting go of a lifestyle is not uncommon. One South Dakota family experienced all of that a decade ago. Their story is still an open wound filled with anger, defeat, revenge and hope. Mainstreet Radios Cara Hetland reports: Bill was born and raised on a farm in southeastern South Dakota. For 19 years, his live was measured by the weather and the sky as he worked the soil raising corn, soybeans and lifestock. Today it doesn't matter how much rain falls or how dry the land is as Bill goes to work in Sioux Falls..
December 23, 1998 - Low prices for this year's crops have left many farmers struggling... and now, they're making decisions for the next planting season. With both crop and livestock prices the lowest they've been in decades, farmers may have to diversify in order to make it as agriculture changes. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: Pioneer seed salesman Brian Jergans finishes up a sale for next spring. Most farmers buy their seeds early, to get in on price breaks and to ensure they'll get the seed they want. This year, farmer Jim Lammers will buy ten different varieties of corn. Salesman Brian Jergans encourages customers to test varities and check data over three years before ordering large quantities.
December 24, 1998 - While its members haven't been chaining themselves to trees, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the country hasn't been absent from the fight to stop the rerouting of highway 55. Local members of the Sierra Club have been using the courts to fight their battle. Jill Walker is a local Sierra Club volunteer. She says her organization can't condone the civil disobedience tactics protesters at the site have engaged in, but she does think their methods can be effective.
December 24, 1998 - Despite a court order barring them from the site... Earth First !and Mdewaketan-Sioux protesters chained themselves to trees today at the site of the proposed re-routing of highway 55. The group is asking for a restraining order to prevent authorities from clearing trees, the group says are sacred, from the site. So far, police have not arrested the protestors. On Sunday authorities arrested 33 people who had occuppied government-owned homes on the site. Protester Bob Greenberg says he does not know what the authorities plan to do about this latest occupation, but he says the group will continue its protest despite the cold weather.
December 28, 1998 - On Sunday March 29th a huge storm tore across more than 60 miles of south/central Minnesota. The storm took out much of the small town of Comfry. Then, around 5:30 pm, an F3 tornado, carrying winds of up to 206 miles per hour, smashed through St. Peter. Two people died--one, a boy just six years old.
December 29, 1998 - Most farmers in our area will shudder when they think back on 1998. The agricultural economy moves in well defined peaks and valleys. 1998 was a valley. Nearly every farmer felt the disquieting unknown of economic hard times. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports: The seeds of the farm slump were as farflung as the asian financial crisis and as down-home as weather, overproduction and disease. It was a year when Minnesota farmers took home their first billion bushel corn crop, a record soybean harvest and wagons full of red ink. The farm crisis o