Collection
Farming: Minnesota's agricultural landscape
Agriculture has been an integral part of Minnesota’s land and water for a thousand years. While crops have changed, the spirit of farming has remained constant. MPR Archive presents a selection of stories that reflect the diversity of what has been harvested, such as corn, soybeans, wild rice, and even tree fiber. This collection is also about the many hands that toil and water the soil…from the migrant farm worker in Red River Valley’s sugar beet fields, the Hmong immigrant planting near Homer, the Chanarambie Township farmer amidst the 1980s farm crisis, to the Ojibwe members following ancient harvesting traditions.
115 Collection Items
- As milk prices dropped, these Minnesota farmers put their cows out to cuddle
MPR’s Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval reports that as milk prices dropped, a family dairy farm in the town of Corcoran has put their cows out to cuddle…thus, Curious Cows and Company was born. For $25, anyone can spend 30 minutes with their calves, brushing their coats and feeding them hay.
- North Star Journey: Hmong immigrants put down roots on Dakota County farmland
MPR’s Jon Collins profiles Hmong immigrants who have put down roots on Dakota County farmland. The Hmong American Farmers Association closed on farmland just south of the Twin Cities in Dakota County in 2022. The more than 150 acres are home base for the organization and 20 families of Hmong farmers.
- Appetites: North Star Journey Project - Foraged plants form a connection to the earth
On this Appetites segment, a MPR’s Mecca Bos presents a story from the North Star Journey Project. Bos profiles Dream of Wild Health Farm in Hugo, Minnesota. It is one of the few Native-led farms in the Twin Cities, with a focus on the indigenous tradition of utilizing edible plants.
- Sharing Our Roots - Northfield farm expands land access for immigrant, newly emerging farmers
MPR’s Hannah Yang reports on Sharing Our Roots, a nonprofit group that creating a support system for beginning and newly emerging farmers and BIPOC farmers. It also teaches regenerative agriculture techniques while also addressing food insecurity within southern Minnesota.
- Drought hits farmers, ranchers hard
MPR’s Dan Kraker profiles framers and ranchers in north central Minnesota as they battle against the toll of severe drought conditions. Kraker also talks with climatologists about dry weather.
- CSA - with a twist - aims to create 'deeper understanding' of Hmong art, farmers
MPR’s Nancy Yang reports that art and farming join forces when the Hmong American Farmers Association and a trio of Twin Cities artists add a new staple to the CSA produce box. The result is ArtCrop.
- 'Seeds of Change' photo exhibit documents Hmong farm project
MPR’s Marriane Combs reports on "Seeds of Change" exhibit at Museum of American Art in downtown St. Paul. The exhibit focuses on the creation of a Hmong collective farm and illustrates how the project is allowing farmers to plan — and plant — for the future.
- State Fair U: How 'bout them apples?
On this episode State Fair U, Morning Edition Producer Jim Bickal visits the Agriculture Horticulture Building to get a lesson in Minnesota-style apple-making from Peter Moe, director of operations and research at the U of M's Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
- Immigrant farmers try to get beyond farmers markets
Immigrant farmers are fixtures at farmers' markets in the Twin Cities. But they don't sell as much to restaurants, grocery store chains, or direct to consumers through CSAs. In Minnesota, these are barriers that Hmong, Latino and African farmers face as they try to make a living off the land.
- Vegetables, tension grow on Hmong American farm
MPR’s Laura Yuen reports that Hmong American farmers are searching for undeveloped farmland in the Twin Cities, fueled by the growing demand for locally grown produce. But Asian growers sometimes encounter hostilities.