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.
In the southern Twin Cities suburb of Eagan, more than 40 growers sought a restraining order against a nearby resident who police say used a loaded shotgun to threaten a Hmong couple working in the field. Farmers' advocates say the case is extreme, but it's not uncommon for the Asian growers to encounter hostilities as their search for rentable farmland takes them into the fringes of the metro area.