Lessons from the Dust Bowl: A cleaner Mississippi is rooted in a new farming paradigm
Our agricultural practices caused disastrous dust storms like this one in Kansas in 1935. Generations later, the way we farm has again led to grave challenges — unsafe drinking water and the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. What can the Dust Bowl teach us about how to move forward? >>
Leading scientists to UN: Slash nitrogen waste — or else!
We're not the only region working to stem nitrogen pollution. Scientists are calling on the United Nations to focus on this serious issue worldwide. >>
Stormwater's hidden perils
As our climate changes and water infrastructure ages, the challenges of water management are becoming more severe. Ultimately, our changing climate means that Minnesota faces more — and more powerful — storms, leading to sewage emergencies, mega-storms, sandbagged lake houses and twelve billion-dollar price tags. >>
UN: Global warming is splintering our food supply
Agriculture is a major driver of climate change, but it can also be a big part of the solution. The future of the planet relies on shifting to sustainable practices more rapidly than ever before. >>
"Workhorse" Minnesota River needs our help
The Star Tribune recently highlighted the state's $360 million plan to turn things around for the Minnesota River and cut the river's sediment levels in half. Will it be enough? >>
Attack of the killer... algae?
A destructive storm can have a silver lining; Hurricane Barry seems to have lessened the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone. But this year's algae blooms are still hurting Minnesota's waterways. >>
Listen: Kernza's continuous cover
What is Kernza and why do some experts think it's such a big part of Minnesota's farming future? In the Land Stewardship Project's Ear to the Ground podcast, learn more from the people working to advance this exciting new crop. >>
Self-inflicted brain drain at USDA threatens farm economy
Leaders at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are plowing forward with the relocation of two major research agencies, a move that threatens to push out hundreds of career staffers and undermine scientific inquiry. The country can't afford this setback at a time when the farm economy is threatened from all sides and clear analysis of these threats is paramount. >>
Downstream damage: how the Midwest kills fish in the Gulf of Mexico
Scientists predict the formation of an enormous dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, and some of the blame lies right here in Minnesota. Find out what links us to an ocean half a continent away, and how we can help. >>
Downstream damage
The Mississippi River Delta as seen from the International Space Station this April shows the result of widespread flooding: sediment washed downstream and into the water along the coastline, which may lead to another near-record dead zone. (Image ISS059-E-36323 courtesy of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center.)
Scientists predict the formation of an enormous dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, and some of the blame lies right here in Minnesota. Find out what links us to an ocean half a continent away, and how we can help. >>