agriculture

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?  >>

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.  >>

We didn't pay MPR to write that headline, but it's exactly the message we want people to understand. >>

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?  >>

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently released a series of reports, studies and plans addressing water contamination in the Minnesota River, the biggest tributary to the Mississippi in our state. It looks like the river is in need of some big changes if we're to meet our state's water quality goals. >>

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.  >>

A recent National Public Radio story highlighted the risks that climate change may pose to both farm operations and Americans' pocketbooks in the years to come.  >>

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.  >>

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.  >>