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Agribusiness

Cover crops, strip-till synergy builds soil health

The Ryberg family farm adds a fertilizer floater to speed post-harvest cover crop application and improve soil health on more acres. While converting naysayers isn’t the motto of this central Minnesota farm, Brian Ryberg’s efforts to adopt strip-till and cover crops in his heavy clay soils in 2014 set the coffee shop abuzz and kept area farmers watching his fields and yields. “The longtime philosophy in this corn, ethanol and sugar beet area was that heavy tillage was necessary to warm up the soils and drain the fields. We all thought only black soil would grow corn-on-corn,” ...

Low waterway levels threaten ag supply chain

Diminished water levels of the Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois rivers are throwing another curve ball at the agricultural supply chain. Due to record low rainfall in some areas, the water depth along the U.S. navigable waterways is limiting the efficiency of barge transportation, concerning agricultural shippers and growers who depend on the inland waterways to get their beans to market. The inland waterways system is the most cost-efficient mode of transporting agriculture and is significantly more fuel efficient than transporting products the same distance via truck. Officials with ...

Funds available to update livestock operations

ST. PAUL — Minnesota livestock farmers and ranchers seeking to improve their operation are encouraged to apply for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Livestock Investment Grant program. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture anticipates awarding approximately $1.3 million using a competitive review process. Applications for the grant will be accepted until Nov. 15. A second round will open only if the MDA does not receive enough quality applications in this first round. The MDA will issue a second RFP if there are any remaining funds by spring 2023. ...

Smith listens for rural issues to put in Farm Bill

MANKATO — Scouting for issues to address in the next Farm Bill, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota led a roundtable discussion with area civic, business and state agency leaders rural development issues Thursday at Pioneer Bank. A number of people said more public-private partnerships, direct funding and federal loans are needed for future housing projects, especially in rural cities. Smith said U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development has many different programs to address the needs and serve communities in rural regions. St. Peter City Administrator Todd Prafke ...

Pea plant tour shows innovations in agriculture

DAWSON — New growth in terms of economic growth and new crop varieties was in the spotlight at an event for area legislators on Thursday. A group of state lawmakers toured the PURIS pea protein plant near Dawson, and also spoke with representatives of the University of Minnesota’s ...

Finstad: Investigate foreign investment in US farms

Office of U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad WASHINGTON — In a letter to the Government Accountability Office, U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, joined House Republicans ing calling for a study of foreign investment in U.S. farmland and its impact on national security, trade and food security. “Foreign-owned or leased acres drive up prices and make it more and more difficult for family farms to compete, said Finstad. “I know firsthand the importance of keeping farmland in the family, and the reality is, more than 37 million acres of American farmland are owned by foreign ...