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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MN: Sustainable Agriculture and Farming

Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, the founder of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance and co-founder of Tree-Range Farms. These entities have created an
Midwest network of regenerative farmers is rethinking chicken

By Twilight Greenaway for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Publi…

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According to the Clean Grid Alliance, Minnesota farmers, ranchers and landowners receive nearly $9 million annually from land lease payments related to solar projects on their property. (Adobe Stock)
MN landowners warming up to solar

Drive around rural Minnesota and you might spot a solar farm. Complexities are being sorted out for bigger projects and in the meantime, farmers are …

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To date, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has made available $1.25 billion dollars in new grant funding for farmers and rural small business owners to add clean energy technology to their properties. (Adobe Stock)
Feds beef up hiring to help rural America with clean energy grants

Federal grant money is flowing in to help farmers and smaller businesses in rural communities adapt to clean energy technology. Minnesota is among …

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Beyond boosting land access, Minnesota's Route 1 organization is using a new grant to help emerging BIPOC farmers enhance their marketing operations. (Adobe Stock)
Farm innovations in MN seen as tool in ending racial hunger divide

Among Black Minnesotans, some 25% are food insecure. An emerging initiative aims to connect BIPOC communities with healthier and culturally …

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Using federal incentives, the USDA is calling on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations to add anaerobic digesters that collect methane from manure to be used for electricity. But conservation groups countered it will do little to reduce harmful emissions from industrial ag operations. (Adobe Stock)
Family farm groups blast conservation incentives for industrial ag

Minnesota has been in the headlines over nitrate levels in drinking water and some conservation groups argued industrial farms are being given too man…

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Agrivoltaics is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the use of land for both agriculture and solar-energy generation. Above is an example of a Minnesota project, where farmers are growing crops at a solar site. (Photo courtesy of Connexus Energy)
Growing veggies with a side of solar cuts emissions, boosts land access

The arrival of fall has farmers transitioning to the harvest season, but what if some gathered their crops with rows of solar panels right alongside …

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Federal conservation programs are designed to help farmers implement practices that make their land more resilient to climate change, including improving soil health. (Adobe Stock)
Report: Still Room for Growth Under Ag Conservation Programs

There are longstanding federal programs that help farmers adopt climate-friendly practices in working their land. But a new report says despite some …

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A researcher examines Kernza grains. (The Land Institute)
Perennial Grains: For Beer, Bread and the Fight Against Climate Change

By Jake Christie for Great Lakes Echo. Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection, reporting for Great Lakes Echo/Solutions …

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According to recent USDA 'Farm to School' Census data, Minnesota schools that responded reported spending 13% of their budgets on local products. (Adobe Stock)
Disadvantaged MN Farmers to See New Business with School Meals

Farmers of color in Minnesota are expected to see new opportunities to get their products into school lunch programs. Their advocates said a major …

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Rotational grazing, a popular form of regenerative agriculture, involves moving animals through pasture to improve soil health. (Adobe Stock)
MN Farmer to Congress: Protect Small Producers, Food Security

A U.S. House subcommittee held a hearing Tuesday highlighting the threat climate change poses to the world's food supply, and how farmers can be …

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Minnesota officials say conservation practices, through its Water Quality Certification Program, have reduced nitrogen loss on farmland up to 49%. (Adobe Stock)
MN Farmers Given Bigger Opportunity to Be 'Climate Smart'

From extreme drought to wet springs, Minnesota farmers are seeing firsthand the impact of climate change. To help address the growing threat…

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While popular in summer, nearly $20,000 in Market Bucks were spent during the winter season at Minnesota farmers markets, according to the last annual report for the program. (Adobe Stock)
MN Lawmakers Urged to Spare 'Market Bucks' Funding

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. - A popular program that gives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients better access to healthier foods at Minnesota …

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