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Tag: Farmers

  • Trump considers massive bailout of at least $10 billion for American farmers hurt by his trade war

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    Washington (CNN) — American farmers are having a tough year, in no small part because of President Donald Trump’s trade war. Now, the White House is gearing up to extend them a multi-billion-dollar bailout, sources tell CNN.

    Surging costs and foreign retaliation from tariffs have hurt the US agriculture industry — as have immigration-related labor shortages and plummeting commodity prices. Farm production expenses are estimated to reach $467.4 billion in 2025, according to the Agriculture Department, up $12 billion from last year.

    Farm bankruptcies rose in the first half of the year to the highest level since 2021, according to US courts data.

    Trump’s policies have exacerbated those woes, from the deportation of the industry’s key migrant workforce to renewed trade tensions between the United States and China. And for traditional American crops, such as soybeans, the situation has grown particularly precarious.

    “There’s no doubt that the farm economy is in a significant challenge right now, especially our row croppers,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters Tuesday. “So not just soybeans, although I think they’re probably the top of the list, but corn, wheat, sorghum, cotton, et cetera.”

    Indeed, the US soybean industry has become the poster child of the farm economy’s plight in the first year of Trump’s second term. The president recognizes these problems, White House officials tells CNN, and has increased pressure on his administration to address them urgently.

    Over the past few weeks, the White House has held a series of interagency meetings with the Departments of Agriculture and Treasury as they attempt to finalize a relief package for US farmers, the sources said. Discussions over the best way to aid the agriculture industry are ongoing, the officials said, but they have zeroed in on two options.

    “There are a lot of levers we can use to help ease the pain they are feeling,” one of the officials told CNN. One idea, floated publicly by Trump as recently as Wednesday, is to give farmers a percentage of the income the United States is receiving from the administration’s tariffs on goods being imported into the country.

    “We’ve made so much money on Tariffs, that we are going to take a small portion of that money, and help our Farmers. I WILL NEVER LET OUR FARMERS DOWN!” Trump wrote on social media this week. The other is tapping into a “slush fund,” as the officials described it, at the Department of Agriculture.

    The Trump administration also dipped into the fund, known as Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), in March to similarly provide assistance to farmers. USDA at the time issued $10 billion in direct payments to eligible agricultural producers of eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year.

    The administration has also discussed implementing a combination of the two, depending on where they can most quickly pull the funds from, one White House official said. The current range of aid they are looking to offer ranges from $10 billion to $14 billion.

    “The final figure will depend on how much farmers need and the amount of tariff revenue coming in,” the official told CNN.

    Trump himself as privately been applying pressure on his team to ensure that American farmers, many of whom the Trump administration credit for helping the president win the November 2024 election, are protected. But the other reason they are making the agriculture industry such a priority, officials say, is because the Trump administration views protecting farmers as a national security issue.

    “We need to grow our own food. We can’t rely on imports from other countries, that poses a problem for national security. And right now, the government is subsidizing a lot of that process,” one Trump administration official argued.

    US soybean industry in crisis

    An issue complicating the Trump administration’s goals revolve around soybeans — America’s largest agricultural export, valued at more than $24 billion in 2024, according to USDA data.

    Last year, about half of those exports went to China, but since May, that’s dropped down to zero as a result of an effective embargo China has placed on US soybeans in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs on the country. China has implemented 20% tariffs on US soybeans, making the crop from other countries significantly more attractive.

    That couldn’t come at worse time for soybean farmers, with the harvest season in full swing and some farms reporting strong yields. And their luck might not change anytime soon, with Beijing ramping up its reliance on South America — inadvertently aided the US Treasury’s financial lifeline provided to Argentina in recent weeks.

    A combine harvester during a soybean harvest at a farm outside St. Peter, Minnesota. Credit: Ben Brewer/Bloomberg / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Last week, the Trump administration said it would arrange a $20 billion lifeline to Argentina’s central bank, which would exchange US dollars for pesos to help stabilize Argentina’s financial market. Argentina also temporarily scrapped export taxes on grains to help stabilize the peso, but China didn’t waste any time.

    Beijing purchased “at least 10 cargoes of Argentine soybeans,” according to a report from Reuters. Brazil has also helped meet China’s demand for soybeans, with both countries announcing a pact in July to deepen agricultural trade ties.

    As a result, America’s hobbled soybean industry is calling on the Trump administration to finish its trade negotiations with China.

    “US soybean farmers have been clear for months: the administration needs to secure a trade deal with China. China is the world’s largest soybean customer and typically our top export market,” American Soybean Association President Caleb Ragland said last week in a statement.

    Pressure on Trump

    Many farmers say time is of the essence as they start to bring in this year’s crop.

    “We’re always hopeful that those negotiations are moving forward, but yet with harvest here, patience may be running thin,” one Indiana farmer told CNN, describing the industry’s many challenges, which also include the deportation of key workers.

    Trump has heard the calls for action.

    On Wednesday, Trump blamed China for the pain soybean farmers are facing, arguing Beijing is refusing to buy soybeans for negotiating purposes amid the two countries’ tariff dispute. He added that he plans to make soybeans “a major topic of discussion” when he meets face-to-face with China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea next month.

    Part of the reason Trump has given the issue so much attention, White House officials say, is because Rollins has forced the issue with not only the president, but also one of his closest advisers: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

    On Tuesday, a photo of Bessent’s phone captured by the Associated Press went viral, showing a text from a contact named “BR,” presumed to be Rollins. Her messages illustrated panic within the Trump administration over the soybean industry’s woes, which worsened over the Argentina ordeal.

    During this “time of uncertainty” for farmers and ranchers, Rollins said that she is in “constant communication” with the White House and partners across the government. Rollins also called Trump’s idea of temporarily giving tariff revenue to farmers “a very elegant solution.”

    “To this moment of uncertainty, the ability to offset any payments to the farmers through potential tariff revenue is really where the president wants us to head, and that’s what we’re looking at,” she added.

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    Alayna Treene, Bryan Mena and CNN

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  • What Happens to School Lunches in the MAHA Era?

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    But, whatever the legislation’s flaws, the U.S.D.A.’s own research indicated that kids were generating about as much waste five years after the law was passed as they were before. A small 2015 study showed that, after the law was implemented, kids were eating significantly more fruit and more of their school-provided meals over all, and throwing less food away. And, despite overreliance on ultra-processed foods, school cooks still managed to nourish kids as well or even slightly better, on average, than parents who prepared their kids’ lunches at home. Lauren Au, a nutrition professor at the University of California, Davis, co-authored a 2019 paper showing that kids who eat school-provided breakfast every day consume modestly more fruits and vegetables, dairy, whole grains, calcium, and dietary fibre than kids who eat school breakfast less frequently or not at all; school lunches provided better returns on dairy and calcium. “It’s extremely frustrating when you have R.F.K., Jr., saying that school lunches are poison, because it stigmatizes eating school meals,” Au said.

    Juliana Cohen, a professor of nutrition and director of the Center for Health Innovation, Research, and Policy at Merrimack College, told me that lunches brought from home tend to benefit from a nutritional “halo effect.” “Typically,” she said, “you have your sandwich, which is ultra-processed bread and ultra-processed deli meat. And then you have a fresh fruit or vegetable”—which may or may not be organic—“and then you have something crunchy, which is usually prepackaged, usually ultra-processed.” The MAHA Mom social-media landscape is filled with ideas for healthy bring-from-home lunches, but no amount of parental ingenuity can completely rescue families from the totalizing industrial food systems that schools are also forced to navigate.

    For years, Cohen has studied consumption patterns of school-provided meals across the country, working with cafeteria staff and a team of researchers to weigh and log what kids leave behind on their lunch trays, down to the last chicken-nugget shard or mushy apple core. Cohen and other researchers have identified many subtle fixes that improve kids’ eating habits. If a cafeteria staff has the time, personnel, and cutting boards to pre-slice their apples, the apples become more enticing to the youngest kids and to kids of any age who wear braces. A salad bar is superior to individual servings of salad, because kids like autonomy wherever they can find it. A few years ago, Aimee Haag’s schools, in Minnesota, installed bulk milk dispensers in their cafeterias, “because the kids like to serve themselves and be in charge,” she told me. “It’s cold, awesome milk from nearby, consumption has gone up, we’re not throwing away the cartons, we don’t have these leaky, smelly bags of old milk.”

    All of these interventions cost money—and even the most prominent advocates of improved child nutrition and farm-to-school programs may not grasp the economic realities of public-school kitchens. In “A School Lunch Revolution,” Waters explains, “My colleagues and I started this book by challenging ourselves to make menus and cook dishes that fell within the guidelines of the U.S.D.A.’s school lunch reimbursement program.” For the 2023-24 school year, she notes, the reimbursement rate was four dollars and twenty-five cents for lunch and about half that for breakfast. But those figures are a per-student average of a meal program’s entire budget: not just food but staff salaries, equipment maintenance, trays, cutlery, and napkins. In actuality, schools have about two bucks per lunch. “When you are buying locally and seasonally, food is inherently more affordable,” Waters writes. But not that affordable.

    In addition to disappearing the U.S.D.A. programs, the Trump Administration will also oversee deep slashes to the SNAP food-assistance program, as laid out in the Big Beautiful Bill. The SNAP cuts will mean that fewer children will be automatically eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch at school, and fewer schools will be able to continue offering universal free-meal programs. MAHA’s stated commitment to improving child nutrition and the Administration’s antipathy toward social services are apparently incompatible. “This is where the contradiction is,” Christopher Bosso, a professor of public policy and political science at Northeastern University, said. “If you’re truly going to carry out the values of what MAHA professes, the question is how it can be done in a conservative administration that is, by its very nature, not inclined toward regulation and not inclined to spend money on government programs.”

    On the first Friday morning in September, at the Academy School, in Brattleboro, Vermont, Sterling, the food-service director, showed me around the kitchen. “A stump speech of mine is that dishwashers are the most important piece of equipment,” he said. “They dictate how much scratch cooking you can do, how many dishes and trays you can clean up.” Until recently, Academy, a public school that enrolls more than three hundred elementary-age students, had a single dishwashing machine that could handle one large sheet pan at a time. “That’s someone’s whole job at the end of the day,” Sterling said.

    A giant pot of macaroni and cheese was burbling on the stovetop, tended by one of three stoic kitchen staff. Parents of young children revere mac and cheese as a dinner item both mindless and magic: boil the water, pour the shells, dump in the radioactive-orange powder, and shortly it all disappears. But the degree of difficulty is much higher for cooks who have to produce hundreds or even thousands of servings per day of something that’s ideally cheap, delicious, local, and adherent to U.S.D.A. nutrition requirements—while also anticipating revamped nutrition rules that may make their jobs harder or easier, that may land tomorrow or never land at all.

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    Jessica Winter

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  • 4 more turkey farms in Minnesota hit by bird flu, officials report

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    How Minnesota’s turkey farmers are fighting bird flu



    How Minnesota’s turkey farmers are fighting bird flu

    02:28

    Avian influenza has been found in flocks at four more turkey farms in Minnesota, according to animal health officials. This comes mere weeks after officials last reported the spread of the disease. 

    The H5N1 virus, colloquially known as bird flu, has been found in flocks at commercial turkey farms in Le Sueur, Blue Earth and Stearns counties, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health website states. More than 70,000 birds are believed to be affected. 

    Earlier this month, the board said it had detected the virus in a Redwood County flock. It was the first time bird flu had been detected in Minnesota since April 23. 

    Turkey farmers say they are hopeful a vaccine could be available in the next year or two. 

    Minnesota is the nation’s top turkey producer, and the USDA has said turkey remains safe to eat. 

    A nationwide bird flu outbreak that began at the end of 2024 and spread into 2025 sent egg prices soaring and resulted in the first human death linked to the virus in the United States. 

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in January approved more than $1 million in state lottery money to research bird flu in wildlife. Two months later, he promised “a unified front around biosecurity and protection of our agricultural business and the health of Minnesotans.” 

    Note: The video above originally aired Sept. 18, 2025.

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    Alicia Esteban

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  • Minnesota soybean farmers face uncertain future as China shuts out U.S. from market

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    China, the top export market for the United States for soybeans, is not purchasing any of the crop from American farmers right now, leaving Minnesota producers uncertain about the future.

    Minnesota’s 26,000 soybean farmers send 60% overseas and China is their top buyer, according to the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. It’s the number one agricultural export from the state.

    Last year, China purchased $12.6 billion worth of soybeans from the U.S., federal data from the agriculture department shows.

    As harvest season gets underway this year, the country’s orders are $0.

    “Our main exporter, where we export our beans to, is kind of putting up a zero on the board, which is overall, not a great thing for our prices,” said Matt Purfeerst, a sixth-generation corn and soybean farmer in Faribault, Minnesota, where he grows 2,000 acres of soybeans alongside members of his family. 

    Purfeerst said Brazil and Argentina — where China has turned to this fall — are the top competition for American farmers like him and those markets are growing rapidly, outpacing what the U.S. produces. 

    “You just don’t want to lose that market share to them because they just continue to grow acres and grow good crops down there,” he said in an interview Monday. 

    Darin Johnson, president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, last month warned that the protracted trade dispute between the U.S. and China would put pressure and financial strain on farmers this harvest if the situation did not change. 

    He urged President Trump to take action and prioritize soybean producers. 

    “Unfortunately, we’re bearing a lot of this trade war,” he said.

    In an interview with NBC’s “Meet The Press,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the Republican of South Dakota, said farmers would likely need an aid package from Congress as a result and that federal lawmakers could use funds collected from the tariffs to pay for the financial assistance. 

    Purfeerst said he prefers open markets to bailouts. And the strain comes as farmers are feeling the pinch from higher fertilizer prices on the front end, too.

    “A bandaid is great, but you don’t want to impact or damage that relationship long term, whatever the long-term implications might be from losing that [market],” he explained.

    But despite the uncertainty, he remains optimistic farmers will see a rebound. 

    “I think eventually it’s gonna come back. Now the question is, how long is that going to take? No one knows,”  he said. 

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, signed a proclamation Monday declaring this week “Soybean Week” to underscore the role these farmers play in the state’s economy. 

    The 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee took a swipe at Mr. Trump’s policies in a statement. 

    “They’ve produced a bumper crop this year, just to find out they have nowhere to sell their harvest thanks to Trump’s trade policies,” the governor said. “Minnesota’s got the best beans in the world – I encourage Minnesotans to stand with our farmers and continue to advocate for federal trade reform.”

    Caroline Cummings

    Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government. She is thrilled to join the WCCO team.

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    Caroline Cummings

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  • U.S. farmers in a bind as crop prices crash and tariffs drive higher equipment costs

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    U.S. farmers in a bind as crop prices crash and tariffs drive higher equipment costs – CBS News










































    Watch CBS News



    America’s farmers are caught in a crisis between a combination of high operating costs, low commodity prices and lost markets. Lana Zak reports.

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  • Massachusetts cranberry farmers choosing to restore their bogs into wetlands amid economic headwinds

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    Carver, Massachusetts — For Jarrod Rhodes, a fourth-generation cranberry farmer in Carver, Massachusetts, a 30-acre state project is taking a portion of his family’s land back in time.

    “In 10 years, I hope it looks like a natural swamp,” Rhodes told CBS News of the project’s outcome. “And just, kind of, everything that it may have looked like, you know, before we were here.” 

    As cranberry prices fall due to global competition and costs increase due to labor issues, higher utility costs and extreme weather, cranberry farmers like Rhodes are part of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration’s Cranberry Bog Program that pays farmers to turn unproductive bogs back into wetlands.

    The restoration project for the bogs owned by the Rhodes family is about 95% complete. It will be only a matter of time before native plants begin to return. 

    Massachusetts has restored over 500 acres of wetlands over the past 15 years through the program, with another 500 acres planned. 

    According to the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, the state has about 13,250 acres of cranberry farms. Massachusetts is the second-largest grower of cranberries in the U.S. behind Wisconsin, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    The state allocates around $1 million a year to the restoration program, while leveraging other local and federal grants to do these restorations. 

    For Massachusetts cranberry farmers, the program is one way to preserve their land as a generation of farmers nears retirement.

    “They want to make sure that the land that they’ve tended to for so long is like, in good hands, whether that be a restoration program, or passing it on to the next generation,” said Karen Cahill, deputy executive director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association, a trade group which represents cranberry farmers in the state. 

    Under the program, the farmers keep the land, but the public can enjoy it too. An example of a restoration process that worked was the Eel River headwaters in Plymouth in 2010, where 60 acres of former bogs are now beautiful wetlands, filtering water, storing carbon and providing storm resilience. They are also open for hiking and wildlife.

    Beth Lambert helps oversee the state’s restoration program, including the projects at Eel River and Carver.

    “Many of the cranberry farms in Massachusetts were constructed on wetlands,” Lambert said. “And what we’re doing is, we’re restoring those underlying drivers of water, the soil, and then we let Mother Nature take it from there.”

    Back on Rhodes’ farm, streams now wind through areas where cranberry vines once grew.

    “It’s cool to see it kind of all bare,” Rhodes said. “Just kind of waiting for it to grow back and see if it actually works the way that it was supposed to.” 

    Jacob Wycoff

    Jacob Wycoff is a meteorologist at WBZ-TV and will contribute to weekend morning newscasts. Jacob is a member of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society.

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  • Farm Aid 40 takes place; raises funds to help Minnesota farmers

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    Farm aid back on after a long road



    Farm aid back on after a long road

    01:47

    It’s been a long road to get here, but Farm Aid 40 is underway in Minneapolis. The effort behind the show, and what it took to make it happen, was a labor of love.

    Thousands poured into Huntington Bank Stadium. The message? Helping local farmers.

    “We’re in a very struggling spot,” said Paul Sobocinski, a farmer who attended the event.

    Sobocinski believes the event is as critical now as it was when it first started in 1985.

    “We have hope. It’s important to have hope,” said Sobocinski. “Willie Nelson and all the people at Farm Aid have supported family farms through these difficult times.”

    A strike between the University of Minnesota and its service workers put this year’s Farm Aid into question. After settling the strike, the event went forward.

    “It was absolutely worth it. It was totally worth it. It was one of those risks that you don’t have a choice to take,” said Charlotte Ammons, co-executive director of Farm Aid.

    The money raised this weekend will support farm advocacy groups across the U.S., including multiple organizations in Minnesota.

    “Our last grant from Farm Aid was a $10,000 grant, which is extremely generous,” said Sophia Lenarz-Coy, executive director of The Food Group. “We see the results and are able to take that donation and turn it into hands-on support for the farmers in our program.”

    Many at the concert urged action.

    “Speak to your congressional people and say hey, tariffs are not the answers,” said Sobocinski. “We need to keep building relationships with other countries.”

    During its 40 years, Farm Aid says it has raised more than $85 million to support family farmers.

    Adam Duxter

    Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Adam loves all things Michigan, but is thrilled to now call Minnesota home.

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    Adam Duxter

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  • Bob Dylan joins lineup of Minneapolis’ Farm Aid 40, the festival he inspired

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    Minnesota music icon Bob Dylan will take the stage on Saturday at Minneapolis’ Huntington Bank Stadium for the 40th year of Farm Aid, the festival he helped inspire.

    Dylan, 84, joins a star-studded lineup that includes Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Neil Young, Kenny Chesney, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Steve Earle, Waxahatchee and many more.

    Festival officials say it was Dylan’s plea to help farmers during his performance at 1985’s historic Live Aid benefit concert that inspired Nelson, 92, to launch Farm Aid that same year.

    Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth and raised in Hibbing. He studied for a year at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where he entrenched himself in folk music.

    He started performing at a Dinkytown coffee shop and embraced his new moniker before moving to New York City in 1961, at age 20.

    Labor dispute jeopardized festival

    Farm Aid 40 almost didn’t happen, at least at Huntington Bank Stadium, due to the ongoing conflict between the University of Minnesota and its striking Teamster service employees. Farm Aid’s production crew is unionized and refused to cross any picket lines.

    On Friday, Teamsters Local 320 announced it had reached a tentative agreement with the university. That same day, Nelson said he spoke with Gov. Tim Walz, adding he was “grateful that he understands what’s at stake for Farm Aid.”

    “We both know that, ultimately, it’s up to the University to do the right thing, and soon, so that Farm Aid 40 can go forward,” Nelson said.

    First held on the campus of the University of Illinois, Farm Aid has raised more than $85 million for America’s farmers.

    A pre-festival event, Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Takeover, is set for Thursday night at Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis. The event honors the legacy of diverse artists and farmers. 

    Doors open at 7 p.m. and the event starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $33.

    Stephen Swanson

    Stephen Swanson is a web producer at CBS News Minnesota. Stephen was a floor director for a decade before moving to the WCCO-TV newsroom in 2011, where he focuses on general assignment reporting.

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  • Farm Aid to go on after tentative agreement is reached between union, U of M

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    The show will go on for Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis after a tentative deal was reached between the University of Minnesota and members of Teamsters Local 20. 

    Farm Aid, a concert that has helped farmers for decades, will be held at Huntington Bank Stadium next weekend as previously scheduled. 

    However, a strike that began earlier this week involving service members for the university system put that event in jeopardy. That’s because production crew workers for Farm Aid are also union members and weren’t going to work to stand in solidarity with the service workers, who clean buildings, do ground maintenance, make food, drive trucks and more. 

    Late Friday night, a post on the Teamsters 320 Facebook page included a statement announcing the strike’s end following the agreement. Farm Aid also posted to social media, confirming the show will go on. 

    On Friday, organizers posted to social media, saying Willie Nelson has spoken with Gov. Tim Walz and said he is “grateful that he understands what’s at stake for Farm Aid.” Nelson, as well as fellow performers Neil Young and John Mellencamp, have held the event in different cities for the last four decades and raised more than $85 million. 

    “We both know that, ultimately, it’s up to the University to do the right thing, and soon, so that Farm Aid 40 can go forward,” Nelson said.  

    ***UPDATE***
    Farm Aid 40 to Move Forward In Minneapolis

    Farm Aid is grateful that the University of Minnesota and…

    Posted by Farm Aid on Friday, September 12, 2025

    Earlier this year, unionized service workers overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike. Union officials claimed the university’s then-proposed contract included a 2.5% wage increase for the first year and 1% for the following two years. The contract would be in effect for two and a half years, and union leaders add that it would not only allow the school system to pay new hires higher starting wages than current staff in the same position but also increase health care costs by 10%.

    Union leaders go on to claim the university isn’t addressing harassment involving food service workers, adding university data shows disciplinary action against dining employees rose by 96% within two years, and women receive more than half of suspensions and terminations. Leaders add Chartwells Higher Ed. is a division of Compass Group, which has paid more than $30 million in fines and penalties since 2000, including more than $840,000 in penalties for employment discrimination and $9.6 million in employment-related offenses.

    In a statement, the university said at the time it “has negotiated and will continue to negotiate in good faith with Teamsters 320 and made efforts to reach an agreement on an updated contract since negotiations began on March 27.” 

    Details of the latest proposed contract haven’t been disclosed at this time. 

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    Krystal Frasier

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  • Farm Aid concert could be forced to move or cancel if U of M strike isn’t resolved, organizers say

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    An annual festival that raises money for farmers across the country is slated to come to the University of Minnesota next week, but organizers now say the event is in jeopardy if the university’s administration and striking workers cannot come to a deal.

    Farm Aid, an annual festival organized by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, has held events in different cities for the last 40 years, raising more than $85 million. But the financial impacts of moving or canceling the event scheduled for Sept. 20 at the Huntington Bank Stadium “could be devastating,” organizers said.

    They added that workers who were scheduled to begin building the concert stage on Friday will “not cross a picket line.”

    Food service, custodial and maintenance employees working for the university system have been on strike since Monday.  

    “We want nothing more than to hold this event as planned,” Farm Aid said in a statement. “Today, the University’s Teamsters employees are on strike because of the University’s inability to come back to the table to resolve this contract dispute justly. We are deeply concerned that this jeopardizes our ability to hold Farm Aid 40 as planned but primarily puts these workers in a place of hardship as they labor to provide basic needs for their families.”

    In a statement, the university said it “is and will remain highly supportive of farmers. The University of Minnesota values the mission and aim of the Farm Aid festival and has gone above and beyond to partner with the organizers to create an exceptional experience for attendees and artists.”

    “The decision about whether the event moves forward is theirs, it is not a University of Minnesota decision,” the statement goes on to say.

    Members of Teamsters Local 320 are asking for a wage increase that “meets or exceeds” 3.5%, which officials said has been provided to other bargaining units, including graduate students. On Friday, 82% of the 1,400 workers rejected the university’s latest offer.

    The university has called the strikes “disappointing” and assured its system is “prepared to continue vital services to meet the needs of our students, faculty, staff and community.” University officials say they’re at the bargaining table and are “waiting for Teamsters Local 320 to join us.”

    Farm Aid said it is looking at other options for hosting the event, but it is “not an easy task to pivot at this point.” 

    “We urge the University of Minnesota to settle this contract quickly so that Farm Aid 40 can proceed as intended — to celebrate four decades of farmers, music, and solidarity. The world is watching, and together we can make sure this anniversary is remembered for unity, not division,” organizers said.

    WCCO Staff

    The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.

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  • A struggling farmer traded cotton for sheep. Grazing them on solar farms is paying off big.

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    In a dusty Texas field, Chad Raines surveys his new crop — sheep.

    “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would be a shepherd,” Raines said.

    The Raines family has farmed cotton for four generations. But years of bad harvests and low prices drove him to give it up for good.

    “After about three to four years of just not making any progress, just not even breaking — I mean we were losing money and that debt was rolling over, adding to it every year. So I had to look at doing something different. I had to think outside the box,” Raines said.

    So he became part of a growing trend: abandoning traditional farming for what’s called solar grazing, renting out sheep as lawn mowers for solar farms.

    Green energy company Enel North America owns a solar farm near Waco, Texas. With more than a million panels, it’s one of the largest in the U.S.

    “The sheep work when it’s raining, the sheep work when it’s muddy, sheep work at night,” said Adam Sotirakopoulos, who runs the site.

    The sheep do most of the work, keeping vegetation away from the panels while their owners earn steady paychecks.

    Farming has always been a gamble, but the odds have gotten worse recently. A 2024 U.S. Agriculture Department report found close to 40% of small and mid-sized farms operated at a loss the previous year.

    “The small farming is going away. It’s the big companies, the bigger farmers are the ones who can farm a little bit better based on the economies of scale,” Raines said.

    Between low prices and small yields, Raines says if he’d grown cotton, he would have lost almost $200,000 last year. Instead, he cleared a profit of close to $300,000, grazing 6,000 sheep across 20,000 acres while growing a business he can eventually pass on to his sons.

    “One is a college graduate. One is in college, and when he graduates, he’s going to come to the farm as well. There’s plenty of work for all of us,” Raines said.

    Janet Shamlian

    Janet Shamlian is a CBS News correspondent based in Houston, Texas. In a career that spans three decades, Shamlian has covered many of the biggest national and international stories of our time.

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  • Backyard Growcery farmers market sprouts on Wednesday

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    The Gloucester-based food equity nonprofit Backyard Growers’ plans to host the second season of Backyard Growcery with a farmers market that has grown since it kicked off last year at Burnham’s Field in the heart of downtown.

    Starting Wednesday, June 18, the market is scheduled to again run at Burnham’s weekly until Oct. 15, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.


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    By Ethan Forman | Staff Writer

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  • Farm workers running their own farms

    Farm workers running their own farms

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    Farm workers running their own farms – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    Len Ramirez of CBS News Bay Area covers a program that supports farm workers in becoming independent farm operators.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


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  • Minnesota farmers turn to regenerative agriculture to deal with climate extremes

    Minnesota farmers turn to regenerative agriculture to deal with climate extremes

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    COLD SPRING, Minn. — Farmers in Minnesota are in a tough spot. Climate extremes, things like floods and droughts, are hurting production and the state is asking them to cut emissions and do their best to farm sustainably. So what does that look like? 

    At Derek Schmitz’s farm in Cold Spring, they follow a set of land management principles known as regenerative agriculture — essentially trying to work with nature instead of against it to restore and enhance the ecosystem.

    “The reason we moved to it is that it just made sense. Mother Nature always wins,” Schmitz said.

    Just ask farmer John Willenbring. He bought the farm from his father and now rents it out.

    But he decided to make big changes, like getting rid of chemicals on the land because of health concerns and converting the pastures to perennial grasses.

    10p-pkg-regen-farming-p-wcco5rxb.jpg

    WCCO


    Willenbring says the first three years were tough — yield dropped — but then there was healing, which surprised the lifelong farmer.

    “It’s really a good feeling,” he said.

    It’s healing Kent Solberg can see in the soil.

    “Some people say it looks like chocolate cottage cheese or chocolate cake,” he said. “It creates a sponge-like texture to the soil that allows water to infiltrate when it rains, it holds and stores it.”

    Solberg runs his own farm and teaches others around the country how to implement regenerative practices.

    He says the steps Schmitz and Willenbring are taking to restore the landscape are working, and it’s something we should all be invested in.

    “We know there’s a direct correlation between the health of the soil and the nutrient quality of the food we eat,” Solberg said. “If we eat food, if we breathe air, if we drink water, this is something that should resonate with all of us.”

    Farmer Doug Voss says he was able to improve the water quality around his plot of land in Stearns County.

    “We’re standing right next to a well that used to have to test routinely for nitrate levels in their well water,” Voss said. “Now, he’s had undetectable levels of nitrates. We associate that directly with our management practices.”

    He planted multiple crops to increase biodiversity and cut synthetics use. No synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or tillage — the cows do that all on their own.

    “So we emulate nature by keeping the cattle on the land instead of spending so much time working ground, growing crops to store feed,” Voss said. “It is working from a business perspective because we’ve lowered our overheard. We don’t have near the expenses anymore.”

    “We’re making more money, and on top of that, our soils are greatly improving, our cow health is way better than it ever was,” Schmitz said.

    And it makes these farms more resilient to climate extremes.

    “We found with providing adequate rest, everything bounces back so we haven’t had the disaster we anticipated,” Voss said.

    Erin Hassanzadeh


    erin-hassanzadeh.png

    Erin is back home in the Twin Cities after stops in South Korea and Omaha. The Jefferson High School grad (Go Jags!) is excited to get back to storytelling in the community that raised her.

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    Erin Hassanzadeh

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  • 10 Important Questions to Ask Your Farmer at the Market

    10 Important Questions to Ask Your Farmer at the Market

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    What I eat and where my food comes from are very important to me, and I know these are things many of you value as well. As much as I enjoy growing my own garden, both outdoors and indoors, I’m not as consistently skilled at keeping everything alive and thriving. So when seasonal produce is plentiful, I like to rely on my favourite farmers at local markets to keep me stocked. Finding a farmer’s stall that’s a good fit becomes much simpler with a list of crucial questions to ask your farmer at the market.

    Developing relationships with the people who grow your food takes time, but is well worth the effort. When you’re beginning to explore farmers markets and local food, there are a number of ‘first date’ questions you can ask to discover whether the farmer in question is right for you and values the same things you do.

    So today let’s talk about the important questions to ask your farmer at the market. Farmers and food producers are an incredible resource because they’re the ones who are growing the food! I have never met a farmer who doesn’t take pride in his or her work – and farmers are usually happy to chat with you and answer your questions, even during busy market hours.

    The key to asking questions is being nice about it. A part of my creed is to flirt with farmers. Now, in this context, I don’t mean flirt with them to get them into your bed (even if it’s an organic, non-toxic bed), but it’s genuinely a good practice to be respectful, kind and courteous when asking questions about where your food comes from. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, so be sweet.

    Questions to Ask Your Farmer at the Market

    1. What sprays/pesticides/herbicides do you use?

    Some farmers markets have certain rules and restrictions about the types of farming practices they expect from their vendors. But not all do. Ask what kinds of synthetic sprays, pesticides and herbicides farmers use to grow and tend to their produce.

    A meta-analysis of 343 studies concluded that organic produce is higher in antioxidants, lower in pesticide residues and lower in heavy metals than conventional. Reducing our exposure by purchasing pesticide-free fruits and veggies is a fundamental place to start.

    2. What kind of pest control measures do you use? Do you spray all year or at the beginning of the season, or only as needed?

    Some farmers may not use pesticides on a regular basis, but only in special circumstances when there is an infestation or maybe at the beginning of the growing season. Inquire about this, as well as the farmer’s approach to dealing with pests. Pest control is a part of farming no matter what – but methods to deal with it differ.

    Do they choose certain varieties of plants that are more resistant to pests? Do they create an environment that attracts beneficial insects that eat the pests? And do they rotate crops and have other animals on the farm that deal with pests? (What’s a pest to us is dinner to another!)

    3. What kind of soil do you use?

    Fruits and vegetables get their nutrients from the soil – and that means a fruit or veggie is only as nourishing as the soil in which it was grown.

    Great, fertile soil is its own ecosystem, with microorganisms and organisms that work together to break down and create nutrient-rich matter. Soil also works within the larger ecosystem of the farm, including the animals that fertilize or graze, the birds in the area, the water used, the sunshine, and more. A good farmer will understand this symbiotic environment and work to create soil that is nourishing.

    Pesticides, monocropping and tillage all affect soil quality. Research shows that the vitamin and mineral content of our produce has declined in recent decades. An apple your grandmother ate as a child was actually more nutrient-rich than most apples available today.

    Another major issue with soil is soil erosion because of our chemical farming practices. Fertile topsoil takes time to develop, but most crops aren’t given that opportunity. Scientists predict if soil degradation continues at the current rate, we’ll only have 60 years of farming left.

    Scary? Yes. But thankfully, there are farmers who prioritize the integrity of their soil and make sure they create a farm environment that will support future generations.

    4. Do you have any certifications?

    Ask your farmer if he or she has any certifications, such as certified organic or any animal welfare certifications if the farm raises animals. These certifications will vary from country to country.

    Now, normally I say that labels are for tin cans and certifications aren’t the whole story of a farm. But it’s good to know if your farmer has pursued any relevant certifications.

    It’s definitely possible that a farm practices organic and biodynamic growing techniques, but can’t afford the expensive certification process. That’s why it’s equally important to ask about how they grow their food.

    5. What variety of crops do you grow?

    Ask your farmer about the kinds of produce they grow throughout the year and their crop rotation methods. This gives you an indication of whether they are trying to support soil fertility, as different plants take certain nutrients from the soil. Crop rotation allows the soil to rest and replenish.

    Also, asking about what crops they grow tells you what you have to look forward to and if that farmer grows the types of produce you like. There is a cornucopia of fruits and veggies in the world, and maybe that farmer focuses on foods that aren’t your faves.

    6. Do you use GMO seeds?

    Just as the soil is important, so are the types of seeds that are planted in that soil. You know that I am not a proponent of genetically modified foods – you can learn why and how to have a conversation about them if you’re interested.

    7. For animal products: How are the animals housed and treated? What are they fed? How much fresh air and exercise do they get?

    If you eat and buy animal products, it’s important to ask your farmer at the market how they raise animals.

    Organic, grass-fed and pasture-raised animals are more humane and from a nutritional perspective, they actually yield a more nutritious product. Grass-fed beef contains higher amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3s, antioxidants and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which helps with fat burning and protects against carcinogens, artery plaque and diabetes. If you consume dairy, organic milk and organic cheese have more CLA and omega-3s than conventional.

    Ask your farmer how they raise and treat their animals. For a full list of what questions to ask about each specific animal, check out this great resource.

    8. Can I come and visit your farm?

    Most farmers who are proud of what they do and have nothing to hide will be happy to welcome guests to their farms for visits and tours. But don’t show up unannounced whenever you want – ask for a scheduled visit so you know the farmer has the time to show you around when it’s convenient for them.

    Remember that farming is hard work so there may be a certain time of the day that’s the best, so work around the farmer’s schedule.

    9. What are your favourite ways to prepare X?

    Don’t forget that farmers are a goldmine of ideas on the culinary side of things. If they are selling a fruit or vegetable that is unfamiliar to you, ask how to best prepare and use it. For veggies that you know and love, they may give you new ideas and inspiration for cooking and preparation.

    They can also offer great advice about storage, preserving and fermenting, so tap into their culinary prowess.

    10. Do you have a CSA program?

    Community Supported Agriculture – CSA for short – is a wonderful way to support farmers and reap the benefits of the produce they grow. Basically, you purchase a share up front and then once the produce is ready, you get a weekly box for a certain number of weeks. This exposes you to seasonal fruits and veggies and may introduce you to things you’ve never thought to buy before.

    Since you don’t necessarily know what will be in your box each week, it’s a great surprise and allows you to experiment with ‘cooking on the fly’. But if you are panicked by the Iron Chef-style surprise ingredient cooking, this may not be the best option for you.

    More things to consider about participating in a CSA right over here.

    Purchasing from local farmers helps to support the local economy, fuel your optimal health, and improve the environment by reducing the distance that food travels from farm to plate. Chat up your local farmers at the farmers markets and be curious and open-minded – I think you’ll be surprised at how much valuable knowledge you’ll learn.

    Ten Things To Ask Your Farmer At The Market

    Photo Credit: Catherine Farquharson for The UnDiet Cookbook

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    Meghan Telpner

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  • Solar storms cause GPS in tractors to temporarily break during height of planting season

    Solar storms cause GPS in tractors to temporarily break during height of planting season

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    Solar storms disrupts farming tech, planting operations


    Solar storms disrupts farming tech, planting operations

    00:28

    MINNEAPOLIS — The rare geomagnetic storms that brought dazzling colors across the night sky caused some chaos.

    Some navigational systems in farming equipment broke down over the weekend, the New York Times reports.

    Many tractors use GPS to plant precise rows to avoid gaps and overlap. Farmers rely on it to plant more efficiently and precisely.

    The disruption comes during the height of planting season in the Midwest and Canada.

    “I’ve never dealt with anything like this,” Minnesota farmer Patrick O’Connor told the New York Times.

    He says he got into his tractor at 5 p.m. Friday to plant corn when he received a warning from his GPS.

    Landmark Implement, a John Deere dealer in the Midwest, warned farmers about the disruptions. It said the event “extremely compromised” the accuracy of some of its systems.

    “…We expect that the rows won’t be where the AutoPath lines think they are,” Landmark Implement said in a press release. “This will only affect the fields that are planted during times of reduced accuracy. It is most likely going to be difficult – if not impossible – to make AutoPath work in these fields as the inaccuracy is most likely inconsistent.”

    Strong solar storms can impact life in space and on Earth. GPS and communications satellites, and even the power grid can be interrupted.

    Friday’s geomagnetic storm was the strongest in more than 20 years.

    NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center says moderate to strong geomagnetic storms are “likely” on Monday, as well as minor storms on Tuesday. More solar flares are possible.

    NOAA officials said there were reports of “power grid irregularities and degradation to high-frequency communications and GPS” due to the storm.

    Your photos of the northern lights in Minnesota: May 10, 2024


    Your photos of the northern lights in Minnesota: May 10, 2024

    27 photos

    Riley Moser

    Riley Moser is a digital line producer at wcco.com. At WCCO, she often covers breaking news and feature stories. In 2022, Riley received an honorable mention in sports writing from the Iowa College Media Association.

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  • The Vibe is Off for Logan Square Farmers Markets Vendors

    The Vibe is Off for Logan Square Farmers Markets Vendors

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    On the first official weekend of farmers market season in Logan Square, a report about food and produce vendors being shunned in favor of non-food vendors has many questioning the direction organizers are taking the massively popular event which returns Sunday, May 12 at a new site.

    In years past, many non-licensed non-food vendors, or vintage sellers, have set up shop outside the boundaries of the market, capitalizing on the crowds without paying the Logan Square chamber vendor fees. Police fielded complaints about these unsanctioned vendors, as neighbors cited traffic and safety concerns. Quietly, many farmers market vendors questioned if it was fair for them to pay fees while the vintage vendors — selling goods like clothes and art — took advantage.

    Block Club Chicago’s story from earlier in the week shared publicly what many Logan Square vendors had thought for years, that market organizers cared more about creating a summer festival vibe. This distorts the focus of a traditional farmers market. For example, Green City, the not-for-profit organization that holds markets in Lincoln Park, West Loop, and Avondale (in the winter), has a mission statement in which they pledge to secure “the future of food by deepening support for sustainable farmers, educating our community, and expanding access to locally-grown food.”

    But not every shopping mall is upscale with a Coach store. The neighborhood often defines a shopping center or farmers market. That philosophy is consistent with responses from the Logan Square chamber. Eater sent questions to Nilda Esparza, executive director of the chamber — she also organizes the market. Esparza, with the aid of the chamber’s board, emailed responses.

    “We love our farmers, and we serve more and more farmers every year,” a portion of the chamber’s emails reads. “While there may be a broad-based understanding of what farmers markets are supposed to do in general, the Logan Square Farmers Markets specifically is organized by the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce.”

    The chamber also argues that having more non-food stalls better serves the community.

    “The Chamber supports farmers by connecting them to the city dwellers in Logan Square — and many other Chicago neighborhoods — because it believes that this in turn supports businesses and residents in our community,” the chamber’s email continues. “The inclusion of non-food vendors serves the dual purpose of bringing more business to farmers and exposing more people to all that Logan Square and Avondale have to offer.”

    While acknowledging the effort to put on the market, vendors feel Logan Square could still be better organized. Vendors tell Eater they feared retaliation for criticizing Esparza’s decisions, including seemingly being arbitrarily moved around the market to give up prime space to non-food stalls. Hunting around for a stall is hard in a crowd, which impacts sales: “It’s hard to scramble last minute,” one food vendor says.

    Several vendors shared frustration with Esparza about erratic scheduling and said she should take cues from what other markets do. A vendor mentioned they’d like to trade dates with other vendors, but felt they couldn’t even propose the idea thanks to Esparza’s demeanor. Vendors echoed Block Club’s report, that vendors were told not to speak with the media with any concerns. They weren’t threatened with retaliation, but say it was implied.

    The loss of the nearby Discount Megamall, razed in 2016 to make room for a building that includes Andros Taverna and Target along Milwaukee Avenue, may have impacted the farmers market. “Vintage sellers,” or as the chamber calls them, “bazaar vendors,” lost space to sell their wares. Some who might have found a home at the Megamall set up shop in the park next to the market.

    The chamber found itself in a tricky position with safety and traffic concerns mounting. The market was already congested enough. The city’s licensing departments, often criticized in the restaurant world for being slow in recognizing a problem, aren’t helping.

    “We believe that the safest and most productive way to operate the farmers market in the neighborhood, in which we all live and work, is by including non-food vendors under the Logan Square Farmers Market umbrella,” the chamber board responds. “We intend to do this at least until the city provides a licensing rubric for these informal economies.”

    The Megamall situation resembles the plight of local food vendors after the sudden closures of Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market. Vendors like Pretty Cool Ice Cream and Kyoto Black lost their biggest accounts and are looking for ways to compensate.

    Chef Sarah Stegner is a co-founder of Green City and recalls the story of Judy Schad, who founded Capriole Goat Cheese. Schad sold goat cheese at Green City Lincoln Park about seven years ago but found a home at Dom’s — customers can also find the cheese at Whole Foods and other retailers. The farmers market served as an incubator for Capriole.

    The role of incubator is one that Logan Square’s farmers market wants to play, but not just for food vendors. One vendor disparagingly compared the market to a “glorified food hall.”

    Back in 2008, legendary chef and writer Alice Waters visited Chicago and heaped praise on Green City’s mission. Chef Art Smith remembers Waters’ words, particularly her mention of Paris, and the impact the moving of its massive outdoor market, Les Helles, had on the city and its food culture. American dynamics are different, but he sees a similar transformation taking place in Fulton Market, where development has long displaced the meatpacking industry. There’s danger in rupturing connections with foodways in favor of so-called neighborhood revitalization.

    The Logan Square chamber, in a news release, said it’s thankful for Block Club’s report and tried to save face with the public.

    “We can’t comment on the accuracy of peoples’ feelings,’’ a portion of the chamber board’s emailed response to Eater reads. “We trust that they feel and believe that the market is fundamentally unfair. While this saddens us, we remain optimistic. We do know that while we strive constantly for both fairness and transparency in pursuit of our mission to support the business and community of Logan Square and Avondale, we will inevitably disappoint some people along the way.”

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • A Guide to Chicago Farmers Market Etiquette

    A Guide to Chicago Farmers Market Etiquette

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    When I was a teen, attempting to sleep in on Saturdays, I’d wake up and see that my father had already made his weekly visit to the farmers market, coming back with a bouquet of flowers for mom and a bounty of vegetables.

    Why would anyone want to waste their precious weekend time outside in the sun, walking around to buy veggies? You can make a run to the Jewels without sacrificing sleep. The stuff at markets isn’t even cooked.

    But as I grew older, I found myself morphing into the old man. I celebrate the start of the market season and mourn the end as a precursor to winter. Perhaps it’s compensating for my general lack of enthusiasm for the lowly Chicago sports season. It’s nice to look forward to something; farmers won’t let you down like team owners looking for tax incentives.

    This new crop of farmers markets looks different from what my dad visited. Chefs and food entrepreneurs use the markets to help establish their brands. You’ll find long lines waiting for grilled cheese, gooey raclette sandwiches, and coffee.

    Who doesn’t love raclette?
    Ashok Selvam/Eater Chicago

    Farmers markets are essential for urban areas, giving city dwellers better access to fresh produce, something that’s not consistent throughout the city. This has an impact on healthcare. Hospitals want healthier patients — they make money if patients have short stays, opening up beds for new customers. Long stays aren’t as lucrative. Many hospitals host farmers in the hopes of establishing healthier habits for their patient base. The markets are also havens for folks with dogs and young children, and pumped-up athleisure-clad visitors who just finished their workouts will have to avoid leashes and bulky strollers for survival.

    With all of this in mind, I’ve compiled a list of tips for farmers market visitors. Some of them are pet peeves. Some of them come from chatting with chefs and vendors. Please enjoy.

    A group of folks on a farmers market path.

    These folks didn’t get to the market early.
    Ashok Selvam/Eater Chicago

    1. Show up early — as early as 7 a.m. for specialty goods. Dad was on to something — markets are easier to navigate with fewer people. It’s a huge time saver. Waking up earlier than the ones who woke up early to work out not only makes you feel better than them, but it allows you to get to items before they sell out. As chef Sarah Stegner says: “If you see something don’t wait to buy it… it might not be there later — we sell out!”
    2. Stegner, the chef behind Prairie Grass Cafe in suburban Northbrook, is the founding member of Green City. She was recently profiled in Crain’s. Her advice? Try to have a conversation with the farmer — ask them what’s in season and when they harvested the items they’re selling. She mentions a recent conversation about multi-color eggs. She learned the colors denote a different breed, and that chickens with access to pasture produce darker yellow yolks (Stegner feels the darker yolks produce a better taste): “Building a relationship with the people that grow our food by consistently supporting them and opening up a conversation that informs the consumer,” Stegner says.
    3. On a lighter note: keep moving. Most farmers markets are held in parks. If you’re on your phone, with your dog, or clogging up the walkways with a stroller, move. Be considerate. There’s usually a grassy patch of ground where those impromptu confabs can take place without being in the way.
    4. As a dad with a toddler, stroller etiquette fascinates me. There are entitled parents who feel they’re invulnerable and have the right to mow down anyone in their way. Then there are the parents in a rush and are literally on your heels trying to push through crowds. If you’re in a rush, then maybe get to the market early instead of acting like a toddler you’re pushing.
    5. That being said, folks without kids should respect the stroller. An “excuse me” goes a long way instead of pretending you’re at a crowded dive bar putting your shoulder down to get to your table. This isn’t a kid-free zone. Kids have more of a right to be in the park than adults. That’s just how society works, pal.
    6. If you’re able, biking to the farmers market is optimal on nice days. And it’s easier to hunt for parking spaces. Investing in a bike pannier is a wise move.
    7. For those who drive, finding parking isn’t easy. At Green City Market Lincoln Park, folks can buy two-hour parking at the Chicago History Museum parking lot. It’s $14 with a validation card available at all market entrances. The real hack? Buy admission to the museum for validation and spend the day indoors learning something new.
    8. Chef Rick Bayless suggests looking at markets as art fairs. Try to ask personable questions — instead of asking “How do you cook this,” Bayless suggests asking “Do you have a favorite way to prepare this” or “Is there anything you’re really excited to prepare this week?” Building relationships over time pays off. Last summer, Bayless says he asked Patrick Mark from Iron Creek Farm what he was excited about “He picked up one variety of tomato and said, ‘this: raw, salt and pepper.’ There’s so much learning in that! He was telling me that that one variety would never be better than that moment. Appreciate what nature has given us.”
    9. The demand for prepared foods increases each year. Soul & Smoke, an Eater Chicago 38 member, has parked its barbecue truck at Logan Square. The wife-and-husband team of Heather Bublick and D’Andre Carter repeated some of the previous tips (they suggest coming hungry). But they also suggest becoming regulars: “Go back often! Harvests change throughout the season. It’s so amazing to watch the progression from spring, to summer, late summer, and into fall.”
    10. Eden, which runs an Avondale restaurant off the Chicago River, is a new vendor at Green City in 2024. Chef Devon Quinn, who grows a garden outside the restaurant, is the operation’s chief culinary officer for Eden and Paramount Events. He suggests that folks should bring their own crates, reusable bags, and baskets. He also says to ask farmers about “seconds” — the ugly fruits and veggies. “They are perfectly suitable for salsas, fillings, or purées,” he says. In addition, he advises that customers shouldn’t insult farmers and try to barter: “If you want a discount on the produce, go to Aldi’s,” he says. “The growing methods and labor are expensive. You are paying for healthy ingredients and supporting our local economy.”
    11. Bonus: Don’t be this guy.

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    Ashok Selvam

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  • Drones and robots could replace some field workers as farming goes high-tech

    Drones and robots could replace some field workers as farming goes high-tech

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    The fruits and vegetables you eat may soon be cultivated and processed by an army of drones and robots, some powered by artificial intelligence. In fact, it’s already happening on farms across America.

    Hylio, a Houston-based tech company, was granted an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration in February for a single pilot to operate swarms of heavy drones over farms. Three battery-powered drones, some weighing as much as 400 pounds each, can now be used at one time to spray fertilizer and pesticides on fields of produce. That task is typically handled by farm workers or crop-dusting planes.  

    Before the FAA decision, deploying this kind of drone swarm would have required a team of licensed operators, which makes the process more complicated and expensive. Using a swarm of three drones at one time, one operator can spray 150 acres every hour.

    “The exemption we got is precedent setting,” said Hylio CEO Arthur Erickson. “[Our] customers and other companies can now cite it and receive the same permissions.”

    Drones, lasers and robotic “hands”

    Crop-dusting drones were among the many high-tech agricultural tools on display at the February 2024 World Agriculture Expo in Tulare, in the heart of California’s Central Valley.

    More than 1,250 exhibitors appeared at this year’s Expo, which drew more than 100,000 visitors. They observed demonstrations of products including an autonomous crop sprayer and an AI-powered robot that gently picked berries with a silicone “hand.”

    “Every farmer is going to be a coder someday,” said Ethan Rublee, whose company farm-ng demonstrated an all-electric, robotic micro-tractor capable of using AI components that can be programmed to haul equipment, seed, cultivate and spread compost for hours on one charge. The product is called the Amiga.

    Based in Watsonville, which is about an hour’s drive from San Jose, Rublee’s company has caught the eye of Silicon Valley investors.

    “We’ve raised about $16 million total and we’ve been in operation for four years,” he said. “[We have} $10 million in the bank and a team of 30 people, just an amazing an amazing collection of people that are basically moving to Watsonville to figure out how to re-invent agriculture.”

    Paul Mikesell, CEO and founder of Carbon Robotics, showed off his company’s Laser Weeder, which uses powerful infrared lasers and high-speed cameras to identify and blast weeds to oblivion in a matter of seconds.

    “Before you had a Laser Weeder, you had to have people out in the field with hand tools, spraying chemicals,” said Mikesell.

    Could this be a solution for the labor shortage?

    Developers of these high-tech tools said their inventions could help ease the decadeslong labor shortage that’s been impacting the U.S. agricultural industry. Between 1950 and 2000, the number of hired farm laborers declined by more than 50%, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hiring has continued to be a challenge for farm owners into the 2020s.

    While the shift towards automation could offset the labor shortage and relieve farm workers of some arduous, monotonous and at times dangerous tasks, 61-year-old farm worker Lulu Cardenas fears this new technology will put her job at risk.

    “I feel replaced by something like that,” said Cardenas. “I’m going to have a hardship to help my family.”

    She has worked the fields in California’s Central Valley since immigrating from Mexico 20 years ago. When CBS News described the new kinds of farm robots to Cardenas, she was disappointed, citing the spiritual connection between humans and plants.

    “You cannot replace human heat with a cold machine,” she said.

    Cardenas’ friend Asuncion Ponce, who came from her same village just south of Mexico City 36 years ago, was also upset when he saw images of the new farm robots.

    “The farmers benefit from it, but they’re taking a lot of work from us,” said Ponce, who just became a U.S. citizen.

    He has already seen equipment take over some work on the farm, but this was his first time seeing the new crop of “thinking” machines. 

    “There’s a lot of machinery that [now harvests] onion, garlic, lettuce, broccoli,” Ponce said. “Instead of more people laboring, now you’re having three people.”    

    Some large-scale farms and advocacy groups have introduced training programs to help farm workers develop the skills to adapt to the new technology and take on new roles as drone operators or programmers.

    “I think that we can use machinery and still take care of our people,” said Adrián Miramontes, a Mexican immigrant and military veteran who now manages a large farming operation. “They’re willing to learn and they’re willing to do better for themselves and their families.”

    The next steps

    The U.S. Department of Labor is also monitoring the issue. A spokesperson told CBS News that next month the department will send President Biden a list of recommendations for an aid program that could help farm workers who have been displaced by AI. Any new aid package would require congressional approval. It could also be folded into a new Executive Order that would follow one from October 2023.

    It’s unclear whether such an aid program would benefit the hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who work on American farms. 

    Dave Malkoff

    Dave Malkoff is a national correspondent with the CBS Local News Innovation Lab, where his work appears across all CBS News and Station platforms.

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  • Ukraine vows more self-reliance as war enters third year

    Ukraine vows more self-reliance as war enters third year

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    Ukrainians have questions

    On the anniversary of Putin’s aggression, however, uncertainty and irritation were undisguised in Kyiv. Ukrainians wanted to know why Western sanctions on Russia are not working, and why Moscow keeps getting components for its missiles from Western companies. Why Ukrainians have to keep asking for weapons; and why the U.S. is not pushing through the crucial new aid package for Ukraine.

    “We are very grateful for the support of the United States, but unfortunately, when I turn to the Democrats for support, they tell me to go to the Republicans. And the Republicans say to go to the Democrats,” Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova said at a separate Kyiv conference on Saturday. “We are grateful for the European support, but we cannot win without the USA. We need the supply of anti-aircraft defenses and continued assistance.”

    “Why don’t you give us what we ask for? Our priorities are air defense and missiles. We need long-range missiles,” Ustinova added. 

    U.S. Congressman Jim Costa explained to the conference that Americans, and even members of Congress, still need to be educated on how the war in Ukraine affects them and why a Ukrainian victory is in America’s best interests.

    “I believe that we must, and that is why we will decide on an additional aid package for Ukraine. It is difficult and unattractive. But I believe that over the next few weeks, the US response will be a beacon to protect our security and democratic values,” Costa said.

    The West is afraid of Russia, Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s security and defense council secretary, told the Saturday conference.

     “The West does not know what to do with Russia and therefore it does not allow us to win. Russians constantly blackmail and intimidate the West. However, if you are afraid of a dog, it will bite you,” he said.

    “And now you are losing not only to autocratic Russia but also to the rest of the autocracies in the world,” Danilov added.

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    Veronika Melkozerova

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