Crop

GRANITE FALLS - A crop dusting pilot was treated and released after his airplane crashed in a corn field west of Hanley Falls in eastern Yellow Medicine County at 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday, according to Sheriff Bill Flaten. Pilot Bryce Orwick, 47, of Clara City, was able to walk away...

ST. PAUL - In light of current drought conditions, Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson and Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman today issued a consumer alert encouraging Minnesota farmers to consider purchasing crop insurance ahead of this year's growing season. Farmers must...

ST. PAUL -- In light of current drought conditions, Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson and Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman today issued a consumer alert encouraging Minnesota farmers to consider purchasing crop insurance ahead of this year's growing season. The standard...

FARGO, N.D. -- Federal crop insurance is essential to U.S. agriculture, but the insurance can be made simpler and easier to use, said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. Conrad proposes to combine the Supplemental Revenue Assurance and Average Crop Revenue Election programs into a single, streamlined...

WILLMAR -- As expected, USDA's crop production report finds that farmers in Minnesota harvested lower yields for corn and soybeans in 2011. According to the report, which was released this morning, Minnesota averaged 156 bushels of corn per acre in 2011, well behind the 177 bushels...

ST. PAUL -- Recent storms damaged crops in an area from Lyon through Renville counties. Corn in this area had seven to eight leaf collars when damaged, and soybean had three to five fully developed trifoliolate leaves. According to University of Minnesota Extension agronomist Jeff...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The federal government proposed today to reward farmers who use crop insurance and demonstrate good management practices that limit their losses. The awards under the Good Performance Refund plan would average about $1,000 per eligible farmer, and payments would...

MURDOCK -- The farm fields north of Murdock lie fallow and snow-covered, but the winter scene is anything but quiet. There's a drum beat of hammers at the Falk Seed Farm, where a warehouse and adjoining loading dock are under construction. By spring, the site, which is about the...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Normal temperatures and below-average precipitation allowed Minnesota small-grain farmers to make steady harvest progress this past week. In its weekly crop progress and conditions report for Minnesota, the Agriculture Department said today that spring wheat...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The federal government wants to save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing spending on crop insurance after years of big profits by insurers, but the industry claims the reductions could hurt rural areas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is negotiating a new...