Section: Farm & Ranch

North Dakota bison processing plant expands as more people seek healthier protein

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Bison have sustained the prairie in more ways than one since they’ve been around, and after being pushed to near extinction a century ago, they’re recently reemerging in old-fashioned form — as a healthy source of food. Demand for Bison meat is on the rise, and that’s pushed a North Dakota processing center in New

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

House Passes Raw Milk Bill

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

The ND House delivered a win to food freedom advocates Monday. House Bill 1515 allows dairy farms to sell raw, unpasteurized milk straight off the farm, but restrict dairies from selling raw product to grocery stores or wholesalers. The bill passed by an 83-10 vote. The Grand Forks Herald has the full story.

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Farmers’ Crop Plantings Chasing Climate Patterns to new Territories

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

What’s a solid sign that the climate may be changing at a really slow pace? Are crops growing in places that were previously inhospitable to them an answer? On the question of climate change, maybe its a clue. But new crops in new places isn’t speculation, it’s a reality. Cotton in Kansas, new grape varieties

Read & Share   sourced from: Grist

Land Transfers Offer Hope, Stewardship to Beginning Farmers

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

It’s hard to tell what prices may be going up faster than food, but it’s possible farm land is one of them. It’s a circumstance — the high cost of land — that makes entering farming business difficult. But there are solutions that emerge if the right parties can get connected. And in Ohio, where

Read & Share   sourced from: Public News Service

North Dakota Milk Production Down from Last Year

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

North Dakota’s 14,000 head of milk cows represent about 1/10th of 1% of the 9.41 million head U.S. milk cow heard. Get the rest of the details on North Dakota’s milk production from News Dakota. It’s newsworthy information as the legislator contemplates loosening the restrictions on corporate farming. The decline in the number of dairy

Read & Share   sourced from: News Dakota

Want a Daily Dose of Minot News & Commentary? Sign Up For Daily Updates!

Follow Us Here!

Bison spread as Native American tribes reclaim stewardship

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

There are few symbols more representative of the great plains than the buffalo. Their story is just as evocative. Prior to European expansion west, their numbers were thought to exceed 30 million. A short generation later, the consequences of manifest destiny brought the animals to near extinction. Today, their survival is no longer in doubt,

Read & Share   sourced from: Associated Press

Farm Group Asks FTC to Investigate Egg Price Collusion

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

If you’ve been to the grocery store in the past few months, you’ve likely noticed the price of eggs. In a short period of time, the price of a dozen ‘Grade A’s has skyrocketed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture blames the avian flu, but a national farmers’ advocacy group wants an FTC investigation into possible

Read & Share   sourced from: Public News Service

Montana beef processing ramps up, but more butchers are needed (Is there an Opportunity for Minot Here?)

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Since the start of the pandemic, the amount of meat processed in Montana has grown by 75%. The number of cows processed annually is still a drop in the bucket compared to the national numbers, but it’s a small pushback against the large meat-packing consortium. And the demand for butchers is still growing. Get the

Read & Share   sourced from: Billings Gazette

Regenerative farming links soil health to human health

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

They say we are what we eat. And if we’re eating food off the average modern farm, it’s far less diverse, and maybe less healthy than it used to be. But an alternative is emerging, and while the initial investment in regenerative farming practices is higher, some operators are finding the long-term economic returns to

Read & Share   sourced from: Quartz

Can a Seaweed additive in Cow Feed Reduce the Amount of Methane They Fart? (And Why It Matters in North Dakota)

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Did you know that as cows digest the grass and other feed they eat they create a lot of methane gas? It’s true. Did you also know that methane is a big contributor to climate change? It’s also true. It’s a situation that puts the cattle industry in the crosshairs of environmental regulation, and in

Read & Share   sourced from: Quartz

What is milk? The legislature is attempting to answer the question

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

If you go to the grocery store these days, you’ll quickly notice the milk section is a lot bigger than it used to be. But it’s not the cows that made it so. There are whole shelves of new products made from soy, almonds, oats, coconuts, and more. And it invites the question, what is

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

Want a Daily Dose of Minot News & Commentary? Sign Up For Daily Updates!

Follow Us Here!

Yep, Fresh Local Produce Is Possible In Climates Like Ours

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

North Dakota’s growing season doesn’t usually include winter, but with south-facing wall and a little solar engineering, greenhouses can grow just about anything. Want proof? Check out the quick feature from Ag Week TV below. The story comes from Lake City, Minnesota, and if they can do it, surely it can be done here too.

Read & Share   sourced from: AGWEEK

What is the Farm Bill and why does it matter? Here’s what to know.

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

The Farm Bill is a big, sweeping piece of national legislation that takes place every five years. In 2018, it was funded to the amount of $428 billion. But what’s in it, and what does it do? If you’re a little bit curious, this article from The Gazette is a good primer.

Read & Share   sourced from: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Farmers, ranchers could capture almost a third of North Daktoa’s carbon emissions

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Did you know North Dakota’s ranch-sustaining grasslands also serve as carbon sponges? It’s a byproduct benefit of sustainable, regenerative practices many ranchers are already embracing. Patrick Springer has the full story at the Dickinson Press on an idea that may help North Dakota meet Governor Burgum’s 2030 carbon emission goals.

Read & Share   sourced from: Dickinson Press

Following Fufeng uproar, bill would bar foreign governments from buying ag land in North Dakota

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

A Bismarck legislator introduced a bill to prevent foreign governments from purchasing and holding agricultural land in North Dakota. It’s the latest in the Fufeng saga. Fufeng announced its intentions to build a corn milling plan in Grand Forks in late 2021, and opposition quickly arrose out of national security concerns related to a Chinese-owned

Read & Share   sourced from: Grand Forks Herald

Manitoba Sisters intertwine fashion, farming

by: Josh Wolsky  |  

Farming and food production are vital to the local economy, but how do we get people to care about them?  For a pair of sisters in Brandon, Manitoba, the answer is fashion. Cassandra and Stefanie Lepp have more than 35,000 social media followers, and they’re using their influence educate and inform women about farming. Get

Read & Share   sourced from: Brandon Sun