Recent content from Christopher Vondracek
Minnesota farmers, officials worry over signaled shift in federal bird flu protocols
The changes could mean a vaccine and a decrease in the number of birds culled.
Klobuchar, trade reps slam Canada, Mexico tariff threats as bad for Minnesota farmers
At a Friday news conference, the Democratic senator was flanked by representatives of both farm and construction interests whose costs would be driven up by tariffs.
Shuttering of USAID could mean the end of millions in income for Midwest farm operations
Frozen by Elon Musk's DOGE personnel, the USAID program purchased $70 million in commodities in 2024 from Minnesota vendors.
Criminal charges for Stearns County dairy farmer accused of withholding immigrant workforce's pay
The dairy farmer had settled civil charges for housing workers in substandard conditions in October.
Minnesota farmers brace for new Trump tariffs
Trade wars rocked grain markets during the Republican's first administration. They hope, this time, to underscore the global ties of one of rural Minnesota's biggest industries.
Ellison sues John Deere, says farmers aren't allowed to fix their own tractors
Minnesota's attorney general joins the Federal Trade Commission and the state of Illinois in litigation against the iconic American tractor company.
Two Minnesotans in Congress will lead Democrats in farm policy
Sen. Klobuchar was long expected to reign atop her party's farm state voices in the Senate. But when Rep. Angie Craig, the suburban Democrat, mounted a campaign to capture her chamber's ranking-member spot on the Agriculture Committee, Minnesota voters gained rare congressional leverage.
Longtime Bois Forte tribal chair resigns, citing her mental health
Catherine Chavers oversaw the historic land reclamation in 2022 and steered the tribe through COVID.
18 years ago, federal agents raided this Minnesota meatpacking town; residents fear Round 2
A generation after a seismic immigration raid, residents of Worthington see the raid's long shadow, but also change, in their community.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar named top Democrat on Senate farm committee
A day after Rep. Angie Craig took the ranking-member spot in the House, the Minnesota senator was named to the same position in the Senate.
Rep. Angie Craig wins top Dem post on House Agriculture Committee
The Minnesota Democrat was elected by her colleagues to the ranking member spot, as the committee is expected to work on a new farm bill.
Members say Angie Craig is strong contender to be top Dem on House Ag
The Minnesota Democrat aims for the ranking member post in the next Congress, but some are sticking by Democrats' current leader.
Minnesota Driftless-area dairy farm loses at appeals court in bid to add more cows
Daley Farm of Lewiston, Minn., had argued variance should be approved owing to, in part, a Winona County board prejudiced against dairy farmers.
FBI offers $50K reward for information about UnitedHealthcare CEO's killer
No new breakthroughs were reported Saturday in the intensive hunt for the person who shot the Minnesota health care executive in New York City. The NYPD has offered a reward of up to $10,000.
Woman killed in head-on crash with boom truck in northwestern Minnesota
The 27-year-old Fergus Falls driver was not wearing a seatbelt in the crash outside Ottertail.
Minnesota Supreme Court to hear Duluth attempted murder case
The court wants to understand whether a DNA sample was taken constitutionally.
A divisive factory farm battle in southern Minnesota takes center stage in new book
Nonfiction: Sonja Trom Eayrs has lots to say about where farming is headed.
North Minneapolis tattoo artist tries to be what remains rare in Minnesota: a Black farmer
After awakening to food system's dearth of nutrition for his growing family, Derek Ellis turned his backyard into a food garden. Soon after, the chickens arrived.
Charismatic turkey fails to win pardon from Gov. Walz
Minnesota chief executive returns to annual Thanksgiving ceremony that spares no birds from their dinner-plate fate.
Angie Craig aims to be top Dem on influential Agriculture Committee
The swing-district congresswoman recently won re-election to the U.S. House by double digits and wants to build trust with rural Americans.
Minnesota's fertile farm fields have a cost, as this summer's floods showed
Replumbing fields, or "tiling" them, have made southern Minnesota a vital part of the nation's corn belt.
A central Minnesota school returns to the state semifinals in football 36 years later
Staples-Motley last appeared in the state championship game for football in 1988, the first year the two small towns paired together in athletics. The team faces Chatfield on Friday in the Class 2A state football semifinals.
Another Minnesota meatpacking plant faces child labor claims, will pay $2M
The plant is the latest in a litany of southern Minnesota towns, from Madelia to Marshall to Worthington, to face allegations they illegally employed minors in meat-processing facilities.
A presidential election hits differently for different types of Minnesotans
As reporters across Minnesota interviewed folks about this week's election, personal stories and emblematic examples emerged.
Moorhead lands $5B sustainable jet fuel plant and its 650 jobs
The facility will convert agriculture and timber waste into jet fuel.
Tumult in Long Prairie: A superintendent dismissed. Students walking out. A school board under fire.
A small central Minnesota town has lost a mayor, a city manager, two school board members and now a superintendent in 2024.
Spurred by the 'oat mafia,' the familiar grain makes a comeback in Minnesota
Word-of-mouth spread across the Driftless: Grow oats. They're good for the environment. But lagging infrastructure could stymie farmers in our backyard.
I covered Gov. Walz's pheasant hunt and got an unexpected lesson in misinformation
Hunting for the truth in a southern Minnesota field? Stay off social media.
Minnesota dairy fight: Old Home takes Kemps to court over fate of Iowa cottage cheese plant
Old Home's federal lawsuit alleges breach of contract with its crosstown competitor Kemps over a packing-plant deal.
Walz takes a break from the campaign trail to hunt in Minnesota's pheasant opener
Gov. Tim Walz's hunting party successfully bagged a rooster, though Walz didn't take a shot during the two-hour hunt.
Minnesota moves to cull or process hundreds of thousands of chickens at struggling farms
Pure Prairie Poultry, a Nicollet County-based chicken company, had tried to file for bankruptcy last month.
Minnesota dairy farm settles wage theft, poor worker housing charges for $250K
The settlement reached with Attorney General Keith Ellison also includes three years of monitoring for the Evergreen Acres Dairy, whose employees were primarily immigrants.
![Steve Carlson, with Carlson Farms, harvest soy beans in his combine on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 in Welch, Minn. ] AARON LAVINSKY ï aaron.lavinsky@s](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/3D7HLP7MPW45WZJOMND4AQN3V4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
If a trade war comes, U.S. agriculture might be 'on the losing side'
A new analysis from NDSU researchers warned retaliatory tariffs could wipe out billions in farm exports if the U.S. puts new tariffs on imports.
Minnesotans sweating in farm country as the farm bill dies (again)
The nation's most important food and farm legislation last was reauthorized in 2018.
Renewable jet fuel conference opens in St. Paul with big goals, challenges
Minnesota's first blending facility of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel to open at Pine Bend refinery.
Trying to expand a cannabis business, surrounded by moratoriums
Red River Valley now has a beet-sugar-based, THC-infused soda pop, but its owners — and customers — have had to fight through some stigmas.
Minnesota farm country debates what could be the state's first carbon-capture pipeline
Pipeline safety and environmental benefits are in question as the Summit Carbon Solutions project — an $8.9 billion system in five Upper Midwest states — tries to move ahead in Minnesota.
Can organic milk save dairies from extinction?
For a generation, Wisconsin-based Organic Valley pushed a save-the-family-farm narrative as the cooperative grew. Now, their new CEO is eyeing revitalization of rural communities.
Against a backdrop of sick cows, the show must go on at the Minnesota State Fair
Troves of dairy cows, and their youthful attendants, will descend to the barns for competition. Officials have demanded all milking cows show negative tests for bird flu.
'A special Minnesota thing': Wild rice harvest season returns
But it's not quite ready. "The manoomin makes its own schedule," said one tribal official.
Walz knows his way around farms, but his support in ag country continues to wane
The Minnesota governor has long been a fixture in the state's agriculture scene, but as governor he has drawn rural opposition over a tossed-off slogan years ago and his handling of the 2020 civil unrest.
Minnesota farmers express discontent over prices, regulations at Farmfest
Low commodity prices, a stalled farm bill, and animal disease just some of the troubles swirling overhead at the summer's end of 2024
Klobuchar, White and Fraser take the stage at Farmfest
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and GOP candidate Joe Fraser stuck to policy, while endorsed Republican candidate Royce White tried to move the discussion to his "MAGA extremist" credentials.
At Farmfest, congressional candidates spar over stalled farm bill, D.C. and California regulations
The annual farm industry Chautauqua gathered on Tuesday, with Minnesota politicians talking agriculture policy.
$2 billion goes to farmers who faced discrimination
Dozens of Minnesota farmers, including those who wanted to go into farming but faced unlawful hurdles from USDA, will receive checks from the federal government.
Summer festivals 'build community' and boost business across Minnesota
Each summer, towns across Minnesota count on festivals to draw locals back to their roots, create a sense of community and bolster their businesses. Plus, they're a chance to sell small-town life to anyone not yet convinced.
Stinky reception for manure rules in Minnesota farm country
Minnesota regulators are updating rules for two permits, seeking to limit pollution into groundwater
Minnesota State Fair will prohibit nursing dairy cows at Miracle of Birth over bird flu risk
The spread in cattle herds of H5N1, often called bird flu, has ramped up biosecurity measures for livestock as Minnesota's county and state fair season begins.
Feds give Minnesota $200M to decarbonize food systems. Here's what the state will invest in.
Peatland restoration, farm country EVs, and biofuels are all focus areas of major EPA grant.
Chefs convene with farmers in northeast Minneapolis to talk farm policy
The gathering, orchestrated by the Chefs for Healthy Soil movement, comes as the federal Farm Bill remains stalled in Washington, D.C.
Federal funds help launch halal goat meat slaughterhouse in central Minnesota
Clean Chickens started with a mobile poultry-processing unit. The owners of that business will next establish another facility to meet a growing need in the state: a halal meat processor.
A rural Minnesota meat locker goes up in flames, but the business isn't down for good
Cattle producers and butchers in the area say an emerging resilience after decades of decline is helping forestall greater problems in the small meat-processing world.
Minnesota sheep on the lam in Zumbrota evades police but not a cowboy's lasso
Videos from the Zumbrota Police Department document their pursuit of the furry baaaaandit.
Camelina is the crop of jet fuels and cleaner waters. But will farmers grow it?
The winter-planted cover crop has sustainable possibilities in the future, but first, farmers need to know if the muscular, intermediate oilseed can actually grow during Minnesota's notoriously cold winters and mild springs. That starts with a field outside Chatfield.
University of Minnesota ag visionary, Forever Green Initiative founder Don Wyse dies
The University of Minnesota crop scientist helped develop Kernza and pennycress, key parts of the regenerative agriculture movement.
Produce farmers lack crop insurance. This flood has exposed the inequity.
Rains washed out farmland, including many fruit and vegetable crops, in south central Minnesota last month. U.S. agriculture policy historically hasn't protected those growers the same as row-crop farmers who feed animals and power biofuels.
What was a riverside bar in southern Minnesota is now an island
The Minnesota River has swallowed up summer fun for the region's residents, including patrons at this local establishment.
Hwy. 169 along the Minnesota River was rebuilt to withstand a 100-year flood. Sixteen years later, it's flooded.
Portions of Hwy. 169 near Le Sueur have been closed for days, blocking the commerce that flows through the region.
Minnesota rains mean 'some real agony' as farmers lose crops
Heavy rain comes after observers already measured "surplus" moisture for more than half the state's topsoil.
Minnesota farm fields are waterlogged, complicating growth
In the state's Lake Country, many fields are filling with rainwater, a stark change from a year ago.
Mexican migrant workers face low wages, cartel violence after layoffs in Minnesota
The bankruptcy of a southwestern Minnesota pork plant left many people holding debts. The workers on H-2B visas felt stiffed on the pledged income and powerless as they were forced to move suddenly.
Bringing your cow to the county fair? Beware new bird flu protocols.
Just in time for fair season, when thousands of animals will be exhibited, a dairy herd in Minnesota tested positive for H5N1.
![Tom Revier looked over a pen full of black angus steers that are about 60-days from sending to slaughter during a tour of his facility. ] ANTHONY SOUF](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HLH4MANEE735GXU3SJINU4TKCU.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Minnesota cattle company sued over scheme to 'disguise' operations to hide from creditors
Lawsuit alleges the owner put his college-aged daughter in charge of a feedlot in Olivia — among the state's largest — to avoid paying $2 million to an Omaha firm.
Trabajadores temporales en un dilema: mantener a su familia junta o trabajar para vivir
Algunos trabajadores legales terminaron en los campos petroleros de Texas, otros en instalaciones alimentarias en Michigan. Una persona con visa H-2B llegó a una granja lechera y mantienen a tres hijos en México y a un recién nacido en Estados Unidos. "Es una pena".
Promesas rotas que destrozan el sueño americano de los trabajadores
Los trabajadores con visas H-2B se sintieron estafados por los sueldos prometidos y sufrieron impotencia ya que los forzaron a mudarse de un momento a otro.
Mantuvieron en operación este matadero en Minnesota; después quebró y los trabajadores terminaron abandonados
Cientos de trabajadores legales de HyLife en Windom fueron despedidos; provenían de Salvatierra, una ciudad Mexicana plagada de crimen y pobreza. El cierre de la planta reveló una laguna en el sistema de visas estadounidense y sumió varias vidas en un torbellino.
Guest workers torn between holding family together and making a living
Some legal workers ended up in Texas oilfields, others at a Michigan food plant. One H-2B visa holder landed at an Iowa dairy, providing for three kids in Mexico and her American-born baby. "It's sadness."
They kept this Minnesota slaughterhouse running. Then it went bust, abandoning workers.
HyLife in Windom laid off hundreds of legal workers from Salvatierra, a Mexican city plagued by crime and poverty. The plant's failure revealed a gap in the U.S. visa system, throwing lives into turmoil.
White Minnesota farmer claims win after bias suit that spurred changes dismissed
At the end of May, the agriculture omnibus spending bill became law and removed references to "emerging farmers" in the Down Payment Assistance Grant program, which would have targeted diverse farmers.
First case of bird flu detected in Minnesota dairy cows
State officials are warning those who work closely with infected animals they are at risk of contracting the virus.
Veterans memorialize fallen comrades at Minnesota's cemeteries
On Memorial Day, people gathered across the state to honor and remember those who served in the armed forces.
After months of delays, federal farm bill finally passes committee
Rep. Angie Craig, citing cuts to nutrition, voted against a farm bill that advanced out of House Ag committee early Friday morning, but the other Minnesotan on the committee, Rep. Brad Finstad, supported the legislation.
Minnesota farmers remain on guard after Michigan worker tests positive for bird flu
Minnesota has seen uptick in bird flu in commercial flocks over the last week.
A Game 7 Wolves win would defy historical odds
Does the NBA team that won Game 6 do so again in Game 7? How much of an advantage do the Denver Nuggets have on home court?
In surprise, Minnesota GOP backs Royce White to run against Klobuchar
The former basketball star-turned-activist was introduced by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
