by Sorana Stanescu | Sep 9, 2019 | Agriculture, Agriculture and Rural Issues, Global Business, Sustainability
As we spent a couple of days in rural southern Minnesota, the scale and size of what Minnesotans call “an average family farm” surprised me: 180 dairy cattle or 500-acres. In my home country Romania, that is officially considered a large farm. That is a large farm...
by Saara Koho | Sep 8, 2019 | Agriculture and Rural Issues, Global Business
It’s a tough time to be a farmer. Last year Minnesota farms earned a median net income of $26,055, down 8% from the previous year. It was the lowest median farm income in the past 23 years of data tracked by the University of Minnesota. “Agriculture is a very...
by Sorana Stanescu | Sep 2, 2019 | Agriculture and Rural Issues, Global Business
The Great Minnesota Get-Together is definitely a unique experience, no matter your age, background or expectations. “All you can drink” milk for $2 (milk is Minnesota’s official state drink), wool on a stick (you can use it to dust) and competitions for the largest...
by Sorana Stanescu | Aug 25, 2019 | Agriculture and Rural Issues, Global Business, Sustainability
Minnesota-born John Dvorak has worked in agriculture all his life, and in the sheep industry for more than 30 years. He used to have 250 sheep of his own, but had to sell them because of a farm accident. Now he only rents out his land, and tries to keep the industry...
by Joana Azevedo Viana | Sep 4, 2018 | Global Business, Journalism in the Trump Era, Nuclear Threats and Security, Personal Reflections, WPI Activities
It’s easy to dismiss Donald Trump’s supporters as a bunch of far-right anti-immigration ultra conservatives, but reality – like history – is in no way written in a straight line. Traveling through Minnesota helps paint a more complex picture of who supports the...
by Gabriel Baldocchi | Aug 29, 2017 | Global Business
In the small town of Ely, just around 30 miles south from the Canadian border, foreign trade is not a big issue. The ties with the other side are everywhere, but most locals don’t seem to worry about the possible impacts of the review in the North American Free...
