Farm & Rural Helpline

Happy Land Tree Farm, grower of the 2018 Minnesota State Fair Grand Champion Christmas Tree, has donated a 20 foot Balsam Fir that will be displayed outside the Minnesota State Capitol Building. Happy Land not only took the Grand Champion prize at the 2018 fair, but also the Reserve Grand Champion award! This makes Happy Land a six time Minnesota State Fair Grand Champion producer. The Christmas tree is scheduled to be installed and lit by November 26, 2018.

Happy Land Tree Farm is a family tree farm owned and operated by…

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture along with the Sustainable Farming Association and other partners are working together to bring Dave Pratt and his Ranching for Profit workshops to Minnesota in December.  Pratt’s tool box full of simple but effective processes have earned him a reputation for getting to the heart of the problem and finding win-win solutions.

Mr. Pratt’s workshop, “The Three Secrets for Increasing Profit” will teach producers to run their operation as a business instead of a low-paying, physically demanding job.  He will teach the difference between…

Ruck’s Meat Processing of Belle Plaine, Minnesota, is voluntarily recalling a variety of sausage products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes. During routine sampling, Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) inspectors discovered the product was processed in a manner that could result in possible Listeria contamination.

The MDA and the company have not received any reports of adverse reactions or illness due to consumption of this product.

Ruck’s Meat Processing sausage products subject to this recall bear the establishment number “8921”…