Young Minnesotans are making a mark in sustainable agriculture. Then, a central Minnesota regional airport gets a new name. And, drivers of electric vehicles in the northeast will soon see more charging stations.
—–Executive Producer: Victor Palomino Producer: Frankie FelegyAnchor: Chantel SinGsReader scripting: Victor Palomino Fact checking: Joel Glaser, Victor Palomino Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
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HOST: You're listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a daily newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota.
ANCHOR: Young Minnesotans are making a mark in sustainable agriculture. Then, a central Minnesota regional airport gets a new name. And, drivers of electric vehicles in the northeast will soon see more charging stations.
I'm Chantel SinGs.
St. Cloud Regional Airport is getting a new name. It's now St. Cloud Sky Central Airport. The change highlights nearly 90 years of aviation history and ongoing regional partnerships. The airport authority, formed by Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties along with the City of St. Cloud, has led major upgrades, including new hangars, firefighting equipment, and control tower radios. The airport serves Allegiant and Sun Country flights and averages more than 100 daily takeoffs and landings.
In today's main story, as more people seek organic food and products throughout the state, sustainable farmers face consistent challenges on and off the field. Frankie Felegy has more.
Frankie Felegy: Minnesota is home to over 700 organic farms, an increase of over a quarter since nearly a decade ago. The state ranks 10th in the nation for organic farms, and only five Minnesota counties have none as of 2020. Most of the state's organic farms are in central and southeastern Minnesota. Here's one of them.
Heidi Eger: I am feeding my community.
Frankie Felegy: Heidi Eger is a beginning farmer and owner of Radical Heart Farm in Newberg Township, Minnesota. Though not certified organic, she raises 100% grass-fed lamb and mutton. Mutton is adult sheep meat. Why? Three main reasons, she says.
Heidi Eger: Habitat restoration, giving the sheep the best possible life, and then raising really delicious, nutritionally dense food. And the habitat improvement and ecosystem improvement is definitely the thing that keeps me going every day.
Frankie Felegy: Despite decreasing organic acreage statewide, retail demand for organic agriculture has risen substantially in the last two decades, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. More and more people want food and products that don't have synthetic pesticides or fertilizers in them. But it's tough for farmers out there who want to practice sustainable, regenerative practices
Josh Yahna: "Get big or Get out" is sort of the mantra. It's like if you aren't competing on the really large scale, then you have to get out.
Frankie Felegy: Josh Yahna is in his early twenties, part of a trend of regenerative farmers getting younger and younger. He runs Upward Spiral Goat Service in Henning in western Minnesota. His organic-minded farm had to get creative to stay in the game. It's a unique farming model that allows him to not need much costly farmland.
Josh Yahna: I think I'm finding a niche as a small farmer, because I'm also in the service economy.
Frankie Felegy: He rents out his goat herd to customers who need to eradicate, say, invasive species or a thick brush. Organic farmers, whether certified or not, face financial hurdles. Feed, fuel and healthcare are the big ones. But there are also on the ground struggles like weed management and extreme weather, a 2022 Minnesota Legislature report states. Not to mention climate impacts seen more and more every year.
Heidi Eger: This year, the humidity has been so crazy that there are portions of my pasture that I just cannot graze, because the moisture settles there every night. And if I put the sheep in there, the flies get terrible, and they get start getting infections in their feet. And like, this is not a thing. Like this is not Missouri. We are not supposed to have this much humidity.
Frankie Felegy: Still, farmers farm on.
Heidi Eager [speaking to her herd]: Anybody hungry?
Frankie Felegy: Eger says if more people start farming sustainably, more needs could be met, like halal meat or just more good food. Eager says that's what she's all about, more good food for more good people. For North Star stories, I'm Frankie Felegy.
ANCHOR: You are listening to North Star Stories.
Minnesota Power is adding 16 new fast-charging stations across northeastern Minnesota to make electric vehicle travel easier and reduce range anxiety for drivers. The first charger debuted this week in Duluth, with more planned in cities including Hinckley, Park Rapids, and International Falls. Company officials say the expansion supports cleaner transportation and the state's clean energy goals. The chargers are expected to be in service by the end of the year.
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HOST: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, with support from the McKnight Foundation and the State of Minnesota. Online at ampers dot org.