Farm Forum

Every week, the Farm Forum aims to educate and inform those engaged in the agricultural sector. Our editorial content focuses on the interests of farmers, ranchers, and the businesses that support them in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. We strive to deliver a diverse range of stories and columns that spark conversations about agricultural issues. Alongside articles written by local American News reporters, we feature updates on community and statewide workshops and meetings, an Agricalendar to keep readers informed about upcoming events, and columns from Extension educators and state experts. We also welcome guest contributions of articles.

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Prevention is key to avoiding pinkeye after pasture turnout

1 week ago | farmforum.net | Sherry Hoyer |Chris Clark

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Northern forests of the future

1 week ago | farmforum.net | Lisa Meyers McClintick

Lisa McClintickUniversity of Minnesota ExtensionWhen ice breaks loose and ground thaws along Lake Superior, Doug Kmoch eagerly visits the 200 acres of Cook County land he and his wife bought near Schroeder in early 2022. “Julie and I put in about 1,000 white pines in the last two years,” says Kmoch, who also added white cedar and sugar maples, tamarack for wetter areas, and important understory shrubs like chokecherries.
Farm and Food File: Taxpayers and farmers caught in Farm Bill-created 'government payment trap'

1 week ago | farmforum.net | Alan Guebert

On Feb. 21, 2018, this space outlined my assessment of Congress's meandering approach to the overdue 2018 Farm Bill. Don't just polish the badly tarnished 2014 Farm Bill, I urged; write a bill that "addressed" the law's biggest flaw, "crop insurance's inability to either slow or reverse falling farm income." It was a waste of ink.
Q and A with Eric Mousel

2 weeks ago | farmforum.net | Julie Kendrick

The University of Minnesota Extension beef systems management specialist thrives on listening to ranchers across Minnesota and supporting their work with helpful, timely education. Tell us about the Cow-Calf Days Seminar Tour and Trade Show. 2025 brought us the 52nd annual event. It is the leading information, technology and research outlet for cow-calf producers in the state of Minnesota, those who breed and raise calves until about the age of seven months, when they are weaned.
Animal Health Matters: The US can learn from Hungary's Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak

3 weeks ago | farmforum.net | Russ Daly

It’s easy to dismiss developments occurring halfway around the world, even if they affect animals and operations similar to ours. But the emergence of an animal disease in Hungary should garner our attention. Hungary is half a world away. It’s about the size of Indiana, both in land mass and in population. Their agriculture looks similar to ours, too: cattle, pigs, and poultry for livestock; wheat, corn, and sunflowers for crops.
Farm and Food File: The export line slackens as Brazil reels it in

3 weeks ago | farmforum.net | Alan Guebert

From 30,000 feet, the Port of Los Angeles looks like a child's toy being unfolded into a multi-faceted Transformer. This blocky, brawny big brother, however, covers 7,500 acres and lies shoulder-to-shoulder with its 3,200-acre little sister, the Port of Long Beach. Together, these trade titans make the largest American port. By itself, the LA side handled the equivalent of 8.6 million, 20-ft. containers in 2023; Long Beach loaded and unloaded a similar amount.
Farm and Food File: If you want change, you're in the right place

1 month ago | farmforum.net | Alan Guebert

If you are one of the millions of Americans who pollsters say "voted for change" last November, boy, are you getting it now. As of this spring, for example, illegal border crossings in the western U.S., according to CBS News, have "plunged to a level not seen in at least 25 years." That's a massive change for America's usually porous southern border. Massive change also sums up the Trump Administration's tariff policy but complex, arcane, and costly might be more accurate.
Animal Health Matters: Keep an eye on grazing animals during rapid pasture growth

1 month ago | farmforum.net | Russ Daly

One of the most treasured signs of spring is the emergence of lush green grass. After the white and brown dormancy of winter, it’s a real sight for sore eyes. For cattle producers it also signals the potential end of daily feeding chores as their animals get turned out to pasture. It’s difficult to imagine any negative aspects to this rich source of bovine nutrients. However, rapid pasture growth presents risks that producers should be aware of. One of those is grass tetany.
Farm and Food File: Trade war costs will be more than taxpayer money

1 month ago | farmforum.net | Alan Guebert

The Trump Administration may grant U.S. agriculture special exemptions from parts of its ever-changing tariff regime but it can't exempt it from everyday economic reality. That mainstay of farming–with or without ever-changing White House trade policies–will keep the 2025 American ag economy on its heels, say the farm income specialists in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Tariffs will only make USDA's bleak income forecast worse.
Adventures in babysitting

1 month ago | farmforum.net | Jerry Nelson

Babysitting a four-year-old boy is not for the faint of heart nor for anyone who hasn’t spent at least six months training for a triathlon. Toddlers are perpetual motion machines. In addition to constantly being on the move – a toddler never walks when he or she can either skip or run – preschoolers seem to think that they should always be humming or singing or simply making some sort of noise. Just watching a toddler is exhausting; keeping up with one should be classified as an Olympic event.