Most Minnesota farmers are finished with this year's harvest. But it was a tough year for some farmers, who had to contend with a wet spring, a dry summer and below-normal crop yields this fall. Those who grow Minnesota's staple crops of corn, soybeans and sugar beets are frustrated by low prices, as well. Some are looking for other ways to market their crops to make more money.
S T O R I E S
Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong
Most Minnesota farmers are finished with this year's harvest. But it was a tough year for some farmers. A wet spring forced many to plant late in the season. And there was not enough rain in some areas during summer. That means crop yields will run below average this fall. That's bad news from farmers who are facing low prices again this year.
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Sugar beets no longer a "cash cow"
Sugar beet farmers in Minnesota and North Dakota are hopeful this year's harvest marks a turn for the better. In the past couple of years, sugar prices fell to 20-year lows, turning what was once seen as guaranteed big money into just another break-even crop.
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Corn fuels profit for some farmers
Minnesota farmers are harvesting a crop which is not worth much money at the local elevator. This is the fourth straight year of poor prices for cash crops like corn and soybeans. But some farmers are getting better prices than others. Farmers who belong to ethanol cooperatives are actually making a profit.
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R E S O U R C E S
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Minnesota Corn Growers Association
Minnesota Soybean
American Coalition for Ethanol
American Crystal Sugar Co.
American Sugar Allliance
American Sugar Beet Growers Association
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