Brooks Johnson

Food and Manufacturing Reporter
Food and Manufacturing
Raised in Fargo and educated at the University of Montana, Johnson worked at newspapers in Idaho, Washington and Duluth before joining the Star Tribune at its relaunched Duluth bureau in 2019. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and their young son and is looking for new streams to fly-fish.

Contact

EMAIL
brooks.johnson@startribune.com
PHONE
612-673-4229

Latest from Brooks Johnson

Retail

How to shop Black Friday like a pro (and score Target’s Taylor Swift merch)

Even as sales expand across November and December, there are bona fide deals awaiting early risers who brave the chill the day after Thanksgiving.
November 25, 2024
Agriculture

Minnesota turkeys head back to D.C. for pre-Thanksgiving presidential pardon

Peach and Blossom are scheduled to be pardoned Monday by President Joe Biden. It is the second year in a row that the nation’s leading turkey-producing state will send birds to the White House.
November 24, 2024
Agriculture

Conagra will pay $142K in restitution to seasonal workers at Waseca frozen vegetable plant

The Birds Eye plant recruited workers without providing all the job details Minnesota law requires.
November 21, 2024
Retail

Target's stock plunges as customers rein in their spending

The Minneapolis-based retailer lowered its profit outlook for the rest of the year as consumers remain frugal.
November 20, 2024
Agriculture

CHS raises offer for Minnesota ag firm to $225M ahead of member vote

West Central’s board considered a competing $250 million offer from Arthur Cos. but said ‘CHS is the right fit for us.’
November 18, 2024
FILE -- In this June 21, 2015 file photo, wheat stands ready for harvest in a field near Anthony, Kan. Grain elevators are bracing for a big winter wheat crop in Kansas. But elevators are brimming with last year's crops due to lackluster exports and low prices. Industry group Kansas Grain and Feed Association says elevators have added storage and have been moving a grain out of the state on long trains to make more room. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)
Business

More food companies are getting snatched up, and they all have something in common

Steve Young, managing partner at Manna Tree, explains what is driving the fierce M&A activity in the food industry right now and how Minnesota is part of it.
November 18, 2024
Retail

Retailers face a ‘Wicked’ quick turnaround between Thanksgiving, Christmas

With a tighter window between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the ramp-up to Black Friday is steeper than ever this year.
November 16, 2024
Retail

With pet food, Lakeville’s Post Consumer Brands now a $4B company

The cereal maker’s 2023 acquisition of Kibbles ‘n Bits, Nutrish and other brands is paying off.
November 15, 2024
Rice is popped and emerges onto a conveyor to become Fruity Dyno Bites at Post Consumer Brands Wednesday, March 8, 2023 in Northfield, Minn. Minnesota manufacturers were having trouble filling jobs even before the pandemic struck; now that the labor force is even smaller it's imperative they find new ways to recruit and retain to keep growing. Post Consumer Brands, maker of Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles, will talk about what it's like to work at their Northfield plant and what they're doing to widen the jobs pipeline and keep folks in their jobs once they get there.
Agriculture

CHS raises offer for Minnesota ag firm to $225M ahead of member vote

West Central’s board considered a competing $250 million offer from Arthur Cos. but said ‘CHS is the right fit for us.’
November 18, 2024
FILE -- In this June 21, 2015 file photo, wheat stands ready for harvest in a field near Anthony, Kan. Grain elevators are bracing for a big winter wheat crop in Kansas. But elevators are brimming with last year's crops due to lackluster exports and low prices. Industry group Kansas Grain and Feed Association says elevators have added storage and have been moving a grain out of the state on long trains to make more room. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)
Business

More food companies are getting snatched up, and they all have something in common

Steve Young, managing partner at Manna Tree, explains what is driving the fierce M&A activity in the food industry right now and how Minnesota is part of it.
November 18, 2024
Retail

Retailers face a ‘Wicked’ quick turnaround between Thanksgiving, Christmas

With a tighter window between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the ramp-up to Black Friday is steeper than ever this year.
November 16, 2024
Retail

With pet food, Lakeville’s Post Consumer Brands now a $4B company

The cereal maker’s 2023 acquisition of Kibbles ‘n Bits, Nutrish and other brands is paying off.
November 15, 2024
Rice is popped and emerges onto a conveyor to become Fruity Dyno Bites at Post Consumer Brands Wednesday, March 8, 2023 in Northfield, Minn. Minnesota manufacturers were having trouble filling jobs even before the pandemic struck; now that the labor force is even smaller it's imperative they find new ways to recruit and retain to keep growing. Post Consumer Brands, maker of Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles, will talk about what it's like to work at their Northfield plant and what they're doing to widen the jobs pipeline and keep folks in their jobs once they get there.
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