Tom Meersman
Reporter
Agriculture
Latest from Tom Meersman
Stakes are high in soybean country if China adopts tariffs
Many in farm country have been troubled by the on-again, off-again talk of tariffs and counter-tariffs between the U.S. and China, and they worry that decades of building mutually beneficial trade relations could be wiped away.
May 29, 2018
Bloomington husband and wife die within 24 hours of each other
Bill and Mary Hanson were buried together on what would have been their 53rd wedding anniversary.
May 26, 2018
Farmers urge Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders to provide tax credits for buffer property
Farmers demand compensation for taking cropland out of production, but it's unclear where the money will come from.
May 10, 2018
![A buffer strip of grass and trees along the Rock River west of Edgerton is a good example of the protective strips that help filter runoff. ] In the small town of Edgerton where a shallow aquifer readily absorbs leaching farm chemicals, residents pay extra every month for special treatment to make their water safe to drink. The nitrate-removal system -- now woven into the infrastructure of this heavily Dutch settlement - reflects the dilemma that a number of communities are having across Minneso](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/E6WY7ONEVBIEDMHYPRH7BKM3B4.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
Mosaic Company reported lower sales volumes but higher sales revenue for quarter
Late spring planting and rail bottlenecks in Canada affected its earnings.
May 8, 2018
![From left, Jim Prokopanko, Rick McLellan, Joc O'Rourke, Emmerson Ward, Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas and Mark Isaacson. ] (SPECIAL TO THE STAR TRIBUNE/BRE McGEE) **Jim Prokopanko (left), Rick McLellan (second from left), Joc O'Rourke (third from left), Emmerson Ward (third from right), Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas (second from right), Mark Isaacson (right), Green Tie Affair ORG XMIT: MIN1509201332140800](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/DCKBFALV7BDAUC3G3SDY46E7XI.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
Rural Minnesotans frustrated over health costs, lack of broadband
Many rural Minnesotans feel left behind or ignored when it comes to challenges in everyday living.
May 2, 2018
Lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis questions attorney fees and conduct in Syngenta case
Corn growers accuse attorneys of "self-dealing."
April 27, 2018
On-the-spot hiring
An unconventional job fair in St. Paul is seeking veterinarians
April 18, 2018
On-the-spot hiring
An unconventional job fair is looking for trained veterinarians
April 18, 2018
Proposed new penalty for Minnesota's buffer law decried by farmers, legislators and Gov. Dayton
State agency apologizes, says fines were meant to help with compliance.
April 11, 2018
Rowbots Systems help bring the future to farming
"Rowbots" can fertilize crops more efficiently and precisely, and hopefully in the future, plant some seeds.
April 7, 2018
Minnesota has millions at stake as China targets soybean exports
Minnesota is the nation's third largest producer of soybeans. The crop accounts for 30 percent of the state's agricultural exports. The state shipped more than $2 billion worth of soybeans abroad in 2016. More than half went to China.
April 5, 2018
![A pivot irrigation system sprayed water onto a soybean crop just south of Park Rapids in Straight River Township in mid August. The Straight River is a tributary of the Mississippi threatened by an increase of agricultural pollution. ] (AARON LAVINSKY/STAR TRIBUNE) aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com RIVERS PROJECT: We look at three of Minnesota's rivers, including the Mississippi, Red and Chippewa, to see how land use effects water quality and pollution.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/AQ7TYZMKY6NVU2WMT7EAI46HNE.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
Albert Lea Seed House thrives as it adjusts to a changing farm industry
The third-generation company provides a wide variety of seeds that farmers can't find through co-ops.
March 30, 2018
![Family seed operations have gone out of business or become more specialized in recent years. At Albert Lea Seed House that has meant focusing mainly on selling non-GMO and organic seed where the most growth is expected in the next 20 years. Here, various beens at Albert Lea Seed House Wednesday, March 21, 2018, in Albert Lea, MN.] DAVID JOLES ï david.joles@startribune.com Family seed operations have gone out of business or become more specialized in recent years. At Albert Lea Seed House th](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/46FB2GF6OQQMKHRXJWJ7TVFMYE.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)