COVID-19 Informational Resources (3/25/2020)

Minnesota utility regulators give final stamp of approval to $2.6 billion Enbridge pipeline project (3/27/19) – Minnesota utility regulators Tuesday officially bowed out of the yearslong approval process for Enbridge’s controversial new oil pipeline, but not before taking a shot at the state’s Commerce Department.

Shares in Germany’s Bayer plunge on US weed killer ruling (3/21/19) – Shares in chemicals manufacturer Bayer fell sharply Wednesday after a U.S. jury found the Roundup weed killer to have been a substantial factor in a California man’s cancer.

Researchers: Biofuels mandate may cause more harm than good with plowed-up land (3/8/19) – Hundreds of thousands of acres of grasslands and wild habitat in the Upper Midwest have been plowed up to plant corn and soybeans in the past decade because of demand created by the government’s ethanol mandate, according to a trio of academic researchers who argue that federal biofuels policy is causing more harm than good.

As trade war wears on, U.S. soybean farmers start to worry that China’s demand won’t return (3/3/19) – Since the trade war put a stop to U.S. soybean sales to China last year, farmers have been optimistic that things will go back to normal eventually. But now they are getting more worried.

Record numbers of soybeans remain in storage; farmers hope for prices to rise (2/25/19) – Record levels of soybeans are still in storage in Minnesota and across the U.S. after the fall harvest, thanks to the trade war with China, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a new report that was delayed by the government shutdown.

Former Ashby grain elevator manager pleads guilty in $5.3 million swindle (2/15/19) – The former manager of a western Minnesota grain elevator pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of mail fraud and tax evasion in a 15-year scheme to bilk his employer out of millions of dollars to pay for exotic hunting trips and other items.

Safety officials concerned by sharp increase in oil train traffic from Canada (2/14/19) – Oil imports by rail from Canada have hit a historic high, meaning more oil trains are rolling across Minnesota and raising the alert level of local emergency managers.

Walz says state will continue court appeal of Enbridge pipeline approved by PUC (2/13/19) – Gov. Tim Walz will continue pursuing a court appeal started by his predecessor that could block Enbridge from building a controversial $2.6 billion oil pipeline across northern Minnesota.

Western Minnesota grain elevator manager to plead guilty in $5.5M swindle case (2/1/19) – The manager of a small-town Minnesota grain elevator who allegedly treated himself to exotic hunting safaris with millions of dollars stolen from farmers plans to plead guilty to federal criminal charges, his lawyer said Thursday.

With farmers unable to cash checks, one agency is ordered back open (1/17/19) – Matt Anderson, who raises corn and other crops near this central Minnesota town, has a $20,000 check that he can’t cash because of the government shutdown.

With corn and soybean prices down, wheat’s on the rise in Minnesota (1/10/19) – Spring wheat is making a bit of a comeback in Minnesota.