skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Farmers Hopeful for Changes During Water Summit

play audio
Play

Friday, February 26, 2016   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota is holding its first-ever Water Summit this weekend, with Gov. Mark Dayton hosting talks about the serious challenges facing the state's water supplies.

One of the big issues that will come up during Saturday's talks is expanding the use of cover crops on Minnesota farms. Supporters of the idea say planting crops such as perennial grasses or winter rye can help protect drinking water and keep farmland from eroding.

Darrel Mosel, a Sibley County farmer, is heading to the talks with hopes that the idea will take root among his peers.

"Without making such unbelievable, drastic changes in cropping patterns and the farm economics," he said, "that really is probably the best solution to cleaning up the water quality, is cover crops."

Some farmers have been slow to adopt cover crops, saying they fear losing out on government subsidies for growing more traditional crops such as corn and soybeans. Still, Mosel said he is hoping those concerns will be addressed this weekend.

Conservation groups, such as the Land Stewardship Project, have suggested that changes could be made to the next federal farm bill to add incentives for growing cover crops. Mosel said it is an idea that should have been put in place 40 years ago, before Minnesota's waterways became so polluted.

"If the farm bill can pay farmers or subsidize farmers for doing things that conserve the water and clean up the water, that's a way better way to spend the money," he said. "I think taxpayers across America would certainly agree with that and would want that."

Dayton's Water Summit also will be focused on several other topics, including how Minnesota's drinking and wastewater systems need about $11 billion in upgrades.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021