June 2, 1999 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews writer Elva Trevino Hart, who recollects on the six years of her childhood in Minnesota watching her brothers, sisters, and parents work long days in the fields near Moorhead. In her new book "Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child", Trevino Hart details her family's annual journey north from a small town in Texas.
June 10, 1999 - Second in a two-part series on Devils Lake, Mainstreet Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports on the concerns and plans for the lake in northeast North Dakota, which has risen nearly 25 feet in the past six years. Officials say with time running out, they are prepared to take drastic action. North Dakota officials say building an outlet now will control the water….but outlet plans have been stopped by opposition from Minnesota, Canada, and environmental groups.
August 5, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast of Minnesota Citizens Forum, live from FarmFest in Redwood Falls. In the first hour of program, Minnesota Farm Radio Network’s Tom Rothman hosts a discussion of the importance of a strong rural economy to Minnesota.
August 5, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast of Minnesota Citizens Forum, live from FarmFest in Redwood Falls. In the second hour of program, Minnesota Farm Radio Network’s Tom Rothman hosts a continuing discussion of the importance of a strong rural economy to Minnesota.
August 6, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio's Brent Wolfe reports on a national referendum sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which looks to change the current system that sets different minimum prices for milk in different parts of the country. The new pricing system would reduce the disparity in minimum prices around the nation.
August 6, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Marissa Helms reports on two brothers in central Minnesota that are taking the family dairy farm in a new direction.
August 17, 1999 - Second District congressman David Minge and U of M Economist C. Ford Runge discuss proposals to help Minnesota farmers deal with their economic problems.
August 19, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura's speech on the state’s role in dealing with the farm crisis, held at the Minnesota Rural Summit in Duluth.
August 30, 1999 - Midday presents a Minnesota Citizens Forum on the future of rural Minnesota, held at the Minnesota State Fair. Panelists Paul Wellstone, Minnesota U.S. senator; Bob Ness, Minnesota state representative and chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Finance committee; and Colleen Landkamer, Blue Earth County commissioner, discuss issues and solutions of the rural farm community.
August 30, 1999 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on a Minnesota Citizens Forum on the farm crisis held at the State Fair. A panel of elected officials from the federal, state and local levels talked about ways to help rural Minnesota survive, ranging from a government buyout of surplus commodities to more money for technology.