July 9, 1999 - Agriculture experts from around the world gathered in St. Paul to talk about the future of farming. The University of Minnesota conference comes at a time when farmers are facing unprecedented pressures resulting from plunging prices, rapidly changing technologies, and increasingly stiff competition in world grain markets. The challenge For US policy makers is equally tough, for taking care of farmers at home may clash with equally important objectives -- one of these is inducing Foreign countries to open their markets more fully to American agricultural exports. ANOTHER is get them to end or lower subsidies for their own farmers that may crowd American farmers out of other export markets.
July 12, 1999 - The St. Paul Companies announced it's getting out of the personal insurance business and cutting hundreds of jobs at its downtown headquarters. The insurance giant is selling its personal insurance divisions to Metlife because it thinks it can make more money focusing on commercial insurance products. 17 hundred people work in the company's personal insurance operation -- 500 in Minnesota. . Metlife says it will retain all of them through the end of the year and that after that it will keep as many as possible.
July 13, 1999 - Mayor Norm Coleman says the loss of hundreds of St. Paul company jobs hurts, but he also says the cuts come while the city is on the upswing. The St. Paul companies announced yesterday it will cut 500 to 600 jobs as a result of selling its home and automobile insurance businesses to MetLife of Rhode Island. The deal also may jeopardize an additional 530 Minnesota jobs which are being transferred to MetLife Auto and Home.
July 13, 1999 - The Minnesota Department of Finance today revised its estimate of the revenues collected by the state during the last fiscal year -- increasing it by almost $300 Million dollars. That means slightly bigger sales tax rebate checks for Minnesotans later this summer... with money left over for next year. That left over money has Governor Ventura and legislative leaders already jockeying over NEXT year's tax relief package.
August 3, 1999 - The St. Paul Companies is cutting another one thousand jobs. The St. Paul based insurer says the move will lower expenses by 100 million dollars next year. The announcement comes a week after the company reported a sharp increase in second quarter profits. Officials say the job reductions will boost profits further.
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 11, 1999 -
August 16, 1999 - A new survey indicates Minnesota companies received a record one-hundred-eight million dollars in venture capital funding in the second quarter of this year. Venture capital generally refers to investments in start-up firms that are not yet mature enough to seek funding in the stock market. However as Bill Catlin reports, Minnesota still lags in the share of venture capital it receives.