August 27, 1992 - MPR documentary on Aldo Leopold, famed ecologist, and author of “A Sand County Almanac,” one of the most influential environmental books in the 20th century. Profile includes readings of Leopold’s writings by Gene Harrington. Also presents interviews with contemporaries Paul Gruchow and Gaylord Nelson; Curt Meine, Leopold biographer; Charles Bradley of the Leopold Reserve; and Brent Haglund, president of Sand County Foundation. This Minnesota Public Radio documentary was originally produced for Earth Day 1990.
January 2, 1987 - Midday presents the Public Policy Unit documentary "Dropouts: Falling off the Bottom Rung." MPR’s Stephen Smith, Bill Catlin, and Dan Olson create a collaborative report on Minnesota high school dropouts.
December 19, 1986 - The first part of program presents a rebroadcast of Stephen Smith’s documentary report "Shelter for the Night," which examines the plight of the homeless over a period of 12 hours in the St. Stephen's Emergency Shelter. Following documentary, Nancy Nagler, chair of St. Paul Area Coalition for the Homeless, discusses the homeless problem in Minnesota and what can be done about it. Nagler also answers listener questions.
May 27, 1986 - MPR’s Kate Moos talks with St. Paul’s Ann Bancroft about her expedition to the South Pole. Bancroft recounts the challenges of being in the Arctic.
November 28, 1985 - A special Thanksgiving presentation of “Blessing of the Fields,” a documentary program about how farming has changed over the years in our region especially the change from horse power to tractor power. That transition was one of the most important factors leading to the Midwest's amazingly productive agricultural system. But it had other affects - not all of them as highly thought of.