The Last Harvest

For the last eight months, FOX 9 has been talking to farmers in every corner of their state for the "Last Harvest." This has been a harvest that will be remembered, and not fondly. The wettest year on record in Minnesota brought historically low yields. A trade war with China created a roller coaster of commodity prices. And farmers continue to struggle with an economic system that encourages small farm operations to get bigger, while going deeper into debt. 

Minnesota farmers lament the age-old feeling that time is running out at their local farms.

The story the Bratsch family's farm is a kind of cautionary tale from the heartland: of choices made, chances taken, and the fickle whims of weather.

It’s been a year like none other for Minnesota farmers. 

Minnesota farming is more than just corn and soybeans. Colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers fill farmers markets across the Twin Cities.

On the Minnesota prairie near the South Dakota border, you will find Ben Dwire and his family moving their grass-fed beef cattle from one field to another.

Small Minnesota dairy farms wonder if this year could be their last.

Already concerned about an unusually wet season, Minnesota farmers have become pawns in a high stakes geo-political chess game between the U.S. and China.

Twenty miles from the Canadian border, just outside Hallock, Minnesota, you’ll find the bean fields that surround the Gillie home.  

Last week, the U.S. Agriculture Secretary said he didn’t know if the family dairy farm can survive as the industry moves towards factory farms.