Says Adam Belz in the Strib, “Farm bankruptcies in Minnesota and across the U.S. rose again in 2019, as a prolonged slump in commodity prices, poor weather and the ongoing trade war with China squeezed farmers. Last year, 30 farmers in Minnesota — a 15% increase — filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy, which allows family farms to restructure their finances and avoid liquidation or foreclosure. Farm bankruptcies rose 20% nationally in 2019 and 16% in the Upper Midwest, according to data released by the federal court system.”
For MPR, Kirsti Marohn reports, “Cities, industries and some livestock farmers could pay more for water quality permit fees under a proposal by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The MPCA says revenue from the fees has not kept pace with its costs to administer the permits, which cover city and industrial stormwater and wastewater, septic systems and livestock feedlots. Most of the fees haven’t been raised in almost 25 years, said Katrina Kessler, assistant MPCA commissioner.”
For MPR, Robin McDowell writes, “Civil rights activists and legal experts challenged Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s claims that she was unaware of questionable evidence and police tactics used to send a young black teen to prison for life when she was a top Minneapolis prosecutor. … In an interview with ‘Fox News Sunday,’ Klobuchar denied that she had knowledge of any evidence that would call the conviction into question. But much of what The Associated Press found while investigating the case of Myon Burrell, now 33, would have been available to her office at the time.” Continue reading.
Farmers hit hard despite billions of dollars in taxpayer aid to mitigate the harm from the president’s trade policies.