Elizabeth Dunbar

Minnesota remains one of the country's top agricultural states, even as the number of farms continues to decline, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Three members of Connexus Energy, Minnesota's largest electric cooperative, had hoped to unseat incumbents on the co-op board to bring change. But less than 10 percent of Connexus members turned in ballots, and the largest percentage of the vote any of the challengers received was 46 percent.

Minnesota jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy grew by nearly 5 percent in 2018, bringing total clean energy jobs to more than 61,000, according to a report released Tuesday at the State Capitol.

After 40 years in state government, John Linc Stine is now executive director of the St. Paul-based nonprofit Freshwater. We asked him if he thinks the state can make meaningful progress on water quality.

The Environmental Quality Board is weighing whether to order an in-depth groundwater study but is also wondering if the Legislature will fund it.

Sunday will be the last day District Energy burns coal.

Three members running for seats on the board of Connexus Energy, Minnesota's largest electric cooperative, are hoping to highlight the role it will play in the future of electricity distribution in the state.

Today in flooding prep: Ice jams continue, rural roads remain a challenge, private wells demand protection and Minnesota's farmers are bracing for the latest hurdle in a tough year.

The Democrats sympathized with farmers dealing with low commodity prices, building damage from heavy snow and uncertainty about U.S. trade policy.

Minnesota Power, Great River Energy, Minnkota Power Cooperative and Dairyland Power Cooperative all said they oppose the bill in its current form.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Forever Green initiative want to accelerate development of crops that can improve soil health and water quality.

Senate Republicans and Democrats are at odds over whether nuclear energy can be part of the conversation about Minnesota's energy future if the state keeps its ban on new nuclear power plants.

Minnesota already has a 25 percent renewable energy mandate, and close to half of the state's electricity comes from carbon-free sources: renewable energy, which mostly comes from wind but also solar and hydroelectricity; and non-renewable nuclear, which doesn't give off carbon.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency had sought funds to excavate hazardous waste from the Waste Disposal Engineering landfill in Andover.

Gov. Tim Walz announced a plan Monday morning for making Minnesota's electricity entirely free from fossil fuels by 2050.

Xcel says the program, which allows residents and businesses to subscribe to solar gardens rather than buy panels for their own property, is too expensive.

When temperatures across Minnesota dip below zero again this weekend, it won't match the extreme cold the state experienced at the end of January.

Daley Farms' proposal for a 3,000-cow operation near Lewiston hit a roadblock after the county refused to make an exception to rules capping herd size.

Gov. Tim Walz's budget proposal mostly maintains environmental programs, but there are some changes, such as a tax credit for farmers who install buffers along waterways and new spending on strategies to reduce food waste.

A biennial state report that assesses the greenhouse gases Minnesota emits now includes a newly understood source of the pollution that contributes to climate change.