FOND DU LAC — A program providing legal and business support for farmers in the Fond du Lac Reservation is the recipient of a state grant intended to support underrepresented farming communities.
Nearly $48,000 was awarded to Farm Commons, which also helps farmers enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Micro Farm Crop Insurance program.
The grant funds can be used to pay up to 65% of emerging farmers' premium expenses under the insurance program.
The funding comes in response to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Emerging Farmers’ Working Group and the first-of-its-kind Emerging Farmers Office.
These groups identified technical assistance as one of the top needs for emerging farmers.
Technical assistance includes helping with record keeping, financial statements, business plans, licenses and regulations, land access, applying for grants and loans, sales and marketing, and other business support.
Emerging farmers include farmers who are members of a community of color, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, or any other emerging farmers as determined by the commissioner of agriculture.
The working group also features northern Minnesotans, including Nikki Crowe, tribal conservation collaboration coordinator for the Fond du Lac Band, and Cindy Hale, who is co-owner of Clover Valley Farms near Two Harbors.
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Lorie ShaullThe office would be able to investigate any public or private entity that receives public dollars. It would also expand information-sharing between agencies and implement best anti-fraud practices. -
Plus: The new conservation officer in Walker gives his predictions and tips for anglers ahead of his first-ever fishing season opener in the role. -
Contributed/Lorie Shaull via FlickrJack Lien has been exploring the area lakes ahead of opener on May 9, 2026, both to familiarize himself with them and to "study ... where the fishermen are going to get their boats and where they might find success.” -
Contributed/Canva Pro graphicA family member confirmed all three victims are in stable condition after they suffered gunshot wounds in Bemidji's Itasca Loop neighborhood on May 7, 2026. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found Deputy Michael Cowan did not discharge his weapon, according to the sheriff's office. The incident is now being called a "conflict case." -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEMPCA meteorologists are predicting an active air quality season for 2026, comparable to 2024. A strong El Niño cycle is expected to bring warmer and drier conditions. -
Contributed/Ellen Schmidt / MinnPost / CatchLightDiscussions around Tamarack echo themes playing out for a Twin Metals’ copper-nickel proposal near the Boundary Waters, which in April cleared a key federal hurdle in the U.S. Senate. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe Itasca County Board plans to decide on May 19, 2026, whether to fly the previous Minnesota state flag, possibly in addition to the present flag. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified Virginia Police Lt. Henry Trunk as the officer who fired his department-issued firearm. -
Heidi Holtan/KAXEThis week's Season Watch pod features a full John Latimer report, Little Falls Middle School and, in honor of our 50th year, a look back! Scott Hall talks with the late Harry Hutchins, forest ecology instructor and longtime host of KAXE's "A Talk on the Wild Side."
