Apr–Jun, 2002

It is difficult to gauge impact. A professional athlete’s statistics, for instance, may belie his true value to the team. His clubhouse contributions and ability to inspire greatness in other…

Farmer-owned pork plant starts processing Dawson, Minn. — Minnesota’s newest pork processing facility is up and running. The Prairie Farmers Cooperative plant began processing in early February. The plant is…

    Cold Spring, Minn. — As co-owner of a compost venture, Brad Matuska knows how to make good dirt. Now he is bagging up the profits. Matuska and partner…

By Cindy Green Photos by Rolf Hagberg Clara City, Minn. — At the Java River cafe in Montevideo, Minn., proprietor Patrick Moore serves up “Happy Ham” sandwiches. He’s alluding to…

Oakdale, Minn. — Greener Pastures, which makes more than a dozen grain-based fertilizers and turf products, has developed natural weed-killers using sugar beet molasses. Nature’s Weed Control, Nature’s PreEmergent and…

Editor’s note: This is the second installment in a series exploring AURI and the services it provides Minnesota. The first segment surveyed AURI’s mission and projects; this section looks at…

Perham, Minn. — Dairy farm wastes could someday heat homes and dry clothes for residents of a northern Minnesota town. That’s according to Little Pine Dairy owner Ron Tobkin, who…

Busy building a “better mousetrap?” Inventions usually take months, even years, of concentrated work to be market ready. But all the research, design, testing, revising and trial production runs can…

Redwood Falls, Minn. — Ag inventions will see the light of the sun at Minnesota’s renowned “invention convention” this year. AURI is joining the Minnesota Inventors Congress in June to…

Editor’s note: As a service to our readers, we provide news about the work of others in the ag utilization arena. Often, research done elsewhere complements AURI’s work. Please note…

The sites below may seem “a little of this” and “a little of that,” but they all contain serious information about agriculture. Some are commercial sites with helpful links to…

St. Paul, Minn. — A Minnesota company is greasing the way for soy-based lubricants to move into global industrial markets. Cortec Corporation finds soy-based products a natural fit for its…

Crookston, Minn. — Minnesota’s top cash crop could travel the world as food and drink if a new farmer-owned processor of identity-preserved and food-grade soybeans brings enough investment on board.…