Lind: New York’s LaGuardia visits Climax, Minn.

The community of Climax, Minn., had never seen anything like it.

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CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Creamy Cheese Grits

If you’re in a food rut and want to expand your culinary horizons, try this traditional Southern favorite.

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• CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Chicken-Potato Pot Pie
• CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Jambalaya
• CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Pear Bourdaloue
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Spirited progress

CASSELTON, N.D. — When it comes to processing fruit into adult beverages on the fruited plains of North Dakota, Greg Kempel is getting to be one of the state’s bona fide experts.

• Maple River Distillery

Unharvested crop means more hoops for insurance

MINOT, N.D. — There are a number of evolving issues in crop insurance these days, especially as farmers deal with prevent-plant cropping situations that involve the unplanted acreage from the previous year.

Doubled exports not necessarily all ag

WASHINGTON — Three congressional lawmakers Feb. 2 urged the Obama administration to push for congressional approval of pending trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea after Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said President Obama’s State of the Union commitment to doubling exports in five years did not mean that the administration has pledged to double agriculture exports in five years.

Vilsack proposes tracing system

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told state agriculture commissioners Feb. 5 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will ask the states and tribal nations to administer a new system of animal identification to trace disease back to its source rather than continue development of the unpopular national animal identification system begun by the Bush administration after the discovery of mad cow disease in the United States in late 2003.

Farmers see familiar scenario for ACRE

FARGO, N.D. — “When can you get out?” That was the first audience question for ag economist Dwight Aakre, who was offering perspective and projections on the Average Crop Revenue Election program, Feb 3 at the Northwest Farm Managers annual meeting in Fargo, N.D.

New biofuels strategy unveiled

WASHINGTON — In what appears to be a boost for the renewable fuels industry and the campaign for green jobs, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson Feb. 3 finalized the rule for the National Renewable Fuel Standard program, saying that the agency has concluded corn-based ethanol is a low-carbon fuel that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent compared with the gasoline it will displace.

AG AT-LARGE: Bonding with Becky

FARGO, N.D. — The recent KMOT Ag Show was another eye-popping eye-opener for me. Always is.

Loaning more aid to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government plans to help the Afghan government develop an agricultural credit facility, Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Feb. 3.