Urban farmers are now tending 400 community gardens on lots around the metro. Urban farming has gotten so popular that many cities, including St. Paul, are scrambling to regulate the plots. Commercial gardeners fret that new rules could bury their businesses.

"Under the new rules, at least 60 percent of farmers market vendors will have to be actual farmers, selling the produce they’ve grown," says Minneapolis City Council Member Cam Gordon.

Minneapolis' Atomic Data is getting props from a group that recognizes successful inner-city companies. The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City - started by a Harvard business professor 18 years ago - named Atomic one of the nation's fastest-growing urban businesses.

The growth period ahead for urban areas such as the Twin Cities will be staggering, adding more stress to an already sagging infrastructure. Only those cities that value technology, and recognize that each metropolis is a living, interconnected system will survive and thrive.

State law allows farmers to only sell raw milk at their farms. State officials say Alvin Schlangen sold raw milk at a warehouse in Minneapolis. He's also faces charges for selling unlabeled or misbranded products.