GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Big changes are afoot in the dairy aisle of your local grocery store. 

General Mills, Inc. announced Thursday that it has agreed to sell its North American yogurt business to two French dairy companies. The deal is valued at $2.1 billion and will close by 2025, according to the press release. 

The U.S. operations will go to Lactalis, and Sodiaal will acquire the Canadian business. Some of yogurt brands that will be making the switch are Yoplait, Liberté, Go-Gurt, Oui, Mountain High and :ratio. 

In fiscal year 2024, General Mills’ yogurt business contributed about $1.5 billion in net sales. 

“Today’s announcement represents another significant step forward for General Mills in advancing our Accelerate strategy and our portfolio reshaping ambitions,” said General Mills Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Harmening. 

“In Lactalis and Sodiaal, we believe we’ve found the right homes for these businesses, with dairy-focused owners who are well equipped to drive success for our people and growth for these brands into the future,” he added.

For shareholders, General Mills stated in the press release that the transactions will be approximately 3 percent dilutive to adjusted earnings per share in the first year. More details will be available with the company’s first-quarter results on Sept. 18, 2024.

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — A pair of rare Amur tiger cubs are making their public debut at the Minnesota Zoo, raising hopes for preserving an endangered species that’s native to far eastern Russia and northern China.

Andrei and Amaliya got to venture outside and feel the grass of their new home under their paws Wednesday for the first time since their 12-year-old mother, Dari, gave birth on May 23.

“They’ve done quite well since then,” zoologist Trista Fischer said. “We’ve monitored them very closely. Dari’s been fantastic. She’s provided outstanding maternal care. And so today we’ve reached the point where they’re fully vaccinated and they’re now about 40 to 45 pounds (18-20 kilograms).”

Scientists estimate the Amur tiger population is just around 400 to 500 in the wild. They were near the brink of extinction in the 1930s and 1940s but have recovered somewhat since then. It’s tricky to breed them, and around one in four Amur cubs don’t make it to adulthood, whether it’s in the wild or in captivity, she said. Poachers are another major threat.

But the Minnesota Zoo, located in Apple Valley, has a long history of conserving tigers. Its Amur tigers have produced 57 cubs, 46 of which survived for at least 30 days. Of those 46, 21 have gone on to produce litters of their own, amounting to another 86 cubs. The births of Andrei and Amaliya raised the zoo’s population to seven Amur tigers, including their sire, Luka.

Fischer is the leading coordinator for the Tiger Species Survival Plan, a breeding program in the United States with facilities in other countries that works on a global level to preserve the big cats. The plan manages three groups of tigers: Sumatran, Malayan and Amur.

“This litter is so valuable to the population right now,” she explained, saying the genetic diversity of healthy tigers in human care could someday be used to help support populations in the wild.

Zoo spokesperson Zach Nugent said the cubs will remain housed together with their mom for about 18 months, before Andrei, the male, is moved to separate housing, around the same time a male cub in the wild would start venturing out on his own. Amaliya, the female, may spend a little more time with Dari, up to 24 months. Then Fischer will determine whether either cub should be bred, and potentially moved for that to another accredited zoo, which typically happens after the cubs are 2 years old.

“Aww, I love when they get their little Yoda ears,” Fischer said referring to the pointy ears of the Star Wars character as she watched Amaliya and Andrei explore the new terrain of their enclosure. She said it was an emotional, exciting and proud moment for her and her team.

“Our work’s not over, but all that work so far is really paying off in how well that these cubs are acclimating to a new surrounding, pretty much immediately,” she said as the little tigers roamed outside with their mother. “They’re showing a lot of resiliency, which is something that we work hard for in human care. We want these animals to have a lot of confidence and be able to adapt to new environments just as they’re doing today.”

HIBBING, Minn. — Law enforcement is on the scene of a school bus crash near Hibbing, according to published reports.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told Northern News Now that a car and bus collided between Hibbing and Cherry, causing the bus to roll over.

Ramsay told Northern News Now there were at least 20 students on board and some injuries reported, but the exact number of students involved and nature of the injuries remains unclear.

This is a developing story. Stay with KARE 11 for updates.