Minnesota’s economy has been transformed over the past 200 years, from an economy based on commodities to one based on the finished products and services. Early economic activities were the fur trade and agriculture. The latter is still an important part of the state economy, but today only occupies a small percentage of the population, around 2 . Minnesota is a leading producer in USA. UU. with regard to sugar beet, soybean, and maize. Agribusiness state has changed from mere production to processing and manufacturing food products. Leading companies in the sector are, among others, General Mills, Cargill (milling), the Hormel Foods Corporation of Austin (processed meat products), and the Schwan Food Company Marshall (frozen foods).Forestry, one of the first industries to develop in the state, remains strong due to logging, the processing of cellulose pulp, the manufacture of forest products and paper production. Minnesota was famous for its iron mines, which were responsible for a significant part of the iron ore produced in the world for over a century. Although at present the pure ore is quite low, remains strong in the taconite mining, using processes developed locally to keep alive the industry. The 3M Co. (formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.), a company that had its origins in mining today is a diversified manufacturer of industrial and consumer products. Inside the Mall of America. As expected in a state turned to outdoor activities, there are several companies that make boats and other recreational products. Polaris Industries makes snowmobiles and other recreational vehicles across the field.The retail is represented by the Target Corporation, , and International Dairy Queen, all based in the Twin Cities. The largest U.S. mall, Mall of America, is located in Bloomington. Ecolab provides services and sanitation supplies. Some financial institutions are based in Minnesota’s U.S. Bancorp, the TCF Bank, and Wells Fargo Co.. Insurance companies are the most important St. Paul Travelers and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The high technology sector is represented by Honeywell, Cray Computers, Imation, IBM and a headquarters in Rochester. Medtronic represents the state’s biomedical industry growing, led by university research. Rochester is home to the Mayo Clinic, one of the most famous medical clinics in the world.