Soil compaction is an annual spring time concern for farmers, gardeners and anyone else working on wet soils. But what is compaction and why is it such a concern? First, think about what a healthy soil looks like. If you could dig up a column of healthy soil without disturbing it, you would find a balance between solids and pore space. The pore space would be partially full … [Read more...]
Changing times
“Change is often desirable, frequently necessary, and always inevitable.” While much that happens is not in our control, some events evolve from choices we have made. Sometimes these choices are driven by love and hope. Regrettably, some are the result of fear and hate. Ideally, our emotions should be modified by reason. I remember putting on eye glasses for the first … [Read more...]
How politics have changed
I became active in politics in the late 1950s, got elected to Congress in 1964, and have remained engaged in one way or another every year since then. I’ve had a ringside seat for a long time. So I suppose I should not be surprised that I get asked a lot these days how American politics have changed over the last six decades. A few things stand out. When I first arrived in … [Read more...]
The most monumental non-nuclear explosion
By Donna Buckbee Rushford, MN One of the habits I learned from my mother: special newspaper articles are to be clipped and filed. This past winter I went through 50 years of those special clippings — reviewing, sorting and tossing. One of the few I held back from the burn pile was a book review from February 27, 2004, written by David E. Hoffman appearing in the St. … [Read more...]
Early childhood programming
As the final snow melts away and spring flowers appear, our staff at Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) is looking ahead to a busy year of programming for our 20-county region. This spring, our Early Childhood team has already been focused on providing trainings to area child care providers, while working with several communities on addressing the child care … [Read more...]
Local water source crisis: Silver carp
Fishing is a huge outdoor activity for many Minnesotans. Unfortunately, our native fish are being harmed by some unwelcome invasive species. One such fish is the Silver carp. The Silver carp, Hypophthalmichtyhs molitrix, is a species of fish that is native to eastern Asia and was imported from China to the United States during the early 1970s to help fish aquaculture operations … [Read more...]
Recycling 101: Let’s clear up the confusion surrounding Hazardous Waste Day
By Drew Hatzenbihler Solid Waste Administrator As the weather has gotten nicer this spring, we have noticed an increased number of people dropping off materials from their spring cleaning efforts. As you are cleaning out your homes, basements and garages this year, start planning ahead and boxing up your hazardous materials to drop off on May 7 for Fillmore County’s … [Read more...]
UMN Extension and SE Minnesota support farm safety
Farm safety programs have a long history in this region of the state. Many Extension employees and community members have participated in safety programs that have included small camps at county fairgrounds, workshops at local schools and tractor safety training for teenagers. We design these programs to reduce the number of tragic accidents and incidents that we see annually … [Read more...]
Accep-tense
The town I live in recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to help repair a waterfall damaged by last summer’s flooding. Ten miles up the road, it’s not uncommon to see one of the LED billboards advertising yet another person with a medical emergency who needs the community to come together for a benefit or raffle or event in order to, you know, live. Now, I could easily spin … [Read more...]
Business of news: Why the press should stop giving mass shooters publicity
By Tim Gallagher Alex Teves was born in suburban New Jersey, moved to Phoenix as a youngster, earned his master’s degree in Denver and was shot to death in a movie theater in 2012 in Aurora, Colo., while shielding his girlfriend from a man on a killing spree. About 20 miles away and 13 years earlier, two killers entered a high school armed with automatic weapons and a … [Read more...]
The “best” people?
To the Editor, “I’m going to surround myself only with the best and most serious people. We want top-of-the-line professionals.” Donald Trump has promised many times to hire and appoint only the “best” people. Let’s see how that’s working out. As of April of this year, seven close Trump associates have entered guilty pleas to a variety of crimes and four of them have been … [Read more...]
Trump, our sick president
To the Editor, A few weeks ago I watched 60 Minutes. It was an interview with Andrew McCabe. After watching it I wondered what was the purpose of the meeting. It must have been to belittle McCabe and to make Trump feel better about himself. That seems to be one of the symptoms of his disorder. At the end of his talk, Trump asked McCabe how his wife felt about being a … [Read more...]
In politics, you need priorities
It’s been many decades now, but I still remember a piece of advice I got not long after entering Congress. It came in passing from a prominent journalist as we were talking about the bewildering array of issues Congress faced. Every day, he told me, I should ask myself a simple question: “What’s the most important thing to be doing today?” He was raising what may be the … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate…One America
From the heat of flames and twisted metal, an America rose from the ashes of 9/11; an America that was strongly united in spirit if not in direction. “Never Forget” signs were everywhere. Even at 11 years old, I knew I would never forget. I will remember the brave men, women, and rescue dogs as they risked their lives to save people inside the burning buildings, and then later … [Read more...]
Pro-choice? What choice?
By Aaron Swaaartzentruber Greenleafton, MN “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” (Jeremiah 1:5) “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mothers womb.” (Psalms 139:14) God has a lot to say about the unborn. Apparently He knows each one of the over 60 million precious little … [Read more...]