It does not come as a surprise that veterinarian, Dr. John Bengfort, is a wealth of knowledge. What is a surprise is that he has a wealth of interesting stories to tell. Dr. John Bengfort grew up on the family farm in northeast Iowa around Ossian and Postville. The family raised dairy cattle and hogs but no horses. After high school, Bengfort, a Vietnam veteran, served in the … [Read more...]
Horse lover for life
Kari Johnson fell in love with horses when she was about five years old, and still loves them. According to her, it was her dad’s fault; Dad had a buddy whose daughter had a horse, and he insisted that Kari needed one too! When her dad brought home her first pony, Kari fell head over heels for it. Kari was the youngest of five kids; none of the other kids was into horses at … [Read more...]
Fillmore County SWCD approves Minnesota Land Trust contract
A contract for services between the Minnesota Land Trust and Fillmore County Soil & Water Conservation District was unanimously approved at the February 18 board meeting. The contract was for $5,000. “It’s in our favor to implement educational outreach programs for the land trust. It’s something we’ve done in the past,” noted District Administrator Laura Christiansen. … [Read more...]
The future of the Pope and Young Club/Glen St. Charles Museum
The word on the street is the Pope and Young Club in Chatfield is closing and moving out of Chatfield. “Some parts of the rumor are true,” explains Jason Rounsaville, executive director of the Pope and Young Club for the past three years. Rounsaville confirmed that the Pope and Young Club 20,000-square-foot building is up for sale. He confirmed that the organization’s … [Read more...]
Caledonia Public Works employees complimented for their swift work plowing city streets
Mayor DeWayne “Tank” Schroeder called the Caledonia City Council’s regular meeting to order on Monday evening, February 22, at 6:02 p.m. in the city auditorium. City council members in attendance included Amanda Ninneman, David Fitzpatrick, and Brad Rykhus. Councilmember Robert “Bob” Klug was absent. The City Council unanimously approved the Consent Agenda. Included were … [Read more...]
R-P returns to in-person instruction
After nearly a year of following distance and hybrid learning methods, due to the pandemic, Rushford-Petersonn will happily welcome all students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12, back in person beginning March 16. “One of the aspects of the pandemic, probably the most important dialogue, was to recently discuss when we want to return students,” began Superintendent Jon … [Read more...]
Fillmore County technology initiatives
Fillmore County has been working toward a number of technology upgrades/initiatives for some time. At the board’s February 23 meeting, several initiatives were approved. County Administrator Bobbie Hillery detailed all of the planned initiatives which will be purchased, installed, licensed, and maintained through Marco. All technological upgrades were discussed in the … [Read more...]
Regarding the Fillmore SWCD decision
By Bonnie Haugen Farmer, Land Stewardship Project member Canton, MN I am addressing the report of the Fillmore SWCD board meeting January 21, 2021. I understand that our SWCD needs to be mindful of partnering on educational events. I do not want our farmers to avoid good events if there is a negative association. However, I want the reasons for eliminating partnerships to … [Read more...]
Lanesboro school’s enrollment numbers continue to grow
At the February 18 Lanesboro School Board meeting, Superintendent Matt Schultz updated the board members of the district’s current enrollment numbers. When he started working at the district in 2016, the school had 333 students. With more students being added on a regular basis during this school year, he anticipates that the 2021-2022 will open with over 400 total students … [Read more...]
Additional 2021 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant funding available
ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has extended the application deadline for the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) as a result of the addition of federal COVID-19 relief funds to the program. The MDA expects to award a total of roughly $2.9 million in funding for the grant program, including about $1.65 million in one-time funding for COVID-19 … [Read more...]