The phrase “Your money is hard at work” may be overused, but during the April 28 Houston County Commission meeting, it became immediately clear that taxpayers in Houston County can rest assured that their money is well spent.
With only one new business item listed on the agenda, there was time for two presentations. The first was a University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension update on agriculture and horticulture programming, and the second was the county’s EDA annual report.
Katie Drewitz, Houston County extension educator and Lisa Dierks, UMN Extension regional director, were on hand to share “hard data” from the 2025 Houston County agriculture and horticulture programming. From the Houston County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers 2025 Impact Statement, the numbers are striking: 19 active members, and four active emeritus members contributed 1,865.45 volunteer hours, at $38.15 per volunteer hour equals a total of $71,185.57, along with 268.73 continuing education hours.
The report emphasizes that Houston County volunteers go above and beyond. Master Gardener volunteers are required to log 25 hours; Houston County volunteers average 98.2 hours per person. They are also required to complete five continuing education hours per year, while the Houston County average is 14.2. This is just the start of the numbers shared by Drewitz.
Other programs include private pesticide applicator training, with 164 applicators in Houston County. Gardening from the Garden Up & Garden Buzz saw more than 1,800 webinar registrations and an average of more than 500 live viewers. Tesmer Farm Safety Day serves 200-300 Houston County fourth graders, supported by more than 50 community volunteers and more than 35 sponsors.
The annual Youth Tractor Safety event is held at the Houston County Fairgrounds. It is attended by about 10 youths ages 14 and older each year. This program is required for youth wanting to operate farm machinery for a business not owned by their parents. Participants receive hands-on practice driving tractors.
The 2025 Farm Family of the Year was the Lee, Jordan and Rachelle Meyer family. Drewitz said that the 2026 Farm Family has not been announced. Houston County Extension sent out a land rent survey to 400 landowners in Houston County, which is then analyzed and distributed. Other extension programs held last year include the Farm Transition Workshop, pruning workshops, and the Bluff Country Collaboration.
The EDA annual presentation by Allison Wagner, Houston County economic development director, highlighted numerous projects and achievements. Bluff Country Collaborative celebrated its eighth anniversary in 2025 of offering work-based learning opportunities, and EDA “saw the largest project to date,” as Sno Pac Foods planned a $7 million cold storage facility in Caledonia.
According to Wagner, “the best part about the project was that Sno Pac planned to rent much needed cold storage space to other local businesses in Houston County!” Snow Pac received a $125,000 revolving loan from EDA, and Houston County also approved a tax abatement for the project over a six-year period.
Wagner reported that there are 14 active revolving loans with $459,084.46 in outstanding principal. At the end of 2025, EDA had $192,555.34 cash on hand available to lend.
The childcare initiative has made strong use of the $255,000 ARPA investment allocated by Houston County commissioners. The funding supports training, grants, and education on the need for childcare workers. $38,558.20 in grant dollars to Houston County childcare providers added 16 slots and preserved 16 additional slots. To date, the program has helped preserve 136 slots and create 26 new slots.
Other EDA projects include the farming initiative, Houston Area Preservation Initiative, housing initiative, Keep Company Co-Working Space and Root River Trail expansion.
The agenda was unanimously approved, as were the minutes from the April 21 board meeting.
The board unanimously approved hiring Jessica Meyer as a full-time adult social worker and transferring Melissa Jordan from child support officer to appraiser trainee.
The board also approved paying the bills.
After a lengthy discussion about whether the position was necessary, the board unanimously approved, by roll-call vote, beginning the hiring process for a full-time environmental services technician.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:34 a.m.
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