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Minnesota’s nitrogen dilemma: How can farmers solve it?

Issues surrounding nitrogen fertilizer pose a significant challenge for Minnesota farmers and our natural resources, prompting increased attention toward nitrogen regulations. While these concerns rightly demand attention, Minnesota farmers are doing what they do best — taking proactive and innovative steps to solve agriculture’s big challenges. It’s time for the state to acknowledge those efforts and partner with growers to scale new solutions that reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen and safeguard our environment. I’m a third-generation Minnesota farmer, working the same ...

Teenage years lead to important personal decisions

It’s graduation season, a time to look ahead to futures filled with good opportunities. It’s also a time to look back. The graduation ceremony is the final chapter in a high school or college career, a celebration of all that each graduate accomplished. Everyone made choices. Even as young children, there were decisions such as whether to spend more time at the pool or at sports facilities. There were opportunities to try out for summer musicals and later to begin learning a band instrument. The number of choices grows as children become teenagers. Before long they have to ...

Remembering Dean

This column is often written in a form called the personal essay. “Personal essays relate the author’s intimate thoughts and experiences to universal truths,” is one definition. “Universal” seems a bit much for mine. Maybe “township truths.” Sometimes personal means my thoughts on picking rocks or watching baseball. This one is deeper personal. Fifty years ago, on May 24, my brother Dean died. That day wasn’t any different than any of the other 18,000 since he’s been gone. Anniversaries make things sharper in focus. I have referenced Dean’s passing before and ...

Many city projects and events planned for this summer

Construction has started on many projects and plans are underway for a few of our most popular events. Recently, construction started on South Whitney Street where storm, sewer and water lines will be replaced along with a new asphalt surface. It is anticipated to be completed in the fall of this year. The Addison parking lot located at Lyon and East College Drive was re-constructed with concrete surfacing. This is one of the city’s most highly used public parking lots and prior to this project, one of the worst in overall condition. The project was completed on time, despite ...

In honor of those who made ultimate sacrifice, take care of our veterans

It’s been said that ‘the nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.’ We tell the world who we are as a nation by how we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we hold dear. Memorial Day is a time to remember these fallen heroes and do right by the veterans and service members who are still with us. That’s why today, I’m thinking about the countless Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I’m thinking of Quentin Gifford from Mankato, who was on the USS Oklahoma when it was torpedoed during the attack on Pearl ...

Aurora borealis

It was a spectacular show that was enjoyed by everyone. Were it to be given a Rotten Tomatoes rating, it would be ranked as “super-duper fresh.” Best of all, this over-the-top production was free. Yes, the recent display of the Northern Lights was pretty special. It was leagues better than any computer-generated special effects that Hollywood could cook up. Maybe this was because the price was right. Or maybe it was because it was a communal experience that could be savored by almost everyone in the Northern Hemisphere. The aurora borealis — those weird, swirling, pulsing ...