2020
By Kent Thiesse, Farm Management AnalystMay 11, 2021The University of Minnesota recently reported that the median net farm income for southern and western Minnesota farmers in 2020 was $102,848. It’s the highest since 2012, which was followed by seven years (2013-2019) of poor income levels in the region. The 2020 net farm income levels in that region were enhanced by robust crop profits that resulted from above-average crop yields, improved grain…
By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota Highway PatrolNovember 23, 2020Question: I have heard a lot about “click it or ticket” recently. I thought seat belt use was at an all-time high. Answer: Most Minnesotans are making the life-saving decision to buckle up. According to the 2019 Minnesota Seat Belt Survey, 93.4 percent of front seat occupants are wearing their seat belts. Unfortunately, that means more than 7 percent of motorists continue to risk their lives and…
By Brenda Winter, columnistNovember 17, 2020There is a story in the Old Testament where the patriarch Abraham gives his selfish nephew, Lot, first choice in selecting farmland. Lot, being a bit of a jerk, takes all the good land and forces his uncle to pack his bags and move on. Abraham must have been downcast or pouting or something because God spoke to Abraham and said, (and I paraphrase) “Hey! Look up! Look around! You still have plenty…- November 17, 2020To the Editor: I’ll bet I’m not the only one wondering what their family is doing for Thanksgiving this year. What a wonderful time of the year. Seeing out-of-town relatives for the first time in a while. Sharing great food, drinks and stories. College kids coming home and catching up with high school friends. Everyone packed around the TV for parades and football games. How I’m looking forward…
- November 10, 2020Nonprofit organizations are at the heart of our communities, but many of our local organizations have canceled fundraiser galas and activities due to the pandemic. This is not only a loss of social connections, but it represents lost fundraising that would support 2021 projects that strengthen the community. Nov. 19 is Give to the Max Day, a 24-hour online campaign that supports local nonprofits…
By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 10, 2020A group text among my sisters typically makes the rounds during holidays: “When and where will we gather?” and "Who’s bringing what for food?” But this year we’re asking, “Should we gather?” And if so, “How can we safely gather?” There are five of us sisters, and with our growing families we’re about two dozen people. We love each other dearly, and with both of our parents recently passing,…- November 10, 2020To the Editor: Congratulations to the voters of Rock County. You turned out inrecord numbers to support your candidates. On the evening when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were speaking totheir supporters in Delaware, celebrating the honor of being chosen tolead the country forward,there was also television coverage in Arizona outside the buildingwhere the votes were being counted. On one side of…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistNovember 10, 2020The firearms deer season started in most of Minnesota on Nov. 7. In the southwest part of the state it runs for 11 days. Other regions have different dates and season lengths. I am a pretty serious deer hunter but have not harvested a deer in over 30 years. This by no means indicates that I have skipped the opportunity to buy a license and take part in the hunt for any of those three decades. I…
October 13, 2020Well, I took the bait. It happens about once every two weeks or so. I replied to a semi-political comment on Facebook. I should know better. In my defense, the original post was about the no-barrier COVID testing available this week in Luverne. It wasn’t technically political. I would have passed it by, but the author of the post mentioned online learning. As a teacher experiencing hybrid…- October 13, 2020To the Editor: Franklin Graham suggested we read our Bible, then go vote. I grew up without ever seeing a Bible. Thankfully I married into a family some 50 years ago and they introduced me to the Book. I would suggest you read the dictionary. Look up socialism and then communism, and then go vote. Thank you for reading this. Marilyn Sasker Luverne To the Editor: I enjoyed reading the opinion…
- September 15, 2020Who knew the postal service and mail ballots would be politicized? Who knew we would distrust mail service to deliver our ballot, yet trust it to deliver our tax refunds? Who knew that same mail ballot voting that military members have used for decades would be discouraged for average citizens seeking safety from pandemic exposure at the polling station? Who knew? These are the times we live in…
By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietySeptember 15, 2020The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911. Rock County Village continued from 9-10-20 edition of the Star Herald. Beaver Creek For a few months the youthful village was the terminus of the railroad and it at once came into prominence as one of the most lively communities in this part of the state. Being the end of the railroad, it became the distributing point for the…
By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistSeptember 01, 2020When I wrote about this subject matter 15 years ago for the first time, I almost got my head ripped off. Letters to the editor were a regular occurrence. Minnesota had not had a morning dove season for many decades, and in 2014 that opportunity was made available again by the Minnesota legislature. I had watched my dad hunt these plentiful birds in South Dakota as a kid, and I made a great bird…
By Mavis Fodness, reporterAugust 11, 2020While removing the leaf from the kitchen table one day, my thoughts landed on how a simple piece of furniture reflects the changes in our empty nest household. In our 30-plus years of marriage, Bryan and I always had a kitchen table and a dining table in each of the half dozen or so homes we’ve lived in during our time together. The duo tables are the result of an auctioneer husband who couldn’t…- August 04, 2020The coronavirus pandemic isn’t easy. It isn’t easy for people who get sick. It isn’t easy for their families and loved ones who can’t gather at their bedsides. It isn’t easy to properly grieve losses, COVID or not. It isn’t easy for communities to support residents and businesses. It isn’t easy for our mentally ill who already feel isolated and insecure. It isn’t easy for their caregivers and…
- By Jessica Blocker, Director of Christian Education, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneJuly 28, 2020These past few months the new “buzzword” or phrase has been “in these uncertain times.” It has been used with such frequency that it has begun to move into the realm of mockery and jokes. Not in a facetious way, just in the sense that in every time you see or read it, though the description be apt, it begins to illicit a small chuckle or eye roll. And yet, what other phrase better fits…
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