To the Editor, Retirement from a farm business may not mean moving away or giving up on mentoring the next generation, but it does entail transferring management decisions to someone else. It can be a gradual or sudden process. It may be driven by long-term goals, by sudden health issues, or events outside your family…. Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda It was 1969, Quang Tri Combat Base, Vietnam. His last name was Antoine, and like a lot of guys back then, back there, soldiers got called some derivative of their name or place. We called him Twine. (For example: “Tex” was from Texas; “Pineapple” was from Hawaii, and so… Read More

Jessica Carlson Otter Tail County Master Gardener According to the University of Minnesota Extension, the best period for most pruning is from late winter to early spring.  During this dormant time, it reduces stress, minimizes disease spread, and makes it easier to see the structure of trees and shrubs. Using the right tools makes pruning… Read More

By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom Harvest Church Over the past few weeks in our sermon series ,we’ve been reflecting on a simple truth: the closer we are in our relationship with God, the better our relationships with people become. Most followers of Jesus have experienced this firsthand. When we’re connected to the Lord, we’re kinder. We’re… Read More

By Tyler Trieglaff Notes from the Chief Notes from the Farm…We often wonder where our calves end up after the sales barn.  Last year, I saw that a local cattle jockey bought them, most likely going to a feedlot in the area. This year, I believe I heard our first set of steers were headed… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda With another birthday behind me, I just kind of put some of what I am and feel into these words: I am pre-cellphones. (When they put that big tower a couple miles west of me, I wrote a pretty negative column about what I thought about that thing spoiling… Read More

To the Editor, Amidst the turmoil and uncertainty of Trump’s courts and congress lunging away from constitutional rule in mindless and formerly illegal directions, there remains opportunities for great leadership to slow the damage and set new courses to get back on track. The most positive indication was the remarkable display of dedication to democracy,… Read More

By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom Harvest Church In a recent message during our relationship series at Harvest Church, I turned our attention to the topic of parenting. The heart behind this entire series has been simple: the closer we are to God, the healthier all of our relationships become. When we stay connected to the Lord,… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda I ended–gave up– a 30-some-year-long engagement with the IRS some time ago. I gave up. I hate to say it: Up to that point, I never thought I would ever concede them the tiniest bit of superiority. But I did. Government by the people, for the people–all that stuff… Read More

To the Editor, On Thursday, March 5, the House Committee on Agriculture passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, taking the first step in yet another attempt to pass new farm bill legislation. The bill was approved on a vote of 34-17, with all Republican members joined by seven Democrats to pass the bill…. Read More