View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist Since I was a young farmer many years ago, it’s fun to read about couples starting farming as we did, but of course had help from my parents to get going. Here’s a story about a young couple who really had to struggle to get going in a very… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist This column is being written solely to generate discussion surrounding some proposed gun legislation being floated around the Minnesota State Capitol these days. I repeat, this is to create discussion and not explode the virtues one way or the other of these proposed legislations. Now I am a gun… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator February 2024 ranks among the warmest since the 1800s, prompting early budding in many trees and shrubs. Though winter temperatures are expected to return, the premature growth could disrupt the normal dormancy cycle of plants, causing concern among enthusiasts. While the sight of budding trees may raise concerns, it’s… Read More

View From a Prairie Home by Hege Hernfindahl, Columnist There are so many facets to the human experience. Anger. Sadness. Joy. Rejection.  These feelings are so private, yet universal. I have written about both sadness and joy multiple times. But never about rejection. We all experience it at various times in our lives. When rejected on a personal… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist I am so crabby today!!! I’m not myself. I hate trying to eliminate stuff I’ve saved for 70 years. I’ve accumulated so many treasures. Yesterday I found a file containing letters and cards from people that meant so much to me through the years…Betsy from SC; Vangie from WI,… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune If you don’t know your history, you would probably ask:  Why is the Confederate flag displayed at the Minnesota State Capitol? Well, it isn’t displayed anymore for security reasons, but it is in Minnesota’s position under lock and key. Here’s the story. The Confederate battle flag… Read More

Discussing bias From Eileen Halvorson, Glenwood I wouldn’t want anyone to be treated poorly due to bias, that includes individuals with conservative religious beliefs as well as those whose lifestyle is outside of social norms. The challenge is that all of us are biased to some degree. We tend to feel uncomfortable with those who… Read More

Minnewaska Musings By Paul Gremmels In the short, four page opening chapter of John Steinbeck’s epic novel The Grapes of Wrath  he uses the word “dust” nineteen times. Fitting, since it was written about The Great Depression of the 1930s, more commonly referred to as The Dust Bowl. This opening chapter is a small vignette that… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone As we get older we start to think about “downsizing” which is a nice word for getting rid of a bunch of the junk we have accumulated over the years. You know, stuff you didn’t need at the time but saved because you might need it some day. Well, that… Read More

View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist From the February 2024 issue of Successful Farming magazine comes an interesting story of a woman who grew up on an Iowa farm and became an astronaut. The subtitle of the above headline is “Lessons learned on her family’s Iowa farm helped Peggy Whitson become an astronaut and served… Read More