Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator The winter weather has held on longer than desired this year, and our outdoor gardening chores have had to be delayed due to late snows, sleet, slush and mud. However, there are several different options a dedicated gardener can do to jump start their growing season. High tunnels, cold… Read More

View From a Prairie Home by Hege Hernfindahl, Columnist It has been a long and hard winter for everybody. We have struggled every day. With the snow. The ice. The wind. The impossibility to go outside when it is so cold and slippery. We are old and don’t want to fall and break our brittle bones. The… Read More

From Where I Sit By Pat Spilseth, Columnist This year’s Easter egg hunt was a winner! The sun was out and snow had melted in the backyard. The ground was still frozen so no mud caked the kids’ shoes. No melt downs of tears; no hitting each other with Easter baskets when spying an elusive egg; no… Read More

Publisher’s Perspective By Tim Douglass, Publisher of the Pope County Tribune We had a story last week about the Old Fire Hall Brewing Co. that will open in Starbuck at the end of this month. Just after the story broke on Monday, the local Rotary Club visited the businesses for a noon meeting on Tuesday and… Read More

Stoneage Ramblings By John R. Stone Conservative columnist George Will had an interesting take on the indictment of Donald J. Trump in New York City last week. His thought was that Republicans can maybe now see that they have reached the bottom of a dark pit and now can start climbing out of it. Mr. Trump… Read More

Use caution and care with pesticides By Mary Jo Forbord Prairie Horizons Farm Langhei Township in Pope County I grew up on a farm south of Benson.  My husband, Luverne, grew up south of Starbuck on the former dairy farm where we live and farm today. Our ancestors have been farming for five generations on… Read More

Fortunate to live in a community that values education From Mary Walsh, Minnewaska Area Dollars for Scholars president A HUGE thank you from the Minnewaska Area chapter of Dollars for Scholars to all who contributed to the successful phone-a-thon that was held on February 26.  Minnewaska students spent about four hours making calls to people… Read More

The Outdoors By Scott Rall, Outdoors Columnist I made a call last week to a resort called West Winds Resort located in Washkish Minnesota. They are located on the east shore of Upper Red Lake which is about 75 miles from Lake of the Woods. I have been making an annual trip to this location for… Read More

View From The Cab By David Tollefson, Columnist You’ve all heard of Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest persons. You also may have heard of his son Howard Buffett. Howard farms in Illinois and is big into sustainable farming, cover crops and the latest technology in agriculture. In the March 2023 issue of Farm Journal is… Read More

Growing Green By Robin Trott, Extension Educator This morning the redwing blackbirds made their annual return to the trees surrounding my home. This is my indicator that spring has arrived (despite the lingering snow!). I have been receiving many calls about how and when fertilizer should be applied to lawns and gardens. This is a difficult… Read More