Land & Water​

The Driftless Region is chock full of cold, clear streams, offering anglers ample opportunities to catch trout. (Photo courtesy of Bob White, Marine on St. Croix, MN; learn more at BobWhiteStudio.com)

You’ve Entered the Driftless Zone

Steve Harris and John Gaddo explore the Driftless Region and its geological wonders

Contempo Physical Dance, directed by Marciano Silva dos Santos, performs in the barn at DreamAcres. (Photo by Jeff Brechlin)

DreamAcres, Where Performing Art Meets Agriculture

John Torgrimson visits DreamAcres near Wykoff where art meets agriculture.

The Heins' grazing operation, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Hoosier-Ridge-Ranch/100077387513820/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hoosier Ridge Ranch</a>, is grounded in economics. The family’s strategy involves building their own herd, custom grazing, and evolving cropland with cover crops and seasonal grazing. (Photo by Eric Heins)

Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk, Too

Jim Ruen reports on efforts by one family to build a forage based farm enterprise near Altura. They host pasture walks with their children, building a legacy for the future.

Alex Romano signs in for the May 22 meeting on Winona County contaminated water, with her daughter Ruth, 7 months. (Photo by John Weiss)

Water | A Resource in Crisis

John Weiss reports on a water quality meeting in Winona County sponsored by the Winona County Clean Water Coalition and the League of Women Voters.

Some of the trout and other fish electroshocked this spring as part of the DNR’s annual trout stream analysis (Photo by John Weiss)

DNR Shocks Trout to Check Health of Area Streams

Nature writer John Weiss observes annual health check of area trout streams

Three 120-foot-wide contour strips planted with cover crops follow the contours of hills and ridges, reducing runoff, nutrient loss, and erosion on the Phil Schwantz farm near Altura. (Photo submitted by Phil Schwantz)

Finding a Better Way, One Generation to the Next

Jim Ruen reports on an area farmer who continues a decades-long search for new ways to improve soil health and, through that, soil, water and farm profits.

This image is an artist rendering of what a manure digester plant planned for Benson, Minnesota may look like. (Graphic: Nature Energy)

Manure Digester Proposed in Lewiston

Julie Little and Loni Kemp explore the impact manure digesters may have on local communities.

Walker’s route through Fillmore County took him from Pleasant Grove in Olmsted County to Jordan, Fillmore Village, Carimona, Waukokee, Big Springs, Greenfield, and Eliotta, before crossing into Iowa at Burr Oak. Waukokee was a swing station and post office south of Preston and Eliotta was located on the Minnesota – Iowa border in present-day Canton Township. (Map courtesy of Fillmore County Historical Society)

Dubuque-St. Paul Territorial Road Opened Up Area to White Settlement

The Dubuque – St. Paul trail opened up the Minnesota Territory to white settlement. John Torgrimson writes about the role the stagecoach played in that development.

Three horses running in the snow surprised me. They looked like a scene in a Chinese painting. (Photo by John Weiss)

In Search of Golden Eagles

Nature writer John Weiss travels to Houston County in search of Golden Eagles.

The Fillmore County Board recently expanded the animal unit cap for livestock from 2,000 to 4,000, sparking debate over the balance between farming and the environment. (Submitted photo)

What Happens When Feedlots Get Bigger in Karst Country?

Fillmore County changed its Feedlot Ordinance in 2023 to allow for up to 4,000 animal units despite concerns about sinkholes, porous bedrock, and water quality. John Torgrimson follows the story.

Surrounded by Norway Spruce, the Harvey Benson farm south of Harmony is typical of many farmsteads in southeast Minnesota. The farm has been in the family since the late 1800s. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Passing on the Farm

Julie Little reports on a Harmony landowner who struggled over what to do with his land when he passed on. He found the answer just a few miles away in a couple that shared his values.

Josh and Steph Dahl and their three children are pictured on their 450 acre farm south of Rushford. The Dahl’s operate a 160-cow dairy and are involved in the Root River Field to Stream Partnership to control runoff and soil erosion. (Photo by Ann Wessel, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources--BWSR)

Root Causes, Root Solutions

A Houston County dairy farmer, working years with government agencies, invested in environmentally sound practices to control nutrient runoff and soil erosion. Everyone benefits.

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