Policy & Government

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

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.

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.

Rural Renewal: Placemaking in Small Towns Through Good Design

Spring Grove receives development support from Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design.

Minnesota law requires that all slow-moving vehicles display a fluorescent orange-red triangular sign. This law was challenged on religious grounds by a group of Amish men in 1988 before the Minnesota Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that the Amish could use white bars on the back of their buggies instead of the “too worldly” triangular sign. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

A Slow Moving Vehicle

Henry Hershberger, a 15-year-old Amish boy, was killed on a summer night in 2021 when his buggy was rear-ended by a pickup truck near Preston. Legal proceedings carried into 2023. This is what happened.

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.