Columns
- By Kent Thiesse, Farm Management AnalystDecember 28, 2020Based on the data in the latest 2020 Farm Income Forecast released by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) in early December, U.S. net farm income is expected to increase by $36 billion or 43 percent above 2019 levels. The 2020 net farm income is now estimated at $119 billion, which would be the highest inflation-adjusted net farm income since 2013 and is 32 percent above the 20-year (2000-…
- By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyDecember 28, 2020The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911. Rock County Village (continued from 12-24-20 edition of the Star Herald) Steen In the list of Rock county’s unincorporated villages Steen ranks among the foremost, both in size and importance. It is located on the northwest quarter of section 32, Clinton township, near the southern boundary of the county, and is a station on the…
- By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistDecember 28, 2020I am not a big Facebook follower, but I was checking out a post I made on our chapter’s local Nobles County Pheasants Forever Facebook site. As I was scrolling across the past few days on my regular feed, I saw a re-post from one of my longtime friends, Bob St Pierre, who is a Pheasants Forever national employee. He reposted a picture of a young gal who had taken up decoy carving. There are those…
- By Mavis Fodness, reporterDecember 21, 2020Instead of making a New Year’s resolution for 2020, I assembled a “vision” board instead. It proved to be a much better way to affect positive change than resolutions, which never lasted a month, much less an entire year. Ideally, pictures from magazines are used to “visually” represent an activity or feeling one wants to focus on, but I made a list. Among the items I wrote on my board was to…
- By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyDecember 21, 2020The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911. Rock County Village (continued from 12-17-20 edition of the Star Herald) The matter was brought to a conclusion at the meeting of the commissioners on January 8, 1903, when a request signed by twelve of those interested in the proposed incorporation, asking for a withdrawal of their original petition, was presented. Although no…
- By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistDecember 21, 2020About three years ago I purchased a used tractor to fill the need I had when implementing wildlife habitat projects. I chose poorly with little experience, but after several large repair bills the machine was up and running. As a result, I then needed a building to store it in, and a medium-sized pole barn shed was next on the list. I built it bigger than I thought I needed and again, I was…
- By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 15, 2020We have a leg lamp on display in our western Rock County neighborhood, proudly illuminated in a highway-facing window. It was a highly-anticipated mail-order gift, and the neighbors (our friends) documented its delivery in a series of group text images. First came a photo of the “major award” assembled and plugged in. Then, to prove its authenticity, came a photo of the delivery box with large…
- By Rick Peterson, general managerDecember 15, 2020It’s not easy this Christmas season to be jolly and merry and shouting “Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas.” But if you need a feel-good moment, I encourage you to check out the Luverne Area Community Foundation’s virtual Celebrations of Philanthropy. To do so, go to www.luvacf.org and click the link. Each year, somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Foundation hosts an in-person gathering to…
- By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyDecember 15, 2020The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911. Rock County Village (continued from 12-10-20 edition of the Star Herald) The year 1901 was one of substantial improvement. The town’s first blacksmith, E. M. Newell, came from Edgerton in February, erected a shop and was ready to serve his patrons by the twentieth of the month. Thomte & Johnson were on the ground in March and…
- By Brenda Winter, columnistDecember 08, 2020I've become a hypochondriac. In the past month, I’ve had a headache and wondered, “Do I have Covid-19?” And then, “I wonder if I’ll need a ventilator?” And then, “Who will attend my funeral if the guests are limited to members of only one household?” I’ve had a scratchy throat and wondered, “Is this the end? Of course, I have allergies, I swept a dusty garage floor yesterday, and the air is…
- By Sgt. Troy Christianson, Minnesota Highway PatrolDecember 08, 2020Question: Did I hear there is extra DWI enforcement going on over the holidays? Answer: Yes, here is some information that we shared on the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s blog: The holidays are going to be different this year, that’s for sure. With Minnesota’s pandemic restrictions in place for now, friends and family likely aren’t coming into town to celebrate, and even if they do, you…
- By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyDecember 08, 2020The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911. Rock County Village (continued from 12-03-20 edition of the Star Herald.) Kenneth Located on the line between sections 1 and 2, Vienna township, on the Worthington-Hardwick branch of the Rock Island railroad, seven miles southeast from Hardwick, is Kenneth, the youngest of Rock county’s towns. Although it was the last to come into…
- By Jason Berghorst, reporterDecember 01, 2020What will your life be like in the year 2045? That’s the question my ninth-grade students had the opportunity to think and write about recently. What will life be like in 25 years? What jobs will they have and where will they live? How will the world be similar to and different from 2020? The assignment to write two pages imagining life in 2045 is how we start the Careers Unit. I learn so much…
- By Rick Peterson, general managerDecember 01, 2020If you missed the fireworks this past Sunday night, sad for you. They were nothing short of spectacular. There is a video on our Facebook page that will give you a sample of how great they were. The park was just as cool. Kudos to the Luverne Chamber, City of Luverne Public Works Department, local businesses and churches and individuals that donated money for the fireworks and put up displays.…
- By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyDecember 01, 2020The following appeared in The Rose History in 1911. Rock County Village (continued from 11-25-20 edition of the Star Herald.) School A completely equipped, nine grade school is maintained in Magnolia. It is conducted in a two-story building, erected in 1893 at a cost of several thousand dollars. Before that year the site was occupied by a small district school house, in which a…
- By Scott Rall, outdoors columnistDecember 01, 2020So the opening weekend of the Minnesota pheasant season is here and gone and it took until 8 a.m. that following Monday morning for my phone to ring with questions regarding hunting etiquette on public lands. For sure there are different common-sense rules when it comes to interacting with other hunters who all want to hunt on the same parcel of public land at the same time. The recommendations…
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