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Toughening in

“I just need to toughen in!” So said Old Frank, my new landlord at the time. I was twenty-one in the winter when I rented a small dairy farm, sight unseen, from Old Frank. Old Frank was several years past his eightieth birthday when he and I first crossed paths in a waiting room. Frank was garrulous and gregarious and soon shared with me that he had a problem: the tenant of a dairy that he owned was exiting the farming business. “I’m too old to farm anymore,” Frank lamented. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that place!” I had been striving desperately ...

A home run worth every dollar

For historians, the “Shot Heard Round the World” was fired at Concord to begin the Revolutionary War. For baseball fans, the shot heard round the world was also Bobby Thompson’s home run to win the pennant for the New York Giants in 1951. Then, there was the “Shot Heard Round Sleepy Eye.” That occurred May 29,1975. As often happens in baseball, the hero that day was not one of the star players. In a game filled with some of the best ballplayers Sleepy Eye has ever produced, Dominic Sellner, a speedy slap-hitting left fielder got the biggest hit. We will be celebrating ...

Feed your curiosity

Looking back on my high school and college graduations, I can see just how important those moments were. I didn’t fully get it at the time, but graduation really is a big deal. It marks the end of one chapter and the start of another. Right now, a lot of students and families are standing at that same kind of crossroads. With change comes decisions about what to do, where to go, and who to do it with. At moments like this, one question I’ve always come back to is: What’s my why? If you’re graduating high school, you might be off to college, starting a job, joining the ...

Drive 3 feet away — keep us safe

By The Heart of New Ulm The Heart of New Ulm Project’s Safe Routes to School Action Team is pleased to promote May’s SEE.SAFE.SMART. campaign message, which is “Drive 3 feet away — keep us safe.” With New Ulm officially designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community — first in 2017 and again in 2021 — it’s time to put our commitment to the test! For everyone’s safety and enjoyment, we need to ensure everyone in New Ulm understands and follows the laws when it comes to keeping bicyclists safe. Why drive 3 feet away? What about passing a bicyclist? Here are some ...

Fencing with bees

Farmers often have to defend their crops from pests. While these pests can range from microbes to insects to avians, imagine trying to prevent crop losses when the nuisance in question can tip the scales at 15,000 pounds, might be more than ten feet tall and is highly intelligent. This is a problem that’s routinely faced by the small-scale subsistence farmers who live on the borders of Ruaha National Park in Tanzina. Wild elephants have learned how to raid crop fields, erasing months’ worth of work in mere hours and imperiling the farmers’ livelihoods. A solution to this ...

Fighting for the fallen, caring for the living

Memorial Day is a solemn occasion to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. We attend parades, place flags at gravesites, and take quiet moments of reflection. But beyond the ceremonies and speeches lies another, often invisible war, one that too many of our veterans and active-duty service members are still fighting. Countless veterans struggle with substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and an increasing risk of drug overdose. It’s a battle that doesn’t make headlines and is waged silently behind closed doors, far from the front ...