Support small businesses today

THUMBS UP: There are so many good reasons to support small busineses — they exist right here in your community, they employ you and your neighbors, the money they make stays right here, they pay taxes to support education, public safety and other services.

So today is “Small Business Saturday.” With all the Black Friday hoopla going on, today is the day to think about spending your money with your local, home-grown small businesses. With all the good small businesses do for the community, you will be doing yourself and your community a favor.

Community Friends

THUMBS UP: The New Ulm Community Friends have done it again. About 1,000 people showed up at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Thursday for the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner put on by the Friends for anyone who wishes to eat with them.

It’s a great community-building event, and the credit goes to the 200 or so volunteers who get together on Wednesday and Thursday to prepare and serve the food.

Over the past 31 years the dinner has been going strong and keeps getting stronger. Congratulations.

Farm bill soon?

THUMBS UP: There may be some movement on a federal farm bill. That is good news for producers in Minnesota and Iowa, as well as the ag businesses that work with them.

Republicans in the U.S. House had wanted work requirements for those obtaining food stamps but faced Senate opposition. Now, with the pending Democratic takeover of the House, Republicans are looking to get the best bill they can, before the new Congress is seated in January and it’s too late.

In order to plan, farmers need to know what the farm bill will include. The sooner it passes, the sooner they can look ahead.