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Minnesota’s clean water certification program helping farmers be good stewards

My family farms just under 1,000 acres near the headwaters of the Minnesota River and the Red River on the continental divide. The view out our window is an expanse of fields and sky that spans for miles. Water that comes to our farm through rain and snow eventually ends up in the Minnesota River, flowing into the Mississippi and finally into the Gulf of Mexico. We think a lot about how our farm management affects that water, and how to be the best stewards of that resource. That’s why we were eager to meet with our local Agriculture Water Quality Certification specialist, and ...

Minnesotans broadly support E15 — now US Senate should act

In my decade of attending Farmfest, I’ve found that conversations often start with the weather, market conditions and the cost of doing business. But they usually come back to a larger question: Are policymakers paying attention to what Greater Minnesota needs? This year one issue deserves to be part of that conversation: year-round E15. For anyone who has seen Unleaded 88 at the gas pump but is not quite sure what it means, E15 is a gasoline blend with 15% ethanol. Most gasoline sold today already contains 10% ethanol. E15 simply increases that blend to 15%, bumps the octane level ...

New Little House series could have benefits for Walnut Grove

For the first time in more than 40 years, people have an opportunity to watch new episodes of Little House on the Prairie. Netflix recently came out with its new Little House series. It premiered in the past month. A second season is already planned, according to the show’s web site. The show is set in Kansas, which corresponds to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s second book. It offers a view of life in an area that was still part of the frontier in the 1870s. It’s hard to imagine that a new show can compare to the original series, which put Walnut Grove on the radar screen of people ...

MN paid leave payroll tax rate to remain same next year

Minnesota’s paid leave payroll tax will remain at 0.88% in 2027, shared between workers and their employers, the state announced Friday — but a new actuarial analysis indicates the program may need to increase the rate in 2028 to abide by state law. The state Department of Employment and Economic Development said in a press release that the actuarial analysis conducted by Spring Consulting Group shows the program will remain sustainable in 2027 with the current 0.88% payroll tax rate, or 88 cents for every $100 in earnings, split equally between workers and bosses. The ...

1,300 tons of sand to cover New Ulm street

NEW ULM – As of Friday morning, Minnesota Street from 2nd North to Center Street will be impassible to traffic thanks to 1,300 tons of sand. This is all part of the preparation work for the fourth annual Spikin’ in the Street sand volleyball tournament. The volleyball tournament officially begins 6 p.m. today, but the creation of eight sand volleyball courts on Minnesota Street will begin in the early morning. The 70 dump trucks start unloading sand at 7 a.m. New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce President Sarah Warmka said this year’s tournament is expected to have a higher turnout ...

Regional Calendar

The Independent calendar lists upcoming meetings, facility hours and events in and around Marshall. To have your group’s events listed, email the information to news@marshallindependent.com or submit the information to our virtual newsroom. Today Marshall Farmers Market, 7:30 a.m.-noon, Schwan’s parking lot, 200 South A Street. AA (Book study), 8 a.m., Open Door Church, 77 North Bruce Street. Marshall-Lyon County Library, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 201 C St. Lyon County Democrats campaign office open 9 a.m.-noon, 105 East Main Street, Marshall. Lyon County Museum, noon-4 p.m., 301 ...