Sauk Rapids Herald - October 3 edition

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Saturday, October 3, 2020

Tips for avoiding delays on election day

Sauk Rapids city staff offers tips for voters SAUK RAPIDS – The city of Sauk Rapids wants to ensure its residents and area community members are informed as the country moves toward the general election Nov. 3. They offer these tips to voters.

Note, face coverings will be required at polling places in accordance with Minnesota Emergency Executive Order 20-81.

Preregister to vote. Voters can now register online at the Secretary of State’s website or by submitting a completed voter registration application to the Benton County Auditor’s office.

Application forms are also available at city hall. The pre-registration deadline for online applications is 11:59 p.m. Oct. 13, 21 days before Election Day. Know where your polling place is located. Voters are only allowed to vote at the polling location for the precinct in which they reside. Sauk Rapids has five precincts. Note, voters previously assigned to Pleasantview Elementary School as a polling place are now assigned to Discovery Church,

Election page 2

Same Local Coverage Since 1854.

Vol. 166, No. 26

Benton Economic Partnership chooses new director Othoudt to ‘hit the ground running’

BY JAKOB KOUNKEL | STAFF WRITER

FOLEY – After a months-long search for a new director to lead the Benton Economic Partnership, the organization’s board picked Amanda Othoudt, of Sauk Rapids, based on a wealth of development experience, education and a locally oriented mindset. Othoudt officially starts Oct. 5.

“We’re really excited about it,” said John Herges, president of both the BEP and Falcon National Bank. “She’s got a tremendous background in economic development.”

The director of the BEP is responsible for planning and marketing, business retention and expansion, business finance and assistance, and administrative duties like reporting to the board.

Herges said Othoudt’s impressive background bodes well for the BEP because she has the tools, knowledge and familiarity with economic development that will benefit the public-private partnership right away. Along with an extensive professional and educational background, Herges also said Othoudt is personable and a good communicator.

Othoudt page 5

Amanda Othoudt

The show must go on Area artists seek mid m to engage public amid canceled events

BY NATASHA BARBER | STAFF WRITER TTER

ST. CLOUD – When the coronavirus vvirus ar-rived in Minnesota last March, Joan R Rydbergg slowly saw her filled calendar open up. pp.

Postponed. Canceled. The words rrepeatedd themselves one after another as spring, nng, sum-mer and fall events were impacted bby COV COVVID-19.

Rydberg is a self-taught artist w who hass sculpted polymer clay dolls and other eer piecess for nearly 40 years. Like other industries, artrries, art tists – whether visual, literary, performing rrming oorr hhe powe er the like – have not been immune to the power of the pandemic. hhside St t.

Yet, in a small room in her northside St. Cloud home, Rydberg continues to ssit downn and shape the smiling faces of Wise Womenn ne from Wadswoth – her whimsical ddoll lin line lls to ca at which features characters from angels cat ladies, fishermen to Santa Claus.

Artists page 5

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

Joan Rydberg sculpts the face of a Wise Women from Wadsworth doll at her home Sept. 15 in St. Cloud. Rydberg attends up to 30 art and craft shows each year, all of which were canceled due to the pandemic.

PUBLIC NOTICES • City of Sauk Rapids Winter Parking Notice - pg. 10 Co Board of Commissioners Public Hearing - pg. 10 • Benton County • Benton County C Planning Commission Public Hearing - pg. 10

OBITUARIES • None

ST R

Publications The newspaper of today is the history of tomorrow.

NEWS

Page 2 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

PHOTO BY ANNA HINKEMEYER

Dennis Arntson stands in front of one of his collector cars Sept. 23 at the Stearns County History Museum in St. Cloud.

Arntson is the president of the St. Cloud Antique Auto Club, which was forced to cancel its 45th annual car show and swap meet.

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St. Cloud auto club opts for regular WORD instead of car show

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ST. CLOUD – Countless events scheduled for 2020 have seen cancellations in hopes of resuming in 2021. The St. Cloud Antique Auto Club car show and swap meet was not immune.

The 45th annual Pantowners event was scheduled for Aug. 16 at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Sauk Rapids.

The show, always on the third Sunday in August, features approximately 600 cars and over 400 swappers each year as well as various crafters, motorcycles, food vendors and a model car contest.

“We didn’t like (not having a car show),” said Dennis Arntson, president of the St. Cloud Antique Auto Club. “People were disappointed we couldn’t have the show, but they understood. We were not the only ones that had to cancel.”

The annual exhibit

features cars and trucks spanning from pre-World War II through the 1980s.

The pre-WWII cars, most Ford Model A and Model T, are a particularly interesting aspect to the show, as Arntson said not many car shows have a full exhibit from that era. Future shows may see even newer cars as the club is going to be adding more classes to its show.

Planning for the show typically begins the fall prior as contracts with the Benton County Fairgrounds, area police departments and food vendors occur. By February, the show is planned and being advertised statewide. This year’s flexibility is largely because many meetings scheduled for January did not happen.

The club also canceled its spring and fall banquets, monthly meetings and at least 10 nursing home tours it does each year. The group has participated in two nursing home stops, but other

One of two original Pan Motor Company cars prepares for a cruise in St. Cloud in 2019. The Pan Car has been involved in various St. Cloud Antique Auto Club cruises around central Minnesota this year in lieu of hosting the annual car show and swap meet at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Sauk Rapids.

events are restricted due to gathering limits because of COVID-19.

Some aspects of the St. Cloud Antique Auto Club have been continuing despite the challenges of 2020. Instead of monthly meetings, the club has been doing monthly cruises around town to allow its members to come together.

Over 30 members drive in parade fashion around many rural roads throughout central Minnesota.

The club also held its annual fun run Aug. 15, an event that occurs each year on the eve of the car show. The fun run starts with cars lining the streets near Fleet Farm in Waite Park and loops around a 40-mile route. This year, the run drew in over 130 cars and ended at Molitor’s Quarry Bar and Grill in Sauk Rapids.

“Participation was not down at all for this which was great to see,” Arntson said. “A lot of people have been cooped up and not going to car shows like they normally would, so an event like this was great to bring people out.”

Arntson said having the fun run keeps the thought of the annual car show in mind as well.

With the cancellation of the show this year, Arntson said the biggest impact is financial. He does not expect the club to scale down its events throughout 2021. Regardless of budget concerns, Arntson said he hopes the show will resume as normal in 2021.

“People know our car show is always the third Sunday in August, so I hope missing a year won’t impact our attendance,” Arntson said. “As long as COVID allows us to, we will have a car show next year.”

NEWS

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | Page 3

Sauk Rapids approves increase to levy Additional revenue to offset wage, benefit, operational cost increases

BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER

SAUK RAPIDS – Only small changes were made to the 2021 preliminary tax levy between the last work session and the Sauk Rapids City Council meeting Sept. 28. After reducing the proposed levy by $30,000, the council approved unanimously a total preliminary tax levy of $4,154,700.

The nearly $4.2 million levy translates to an increase of $184,100 in revenue over 2020.

City finance director Jack Kahlhamer said that given growth in city net tax capacity, the tax rate will lower just over 1% to 41.29%. However, whether property owners see a tax decrease depends on valuation of property as well as other taxing authorities such as the county and school district. Kahlhamer expects taxpayers could see an increase of up to about 1% in city taxes because much of the increase in net tax capacity is coming from a rise in existing property values.

With the reduction of $2,400 in payments to the debt service levy, the city will add $186,500 to its general fund budget. The money will help offset wages and benefits increases, operating costs for the river parks project,

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

Sam Pearson, daughter of Melissa Pearson of Sauk Rapids, attended the Sauk Rapids City Council meeting Sept. 28 in Sauk Rapids as part of her goal to earn her Citizenship in the Community patch. Sam is a member of Boy Scout Troop 20 of Waite Park and has a goal or achieving the Eagle Scout Award.

and miscellaneous items.

A highlight of the meeting was the decrease in the city’s debt service levy.

Since 2017, Sauk Rapids has reduced debt by over $640,000 each year. The city will levy $338,400 for this fund in 2021, but Kahlhamer said by 2024 the city will be caught up while additionally generating, through taxes, about $1 million each year in cash flow for capital improvement projects. This allows the city to pay for projects without borrowing.

Mayor Kurt Hunstiger is happy with the city’s financial state.

“I look at where we have been and I look at the debt service levy and that continues to drop,” Hunstiger said. “We are in good financial shape as a city and, at least for the local area, I think we are probably one of the more financially strong cities in the area. … The budget looks very good.”

Pleasantview students to return to in-person learning

Board approves start date of Oct. 5

drickson Inc., presented the information to the council.

The city will be relocating the lift station across the street from River Avenue from its existing location and will completely rebuild the lift station which helps transport roughly 60%-70% of the city’s wastewater to the treatment plant in St. Cloud.

The project has an estimated cost of $1.45 million.

– Accepted a feasibility study for the 2021 Pleasantwood Addition Improvements and called for a public hearing at 6:10 p.m. Oct. 26 on the project. The project is expected to cost $2.97 million, according to the study. Approximately 102 adjacent parcels will be assessed upon completion of the project, funding about $750,000 of the project.

Hedlund also proposed an in-person public information meeting Oct. 22 at the Sauk Rapids Government Center to answer questions prior to the public hearing.

The city will be fully reconstructing portions of Seventh Avenue North, Eighth Avenue North, Oak Court, 13th Street North, 12th Street North and 11 1/2 Street North. The project will improve drainage as well as inspect storm sewer and conduct some utility improvements following that inspection.

– Approved appointing Tim Kosloske to the housing and redevelopment authority as of Jan. 1, 2021. Kosloske will replace Jeff Moon, who has moved out of city limits.

Kosloske is serving on the planning commission.

700 18th St. N.W. Also, voters previously assigned to Mississippi Heights Elementary and Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School are now assigned to the council chambers at the Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. With there now being three polling places at the Sauk Rapids Government Center, it is important to know your specific precinct number.

To find your specific polling place and precinct number, go to pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us or contact city hall at 320-258-5303.

Below is a listing of all of the city’s polling places: City of Sauk Rapids Precinct Locations Precinct 1 – Community Room at Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. Sauk Rapids.

Use main entrance.

Precinct 2 – Council chambers at Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N. Sauk Rapids.

Use main entrance. Voters had previously been assigned to Mississippi Heights Elementary School and Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School.

Precinct 3 – Discovery Church, 700 18th St. N.W., Sauk Rapids.

Use Door No. 2. Voters were previously assigned to Pleasantview Elementary School.

Precinct 4 – Riverside Church, 1702 W. Highview Drive, Sauk Rapids.

Precinct 5 – Community room at Sauk Rapids Government Center, 250 Summit Ave. N., Sauk Rapids.

Use the police department entrance.

Precinct 5 includes all city resident voters living east of Highway 10.

Precinct 6 – Mail ballot or Benton County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office, 531 Dewey St., Foley.

Plan to vote in the late morning or early afternoon to avoid longer lines. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Due to social distancing guidelines and extra sanitizing efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, allow extra time for voting. City staff and our dedicated election judges appreciate your patience and understanding.

Bring proper documentation. If you fail to preregister to vote, you will need to register to vote at your polling place on Election Day. Visit the Secretary of State’s website for a complete listing of authorized proof of residence.

Vote absentee. Absentee ballots will be available at the Benton County Auditor’s office. You may vote in person at the Benton County Auditor’s office during regular business hours or you may have the ballot materials sent to you. County offices are open extended hours on the Saturday before Election Day and until 5 p.m. on the Monday before the Election. Contact the Benton County Auditor-Treasurer’s Office for more information regarding absentee voting at 320-968-5006.

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SAUK RAPIDS – The Sauk Rapids-Rice School Board will allow Pleasantview Elementary School students to return to in-person learning Monday, Oct. 5. The decision was approved in collaboration with Superintendent Bradley D. Bergstrom at a special meeting Sept. 30. The board and school administration reviewed data from the Minnesota Department of Health, Benton County Public Health data and the Pleasantview school community when making its decision.

Pleasantview students have been attending school through a distance learning model since Sept. 21.

The Sauk Rapids-Rice middle and high schools have been following a hybrid learning model and will continue to do so through at least Oct. 13, when students observe a three-day break during Minnesota Educator Academy. Rice and Mississippi Heights elementary schools as well as Hillside School are following an in-person model.

Hunstiger said the city could face cuts in state local government aid in 2021. Kahlhamer reassured the mayor that the city has adequate reserves, and he said having a low debt service levy and money aside for capital improvements allows them to be flexible with the levy should they need to provide relief to taxpayers.

A maximum proposed levy amount must be certified with the county by the end of September each year but can be further reduced by year end.

The city will work off a roughly $6.5 million budget in 2021.

The next city council meeting will be 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 13, due to the observance of Columbus Day Monday of that week.

In other council news: – Approved plans and specifications for the 2020 Southside Lift Station Improvement Project and authorized staff to advertise for bids. Scott Hedlund, city engineer with Short Elliot Hen-

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Y O U R F U L L S E R V I C E L I Q U O R S TO R E « 312 B E N TO N D R I V E N. « 320-251-4185

Page 4 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

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2 Second Ave. S., Suite 135 Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 (320) 251-1971 Sauk Rapids Herald (USPS 21690) is published weekly, 52 times a year, by Star Publications, 2 2nd Ave S., Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379-1651. Second-class Postage paid at Sauk Rapids, MN 56379. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sauk Rapids Herald, 2 2nd Ave S, Suite 135, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379-1651.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Official newspaper of Benton County, the cities of Sauk Rapids and Rice and Independent School District No. 47

Crime and Public Safety

Man violates order third time in four months

ST. CLOUD – A Sauk Rapids man is again charged with violating a no contact court order.

Joseph Currie, 35, is charged with one felony count of violating a no contact order within 10 years of the first of two or more convictions. Curries faces five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

The courts have ordered Currie to have no contact with a Sauk Centre resident following a domes-

NEWS

tic assault June 6. He has been arrested for making contact with this person in late June, late August and again Sept. 28.

According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement received a complaint in regard to Currie and the resident bring together shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sept.

28. The resident denied Currie being in the household when officers responded but another individual in the home said Currie was upstairs. Currie was located in an up-

stairs bedroom.

The complaint states Stearns County reissued two probationary domestic abuse no contact orders Aug. 24 which indicate Curries is to have no direct or indirect contact with the individual nor visit the residence. The orders remain in effect.

Currie was convicted twice of violating domestic abuse injunctions in Wisconsin in 2012.

Pulse on people skills training and District 742 Pen Pal and Junior Achievement programs.

Schroeder appointed as CMBA executive director

ST. CLOUD – The Central Minnesota Builders Association has hired Wanda Schroeder, of Sauk Rapids, as its new executive director. Schroeder begins training this month, replacing Bonnie Moeller who will be retiring at the end of the year after 38 years of service to the CMBA. With over 30 years of experience in communications, leadership and customer support, Schroeder has been instrumental in ensuring service delivery excellence and enhancing company efficiencies for previous employers, including Cellular 2000 of St. Cloud and Marco. She has a passion for helping people be successful through collaboration, process improvement, strategic vision and community involvement.

Schroeder has spent time volunteering in the community and has been involved in the St. Cloud Area Chamber Leadership Program, Metro Citizen Police Academy, YMCA of St. Cloud Marketing Committee, United Way of Central MN, St. Cloud City July 4th Fireworks Planning Committee, St. Cloud Technical and Community College communication class service

Loehrer awarded scholarship

BEMIDJI – Kayla Loehrer, of Sauk Rapids, was awarded a scholarship from the NTC Foundation at Northwest Technical College in Bemidji. Loehrer, a freshman studying practical nursing and health science, has received the George W. Neilson Foundation Scholarship.

The NTC Foundation awarded $37,500 in scholarships to students at a Sept. 10 virtual Scholarship Recognition and Award Ceremony.

Torvik named to dean’s list

ST. PAUL – Brooke Torvik, child of Tom and Joyce Torvik of Sauk Rapids, was named to the dean’s list at St. Catherine University in St. Paul following spring semester. Torvik is a senior studying in biology.

The St. Catherine University dean’s list recognizes students who achieve a semester grade point average of 3.667 or greater.

What’s Happening Do you know of a free, public event or a civic group that has returned to regularly scheduled, in-person meetings? Email natasha@saukherald.com or call the Sauk Rapids Herald office at 320-251-1971 to have events placed in the What’s Happening calendar. Events published one issue before occurrence.

healthy eating, incentives, fun and friendship. Atonement Lutheran Church, 1144 29th Ave. N., St. Cloud.

For more information, call 320-492-0410.

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 4:30-8:30 p.m. – 55+ Driving Improvement Refresher Course. Hosted via teleconference. For more information or to register, call 1-888-234-1294 or visit www.mnsafetycenter.org.

Monday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m. – Rice City Council MeetTuesday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. – Watab Township Meeting. ing. Rice City Hall, 205 E. Main St., Rice.

Watab Town Hall, 660 75th St. N.W., Sauk Rapids.

Monday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m. – Sauk Rapids-Rice School Board Meeting. Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6-7 p.m. – Living Waters Food Shelf Dispersal. Living Waters Lutheran Church, 1835 Osauka Road N.E., Sauk Rapids.

1911 Fourth Ave. N., Sauk Rapids.

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 9 a.m. – Benton County Board of Commissioners Meeting. Benton County Adminis- Friday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m. to noon – Living Waters Food Shelf Dispersal. Living Waters Lutheran tration Building, 531 Dewey St., Foley.

Church, 1911 Fourth Ave. N., Sauk Rapids.

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m. to noon – Living Waters Food Shelf Dispersal. Living Waters Lutheran Saturday, Oct. 10, noon – Praying of the Living Rosary. Join at the grotto at the intersection of Golden Church, 1911 Fourth Ave. N., Sauk Rapids.

Spike Road and Highway 25, Gilman.

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m. – TOPS Weekly Meeting. Weigh-in followed by meeting focused on

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NEWS

Artists from front

“I’m almost in denial, you know,” Rydberg said of how she continues on without art and craft shows this year. “You almost have to go to that spot. You continue doing it on the faith that everything is going to be OK.” And the hope is that it will be.

Rydberg was scheduled to appear at up to 30 events in 2020. She has depended on in-person art and craft shows to support her artistic income throughout the past four decades. She is without a digital presence of her own but can still be found with an internet search.

“The art and craft shows are a way for us to connect to our customers,” Ryberg said of why she prefers the events. …

“And, that’s a lot of the

Othoudt from front

“She can hit the ground running,” Herges said. “We thought that was really, really important.”

Othoudt is a Foley High School graduate who lives on the same dairy farm that her grandparents raised her parents on, and now she is doing the same with her family after having been raised there herself. Her husband, Aaron Othoudt, helps her raise their five kids, Damian Fiedler, 20, Gauge Robasse, 18, Landen Othoudt, 16, Kylee Othoudt, 14, and Athena Robasse, 11.

Before accepting the job with the BEP, Othoudt worked as the economic development director for the city of Elk River, where she facilitated multi-million dollar projects and managed a number of subcommittees. She said her job was to help businesses owners cover the financing gap between public and private investment.

Othoudt earned a bachelor’s degree in planning and community development at St. Cloud State University with a double minor in economics and heritage preservation. She is a nationally recognized and certified economic development finance professional and also holds an economic development certificate from Hamline University.

Above all, Othoudt is excited to take on the complex challenges and share in the triumphs with businesses as the county

reason we do this. When I go to an art and craft show, I sculpt my dolls.

I have kids comes by; I have people come by. I’m passing my art along and trying to inspire, younger children especially, that they can get involved in the arts.”

Rydberg’s fear is that when events proclaimed, “See you in 2021,” it may have sent the message that artists’ work was put on hold.

“I think people think we’re not available, and the thing I want to put out there is, “Yes, we are,’” she said. … “There are ways of reaching out to us.”

Leslie LeCuyer, executive director of the Central Minnesota Arts Board, said not all artists have been affected in the same ways by the pandemic, but many artists and artists organizations are struggling. She also said many are facing the adversity head on. looks toward expansion and growth. She said her main goal, aside from the technical workings of her new job, is to help Benton County businesses succeed by employing the resources and tools she has acquired throughout her professional career.

“My heart is in Benton County,” Othoudt said. “I grew up here, and I care for the businesses and the community and economy. … I have roots here.”

Othoudt said there is new potential for her in working for a publicprivate organization that many cities and counties do not have the luxury of pursuing. She can take more of a regional approach, she said, adding there is more flexibility to utilize organizations to help businesses.

Herges said the new director’s benchmarks for success will be oriented around business membership retention and expansion, noting her primary objective in her first weeks will be administering coronavirus relief grants to businesses and getting in touch with members of the BEP. “When you’re a business owner, you don’t have time to look up (coronavirus relief) stuff to figure out what that is,” Othoudt said. “We have resources, and we can push it out to our members so they have firsthand information.”

Othoudt said her benchmarks for success include job creation and widening the tax base – a benefit to taxpayers and workers. She also mentioned the strong agricultural community in the

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | Page 5

Leslie LeCuyer

“Let’s face it, artists are problem solvers,” LeCuyer said. “Creatives are deep thinkers and the ones that should be at every decision-makers table to come up with creative ways to solve problems.

Many of our artists are up for the challenge, and so there are creative ways that are emerging to survive.”

LeCuyer said driveby art shows, pop-up shows and a variety of virtual events have been ways the art community is engaging the public.

Through these events, background and contact information along with

galleries or performances are shared by featured artists. The events have found some success, LeCuyer said.

“We all have to be open minded about how we engage artists and how we find their work, but artists are open to working with their public, their followers – new and old,” LeCuyer said.

Rydberg agreed. Although there may be restrictions on the number of people she may invite into her home for an open house event, she is not opposed to the public reaching out to her to view her collection. She has created a showroom of Wise Women from Wadsworth in the lower level of her home.

Accompanying the dolls is her new line Sweet Peas which was set to debut at shows in 2020.

LeCuyer said the public can find area artists and art events by searching aroundthecloud.org or by searching rosters on the

I think people think we’re not available … There are ways of reaching out to us.

- Joan Rydberg

Central MN Arts Board website. She encourages artists to post information on aroundthecloud.org and take advantage of an upcoming free training, Arts in Digital Spaces: Taking your Art Online, which can be accessed through either website.

“We’re trying really hard to connect people in a virtual way that will be productive and engaging because I don’t think this is going to end anytime soon,” LeCuyer said of the pandemic. “Right now, the Central Minnesota Arts Board is conducting all of our work

virtually through June 2021 and then evaluating how to proceed from that point.”

Rydberg, who has a preference of in-person events over online sales, hopes to begin booking events sooner rather than later.

“There is something very organic about doing a show,” she said. “It’s almost like you’re doing a performance, similar to a musician. Audiences don’t realize how important they are in the scheme of things. I just miss them.”

county, noting the industry is increasingly important and needs not to be forgotten.

“There’s a huge opportunity in Benton County to grow our business community, our business environment and help businesses succeed,” Othoudt said. “There are opportunities for development.”

Othoudt expressed excitement and gratitude that she is taking over as the BEP’s director. Aside from the important responsibilities that come with the territory, she is also enthusiastic about bolstering a more prosperous economy for the community in which she lives.

“I love making our community better,” Othoudt said. “Sometimes it takes a little bit of investment, whether it’s in downtown or smaller towns, but if there’s an opportunity to make things better, that’s what I like to do.”

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Page 6 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Why do leaves turn color in the fall?

Fall is the season when deciduous tree leaf color changes from green to yellow, orange or red. The chemicals inside each leaf that produce the various fall colors GREEN & GROWING are always inside IN BENTON COUNTY the leaves during BY LINDA G. TENNESON the growing season, but the production of chlorophyll in spring and summer causes the green color to be prominent, so the leaves appear to be that color. Photosynthesis, meaning putting together with light, is the process where trees use the chemical chlorophyll to absorb sunlight. The absorbed sunlight combined with water and carbon dioxide are needed for the leaves to create sugars used by the tree for growth. Water is absorbed by the roots and is then moved to all parts of the tree. Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the air by tiny openings called stomata in the tree leaves, trunk, blooms and roots.

When the season changes with shorter days and less available sunlight and temperatures decrease, trees stop producing chlorophyll. Chlorophyll requires a lot of sunlight, and as the weather changes, its production stops and it is reabsorbed. As chlorophyll decreases in the leaves, other leaf chemicals become more visible. While the chlorophyll is withdrawn into the branches and stored for use in the following spring, the leaf stalk grows a layer of cells which seals it from its branch. The wind and weight of the dying leaf causes the leaf to fall. Young red oak trees are an exception in that they retain the dead leaves and do not drop them until spring. The absence of chlorophyll and water causes the leaves to change color and eventually die. One source graphically described this process as watching the leaves starve themselves and die. The intensity of color change that occurs in the leaves depends on the weather. Warm, sunny days combined with cool nights may produce bright leaf colors. Maples for example will turn the brightest red when the nights are cool but remain above freezing. However, early temperatures well below freezing will kill tree leaves before they have completed their color change process and will immediately turn brown.

Each tree species has different amounts of the chemicals that contribute to fall leaf color changes. The chemical xanthophylls produces yellow leaves, carotenoids produce orange and yellow leaves, and anthocyanins red. Carotenoids are also the chemical that is found in bananas, corn and carrots. The red pigment, anthocyanin, is formed by the chemical changes occurring at this time and causes the dark red or purple colors seen in some leaves. These chemicals may also combine resulting in leaves that show more than one color. And as these chemicals disappear, the remaining brown pigment tannin is a sign the leaf has completely died. The color that leaves turn in fall is controlled by the plant’s genetics. Evergreen needles do not contain these color changing chemicals. Plus, they have a strong waxy covering that insulates them from the cold.

An internet search on fall leaf color change will provide additional details on this interesting process.

Linda G. Tenneson is a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener and Tree Care Advisor.

EDITORIAL

Beauty in the obstacle

“The mountains are calling, and I must of how often we see a mountain in health, go,” John Muir said. financial, ministry or relationship crisis and In life’s full swing, during Labor Day give up. Maybe moving the mountain is going weekend, my husband encouraged me to rest. through it. Maybe, once you reach the other side you indeed have told the mountain to As I sat at our campsite with all the hustle move. Does the mountainous obstacle have of the tots and kids falling off their bikes pure water and precious gems within when and cleaning the dirt off their feet, I closed you pursue, labor and journey into it? I was my eyes. All I could imagine was sitting in weak-legged, out of breath and desperate for a comfy chair, a cup of coffee in hand, and hydration when we hiked up the mountain. looking out a window at serene mountains.

LIFE BY FAITH But to press on, we found breathtaking views “Is this even a possibility, Lord?” I asked.

BY MERCY NYGAARD and pure, clean water. The rocks glimmered I asked whether there was a way to sneak as precious gemstones. None of these things away to the mountains while continuing to serve him, my husbands and kids. Prepared to hear no we could see from afar when we were looking at the and press on, I was surprised to hear him so quickly say mountain in whole. God wants us to press on which produces character and hope, Romans 5:3-5. yes.

Each person must develop a personal relationship My husband is a gift, in that he works hard in a laborious job. He stacks up reward points as he pays with our God. He speaks to every individual heart and for expenses, and then he is able to navigate the reward he knows the number of hairs on each individual’s website to redeem traveling points and lodging. Within head. You are special to him in your uniqueness. God six days, we secured babysitters and travel for the two wants you to speak directly with him and pursue him on of us. We felt like two teenagers only better because our your own – not through anyone or anything. Once you life experience directed us to give all the glory to God seek him first, then all these things are added onto you, including the blessed people he sends to walk alongside and seek him in every experience.

Nothing marvels me more than the hidden attributes you as you walk with the Lord. God may send a teacher of God. Looking at the giant mountain, it seems as in the form of a book, who has studied the Bible and though everything is visible at first site. You can see helps point you to more truths in the scriptures. By shadows and towering trees appearing tiny, even dried getting involved into a Gospel centered community, up river carvings that cut through the mountain. But to God uses the body of Christ, the church, helping us hike into it, you start to hear the rushing of water and along the way, pointing us back to know God and to live witness the sparkling of rocks you could not see from far for his glory.

I can only encourage you to approach the mountain away. Venturing farther, we discovered a waterfall that rivaled photos of tropical forests. Rainbows bounced off in your life right now, leaning fully on God whose grace of the mist, and the water in the pool was crystal clear. is sufficient. Look for the pure, clean water that runs Mountains are the leviathan of obstacles. “If you through it only in Jesus from the living word. Search for have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to the gems God shows you along the way that add value the mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would to this life. God uses these obstacles, mountains to grow move. Nothing would be impossible,” the famous Bible us and unite us in our savior, Jesus. verse from Mathew 17:20 exclaims. This made me think

Political letters to the editor policy – Political letters written regarding elections and election platform issues are – Readers will be allowed to submit one political letter every 14 days. limited to 250 words and are printed free of charge. (Ex: Go vote letters, immigration, – All letters to the editor (political or not) require first and last names, gun control, universal healthcare). addresses and phone numbers. Names and city of residency will be pub– Political letters endorsing or opposing a candidate, ballot measure or political lished in the newspaper along with the letter copy. party are subject to charges. Star Publications will charge a flat fee of $25 for 250– The final time and date to submit a political letter to the editor for word or less letters. Display advertising rates will apply to letters exceeding the word the general election is 5 p.m. Oct. 14. limit. Payment must be received prior to copy deadline.

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EDITORIAL

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | Page 7

September weather, phenology in review Weather: Temperatures were about Critters include numerous leopard the same as last year. Precipitation, frogs, tree crickets singing Sept. 14 and however, what a difference from last only a few Japanese beetles this year. year when I recorded 8.18 inches of rain On schedule, the orioles were gone compared to only 1.64 inches this year.

by Sept. 6, swallows by Sept. 13 and Temperatures were a little warmer hummingbirds by Sept. 18. The juncos with the average high and low of 69.1 and should arrive shortly. Lots of blue jays, 48.7 degrees. The high was 84 degrees chickadees, house finches, three species of Sept. 22 and the low 33 degrees in Sept. woodpeckers and nut hatches. A lone bald 10. So far, no frost.

FROM THE NORTH eagle looks for fish from a tree limb over Precipitation, which was all rain and SHORE OF LITTLE Little Rock Creek. no snow, totaled 1.64 inches from nine Little Rock Lake: One year ago, the ROCK LAKE

BY JIM HOVDA events. The most rain fell Sept. 24 when I 3-foot draw down of the lake started Aug. measured .85 of an inch. Nothing like last 1 and ended Sept. 15 when the lake came year. back to normal level in less than two days. Seems Local weather records: As we can see, we now like yesterday. Not a lot of difference in water clarity. have the possibility of snow and freezing rain. The However, the DNR reports golden algae, which is record low was 18 degrees in 1942 while the high good. Many of the plants put in by a host of volunteers was a sweltering 106 degrees in 1931. Wow, what a lost the battle with the geese and carp. A lot of bull difference. The most rain, 10.72 inches, fell in 1926. rushes here at the north end are doing well.

And yes, 2/10 of an inch of snow fell in 1995. I With cold weather ahead, Jebb Willis was the first recorded a trace of snow here Sept. 21, 1995. to pull his dock Sept. 15. Many pontoon boats have Phenology: No less than 15 different flowers gone to winter storage. were in bloom. Notable were phlox, Sedum, cat mint, Water levels remained stable. Water temp Sept. 1 aster, mums and goldenrod. was 67 degrees and 57 degrees Sept. 30. Secchi disk Of interest to me, the giant sunflowers that readings improved from 1.5 feet Sept. 1 to 3.5 feet towered to nearly 8 feet now have seeds showing Sept. 30. As water temp drops, clarity will improve. as the blossoms hang down. I suspect the birds will What is ahead? Some snow. Time to ensure find their 12-inch blossoms. Swamp and common snow removal equipment is in good working order. milkweed are starting to shed their seeds making Suet feeders can come out. Cut the lawn shorter and birds happy to get nesting material. The Autumn fall fertilize. Cut back plants after the first hard freeze.

Blaze maples’ bright red colors Sept. 10 was almost Cover the air conditioner units. Service the furnace. bare Sept. 30. Fall colors are peaking. The seasons keep rolling along.

BREAK CROSSWORD

Letters to Editor

Vote for adoption instead of abortion

Steven P. Syverson, Glenwood The degradation of our nation happens when the population becomes comfortable with the many atrocities which have invaded our country. One of those atrocities is legal on-demand abortion. Most people have accepted abortion as the norm, becoming unsympathetic toward the unborn; people seem more interested about who won the football game Sunday.

Since Jan. 22, 1973, 60 million babies have lost their right to life because of a decision by the Supreme Court to legalize abortion. I agree abortion is necessary if the mother’s life is in danger, but this would be between her and her physician, not an abortion clinic.

The Bible does not support abortion. Open your

It is time for fall

Sarah Strommen, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources commissioner, St. Paul Minnesota’s seasons can change quickly. It often seems that just when you get settled into a summer routine, summer ends. That was doubly true this year.

COVID-19 kept me closer to home this summer.

My family opted for a Minnesota staycation, spending time on public lands and waters. We were not alone.

It seems the pandemic encouraged Minnesotans everywhere to get outside. I would like to think many of us turned to the outdoors because celebrating Minnesota’s natural beauty is an innate part of who we are. It is where we instinctively go to recharge and revive ourselves.

As summer’s days grow shorter and cooler, it is clear we are not ready to head indoors – unless indoors is a tent or a camper cabin. Campgrounds are buzzing with activity, fishing license sales are up and trails continue to draw hikers, bikers and bird watchers.

That is probably because fall may be Minnesota’s best season, offering its own unique options for outdoor activities.

First, there is the splendor of fall color. Hiking or biking amongst trees dressed in reds, golds and yellows is a great way to spend a fall day. If you are

Bible to these passages or find them online: Proverbs 6:16-17; Jeremiah 1:4-5.

Would it not be great if our elected officials replaced abortion with an adoption policy? There are thousands of couples unable to have children of their own. They would do anything to hold a newborn baby in their arms. Let’s turn the abortion clinics into adoption agencies. It would be possible if all of us, especially Christians, teamed up and voted for prolife candidates. Most Republican and a few Democrat candidates are for a pro-life agenda. Whichever party you support, you can vote for a pro-life candidate.

Everyone deserves to have a birthday whether they live for one day or 100 years. Let’s give these precious children a chance at life.

looking for new places to watch the fall color show, the DNR’s webpage, www.mndnr.gov/fallcolor, offers a fall color finder map, state park activity updates, fall color forest drives and even a fall color email alert.

Then there is hunting. I am always cautious about promising good hunting; I do not want to jinx anyone, especially myself. But, I am encouraged with prospects for deer and pheasant hunting in many parts of the state. If you have never been hunting but have an inkling to try, check out the DNR’s learn to hunt webpage at www.mndnr.gov/gohunting. We have how-to guides and even virtual hunting classes to get you started.

No matter how you choose to get outdoors this fall, please #BeGoodNATUREd. Model good outdoors etiquette. Lend a hand. Leave no trace. Show Minnesota’s public lands are open and welcoming to all and all of us must care for them.

The pandemic has changed many things for most of us. But what it has not changed – in fact, what it has highlighted – is our love of the outdoors and our need to connect with nature. So, let us not mourn the passing of summer. Instead, let us get out our flannel and blaze orange: It is time for fall.

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NEWS

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | Page 9

Highway 23 project to bring added safety Intersection changes, resurfacing highlight improvements

BY JAKOB KOUNKEL STAFF WRITER

FOLEY – It is hard to discuss Highway 23, a high-traffic road in Benton County, without talking safety. On Sept.

23, yet another fatal accident confirmed what many already know to be true – it is an accidentladen highway.

A Minnesota Department of Transportation project aims to improve safety features of the road with two significant improvements in a project that is already underway, said Josh Daniel, MnDOT project supervisor.

The biggest change is a reduced conflict intersection, also known as a J-turn, at the intersection of Highway 23 and County Road 8. In an RCI, drivers will make a right turn, merge into the left lane and then make a U-turn

GRAPHIC SUBMITTED

A Minnesota Department of Transportation graphic shows the location of a reduced conflict intersection to be constructed at Highway 23 and County Road 8 in Benton County.

rather than crossing the four-lane divided highway.

“The RCI greatly reduces the risk of fatal and serious injury crashes,” Daniel said.

“They do this mainly by eliminating the lefthand turn and through traffic.”

In a typical divided highway intersection, Daniel said there are 42 conflict points or areas where drivers might encounter one another.

With construction of the RCI, conflict points are reduced to as low as 18.

He added that RCIs may

be a quicker method of traveling when roads are busy, but conceded they cause a minor delay when there is no traffic.

“The public doesn’t seem to have a good opinion of them, but it’s safer,” Daniel said. “The point is, it’ll keep people alive.”

Other improvements include the intersections of Highway 95 and Highway 23 as well as County Road 1 and Highway 23. Both intersections will see signal system updates, Daniel said.

The main portion

Coming November 7 & 10, 2020 Saluting ng ou our ur Vete Vet Veterans te

Our Heroes

of the project is a bituminous mill and overlay of just under 4 miles of road between County Road 1 and Highway 95. It will include a resurfacing of both directions of Highway 23, including shoulders and turnlanes.

Most recently, MnDOT enacted a temporary all-way stop at the Highway 23 and Highway 95 intersection in order to replace the signal system. Once that is complete, Daniel said there likely will not be major impediments to road traffic through the end of the project, which is planned for late October.

“I don’t think there’s going to be anything too drastically different,” Daniel said about everyday travel on the roads.

By Daniel’s estimation, the biggest impacts of the project are its safety potential and extending the life of the road for another 1020 years.

“The safety aspect of it as well as increasing the life of the pavement are (major benefits),” Daniel said.

News Briefs

No barrier COVID-19 testing in St. Joseph

ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Department of Health is partnering with local public health officials and other community partners to offer access to free, no-barrier COVID-19 testing the week of Oct. 5 in St. Joseph and five other cities across the state.

Testing will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 6-8 at Clemens Field House, 37 College Ave. S., St. Joseph. The field house is located on the College of St. Benedict campus. People can schedule a testing appointment at www.primarybio.com/r/stjoseph.

Those unable to sign up online or need interpretation can call 1-855-612-0677 for assistance.

Testing will be done with a nasal swab, processed either by Mayo Clinic Laboratories or the University of Minnesota, through the lab capacity created by the testing partnership.

This testing will be free and available to anyone who wants to be tested whether they have symptoms or not. Testing will not require insurance.

Health officials are using testing data to identify communities that are experiencing workplace clusters, are close to bordering states or have not yet had larger-scale testing offered. This strategy will help increase the geographic balance of testing across Minnesota and respond where the health risk is greatest. Testing opportunities have been provided in Grand Rapids, Pine City, Waseca, Bloomington, Maplewood, Moorhead, Marshall, Thief River Falls and Bemidji.

The Minnesota National Guard will continue providing logistical support for a number of these events.

Share the Spirit program begins recruitment

ST. CLOUD – Catholic Charities has kicked off its Share the Spirit program for the upcoming holiday season.

Share the Spirit matches families experiencing hardship during the holidays with individuals and organizations who wish to help ensure a wonderful holiday experience. All sponsored families are nominated by area social workers and education professionals.

Sponsoring families receive a list of three wants and three needs for each household member.

Families of all sizes are available for sponsorship

To sponsor a Share the Spirit family, visit www.ccstcloud.org/share-the-spirit and complete and submit the Sponsor a Family online donor form. Gift-wrapped items are to be delivered to the former Save-A-Lot store, 3316 W. Division St., St. Cloud, between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 10.

VETERANS DAY Coming November 7 & 10, 2020

ATTENTION Veterans

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Be included in this years special section!

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Name Branch of Military Years of Service

Please mail to: Benton County News 1061 Hwy. 23, Suite 2a P.O. Box 689 Foley, MN 56329 Published by:

Town • Please print clearly • Deadline for submitting is October 29, 2020 • Names previously submitted do not need to be resubmitted.

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SPORTS/NEWS

Page 12 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Listless Twins swept by Astros And just like that, another Minnesota Twins baseball season has gone up in smoke.

The Houston Astros took advantage of an appallingly lifeless performance by the Minnesota Twins offense, and after two incredibly frustrating afternoons of baseball, the 2020 Twins are done.

COLUMNIST It would be easy to make SPORTS

BY ANDY THAYER excuses for this team, but this same scenario has unfolded too many times for me to give the Twins the benefit of the doubt. Sure, a best-of-three series is an incredibly small sample size. Yes, the team’s premier free agent acquisition, third baseman Josh Donaldson, missed the series with a nagging calf injury. Yep, the team’s best defensive player and offensive catalyst, Byron Buxton, was clearly limited with residual effects from a concussion sustained last week. That is all true. You know what else is true? This team’s position players played with no heart and acted like entitled brats. They deserved to lose.

I lost count of how many extremely hittable pitches the so-called Bomba Squad fouled off or outright missed. It seemed like almost every Twins batter got at least one cookie per at-bat, and with the exception of Nelson Cruz, they simply could not barrel anything up.

The umpires were consistently poor throughout both games in this series, but the Twins hitters acted like they were getting completely jobbed. If we are being honest here, the Astros had as many bad strikes called on their hitters. I am the furthest thing from an Astros fan, but it is true. They did not whine, throw their bats, spike their helmets and get ejected like Eddie Rosario when a call did not go their way. The Twins hitters need to take a nice, long look in the mirror this offseason and realize that it was not the umpires’ fault they had seven hits in two games against a team with an unproven pitching staff that was decimated and vulnerable after an injury to ace Justin Verlander.

Kenta Maeda and Jose Berrios both pitched well and gave the Twins great opportunities to win both ballgames. They combined to allow one run in 10 innings pitched, and you cannot ask for much better starting pitching than that in 2020. Manager Rocco Baldelli went to the bullpen early in both games, but the bullpen was a strength for his team all season long. He was clearly aware the veteran hitters in the Houston lineup were more likely to do significant damage the third time they saw a pitcher. The Twins pitchers and defense had some plays they would like back, but, at the end of the day, the reason the Twins are not going to be playing games in October is because their hitters failed.

I know that it feels terrible when an entire season goes up in smoke after a couple of tough games, but the Twins had plenty of opportunities to beat the Astros.

Their hitters lost composure and went belly-up when it mattered most. The Twins are now the proud owners of the longest postseason losing streak – 18 games and counting – in the history of North American professional sports. If they want to things around, they are going to need to get some mentally tough adults in that lineup who are ready for the pressure of postseason baseball.

Storm runners embrace challenge in Bemidji Sauk Rapids-Rice navigates delay, tough terrain

BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER

The Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm cross-country team’s experience at a road triangular at the Greenwood Golf Course in Bemidji was unusual for several reasons.

First, the race was delayed by 15 minutes after two black bears were spotted eating acorns on the course, a sight head coach Sandie Lahr had never seen before at a cross-country meet. Then, the team ran across hills, a terrain they had prepared for in practice but had not yet seen at a competition.

The Storm handled those challenges with energy, with many runners putting together strong performances Sept. 24.

“My team is just so amazing,” Lahr said. “Everyone is cheering each other on, and it’s like one big family. I’m super proud of them.”

The Sauk Rapids-Rice boys finished third with 78 points.

Leading the way was senior Jared Bentrud, who managed to sneak into the top 10 at 18 minutes, 12.5 seconds. Cole Gauerke and Nate Martin finished within one second of each other, taking 15th and 16th in the 5,000-meter run, respectively.

“All of the kids excel and continue to work really hard, putting forth effort in practice,” Lahr said.

Bemidji finished first in the event with 21 points, while Apollo followed at 41 points.

The Storm did not feature enough runners in the girls crosscountry competition to receive points but promise was shown on that end regardless. Elka Sowada, a seventh-grader, made her varsity debut and left a strong impression, recording a 26:00.1 time and narrowly missing out on the top 10. A member of last year’s sixth-grade introductory program, Sowada has a strong desire to run.

“She loves to run,” Lahr said.

“She says it’s her favorite thing to do.”

Ali Kremer finished the event with a 28.02.8 time as Bemidji and Apollo took first and second in the girls varsity competition, respectively. Facing talented op-

Individual boys: 10. Bentrud 18:12.5, 15. Gauerke 19:23.1, 16. Martin 19:24.1, 19. Alex Ostendorf 21:04.4, 20.

Kieran Hixson 21:19.4, 21. Mason Foss 21:51.3, 22. Jacob Blackmore 22:08.5 and 23. Luke Loidolt 22:26.4. Boys team: 1. Bemidji 21, 2. Apollo 41 and 3. SRR 78. Individual girls: 11. Sowada 26:00.1 and 13. Ali Kremer 28:02.8.

Police Report

Sauk Rapids Police Department Sept. 22 5:13 p.m. – Law enforcement responded to multiple hit and run reports to the Sauk Rapids Regional Bridge and Benton Drive North in Sauk Rapids. Information was gathered and the driver of the striking vehicle was later located crashed into the Mississippi River near Sartell. As a result, authorities arrested Kevin Weiss, 28, of Waite Park.

Weiss was transported to the Stearns County Jail on warrants for his arrest. Weiss faces new felony drug charges and is expected in Stearns County courts Oct. 5 for a probation violation hearing.

Sept. 24 2:04 p.m. – Officers responded to a report of a male not breathing in a car on the 1200 block of 15th St. N.E., Sauk Rapids. Officers located an unresponsive male in the back seat of a vehicle and rendered medical aid, including two doses of naloxone, which is used to help reverse opioid overdose.

The male’s pulse and breathing returned. He was transported for medical care by paramedics.

OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM GAMES FOR WEEK #5

Sept. 25 3:29 a.m. – Sauk Rapids police responded to an agency assist in Minden Township after being advised of a complaint of a male walking in the ditch of Mayhew Lake Road near 10th Street Northeast. A Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputy located the male. The male was intoxicated; the deputy transported the male home.

Incidents: Miscellaneous calls 27, agency assists 25, medical calls 16, suspicious activity reports 16, permit to purchase requests 13, human services calls 8, alarms 7, theft reports or citations 7, animal complaints 6, warning issued 6, welfare checks 6, domestics 5, driving violations 5, disturbances 4, parking violations 4, assaults 3, child 3, found property reports 3, hit and run reports 3, warrants 3, civil complaints 2, traffic accidents 2, vehicles 2 and unwanted persons 2.

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ponents helped motivate Storm runners to do their best in Lahr’s mind.

“When you have faster competition, your athletes will run faster too,” she said. “You match yourself up with the competition to excel faster.”

The Storm gained continued admiration from Lahr for their readiness despite a long bus ride and unfamiliar territory.

“They were prepared for it,” she said. “They’re in shape and were ready. Nobody felt sluggish or anything like that, which is huge in itself.”

The Storm competed in a home meet Oct. 1 at Mayhew Creek Park in Sauk Rapids.

They travel to Pebble Creek Golf Course for their final road event of the season at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in Fergus Falls.

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SPORTS

Page 14 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Collision falls to Tech in final regular season match

Visitors seize 6-1 victory

Storm games will allow 150 home fans, prioritizing family

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SAUK RAPIDS – Instead of a packed crowd for this year’s football games, spectators at the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm and every other football team across the state can be one of 250 to view the action.

The Minnesota State High School League’s approval of the sport’s return to the fall season came with a restriction: only 250 spectators will be allowed at high school football games, a far cry from the joyous, exciting attendance in previous seasons.

With this decrease in mind, Sauk Rapids-Rice ushered in a new spectator system for the upcoming season, accompanying the rest of the North Central region and a majority of the state of Minnesota.

“The North Central Region of District Football has determined that during the 2020 football season, each game will have 150 tickets for the home team and 100 for the visiting team,” said NaDean Schroeder, activities director. “This is very common in the state, as most other districts have the same split, as it is im-

Granite City defeated WarHawks in all six games last season

BY EVAN MICHEALSON STAFF WRITER

SAUK RAPIDS – With the return to NA3HL hockey amidst a pandemic, the Granite City Lumberjacks will embark on a schedule comprised of entirely divisional oppo-

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While road trips to Rochester and St. Louis always provide for highoctane, exciting matchups, the West Division has established a reputation for extremely competitive contests and races.

Last year, the North Iowa Bulls won the division with a 38-7-2 record and 78 points, but the Lumberjacks and New Ulm Steel both reached the 65-point mark, with the Alexandria Blizzard sitting above

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portant to have immediate family from both schools at the contest, especially in such a heavy-contact sport.”

Moving forward, the ticket distribution size to relatives will be contingent on how many players the Storm rosters.

“Our priority order will go by class year starting with seniors, then juniors, sophomores and then freshmen and managers,” Schroeder said. “How many students are on our sidelines, or on the official travel roster, will determine how far the number of allotted tickets will stretch.”

In order to spread the slow of the novel coronavirus, in-person ticket sales will be shuffled out for a sign-up form in advance of football events. Family members can reserve two guaranteed tickets for Storm football games and will gain authorization into the facility through a list.

Similarly to the state’s stayat-home order in April and May, spectators must sit with their household groups and a 6-foot social distance must be maintained.

SRR is seeking to create barriers to form natural seating areas to better allow for following guidelines.

“We have rented bleachers

for our visiting spectator section, and there will be distancing markers on those so they will be sitting spaced out,” Schroeder said.

“For the home spectators, within our grandstand, we can fit about 210 fans, while social-distanced properly. To ensure our home fans are social distancing, we will have some barriers that will create natural seating areas.”

The family priority seating and limited ticket availability means most fans will be unable to attend Storm games this season. It is an unfortunate repercussion of the pandemic, but SRR is planning on letting their lively fanbase view the games through online streaming.

“We will have a live stream of all of our home events, so Storm Nation will be able to watch the game from the comfort of their home or on their phone, through our Storm YouTube Channel,” Schroeder said. “For the final regular season home game, KNSI will broadcast it on the radio.”

Fans tuning in from home and in-person spectators will have their first glimpse of the 2020 Storm squad when they take on the Monticello Magic at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9, at Monticello High School in Monticello.

Lumberjacks look to continue success against Willmar

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tude who leave it all on the court and really compete,” he said. “I think there was growth throughout, especially singles.”

There was no growth necessary for Brynn Karasch and Cailey Davidson, normally singles mainstays but gaining an opportunity at first doubles.

The duo lost their first set but bounced back to win the next two sets 6-0, 6-3 to pick up Collision’s only point of the afternoon.

“It was kind of a dichotomy,” Hatlestad said. “They switched to No. 1 doubles, and they performed admirably. I submitted three lineups to the Minnesota State High School League, and I don’t have that one and two switched to doubles in any of the lineups.

They’re such good singles players, but they made me pause.”

The loss was followed by a first-round appearance in the West Central Conference Tournament against Sartell, the only opponent they have defeated this season. The matchup between the conference’s ninth and 10th seeds provided a valuable experience for Collision.

“Our record doesn’t look as good as we’ve competed,” Hatlestad said. “I think this will be good for their psyche.”

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Despite positive results from an unexpected doubles combination, the Collision girls tennis team could not slow down Ashley Tarrolly and the Tech High School Tigers.

Tarrolly secured a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, and the Tigers bulldozed the Collision singles lineup to earn a hard-fought 6-1 win Sept. 29 at Apollo High School in St. Cloud.

“There’s always this fear of the Tech team because they’ve had a great tennis family going through their ranks, the Tarrolly girls,” said Jamie Hatlestad, Collision head coach. “That mystique creeped into the rest of the team’s psyche, and we had a talk about that.”

Collision could not get points to turn the tide in any singles matches.

Belle Haddy fell 0-6, 1-6 at second singles, while Ari Nemeth and Liz Ernst lost in two sets, 0-6, 1-6 and 3-6, 5-7, respectively.

Despite the tough deficits faced, Hatlestad saw fight from the Sauk RapidsRice-Apollo performers.

“I don’t have anyone like an Ashley Tarrolly, but I have a bunch of good players with a good atti-

Sauk Rapids-Rice adjusts football admission with limits in place

.500 with a 24-18-4 record.

Despite this fierce opposition, the Lumberjacks were successful in divisional play during the 2019-20 season, achieving a 24-8 record against their West Division rivals. This includes six wins in six games against the Willmar WarHawks, which is Granite City’s first opponent this season Saturday, Oct. 3.

Willmar struggled to score against Granite City in 2019-20. They were shut out in a 1-0 loss last November, and scored two goals or less in every contest but one, a 9-4 loss to the Lumberjacks Jan. 3.

Finding goals against Bailey Huber and the Lumberjacks will not be any easier for the WarHawks this year, as 201920’s leading scorer Brandon Holt committed to Northland College in Wisconsin. Holt, once a member of the Top Prospects Tournament, collected 51 points in 42 games for the WarHawks.

The WarHawks will

also miss the value of Eli Slagter, a Willmar native who scored 88 points in 131 career games.

Granite City, meanwhile, maintains its leading scorer in winger Carson Simon, who accumulated 46 points in 46 games in 2019. However, they lose impactful captains Bailey Sommers and Ryan Pogue, among several other focal points of the roster.

Offensively, the Lumberjacks showed a distinct advantage over their instate opponent, scoring 229 goals compared to Willmar’s 146. Granite City’s plus-122 scoring differential ranked fifthhighest in the NA3HL, while the WarHawks’ minus-64 mark was the eighth-worst in the league.

However, despite onesided results last season, this game could remain close based on goaltending, a strength for Willmar last season.

Lumberjacks page 15

SPORTS

Page 16 | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Boys soccer falls to Apollo, Tech Tigers defeats SRR 3-1

BY KAYLA ALBERS | STAFF WRITER

The Sauk Rapids-Rice boys soccer team played Tech High School Sept. 29 and lost 3-1.

After the first Storm goal of the game came off a free shot by Eli Moilanen half way through the first half, SRR started to fall behind.

Only a minute after PHOTOS BY KAYLA ALBERS Junior forward Keegan Pham watches his shot Moilanen scored, Tech came close in on the net Sept. 24 at the Sauk Rapids-Rice in for a shot on goal and football stadium in Sauk Rapids. The Storm lost 3-0 to Apollo.

scored to tie the game 1-1.

Before the first half ended, Tech had scored another goal and was leading 2-1.

Tech scored their third and final goal in the second half to win the game.

SRR keeper Eli Rudnick made 15 saves to help the team.

The loss brought SRR’s record to 1-5-2 for the season. The Storm completed the regular season Oct. 1 against Willmar in Sauk Rapids and returns to action for the Central Lakes Conference Tournament Thursday, Oct. 8, in a location yet to be determined.

Apollo 3, Sauk Rapids-Rice 0 After only a few shots on goal by the SRR boys soccer team in their game against Apollo Sept.

24 in St. Cloud, the team fell 3-0.

Apollo was up 1-0 at half time and scored two more goals in the second half to defeat the Storm.

Rudnick was the star of the game with 12 saves for the night against the Eagles.

Backup keeper Josh Tapio played the last five minutes of the game and made one save.

Sophomore midfielder Cooper Godwin races after the ball Sept. 24 in Junior forward Eli Moilanen kicks the ball toward the Apollo net Sauk Rapids. The Storm attempted several shots on goal but did not Sept. 24 in Sauk Rapids. SRR hosted the Apollo Eagles and dropped capitalize with a goal. its record to 1-4-2.

Leading the

Ali Kremer

Parents: Peter Kremer and Ann Britz Accomplishment: Senior co-captain of the crosscountry team.

What is your favorite part about cross-country? Our team is so encouraging and supportive toward one another, and you do not only compete individually but also as a team.

What is your favorite thing to do on the course? Before the race, I like how we walk the course as a team.

Individually, when my other teammates are running, I like being on the side cheering them on.

How do you prepare in the minutes leading up to competition? I do a few last-minute build-ups to get

Leading the Storm is

Sponsored by: positive and make sure to set a good example for others.

Which teacher has impacted your A Proud Supporter of education most? Mr. Brown. He is alStorm Athletics ways willing to help his students and makes sure they understand all the material we have covered. He makes Good ready and stand with my team at the learning in the class fun as well.

Luck starting line and wish each other luck.

Who has been a mentor to you? My to All What other activities are you in- head coach for cross-country. She is alSports volved in at school? I am a Storm ways there to offer support and guidleader and was also in LINK and track ance when needed and helps push me Teams! to be the best runner and person I can and field last year. be.

Why is it important for you to be involved in school activities? It is a What is your favorite meal, movie, 800-847-2502 • 320-632-2908 good way to meet new people out- social media and song? Spaghetti, www.brandlmotors.com “The Lion King,” Snapchat or Instagram 14873 113th St., Little Falls, MN 56345 side of classes and in general. and “7 Summers” by Morgan Wallen.

How do you make a difference at school? I am in post-secondary education options, so I am not at school Saluting great accomplishments in the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School all day. But when I am, I try to stay

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deer.

“I enjoy it,” Rob said. “I’ve always liked butchering and smoking meat.”

Rob and Amanda began planning their MILACA – As with any new business, the road to a successful startup meat processing plant in August 2017. can be a bumpy one.

For Rob and Amanda Isaacson, the Backroad Meats page 2B road to their new business, Backroad Meats, was not only bumpy but a curvy one as they learned the ropes of a new business and managing a business during a tumultuous time.

Backroad Meats is a custom meat processing shop located north of Milaca. The plant does full processing from butchering to processing and packaging meat. The shop opened for business in December 2019.

They process mostly hogs but also do steers, cows, bear and

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Amanda and Rob Isaacson visit Sept. 25 inside their butcher shop, Backroad Meats, near Milaca. The Isaacsons’ new business has taken off and they are booked through the end of the year.

equipment,” Rob said.

“I knew what I wanted, and I knew I could work with it. I would rather buy a dilapidated piece of equipment, polish it up and fix it before I can afford to buy a new one.”

This likely saved the Isaacsons thousands of dollars in upfront equipment costs.

With building plans in hand and a general layout of the floorplan, construction began in September 2019.

“We just wanted to get it up and going,” Rob said.

Backroad Meats was operating in December 2019.

In business for several months, the Isaacsons saw a sudden increase in business this past spring.

“In March, we were busy but not crazy busy,” Amanda said. “We had a week’s worth of work.

I began advertising that customers could buy a hog from a local farmer and we would process it.”

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, dramatically changing the meat market industry.

“It definitely intensified business for

us,” Amanda said.

While still learning the ropes of a new business, the Isaacsons found themselves suddenly inundated with phone calls.

By May 1, Backroad Meats was booked until July 1. One month later, they were booked through the end of the year in processing.

Isaacsons worked with a local hog farmer to offer to process the hogs if customers bought the hog from the farm directly.

The working agreement continues today.

At one time, the Isaacsons had 100 hogs on the schedule to be processed.

At their peak, Backroad Meats processed 28 hogs in one week.

“It works out good for everyone,” Rob said.

“The farmer always has hogs available, and the meat quality speaks for itself.”

The change in market also brought an opportunity the Isaacsons had not considered until that point – selling retail.

At that time, they obtained a conditional use permit from the county to allow them to build a commercial building on 2 acres of property they own. Their residence is 100 yards from the commercial building.

The permit was just the beginning of a long, tedious process of securing financial assistance and permitting with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

“Financing was harder than I thought it would be,” Amanda said.

“To do a start-up business – to start with nothing and say you want to do this – is really hard.”

Armed with a business plan and threeyear projections, the Isaacsons visited several financial institutions before eventually working with Entrepreneurial Foundation in Duluth and Backroad Meats East Central Energy in page 3B Milaca.

Next was working with MDA to be sure their building plans were up to code.

“Permitting was a long process,” Rob said.

“We have two septic tanks here – one for the kill floor and one for sewage. We had to follow these guidelines to be sure everything was up to code.”

Meanwhile, Rob watched auctions to buy equipment from retiring meat lockers. All of the equipment he purchased was an out-of-pocket expense. The Isaacsons spent up to $70,000 on used equipment, some of which needed work or rebuilding.

Carcasses hang in the walk in cooler Sept. 25 at Backroad “We would go broke Meats butcher shop near Milaca. The shop is often at if we had to buy all new capacity for storing meat.

BENTON AG

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | Page 3B

Backroad Meats from page 2B

UPCOMING LARGE

CONSIGNMENT AUCTION PHOTOS BY ANDREA BORGERDING

Rob Isaacson opens the overhead door where animals enter the kill floor at his processing facility near Milaca. Rob does full processing at his butcher shop and prefers to process animals from local farmers.

favorite.

Aside from brats, making sausage is another of Rob’s favorite jobs.

“I use some of my own seasonings in the sausage,” Rob said. “I also like to make my own rubs and barbecue sauces.

I will do hog roasts for friends and family.”

Rob enjoys processing hogs, which allows him to run the smoker for ham and bacon.

“People just rave about the bacon,” Rob

said.

As good as his products are, Rob knows it would not be possible without the local farmers raising quality animals.

Working with the local farmers is a part of his business that Rob appreciates.

“The farmers undervalue their product,” Rob said. “I try to work with customers to get a little more money for the farmer. They go through all the work of raising the animal. They may as well make a buck on it.”

Looking ahead, Backroad Meats will be processing 56 hogs, four steers and a cow in the next month. November and December are blocked off for deer processing. They are expecting to process 300 deer this year.

By December, the Isaacsons are projecting to have processed 80,000 pounds of meat in one year of operation.

“We were hoping to be this busy two years Rob Isaacson looks over the equipment in his butcher down the road and here shop Sept. 25 near Milaca. Most of the equipment was we are nine months in,” purchased to help save on costs.

Rob said.

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“We never planned to do retail,” Amanda said. “That was not even an option so this really changes everything.”

Last summer, MDA approached the Isaacsons to participate in a program called fast track to equal-to. The program had inspectors visit the butcher shop weekly to assist with paperwork and help speed up the equalto licensing. The license allows Backroad Meats to sell retail products.

“By the end of the year, we will be able to sell retail as long as we get permitting through the county,” Rob said.

Backroad Meats has been approached by several local businesses asking them to provide items to sell. Selling retail will provide more opportunity for the business but also brings growth challenges for the small startup butcher shop.

“We have plans for a 26- by 30-foot addition that will allow space for packaging and grinding hamburger,” Rob said.

For now though, the Isaacsons are looking to settle in and find a daily routine that they never had time to establish.

They noted the need to work through bottlenecks, including a freezer that quickly reaches capacity.

“The freezer is often full so customers need to pick up meat as soon as it is ready,” Rob said.

Backroad Meats has the capacity to process seven pigs a day.

“We got so busy so fast that we never really learned how to schedule stuff,” Amanda said.

“People started calling and we just started writing them in here and there instead of having scheduled kill days and processing days.”

The Isaacsons have been able to find help from friends, family and neighbors who are willing to help package and process meat.

Even through the busyness of the past few months, Rob likes the process of taking a live animal into a meat product for customers to enjoy.

Rob will experiment with new products. His latest product being a bacon cheeseburger dill pickle brat that gained rave reviews from customers. Rob also began making bratwurst patties, also a customer

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Page 4B | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

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Darrell Larsen stands among the cattle pens Sept. 24 on his farm near Royalton.

Larsen is retiring from raising registered Texas Longhorns after 30 years.

ROYALTON RO OYALTON – It ttook just one walk into a pasture Longhorns for Darrell Larsen to fall in full off Texas Longhorn love w with the breed.

“They “T They are just gorg gorgeous,” Larsen said. “The cattle are in eevery different co color.”

After Af fter 30 years of raising registered Texas Longhorn ccattle, attle, Darrell and wife Arlene are dispersing their herd. A Although the cattle, cattl often in a wide array of reds, brown browns ns and blacks and varying shapes and spans of horns w will no longer gra graze his pastures on his farm near Royalt Royalton, ton, Larsen will continue breeding Red Angus cattle.

Larsen La arsen recalls fond fondly his travels in the past 30 years, including market marketing meat and purchasing breeding sto stock ock for his herd of Texas Longhorns.

His Hi is journey with ccattle began in 1980 when the Larsen Larsens ns moved to his fa father’s farm as a fourth generation. T They started with rraising hogs and chickens. They rented out their pasture for many years before deciding to pur purchase rchase their own ccattle. ““II couldn’t decide what kind of breed,” Larsen said. ““I visited both Ch Charolais and Hereford herds and foundd disappointments in both of them.”

L Larsen arsen saw an ad ffor registered Texas Longhorns for sa sale. ale. At first glance, glanc Larsen knew he wanted to raise Longhorns.

“They are very do docile,” Larsen said. “I can walk up tto most of them an and grab the end of their horn.”

The history of Te Texas Longhorns was also importannt to Larsen. tant

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Queen licks her calf in an undated photo. Queen was one of Darrell Larsen’s favorite cows in his herd of Texas Longhorns.

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Tequila Chaser was Darrell Larsen’s favorite bull. Larsen had TC for 10 years before selling him.

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Darrell Larsen is pictured with a pet steer, Lazarus.

Larsen

from page 4B Texas Longhorns once thrived in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“They were very numerous back then,” Larsen said. “But then, the European breeds came in with faster gaining rates and increased in popularity.”

To build their herd, Larsen bought cattle from herds in Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas and Ohio. In 1998, the Larsens visited a Texas ranch owned by former Vikings Football team owner, Red McCombs.

“We bought two cows from that sale,” Larsen said. “One was from Red’s breeding and another was consigned to the sale.”

As his herd grew in numbers, Larsen began direct marketing the beef quarters. Beef from Texas Longhorn cattle is lean and considered high quality.

“Longhorns are not as big as some other breeds, but they make up for it in efficiency and quality of

their beef,” Larsen said.

Larsen suggests Longhorns for someone who wants to feed out the animals and direct market the meat.

“Direct marketing is a lot of extra work,” Larsen said.

Larsen stopped breeding purebred registered Longhorns about 10 years ago and began crossbreeding to Red Angus to increase the chances of getting solid red calves. At that time, the herd had grown to about 50 animals.

“When we decided to increase our herd numbers, we wanted to enjoy a breed that we didn’t have to direct market

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | Page 5B

beef,” Larsen said.

In addition to selling beef, Larsen also sold registered purebred Texas Longhorn breeding stock.

At one time, his market was half beef sales and half breeding stock.

“Raising breeding stock is enjoyable,” Larsen said. “But, we are on the northern edge of that market. It’s more popular in southern states where they have year-round grazing.”

Larsen sold breeding stock to several farms in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota.

“We traveled a lot,” Larsen said. “We enjoyed showing them to many folks and we helped several with start-up operations.”

Larsen’s herd of Texas Longhorns was most notable for their calm demeanor and larger-bodied cows. Larsen said some people are looking for horn length, where he wanted to keep body size and conformation the focus of his herd’s breeding program.

Calving ease, disease resistance and hardiness are all consistent features of the Texas Longhorn breed.

Larsen

sold a lot of breeding stock that went to crossbreeding for calving ease.

“There are some folks who think if you are going to have a Texas Longhorn it’s going to be skinny and scrawny with big horns, but you can get breeding stock with some size to them,” Larsen said.

One of Larsen’s favorite bulls, Diamondcut, weighed 2,020 pounds at maturity.

“I think we had good body size and mildmannered animals in our herd,” Larsen said. “Our cattle were calm.”

Through the years, Larsen noted the increasing emphasis on breeding for horn length. When Larsen started with the breed, a 50-inch horn was sought. Today, a 60-inch length is standard.

Looking back at the cattle he raised at his farm during his career, Tequila Chaser was Larsen’s favorite Longhorn bull. He had him for eight years.

Larsen’s favorite Longhorn cow, Dakota, was recently sold.

“We also had pet steers through the years,” Larsen said.

One steer, Lazarus, roamed Larsen’s pastures for many years as a pet.

The Larsens were longtime members of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association, a national organization where registrations are filed, and active members in the Minnesota Northstar Texas Longhorn Association where Larsen was president for two years.

Larsen also showed yearling bulls and heifers at the Minnesota State Longhorn Show, winning Grand Champion State Bull three times.

“Some of my favorites were yearling bulls,” Larsen said. “I one time led a 2-year-old bull with a halter at the sales barn in Albany.”

Everyday management of Longhorns was minimal for Larsen. The breed’s hardiness, calving ease and disease resistance lends to less management of the herd. Larsen rarely vaccinated the cattle.

“They were less maintenance in one sense, but another is you have to

have open-top feeders that are conducive to horns,” Larsen said.

Cows were fed straight hay and grazed in the pasture. Calves were fed grain. Larsen said Longhorns are probably easier if not just as easy as most breeds because they are self-sustaining.

“That’s how they got popular in this country,” Larsen said. “They went on the wild for a while and built up disease resistance, hardiness and calving ease.”

This past summer saw the remaining of Larsen’s Longhorn cattle going to new homes as he downsizes to raising Red Angus and Simmental cattle. The transition is bittersweet as he recalls his 30-year career of raising Texas Longhorns.

“We enjoyed the people we met, the sales we made and traveling for purchases of breeding stock,” Larsen said.

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A study from the Boston Consulting See and Spray weed killer machine. It uses cameras and high tech software to Group “Crop Farming 2030 – The identify weeds hiding amongst the crop Reinvention of the Sector,” has identified and then spraying the individual plants the most influential trends that will with herbicide. affect farming through 2030. According The machine processes images of to the report, several mega trends are plants more than 20 times per second combining that will determine the while traveling 12 mph through the field future of farming including the use of and with each spray nozzle operating technology, consolidation and labor independently, the machine can spray shortages.

The Business in roughly 4-inch squares across the Quoting from the report, “In of Farming width of the machine. In the future, the the past decade, precision farming

by Roger Strom spraying target will be even smaller. has already begun to revolutionize The robot sprayer will supposedly reduce farming practices, and we expect its growing influence to promote improvements in variable the amount of herbicide needed by 80% to 90% rate applications in seeding, fertilizing and crop and eliminate the need for specially developed herbicide resistant seed. protection.”

They hope to have a machine available for Sixty percent of the farmers interviewed believe that precision farming will be widely farmers in about four to five years. There is no adopted by 2030. Its spread will be enabled by the indication of what it will cost, but once it reaches increased use of sensors, software and wireless the open market, it is going to totally change connectivity on farming implements, thereby the pesticide and seed industry. Farmers will no turning plows, planters, spreaders, sprayers and longer need specialty herbicides and genetically modified seed that have allowed them to spray other add-ons into intelligent equipment.

The report also listed a labor shortage as a trend entire fields to kill weeds without damaging the that will determine the future look of agriculture. crop.

There are reports that the big companies such By labor shortage, they are referring to the trend of a growing number of family members who as Bayer, DowDuPont, BASF and Syngenta are choose careers outside of farming, forcing many bracing for the impact this equipment will have retiring farmers to sell their land leading to more on their business with investors prediciting the technology will put Bayer and Syngenta’s crop consolidation.

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Have you finished everything on your autumn to do list? It can be hard to get everything done. However, if you are hoping to enjoy some of your favorite flowers and save money next spring, you should be sure to dig and store your tender bulbs. Tender bulbs include tuberous begonia, freesia, dahlias, gladiolus, caladiums, canna, oxalis and calla lilies and store them indoors for winter. If

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not dug up and stored in the proper manner, they will not survive the cold Minnesota winter.

The general rule of thumb is to dig your tender bulbs out of your gardens after the foliage begins to dry up or is killed by frost. Once the timing is right, carefully dig up the tender bulbs.

Use a fork or spade to gently loosen the roots several inches away

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from the plant’s base.

Typically, it works best to loosen the soil on all sides of the plant before attempting to lift up the clump. It is important to avoid cutting, breaking or skinning the fleshy material. If damage is done, it makes the structure more susceptible to disease or rot.

After the bulbs are dug clean the tender bulbs. Most plants need a gentle wash; however gladiolus corms store best if left unwashed and simply let dry out. Be sure to dust off any soil before putting in storage.

Then, the bulbs will need to cure. Curing time varies depending on species. Dahlias, cannas, callas and caladiums have a short curing period of only one to three days. Gladiolus, oxalis and freesia require a longer curing period of approximately three weeks. Gladiolus should cure in temperatures of approximately 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

All tender bulbs should be stored out of direct sunlight and in wellventilated areas.

Next, be sure to inspect for pests before

storing away. Pests include both insects and fungus or other diseases.

You may consider lightly dusting with an insecticide or fungicide according to the product’s label to avoid pests over winter.

Long winters can make it difficult to remember exactly which bulbs are which come spring.

I recommend labeling your bulbs as you put them in their final storage space.

Finally, choose a location that is going to have a consistent temperature appropriate for your bulbs storage.

Freesia, gladiolus, and oxalis should be stored at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cannas and dahlias should be stored at 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tuberous begonia, caladium and calla lily should be stored at 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Throughout the winter you will want to check your bulbs to ensure there are no signs of rot. If you notice rot or other similar issues, remove any material that shows signs before the entire stock, and all of your work, is lost.

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Page 8B | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

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Alex Udermann packages a variety meat bundle for a customer Aug. 26 at the farm near Sartell. The meat is stored in one of five deep freezers before being sold to customers.

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Eventually, when her dairy employer experienced health problems, she worked there solely, managing the dairy.

She and Alex met in 2015 and married in 2017, when she came to Meadowbrook. She does the breeding work on the farm, along with various other chores.

The two have taken great satisfaction in their meat-selling venture.

“It’s from the farm to your table and you can see where your product is coming from,” Kirsten said. “You want to be honest and have a fair price.”

Alex agreed.

“We were selling before COVID, but we never changed our price;

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needs vary greatly, and the Udermanns take those needs into consideration.

Some families are large and some smaller, and freezer space is a big issue for many. So, they have gone from selling just quarters to family and variety meat bundles.

In whatever form those transactions take place, they have one main objective.

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