Back Roads

This week’s Back Roads is the work of The Land Correspondent Richard Siemers. Odessa

There is mystery surrounding the name of Odessa, a small town in Minnesota’s Big Stone County. It sits in Odessa township which was settled by German-Russian farmers who left the fertile ground of Ukraine to avoid conscription in the Tsar’s army. The township was named after the Ukrainian city of Odessa and that would seem to settle it.

But the more popular story is that Odessa’s first settler, A.D. Beardsley, named it after his three-yearold daughter, Dessa, who died of diphtheria. In grief he would cry out, “Oh, Dessa.”

That’s the story Catherine Teske heard when she came to town. Teske has been a town leader for over 40 years — beginning on the village council and now as mayor. During those days, the school and water tower sat atop a hill south of the Teske home.

The school is long gone from that hill, but the round-roofed, WPA-built school gym still sits in downtown Odessa — serving as city hall and community center. It is busy with wedding dances and reunions, basketball and pickleball games, and community bingo parties during Easter and Thanksgiving which raise funds for the fire department. It is also the fitness center, with exercise machines and indoor walking.

The community center is a mighty asset for a town which dropped from almost 200 people when Teske arrived in 1970 to a little over 100 by the last census; but there’s no despair. Young couples have moved back, occupying their parents’ former homes, and four babies have been born in recent months.

The annual 4th of July celebration is still a big hit, with the town’s traditional lawnmower parade led by a police car. Enthusiastic kids add more units to the parade, which is followed by a potluck dinner and a packed town for evening fireworks.

Odessa, Minn.

In recent years the town lost its café, gas station and grain elevator. But there is a new business: an RV park where area construction workers call home. The oldest business in town is the

Agassiz and Odessa Mutual

Insurance Company which formed in 1888.

The one active congregation in town is Trinity

Lutheran Church. The Methodist congregation closed in 1984. Paula and Darold Bailey were the last couple to be married there. They purchased the building and made it their home and the home of Big Stone Western Art, a studio for their hand woven baskets and sculptures (open only by appointment these days).

Odessa can boast a building on the National Register of Historic Places: a brick jailhouse built in 1900. It’s not in good repair, but looks like it could still take customers. So if you visit Odessa, behave. In a town this small, it is easy to pick out strangers. v

2023 MN AG EXPO

Mankato

Tuesday, Jan. 17

8:00 a.m. Large Equipment Move In Noon Exhibitor Set Up Noon Nitrogen Smart Session 1 2:00 p.m. MARL Board Meeting 3:00 p.m. Nitrogen Smart Session 2 5:00 p.m. Corn Board Meeting 6:00 p.m. Hospitality Rooms Open

Wednesday, Jan. 18

All day MARL Workshop 7:30 a.m. Booth Setup 7:30 a.m. Registration Opens 8:00 a.m. Learning Session 1 - Carbon Credit Update 9:00 a.m. MCGA Annual Meeting 9:00 a.m. Trade Show Opens 9:00 a.m. CPR Training 10:00 a.m. MN Ag in the Classroom Hands-on Learning Session

Noon

Lunch Noon Linder Farm Network Live Show 1:00 p.m. Learning Session 2 - Making Your Nitrogen Go Further 2:30 p.m. Afternoon Keynote Panel - Animal Ag Panel 3:30 p.m. Trade Show Reception 4:00 p.m. Trade Show Closes 4:00 p.m. MCGA Silent Auction and Reception 5:30 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. MSGA Expo After Hours: Sports Carnival

Thursday, Jan. 19

All day MARL Workshop 6:30 a.m. Registration Opens 7 a.m. MCGA PAC Breakfast 7:30 a.m. Early Riser Session 9:00 a.m. MSGA Annual Meeting 9:00 a.m. Trade Show Opens 9:00 a.m. CPR Training 10:00 a.m. MN Ag in the Classroom Hands-on Learning Session 11:00 a.m. Learning Session 3 - Watershed Restoration Noon Lunch 12:30 p.m. Lunch Keynote - Marissa Nehlsen 2:00 p.m. Learning Session 4 - 2023 Farm Bill Panel 3:00 p.m. Trade Show Closes

The agenda is subject to change and will be regularly updated on the MN AG EXPO website. Stay up-to-date and register today by visiting mnagexpo.com.

Marrisa Nehlsen

Marissa Nehlsen is arriving to this year’s MN AG EXPO with a goal. The financial expert, who specializes in ag clients, wants to help farmers ease their tax burden on the road to financial prosperity. Nehlsen, CEO of Freedom Financial Group, will offer the agricultural industry her expert advice on how farmers can better manage their finances as part of her keynote address.

Carbon Credit Update

Carbon sequestration is a hot topic in agriculture. Leading experts will discuss the benefits and break down concerns surrounding storing carbon and how farmers can potentially get paid for carbon credits.

2023 Farm Bill Panel

With the current Farm Bill expiring in September 2023, commodity groups have spent more than a year conducting learning sessions, developing priorities and meeting with lawmakers and USDA officials. This panel will bring leaders from across agriculture to discuss the policies they wish to see included in the Farm Bill.

Connect with the agriculture community ahead of MN AG EXPO, starting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17 at the Hilton Garden Inn, downtown Mankato. New this year, two hospitality rooms will be available, thanks to Profinium, MEG Corp and Chevron Renewable Energy Group. Join us and recharge before the big show!