My name is Byron “Barney” Nesseth and I am running for Goodhue County Commissioner in District 3. As your county commissioner I will be a strong advocate for reduced spending and lower taxes for the residents of Goodhue County. The county budget needs to have a few years of 0% growth. Other counties and cities in the area are reducing their budgets, but our county budget just seems to climb 2-4% every year. The budget in 2006 was 47.9 million, in 2012 the budget is 54.2 million. That is a 6.3 million dollar(13%) increase in county government spending in just the last 6 years. This never ending march of higher taxes needs to come to a stop. When elected as your county commissioner I will promote jobs. The county needs to focus on business development. We need to work with existing … [Read more...]

Wednesday May 23, 2012 will be opening evening for the 2012 Season; it will be the 4th year for the Dennison Farmers Market.  We’ve got a lot to offer this season, we will be located just north of the new playground in the City Park.  What could you expect to find at the market this season, with the early spring we hope to have plenty of garden items ready for the first market, we should have radishes, lettuce, spinach and rhubarb.  We are fortunate to have many of our last year Vendors returning with their market items of baked goods, Jams & Jellies, Candies. When people think of Farmer’s Markets they only envision vegetables, but at the Dennison Farmer’s Market we’ve created an outlet for the community to meet new people, re connect with old friends and purchase fresh … [Read more...]

Courtesy Cannon Falls Beacon People ask Jim Foss why he is still on the fair board in Goodhue County. He doesn't know life without it.Foss became president of the Minnesota State Fair in January and will serve for two years. "The state fair here is as exemplary as you can find," he said. "Others come here to learn." The ten-member State Fair Board represents the entire state. There is one person from St. Paul, one from Minneapolis and the rest from around the state. They are divided up by regions and Foss represents Southeast District 1. He lives in rural Kenyon.  "I've only missed the State Fair one year," he said. Both Foss and his wife, Liz, take time off from work to attend. They go a day or so before the State Fair and stay through the day after Labor Day. They stay in a … [Read more...]

Shawna Conrad, Goodhue High School graduating senior, was elected State FFA president at the annual Future Farmers of America convention last month. The Goodhue FFA chapter was also honored to have Jared Luhman elected State Reporter at the same time. The two Goodhue High School seniors were chosen from a pool of 21 candidates and selected after five rounds of interviews. Shawna has been involved in FFA since beginning seventh grade, even though she wasn’t a farm girl. During her school years she has held five different chapter offices in the FFA, including Goodhue FFA president her sophomore year and region 8 president her senior year. Her duties as the State President, along with Jared Luhman, will be to serve as an advocate for agriculture in the state. After an extensive training … [Read more...]

McBroom Chiropractic opened an office in Kenyon this winter. Laura McBroom, DC is a graduate of Northwestern Health Services University in Bloomington and has interned at Hadler Family Chiropractic in Farmington and Cannon Valley Chiropractic in Cannon Falls before starting her own practice in Kenyon. McBroom is a native of Mazeppa, graduating from Z-M High School in 2003. She was always interested in health care and biology but her passion for the non-pharmaceutical side of medicine led to pursue a career outside of the hospital environment. Her small town roots caused her to search out a location in the area and she received a warm welcome coming to Kenyon. McBroom enjoys visiting and getting to know the people in the community and likes developing a relationship with her patients … [Read more...]

Last year’s Triton FFA president, Winston Athey, has seen success in FFA and now in Postsecondary Agricutural Students (PAS) as well. At the recent national PAS contest, Athey participated in the crops contest and his group placed first overall out of 21 teams and second overall in individuals out of 51 competing. Students from eight different states competed at the event. Athey currently attends Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he is studying Ag. Business, but leans toward the agronomy side of things. Athey’s team consisted of three students Athey, an older student who has been working at a co-op fulltime and one other first year student. The team was subjected to a test comprised of three components. The first two were completed individually and the third, … [Read more...]

With spring upon us, USDA Rural Development is gearing up to help local homeowners finance home improvements through low-interest loans and grants. “Now is a good time for homeowners to evaluate the need for necessary repairs or replacement of items such as a roof, electrical, plumbing and siding,” said Carol Horstman, area specialist in Rural Development’s Faribault office. “Energy efficiency improvements through replacing windows and insulation also qualify. Funds can also be used to replace a furnace, sanitary disposal system and to make homes handicap accessible.” Horstman said applicants must own and occupy the home, and their income may not exceed guidelines established by county and household size. Income limits vary by county and average $24,700 for a one-person … [Read more...]

Goodhue County Dairy Princess Chosen at Goodhue DHIA banquet last Saturday. Pictured L to R; attendant Aly Schwartau, Princess Rachel Friese, attendant Racheal Rostad … [Read more...]

A benefit for Josh Floren will be held on April 14th, 2012 from 5PM until 8PM at the Kenyon VFW. Floren suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm on Christmas Eve while he was enjoying a night out for dinner with his wife, Amy. During dinner, Floren, who experiences frequent migraines with aura, got the worst headache of his life and his hearing became distorted. The intensity of the pain increased and, when it became unbearable, he informed Amy that he needed to go to the emergency room. Floren was then taken to the St. Cloud emergency department, where they performed a CT scan of his brain. It was soon determined that he was suffering from a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage, which is a bleed in the brain, and he was flown by helicopter to St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul. Fortunately for … [Read more...]

Faith in Action of Central Goodhue County was chartered in 2004 and serves Goodhue, Zumbrota, Kenyon, Wanamingo and the surrounding rural areas. The organization’s 55 volunteers provide services to 115-120 care receivers within the area. Types of services provided include friendly visiting, respite care, transportation, chore services, library services and various other services if required. The organization recently held its annual spring flower fundraiser from February 5th through March 12th. The fundraiser offered people the chance to purchase a beautiful flower piece, made from Gertens stock, that lasts a long time and contribute to Faith in Action at the same time. Coordinator Marilyn Olson, who took over in July of last year, said that the organization is on a … [Read more...]