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ALBERT LEA CAMPUS2200 Riverland DriveAlbert Lea, MN 56007507-379-3300

AUSTIN CAMPUS 1900 8th Avenue NWAustin, MN 55912507-433-0600

OWATONNA CAMPUSOwatonna College and University Center965 Alexander Drive SWOwatonna, MN 55060507-455-5880

www.riverland.edu

Classes offered Days, Evenings, Weekends, and Online for our

PROGRAMS OF STUDY:TRANSPORTATIONAutomotive Service TechnologyCollision Repair TechnologyDiesel Technology: Commercial Vehicle MechanicsTruck Driving

LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES

COMMUNICATIONSEnglishFrenchSpanishSpeech

HISTORY AND THE SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCESAnthropologyBusiness & EconomicsGeographyHistoryPolitical Science PsychologySociology

HUMANITIES & FINE ARTSArtMusicPhilosophyReligionTheatre

MATHEMATICAL/LOGICAL REASONING

NATURAL SCIENCESAstronomyBiologyChemistryEarth SciencePhysics

PHYSICAL EDUCATION & HEALTHAthleticsCoachingHuman Performance

TRANSITIONAL STUDIESBe Your Best College Prep AcademyCollege Prep Writing/Reading/MathCycles for SuccessEnglish for Academic Purposes

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ACCOUNTING, BUSINESS, BUSINESS AND OFFICEAccountingHealth Unit CoordinatorBusiness & Office TechnologyMedical Secretary

ALLIED HEALTHHome Health AideMammographyNursing AssistantNursing Pathway: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Nursing Program (RN) PN Mobility ProgramPatient Care AssociateRadiography

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGYCisco® Certified Network AssociateComputer TechnologyComputer Systems NetworkingMicrosoft® Systems EngineerWeb DeveloperWeb Page Design & Web Master

CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURINGCarpentry TechnologyConstruction ElectricianIndustrial Maintenance & MechanicsProduction TechnicianSolar InstallerWelding TechnologyWind Turbine Technology

MANAGEMENTCommodity MarketingFarm Business ManagementSmall Business ManagementSupervisory Management

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5Austin Daily HeraldAustin’s only source for local news since 1891.

PROGRESS2012BUSINESS/INDUSTRY66.. TALL TASKS: TECHNICIANS KEEP TURBINES PRODUCING88.. LONG LIVES: WIND TOWERS KEEP SPINNING

1100.. HORMEL FOODS: PATH FOR GROWTH1122.. AKKERMAN: TUNNELS TO THE FUTURE1144.. MCHS-AUSTIN: VISION FOR TOMORROW1199.. TALK OF THE TOWN: DOWNTOWN ON CENTER STAGE

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AT A GLANCE1188.. AUSTIN’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS2299.. MOWER’S WIND PRODUCTION6644.. POLLS FROM THE WEB8800.. COMMENTS FROM THE WEB8822.. VISION 2020’S TOP IDEAS8855.. LOCAL SERVICE CLUBS8866.. TECHNOLOGY AROUND AUSTIN8899.. EDITOR’S NOTE, MEET THE STAFF

February 26, 2012

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Wind farms producingjobs, energy in region

By Jason Schoonover

Craig Wiste wanted to try something new. After working as an auto mechanic, one could say he literally took his

skills to the next level when he harnessed in and started climbing hun-dreds of feet to service wind towers.

“It’s pretty untested waters for the most part for everybody in thisarea,” said Wiste, now a lead technician with Vestas Americas in LeRoy.

Since 2002, companies have erected 253 wind turbines in MowerCounty, plus hundreds more across Minnesota and Iowa. The job ofkeeping those turbines producing falls on the shoulders of wind techni-cians, a job in which most take great pride.

“There’s something really satisfying about getting a multi-million dol-lar piece of machinery running again,” Wiste said.

Minnesota has quickly become a leader in wind power, and rankedthird in 2010 with 9.7 percent of the state’s energy derived from wind,according to an American Wind Energy Association report. Some statis-tics say that number is now higher than 15 percent, and AWEA reports

show the renewable source could provide about 25 times the state’s elec-tricity needs.

The state has more than 2,500 megawatts on line, producing enoughenergy to power 700,000 homes.

“The winds here and the conditions are just really good for wind en-ergy,” said Michelle Berdusis, site manager of the LeRoy Vestas office,which employs more than 30 technicians. “That’s why we’re in business:We have to keep them producing.”

The jobThough wind towers have become a prominent part of the local sky-

line, most people don’t realize the effort it takes to maintain them. Wiste compared the job to routine maintenance performed by an auto

mechanic, but on a larger scale.“Everything’s so big. Everything’s higher voltages,” he said. “You’re

not running around with a little torque wrench like you are on a car. ...You’re using big tools and heavy tools. Guys really have to take care ofthemselves up there when they’re working.”

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

Craig Wiste, a leadtechnician for Vestasout of LeRoy, beginsunscrewing the boltsto access the hub of awindtower just southof Grand Meadow.

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Tall tasks

Each turbine requires a once- or twice-annual maintenance that includeschecking oil filters, greasing gears, cleaning and torquing bolts, and checkingfor leaks.

A lot of times, issues will show up during a scheduled maintenance. The goalis to save themselves from extra work later and keep the turbines producingfor their customers: the energy company.

“Our guys take a lot of pride in their work,” said lead technician Eric Ander-sen. “They make sure that they catch everything they can during routine serv-ice, and that really minimizes the chance of aturbine faulting.”

The 30 Vestas employees in LeRoy maintain 243turbines — 182 in Iowa and 61 in Minnesota.

“You can about imagine that we never get abreak,” Wiste said. “By the time you finish the lastone, you start the new one.”

While the job requires skills in mechanics, elec-tricity and hydraulics, no other job can fully preparea technician for work on a turbine.

“It’s a job like no other,” Wiste said.While many people spend workdays at paper-lit-

tered desks, the bulk of a wind farm technician’sday is spent in a turbine’s nacelle, the top base ofthe turbine that houses the bulk of the machinery.

“You get so used to it. It doesn’t feel unsafe atall,” Wiste said. In fact, the company prides itself onsafety and holds safety meetings every morning.

Though some towers have climb assists or lifts,many workers reach the nacelle by harnessing intoa guide wire and scaling the ladder — located in-side the turbine — so a climber’s back is near theturbine wall.

Still, the climb isn’t always easy. “If you’re going to go out to do a routine main-

tenance, and you haven’t done it in two weeks,you’d be amazed how difficult it is for your musclesto collect that,” Wiste said.

As lead technicians, Wiste and Andersen spendmore time on the ground, managing others andhelping general technicians.

Along with routine maintenance, technicians alsotake turns being on call. During their week, they’llfocus on alarm turbines, which makes for about 10-hour days, plus some week-end and night work.

“Everyday’s the same, yet everyday’s a little different,” Andersen said.Most of the alarm work consists of electrical problems like loose wires or a

hydraulic issue. Wiste said they rarely see the same issue break down a turbinetwice, and a variety of different things cause a breakdown.

“It’s definitely a unique job,” Andersen said.

Security — literally and figurativelyWhile wind farm technicians pride themselves on job safety, many are just

as comfortable with job security.“Nobody here has had to worry about if they’re going to have a job to-

morrow,” Wiste said.The 253 turbines in Mower County have brought many jobs to the region. Along with a good wind resource and willing land owners, Riverland Com-

munity College wind technician instructor Steve Vietor said Minnesota has astrong electrical grid to support wind development. Plus,the state has another key ingredient: young people.

“We’ve got a resource in this area of youth who want togo to work in this industry,” he said.

Along with Vestas, there are at least two other turbinemaintenance shops based in Mower County.

The Riverland wind technician program currently hasabout 20 students in their first year and 15 students intheir second year, and they don’t seem to have any trou-ble finding jobs, according to Vietor.

Many of the students find work within a 50-mile radiusof the Austin/Albert Lea area, according to Vietor, but stu-dents who are willing to travel can reel in bigger pay-checks.

The typical starting salary for a wind technician is com-parable to starting pay in the electrical and mechanical in-dustries: anywhere from $15 to $24 per hour.

At Vestas, the typical wage for an entry-level servicetechnician is between $18 and $20 an hour, plus em-ployees receive strong benefits; fully paid healthcare, a401(k) retirement program and generous vacation andsick leave, according to Andrew Longeteig, a communi-cations specialist with Vestas.

The company aims to promote people from within andkeep them in the company, too.

Traveling technicians who work at multiple sites canmake $20,000 to $30,000 or more, and some even make$80,000 annually, according to Vietor.

Vietor said there’s a lot of room for advancement.“It’s a pretty interesting field for somebody who wants

to attend a two-year program,” he said.Along with LeRoy, Vestas has offices and turbines near

Dodge Center and Albert Lea. Berdusis said most of the employees at the LeRoy office have been there

through the entire project — more than four years. “We try to keep them in the industry and in Vestas,” Berdusis said.Furthermore, the need for workers doesn’t seem to be diminishing.“These things are standing here,” Wiste said. “It’s kind of like a car. Cars are

always going to break down. You have to have your car fixed. These turbinesare here. It’s pretty good job security.

Craig Wiste, a lead technician for Vestas out of LeRoy, walks across fromthe nacelle to the hub of a wind turbine.

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Eric Andersen, a lead technician out of the LeRoy office for Vestas, talks about maintenance for the wind towers while standing ontop of one just south of Grand Meadow.

Longlives

By Jason SchoonoverJust how many years wind turbines dot the

landscape in Mower County may not be de-termined by an expiration date.

Typical turbines have a life span of 20 to 30years, and the first wind towers in MowerCounty are about 10 years old.

But that’s not to say the turbines are nearingmid-life and headed toward dismantling.Many expect the turbines to have many moreyears of life, as new technologies maximizeturbines’ production.

Vestas Americas —- the company that main-tains and built the turbines at the Prairie StarWind Farm near LeRoy — has much olderones across the country still running strong.

“Many Vestas turbines have actually ex-ceeded their expected 20-year lifetimes, in-cluding those installed in the early 1980s thatare still producing energy today,” AndrewLongeteig, a communications specialist withVestas, wrote in an email.

Steve Vietor, an instructor with RiverlandCommunity College’s wind technician pro-gram, said there’s a bright future for wind en-ergy in Mower County.

“We’ve got a lot of wind turbines in thearea, but what’s most exciting is what’s still tocome,” he said.

Technicians’ jobs will shift from maintenanceand trouble shooting to retrofitting and re-building turbines and maximizing production.

Vietor said it’s likely the turbines will be al-tered for land owners to maximize output.The typical local turbines are about 1.5-megawatt turbines, and on good days, Vietorsaid, they can produce 1.67 megawatts.

However, with new technologies — like alaser that tracks wind speed and directionmiles away so turbines can turn into the windand start producing earlier — those numberscould get a boost.

Although land owners have a say on whenthe turbines’ contracts are up, the real deci-sion lies with the companies that own the en-ergy. According to Longeteig, they canretrofit, rebuild or dismantle turbines.

If turbines are dismantled, about 80 percentof the typical 1.65 megawatt turbine —which is outage for the ones at Prairie Star —can be recycled, including all of the iron andsteel.

After the turbines’ estimated 30-year lifespans, they can be dismantled or rebuilt, ac-cording to Michelle Berdusis, project managerfor Vestas at Prairie Star.

“The technology has changed too much inthe way that we build towers that structurallyI think they would last a lot longer than that,”she said.

Turbines’ productionlikely to outlast 20 to

30 year life spans

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The sprawling complex that includes Hormel Foods Corp. and Quality Pork Processors, laid out next to Interstate 90 as seen from the air.

From the time Jeff Ettinger started at HormelFoods Corp. 21 years ago, living outside of Austinnever crossed his mind.

As the CEO, president and chairman of the boardat Hormel, Ettinger has propelled Hormel’s standingin the global meatpacking industry — Hormel’s an-nual net earnings have exploded since Ettinger tookthe helm, increasing by 57 percent in the pastfive years — all while maintaining a presencein the community.

“I really wouldn’t have it any other way,”Ettinger said of living in Austin.

His four children graduated or are attend-ing Austin High School, and he and his wife,LeeAnn, are active in town.

Hormel’s chief executive grew up in Los An-geles, where he jokes one of the great thingshe left behind was traffic and long commutes.

“I love being able to get everywherequickly here in Austin,” he said, adding thathe often rides his bike to work in the summer.“I like being able to go to the grocery storeand the YMCA and see not only friends fromwork, but friends from church and friendsfrom other activities in town.”

Ettinger, 53, has been president since 2004and CEO since 2006.

Hormel has grown considerably under Et-tinger — who made nearly $9 million in 2011— with annual net earnings increasing threeyears running; by 20.1 percent in 2009, 15.4

percent in 2010, and 19.9 percent in 2011. The company’s full-year earnings for the 2011 fis-

cal year was $474.2 million, compared to $301.9million in 2007. In 2011, it was Hormel’s Jennie-Oand international segments that led the way, but Et-tinger said it’s the company’s versatility that keeps itviable every year.

“It’s really that balance that helps us thrivethrough multiple environments,” he said. “We trulyhave an outstanding, long-term track record forgrowth.”

In 2012, Ettinger and other executives have theirsites locked on the Hispanic market, as the companyexpects growth in its Hispanic food umbrella com-

pany, MegaMex, which distributesits Herdez, Chi-Chi’s, La Victoria,Don Miguel and Wholly Gua-camole brands.

“We’ve really chosen to focus ourenergy on Mexican food becausethe cuisine is so popular here in theUnited States,” Ettinger said beforethe company’s annual sharehold-ers’ meeting in January.

That Mexican cuisine could bekey as Hormel looks to continue itsclimb up the Fortune 500 ladder;the company has increased its po-sition on the list each of the last fiveyears, from 403rd in 2007 to 325thin 2011.

If that trend continues, Ettingersaid, it’s something in which Austincan take pride.

“It’s unusual to have a Fortune500 company in a town this size,but it’s really a plus on both ends,”he said.

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Hormel’s path for growthCEO Ettinger reflects on community, company’s future

By Adam Harringa

Hormel CEO Jeff Ettinger holds a news conferenceprior to the annual shareholders’ meeting thisJanuary.

Tony Beldencleans the roughedges of a freshlycut piece of pipejacking frame atAkkerman justoutside ofBrownsdale.

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Pulling up to the Akkerman campus on Mower County Road 2 outside ofBrownsdale, one likely wouldn’t assume the family-owned company isworld-class.

Tucked away in a grove created by trees and a curve in the highway, en-gineers, machinists and assembly workers design and manufacture pipejacking and tunneling equipment used across theglobe to install underground infrastructure.

While Akkerman has been in business for nearly40 years, the company’s worldwide vision is ratherrecent, according to Vice President of Sales andMarketing Rob Tumbleson.

“We’ve been establishing relationships (interna-tionally) with geographic representation,” Tum-bleson said. “We’ve really concentrated on it in thelast five years.”

In 2012, with 13 worldwide representatives,Akkerman will send sales staff to industry tradeshows in Singapore, Brazil, Russia and the UnitedKingdom.

Tunneling into the futureAkkerman has four main product lines, and it spe-

cializes in equipment for pipe jacking — a trenchlessmethod for installing pipes and casings — and othertunneling equipment, according to Tumbleson. Thecompany manufactures equipment that installs piperanging from 4 inches to 14 feet in diameter. Thetunnel boring machines, used for pipe jacking, ex-cavate the ground while advancing forward off thepipe itself.

Akkerman also makes equipment that excavatesat the opening of the tunnel while the tunnel ring iscreated behind it.

The company boasts of incredibly accurate, laser-guided equipment. The pipe jacking systems mustbe accurate so the sewer systems can maintain flowin the right direction.

“Everything is laser-guided,” Tumbleson said.“Everything we do is basically gravity flow installa-tion. We’ve got to be extremely accurate and on theright grade to maintain flow.”

Some of the machinery can be operated from in-side the actual pipe jacking or tunneling unit. An op-

erator will actually sit inside the machine and guide it through the soil orsand.

Akkerman’s micro-tunneling systems are so advanced, though, that some-one can operate the machine from above ground in a remote control con-tainer. The container is a small, air-conditioned room with computer controlsthat guide the machine through the ground.

This system is used in a high water table area because it’s generally not safefor an operator to be underground in those conditions.

The software used to control the machinery is developed at Akkerman byits own software engineers, Tumbleson said. Operating a micro-tunnelingsystem, particularly from aboveground, requires incredibly advanced skills,according to Tumbleson, so operators undergo at least a year of training be-fore they are qualified to operate the controls.

Along with competing in the industry on an international level, Akkermanofficials have worked for nearly two years to roll out theSeries II pipe jacking equipment. The Series I equipmentwas not fitting the needs of all of the company’s foreigncustomers, so the company decided to up the ante andcompete in the world market.

“It’s been a major part of our work for the last year anda half,” Tumbleson said. “We’ve been expanding, modi-fying and upgrading our equipment to try and addressthe international market’s needs.”

Checks and balancesAkkerman officials have been busy lately, according to

Tumbleson. Not only did the company roll out its Series IIsystem, but it also built a new corporate office buildingand announced an updated strategic plan.

The new building incorporates some of the pipe in theinfrastructure.

“We wanted to be able to have a nice space to welcomeguests,” Tumbleson said. “We incorporated a lot of thepipe used for sewer and water utility installation into theoffice structure.”

The new mission and vision statements were an impor-tant project for company officials, Tumbleson said, be-cause they are trying to encourage employees to holdthem accountable and embed the concepts into theAkkerman culture.

Signs detailing the new statements are posted in breakrooms and workstations throughout the plant. The gist ofthe mission is to be goal driven for customer success,Tumbleson said.

“If our customers are making money, we are makingmoney,” Tumbleson said. “We’re trying to empower (theemployees) to question what we’re doing.

“The goal is to have the whole group know what our vi-sion is.”

As the company strives to achieve its goals and expand inthe global market, its plans are to focus marketing efforts inthe South American, Russian and Middle Eastern regions. A

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Tunnels to the futureFamily-owned businesspacks worldwide punch

By Amanda Lillie

Akkerman owner Maynard Akkerman.

Akkerman ships several sizes oftunnel-boring machines through-out the world.

A boring mill trims metal awayfrom a bracing ring at Akkerman.

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• Land Drainage• Backhoeing • Consulting• Conservation Construction• Wildlife Ponds • Road Boring

This artist’s rendering shows what the new Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin Eye Clinic — slated to open in February 2013 — looks like.

Did youknow?

The 86,500-square-foot, three-story Mayo ClinicHealth System in Austin expansion will create about70 full-time jobs, including nine physician positions.

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The Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin EyeClinic has been at its current location since 1978,and according to Manager Mark Karl, employeesand patients have been bumping into each otherever since.

“Traffic flow is a big issue, as we only have theone main hall,” Karl said. “You pretty much have tododge people to get around in here. ... Soon, we’llhave much more room.”

Luckily, Karl and the rest of the eye center crewwill get a new, 9,450-square-foot facility — dou-bling the size of its 4,717-square-foot clinic — aspart of the $28-million medical center expansionproject.

The eye center — located at 510 Second St. NW— is one of many medical center services that willreceive upgraded facilities, as the 86,500-square-foot, three-story expansion will also create about70 full-time jobs, including nine new physician po-sitions when it’s slated to open on Feb. 28, 2013.

Karl is also excited about the additional positions.While medical center officials aren’t sure how manyjobs will be added for the eye center, it will get oneof the nine new physicians, as Karl will add anopthamologist. The eye center currently has twooptometrists and one opthamologist, and the up-grade will bring the eye center’s total exam roomsfrom nine to 14.

“That will be kind of nice because right now wehave to make sure we’re not double-booking aroom,” Karl said.

Karl said a fourth physician should help the clinic

increase its patient load. Currently, there’s about atwo or three week wait to see physicians, and anextra opthamologist should ease that.

“Doctors can only see so many people per day,but especially with a fourth provider, traffic shouldbe quit a bit higher than it is right now,” he said.

With the new facility comes additional equip-ment, and five times the retail space, increasing thenumber of eyeglass frames from about 450 to1,000.

Beyond the extra space and added physician, thenew facility should be a big help in another area:communication.

The average age of the clinic’s patients is 70, ac-cording to Karl, so a lot of them are also being

treated for glaucoma, macular degeneration andcataracts. Being in the same building shouldgreatly increase communication between doctors,according to Dr. Monica Loppnow, an optometristat the clinic.

“If someone is in urgent care or the emergencyroom, they’ll send them over here, but it will bemuch easier to do when we’re in the same build-ing,” she said. “(Patients) will find us easier, and Ithink it’s going to make communication betweendoctors much, much easier.”

“I think we’re all looking forward to it,” Karl said.“It’s going to be a huge help to us. It will be some-thing we’re not used to at all. We’re going to enjoyit quite a bit.”

Medical center expansion will give eye clinic extra spaceBy Adam Harringa

Mark Karl, Austin Eye Center manager, Dr. Monica Loppnow, and the rest of the eye clinic’s staff will prepare to move into their newspot at the expanded and renovated Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin by this time next year.

Vision for tomorrow

Construction con-tinues on the ex-pansion to MayoClinic Health Sys-tem in Austin. Bythis time nextyear, the AustinEye Center will betaking its placeinside the addition.

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Pictured Left to Right: Amy Legried, Ben Sprung, Al LeTendre, Doug Salz,Gary LeTendre, Stephen Blum, Debbie LeTendre, Gene Krull, Johnny Adams

Not Pictured: Josh SheelyOwners: Alvina and Gary Letendre

• Home Kitchen Warehouse• Mower County Human Services• Acclaim Studio of Dance• Two Bears Trading Post• Spirit Bear Academy• Austin Area Art Center• Anytime Fitness• GNC• Ole Barn BBQ• Weight Watchers• The Machine Shed

• Just for Kix• Vision World

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1. Hormel Foods Corp. Austinplant — 1,6712. Quality Pork Processors —1,3003. Mayo Clinic Health Systemin Austin — 9684. Hormel Foods Corp.corporate office — 8835. Austin Public Schools — 6906. Walmart — 3507. Austin Packaging Co. —3058. Hy-Vee Food Store — 3009. Riverland CommunityCollege — 30010. Mower County — 24511. St. Mark’s LutheranHome — 22512. REM Woodvale Inc. — 161

13. Sacred Heart Care Center— 15014. International Paper — 14615. Gerard School — 14516. City of Austin — 14117. The Hormel Institute —13018. Holiday Inn/DaysInn/Perkins — 12019. Cooperative ResponseCenter — 11020. McFarland Truck Lines —9021. Cedar Valley Services —8522. Target — 8023. Shopko — 7524. IBI Data — 6225. Clifton Larson-Allen — 60

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25 largest employers

Austin’s

Source: Development Corporation of Austin. These are approximate numbers for some employers and actual number of employees will vary.

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Jill DeMeyer and LindseyHaney took a minute toconsider what has beenchallenging during the firstyear of business for theirStyle Lounge Salon indowntown Austin.

They couldn’t think ofanything.

“Everything’s been a realpositive experience,” De-Meyer said of their salonthat opened in November2010. “The community hasreally supported the down-town area, and you feel thatwhen you have a businesson Main Street.”

The co-owners felt theystarted their business at theperfect time, as the AustinMain Street Project — agrassroots movementstarted in 2005 to fund ren-ovations and additionsdowntown — was in fullswing.

Now, between AustinMain Street and Vision 2020— a grassroots communitybetterment projectlaunched in 2011 lookingfor 10 ideas to implement by 2020— downtown improvements seemto be on everyone’s mind.

“The main street project was puttogether by the community,” saidSarah Douty, Austin Main Street Proj-ect Executive Director. “It’s the com-munity saying we want somethingdone downtown. Vision 2020 is verysimilar, with the community sayingthis is what we want.”

Douty said she will be followingVision 2020 closely to see if MainStreet officials can structure their pro-gram to fit with Vision 2020’s top 10priorities. Vision 2020 has whittled itslist to 30 ideas, which includes at-

tracting businesses downtown, alongwith creating public gathering areas,entertainment, art events, parks forkids and outdoor festivals or con-certs, all downtown.

“That’s all stuff we could certainlyhelp with and tailor what we do,”Douty said. “I’m looking forward toseeing what they come up with.”

While Vision 2020 is the hot topicnow — the group is preparing to an-nounce its 10 best ideas in March —Douty said the Austin Main StreetProject isn’t going anywhere, either.

The project started as a fundingsource to supplement downtownproperty owners’ renovations andexpansions, to attract new busi-nesses, and to give businesses own-ers like DeMeyer and Haney a breakon their first month’s rent. Through2011, it helped renovate 36 store-fronts, created six housing units, andrelocated or expanded 17 busi-nesses, contributing $2.19 million inthe process.

Now, Main Street officials arelooking to expand beyond its origi-nal intent.

“Of course we’re getting to apoint now where we need to look atmore than just the buildings,” Doutysaid. “There’s opportunities there forus to break out from our traditionalrenovations and look at doing morewith public spaces, and more thingsthat would be a public benefit, likeVision 2020 stuff.”

If Austin Main Street and Vision2020 pool their efforts as planned,DeMeyer expects the downtown tocontinue to grow.

“I see it only growing more,” shesaid. “I guess Austin is more uniqueversus other downtown areas (ofsimilar size). ... Bringing new busi-nesses gives the downtown attentionand helps it expand, and I feel likeAustin does have that right now.”

Talk of the

town

From Austin Main Street toVision 2020, downtown

remains center stage

By Adam Harringa

TheStyle

LoungeSalon's Lindsey

Haney and BridgetSchmidt look in the mir-

ror during a weeknight in Febru-ary at the progress of Schmidt's hair styling.

Co-owners of The Style LoungeSalon Jill DeMeyer, sitting, and Lindsey Haney have created aunique vision with their businesson Main Street in Austin.

Thanks to the citizens of Austin, schoolchildren will have enough space tolearn.

That’s what many Austin Public School staff and supporters of last Novem-ber’s $28.9 million bond referendum believe. Voters decided to support a newfifth- and sixth-grade school, along with a Woodson Kindergarten Center ex-pansion, so the space crunch felt in many Austin schools would go away.

“There wouldn’t have been a projectwithout the voter approval,” said Super-intendent David Krenz.

The process hasn’t been easy, however.Just ask Mark Stotts, finance and opera-tions director.

“Going into that process, we really did-n’t know where it was going to lead,”Stotts said. “Yeah, we internally kickedaround ideas, but when we started theprocess, I never thought it would end uplike it did.”

The whole thing began when demog-rapher Hazel Reinhart gave a report on Austin’s projected student populationin 2009, around the time district officials wondered if the increase in studentsthey saw would continue. Reinhart’s report was clear: Based on the amount ofbirths in Mower County, Austin schools were going to see an increase in stu-dents.

What district officials didn’t know was how right she was. Though Reinhart’spopulation projections showed four possible growth patterns ranging fromslight to heavy student increases, the district’s student population has consis-

tently been either at or above Reinhart’s largest projection.In 2009, the district had 4,417 students start school, compared to Reinhart’s

high-end projection of 4,464. The district taught 4,439 students in September2010, compared to Reinhart’s estimated high of 4,399. Austin schools greeted4,467 students last September, 12 students fewer than the demographer’shighest projection of 4,479.

Those numbers are huge, seeing as the district’s overall space is shrinking. Afacility usage report done by November 2010 showed every Austin school ex-cept Austin High School was at or over capacity.

Residents know the story from there. A community-led facilities task forcecomposed of residents and school administrators looked at possible solutions

to Austin’s space issues, created the idea foran intermediate school and Woodson ex-pansion, and brought the measure to votersin November.

“This wasn’t just a slam dunk,” Stottssaid. “We had to work pretty darn hard toget this committee to a consensus.”

Stotts led the group, researched the costs,filed the proper paperwork for a MinnesotaDepartment of Education review, got the fi-nancing ready and is coordinating with ar-chitects, construction managers and newgeneral contractor Wagner Construction of

Austin on the Woodson expansion, among other things. Krenz made speechesand talked with countless citizens about the benefits. Other school staff eitherhelped with a “Vote Yes” committee or told their friends and neighbors aboutthe referendum. Though the work for a new school will continue for years, dis-trict officials are happy Austin’s residents are involved in the school, and lastNovember’s votes showed what they thought.

“Any time that we are a public school — a public institution proposing anidea — the public needs to be a part of the process,” Krenz said.

School district thankful forpublic’s support of new school

Mark Stotts, Austin Public Schools finance and operations director, has been a driving force in getting a new school built to deal with overcrowding.

“There wouldn’t havebeen a project without the

voter approval.”-David Krenz

Space to growBy Trey Mewes

EDUCATION

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New school stats

$28.9 million

300-400

800-1,000

Amount of money in bonds topay for the fifth- and sixth-gradeschool and Woodson Kinder-garten Center expansion

Projected increase in student pop-ulation at Austin Public Schoolsfrom 2009 to 2014

Projected increase in student pop-ulation at Austin Public Schoolsfrom 2009 to 2019

30 Number Facilities Task Force members

23 Number of proposals the FacilitiesTask Force created to solve Austinschool’s facility space issues

3 Number of months the FacilitiesTask Force spent discussing Austin’sincreasing student population

$1.37million

Amount district officials will payWagner Construction to build theexpansion at Woodson

2.97 Percent in interest on Austin’sbonds. The percentage is lowerthan district officials estimated,which means a slight savings fortaxpayers over the course of the20-year loan

17 Date in August that Woodson’s expansion is scheduled for completion

2013-2014

First year at the new intermediateschool

You are alwayswelcome here!www.semnrealtors.com

Nancy Ulwelling279-0427

Art Hollerud438-1090

William Danielson438-7728

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Just a few of the OVER 2,000 PRODUCTSwe manufacture inAlbert Lea

Automated and semi-automated wall panel equipment for the construction industry

panplus.com

systems and support productsalmco.com

and other industrieslou-rich.com

Ultra precision aluminum

exactmfg.com

innovance.com

Innovation drives performance

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24Yesenia Mendoza lives to help others.The 2006 Austin High School grad didn’t expect to come home so soon, but

she jumped at the opportunity to serve her community as a counselor at River-land Community College.

Mendoza, the youngest of five children, first came to Austin as a junior in2004 after her family moved from Grand Island, Neb., to work at Hormel FoodsCorp. Though she had been in Nebraskasince kindergarten, it didn’t take long forher to adjust to life in Austin.

“I thought it was really quiet, reallysmall, really boring, but it had a sense,just a good tranquility to it,” Mendozasaid.

She was involved in Austin from thestart, playing soccer and participating instudent groups to volunteer at AHS.After graduating in 2006, she moved onto Mt. Mercy College (now Mt. MercyUniversity). It was an important event forher as a first-generation college student,and she fell in love with the school afterlooking at its brochure.

“I just thought it was pretty and neat, and that it would be nice for me tostart off with,” she said.

She earned a bachelor’s degree, and double-majored in international stud-ies with a sociology concentration, and political science, with economics andbusiness administration minors. For her, taking international studies hit home,as she learned about immigration, Latin American relations and socioeconomicpolitics. Yet she also kept busy working in student groups and committees.

“I had no time,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t know how I did it.”Once she graduated, she was ready to help her community. As a senior, she

was looking for work wherever she could get it, but she always knew she couldcome back to Austin and start her career.

She returned, working at Perkins to start. Mendoza caught a break after con-tacting Riverland officials about work and finding a counselor position open-

ing. The position involved runningthe “Be Your Best” and “Cycles forSuccess” programs, which helpsnon-traditional and under-repre-sented students get college access.That often means helping studentsof color who are in the same posi-tion she was just a few years ago.

“I feel like I came here at the righttime,” Mendoza said. “I enjoyedmy college experience, and beingable to help other people as soonas I was done with college seemedlike it would be a good opportunityfor me to grow as a professional.”

Mendoza is more involved thanever in Austin, as she is a Rotaract member and a Vision 2020 volunteer. Shemay not stay in Austin forever, as she hopes to pursue a master’s degree andwill go overseas for a year this fall. In the meantime, she wants to continuehelping as many people as possible.

“I want to be here at least a couple more years,” Mendoza said. “What’s re-ally important to me is to make a significant impact in the things I’m doinghere before I can say I want to get my master’s.”

Right time, right placeRiverland counselor lives to help students

By Trey Mewes

Yesenia Mendoza talks about her family's move to Austin and her own path, graduating from Austin High School, then RiverlandCommunity College, and coming back to Riverland to work as a counselor.

“What’s really important tome is to make a significant

impact in the things I’mdoing here.”

-Yesenia Mendoza

Sumner Elementary physical education teacher Tina Strauss does push-ups with fourth-grader Andrew Martinez during a recentclass at the school. Strauss gets unique opportunities thanks to the newly implemented year-round schedule, as she can take herclasses outside when the weather is nice.

Year-roundoptions

SumnerElemen-taryfourth-gradersplay aform oftag duringa physicaleducationclass.

By Trey Mewes

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There’s an unexpected benefit to Sumner Elemen-tary School’s new year-round calendar, according toTina Strauss.

The physical education teacher enjoyed startingschool a little earlier this year because it gave her stu-dents more time in the sun.

“One of the great benefits of this 45/15 schedule isthe fact that it opens up a lot more time to teach out-side,” Strauss said.

Sumner students started school in August thanks toa switch to an alternative calendar. The 45/15 sched-ule, or year-round schedule, means students are inclass for nine weeks followed by a three-week break.The schedule is designed to help students retain in-formation, but more people enjoy some of the addedperks like being able to play soccer and tennis outside.

In addition, Strauss was able to measure baselineskills for students earlier, which meant students couldenjoy physical education lessons earlier. There aren’tmore days in the 45/15 schedule, just a shift in whenstudents are in school.

“They really enjoyed the fact that they could be out-side during gym class,” Strauss said. “We were able tospend a lot of that time outside.”

Strauss and other Sumner staff brought the new re-cess format to students quicker than other schools,too. Students have a few more structured options atrecess, which helps them to socialize and reduces play-ground bullying.

“We were actually able to implement that recess for-mat much sooner,” Strauss said.

Though students enjoyed more bright, sunny daysoutside, they shone even brighter on standardizedtesting benchmarks this winter, which gives Sumnerstaff hope the switch was for the good.

“Forty-five/fifteen has been a great change and addi-tion to Sumner,” Strauss said. “We really have still seensome great academic growth. It’s a wonderful thing,and I hope to see that it continues and that it continuesto show how it can positively impact.”

45/15 schedule opens new opportunities for teachers

By Amanda Lillie

No, that isn’t an igloo complex you see as you drive through GrandMeadow — that’s Grand Meadow Public Schools.

The 103,000 square foot, 10-year-old school building is comprised offive monolithic domes that, according to Grand Meadow school offi-cials, is much more efficient than the previous school building.

“It’s a little bit futuristic, even now,”said Marlin Fay, school board mem-ber.

The opportunity to build a domedschool didn’t arise until the nightmore than a decade ago the schoolboard was scheduled to approveschool building renovations. Fay saidthe renovation project was ready togo, but the domed school seemedworthy of further research.

“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s reallycool,’” Fay said. “Especially the envi-ronmental efficiency of it.”

The board decided not to vote on the renovation project that night,and soon the monolithic, windowless dome design was on the ballot.

Part of the appeal was the cost of constructing it. Price estimates in-dicated a domed school would cost $8 million to build, whereas the ren-ovation alone would cost $6.5 million. On top of that, constructing anew conventional building would cost nearly twice as much as thedomed school.

“The efficiency of the building, the lower cost of the building ... we ba-sically let (the community) make up their minds,” Fay said.

Slinky fields foreverWhile the domed school’s computerized heating and cooling system

is easier to run for Head Custodian Karl Hoefs, he said the efficiency ofthe system is the most impressive benefit.

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21st Century school houseTen years after its construction, the Grand Meadow School stands as one of the most original and cost-efficient schools in Minnesota.

“It’s a littlebit futuristic,even now.”

-Marlin Fay

This is a cross section of exterior of the Grand Meadow School'sdomes. The half that is cement makes up the outside of the walls,while the insulated half makes up the interior.

Education takes newshape in Grand Meadow

dome monoliths

COMMUNITY

“It’s kind of like a refrigerator,” Hoefs said. “When the air is on, you’recooling the inside. Then you reverse it so the warm air is blowing insideand the cool air is blowing out.”

Because the warm air is generated by energy stored underground in 27miles of underground piping — called slinky fields — it takes much lessenergy to heat the domes than a regular building. That also means less airis flowing into the school.

Principal Paul Besel said he noticed fewer allergy problems among stu-dents and faculty after they had been in the domed school a while.

“Our air quality is better in this building than the old building,” Fay said.“It’s so much more effective in moving air in and out.”

Storing heat underground saves energy because the ground maintainsa temperature of about 50 degrees, so water only needs to be warmed by20 degrees to heat the school. Because of this, the school district spendsmuch less on natural gas.The electricity bill has in-creased, though, as abyproduct of using less nat-ural gas.

In the 2008-2009 schoolyear, the district spent$7,658 on natural gas.

“In the last year we werein the old school we used$26,000 (in natural gas) inone month,” Fay said. “Thetotal package has paid off.”

Weathering theweather

Although some of theschool’s teachers were ap-prehensive about losingtheir window views, thechange has been positive.

Bob Brusse, fourth-grade teacher, said he had five windows in his oldclassroom. He doesn’t miss them, though, because the students are morefocused.

“You don’t have that distraction,” Brusse said.Plus, the school’s lack of windows adds to the building’s efficiency. There

are fewer opportunities for a cold draft to sneak in without windows, andfor natural light, three of the five domes have skylights.

If that wasn’t enough, the domes are built to sustain any kind of weather.In fact, the school is likely the safest place in Grand Meadow during a tor-nado.

“It’s built to sustain very high winds,” Besel said.And while other buildings in Minnesota run the chance of a roof cave-in

under heavy snow, Grand Meadow school officials don’t have to worryabout that. Since the building is rounded, snow slides right off.

“It’ll withstand pretty nearanything,” Fay said. “In theold building with a flat roof,we were fixing the roof everyyear, and that’s thousands ofdollars.”

Increased accessibilityBrusse said the layout of

the building alone has im-proved staff relations, be-cause teachers are closertogether. In the old school,some classrooms were on op-posite ends of the buildingand on different floors, mak-ing it hard for teachers to in-teract.

Now, everyone is closer to-gether and housed on thesame floor.

“The staff has embraced it,”Brusse said. “In the elemen-tary, if we need to talk tosomebody, they’re rightthere. Really accessible. We’reall right there.”

Besel said it has brought asense of community, which isparticularly important for asmall town where everyoneknows each other.

“It’s not uncommon for meto walk down to the domecommons and see a group (ofstaff) chatting,” Besel said.

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The inside of a classroom at Grand Meadow appears normal, except for the gentle slope of the walls.

Square Footage Electricity Natural Gas Total Expenses

Grand Meadow 103,000 $80,338.00 $7,658.00 $0.85 / sq. ft. = $87,996

Southland 70,615 $48,210.55 $44,867.49 $1.32 / sq. ft. = $93,077

LeRoy/Ostrander 99,042 $28,532.51 $41,712.79 $0.71 / sq. ft. = $70,244

Lyle 70,000 $49,187.49 $25,588.94 $1.07 / sq. ft. = $74,775

Grand Meadow’s Head Custodian Karl Hoefs describes during a tour ofthe upstairs of the school how the school’s geothermal system works.

Wind farms bring morebusiness and customers

to surrounding communities

Small townsget big boon

The 253 wind turbines in Mower County aren’t just producing elec-tricity, they’re energizing small towns by adding business.

While many people have long debated the merits of wind turbinesand their effect on the skyline, many local business owners say they’rea welcomed addition.

Since the first Mower County wind towers were erected in 2002, areacommunities have seen a boost in business first from a wave of con-struction workers, then continued patronage from regular technicians.

“LeRoy did prosper big time with the towers,” said Lu Overocker,owner of Sweet’s Hotel.

To the delight of Overocker, wind farm technicians, specialists andexecutives have frequented her hotel, bar and restaurant since itopened in October of 2008. Technicians, and occasionally executivesfrom High Prairie Wind Farm stay at the hotel regularly, and Overockersaid it’s nice for them to have a familiar place to stay.

“We make them feel at home,” Overocker said. “These guys are onthe road a lot. They feel comfortable here.”

Because many of the same workers frequent the hotel, Overockersaid she has gotten to know them and their families well.

“You build kind of a bond with them,” she said.In fact, Overocker said, she opened Sweet’s Hotel at the tail end of

the construction projects in LeRoy, when workers were renting homesand bringing dollars to the community.

“The town really was busy before we got the hotel done,” she said.For many regional small towns, the construction of the turbines was

a boon.

ConstructionWind farm construction projects brought a surge of workers, and in

turn, business to small towns. Construction of the Wapsipinicon WindProject brought 100 to 200 workers to Dexter about two years ago,which Lake Geo Plaza Center owner Jon Shaw said was a significantboost.

But the benefits didn’t end with construction: About a dozen tech-nicians based in Dexter now frequent the shop before servicing tur-bines. In Shaw’s words, they’re regulars.

“We see them every morning, noon and afternoon,” he said. Most of the workers stopping at Lake Geo are from enXco, which has

two projects in Mower County. “They support the local community real well,” Shaw said. “They

hired very good people.”Shaw said all the help they can get is a benefit. With the economy

struggling recently, Shaw said, it can be difficult to get customers in thedoor.

“(Having wind farms here) is like increasing the local community,” hesaid.

That local base is important, especially in the winter when there isn’tas much traffic on Interstate 90.

Woody’s in Rose Creek saw a definite boost when the turbines werebuilt in the summer of 2010. Woody’s owner Joe Koffman describedthe wind farm workers as model customers.

“They were some of the best customers,” said Koffman, adding thatthe workers were always well-mannered. “They were all good abouteverything. We had good luck with them.”

Still, Woody’s was a bit more out of the way than other small-townestablishments, so Koffman said they didn’t see quite the boost townslike LeRoy and Dexter did.

Koffman also said the bar and grill was overlooked at first becausemany technicians thought it was just a bar.

“There definitely was an increase when they found out we were hereand were close,” he said.

Like many other business owners, Koffman said, he’d welcome an-other project.

“I hope they build some more by us,” he said.Since the construction finished, Koffman said, they still see wind

workers, but not as often or as many.

Support industriesAlong with support for local businesses, Riverland Community Col-

lege wind technician program instructor Steve Vietor said wind farmshave also increased the need for various parts and materials needed tomaintain turbines.

“It’s created a lot of support industry in this area,” he said.Along with the needs for different lubricants and safety and shipping

equipment, Vietor said, wind farm companies do work locally. “The trucks that they drive need to be purchased and serviced,” he

said. Michelle Berdusis, site manager for Vestas at Prairie Star Wind Farm,

said the company uses local repair shops. She said workers at her office frequent gas and food shops in Adams

and LeRoy. She even said she tries to pick a local banquet hall to hostevents like Christmas parties. And because Berdusis said she hires tech-nicians who live close by, they naturally have a vested interest in thesurrounding communities.

By Jason Schoonover

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Mower Countywind farms

Builder/year• G. McNeilus

15 towers, 2002• FLP Energy Mower County

43 towers, 2006• High Prairie Wind Farm II

61 towers, 2007• Northern States Power Co.

67 towers, 2008

By township• Adams: 15• Bennington: 26• Clayton: 69• Dexter: 26• Grand Meadow: 68• Lodi: 5• Marshall: 4• Pleasant Valley: 37• Sargeant: 3

2010 payable windenergy productiontax/number of towers• Mower County:

$1.37 million — 253• Murray County:

$1.18 million — 241• Lincoln County:

$796,000 — 372• Pipestone County:

$506,000 — 236

Mower Countywind energyproduction tax• 2010: $1,370,000• 2009: $861,000• 2008: $501,000• 2007: $114,000

Did you know?The wind turbines in Mower

County may look like one bigwind farm, but the 253 towersare split into multiple projectsand different types of turbinesmaintained by different compa-nies.

Vestas Lead Technician CraigWiste said you can tell wherethe breaks in the projects are byexamining the nacelle (the topbase) of the tower. Some areshaped like cylindrical torpedoes,while others are more squared.

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A ray of light in AustinWhat does a man who accomplished much in a four-decade career do

once he calls it quits? Keep as busy as possible, by the looks of things. Atleast that’s what Gary Ray does.

The man who now heads The Hormel Foundation worked his way upfrom a night shift manager at a Hormel Plant in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, to con-trolling the largest division in Hormel Foods before he retired in 2009.

Ray didn’t always aspire to work at Hormel, however. He grew up in Ft.Dodge, and attended Wayne State University to play football with severalclassmates.

“We tried to play a little football at the time, and so that was the placeto be,” he said with a smile.

He spent four years at school studying to be an industrial engineer be-fore deciding to go back home, where he took a job as a night shift super-visor on the Hormel production line in 1968.

“They had a Hormel plant at Ft. Dodge when I grew up,” Ray said. “Ihad talked to people who worked there, and they talked about what agreat organization it was; so that’s what inspired me to, after college, startwith Hormel.”

He made his way to the day shift eventually, and in 1969 he married hiswife, Pat, a teacher.

“I was working nights, and she was working days; so for about 10 yearswe didn’t see much of each other,” he said.

He sought more responsibility within the company, eventually workinghis way to the corporate offices in 1980 to become a manager of GroceryProducts.

“We were charged with looking over all of the production of groceryproducts throughout the company,” he said.

Hormel has long had a reputation of promoting administration fromwithin the company, and Ray was no exception. There hasn’t been a de-partment within Hormel in which Ray hasn’t worked. Moreover, the Raysdidn’t have to move every time Gary was promoted to a new depart-ment, something for which he’s very thankful. For Ray, however, itwasn’t just Hormel’s opportunity for advancement. Ray credits his men-tor, Dick Knowlton, whom he met in the late ’60s, for allowing Ray to

capitalize on opportunities.“He had a plan with me ... he always used the term cross pollinate,” Ray

said with a chuckle. “That was something that wasn’t done with Hormelbecause normally when you got in one division, you stayed in that divi-sion.”

Knowlton’s idea was for Ray to move to different divisions, picking up asmuch knowledge about the company as he could.

“He figured that, long term, that would help me succeed,” Ray said.Ray soon rose to vice president positions within the company, no small

feat. That meant Ray was responsible for and worked with some of the in-novations that Hormel created and defined during the 1980s, includingthe move toward refrigerated food, plant innovations like robotic equip-ment and things like microwaveable and precooked bacon.

There’s a huge amount of responsibility and pressure that goes alongwith being boss hog of a Hormel division, however.

“You step into an arena where you’re accountable for a lot of differentthings within that vice president’s job,” Ray said. “Along with your expert-ise, what really happens is as vice-president, you really have to surroundyourself with good people.”

Ray credits the teams he created within each division he headed as theones responsible for company success.

“You really learn fast that you’ve got to build a team,” he said. “Thatwas one of the things that I always worked hard at, is the people side ofthe business.”

From there, Ray rose to prominence within the corporate office, eventu-ally taking charge of the meat products division, manufacturing and finallypresident of the refrigerated foods division.

“If you succeed and do a good job, you can really be put into some im-portant positions within the company,” Ray said. “I really felt tremendouslyrewarded by being put into that position.”

Yet all good things come to an end, and Ray decided to step down fromHormel in 2009, after 41 years with the company.

“I felt it was time for some younger people to take the reins and takecontrol of the company,” Ray said.

By Trey Mewes

Gary Ray settles into Hormel Foundation’s top chair

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Ray wasn’t all Hormel and no play, however. He has given his time to countlesscommunity projects and organizations over the years, as well as nurtured his lovefor golf. Ray has been on the board of directors for the former Austin MedicalCenter, The Hormel Institute, The Hormel Foundation, the YMCA, local banks andmore. Pat has been involved in APEX and the Hormel Historic Home, as well.

“We’re so fortunate to have what we have in rural America,” Ray said. “It’s justunbelievable.”

The Rays raised their children Conrad and McKenzie in Austin, as well. Conrad

went on to become golf coach at Stanford University while McKenzie is a teacherin Decatur, Ill.

Yet for all his accomplishments and the accomplishments to come, Ray offerssome valuable advice: Strive for the best and find measurable goals to accomplishwhat you want.

“You have to want to succeed in life,” he said. “You have to set extremely highgoals. If you set a goal in life that you want to succeed in, a very big componentof that is it’s got to be measurable. You should have a way of measuring that.”

“You have to want to succeed in life. You have to set extremely high goals.”

-Gary Ray

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By Adam Harringa

At nearly 6:30 a.m., Dr. Bing Li is on his wayfrom home to work at The Hormel Institute.

Most work days, like this, can be 12 hourslong, but he and other scientists there are quickto point out that, really, work at a world-renowned cancer research facility is never-end-ing. Most days he’ll get up, go to work at 6:30a.m., catch up on new papers published by oth-ers in his field, direct research in the lab, observethose findings and try to generate new ideasbased on what they learn. He’ll leave for dinnerat 5:30 p.m., come back for a couple morehours of research, and finally retire for theevening around 9 p.m.

It’s grueling, but rewarding. He and everyonethere are driven to hopefully contribute to thedaunting task of someday eradicating cancer.

“People say for scientists, the job is 24/7,” Lisaid. “Even when you go back home, even whenyou go to sleep, sometimes you’re still thinkingabout your project.”

Li admits most people in Austin don’t under-stand what exactly it is he and his colleagues do atThe Institute. But then again, neither do mostpeople without an advanced degree in molecularbiology.

If you have several hours, Li could tell you allabout it. But simply put, he’s researching the rela-tionship between obesity and the rate of cancer cellgrowth. And he hopes he’s on to something.

Obesity and cancerBefore Li came to The Institute, he was working

at the University of Louisville, where he met hiswife, Yanwen Sun, also a molecular biologist.They’ve been married nine years and have twosons. In September 2011, Li was recruited by Dr.Zigang Dong, The Institute’s executive director,to lead a team focused on cancer and inflamma-tory disease regulation.

Li, who has more than 20 published works,now heads that research, working with his wifeand one other scientist. He is one of 13 sectionleaders, many recruited by Dong, all working indifferent areas toward one goal.

Much of Li’s research — made possible by athree-year, $500,000 grant from The HormelFoundation and other private donors — studieshow the presence of fatty acid binding proteinsand macrophages — defense cells in the bloodthat kill things like bacteria — facilitate thegrowth of cancer cells, and how this facilitationcan be blocked or slowed.

Li’s team studies the process in mice. They in-ject mice with cancer cells and observe the tu-mors’ growth. While different cancers growdifferently, Li said they found that obese mice —the ones with high levels of fatty acid bindingproteins and more macrophages — experiencedtumor growth at an accelerated level, and thecancer metastasized, or spread to other areas,quicker.

“When people get obese, their whole body isin an inflammatory status, which can promotethe tumor to grow,” Li said.

That’s why Li’s team is searching for a smallmolecule, or inhibitor, that can block the func-tion of the fatty acid binding protein. Then, even-tually they may be able to use it to develop a

drug to treat cancer patients, he says.“If it works in the mouse model, we definitely

want to put it in the clinical trials,” he said. “Andif it that works, then that’s potentially a drug.”

Different tasks, same goalDr. Young-In Chi and Dr. Shujun Liu are in the

same boat as Li, and they were all recruited byDong in September 2011 to be section leaders.

Chi, an associate professor of structural biol-ogy, and Liu, an associate professor of cancer ge-netics and experimental therapeutics, areworking under Dong’s guidance on differentparts of a puzzle that they hope eventually willdevelop a cure for cancer and other diseases.

“Under Dong’s leadership, we have a reallyoutstanding team,” Liu said.

Liu and the three other scientists in his sectionare researching how cancer initiates, grows andspreads, and hopes to use that information todevelop cancer treatments with fewer side ef-fects.

“My dream is to find the reason for cancer, anddevelop some medicine to cure this kind of dis-ease,” he said. “My hope is someday our societywill be a cancer-free society.”

Chi, one of two scientists in his section, is re-searching proteins using X-ray crystallography tounderstand their interactions with diseases suchas diabetes and cancer.

“Once we know how they function, we can de-sign a way to destruct a particular function or en-hance their functions,” Chi said. “And we usethat for therapeutic uses. That’s our ultimategoal.”

While the section leaders are three of 13 de-partment heads at The Institute, they’re hopingthat will soon change.

Fatty acids linkedto cancer growth

Dr. Bing Li and his wife, Yanwen Sun, work in the cancer and inflammatory disease regulation section of The Hormel Institute,where they study the link between fatty acid binding proteins and cancer tumor growth in mice.

Driven to find a cure

Yanwen Sun creates a culture in herhusband’s lab at The Hormel Institutewhere they are looking for proteinsthat block cancer cell development.

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The Institute, founded in 1942, tripled its size with an expansionin 2008 and since has gone from 60 employees to 130. Now, it’sat full capacity and ready to expand again. So Institute officials areplanning a $27-million expansion which would double its size andcreate 125 more jobs. That’s something Li, Chi and Liu agreewould continue to elevate The Institute’s status in the scientificcommunity.

DrivenLi is an optimist, but he’s also a realist.It’s hard for him to contain his excitement when talking about

potential breakthroughs in cancer research. But he also under-stands most scientists go a lifetime without any significant discov-eries.

“Sometimes, even if you try really hard, you still cannot find theanswer,” he said. “I think for most scientists, they try really hard,but in their whole life, they cannot find a drug. If I can translate(my research) into a drug, that’s huge. … That’s a dream cometrue.”

To Li’s knowledge, when he began studying at the University ofLouisville four years ago the link between fatty acid binding pro-teins and cancer development, he was the first in the world to doso. As he continues that work at The Institute, his team is screen-ing thousands of potential inhibitors. Li said they have discoveredone that — while it doesn’t slow a tumor’s growth — may preventlung cancer from spreading. His finding isn’t published yet, buthe’s hoping it will be soon.

At roughly 9 p.m., Li’s work will be almost done for the day.Soon, he’ll drive home and go to bed, but his mind will wanderback to his work at The Institute.

“It’s like a never-ending project,” he said. “You can never stopthinking about it.”

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Mower County Soil and Water Conservation DistrictResource Specialist Justin Hanson takes an elevation

reading on a plot of land northwest of Austin that'sbeing restored to wetland.

One could say Justin Hanson has a full-time job inpersistence. Without that trait, he would likely bedoing something else.

As a man who persuades farmers to retire farm-land for conservation projects, he’s no stranger tothe word “no.”

“We spend a lot of time failing,” Hanson saidabout his job. “It’s like baseball — you miss morethan you hit.”

So he keeps swinging.Hanson is a resource specialist with the Mower Soil

and Water Conservation District, and though he’s allabout preserving the land and protecting the water,he knows he wouldn’t have a job without farmers.

His job relies on their land, which is also why his jobmay become increasingly difficult.

Even when farmers show interest in collecting gov-ernment money for retiring their farmland, theyrarely pull the plug on their crops.

“We took 15 sign-ups last year for this flood recov-ery program and then got one of them,” Hanson said.“You kind of bang your head against the wall.”

The best way Mower SWCD can preserve land andprotect water, however, is by enrolling farmers’ landsinto permanent easements. Those projects take along time to start, sitting down at kitchen tables andgetting to know farmers, often with no success. Butthat’s Hanson’s job.

ConservingMower County

Justin Hanson works full-time to protect the area’s natural resources

By Matt Peterson“He hastremendouspeople skills,

so he’s able towork with

landownersvery well.”

-Bev Nordby

“He has tremendous people skills, so he’sable to work with landowners very well,” saidBev Nordby, Mower SWCD district manager.“He’s definitely an asset to our office.”

Nordby knows Hanson’s success rate ismore like a batting average. That’s why hisbody of work can still be considered success-ful.

Since Hanson cameto the district in 2004,he has put nearly 30pieces of property intoeasements. NowMower SWCD is track-ing the results thoseprojects have on waterquality. Hanson hopesto see Mower County’shigh turbidity, oramount of sediment inwater, fall back withinstate standards.

“We’ve put a lot oftime into studying tur-bidity,” Hanson said.“Getting down to thestate standard in tur-bidity is a big deal. Ifwe can get there in mylifetime, that would beoutstanding.”

Hanson considered2011 a productiveyear. He convincedthree landowners toput plots into wetlandrestorations, alongwith one who enrolledin an aquatic restora-tion. Hanson carefullysurveyed elevationswhile crews pulled tilelines from the ground,made earthen em-bankments to reducewater flow and planted native grasses to trapsediment.

Digging for state and federal dollars to doleto farmers, coupling existing conservationprograms and finding new ways to promote

conservation are all ways Hanson tries to stayahead of the game, especially with farmlandbeing so valuable.

“In the meantime, you get creative,” Han-son said about waiting for conservation pro-grams to become more valuable. “It’s not likeyou put your hands in your pockets.”

Yet farming is very important in Mower

County. Hanson understands the economicsbetween conservation and farming, and he’sOK with it.

“We’ve seen the pendulum swing com-pletely back the other way,” Hanson said

about farming versus conservation. “It’s eco-nomical for people to farm as much as theycan.”

Hanson knows there can be too much of agood thing, too, which is why his job is aconstant balancing act. He recalls an exam-ple when conservation went too far. ManyNorth Dakota farmers near one town put

their lands into theConservation ReserveProgram when theprogram was favor-able. That backfired.

“There was nothingleft,” Hanson saidabout that area’s farmeconomy. “It killed thetown, and now it’s aghost town.”

Still, Hanson will al-ways push for conser-vation. He grew up anoutdoorsman, BoyScout, went to collegefor conservation, andseveral of his friendsare conservationists, aswell. With such astrong farming com-munity in MowerCounty and within theCedar River watershed,Hanson’s job is impor-tant. That’s why BevNordby hired himnearly eight years ago.

“He worked in Jack-son County SWCD, sohe came with some ex-perience,” Nordbysaid. “And we weretrying to find someonethat could hit theground running.”

Because of the inher-ent failure rate as a resource specialist, Han-son may the best person for the job —because of his persistence.

“Your job here is really what you make ofit,” Hanson said.

Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District Resource SpecialistJustin Hanson looks over a topographical map of land northwest of Austinthis past fall. The land was part of a wetland restoration project where tileis ripped up from fields to slow water flow.

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A bulldozer packs dirt into an embankment at a wetland conversionproject northwest of Austin.

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By Jason Schoonover

For the Ransom family, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lyle hasbeen home for more than a century.

Don and Judy Ransom have ties dating to the church’s formation.Don and Judy’s grandsons, 9-year-old Peyton and 6-year-old Jordan,are the fifth generation in their family to attend the church. The boys’parents, Treasure and Dan — Judy’s and Don’s son — are also activemembers.

“This is just home for us,” said Judy, a retired teacher. “We’ve livedin Lyle all our lives.”

Even though Judy and Don, who is a retired farmer, recently movedto Austin, Lyle is still “home,” and they travel back for service everyweek.

“Every Sunday they’re here,” Our Savior’s Pastor Barbara Finley-Shea said.

To the Ransoms, Our Savior’s is more than a church, it’s a family tra-dition.

Judy’s grandmother, Matilda, was a founding member of Lyle’sLutheran Ladies Aid in 1903, and she was the group’s president whencommunity members decided to build a Lutheran church. The LadiesAid did a lot of fundraising by charging dues, and holding dinners,bazaars and food sales.

Judy’s grandfather, J.O., was one of the first trustees for the church,and he was on the building committee when construction started in1911.

Since it’s inception, the church has been a constant part of the fam-ily’s life.

“We’ve all been baptized here and confirmed here, married here,”Dan said.

It is bittersweet, as they hold fond memories of Christmas pageantsand church dinners, but Don also remembers funeral services therefor departed family members and friends.

More than Sunday morningsThe Ransom’s don’t just attend church on Sunday mornings.

They’re involved in church activities. Dan is the church’s financial secretary, and Treasure leads the music

for the Sunday school program, sings in the choir and for specialevents, and she’s on the education board.

“She’s a top-notch singer,” Don said of his daughter-in-law. Judy led the history committee for the centennial, and compiled a

book highlighting the church’s history, but she’s involved in otheractivities, too.

“She’s constantly serving meals and in circles,” Treasure said.Judy’s 93-year-old Mother, Marlys, sang in the church choir for

more than 60 years and sang at weddings and funerals. She nowlives in a nursing home.

Generations and counting5

The Ransom familyhas been a part ofOur Savior’s in Lyle

for 100 years

The Ransom family has been a fixture at Our Savior’s LutheranChurch in Lyle since Judy Ransom’s grandmother helped foundthe church. The family is Treasure and Dan Ransom, back, Judyand Don Ransom, middle and Jordan, 9, and Peyton, 6, Ransom,front. Below: Webster and Marlys Johnson, Judy’s parents.

FAITH

Photo provided

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Treasure and Dan both work for Mayo Clinic in Rochester and livedthere for a short while. Still, it was important to maintain membership.

“When there’s that strong sense of a family history, it makes sense tocontinue that tradition,” Treasure said.

Judy said she never pressured Dan and Treasure to attend Our Savior’s,and she even expected them to be married in Montana, where Treasuregrew up.

“I never told Dan and Treasure you have to come to church in Lyle,”Judy said. “They just on their own said that they wanted to come tochurch here.”

Don wasn’t as coy about his wishes.“Oh, I twisted their arms,” Don admitted.

Longtime pastorsThe Ransoms attribute much of the church’s success to its long-tenured

pastors. Finley-Shea has served at the church since 1998.“We have a wonderful pastor who is definitely very caring,” Judy said.Before Finley-Shea, the church was led by the Rev. Harold Luecke, who

was a close friend of Don and Judy. The family touted Finley-Shea as someone who makes everyone feel wel-

come. To Finley-Shea, that’s church 101.“If we can’t make people feel welcome, we have no business being here,”

she said.

Looking to the futureWhile the pastor has kept the church operating smoothly, there have been

challenges. Out Savior’s has a declining membership because of an aging population.

Judy said it has been difficult seeing the older people leave their homes, moveto nursing homes and pass on.

Still, the Ransoms see a bright future for their church, citing increased en-rollment in the Sunday school program.

“I can see a lot of growth in the church,” Judy said.The church has a membership of about 460 people, and the Ransom’s

aren’t the only long-standing members, as it has five five-generation families.The Ransoms were quick to note the church isn’t just a few long-standing

families. All the members give back.“In this church, everybody pitches in,” Judy said.“Everyone utilizes their gifts,” Treasure added.Treasure said there are active younger families, and many people are step-

ping up to help out and give back. “There’s so many go-to people here for different things,” Treasure said.The Ransoms’ tradition may not end at five generations. Dan and Treasure

both grew up in church-going families, and they are trying to raise Jordanand Peyton the same way.

“We’re trying to share with our kids to show them it’s important to attendchurch, and hopefully they’ll make their own choices as they grow up,”Treasure said.

J.O. and Matilda Johnson, Webster’s parents and Judy’sgrandparents, were founding members of Our Savior’sLutheran Church in Lyle. Photo provided

“This is just home for us.We’ve lived in Lyle all our

lives.”-Judy Ransom

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Sister Ruth Snyder leads a special kids’ service during the regular service at Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Queens is an outreach point for the Spanish speaking Hispanic population.

At Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Austin, the clergy has beenreaching out to the local Hispanic community for years. But somesay outreach can be difficult because many Hispanics leave townafter being here only a short time.

Father Dale Tupper, who leads Spanish-speaking mass, said at-tendance has dropped slightly in recent years because many His-panic are leaving.

“We do notice a lot of people leaving the community,” Tuppersaid.

The parish tries to cater to this ris-ing trend in the Hispanic commu-nity, according to Pastoral AssociateMary Bassett. Bassett is responsiblefor catechetics at Queen of Angels,so she coordinates the first com-munion and confirmation classes.

Because families leave town sooften, Bassett said the church has aone-year communion program in-stead of a longer program like manychurches have.

“We’ve had children leave the program because their parentsleave town,” Bassett said. “Some of our really good parishoners havereally struggled to stay here, who would have been an asset to theparish.”

Although there is less stability in the Hispanic parish than in itsAnglo counterparts, according to Sister Ruth Snyder, the Hispaniccommunity maintains its vibrancy in worship and faith.

Snyder said the clergy at Queen of Angels strive to make theparish a welcoming area for Hispanics, especially because it’s a cul-

tural group that endures many challenges living in the U.S. Bassettagreed and said the cultural difference between the Hispanic andAnglo parishes are easy to see.

“It’s a vibrant, alive community,” Bassett said of the Hispanic com-munity. “It’s a spirit of optimism despite the difficulties they are liv-ing with.”

Bassett said it’s interesting to see the cultural differences in action,as both parishes contribute to the church in distinct ways.

The Anglo community tends to be more traditional, particularly inits organization of the church, but Bassett has noticed the Hispaniccommunity doesn’t act based on tradition. She indicated this hasbrought a fresh sense of liveliness.

“The traditional organizational structure we’ve had in the churchisn’t the same as the structure the Hispanic community brings,” Bas-sett said. “They provide a gift to the church that the Anglos do not.”

Part of that gift is Hispanics’ family-oriented outlook, Bassett andSnyder have noticed.

“It’s a family-alive group,” Snyder said. “Often after the mass thepeople ... find community in coming here.”

Some of those feelings show themselves in raffles, breakfasts andactivities planned by the Hispanic parish to benefit the church, Sny-der said.

Tupper said the Hispanic community’s faith is obvious by the ac-tions of the parish, and he wishes they would stay in town and theparish longer.

“The people I deal with are some really, very fine Christian peo-ple,” Tupper said. “These are bright, talented people who fled fromserious trials across the border in Mexico, and they have good skills.They’re good workers.

“They’re everything America would want.”

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Two languages, one faith

Guadalope Garcia-Rodriguez, right, and Valeria Garcia-Jimenez, left, pray with other kids during a special kids’ service in thebasement of Queen of Angels Catholic Church.

“They’re everythingAmerica would

want.”-Father Dale Tupper

Queen of Angels reaches out with Spanish-speaking massBy Amanda Lillie

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By Matt Peterson

Nobody in Heidi and Jeff Anderson’s family will ever take life for granted.The Austin family that regularly attends Faith Evangelical Church has witnessed

some of the worst poverty and most widespread homelessness that exists on Earth.They’ve witnessed it because they’ve sought it, as they’re literally on a mission to dosomething about it.

Jeff, Heidi, and their four kids — Ethan, Evan, Eliza and Erin — have all served withJesus in Haiti Ministries. From the first time they served, it had a lasting impact.

In January, Heidi returned from her third trip to Haiti, but for her family, helpingthat country dates back six decades, as her parents and grandparents made a lifestyleof helping Haitians beginning in the 1950s. Then, at the end of last year, her parents,Dave and Cheri Van Wingerden, made Haiti their permanent residence.

But ever since Heidi went on her first trip, the whole family has been doing more.“It wasn’t necessarily a plan to go back,” Heidi said of the first time. “But now we

do intend to keep going back.”Heidi’s first trip was after the earthquake that rocked Port-au-Prince in January

2010. The quake killed hundreds of thousands and worsened the living conditionsfor millions already in a severely impoverished region. However, she knew of the re-gion’s problems long before that. Coincidentally, the Anderson family was discussinga possible trip to Haiti the day of the earthquake.

“That’s what made us strive even further toward going,” said Ethan, who, fromJune 16 to Aug. 3, will be going on his third trip.

The Andersons were shocked when they saw Haiti for the first time — they sawchildren without food, clothing or homes — and because of the Andersons’ first-hand experiences, they won’t be taking the easy route. They could send money andcall it good, but they’ve noticed the problems in Haiti require more. The problemsin Haiti weigh heavily on the minds of people who have witnessed what’s happen-ing. Like Eliza put it, “You had to be there.”

Never the sameThe Andersons will inevitably keep going.“We really feel as a family that we need to be concerned about those things,”

Heidi said. “It changes the way you live life here. I think it changes your mindset to-ward life.”

Heidi mentioned that much of Haiti’s problems didn’t come to the world’s atten-tion until after the earthquake.

Now the island country is noticeably improving. Still, Heidi vividly remembers themass grave sites containing many of the bodies of the roughly 300,000 Haitians whoperished during the earthquake.

“You could smell death,” Jeff recalled of seeing a grave site for the first time.But where the sights and smells of tragedy once lingered, there are now signs of

life. The Andersons travel past the site and see new vegetation growing and cover-ing the scars on the hillsides.

“It’s exciting,” Heidi said. “Life is happening.”The slew of tent cities is only one-third the size it once was, and Jeff, an Austin

High School history instructor, can show his students the visible, positive changes inHaiti’s landscape via Google Earth.

Furthermore, the Andersons are building relationships, understanding Haitians’needs and showing they care.

“It was like a second home almost,” Eliza said about volunteering in Haiti andmeeting new people.

That face-to-face aspect had a major impact on her. While volunteering itself is abig commitment, leaving Haiti after doing so can be even more difficult. Eliza felt thatwhen she boarded the return flight.

“There are tears,” she said.

A lasting impactWhat started as a way to instill positive values within the family hasn’t become an

obligation, Heidi said: It has become a desire. By continuously returning, the Andersons have a better sense of how to help

Haitians and get along with them. They realize some people are simply looking forhandouts, but many are working hard toward rebuilding their country.

“They are some of the hardest-working, most creative people I have ever seen,”Jeff said.

Yet the simple things count, too. To be noticed by volunteers like the Andersonspleases many Haitians.

“Most of them just want to talk to you or get a hug or be touched,” Ethan said.But Heidi understands the simple things often go unnoticed. That’s what she fears.“My biggest fear is that people will just forget,” she said.Because the country is already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the

Andersons know positive change will be an ongoing process of volunteerism foryears to come. As Heidi repeatedly said, that means getting outside of one’s comfortzone. Jeff suspects it may take a generation to see positive changes really take hold.Eliza suspects it may take more than a lifetime.

“I’m guessing I might not see it in my lifetime,” she said.Regardless, the Andersons will volunteer with their hands more than their pock-

etbooks. Money is simple to give. Helping people build something from the groundup, helping them re-establish a sense of ownership, that demands more — some-thing outside one’s comfort zone.

Haiti mission trip shapesfamily’s perspective of life

The Anderson family, members of Faith Evangelical Free Church, have been active with ongoing mission trips to Haiti. The family isJeff and Heidi, back, and their kids, Eliza, from left, Evan, Erin and Ethan.

Life-altering service

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Austin Catholic Tri-Parish Youth Ministry

—Billings, Mont. (Catholic Heart WorkCamp, repaired houses, helped locals)

—Minneapolis (assisted at a homelessshelter, Sharing and Caring Hands)

—Eagan, Minn., (Feed My Starving Chil-dren: packed meals)

Austin Church of Christ—Jamaica (worked in or-

phanages, made clothes, gath-ered supplies)

—Philippines (pastor taughtat a school)

Bethlehem FreeMethodist Church

—Minneapolis (servedmeals, went on prayer walksand picked up trash in a di-verse neighborhood)

—Chicago (volunteered at ahomeless shelter)

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

—Seattle (spread informa-tion about churches in thearea)

Crane Community Chapel—South Dakota (youth helped re-establish

a Native American church)—Zumbro Falls, Minn. (helped build a new

church)

Faith Evangelical Free—Haiti (helped orphans and broken fami-

lies)—Jamaica (high schoolers helped build an

addiction recovery center andremodeled housing)

—Jamaica (worked in an or-phanage)

—Philippines (a couple isproducing videos about theBible in different languages)

Faith Lutheran Church, London

—Kenya, Africa (helpedspread faith and assisted build-ing projects)

—Fiji (helped spread faithand assisted a building project)

—Jamaica (assisted a build-ing project, repaired struc-tures)

First CongregationalChurch

—Lake Traverse, S.D. (youth

Church MissionsGod’s hand to the world

2011

Joanne Revoir, back, Gail Minerich, left, and Roberta Finneseth went to Jamaica in 2011 where they served in an orphanage as part ofa mission trip.

group assisted residents on a Native Ameri-can reservation)

First United Methodist—Haiti (built a church, LaTremblay

Methodist Church in Haiti)—Eagan, Minn. (worked with Feed my

Starving Children)—St. Petersburg, Ill. (youth served in Your

Obedient Servant mission camp)

Members from: Grace Lutheran,Six Mile Grove, Mona, St. Olaf,Sacred Heart (Hayfield)

—Oaxaca, Mexico (helped build and es-tablish churches)

Our Savior’s Lutheran—Jamaica (volunteered in an orphan-

age)

St. John’s Lutheran Church—Benton Harbor, Mich. (helped

repair homes in the community, as-sisted community kid programs)

St. John the Baptist(Johnsburg), St. Peter(Rose Creek) Queen of Peace(Lyle)

—Twin Cities (confirmation class worked in a soup kitchen)

St. Olaf Lutheran Church—Tanzania, Africa (helped build a women’s shel-

ter)—Minneapolis (Global Health Ministries: packed

supplies to be sent overseas)

Westminster Presbyterian—Jamaica (rebuilt homes and worked on an addic-

tion recovery center)

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Austin D

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By Matt Peterson

A drive by most area farms doesn’t often reveal much change from previousdecades.

Take Roger Nelson and his son, Joel Nelson, of Lyle for example. Their farm hasoperated in the same area for more than 60 years. Near their farm and in the sur-rounding counties, old barns, grain bins, row crops and livestock pastures remain.Farmers still drive old tractors, and they mostly do the same physical labor eachday that they did years ago.

But like many, the Nelsons’ farm operation has gone through both subtle andmajor changes.

Roger recalls milking cows, feeding hogs and raising chickens when his fatherand grandfather moved to the farm in 1949. But since the late 50s, Roger hasbeen strictly a row crop farmer. That’s the only farming Joel has ever done; theeconomy changed the way farmers operate.

Same land,fresh ideas

Joel and his dad, Roger, have farmed the same land for more than60 years and have seen plenty of changes.

Family farms changewith the times

AGRICULTURE

“It reached a point in the late 50s where people were starting to special-ize,” Roger said. “They wanted to have the largest dairy operations or thelargest hog operations. It was either get bigger in one area or get out, sowe chose to go with just row crop farming.”

But in the past few years, technology has demanded changes at the Nel-sons’ farm — changes that can’t be seen from their driveway or in theirfields. They still have plenty of acreage, their own storage bins, tractors andbarns. But storing grain and hauling it to local elevators has changed. Theytravel much fewer miles, and they sell their grain for more profit, thanks toLyle-based Absolute Energy, a 115-million-gallon per year ethanol plant.

“One of the best things that happened to the corn farmer is an ethanolplant located in Lyle, just two miles away from us,” Roger said. “That’s hada big impact on probably a 50-mile radius.”

Instead of selling grain for feed, the Nelsons nowsell nearly 99 percent of their corn to Absolute En-ergy, which they have been partnering with forabout four years. The local plant spurred an in-vestment opportunity for the family, as well.

“There was a chance for anyone to invest in thatplant when it was built, so we did that,” Rogersaid. “You can share in the profits of the plant it-self, in addition to getting a better price for yourcrops.”

Along with increased worldwide demand forfood, the Nelsons said, Ethanol has been one of thebiggest changes they’ve seen in the agriculture in-dustry. More than row crop farmers have bene-fited.

“When you have another entity like that de-manding corn, it helps the market,” Joel said.

Roger and Joel said where their basis levels be-tween local prices and prices at the Chicago Boardof Trade used to fluctuate from 30 to 50 cents at a given time, that num-ber has fallen to the 15- to 30-cents range. And once their corn has madeits way into ethanol, it leaves behind a byproduct, which is helping aroundthe world.

“The brick nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — as they developed,their demand for food has gone crazy. China especially,” Joel said. “Someof that stuff that’s come out of Lyle has been stuck on a barge and shippedto China.”

While ethanol has forced major changes in the economy and how theNelsons sell their crops, technology is creeping its way into the Nelson farmin the form of minor upgrades, too.

Since nearly 2003, Joel has been using an auto-steer system in his trac-tor, which allows him to till, apply fertilizer and plant rows to within sub-inch accuracy. While the driver must still be present, the system steers atractor for the length of a field until the farmer must turn the machine.That has reduced Roger and Joel’s fatigue on those 12- to 15-hour days inthe fields.

“Now you can read the Austin Daily Herald while you’re going across thefield,” Roger joked.

While not all farmers have auto-steer systems, nearly all of them have tilein their fields, something the Nelsons have up-graded to in the past years. Where many fieldshad parallel tile lines running 100 feet apart, farm-ers have come back and stuck tile in betweenthose.

“As the grain prices got higher, you wanted tomaximize your yield,” Roger said. “And some areasthat maybe needed drainage didn’t have it, so theywere pretty near average yield. But you get it alltiled, and it will yield pretty evenly across the field.”

Still, farming has become more expensive.“With increased price and demand in the last few

years, just the gross dollars it takes to run the op-eration has really gone up,” Joel said.

That’s something with which every farmer isdealing. However, that hasn’t caused operations tocollapse in the immediate area. Roger and Joeldon’t see lands changing hands or farms folding,and they aim to keep going strong. Regardless oftheir situation, they have a lot of pride.

“There’s something about farming that I feel ... you get to experience thesense of accomplishment several times a year,” Roger said. “Which, to me,is a lot more rewarding than working 50 weeks for a two-week vacation.”

Roger has seen the family farm come a long way from when he started,when he and his father were still using horse-drawn power and a thresh-ing machine. Within the next 20 years, perhaps another generation willbe farming the Nelson acres: one or all of Joel and his wife’s three chil-dren.

While the skies above the Nelson farm, southeast of Lyle, changes little over the years, the same can't be said for the farming industry itself, as changes force farmers to make both subtle and major adjustments to how they approach agriculture.

“Now you can readthe Austin Daily

Herald while you’regoing across the

field.”-Roger Nelson

49

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Today’s farmers deal with more than tending fields or livestock. There's more paperwork to be done that keeps farmers like MikeMerten at desks almost as much as in the fields.

By Jason Schoonover

Mike Merten won’t start planting crops for months, but the job is never off his mind.Farmers don’t go on sabbatical between harvest and planting anymore — the job has

evolved into a 365-day a year industry.“It’s gotten to be a very complicated business,” Merten said.Merten said planning for the season is extensive. Planting alone requires a myriad of deci-

sions like when to plant, and what seed varieties have been successful recently.“You have to make some decisions on what to plant, timing, when to plant ... a thousand

different things about planting alone,” he said.After seeding, Merten said he and his partners talk about fertilizers, then during the season,

they have to keep a close eye on crops to see if chemicals are needed to address insects, dis-eases and weeds.

“A wrong decision can be very costly,” he said.With all the equipment required and the cost of seeds and chemicals, Merten said it can be

difficult for farmers to get started. A lot of money is tied up in expenses, like buying seed andequipment.

“Unless they’re independently very financially sound, it’s very hard to do,” he said.Farming is even more complex because many farmers like Merten, who is also a sales rep-

resentative for Pioneer Seed, work a second job.

For farmers like Mike Merten, thejob never takes a sabbatical

Never anoffseason

Between his seed business and farming, Mike Mertenand farmers like him have more to deal with eachyear.

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For Merten, he started the second job when hewas farming with his brothers, and his father wasacting as the farm’s CEO.

“We were kind of long on labor,” Merten said. A sales position opened at the Pioneer Seed near

Austin and, as he said, “the timing was just kind ofright.” Merten’s Pio-neer Seed work largelyfalls in the summerwhen crops are alreadyin the ground and inthe winter when farm-ers are planning ahead.

Though he’s stillworking for Pioneer,Merten and a partnernow manage the familyfarm. While Merten canbalance the full-timejob and farm work, henoted there’s never anoff-season on a modernfarm.

“We manage pretty well, but I will say that it’s ademand — it’s a demand on our time,” he said.

“It certainly fills up all our time,” he added.Second jobs are manageable, however, because

a large portion of farm work is now completed

away from the field.“There’s just a lot of time spent in an office at a

desk making these decisions,” Merten said.In fact, less and less of a farmer’s work is manual

labor, according to LeRoy farmer Russ Roe.“Farming anymore is not just going out there

and working it,” Roesaid.

Much of the workhas shifted to plan-ning and manage-ment, especially onlarger operations. Roesaid much of his workconsists of followingthe agricultural mar-kets and watchingprices.

“You’ve got to knowyour costs and you’vegot to know yourmarkets,” Roe said.“It’s a business; it’s

not just farming.” In fact, only a sliver of a farmer’s work is spent

on the machinery people traditionally connect tothe job.

“I don’t ever get on the tractor,” Roe said.

Stepping stone to the industry

Sam Ziegler, director of mar-keting programs at the Min-nesota Soybean, said theagriculture industry hasstrengthened and more peopleare trying to start.

“Farming is good right nowwhere people are wanting totry to get back into it,” Zieglersaid.

Many up-and-comers have towork full-time or part-time jobsto pay the bills.

“You only got so many hoursin a day,” Ziegler said.

But the draw to rural farm lifeis too much to turn down formany, despite the challenges.

“It’s challenging, but if farm-ing was easy, everybody woulddo it,” Ziegler said.

“There's just a lot oftime spent in an

office at a desk mak-ing these decisions.”

-Mike Merten

Tom Merten jumps in a truck with a trailer filled with grain to take to the ethanol plant south of Lyle. For farmers these days, workcontinues well after and before the fields are dealt with.

52

Grassroots thinkingA small, country-style grocery store

on the edge of Austin offers just aglimpse into the world of organic andlocally grown foods.

That world is small, but it’s pickingup some followers — slowly.

While customers wait in lines atfranchises and corporate stores, JimStiles, owner of Jim’s Super Fresh inAustin, is holding the door for one ofhis customers. Interaction with the cus-tomers, he said, is still important.

For more than 30 years, Stiles hasmaintained the “ma and pa” image athis store. Old-fashioned candies linethe shelves of a wall, while pre-pack-aged items sport brand names fewpeople would likely recognize.

Those images throughout the storeare more byproducts of Stiles’ businessmodel than thoughtfully placed timepieces. They stem from avision that few locals have, but that may slowly return to smalltowns: buying and selling local, naturally raised or grown foods.

Persuading more people to do that is the trick, though.“That’s the million-dollar question there,” Stiles said about

creating a larger community of local buyers and traders.Not long ago, Stiles started carrying more organic produce,

naturally raised meat and poultry. He and others have noticeda few more people, like some at the farmers markets, whofocus on naturally raised, local food. In the Austin and AlbertLea area, however, the movement is slower than elsewhere.

Organic produce is slow to move off the shelves at Stiles’store.

“The meats have done a lot better than fruits and vegeta-bles,” he said. “Maybe that’s because we live in a meat and po-tato town, I guess.”

Organic — or naturally raised foods — are expensive, butStiles and others who follow the vision say the costs are worth itbecause they support the local economy, along with the trendof living a healthier lifestyle.

“It just keeps those dollars local, and that’s good for a smallbusiness like me that really relies on people that want to buylocal and support local,” Stiles said. “If people don’t have that intheir way of thought, I’m gone, basically. I’d rather have a hun-dred small businesses than one big business.”

Across town, near the hub of Austin, a moderate-sized green-house stands among the grocery and convenience stores. Itsowner, Wayde Groh, shares similar views with Stiles.

“One of the reasons I chose that site is it’s in the center oftown,” Groh said about building his greenhouse. “I wanted it tobe a model for locally grown food, right here in the heart of thecity.”

Groh admits he can only grow a limited amount of produce.Though he has the 72- by 30-foot greenhouse and several othergardens, he wants to grow more vegetables. He doesn’t use anyherbicides or pesticides on his plants. Like many, he thinks toomany chemicals are going into America’s produce. So he offersconsumers a way around that issue.

Groh, like Jody Maloney of Lyle, takes his goods to the AustinFarmers’ Market. There, he and Maloney not only trade goods,they cooperate with other vendors, learn from them, help them.

“We should all be helping each other, so we can better every-thing,” Maloney said.

Groh agrees.“It’s a lot of work, but I learn a tremendous amount just from

customers and other vendors,” he said. “That’s the rewardingpart about the farmers’ market.”

But Austin’s farmers’ market is small. Maloney, Groh andStiles all realize the locally grown, naturally raised movement is aslow process. As a grocery store owner, Stiles sees it every day.The sheer bulk, low price and convenience of today’s common

items steer most people away from organic and local goods.Naturally grown foods require more effort all around —

growing them and marketing them. But the approach isstraightforward, or as Stiles calls it, “grassroots.”

“You’ve got to look the consumer in the eye and say, ‘Theseare the best green beans I’ve ever tasted in my life,’” he said. “Itjust takes that grassroots thinking, that grassroots level where itis one-on-one, telling them your story.”

However, people like Groh and Maloney have hidden sto-ries. They want to foster local trade, but they aren’t certifiedorganic farmers. For that reason, they can’t sell to stores likeJim’s Super Fresh. They are limited to farmers’ markets andword of mouth.

Along with Stiles, they wish the market scene would be morelike it was decades ago, when people bought and sold locally. Itmay take a complete reawakening for people to do that, how-ever.

The few people at the farmers’ markets or in Stiles’ store mayconsciously buy locally. Perhaps not. Changing their minds,however, is just a conversation’s distance away, the length anarm can reach to give someone a tomato and convince them totry it.

“It justkeepsthose

dollarslocal ...”

-Jim Stiles,owner of Jim’s

Super Fresh

By Matt Peterson

Wayde Groh looks over his greenhouse, whichhe uses to grow his own vegetables to sell at thelocal farmers’ market.

Food providers are keeping a local mindset

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By Trey Mewes

Thwok. “Left jab.” Thwok. “Right uppercut.” Thwok. “Faster.” Thwok. “Harder!”THWOK. “Again!” THWOK!

That’s the tempo at kickboxing class. People repeatedly punch, kick, knee, strikeand push a large punching bag in quick, sustained bursts. This goes on for 40minutes. You will get tired quickly.It’s nothing short of a rush.

Kickboxing classes are surgingin popularity nationwide, particu-larly with women, and the YMCAof Austin is no exception. Withtwo 45-minute classes, residentsare letting off steam, learning avaluable skill and getting fit.

“It’s the way you feel after theclass physically,” said JenniferJones-Jenkins, YMCA fitness in-structor on why she practiceskickboxing. “I feel so much bet-ter, and my mind feels clearerafter I hit something really hard.You just feel better.”

Jones-Jenkins has taught kick-boxing for three years, acting as afitness instructor for four. She tookkickboxing at the Y six years agoafter she gave birth to her daugh-ter.

“It was like a postpartum fitnessthing for me,” she said. “I lost the weight and said, ‘I love this class!’”

Kickboxing is a little more complicated than it sounds. People learn the basicsof boxing, like cross punches, hooks, hammers and uppercuts, in a few minutes’time. In addition, Jones-Jenkins includes in the exercises basic martial arts kickslike a side kick and a roundhouse. Residents wrap their wrists and put on boxinggloves before warming up on the bag. Throw in some muay thai stretches, high-intensity conditioning exercises, kung fu weapon strikes and large yoga stretches,

and you have an immensely satisfying aerobic workout.Kickboxers often work out to sped-up versions of today’s Top 40 hits specifically

chosen — and in some cases — mixed by Jones-Jenkins. The increased tempohelps participants keep pace and push themselves. The lights are low in the fit-ness room where kickboxing is held, so people feel comfortable. Kickboxers cango at their own pace as well, though Jones-Jenkins challenges everyone to keeppace.

“You can put as much or as little in if you’re not really feeling up to it,” saidKayla Sellers.

Sellers loves the intensity that comes with a kickboxing class. A former dancer,Sellers has been in kickboxing classes since her freshman year at Winona StateUniversity.

“I’m one of those people that likes to get up and move,” the 22-year-old said.“I hate just going out and running. I need someone who’s kind of telling me what

to do.”Sellers used to teach kick-

boxing in college, thoughthe classes she taught didn’thave bags. She thinks the Yclasses are much better be-cause of the resistance peo-ple get from hittingheavyweight bags.

“It’s much more fun to ac-tually hit something,” shesaid with a laugh.

Kickboxing class can stillbe an intense experiencefor Sellers, depending onthe day. By the 10-minutemark, Sellers is gearing up,getting into the music. By20 minutes, she’s focusingon her second wind, push-ing through her exhaus-tion.

“That’s how you improve,”she said. “When you’re tired,

you have to keep going.”By 30 minutes, Sellers concentrates on pushing herself. When the class winds

down and stretches begin, Sellers feels accomplished.Kickboxing classes are twice a week, but the Y offers cycleboxing classes —

which interchanges stationary cycling with bag work — almost every day. With somany residents ready to strike, kickboxing classes are here to stay.

“It’s intense,” Sellers said with a smile.

Classes punch, kickway to tone muscles

YMCA head instructor Jennifer Jenkins leads a kickboxing class, an activity growing in popularity at the Y.

Fitnessby force

Jennifer Jenkins punches while warming up the kickboxing class she leadsat the YMCA.

HEALTH

Kickboxing classes are at6:30 p.m. Tuesdays andThursdays at the YMCA.

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Momentumof health

A year and a half ago, CindyBowe was not the person she istoday.

Bowe, of Austin, was once65 pounds heavier and onblood pressure medication, butnow she can say she has com-pleted a triathlon.She can attributeher success to hardwork, but she cred-its the United Wayof Mower County’sGet Fit Be Fit pro-gram for getting herstarted on the roadto wellness.

“My biggestproblem ... was mil-lions of reasons why(exercise) didn’twork into my sched-ule,” Bowe said.

That changed lastyear, when Bowejoined some co-workers and formeda team for the Mower CountyUnited Way’s Be Fit challenge.Although she had participatedin the Get Fit challenge for afew years, last year was whenBowe started to take things se-riously. Bowe said the programwas just what she needed tomaintain motivation.

She began logging her exer-

cise and eating habits on theGet Fit Be Fit website to helpregulate her workouts and eat-ing habits.

“Last year was when I actuallystuck to things. It took a littlewhile to get back into a good

routine,” Bowe said.“The online logs justmade you moreaware.”

Since joining a BeFit team last year,Bowe has lost at least65 pounds. Shelearned in March2011 that she nolonger needs theblood pressure med-ication she had beentaking for threeyears.

Mandi Lighthizer-Schmidt, executivedirector of UnitedWay of MowerCounty, said many

people use the Get Fit compo-nent of GFBF to start a regularexercise routine.

“The Get Fit people are look-ing to get the tools to try tostart their journey,” Lighthizer-Schmidt said. “Be Fit peopletend to be working out on aregular basis (already) and wantto see who can be the most fit.”

“Whatevergets youmoving isgood.”

-MandiLighthizer-

Schmidtexecutive

director ofUnited Way ofMower County

By Amanda

Lillie

Get Fit Be Fit rolls forward

CindyBoweuses astationarybicycle during acool-downperiod in a kick-boxing class atthe YMCA. Bowehas one of many success stories tocome out of theUnited Way ofMower County’sGet Fit Be Fitprogram.

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Although thetwo programs aresimilar, there aredifferences. Get Fitis an 11-weekteam fitness andweight loss com-petition, whereasBe Fit is lackingthe weight losscomponent. TheBe Fit fitness chal-lenges are typi-cally more difficultthan Get Fit chal-lenges.

In the last fiveyears, GFBF participants have lost 11,790 pounds. Many participantsreturn year after year. Bowe is on a team with co-workers from theYMCA again this year, and once again they are taking on the Be Fitchallenges.

One of the 2012 Be Fit challenges is to complete a triathlon, some-thing Bowe did with her son last May.

“Whatever gets you moving is good,” Lighthizer-Schmidt said.“Our aspect is: just start somewhere.”

The United Way strives to promote health and wellness withincommunities, so Lighthizer-Schmidt said starting GFBF in Austin a fewyears ago was an exciting time.“At the time we started Get Fit, there wasn’t anything else for well-ness in town,” said Lighthizer-Schmidt. “We’re it for communitybased wellness challenges.”

The program has evolved plenty over the years, with the onlinelogs Bowe loves being one of the most recent additions. Feedback

from previousyears’ participantsindicated peoplewanted a way totrack their progress,Lighthizer-Schmidtsaid. People alsosaid they were hav-ing a hard timeknowing where tostart at the begin-ning of the 11-week challenge, sothe United Way cre-ated a calendar ofchallenges. Now,there are three

four-week challenges. Providing participants with challenges not onlyguides them, but also makes things more competitive.

“People really just said, ‘I don’t know where to start,’” Lighthizer-Schmidt said. “When people set a goal ... and they achieve it, theyare motivated and want to continue.”

Although the average weight loss per person fluctuates betweenthree and five pounds each year, Lighthizer-Schmidt said some partic-ipants lose up to 50 pounds during the three-month challenge. Manypeople have told Lighthizer-Schmidt and other United Way staff theirsuccess stories.

Those stories are what drive Lighthizer-Schmidt to recruit morepeople for GFBF each year.

“Truly the individual success stories we have from people whostarted GFBF and lost 40 pounds or are off their cholesterol meds orare training for a run — that’s truly, for us, the success of the pro-gram,” she said.

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Austin D

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By Matt Peterson

After eight years in the Marine Corps, spending time in Vietnam and picking upsome bad habits, Ron Marsden’s life seemed to be spiraling out of control. Whilecoping with post traumatic stress disorder, Marsden fell into the trap of drug andalcohol abuse. He wheeled his way out on a bicycle.

Marsden could walk into his garage, start his car and go any-where he pleases, but he hasn’t done that for more than 12years.

Instead, he just rides a bike.He’s not trying to prove anything or make a statement. It’s

simply his way of life now.“Finally, I realized that wasn’t the route to go after the third

DWI,” Marsden said about his drug and alcohol use.A car sits in Marsden’s garage, but it doesn’t go anywhere.

While Marsden could easily renew his license, he chooses tobike.

“I enjoy it,” he said. “I don’t really miss driving cars.”Since 1999, Marsden suspects he has saved tens of thou-

sands of dollars by not using a car. But aside from not driving,a lot has changed for Marsden. His mood, his health and hisoutlook on life all improved. After riding bike nearly every daysince 1999, Marsden went from 240 pounds to about 178 — a 42-inch waist to36. He has a renewed sense of freedom.

“It’s just freedom; I feel free,” Marsden said about biking. “It just gives you asense of freedom. The car — you’ve got the radio on — you’re totally obliviousto nature. It’s just wonderful to be out on a bike.”

Like anything, that freedom comes with risks. Biking all the time can be dan-gerous, especially at night or in the winter. And inevitably, as a Minnesotan, Mars-den does plenty of biking on snow.

“I like the thrill of being able to really realize you can actually ride through

snow,” he said.Marsden discovered brown, grit-filled snow is one of the harder conditions

through which to bike, but after years of experience, biking on snow or ice has be-come second nature.

“You just have to have confidence in yourself, and you become one with theroad,” Marsden said. “The first year, it was really a challenge, and I just said, ‘I cando this.’”

Now biking is easier than walking to Marsden. This winter, he slipped, fell andinjured his wrist while walking. He said that likely wouldn’t have happened if hewas on his bike.

And Marsden needs full use of his hands. At 57-years old, he went back toschool and received his massage therapy certification. Now 64, Marsden hauls hismassage table and instruments in a trailer attached to his bike. He uses mirrors to

check for traffic behind him, and he doesn’t care what he lookslike or what people think.

Instead of sitting at home or going out drinking, Marsden ridesaround Austin. He sometimes helps at Healing Palms Spa orhangs around Rydjor Bike Shop where he purchases his bikes andtheir parts.

“People, they trade cars,” Marsden said. “I trade bikes.”Marsden knows the best routes around town and where traffic

is difficult to navigate.Ironically, biking is the one thing that makes Marsden want to

get a car again, so he can do more biking on trails in the bluffcountry near Lanesboro. A car would only be a temporary modeof transportation, however, so Marsden can get even closer tonature.

“People are just missing it riding in these cars and turning onthe radio,” he said. “You’re not going to be as anxious, de-

pressed. You’re going to feel a lot better mentally and physically.”Marsden is living proof of that. Biking has opened his mind, and he isn’t as hin-

dered by PTSD anymore. He encourages others to try the lifestyle he discovered.“I think if everybody bikes, doctors would be in trouble,” he said.Marsden can’t remember the last time he caught the flu or even a cold, but

that’s just one benefit that goes with the positive experiences Marsden has nearlyevery day. He doesn’t need competitions or mile markers to tell him how far hehas ridden — just the wind blowing by, the sounds of nature, and a sense of free-dom.

Biker pedals away from alcohol and to healthier life

Ron Marsden, who hasn’t driven a car in 12 years, shows off a picture of himself taken before he started riding a bike to get wherehe needed. Since taking up biking as his only source of transportation, Marsden has lost weight and gotten in better shape.

On the road to recovery

“People, theytrade cars.

I tradebikes.”-Ron Marsden

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For about 80women, Zumba classes at theMower County Senior Center offer a way to socialize,dance and — ultimately — live healthier.

“It’s a total body workout,” instructor Amber Yaw said of the class,which is for women of all ages and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The dancers are taking small steps toward healthier lives, andthey’re certainly not alone.

Places like the Senior Center and local businesses aren’t typicallyseen as centers for public health, but community organizations in-creasingly will have a hand in residents’ health.

“They call it community health because it’s not just up to oneperson to decide,” said Mower County Public Health DirectorLisa Kocer.

Health leaders like Kocer and Mower Refreshed Health &Wellness Coordinator Sandra Anderson are looking to thepublic for help.

Anderson said many groups are doing excitingthings. One group is a women’s bone strengtheningclass meeting in Dexter. Other people at a foodbankare growing extra produce to donate.

“We’ve got a lot of really creative people in ourcounty looking at creative ways to make thathealthy choice easier,” Anderson said. “There aresome really neat gems happening.”

Mower in the middleMower County is dead center in statewide

health statistics. Lastyear, Mower im-proved by one pointto rank 42 out of 85Minnesota countieson www.countyhealthrankings.org.

“We’ve defi-nitely got work todo, but we alsohave some reallygood thingsgoing for us,”Kocer said.

Countyhealth rank-ings is justone tool Pub-lic Health usesto judge thecommu-nity’s well-being.Employeestypically

look at Minnesota Department ofHealth statistics and other statswhen gauging health. Stats includedata on infectious diseases, obesity and the number of smokers,among other factors.

Statistics aren’t perfect, because they’re typically a few years be-hind.

“It still gives you a sense,” Kocer said. “And they collect that dataover time, so you can compare it.”

Other tools like annual student surveys and demographic numbershelp paint a broader picture.

Social factors like the number of early and low-weight births, thenumber of students receiving free and reduced lunches, and povertylevels can also provide insight to health trends, Kocer said.

“Those are risk factors that lead to poor health,” she added.Mower County has high poverty rates compared to other

Minnesota counties, and there are also a highnumber of children receiving free and re-duced lunches. However, Kocer touted

the free and reduced lunches as pro-grams that help improve health locally.

Public Health is taking things a stepfurther. The office is surveying resi-dents and coming out with an assess-ment of the community’s health.

Local concernsOne concern locally has been high

STD rates and high teen preg-nancy rates. From 1996 to

2010, the reported cases ofChlamydia more than dou-bled in Minnesota. Lastyear, there were 17,760 re-portable cases of STDsstatewide — up from

16,912 in 2009, accordingto the Minnesota Department

of Public Health.In 2009, there were 98 re-

ported cases of Chlamydia inMower County and 10 reported

cases of Gonorrhea. Mower has a pregnancy rate of 1

in 17 for teens ages 15 to 19, com-pared to the state rate of 1 in 27, accord-

ing to public health statistics.That breaks down to 1 in 37 for ages 15

to 17 compared to 1 in 53 statewide. For ages18 to 19, the rate is 1 in 9 compared to thestate’s 1 in 16 rate.

“We have a higher level of some of thoseSTDs,” Kocer said.

The health issues aren’t only withyouth, as Kocer said Mower County has a

greater aging population than youngerpopulation.

“The baby boomers are now gettingtoward retirement,” she said.

A key challenge will be ensuring thecommunity has ample assisted livingspace and care providers.

Despite the challenges, therehave been many successes. Kocersaid the number of smokers inMower County has decreased.

“It’s not been an easy or fastchange,” Kocer said.

A community effortWhile Public Health has

been a key force in survey-ing and analyzing thehealth of the community,implementation andchanges can often be

more difficult, espe-cially because fundingsources are dwin-dling because ofcuts, according toKocer.

But PublicHealth is far fromalone.

Health is a com-munity effort.

One recent example has beenAnderson’s Mower Refreshed.

“Mower Refreshed is the perfect example of the community comingtogether and saying we want to make Mower County a healthy com-munity,” Kocer said.

Another collaborative effort has been an early Childhood Interven-tion committee that works to address health issues in children beforethey reach kindergarten, because many issues like learning disabilitiesare better addressed if steps are take at early ages.

“I think that’s a real strength in our community,” Kocer said.

Step up!Local groups are moving

Mower in a healthier direction

By Jason Schoonover

Julie Olson isone of severalwho takes partin the Zumbafitness class at the

Mower County Senior Center.Places like the SeniorCenter are taking stepstoward helping MowerCounty become healthier.

“There aresome

really neatgems hap-pening.”

-Sandra Anderson

Mower RefreshedHealth & Wellness

Coordinator

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507.584.1215fax 507.584.1195

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Austin Daily Herald

Rose Creek could soon be the first stop out-side Austin on a trailhead stretching about 30miles.

Last year, work on the Shooting Star BikeTrail was completed up to Rose Creek — thelast destination for the trail before it reachesAustin.

Thanks to a grant of the more than$400,000 from the Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources, the trail was paved up toRose Creek and now sights are set on Austin.

Local officials like Mower County PublicWorks Director Mike Hanson are now dis-cussing the route the trail will take from RoseCreek to Austin.

The goal is to eventually connect theShooting Star Trail with Albert Lea’s BlazingStar Trail.

The Blazing Star Trail also received$500,000 in funds from the DNR last year.

Trail pushes closer to ultimate goal

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POLLSFROM

THE WEB

Do you think officers spend toomuch time enforcing seatbeltviolations in Minnesota?1. No (57%, 96 Votes)2. Yes (43%, 72 Votes)

Posted April 26, 2011

Would you vote for a Constitu-tional amendment that bansgay marriage in Minnesota?1. No (61%, 386 Votes)2. Yes (39%, 242 Votes)

Posted May 13, 2011

Were you surprised Brian andCharity Miller, the Dexter cou-ple who chained their 5-year-old son to his bed, kept theirparental rights?1. Yes (85%, 200 Votes)2. No (15%, 35 Votes)

Posted July 20, 2011

How would you rate your per-sonal safety when you are outand about in Austin?1. Somewhat safe (28%, 86Votes)2, Mostly safe (28%, 84 Votes)3. Unsafe (20%, 60 Votes)3. Very safe (15%, 45 Votes)4. Very unsafe (9%, 28 Votes)

Posted Sept. 2, 2011

How will you vote on the $28.9-million bond referendum for anew fifth- and sixth-gradeschool and Woodson Kinder-garten Center expansion?1. I will vote !no" (53%, 155 Votes)2. I will vote !yes" (39%, 114Votes)3. I won"t vote (8%, 25 Votes)

Posted Nov. 1, 2011

What were the top stories of2011?1. Dexter parents charged withchaining sons to bed (56%, 146Votes)2. Austin author Amanda Hockingon to the big time (38%, 99 Votes)3. Long-married couple dies 6hours apart (35%, 92 Votes)4. Tensions boil at Lyle PublicSchools (33%, 85 Votes)5. $29-million new school referen-dum passes (29%, 76 Votes)6. Pacelli student Joe Lewisondies in truck/train collision (28%,73 Votes)7. Special report: Why are His-panics leaving Austin? (26%, 69Votes)8. Austin"s Kevin Dammen dieskayaking on Lake Superior, skirace named in his honor (19%, 50Votes)9. Fire destroys Jellystone camp-ground building (18%, 46 Votes)10. Austin wrangles in PizzaRanch (18%, 46 Votes)

Posted Dec. 21, 2011

With the Iowa caucuses over,who will win the Republicannomination for president?1. Ron Paul (60%, 134 Votes)2. Mitt Romney (21%, 46 Votes)3. Rick Santorum (13%, 28 Votes)4. Newt Gingrich (3%, 6 Votes)5. Jon Huntsman (2%, 4 Votes)6. Rick Perry (1%, 2 Votes)

Posted Jan. 3, 2012

Which author with local tieswould you most consider read-ing?1. Adams native Julie Kramer,who writes mystery and crimenovels (28%, 134 Votes)2. Beth Bednar, a former TV re-porter who wrote about the disap-pearance of Jodi Huisentruit(21%, 98 Votes)3. Curt Rude, former Austin policeCapt. who wrote a crime novel(15%, 71 Votes)4. Amanda Hocking, an Austin au-thor famous for teen paranormalromance novels (13%, 62 Votes)5. Austin-born Tim O"Brien, a nov-elist who writes about the VietnamWar (10%, 49 Votes)6. James Hormel — son of formerHormel CEO Jay C. Hormel —wrote a memoir about being thefirst openly gay U.S. Ambassador(7%, 34 Votes)7. Ex-Austinite Larry Nemitz, whoreleased a book about faith andself-worth (6%, 27 Votes)

Posted Jan. 13, 2012

JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON THE

THE AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

HOME PAGE.NEW POLLS WEEKLY

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Adams loses valuableresource; Dairy Days

planned for June 8-10By Mayor LeRoy Swanson and City Clerk Jim Kiefer

The city lost a valuable asset in December with the retirementof Dr. Richard Schindler.

Dr. Schindler provided excellent medical service to the com-munity for 32 years. Although it is impossible to replace Dr.Schindler’s skills, the community is thankful that Mayo ClinicHealth System in Adams will remain open. Mary Fargen will con-tinue to provide excellent medical care to Adams residents. Thecommunity also saw the local drug store close in 2011. Longtimepharmacist Phil Qualey decided to retire in October.

The city of Adams census results provided a small decrease inthe population for 2011; dropping from 800 people to 787. Thecity of Adams experienced typical problems many small commu-nities in Minnesota are experiencing. Local Government Aid cutsfrom the state of Minnesota place tremendous stress on small citybudgets.

Last year also brought the completion of the Shooting Star Biketrail to Rose Creek. Residents of Adams can now bike on a pavedpath to LeRoy or Rose Creek.

The city of Adams continued to implement street improvementsin 2011. A three-block section was completed in July. Plans are inthe process to upgrade an additional five blocks in 2012. Thecoming year will provide a new automotive repair shop for theAdams community. Wiste Auto Repair will be relocating to a newbuilding at 407 Main St.

The Civil War re-enactment event will return to Adams this sum-mer. Plans are for Dairy Days June 8-10, and the Civil War re-en-actment event June 23-24.

Southern troops move into position during a CivilWar battle reenactment at Civil War Days

in the Adams City Park.

By City Clerk Patty White and Mayor Kathy Farlinger

The city of LeRoy didn’t experience any hugebuilding boons during 2011, but the city did seemany projects completed.

The city well was pulled; a new pump was in-stalled. A joint project with the LeRoy Senior Citi-zens at the LeRoy Community Center includedcompletely remodeling the restrooms and redoingthe entryway, roof repairs, and parking lot improve-ments. Bob and Kathy Terry, through their business,Terry’s Cemetery Restoration & Repair, used theprocedure of dowsing and mapped the entirecemetery. This included locating many unmarkedgrave sites. Street reconstruction on East CountyRoad south was completed; this was done in coopera-tion with Mower County. The City conducted a verysuccessful City-Wide Cleanup Day. To comply with ourWellhead Protection Plan, 18 unused, unsealed wellswere capped.

Improvements also took place in the business districtin 2011. Weber NAPA relocated to a larger storefront.Major renovations at Main Street Market Place includednew freezers, coolers, signage, and display areas. Wi-Fiwas installed at the LeRoy Public Library. Dave and JodyLunning purchased an empty building, renovated it,

and opened a Hefty Seeds office. Derek Megrawopened ACS Innovations-Affordable Computer & WebSolutions. Bethany Bible Church added a Christian edu-cation wing to the existing church.

LeRoy continues to thrive due to the vibrant businessdistrict and community-minded individuals.

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LeRoy looking for improvements to budding business district

By Matt Peterson

Though LeRoy’s population was just 929 atthe 2010 Census count, it is still the small townwith nearly everything. And despite being thatMower County town a little more out of the waythan others, it’s still holding its own.

Among a grocery store, cafes, ag businesses,bowling alley, medical clinic, assisted living,hardware store, auto parts store, lumber yard,banks and more, the town has some recent risktakers. That’s a good thing. Now outdoor recre-ation can be added to the list, as well.

Rural LeRoy resident Ben Jacobsen openedThree Arrows Hunting Preserve in summer 2011.

He told the Herald he knows it will take time tobuild a clientele base of recreational hunters, buthe’s not worried. Jacobsen has already hosted afield trial and youth hunt, and the hunting landis only going to mature as the years pass.

Back in town, Derek Megraw took a risk, too.Now the town is boosting its technology reper-toire. Megraw opened ACS Innovations-Afford-able Computer & Web Solutions.

And there is another bold individual. DaveLunning, who already owned Grass and SonsSeed just outside of town, opened another busi-ness on the edge of town: Hefty Seed Company.Now local farmers have a retail storefront wherethey can buy seed and other supplies, which is abenefit for such an ag-driven region of thecounty and state.

It may be little, but LeRoy is doing big things.

A two-day set of field trials was held for the first time on land owned by Ben Jacobsen, where he opened Three Acres Hunting Preserve northeast of LeRoy.

LeRoy aims high

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A SMALL TOWN THAT LIVES BIG!

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ELDERLY • DISABLEDINDEPENDENT

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For More Information Call 507-434-5556or email: lori.amick@myclearwave.net

Mower County Housing Authority59039 220th Street • Austin

RIVERSIDE • LEROY

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72State-of-the-art, high banked, 3/8mile dirt track. Don’t miss as local

and national “Dirt Daredevils” battleit out at speeds up to 100 mph!

Take advantage of reserved,discounted tickets, seating

options and more.

Conveniently located next tothe speedway. Bring the familyand join in the fun. With com-petitive pricing and a family

atmosphere Deer CreekCampground has become a

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Weekly, monthly and yearlydiscounts available!

Tickets available at thespeedway or online!

Don’t waste time “in line”when you can buy “online”

By Mayor Dan Sween

In the past year, Mower County’s second-largest city has madeprogress in several areas, in spite of a tough economy.

The results of the 2010 Census came out and revealed a gain in populationfrom 945 to 1,139 citizens: a very nice gain for our small rural community!

Grand Meadow Public Schools (the city’s largest employer) attractsmore open-enrollment students and continues to grow. Expansion maysoon be necessary.

With growing population, several new homes arose during 2011. Thecity street department continued with street repaving, and potholes aregetting hard to find.

In the industrial park, our newest facility completed its first full year ofproviding seed to the ag community. Our longtime grocery store own-ers found new owner/operators so retirement could happen.

We think Grand Meadow is a great small town and are looking for-ward to celebrating our 150th year this summer during “Meadowfest,”June 21-24. Come on over!

Community’s population growing; 150-year celebration planned

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A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE!

By Hayfield Mayor Greg Demmer

As 2011 started, we elected a newmayor.

After 18 years, Dave Santjer de-cided to retire, and I was elected.The first project of my term asmayor was starting our WellheadProtection plant and the first stageof our renovation of the WastewaterTreatment Plant, a $4.1 million proj-ect to be completed by 2014. Weobtained temporary bonds for the

Wastewater Treatment plant.We approved the Joint Powers

Agreement with the Hayfield FireDistrict until Dec. 31, 2020.

We approved the 2012 budgetwith a 0.15 percent tax levy hike.

This year started by talking withthe Economic Development Author-ity about locating new businesses intown. We also discussed replacingall the sidewalks in the downtownarea on Main Street. We are seekinggrants or other funds so we don’t

have to charge the businesses forthe sidewalks.

We will continue with the secondstage of the Wastewater TreatmentPlant.

The 24th Annual Hey Days was a

big success again this year.Hey Days will celebrate its 25th

anniversary this year with theclydesdales returning along with the“old-fashion chicken fry” put on bythe Hayfield Fire Department.

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Ryan’s Foods4 East Main Street • Hayfield, MN 55940

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A truck makes a splash at the mud bog atthe 2011 Hey Days in Hayfield.

Hey Days 2012The Budweiser Clydesdales

are set to return for the 25th annual Hey Days scheduled

for July 2012.

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Bubbles Café 19 4th Street Northwest Adams, MN 507-582-3655Corky's Corner 308 West Main Street Adams, MN 508-582-3552Wedgewood Cove 2200 West 9th Street Albert Lea, MN 507-373-2007A&W 910 4th Street Northwest Austin, MN 507-433-1321B & J Bar and Grill 112 4th Avenue Northeast Austin, MN 507-433-9830Culvers 1800 8th Street Northwest Austin, MN 507-434-0100Eagles 107 11th Street Northeast Austin, MN 507-433-8675Pizza Ranch 1300 18th Avenue Northwest Austin, MN 507-396-2677Sterling Café 1426 1st Avenue Southwest #3 Austin, MN 507-433-6000Steve's Pizza 421 North Main Street Austin, MN 507-437-3249Torge's Sports Pub & Grill 1701 4th Street Northwest Austin, MN 507-433-1000Windrift Resturaunt & Lounge 2511 11th Street Northeast Austin, MN 507-437-7132Highway Roost 110 Highway Avenue South Blooming Prairie, MN 507-538-4450Servicemens Club 210 4th Street Northeast Blooming Prairie, MN 507-583-7884Frontier Lounge 124 Mill Street South Brownsdale, MN 507-567-2111Langtry Café 107 Mill Street North Brownsdale, MN 507-203-4195Skjenke Bom Lounge 208 4th Avenue Northeast Grand Meadow, MN 507-754-5050Uncle Mony’s 18 2nd Street Northeast Hayfield, MN 507-477-3492Sweets Resturaunt 128 West Main Street LeRoy, MN 507-324-9546Travel Lanes Supper Club 101 West Main Street LeRoy, MN 507-324-5211Diamond Jo Casino 777 Diamond Jo Lane Northwood, IA 877-323-5566Susie’s Roadhouse 407 Main Street Ostrander, MN 507-657-0000Paradise Pizza 202 West 4th Street St. Ansgar, IA 641-713-2434Cheers of Waltham 215 Main Street South Waltham, MN 507-477-3515

By Mayor David Pike

After completing myfirst year as Mayor of thecity of Brownsdale, I lookaround town and seemany changes, new facesand welcome additions toour small town. The mostnoticeable is the revitaliza-tion of our downtownbusiness area.

Since Steve and CherylNagel have opened theLangtry Café, there hasbeen a rekindled interestin going downtown. TheNagels have put countlesshours into changing andupdating their buildingand business to attractcustomers not only fromBrownsdale, but from allover southeastern Min-nesota. They are openTuesday through Sundayfor breakfast and lunch.The Langtry now also hasa liquor license and isopen for weekend nightsand offers barbecue ribsand other popular items.

Another change in thetown is the opening of theFrontier Lounge. After tak-ing over, the new owners

— Steve Morgan, DeanBraaten, and Daniel andKevin Limbo — made ren-ovations to the littlelounge in the center oftown. The “new” Frontiernow serves as a gatheringplace for many of thearea’s residents. Theymade updates to thesound system, lighting,décor and seating tomake the Frontier Loungean exciting destination foran evening on the town.The Frontier is currently inthe process of installingkitchen equipment thatwill give patrons manywonderful food choices inaddition to their made-

from-scratch pizzas.Two doors down from

the Frontier is an officebuilding owned by May-nard and Robin Akker-man. This building hasundergone a transforma-tion since being nearly de-stroyed by a highwayaccident. The Akkermanshave transformed thisstorefront into a modernretail facility that providesoffice space to JoyOudekirk of the FirstAmerican InsuranceAgency and Don andCarol Larick who own Past& Present, an antique andcollectable store.

Past & Present is only

one of four shops special-izing in antiques and col-lectibles now open inBrownsdale. While you’rein Brownsdale, be sure tostop in and see Antiquesto Rummage, Pieces ofTime and the BargainShack.

So, make Brownsdale adestination in 2012.

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Convenience Store24-Hour Pay at the Pump

102 North Mill Street • Brownsdale507-567-2142 • www.greenway.coop

New faces and a facelift for downtown

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By Matt Peterson

The days of the small-town cafe are not dead.Ask Steve and Cheryl Nagel, owners of Langtry Cafe in Brownsdale. They know.Amidst the demise of several Brownsdale businesses, the Nagels — who moved

there from the Twin Cities metro area — opened their cafe on Feb. 28, 2011. Oneyear later, that big risk continues to pay off.

“Every month has been a little bit better,” Steve said. “December was huge.”It’s not surprising that the Nagels have landed a regular customer base of local

farmers and townsfolk.“Many of them come in every day of the week,” Cheryl said. “We have six-day-

a-week customers.”Perhaps it is surprising, however, that they have landed a regular customer

base from places as far as Spring Valley, Rochester, Byron, Albert Lea and else-where. Despite a decline in population in Brownsdale, Langtry has steadily grown— from five employees to 12 and from open on weekdays only to being packedon the weekends.

“It does your heart good to see the same people coming back,” Cheryl said.Last summer the Nagels began opening for Friday and Saturday evening din-

ners and added alcohol to the menu, as well. Now, guests better call for reser-vations if they want seats and meals like prime rib, barbecued ribs or batter-friedshrimp. But it’s not as if locals and regulars are surprised when out-of-townerswalk though the doors, either.

“People don’t stop talking and turn their heads when someone walks in here,”Steve said.

Despite the continuous upswing in business, the Nagels hit some roadblocksalong the way. A sewer problem forced them to close for more than a week,

which fostered some rumors among townsfolk about Langtry Cafe closing. Butthe Nagels saw the problem as an opportunity. The setback wasn’t necessarily ablessing in disguise, but it allowed the Nagels to fully decorate their private din-ing room — the gallery, as some call it.

“I wanted a room where you could hang a Salvador Dali next to a farm scenefrom the 1800s and make it work,” Steve said.

The Nagels achieved that look with a little help from another local antiquestore. Now the two businesses work together. The gallery isn’t just decorated. Itsitems are for sale through the antique store, kind of like consignment. The newitems only add to the atmosphere the Nagels were trying to create throughoutthe entire building, with old pictures, a gun hanging from the wall, toy tractorsand trucks and more.

“Now people are asking to sit in there,” Steve said about the gallery.As interest in the gallery grew, the Nagels noticed Brownsdale received a little

more traffic and business. Another antique store opened in town, and the exist-ing antique stores seem to have more consistent hours.

The scene in Brownsdale is different than elsewhere, though.Steve and Cheryl took a winter vacation in the south and drove back roads

through small towns. They didn’t notice any small-town cafe’s like theirs.“I think the thing is, once a town loses a cafe, it’s done,” Steve said.However, Brownsdale may be the exception. The Nagels opened their busi-

ness in the same building just months after the previous restaurant closed. Thusfar, Langtry has exceeded their expectations.

“The vision of what is possible has changed,” Steve said.That may be true, as a group of men bought what was formerly the Keg Bar

across the street, renovated it and renamed it the Frontier Lounge. Now Browns-dale’s main drag, Mill Street, has a little more traffic and a little more appeal.

“There are a lot more people moving around,” Steve said.Like a lot of business owners, Steve and Cheryl spend most of their time at

their business. They are open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 7a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and from 9a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Though that calls for 80-hour weeks and plenty oftime standing over a hot grill, Steve won’t take the trade off of going back to theTwin Cities. He has a small town to support.

“It’s just peaceful out here,” he said.

Langtry Cafe owners Cheryl and Steve Nagel have given the diner on Main Street new life since taking it over a little more than ayear ago.

Serving upBrownsdale

507-567-2016305 West Main Street

Brownsdale, MN

•Welding•Sand

Blasting•Prop

ServiceRod & Ron Kester

Big risk pays off forLangtry Cafe owners

78

How sweet it isThe Bakery in Blooming Prairie lets its goods do the talking

“We strive for the best quality product we can possibly put out.”-Gregg Fristedt, The Bakery owner

Walk down Main Street in Blooming Prairie, and you might findsomething sweet.

That something sweet is usually inside displays at The Bakery,run by GreggFristedt. Frist-edt’s bakedgoods are oneof the bestparts of Bloom-ing Prairie life.

“We strivefor the bestquality productwe can possi-bly put out,”he said. “We’reimprovingthings all thetime.”

From cakesto cookies,doughnuts todeliciousbread, rolls torivetingrosettes, Frist-edt’s 16-year-old businesshas somethingfor everyone.

He came tothe area afterlooking for away out of thecorporate side of baking. His search came with good luck: A friendtold him the town was looking for a baked goods business.

“The city was looking for somebody to open up a bakery,” Frist-edt said.

Fristedt jumped at the chance, ready to come to town andopen up shop.

And boy, is business sweet. Fristedt and his five employeescome up with tasty concoctions that draw people from Austin andOwatonna to Iowans and Twin Cities dwellers.

“We’re coming up with different ideas, things that we think willsell, we hope willsell,” Fristedt said.

Rosettes areusually the orderof choice in thefall and winter.Fristedt usuallysells them fromSeptember toChristmas,though hebrought themback starting inFebruary untilthe spring. In ad-dition, there aretasty treats likecaramel crois-sants, date-filledcookies, puff pas-tries, oatmealchocolate chipcookies andmore.

It takes quite abit of time tomake all thesetasty treats, how-ever. Fristedtgoes to work at 3a.m. to provide

morning doughnuts and goodies for people ready to start theday, often prepping for his busy morning the previous after-noon. That means hundreds upon hundreds of baked goods eachday.

“A bakery business is all prep,” Fristedt said.A little prep and a lot of sugar.

By Trey Mewes

Gregg Fristedt, owner of The Bakery in Blooming Prairie, preps French bread for baking.

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By Mayor H. Peterson

How do you measure progress in a recessionary year? Is holding your own a sign ofprogress in times like this? It just might be.

Blooming Prairie was reclassified after the last census to a “stable rural commu-nity,” which defines this city quite well. Our population has increased slightly and allof our businesses are still here.

A large portion of our success is our support from the farming community. Therereally have not been many better years to be a farmer than the last few. Most of thearea farmers grew up, went to school here, support this community and considerthemselves Blossoms. Their support of our businesses and schools cannot be underes-timated. Thank you, farmers.

Our business community has put a lot of effort into sustaining and growing its en-terprises. One business, Minimizer, has had incredible growth despite the economy.They have expanded into office space on the north end of town and have other ex-pansion ideas in the works. Thank you, business people.

Our school system continues to be one of the best in the state in producing qualitygraduates to live and work in our world. Our best export continues to be our youngpeople. The “Awesome Blossoms” had a great year athletically as well competing inthe State Softball and State Football tournaments. Thankyou, students, teachers and coaches.

Our city just completed a very large project to rebuildthe infrastructure under our streets. This project will helpto control storm water, sewer water and drinking waterto a large number of our citizens. There is more to bedone, but we have a good start. The utilities have alsoacquired and installed an additional generator at thelight plant to continue to give us reliable and inexpensivepower. Thank you, city.

The citizens of this community are for the most part afriendly and fun-loving bunch. The only really grumpyguy moved away. They support each other, the schoolsand the businesses. They truly are the heart of this place.Thank you, citizens.

DENNIS HEIMERMAN, PRESIDENT • RYAN HEIMERMAN, GENERAL MANAGER605 5th Street NE & 380 6th Avenue SE • Blooming Prairie • 507-583-2144

www.metal-services.com

WE HAVE...SOLUTIONS TO YOUR METALPRODUCTION CHALLENGES

NO PROJECT TOO BIG OR SMALL!We can produce & fabricate entire projects or parts for your project.Tube Bending • Punching • Shearing • Rolling • Breaking • High Definition

Plasma • Production • Welding • Prototypes • DeliveriesFREE ESTIMATES • CERTIFIED WELDERS • MAINTENANCE

We offer field services in the fertilizer industry, certified welding in dry,liquid and anhydrous ammonia plants.

We repair farm/home equipment & we also have portable repair.“AUGERS ARE OUR SPECIALTY”

Serving South Central Minnesota with Petroleum and Agronomy Products

583-6661• 10060 State Hwy. 30• Blooming Prairiewww.centralvalleycoop.com

Growing With You

Farming community spurs growth

Austin D

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Parade of Progress

1855

3714 4th Street NWAustin, MN

507-433-3454

1868

1870

ANDERSON MEMORIALS

507-437-3636 OR 1-800-658-2560106 4th Street SW • Austin, MN

Quality Cemetery MemorialsAward Winning Designs, Solid Reputation,

Competitive Prices.National Recognition by peers for Excellence.

1886 1891Your source for local

news since 1891Austin Daily HeraldTo subscribe call 507-433-8851or visit us at 310 2nd Street NE,

Austin, MN 55912www.austindailyherald.com

1904

EaglesAerie #703107 11th

Street NEAustin, MN

1912

1920

Sand & Gravel • Fill Sand • LimestoneWashed Sand • Mason Sand Pea Rock • Hot Mix • Topsoil

Decorative Stone

BITUMINOUS PAVING ROADS & DRIVEWAYS

DOZING • GRADING • FREE ESTIMATESCOMMERCIAL SITE GRADING

WWW.ULLAND.COM

Albert Lea373-1960Austin433-1819

“Always providing quality service to the construction industry.”

1923

WebADHwww.austindailyherald.com

Best of the web: A sampling of comments from the lastyear on the Herald"s website. Become a part of the

conversation at austindailyherald.com.Note: Comments are unedited.

Do you have any idea many billions a project like this will cost?Have you completely closed your eyes to the present state ofthe federal and state budget?There is no reasonable business case for building this boon-doggle. It can never make enough money to pay its own ex-penses even if everyone in Austin were to ride it every day.

Posted by bvi2002

There is a good case for passenger rail in Austin .... Amtrakthrows around the idea of a Chicago Il., Rockford Il. (152,871)to Dubuque Ia train (57,637).This is relevant because continu-ing the train on to Waterloo (68,406), then up the CanadianNational railway to Charles City then to meet with the Cana-dian Pacific in Lyle Mn , then Austin Mn then Owatonna MNthen St.Paul.So there is the populations along this corridor to support thistrain. The biggest thing is Albert Lea will potentially have TwinCities to Kansas City high speed over the UP Spine Line andthe “River Route” is the fastest way from Chicago to the TwinCities, Austin would have stiff competition.

Posted by McAusMn

Just imagine high-speedrail from Austin to Chicago

Story from Oct. 26, 2011

There is longer notice of school board meetings than three,five, or seven days. All regular board meetings are on theschool calendar and on the school website. ... Lyle School isdoing fine, pretty good actually, under the direction of Mr.Dusso. There are great things happening at the school andthe students are achieving success. And, as you can see froma recent Herald article, there are MANY people on staff whosupport the direction that the school board and administra-tion have set out for the district!

Posted by forestforthetrees

Well, as has been proven since September, the school boardmeeting schedule on the school calendar has not been veryreliable, so I wouldn’t count on that.

Posted by concerned taxpayer

I hope the levy fails, they don’t deserve it, what a waste ofmoney down there, Good grief!

Posted by Taxed

Attorney advises Lyleboard to move forward

Story from Sept. 29, 2011

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Parade of Progress

1936 1942

1946Greg L. Meyer

Insurance

1110 First Avenue SW • Austin, MN507-433-3489

Providing Insurance and Financial Services

1952 1960

433-2303www.cedarvalleyservices.org

Serving the people of Mower County in areas of Employment and Contracted Services by

building business partnerships for 52 years.

1961

AUSTIN, MINN. Since 1961

Austin’s Oldest Locally Owned & OperatedFree Estimates • Free Loaner Car • State of the Art Shop

Lifetime Written Warranty50 YEARS OF SERVICE

604 18th Avenue NW • Austin, MN(507) 437-2611

BBOODDYY SSHHOOPPTTIINNYY’’SS

1962

1964

Anderson Radiator Service

Complete Stock RadiatorsCars • Trucks • Tractors

507-433-30002215 4th St NW

Austin, MN 55912

FFRREEEE EESSTTIIMMAATTEESS

Across from Mapleview and next door to Rent N Save

1965

Daily Lunch & Evening Specials437-4135

307 West Oakland Ave. Austin

1966

Architects &Civil Engineers

Austin • 507-437-8141907 Sykes Street • Albert Lea • 507-373-0689

& ASSOCIATES, INC.

1969

1930Serving our members

financial needs for over 82 years.

1913Lawnboy,

Toro, STIHL, Hustler

Turf EquipmentSnowmobile & Snowblower Repair

PARTS, SALES & SERVICE507-433-8245

104 Main Street • Rose Creek, MN 55970

An unfortunate accident indeed. I am sure the driver will strug-gle with enough feelings of guilt as it is. While I do not evercondone drinking and driving – I think that it is worth men-tioning that the driver was under the legal limit. This is also agood opportunity to serve as a reminder to use a “designateddriver”. I too would ask for prayer for all of those involved

Posted by reader64

Alcohol a factor in rollover; 6 injured

Story from March 6, 2011

WebADHwww.austindailyherald.com

Best of the web: A sampling of comments from the lastyear on the Herald"s website. Become a part of the

conversation at austindailyherald.com.Note: Comments are unedited.

I think the people of Minnesota are absolutely crazy even think-ing about a stadium and cutting programs for our elderly. Takingmeals on wheels away cause we can’t afford it. Well who do youthink made you people. It was people like your parents! Politi-cians seem to have NO morals or ethics where is your sense ofcaring. What would happen if you had to live like the rest of usor the elderly, handicapped and disabled. Can you live on what-ever food you can find, can you live on $89.00 a month like theelderly in nursing homes or handicapped and disabled who arein homes while the rest of their social security check goes to helppay their room and board. No! It’s time to think about thehuman beings who brought you into this world!!!!!!

Posted by crazylady

Well, my grandparents, parents, and I have not spent every dimewe have, and have worked hard to set ourselves up for retire-ment. We also have all paid taxes to take care of the elderly, thepoor, the children, the indigent, etc., etc…. And you knowwhat? When we are all done taking care of all those who can’t,(or in a lot of cases, won’t), take care of themselves, we want tosit back and cheer on our local football team. If you don’t agree,that’s fine; maybe I should have the ability to direct a portion ofmy taxes to something that would benefit me. Novel concept,eh?

Posted by jmdaniel

Budget takes a priorityover stadium bill

Story from April 2, 2011

Do we get a rebate now that the state has a 876 million dol-lar surplus?

Posted by HWYSTAR

Citizens sound off on tax increase

Story from Nov. 30, 2011

Parade of Progress

Clean lakes — Use Mill Pond and East Side Lake for swim-

ming and fishing.

Cedar River recreation — And access to and clean up

Cedar River for recreation, kayaking, tubing, canoeing, fish-

ing, and recreational activities, including rentals.

Downtown power plant development A — Use it for an

art center, restaurant, studios, arboretum, Spam museum,

condos, shops, a brewery or theater space.

Downtown power plant B — Convert it into a shopping

development area or restaurants, such as a microbrewery

or a fast and casual eatery).

Attract business — attract industry and business, with a

focus on higher-wage jobs.

Attract industry and business — Bring in additional

small/mid-size businesses into Austin, which will create ad-

ditional jobs.

Best schools K-12.

Big things may be ahead in Austin.Vision 2020 — a grassroots community betterment project launched

in 2011 looking for 10 ideas to implement by 2020 — will soon bemore than just ideas. The initiative that started as more than 4,000ideas to improve Austin was whittled down to 30 in January.

The ideas are now in the hands of a selection committee, which willlook at the public’s top 30 choices and decide which 10 are in Austin’sfuture. The Idea Selection Committee consists of high school and col-lege students, working adults and retirees. Austin’s racial and ethnicdiversity is also represented.

The final 10 are expected to be released in March.

Eyes onAustin’s

FutureVision 2020

82

Top 30 Ideas

Converting the former downtown Austin Municipal Plant into acommunity center is one of the top 30 ideas for Vision 2020.

1971

203 North Main StreetAustin, Minnesota

437-4503

Eric J.Connett

IsraelBenitez

LindaEspinoza

BobHoeg

TeresaHanson

LindaSistek

“SERVING SOUTHERN MINNESOTA”

1973Mower Council

For The Handicapped111 North Main Street

Austin, Minnesota507-433-9609

1975

326 North Main Street, Austinwww.hlwb-cpa.com

HILL, LARSON,WALTH & BENDA, P.A.

CPAThe CPA. Never Underestimate the Value.

Certified Public Accountants

433-22641976

We welcome new patients!405 East Main Street • Blooming Prairie • (507) 583-21411170 East Frontage Road • Owatonna • (507) 455-1000

3110 Wellner Drive NE • Rochester • 507-536-7700132 North Broadway • New Richland • 507-463-0502

Main Street Dental ClinicOpen Monday-Saturday and 2 Evenings

www.mainstreetdentalclinics.com

1977

ED Check With UsBefore You Buy!

Dexter Elevator & LP, Inc.

Dexter, MN • 507-584-6422

• LP Gas• Hubbard Feed• Chemicals & Fertilizer• On Sight Grain Pick-up

1978

Dan JenningsRecycling Co.1200 SE 8th AvenueAustin, Minnesota

433-3496

1980

1981 1981

Brownsdale, MNI-90 & Highway 56

507-437-4636

T R U C K I N G

1982House of

Total Hair CareBarber, Beauty

& MassageCathy Murphy • Deb Morgan • Marv Streiff

507-433-5122301 1st Avenue NW • Austin, MN

1982Lincoln Webster

Apartments1 & 2 Bedrooms Available

AN EXCEPTIONALLY NICE, QUIET, SECURE, CLEAN,

SAFE PLACE TO CALL HOME437-4264

1970 1970

• promotional products• decorated apparel

www.robsp.com1308 10th Drive SE - Austin, MN

507-433-8492

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Parade of Progress

Abandoned buildings — Redevelop/revamp existing emptybuildings.Conservatory — Establish a natural conservatory, similar tothe one at Como Park in St. Paul, but with natural plants and

tree products that The Hormel Insti-tute is studying for cancer research,such as ginger and tea.Science & Tech museum — Open aSTEM community museum wherepeople of all ages can partake inSTEM hands-on activities.SPAMusement Park — Establish anamusement park of some type; awater park, a theme park or somecombination of the two.Downtown development — Makedowntown a tourist and locals’ des-tination, with a public gatheringarea/plaza. This could include liveentertainment, the restoration ofhistorical store fronts, art events,more retailers, benches, or parks forkids.Bike trails — Connect regional biketrails across the city, connecting all at-tractions, shopping, neighborhoodsand designated bike lanes.Establish a Family Fun Center —Something for all ages.Outdoor concerts — Create an out-door concert series in downtownAustin on Friday nights in the sum-mer.

River and lake development — Continue and expand long-term flood mitigation, including dredging rivers, developingnew lake and wildlife areas, and modern dams.Recreation Center — Change Oak Park Mall from a retailcenter to a recreation center for families, with bowling, pooltables, a walking track and a climbing wall.Downtown festival — Adopt Rochester’s Thursdays on Firstweekly downtown festival.Comprehensive business plan for attracting new retail,restaurants and attractions.Pursue an outlet shopping area.Wi-Fi — Establish city-wide, high-speed, public Wi-Fi providedfree to residents.YMCA — Renovate or expand the Y.Winter Community Center — Create a heated relaxationpool, an arboretum area, an indoor walking area and an in-door play area.Water park — Create an indoor/outdoor attraction, possiblyusing Oak Park Mall.Fiber optics — Establish ultra high-speed access to the Inter-net, providing fiber optics to every residence and business inAustin.Year-round youth center.More entertainment — Create an indoor/outdoor waterpark, science museum, modern roller rink, indoor skate park,indoor go-carts, miniature golf, bounce house, laser tag or aplayground.Downtown plaza — Develop a plaza downtown for farmers’market, arts and crafts, and fairs, with a carousel, popcorncart and murals.Retail — Encourage better retail selection.Neighborhood cleanup — Establish a neighborhood clean-up/fix up/paint up fund by providing grants or low interestloans for home/yard improvements in residential areas.

Vision 2020 selection committeeDavid AlbinoMary BarinkaGeorge BrophySantino DengLinda EspinozaEdgar GarciaOlivia GrevRyan HartmanJane JewellGabe KasakFrank LoweMatt LunningTanya MedgaardenJudy PorterGretchen RamloChet RaoKarem Salas-RamierezTom ShermanKen TromJerry WoleskyLana Zamora

1985

437-8136Commercial Carpet Cleaning

Fire, Water, FurnitureJohn & Jean Riedlinger, Owners

26 Years... A-1

LLC

1986

1987

1988AUSTIN BUILDERS

SUPPLY, INC.

206 10th St. NE, Austin • 437-3206www.austinbuilderssupply.com

Quality Lumber • Pole Buildings • EstimatingGarages • Decks • Windows • Doors

Plumbing • Electrical • Hardware • Power ToolsValspar paint • Cabot Stain • Rental Eq.

1988

1988 1990

101 11th Street SE • Austin, MN507-433-3420

1994Medgaarden’s

BUY • SELL • TRADEQUALITY VEHICLES • SALES

SERVICE • ALIGNMENTSTRANSMISSION REPAIR

South est Sales

1608 12th St. SW • 437-131625446 US HWY 218 N • 433-4609

THE TRANNY SHOP501 1st Ave SW • 437-0037

1995Dr. Joseph P. Ray

FAMILY DENTIST

(507) 582-3563407 LINCOLN STREET NW

ADAMS, MN 55909HOME (507) 582-1019

Dental Care with apersonal touch

ADAMS DENTALCLINIC

1996

437-90001-888-900-2205

Located 4 miles east of Austinon I90 at Hwy. 56 (Exit 183)

Complete Truck & Trailer Repair

Heating & Cooling LLC

SALES & SERVICE443333--55665522

103 3rd Street SE • AUSTIN

1983 1984

E-mail: visitor@austinmn.com104 11th Ave. NW, Suite D • Austin, MN 55912

www.austincvb.com

CALL OUR STAFF TODAY!((550077)) 443377--44556633 or ((880000)) 444444--55771133

AAuussttiinn CCoonnvveennttiioonn && VViissiittoorrss BBuurreeaauu

Austin D

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Parade of Progress

2000 2000

2003

2003 2004DAVE’S LAWN CARE

LAWN AERATION • POWER RAKINGMOWING & EDGING

SPRING & FALL CLEANUP

DAVE DONAHUEPh: 507-567-2689

Cell: 507-438-3975Brownsdale, MN

2004Smaller Facility

More Individualized Care For Your Pet!

• On-Site Supervisor• Heated Floors• Indoor / Outdoor Runs• Air Conditioned

• Scenic Wooded Location• Flexible Drop-off

& Pick-up• Close Access to I-35

2006

20112006

Magazine.Com

1996

Specializing In Finding Employees For Your Business117 4th Ave NE, Austin

433-5570*Clerical *Seasonal *Construction *General labor

*Temporary *Permanent

1998

Curbside ServicesCurbside services for recycling pickup (twice per month)are available for residents in the cities of Austin, Maple-view, Brownsdale, Grand Meadow, and LeRoy (within citylimits). Visit our website at www.co.mower.mn.us/Recycling-HHW.htm to see the curbside schedule.

How do I sign up for recycling and how much does it cost?Come to the Environmental Services offices (1105 1/2 8thAve NE) during regular business hours to pick up three binsand be given a brief overview of the program. Recyclingfees are included in the taxes paid by Mower County resi-dents. As long as you are a resident of Mower Countythere is no additional cost to you.

Why should I recycle?We have to do something with the garbage we produce.American’s produce on average 1600 lbs. of garbage perperson every year - about 4.4 lbs. per day

Acceptable materialsNewspaper, magazines, white office paper, corrugatedcardboard, pressed board (ex: cereal box), tin cans, alu-minum cans, glass bottles & jars, plastic bottles withor . Visit our website at www.co.mower.mn.us/Recycling-HHW.htm for more information

WE DO NOT accept the following wastesWaxed cardboard (ex: fruit box), frozen food containersmade of paper (ex: frozen pizza box), juice container madeof paper, window glass or mirrors, ceramic glass (ex cof-fee cup), any plastic not in bottle form through ,no styrofoam of any kind, no plastic bags of any kind.

Drop-off for recyclingWe do have a drop off area at the Recycling Center locatedat 1111 8th Ave. NE in Austin.

Questions?www.co.mower.mn.us/recycling.html or call Mower County Recycling office located at 1105 1/2 8th Ave. NE, Austin, MN 55912.Call (507) 437-9551.

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Turtle CreekIndustries can do:

Janitorial, Clerical, Light Assembly, Laundry Work,

Lawn Care,Farm Work, Restaurant Work.

SPECIAL NEEDS:Individual employers needs for special

jobs as seen by the employer• Turtle Creek Industries specializes in employment for the developmentally disabled individual thru individual job training.If you have work available, call our staff: 433-9025

TURTLE CREEK INDUSTRIES2909 West Oakland Avenue • Austin

TURTLE CREEK

INDUSTRIES

433-9025

TURTLE CREEKINDUSTRIEScan meet your service needs:

Scanning/Indexing, Clerical Work, Copying, CollatingCleaning, Light Assembly, Production Work

Yard Work, Farm Work, Laundry Work, Restaurant WorkGARBAGE BAGS for Sale (Commercial & Residential)

*To Place Orders: CALL 433-9025 or STOP IN15 Gallon (Light Weight ~ 100 bulk)

33, 40 & 55 Gallon (Extra-Heavy ~ 100 bulk)Turtle Creek Industries • 507-433-9025

2103 14th Street NE • Austin, MN

INTERNATIONALPAPER507-433-3467

www.ipaper.com1900 8th Street NE • Austin, MN

600 2nd Street NW • Austin, MN433-1817

American American Legion Post 91Legion Post 91Veterans’ service organization,youth mentoring, advocatingpatriotism809 12th St. SW507-437-1171

Eagles ClubEagles ClubFundraising for cancer research,helping the community107 11th St. NE507-433-8675

Izaak WaltonIzaak WaltonLeagueLeague

Sustainability, environmentalawareness and wildlife protectionwww.austinikes.org

Lions Lions ClubClub

Fundraising for Lions Eye Bank,youth sports and local non-profitsP.O. Box 866www.austinlionsclub.org

Meals onMeals onWheelsWheels

Low-cost and free meals delivered for elderly, disabledand low-income individuals507-438-3140

Red Red CrossCross

Disaster relief, CPR and AED training305 Fourth Ave. NW507-437-4589

Rotary ClubRotary Clubof Austinof Austin

Humanitarian service, advocat-ing for good will and peaceP.O. Box 703www.austinrotary.org, 507-460-1700

SalvationSalvationArmyArmy

Food assistance, volunteer opportunities, thrift store, emergency housing409 First Ave. NE507-437-4566

United WayUnited WayCommunity fundraisers, volun-teer projects, community needs301 N Main St.507-437-2313

VFW PostVFW Post12161216

Veterans’ service organization,community service300 Fourth Ave. NE507-433-6039

WelcomeWelcomeCenterCenter

Assistance for language,housing and other social factors308 Fourth Ave. NW507-434-2863

Zonta Zonta InternationalInternational

Support for women and children internationally507433-7325

SERVING AUSTIN AND MOWER COUNTY

86

Technology is taking over. It has exploded for small businesses and residents in the last five years, and

Simplified Technology Solutions owner Justin Bickler is on the front end help-ing people embrace and harness new possibilities.

“Computers are built to help you, not to scare you or cause you stress,”Bickler said.

Technology has become an important tool in the arsenal of small businessowners, and Bickler said an increasingly vital factor has been social media.

“Social media is the new wave of advertising, the new momentum,” Bick-ler said.

Now, groups like the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau and local busi-nesses can connect directly with customers. For example, Bickler pointed to areceipt from a local store and an email address for the manager printed nearthe top.

“Five years ago, you couldn’t have talked directly,” he said. “Now we’reoverwhelmed with opportunities to solicit feedback.”

Last year, Bickler helped bring the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, theMower County Fair Board and other local organizations to social media op-portunities like Facebook, Twitter and email alerts.

“This year we’re going to reduce our printing budget and switch to a so-cial media advertising campaign,” said Bickler, who’s a member of the cham-ber.

These business owners can now receive more consistent feedback from thepublic.

“You can get an immediate result or an immediate impact,” he said.Recent community efforts like Vision 2020, Paint the Rink Pink and Google

Austin were key examples of how social media is taking hold. Much of the ad-vertising and promotional efforts for the projects were done through socialmedia.

But social media isn’t the only way the web is changing the advertisingworld. Bickler said companies can track how many hits their online ads re-ceive, and some groups only pay for ads per hit instead of upfront costs.

“You pay for performance, which is a new model,” he said.Other opportunities just add to a business’s tools. For example, Bickler

helped set up an online ordering system for Steve’s Pizza. Bickler sees more changes in the future, as he expects the one-way delivery

model to turn more interactive and subscription based. Pinterest.com is oneexample, as people interact and share information in two ways.

Other businesses are setting up computer-based security systems. Insteadof a simple alarm system, Bickler can watch from home the cameras at hisbusiness and he can even watch the lobby from his office if the door is closed.

“It used to be you have to buy the whole system, now you already havethe computer,” he said. “You just have to add the camera.”

Bickler has set up similar systems at local residences, and he said the newwave on the home front is baby cams. A few groups even have daycare cam-eras.

“Your home is now a technology center,” Bickler said. TVs are a prime example, as many newer models can act as computer

monitors and can play things like Netflix and Wii, which have both explodedin the last five years.

Computers have become a required tool for many industries. It’s also im-portant for people to keep their information — like calendars and music — oncomputers, phones and tablets synchronized.

Now, he gives lots of free advice. “It was all about ‘I have a broken computer, can you fix it,’ and it has

evolved into ‘I have a technology challenge, can you help me?’” he said.Customers have told Bickler they want their computer back quickly when

it’s in need of repair. One person even mentioned that her family would beworried if she didn’t check in on Facebook.

“It used to be we’d call the neighbors, now we Facebook the neighbors,”Bickler said.

At the leading edge

Justin Bickler stands next to his expanded tech work stationat his business, Simplified Technology Solutions.

By Jason Schoonover

Minnesota’s court houses are taking a necessary but daunting leap intothe 21st Century.

The Minnesota Judicial Council is requiring all courts to go paperless inabout five years. Though the conversion will be a hefty task, 3rd Judicial Dis-trict Judge Donald Rysavy said the move is positive and necessary.

“There’s not much question that the whole world — business, govern-ment, everyone — is going further and further into the electronic aspect,”Rysavy said. “If the judiciary gets left behind, the efficiencies go way, waydown.”

Rysavy, who’s served on the steering committee for eCourtMN, said Min-nesota will be one of the first to conduct a statewide upgrade.

While storage space for paper documents is a concern in some counties,the real advantage is to be up-to-date with the private sector.

The public will benefit from the change, as more information will be eas-ily accessible.

“I don’t think there’s any question that the general public is going tohave much greater access to the workings of the court system and the con-tents of files and all the rest of those things,” he said.

Court employees will have to scan all current documents for electronicaccess, a step that will be highly labor intensive, according to Rysavy. They’llthen have to coordinate the change with non-court users, like the general

public and justice partners: county attorneys, law enforcement and privateattorneys. The private sector will be the more challenging side, he noted.

Rysavy said local and state taxpayers shouldn’t feel the brunt of the costs.Much of the funding for the conversion will come from the federal 4-D pro-gram — money the federal courts reimburse to the state courts for enforc-ing federal responsibilities. However, Rysavy noted he has concerns aboutwhether that would be a permanent funding stream.

The conversion is still in the early stages. Within the next year, three tosix counties — likely none in the 3rd Judicial District — will pilot the imagescanning phase. As those counties shift into filing new documents andteaching attorneys and law enforcement, the next group of counties willbegin the imaging phase. With the staggered approach, Rysavy said, thehope is the bugs will be worked out of the system by the time the bulk ofthe counties come online.

For Mower County, Rysavy said, it will take a minimum of two to threeyears before courts are eliminating stored paper documents.

More technology won’t address what Rysavy described as a people issuein the number of court employees. In other words, the move isn’t likely todrastically speed up business at courthouses.

“A trial is still going to take two weeks if it was going to take two weeksbefore,” Rysavy said.

Courts look at making their way in the e-worldBy Jason Schoonover

TECHNOLOGY

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Technology changing the way students learnSchool buildings may not

look drastically different thanthey did 20 years ago, but theinner workings of classes havedefinitely developed to matchthe times.

The Internet has opened upa host of possibilities in scienceclassrooms, but it can’t alwaysmatch the real thing.

Teachers are using onlineexamples to offer insight forstudents that they wouldn’thave gotten otherwise.

“They can see a processhappening, like mitosis, thatthey couldn’t have seen or re-ally understood by reading itin a book,” said KateSchoonover, an Austin HighSchool biology teacher.

Online tools range fromstudy guides to virtual dissec-tions, which Schoonover saidshe will have students do fromtime to time if they’re notready for the real thing.

“We will occasionally do virtual labs if a student gets really queasywith doing dissections,” Schoonover said.

A host of other online possibilities are available. One lab shows howphotosynthesis and cell restoration works and how different light levelsand CO2 levels affect the process.

In college, labs are a key, as is research, which is often done online. “At the college stage, you spend a lot more time in the lab and your

opened up to other research databases,” she said.

In fact, technology isn’t ahuge part of a college lab. It’smore important when it comesto research.

Still, online labs aren’t per-fect, and Schoonover said youcan simulate a lot of thingsyou’ll see in labs.

“I definitely think that youlose a lot if you’re doing a vir-tual dissection or a virtual lab,”Schoonover said.

In an online lab, studentsdon’t get the feel of picking upa scalpel and cutting tissue.Plus, online labs also give stu-dents multiple choices — notsomething a typical lab wouldpresent.

“In real life, you don’t get amultiple choice option,”Schoonover said. “They’re giv-ing more opportunities tothink critically if it’s a real lab.”

The online possibilities aremore than just labs. Studentscan prepare for MinnesotaComprehensive Assessmentstests through online reviews,

and can see examples of processes like photosynthesis. “The benefit I see is preparing students for the MCA,” she said. Videos and SMART boards are used, too.Students can play review games like “Jeopardy!” on SMART boards. Class schedules, grades and many resources for students are now

available online through teacher’s resources, as well. “The entire gradebook is online, so that’s a great online resource,”

Schoonover said.

“They can see the process happening, like mitosis,that they couldn’t have seen or really understood

by reading it in a book.”-Kate Schoonover

Austin High School biology teacher

By Jason Schoonover

Austin D

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For several years, Austin Public Schools offi-cials have suspected — and 2010 census dataconfirmed — that Austin’s population is grow-ing. It’s one of the only outstate cities in Min-nesota that is building a new school because ofan increased number of school-age children.

The town of 24,718 is, of course, home to aFortune 500 company, Hormel Foods Corp.,which employs more than 1,600 plant workersand 800 corporate office employees, and Qual-ity Pork Processors and it’s 1,300 workers.

Grand Meadow, Dexter, LeRoy and other townsin the county have experienced an economicboon, thanks in large part to the wind farms thatnow dot the southern Minnesota landscape.

The grassroots, decade-long community bet-

terment movement Vision 2020 sprouted upthis year, The Hormel Institute cancer researchfacility is hoping to expand and add 125 jobs,and the Austin Medical Center became MayoClinic Health System in Austin and is progress-ing on an expansion which will add 70 jobs.

These are all unique to Austin, but it’s thepeople behind these events that make thempossible.

We at the Austin Daily Herald have spentmonths putting together this publication — thelargest special section we produce all year —and at 92 pages, it’s the largest Progress, for-merly Profiles, we’ve produced.

We hope you keep it and enjoy it at yourleisure all year.

Adam Harringaeditor

A note from the editor...

Eric Johnsonphotographer

Jason Schoonoverdesign editor

Trey Mewesreporter

Amanda Lilliereporter

Matt Petersonreporter

Heather Ryksadvertising

Brenda Landherradvertising

Andy Andersonadvertising

Ben Ankenyadvertising

Sherri Thissenclassifieds

Jana Graybusiness manager

Dave Churchillpublisher

Colby Hansencomposing

Sue Downey composing

The 2012 Progress team

www.AustinDailyHerald.com

Austin Daily Herald

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Call or visit Eric J. Connett today!507-437-4503

203 North Main Street • Austin, MN

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