Digging in the Dirt

Soil and Water Conservation… most of us have seen it at the bottom of the ballot, but I imagine that almost none of us know what they do or who our Soil and Water Conservation Manager is. Minnesota has 87 counties, and each one has a Soil and Water Conservation District with five elected managers (except Hennepin County, which has an unelected department and three counties that have two districts: St. Louis, Otter Tail, and Polk). Enter John Ulrick, who is running for District 4 Soil and Water Conservation District in Morrison County.

John is a farmer in Morrison county that has had a long history of having to work with the Morrison County Soil and Water Conservation District to manage issues with his farm. He has had a great relationship working with and on behalf of the farmers around him. He shares his concerns in working with state and federal government and how self-sufficiency and ownership in your community can be better than waiting for the government to do something for you. It builds community and relationships between neighbors. Listen to his intriguing story and consider getting involved in some of these lesser known seats. Unless you’re in Hennepin County, these issues affect you.

In the Local Lowdown, School District 281 in Robbinsdale is putting another ten-year referendum on the ballot for $149 per year increase to property taxes (on an average home) after passing two ten-year referendums four years ago. These school districts  don’t ever seem to be held to account on their ability to create a budget and stick to it. “It’s for the kids” is their usual cry to get people to detach their minds from their wallets.

Have you checked out our Spotify playlist? At the beginning of each episode Jason quotes some song lyrics that have to do with the subject matter of the podcast. Andrew never knows what they are, but now he can… and so can you! We’ve launched the Spotify playlist: “Community Solutions Music From the Podcast“! You can listen to Roundabout from Yes after listing to Episode 30 on Roundabouts… or kick back and enjoy a rocking playlist just for the thrill of it. We add a new song every week. Subscribe and enjoy!

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