By Kelly Asche, Senior Research Associate The Center for Rural Policy and Development is currently working on a research project exploring migration trends of Southwest Minnesota high school graduates. This report will be released in early 2023, but as we explore the data, we would like to showcase a few interesting nuggets. The severity of ...

EXCERPT: “Ashley Hanson wants you to know about an exhibit that celebrates rural Minnesota artists and stories. Hanson, executive director of the nonprofit Department of Public of Transformation in Granite Falls, recommends ‘Field Notes: 7 Truths about the Rural,’ which draws together the work of seven artists of various disciplines. They explore subjects that make ...

On this episode, Julie Tesch interviews Center for Rural Policy and Development Board member Martha Castanon. Martha is an Accredited Representative for the Immigrant Law Center in Moorhead, Minnesota. Julie and her discuss how her parents met in Comstock, Minnesota, the services that the Immigrant Law Center provides to immigrant and refugee populations as well ...

EXCERPT: “Child care center operator Nicole Flick sees no shortage of parents trying to secure spots for their children. ‘The spots are there,’ Flick said. ‘We just can’t fill them because we don’t have enough staff to meet the ratios required by the state.’ The ABC123 Child Enrichment Center in Dilworth, Minn., east of Moorhead, is ...

EXCERPT: “Gov. Tim Walz handily beat Republican challenger Scott Jensen on Tuesday, with preliminary data showing Walz with nearly an 8-point margin. While comfortable, that margin is somewhat diminished from Walz’s first campaign in 2018, when he defeated Jeff Johnson by more than 11% for the gubernatorial seat vacated by Mark Dayton. Below the surface, however, the data ...

Starting with the 2020 Decennial Census, the U.S. Census Bureau is implementing a new framework to ensure privacy of the census takers – essentially, making sure that a nefarious actor can’t identify an individual from published census tables. Although the U.S. Census Bureau has been employing various strategies for decades, this new framework is very ...

EXCERPT: “The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and partners are recognizing dedicated health care professionals who have made significant contributions to the health and well-being of their rural communities as part of National Rural Health Day, Nov. 17. ‘The honorees embody the spirit of service and innovation that has helped Minnesota build a nationally respected ...

By Julie Tesch, President & CEO “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”  – Dr. Stephen Covey, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” Election Day has always held wonders for me. I grew up in southern Minnesota going to our local township hall with my parents. I vividly remember the wood-burning stove and wondering ...

In this episode, Marnie Werner, VP of Research and Operations, interviews Amy Baldwin who works as the Community Development Director for Otter Tail County. Probably one of the top three issues facing most rural community and economic developers is solving the housing shortage. In this conversation, Marnie and Amy talk about Otter Tail’s new initiative ...

EXCERPT: “A decade ago, when it came to high-speed connectivity in rural regions, Minnesota did not have the access it so desperately needed. ‘In 2010, internet connectivity in rural places was spotty and underutilized,’ said Mary Magnuson, the Blandin Foundation’s grants program officer for rural placemaking. ‘Minnesota was ranked No. 23 in the U.S. for ...