Tag Archives: MN
“Hey, Why Can’t We Do This Better?” âMinnesota Manufacturing Week
I have always been impressed by the extent of manufacturing back in Southwest Minnesota. It seems like every small town has some fabrication or repair shop or farm shop with a guy (or gal) asking, “Hey, why can’t we do … Continue reading
New Beginnings
October finds me in Wyoming, starting on a new job as a Senior Planner with Laramie County Planning and Development, in Cheyenne. Laramie County, Wyoming, has about 92,000 residents, of whom about 60,000 live in the City of Cheyenne. Cheyenne … Continue reading
US Energy Information Administration
At this month’s Western Planner Conference, I noticed a lot of the presenters (more than one) used a lot of data and graphics from the US Energy Information Administration, when they were talking about energy development. Â Now, I pride myself … Continue reading
GreenStep Cities in the News
We’re all trying to do more with less. Cities across Minnesota have been faced with uncertain budgets, uncertain population change, uncertain energy costs. It’s an uncertain time. Minnesota’s GreenStep Cities program has been in the news recently, as a useful … Continue reading
Redefining the Rural Narrative
We’re living in exciting times in Rural America, have you heard? We’ve just completed the third out of the last four decades of overall population gain in Rural America, growing from 53.5 million in 1970 to 59.5 million in 2010. … Continue reading
MN Livestock: 35k Jobs and $8B Economic Impact
. Press Release Minnesota Animal Agriculture Sector Is Growing, Provides Significant Economic Value New study finds industry employs thousands, contributes billions in revenue and has potential to expand St. Paul, MN (July 9, 2012) â The Minnesota Livestock Industry Benchmark … Continue reading
Marshall Recognized as Minnesota GreenStep City
I’ve been involved with the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program, through SRDC‘s staffing the SW Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs). Â The League of Minnesota Cities recognized the City of Marshall and others this week at their annual meeting in flood-soaked … Continue reading
Remarks for Memorial Day
Remarks for Slayton, Minnesota, Memorial Day Service 2012 -John C. Shepard Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men … Continue reading
Broadband Access Continues to Expand in Minnesota
Connect Minnesota has released a new update on broadband access in Minnesota. Â There are still over 5% of rural households that don’t have access to even the most rudimentary broadband service. Â And as MPR observes, broadband access is NOT distributed … Continue reading
Brain Gain in Greater Minnesota: A Continuing Rural Success Story
Migration from rural to urban is the story of America’s progress. Â In our just over 200-year history, we’ve moved from a nation of Jeffersonian farmers to a majority of urbanites. Â Bigger is better, of course. But not always is bigger … Continue reading
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