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September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

Dairy Margin Coverage Program Signup Deadline Sept. 20

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds dairy producers that the deadline to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for 2019 is Sept. 20, 2019.

Authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill, the program offers reasonably priced protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.

“Over 19,100 operations have signed up for DMC since the new program opened enrollment on June 17,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “DMC is a great risk management tool that protects against narrowing margins caused by down turns in the market and increased feed costs. I encourage farmers who have not yet enrolled to sign up as soon as possible.”

As the 2019 enrollment period draws to a close, FSA estimates over $257.7 million in payments to producers who are currently registered. Also, nearly half of the producers are taking advantage of the 25 percent premium discount by locking in for five years of margin protection coverage. FSA has launched a new web visualization of the Dairy Margin Coverage Program data, which is available here.

Margin payments have triggered for each month from January through July. Dairy producers who elect higher coverage levels could be eligible for payments for all seven months. Under certain levels, the amount paid to dairy farmers will exceed the cost of the premium.

For example, a dairy operation that chooses to enroll for 2019 an established production history of 3 million pounds (30,000 cwt.) and elects the $9.50 coverage level on 95 percent of production will pay $4,275 in total premium payments for all of 2019 and receive $15,437.50 in DMC payments for all margin payments announced to date. Additional payments will be made if calculated margins remain below the $9.50/cwt level for any remaining months of 2019.

Enrollment for 2020

For 2020, dairy producers can sign up for coverage under DMC beginning Oct. 7 through Dec. 13, 2019. At the time of signup, dairy producers can choose between the $4.00 to $9.50 coverage levels.

DMC offers catastrophic coverage at no cost to the producer, other than an annual $100 administrative fee. Producers can opt for greater coverage levels for a premium in addition to the administrative fee. Operations owned by limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged or veteran farmers and ranchers may be eligible for a waiver on administrative fees. Producers have the choice to lock in coverage levels until 2023 and receive a 25-percent discount on their DMC premiums.

Producers who locked in coverage in the 2019 sign-up must certify the operation is producing and commercially marketing milk and pay the annual administrative fee during the 2020 enrollment period.

To assist producers in making coverage elections, USDA partnered with the University of Wisconsin to develop a DMC decision support tool, which can be used to evaluate various scenarios using different coverage levels through DMC.

2019 Retroactive Intergenerational Transfers

Participating dairy operations who had an intergenerational transfer between 2014 and 2019 will a have a one-time opportunity to increase their established production history during the 2019 and 2020 annual coverage election periods. Retroactive payments based on the increased production history will apply for 2019 and not prior years.

A dairy operation may add to their approved production history for an intergenerational transfer when a spouse, child or grandchild join a participating dairy operation. Non-lineal relatives, such as siblings, cousins, nieces or nephews, that join the operation will not be eligible for a production history increase.

The increase to the established production history of the participating dairy operation will be determined based on multiplying both the national rolling herd average data for the current year in effect at the time of the intergenerational transfer and the quantity of cows purchased by the joining family member within 60 days of joining the dairy operation. For an intergenerational transfer to be recognized by FSA, the requesting dairy operation will meet all eligibility requirements including an ownership provision for those entering the business.

Applications for an intergenerational transfer must be submitted by Dec. 6, 2019, for approval by the local FSA county committee, to be eligible for the increased production history effective on January 1, 2019.

More Information

On December 20, 2018, President Trump signed into law the 2018 Farm Bill, which provides support, certainty and stability to our nation’s farmers, ranchers and land stewards by enhancing farm support programs, improving crop insurance, maintaining disaster programs and promoting and supporting voluntary conservation. FSA is committed to implementing these changes as quickly and effectively as possible, and today’s updates are part of meeting that goal.

For more information, visit farmers.gov DMC webpage or contact your local USDA service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.

Refresher on the DMC Program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1J7SJsyXZ0

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019

Wild Parsnip Invading southern Minnesota

Wild parsnip is back in southeast Minnesota and that’s not a good thing for man nor beast. According to the website www.invasivespecies.com, wild parsnip is also known as poisonous parsnip. When the sap from wild parsnip comes in contact with human skin that’s exposed to direct sunlight, the chemicals cause intense burns, rashes, or blisters. Take it from someone who knows.

James Colbenson, who once lived in the Chisholm Valley area between Rushford and Houston, had a run-in with wild parsnip back in his mid-teens. “I was looking to make money back then and the neighbors hired me to whack some of their weeds,” the now-34-year-old recalled. “I was wearing a cutoff shirt while I was working that day, so I got some of the sap on my arms, which were then sunburned too.

“I first remember it starting to sting,” he recalled. “When I got done working, I remember jumping in the pool and it burned everywhere. I had one small blister the next day, but over the next two days, my arms and my neck were just covered with inch-high blisters.”

Houston and Fillmore County Extension Agent Michael Cruse says the chemicals in the plants are in the seeds and especially in the stem. Once the chemicals get on to human skin and that person gets out into the sunlight, that’s when things begin to deteriorate.

“That’s when you start to see those blisters and burns,” Cruse said. “You really want to be vigilant and keep kids away from this stuff. If you are going out to clear this stuff off your property by hand, make sure you wear gloves, long sleeves, hats, and pants. Make sure you take care of those clothes because they’re going to have the chemical all over them.”

Southeast Minnesota sees the largest amount of wild parsnip in the state; however, the noxious weed is found in every county in Minnesota. Cruse says wild parsnip was a big topic of conversation a couple of years ago, and it’s a conversation-starter in county-level extension offices again. “Probably two years ago, we had the big flush of wild parsnip that led to a bunch of conversations at the county level,” he recalled.

“Last year, the populations seemed to drop off a bit,” Cruse said, “and I think a lot of that had to do with some aggressive spraying in the fall. The state roads saw a lot of mowing too. This is a good bounce-back year for the biennial weed because of the recent run of hot weather.”

Colbenson said it took a while before his family figured out that it was wild parsnip that caused the blisters on his arm and neck. “I felt a stinging/burning sensation when the sunburn really started to kick in,” he recalled. “The stinging and burning lessened as more and more blisters showed up. The blisters didn’t hurt as much but they were big and puffy.

“We tried a bunch of different ointments and anti-itch creams,” he said. “I know we also put a lot of Neosporin on them. I remember the blisters lasting about a week-and-a-half. They slowly went away after that, but they did leave some small scars on my arms.”

Colbenson lives in Rochester these days and travels back home to the Rushford area periodically. He says the weed has “taken over everywhere.” Colbenson says you can see the weed’s explosive growth in virtually every ditch near the road, as well as near rivers and streams.

It’s not just humans that need to worry about wild parsnip. Cruse says it’s important for livestock farmers to make sure their animals don’t ingest it either.

“If animals ingest the plant, the material will enter their bloodstream,” he said. “When it gets into the capillaries that run along the outer edge of the skin, the chemicals can react to the sunlight and cause some injuries there as well.”

Cruse said the burn can be extremely severe for both humans and livestock, depending on the level of contact with the skin and sunlight interaction. If it gets bad enough, this will be a “go to the doctor” type of event. What does wild parsnip look like?

“The first thing people will notice while they’re out driving is the yellow flower,” Cruse said. “But remember, not every yellow flower will be wild parsnip, either. The yellow flower on wild parsnip actually expands out and has a shape like an umbrella. The plant itself is typically four-to-five feet tall.

“It’s a biennial plant,” he added, “so it has a rosette. If you were to walk one of our local ditches in the fall, you’ll notice that virtually everything will be dead. However, there will be some green rosettes in the ditch too. There’s a better than decent chance at least some of that is going to be wild parsnip. It stays green later in the year, which is why that’s a good time to target it with some spraying.”

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019

Acreage reporting deadline extended in 12 states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended the acreage reporting deadline for farmers in states impacted by flooding and heavy moisture. The new deadline is July 22 for producers to report spring-seeded crops to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices and crop insurance agents. The new deadline applies to producers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

“These are challenging times and we are here to help,” said Bill Northey, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “This deadline extension is part of our broader effort to increase program flexibility and reduce overall regulatory burden for producers who are having to make some tough choices for their operations.”

Producers not in the selected states must file reports or be added to a county register by the original July 15 deadline.

“Producers in many parts of the country are experiencing a challenging spring and early summer. However, producers in these states are struggling with large delays and are unable to complete their other fieldwork,” Northey said.

Filing a timely crop acreage report helps farmers maintain eligibility for USDA conservation, disaster assistance, safety net, crop insurance, and farm loan programs. A crop acreage report documents all crops and their intended uses. It’s also an important part of record-keeping for your farm or ranch.

FSA offices are asking producers to set up appointments ahead of time before they come in to file a report. Producers who schedule appointments before the deadline will be on time, even if the appointment is after July 22.

Likewise, reports from producers in non-affected states who set up appointments before July 15 will be considered timely filed.

“We encourage you to contact your FSA county office today to set up an appointment,” Northey said. “Our team is standing by to help you complete this important process that keeps you eligible for key USDA programs.”

Other USDA Efforts to Help Producers

USDA is taking additional steps to help producers across the country, including:

Updating the haying and grazing date for producers who have planted cover crops on prevented plant acres;
Offering special sign-ups through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for assistance to plant cover crops; and
Extending the deadline to report prevented plant acres in certain places.

For more information, visit our Prevented or Delayed Planting webpage.

More Information

To learn more, contact your FSA county office or visit fsa.usda.gov or farmers.gov/prevented-planting.

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019

Minnesota raspberry/blueberry seasons underway

Raspberry/blueberry picking time is here in Minnesota. Summer raspberry/blueberry growers report fields full of blossoms and expect to open for pick-your-own and pre-picked berries the first two weeks of July.

Raspberry/blueberry seasons typically start towards the end of strawberry season. They usually last at least three weeks, depending on the variety and weather conditions.

As with strawberries, raspberry/blueberry seasonal availability begins in southern Minnesota and travels northward. Mild temperatures in the 70s and 80s extend the seasons and allow berries to ripen at a steady pace. However, excessive heat can cause berries to ripen more quickly and shorten the seasons.

Picking berries is a great outdoor activity for all ages. Debbie Yennie of First Fruits Blueberry Farm in Menahga explains that pick-your-own berry farms are “a place where families come to have a family experience. Seeing families come together is the best part of my blueberry farm.”

Minnesota raspberry/blueberry varieties are grown for their robust, juicy flavor, not long shelf life or shipping ability. Raspberries will keep in the fridge for about four days, and blueberries about a week. Both kinds of berries freeze well, too, so you can enjoy them throughout the year.

Randy Jones of Jonesey Berry Farm in Grove City grows strawberries, summer raspberries, and fall raspberries. He advises visitors to call ahead before visiting farms to verify hours and availability. They should also pack water, sunscreen, and a hat before heading to the patch.

The Minnesota Grown Directory, available in print or online, is a great place to find local pick-your-own berry operations or farmers market. The 2019 Directory includes 34 summer raspberry farms, 31 blueberry farms, and other specialty berry farms like elderberries, currants, honey berries, and aronia berries. Order your free printed directory online at www.minnesotagrown.com/order-minnesota-grown-directory/ or call 1-800-657-3878.

June 20, 2019June 20, 2019

Prevent plant acres with cover crops can be utilized on Sept. 1

Cover Crops might be a really good idea for empty prevent plant acres in farm country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced that farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres will be permitted to hay, graze or chop those fields earlier than November this year. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) adjusted the 2019 final haying and grazing date from November 1 to September 1 to help farmers who couldn’t plant crops because of flooding and excess rainfall this spring.

“We recognize farmers were greatly impacted by some of the unprecedented flooding and excessive rain this spring, and we made this one-year adjustment to help farmers with the tough decisions they are facing this year,” said Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey. “This change will make good stewardship of the land easier to accomplish while also providing an opportunity to ensure quality forage is available for livestock this fall.”

RMA has also determined that silage, haylage and baleage should be treated in the same manner as haying and grazing for this year. Producers can hay, graze or cut cover crops for silage, haylage or baleage on prevented plant acres on or after September 1 and still maintain eligibility for their full 2019 prevented planting indemnity.

“These adjustments have been made for 2019 only,” said RMA Administrator Martin Barbre. “RMA will evaluate the prudence of a permanent adjustment moving forward.”

Other USDA Programs
Other USDA agencies are also assisting producers with delayed or prevented planting. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is extending the deadline to report prevented plant acres in select counties, and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is holding special sign-ups for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program in certain states to help with planting cover crops on impacted lands. Contact your local FSA and NRCS offices to learn more.

More Information
Read our frequently asked questions to learn more about prevented plant.

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

Minnesota-Crookston baseball – “Gritty, not pretty”

By Chad Smith

The University of Minnesota-Crookston baseball team describes itself as “gritty, not pretty.” Whatever they’d like to call themselves, it’s working. In spite of the challenges that come with a small-college program, the Golden Eagles won 14 of their first 22 games. Eagles head coach Steven Gust said they’re playing some pretty good baseball in spite of fielding a young roster this spring.

“We’re getting the job done,” he said with a smile visible through the phone. “it’s been a bit of a surprise because we lost key contributors from last year’s team. However, we’re finding ways to win in spite of that.

Steven Gust is the head coach of the University of Minnesota-Crookston baseball team. (Photo from goldeneaglesports.com)

“We aren’t going to overpower people on the mound this season,” he said. “Our best kid from last year, Zach Seipel, got drafted by the Atlanta Braves. That’s good news but he was only a junior, so we did expect him back this year. The kids we do have back are doing a good job of filling the strike zone, mixing their speeds, and are attacking hitters.”

The first player drafted

Getting a player drafted into Major League Baseball is a feather in the cap of any program. However, it’s an even bigger feather for a small school like Minnesota-Crookston because he was the first Golden Eagle ever picked in the MLB draft. What makes it an even better story is the young man didn’t originally come in to pitch for the Golden Eagles.

“I saw him as a catcher in legion baseball,” Gust recalled. “I thought he had a pretty decent arm behind the plate. I wasn’t sure about his hitting, but good defensive catchers can be hard to find. It was one of my first years coaching and our pitching was thin. We needed someone to pitch the end of a scrimmage and he volunteered after pitching just nine total innings in high school.”

Gust said, “The ball jumped out of Zach’s hand and he was around the zone. After that, we told him to sell his catcher’s glove and he became our closer. He left here throwing a 93-94 mile-per-hour fastball. He’s a great kid and he’s only going to get better as a player.”

The University of Minnesota-Crookston was understandably excited when Zach Seipel became the first Golden Eagle drafted by a Major League Baseball team. He went to the Atlanta Braves in the 27th round and head coach Steven Gust said he expects Zach to do well and move up the chain. (Photo from goldeneaglesports.com)

Getting a player drafted is big milestone considering that before Gust and the current staff arrived, the Golden Eagles had won just two of their previous 100 games. Literally, the team was 2 and 98 before Gust showed up.

Building a program

“We were fortunate to add some good players to some really good-character kids that were already here,” Gust said, “and they all bought in right away. There are so many pieces to the puzzle when you’re trying to build a program like Minnesota-Crookston.

“The pieces include working on facilities and trying to get the highest quality you can,” he added. “You have to find good assistant coaches that don’t mind working for literally nothing other than their passion for the game. We also don’t have a lot of scholarships to offer, so that’s not a strength either.”

When Gust took over the program, there were 18 Golden Eagles on the roster. Now, in spite of some limitations that come with smaller-school athletics, they currently have 46 players on the roster. They recruit primarily in Minnesota and North Dakota. They’ll include a few kids out of Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota as well.

“The majority of our kids come in from our backyard,” he said. “We’ve created some excitement in the area by bringing in a lot of familiar players. The attendance and support from the community have been great. We’re just trying to do the little things that maybe one day will allow us to start thinking about winning a championship.

“We don’t have any 5-tool recruits,” Gust added. “We’re getting better players who happen to be good students as well. Our team GPA in the fall was 3.3, which is almost unheard of. We’re looking for guys who might have a little chip on the shoulder because they weren’t recruited by some of the bigger schools. They’ll have a passion for what they’re doing out there on the field.”

Gust added, “There’s no way I could run a program if I didn’t have a great group of people around me.”

Weather is a challenge

Like most schools in the north, the weather is always a challenge to deal with. Gust said one of the biggest goals for all the Crookston programs is to get a covered practice facility. What really hurts the team is not being able to get outside much early in the season to get some much-needed practice in. Gust says, “I think that’s coming here at Minnesota-Crookston, it’s just a matter of when.”

The Eagles team is basically brand-new this season. They graduated a lot of seniors from last spring’s squad. Last year, Crookston won 24 baseball games, but Gust said they were “disappointed” because they thought they were headed back to the postseason tournament. However, it didn’t happen.

“We have several junior college players on the roster this spring,” Gust said. “Sometimes, it’s hard for Junior College players to buy in when they come to a four-year school. However, our guys seem to have bought in right away. We’ve found ways to get things done so far in spite of facing some really good pitching in the first three weeks of the conference season.”

NSIC a solid conference

From top-to-bottom, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference is one of the best Division Two conferences in the country. For example, they have the defending national champion Augustana (Sioux Falls, SD) Vikings as a member of the conference.

“Minnesota-State Mankato is always good,” Gust said. “Concordia-St. Paul has some really solid arms this season. St. Cloud State might be the team to beat. Even the teams that have been on the bottom over the past few years have gotten better. Teams like the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND) and Minot State (Minot, North Dakota) are among the teams taking steps forward.”

Even before they got going in their conference schedule, Crookston headed south to play some very good non-conference squads. They started off their season with perennial power Central Missouri State. Gust said people told him he was crazy to play them. However, he did see some good things in spite of losing to CMS.

“I thought a lot of good things came out of playing tough competition like that,” he said. “I saw signs that we could be a pretty good team. We also went down to Florida to play some really tough teams too. I think our non-conference schedule really prepared us well to do some good things in the conference.”

March 14, 2019March 14, 2019

MN Child Care Fraud Rampant

Conservative House Republicans today responded to a report on the fraud-plagued
Minnesota Child-Care Assistance Program (CCAP). They requested federal investigations, the firing of the state Investigator General overseeing the program, the creation of an independent watchdog office for taxpayers, and a new approach to child care services in the state. “The daycare fraud is the biggest scandal in Minnesota history, and the state government cannot even tell us how much has been stolen,” said Rep. Steve Drazkowski (Republican- Mazeppa). “We need action on every front.”

The New House Republican Caucus (NHRC) responded to a report by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) which admitted that millions of dollars have been stolen from the CCAP program. However, the OLA could not begin to assess how much money had been stolen from taxpayers.

The OLA report quoted a whistle-blower who wrote that both the Supervisor and Manager of the anti-fraud unit of CCAP, “believe that the overall fraud rate in this program is at least 50 percent of the $217 million paid to child care centers in 2017.”

CALL FOR FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS: The four conservative Republicans announced they are asking federal investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Human Services, and the United States Attorney for Minnesota to investigate and prosecute what is alleged to be over $100 million per year of fraud in CCAP. “We have contacted Attorney General William P. Barr, U.S. Attorney Erica H. MacDonald in Minneapolis, and DHS Inspector Daniel R. Levinson to get them on the case,” said Rep. Tim Miller (Republican-Prinsburg). “This is a federal case because much of the CCAP money comes from Washington.” The legislators want the federal Department of Homeland Security to investigate media reports that suitcases filled with up to $1 million each have been carried through the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport to Somalia or the Middle East by persons allegedly linked to CCAP providers. They want a list of the names, addresses and destinations of travelers leaving the country from Minnesota who signed a form to export at least $10,000 in cash.
CUT PORK, CAN HAM: “The watchdog over CCAP fraud has been sleeping on the porch for years,” said Rep. Cal Bahr (Republican-East Bethel). “Governor Tim Walz should ask for the resignation of Minnesota DHS Inspector General Carolyn Ham today. If she does not resign, he should fire her.” The OLA report showed that prosecutors had many problems with the DHS investigators under Ham. Video evidence to prove that child care centers were overstating the number of children
they were watching was inconclusive. Financial analysis was sometimes not performed by accountants or Certified Fraud Examiners. Investigations would drag on for years before detectives would consult prosecutors.
CREATE INDEPENDENT WATCHDOG ON WELFARE: “We cannot trust oversight of scandal-plagued programs from the Department of Human Services to an inspector general who reports to political bosses at DHS,” said Rep. Jeremy Munson (Republican-Lake Crystal). The NHRC will work to establish an independent Bureau of the Public Trust to inspect all the books of welfare-related programs such as CCAP and Medical Assistance. This new agency will be financed through existing funds taken from the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ budget. “We need an independent auditor to serve the goal of fiscal responsibility and the needs of both the taxpayers and the program recipients,” Rep. Munson said.
STOP THE CRIMES AND THE CRIMINALS: The NHRC members outlined their plans for a sweeping bill to end the crime spree on child care programs. “These may seem like band-aids, but they will help to stop the bleeding,” said Rep. Bahr.

The bill will:
 Make child care fraud a specific crime with criminal and civil penalties;
 Establish a life-time welfare ban for convicts;
 Require future child care providers to repay any subsequent fraud;
 Ban care providers from programs if they do not cooperate with investigators;
 Allow the Bureau of the Public Trust to check recipients for eligibility;
 Ban all forms of benefits for persons convicted of child care fraud and;
 Bar parents of recipient children from working at child care centers.

GET RID OF CCAP AS WE KNOW IT: “CCAP is the perfect blueprint if you want a plant to steal money from taxpayers,” said Rep. Drazkowski. “You cannot prove who the program actually serves You cannot verify the people who are being helped. There is no independent oversight of the payments and services.” To replace CCAP, the NHRC will streamline and simplify the other five child care programs operated by the state. The rules need to be easier for adults who want to look after the children in their neighborhood. Lower any legal barriers. Don’t pay subsidies to providers. To fight corruption, pay the subsidies directly to the parents. that need help with daycare expense. The parents can then pay the care-takers. “We can design better programs with more accountability, flexibility and fairness,” Rep. Bahr, “not just for recipients and providers. For the hardworking people of Minnesota who go to work every day and don’t get any child care benefits,” Rep. Bahr said. “We want working parents to have access to quality and affordable child care,” said Rep. Miller. “We can do that by cutting regulations, empowering parents, and protecting taxpayers.”

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019

Jesus Christ Changed A Hockey Life

By Chad Smith

Bill Butters is a walking contradiction in terms. He was once one of the toughest guys to ever play professional hockey, a sport populated by some of the roughest people on the planet. Butters is also one of the most passionate people for Jesus Christ that you’ll ever meet. He’s just one example of the life-changing power of God’s only Son.

Butters is a Minnesota-based staff member of Hockey Ministries International. As the name implies, the 40-year old group ministers to hockey players of all ages, both in the United States and throughout the world. They teach hockey players about Jesus Christ and living for him in the modern age through a series of HMI Hockey Camps.

Before Bill became a passionate follower of Jesus Christ, he spent a lot of years playing hockey at many different levels. The St. Paul, Minnesota native played for the University of Minnesota from 1971-1973. He played more than 200 games in the World Hockey Association with teams like the Minnesota Fighting Saints, Houston Aeros, Edmonton Oilers, and the New England Whalers. Butters played 72 games for the Minnesota North Stars in the National Hockey League before retiring as a player in 1980.

Butters wasn’t the most popular player on the ice, no matter where he played. He was once described as “hard-hitting and mayhem” while on the ice. He was once described as “rancid” by fans of the Wisconsin Badgers during his college days. Unfortunately, he was equally hard-hitting off the ice and it affected those closest to him. Speaking during a recent Hockey Ministries International fundraising breakfast in St. Paul, Butters told a crowd of 300 people that his life began to change when one close friend hit him with words he needed to hear.

“Who would have thought back in the day that a guy like me would ever be able to talk about Jesus, especially in a holy way,” Butters told the crowd. “I hated Christians, just like Saul before he became the Apostle Paul. I had a friend who knew me as a pro hockey player, knew my wife, knew my children and had enough courage to lose his friendship with me. His name is Steve.

“One day, we were driving to go play golf with a bunch of buddies,” Butters recalled. “Steve said ‘Butts, I don’t want to be your friend anymore. The man you’ve turned into, your language, the way you treat your wife and family, is despicable. I just don’t want to be your friend anymore.’”

Butters said his first thought was “this guy is a friend?” That moment took place in the summer of 1979. Butters said that was the start of God making a call on his life. His friend Steve had enough courage to confront the sin in his life. “I hated him for that,” Butters said.

Another of Butters’ friends, Tom Reid, invited Bill to be a volunteer coach at a hockey camp. At that time, Bill said he was “a young stud, at least in my own mind, playing for the North Stars.” That camp invitation came shortly after a rough moment in Bill’s life that took place in the office of then-Minnesota North Stars GM Lou Nanne.

“My friend, Lou Nanne, was the General Manager and had just told me how awful of a player I was,” Butters remembered. “Glen Sonmoor was the coach and he loved me. However, Glen also had a glass eye. I remember being in the room with those two when the North Stars weren’t too good. Lou said to me ‘Butts, you’re just not too good.’

“Glenn said ‘Louie, how can you say that? Butts is a great guy. He’s good in the locker room and tells jokes,’” Butters said with a smile. “Lou responded with ‘but Glenn, he’s awful! What you have to do is look at Bill with your real eye.’”

It was at that low point, Tom Reid extended the invite to the camp and Butters simply said: “it changed my life.” Bill remembers thinking he was there to teach kids. A group of 12-year-old boys led him in prayer and told him about Jesus.

“They told me how tough Jesus is,” Butters recalled. “The kids said He was the toughest man who ever lived. Those boys told me He loved me and that He would forgive my sins if I would just accept Him into my heart. Those 12-year-old boys led me to Christ.”

Butters said the next thing he remembered was sitting with his wife and telling her the good news that he’d just become a follower of Jesus Christ. However, what followed Bill’s pronouncement of his new faith was a tough pill to swallow.

“Then came the very bad news,” Butters said. “I explained the sin in my life, the infidelity, the lying, the cheating. It broke her heart. After a couple of hours, she looked at me and said the very same words that Jesus said to me two nights earlier; ‘I forgive you. Let’s rebuild our marriage on our faith in Christ.’

“So, I was confronted by a friend, invited by another friend, led by a group of boys, and then forgiven by my best friend,” he recalled. “Then, I had another friend named Gary Roloffs, a pilot from Northwest Airlines who didn’t know me from Adam, that was a Christ follower. He asked if he could meet with me for a cup of coffee.”

They first met in 1980 and have continued to meet once every week since then, all the way up to the present day. Bill said Roloffs has taught him to read Scripture, how to pray, how to memorize Scripture, and how to “think a little bit better.” So, Butter said he had a friend mentor him in the faith, while another friend taught him how to “love my wife and be a dad.”

After that, Butters, who referred to himself as one of the “most despicable men in hockey” was invited to join a ministry and tell others about the love of Jesus Christ. Don Liesemer, President of Hockey Ministries International, is the one who brought Butters aboard.

“Then, there’s Herb Brooks,” Butters said. “What can I say about Herbie other than he was everything to me, including a coach, a friend, a mentor. He was someone who believed in me long before many other people did. One of the most memorable things he said to me was ‘Billy, you’re a character. Someday, I hope you have character.’ There is a difference.

“Later, when I was struggling in ministry and couldn’t raise any money, I went to Herb, who was scouting for Pittsburgh back then. I asked Herb to see if he could use his influence to get me a job in hockey. Herbie said to me ‘Billy, I think God has you right where He wants you. You stay in that ministry.’ As rough as some people thought Herb Brooks was, he was a tenderhearted man. I truly believe he loved me and wanted only the best for me.”

As he gets older, Butters said the two words he fears most are “I forgot. I forgot about my friendships, I forgot the boys who led me to Christ, I forgot about some of you. That’s never gonna happen. I’m going to try hard not to forget the important things.

“Jesus knew the same things way back then,” he added. “I forget my glasses, or even my (false) tooth half the time when I walk out the door. I forget a lot of things, but Jesus doesn’t forget me. He said, ‘remember me.’ But before you can remember someone, you have to know them first.

“When Jesus began His ministry, He didn’t say join a Bible Study, join a church, memorize Scripture, or do this and do that,” Butters said. “He simply said ‘Come, follow Me.’ His disciples left what they were doing to follow Him, then got to know Him. Then, before He died on the cross, He said ‘remember me.’ So, my question for you is do you know Jesus? Are you following Him?

Butters closed out his remarks to the crowd at the St. Paul Hotel by saying that society is telling people to not follow Jesus. “Hockey Ministries International is telling people around the world that ‘If you know Jesus, you will know peace.’ Do you know Him?”

Here’s Bill’s speech at the fundraiser:

Butters Part 1

Butters Part 2

March 2, 2019March 2, 2019

The original intent of the SNAP program?

The SNAP program. It’s a polarizing discussion in already divided Washington, D.C. SNAP was a hot topic of discussion during a Senate hearing last week that featured the Secretary of Agriculture.

Sonny Perdue reiterated during a U.S. Senate hearing the need to restore the original intent of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The program’s intent is to be “a second chance, not a way of life.” USDA published a proposed rule to move able-bodied SNAP recipients into the workforce.

The proposed rule aims to make the program into assistance through difficult times, not lifelong dependency. This proposed rule focuses on work-related program requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents. It would apply to non-disabled people between the ages of 18 and 49, who have no dependents. The rule would not apply to the elderly, the disabled, or pregnant women. Those who are eligible to receive SNAP – including the underemployed – would still qualify.

There haven’t been any statutory changes to the welfare reform legislation of 1996. The Trump Administration feels an abuse of administrative flexibility in SNAP has undermined the ideal of self-sufficiency. President Bill Clinton signed the legislation that instituted work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents.

Then-President Clinton said, “First and foremost, it should be about moving people from welfare to work. It should impose time limits on welfare… It [work] gives structure, meaning and dignity to most of our lives.”

During last week’s Senate hearing, Secretary Perdue talked about work requirements and his proposed rule. He said: “What was accepted by the U.S. Senate and passed was the same bill that’s been there since the beginning of the Welfare Reform regarding the work requirements of 20 hours per week. And what you also passed was not a prohibition, it was no change to the fact that in one section it says that the Secretary may waive that applicability and we plan to do that for the ABAWDs. We think the purpose is to help people move to independency… We should help people when they are down but that should not be interminably.”

“…You all also provided for a 12 percent cushion for states that they could use for any purpose. But, we do not believe in states where unemployment is 4 percent that ABAWDs should be able to stay on food assistance interminably.”

You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Secretary Perdue’s remarks:

SNAP was a hot and divisive topic during a Senate hearing last week in Washington, D.C.

Background:

Congress implemented this work requirement in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996.

It allowed the Secretary, upon request from a State, to waive the work requirement during times of high unemployment.

The statute provides the Secretary withe authority to determine if an area has an insufficient jobs and qualifies for a waiver. The 2018 Farm Bill did not modify that discretion .

February 12, 2019February 12, 2019

Voting; Why is it so hard to do?

Voting. Why don’t we do it? I’ve got a question I’m still looking for an answer to. Why don’t Americans seem to care about the future of our country? We’d rather exchange recipes on social media than read “one more damn political post.” I get that. I get tired of it too, especially as the liberal left leans more and more toward socialism. But that’s just a symptom. When did Americans stop caring about the future of their country?

Here’s something we can’t relate to. You likely didn’t hear much about it, but Pakistan had its first elections in decades back in July of last year. Elections turned violent during that time as an explosion at a polling place killed 31 would-be voters. About 50 percent of that country turned out for the first democratic election since 1947. They cared enough about the future of THEIR country enough to risk violence.

We likely won’t have to ever face that kind of a threat at American polling locations. At least I hope not. The problem was summed up well in an article on the website enidnews.com. “The problem is “our grasp on representative government is slowly slipping away for one reason: We simply don’t care enough about our system of government to keep it.”

Remember the 2016 election when Trump ran against Hillary? The media had us all up in arms about the importance of the election to the future of our country? Only 55 percent of our eligible voters turned out to vote “in the most important election of our time.” Seriously?

Just FYI: I didn’t vote for either of them. For the first time in my life, I voted for a third-party candidate (Gary Johnson) that I knew didn’t have a shot to win. He was still better than both candidates from the “established parties.” The reason I did that? I did some research. Johnson was twice elected governor as a Libertarian in Massachusetts, a MILITANTLY liberal Democratic-leaning state. Not only was he elected twice, he left the office in better financial shape than he found it. It’s called research.

How much research did it take for my state (Minnesota) to send someone like Ilhan Omar to the House of Representatives? You’ve likely heard the rumors that she married her brother and committed immigration fraud, right? I’m going to teach you a little something about journalism 101. If there’s enough smoke (stories out there that seem to tell the same story), then there’s likely some fire (truth to the accusations).

For example, an article on the Fox 9 TV website in the Twin Cities looked into what the Congresswoman said in explaining the “miscommunication.” The TV station found some “discrepancies between Omar’s stated husband and marriage certificates that are on file with Hennepin County and the state.” How was she still elected? And why didn’t anyone push the issue farther? There are enough questions here that should have immediately disqualified her from even running.

What’s done is done, now.

She’s just one example of numerous people that likely have no business being in office. Don’t get me started on AOC out of New York. How many Republicans have spent DECADES in office? If we don’t hold our elected officials accountable with our voting, we deserve whatever happens to our country. And don’t kid yourselves, the extremist left in the Democratic party want to turn this country socialist as soon as possible. If you look at social media threads, you might be shocked at how many Americans don’t seem to have a problem with it. Its right here in their own words.

And don’t think I’m on an anti-Democrat kick. Amy Klobuchar and Collin Peterson are just two Democrats I’ve voted for in recent elections. I don’t agree with everything they say and do but there’s enough common sense that I have no problem voting for them. Hell, I was a registered Democrat when I became old enough to start voting. As I got older, I switched to Republican (White privilege kicking into effect?). After that, I’m an independent voter and will stay that way for life.

Just checking off a series of candidates under either “Republican” or “Democrat” just because that’s what you’ve always done is foolish. Have you noticed how much the parties have changed over the decades? Do you really believe either one “cares about the little guy?” They don’t. It’s Republicans and Democrats that have gotten us into the situation we find our country in. Divided. Rudderless. Broke (we are). Meantime, we just keep voting to send the same people to Washington, D.C., because they’re in the party we’ve always voted for?

The article on enidnews.com lays it out. We Americans are “pitifully unprepared when we head to the polls, and that’s where the greatest threat to our republic lies.” We’ve got little hand-held computers with us that link us to the collective knowledge of the human race. “But, by and large, we use it to chase click bait that affirms our preconceptions, leaving us collectively ill-suited to guide our own nation.”

“We gorge ourselves on only those information sources that confirm what we want to believe, because we don’t feel any incentive to put in the work required to form independent, informed policy preferences. We pick a team, we let it speak for us, and we only listen to reporting that echoes our team.” For those that only vote “Republican” or “Democrat,” does that sound familiar?

“it’s just another damn political post on some random dude’s blog.” If that’s what you’re thinking, maybe you’re right. I don’t have all the answers. But I’m not convinced that America is so far gone that it can’t come back. Maybe keeping the phone lines open to our elected officials and expressing opinions is a good start? Then, actually doing research every couple years and making an informed choice? That’s an even better idea.