The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade agreement presents trade opportunities that Ag leaders across the country say farmers need to break out of the economic doldrums across the sector.
Trade opportunities have been, and always will be, important to U.S. agriculture. However, the opportunities aren’t there because of ongoing trade disputes with partners like China. However, with the removal of Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, the opportunity for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement to get through Congress is closer than ever. The prospects, however, depend on who you ask and what their political affiliation is.
That aside, Minnesota Farm leaders gathered recently in Hawley to discuss the current state of the farm economy. They specifically emphasized the importance of trade opportunities across North America. Kaitlyn Blackwelder is the regional project manager for Minnesota Soybean.
Farm incomes fell eight percent last year due in large part to lost trade opportunities and a large supply of commodities driving down prices. And, that has the attention of ag lenders like Jennifer Sharpe, Market Vice President of AgCountry Farm Credit Services.
They and others are worried that unless the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement gets ratified soon, things will only worsen. Ag exports to Mexico and Canada generate more than $1 billion for Minnesota every year. Those exports are only available with abundant trade opportunities. Mike Jurik is a grain merchandiser and works in the area of rail logistics for West Central Ag. He says the uncertainty is a huge strain on everyone in agriculture.
Farm leaders say the new European trade deal with Mexico is allowing the EU to displace U.S. sales in Mexico. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico finalized the deal last November but the pact is currently stalled in Congress. Karolyn Zurn is the American Agri-Women’s First Vice President of Vital Issues and Resolutions. She says the message is clear and direct to Congress.
During the roundtable discussion in Hawley, Minnesota’s farm leaders urged Minnesota’s elected officials to break the logjam on USMCA as soon as possible. Their message was a simple one: farmers need more trade opportunities.
Summer workshops will teach farm stress management skills
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is offering a workshop for health professionals in oder to help them assist farmers through incredibly difficult times. Farmer stress is as high as it’s been in decades for a variety of reasons, many of which non-farm folks may not understand. (photo from mda.org)
Farmer stress levels are way, way up. They’re living with weather that won’t let a great many of them get crops in the ground. Overseas trade wars have cut down on places to sell their commodities, leading to a lot of grains and oilseeds on hand, driving prices even lower. Farmer stress is something that mental and even physical health professionals may not have the experience to help them with, so the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is trying to help with that.
Farmer stress is as high as it’s been since the 1980s. Stressful times in agriculture can trigger bad news and difficult conversations. In response, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is offering Navigating Conflict & Tough Conversations in Agriculture, a workshop designed to help agriculture professionals navigate potentially contentious situations.
It’s Rough in Rural America
“Farmers are having a tough time right now,” Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “Farmer stress is high because there’s a lot on the line, and we recognize that lenders, agency staff, clergy, educators, veterinarians, agricultural advisors, and businesspeople can find themselves trying to help in situations where emotions run high.”
Workshop topics include reducing anxiety and fear about interpersonal conflict; understanding how self-awareness and group dynamics contribute to successful outcomes; exploring the connection between conflict and change; and precautions participants can take to keep themselves safe at work – both in and outside their office.
University of Minnesota Extension Educator Denise Stromme and local law enforcement will teach the workshop on dealing with farmer stress at six locations in June and July. All sessions run from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
June 18, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Community & Technical College
June 19, Thief River Falls, Northland Community & Technical College
June 20, Duluth, Lake Superior College
July 8, Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University
July 9, Faribault, South Central College
July 10, St. Cloud, Saint Cloud Technical & Community College
Listen, I grew up working on a dairy farm and got to understand farmer mindsets. It’s no fun to admit you need help. If there’s a group of Americans who have “John Wayne” go-it-alone-syndrome more than farmers do, I’d like to know who that would be. They don’t want to ask for help. It’s important that health professionals get the background information they need at a workshop like this. The stresses that they deal with are very unique and it’s quite difficult for non-farm folks to relate to. I’ve seen it first hand, living in both rural and urban areas through my 48 years of living.
All participants will receive certificates of attendance; several organizations have approved continuing education credits.
Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Stephen Moser at 651-201-6012 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 711 as soon as possible.
Disclaimer
This workshop is supported by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2018-38640-28416 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC18-170. The MDA and USDA are equal opportunity employers and service providers. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Most people have been behind the wheel of their car when the cell phone rings or they hear the text message beep. We’re so ingrained to answer the phone or check the text message that we may not realize just how dangerous it would be to do those things while driving. Because of the dangers posed by distracted driving, Minnesota joined 17 other states, plus Washington D.C., in passing a hands-free law that goes into effect August 1. But what exactly can, and can’t drivers do?
What Can I do?
“To break it down in the simplest terms, you cannot have a phone in your hand at all while driving,” says Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge. “As of August 1, you can’t even have a cell phone in your hand and hold it up to your ear to make a phone call. Of course, text messages aren’t going to be legal as well.”
It won’t be legal to pull out the cell phone even if drivers are stopped at a stop light or stop sign. “Technically, you’re still driving,” DeGeorge said. “As of August 1, if you’re going to make a phone call in the car, drivers will need some sort of built-in device that will help you make that call hands-free. For example, a Bluetooth-enabled audio system would be legal. Most newer cars these days have something like that built in”
What about GPS?
The next logical question is what about the GPS systems that most drivers can’t live without in an unfamiliar part of the state? DeGeorge says you can still use your GPS system to get where you’re going, as long as it’s hands-free.
“If you’re going to a place like Target Field but haven’t
been there before,” DeGeorge said, “it’s okay to punch in the directions before
you put the vehicle in motion. You can listen to the turn-by-turn directions
while you’re driving, as long as you aren’t using it in any way with your hands
while you’re driving.”
Rushford Police Officer Kaylee Inglett said the key to being legal is not having it in your hand for any reason while you’re driving. “We can definitely see other drivers who have their phones in hand and up to their ears just driving down the road,” she said. “it’s not too hard to spot someone talking on their phone while driving. Sometimes we see distracted driving just by how their moving down the road, too. It’s a lot of the same signs as impaired driving.”
Distracted Driving Dangers
DeGeorge said the average citizen may not realize it, but
their car can instantly become a several-thousand-pound missile moving down the
road at a high rate of speed when the driver isn’t focused on the road. Impaired
driving affects judgement and slows a driver’s reaction time. Distracted
driving does some of the same things.
“It takes your attention away from the road and the other
vehicles,” DeGeorge said. “It slows your reaction time. How much ground can
someone cover while they’re typing out a text message behind the wheel and
going 55-60 miles per hour. You aren’t going to stop on a dime. If you look up
and find yourself weaving out of your line and another car is coming at you, it
might be the same thing as pointing a weapon at them. That’s basically what’s
happening in that situation.”
Distracted driving is a problem in southeast Minnesota, and it has cost lives. DeGeorge says he has seen a fatal accident firsthand and it’s something you don’t forget, both as a law enforcement officer and a human being. “For me, it was an instant feeling of regret for what happened,” he recalled upon seeing the aftereffects of a fatality.
Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge says Minnesota’s “Hands-Free” Law starts on August 1. (Photo from Facebook.com)
“When you think that just minutes earlier, this person was
safely driving down the road and a split-second decision to do something like
read or send a text message resulted in someone innocent being killed,” he
added. “It wasn’t something like a crime of passion. Someone didn’t spend all
day drinking at a bar and get behind the wheel. It was someone that could have
been on their way home, to church, or to a kid’s school event. It didn’t have
to happen.”
He added, “It’s not a malicious act. It’s someone doing something as simple as not paying attention and wound up having the most tragic results possible.
Here’s a great report from WKBT TV in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with comments from the La Crescent Police Chief Doug Stavenau
Penalties
Inglett says there will be an escalating series of fines starting on August 1. “The first ticket is $50 dollars, which will include going to court, which will include court fees,” she said. “The next ticket will jump to $275, as are any subsequent tickets. Remember, there are also court fees with each ticket.
“It was so important to law enforcement officers around the
state to get this law passed,” she said. “We see so many distracted drivers
every day. The numbers are there when we talk about distracted driving. Not
looking at the road and not paying attention to your surroundings when you’re
driving a huge metal object can be just as detrimental and deadly as impaired
driving.”
Inglett says she’s a young police officer who hasn’t had to
respond to a tragic accident from distracted driving yet. That doesn’t mean she
hasn’t seen and spoken to people who’ve been involved in that type of accident.
“During my training at the police academy, we heard a talk
from someone that had killed another driver while they were distracted,” she
recalled. “The lasting impact those words had on our class was incredible. We
were able to see crime scene photos from the case, so even though we weren’t
there firsthand, we saw what the worst results could look like.
“The pictures of the victim and the vehicles were
heartbreaking,” she added. “A simple decision like picking up someone’s phone
took somebody else’s life.”
Farm country is getting closer and closer to spring planting. Farmers are starting to look at their planters longingly, dreaming of being out in the field. After a wet winter that resulted in serious flooding problems, the nation’s midsection is looking for a spell of dry weather. However, ag meteorologist Ryan Martin of Warsaw, Indiana, says planters are likely going to sit a spell yet. It’s important to remember that we’re way too early to think about seriously-delayed spring planting.
“It probably going to be late this month or early into next month before planters get rolling,” Martin said. “It’s way too early to start thinking about serious spring planting delays. We’re actually not even at first planting dates in a large part of the Corn Belt yet.
Heartland Forecast
“As I look at the pattern stretching all the way from the
Great Plains through the Corn Belt, we’ve got a big weather system that wants
to move through late this weekend (Sunday, April 7 possibly through early
Tuesday the 9th). There won’t be a lot of good drying time after
that running through the end of the week.”
After that, there’s another system in the 11-to-16-day forecast that may have 1-3 inches of rain coming across all the key growing areas. Martin says, flooding and current situation aside, the forecast doesn’t give farmers enough of a window in there to really start spring planting en masse.
The Elkhorn River in Nebraska is way over its banks, covering up a lot of farm ground in Nebraska. Spring planting is likely to be delayed in a large part of the Midwest and Corn Belt because of flooding just like this. (Photo from Omaha.com)
Parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri have been devastated by flooding this spring, and the dry weather farmers are looking for really isn’t going to happen. “I don’t think so,” he said. “The way the pattern looks over the next 10 days, I’m counting two systems that come through. One won’t have a huge amount of rain, but the second one could bring as much as a quarter-inch to as much as 1.25 inches.
“Normally at this time of year that would be good news,”
Martin added. “But, the way things are set up right now it’s just not good.”
Southern Plains/Delta
There are some planters rolling deeper in the Southern Plains and in the Delta. Martin said the weather pattern in that part of the country shows that farmers may have to dodge some thunderstorms in order to keep spring planting going forward.
“Fronts will be coming through but as they do, they won’t
hit everyone at the same time,” he said. “Over the next three weeks or so,
those storms will end up with about 60-70 percent coverage at any given time.
It doesn’t look too excessive to me right now. It’ll be a hodgepodge type of
activity that should eventually allow crops into the ground and then get the crops
the kind of rainfall they need to get going.”
The pattern for the heaviest rains wants to stay a little
farther north into the Central Plains and the Missouri Valley Corn Belt areas.
The interesting area to watch will be the far east part of the Deep South,
where the likelihood of getting the crop in the ground on time is pretty good.
“Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and up into Tennessee are places where temperatures might lag a little behind normal,” Martin said. “There could be some thunderstorm development but I’m not quite as bullish on rain or bearish on getting spring planting in the Deep South done as I am farther north.”
Potential Flooding
Possible in Upper Midwest
There won’t be as much happening in the western states in
terms of precipitation like there will be in other parts of the country. The
biggest story in the western U.S. won’t be in terms of new systems moving
through. It’ll more likely involve snowpack runoff. The interesting thing about
snowpack runoff is the problems won’t necessarily be just out west.
“The Red River likely will hit major flood stage in eastern
North Dakota and western Minnesota,” he said. “There is snowpack that goes all
the way back up into Montana and into the northern Rockies. The biggest question
is just how fast we’ll see that snow melt and move through the area.
“The question is whether we’ll see a fast snowmelt with temps above normal,” he added. “That could be the story more than new systems coming through. Temperatures are still a little squirrely as temps likely will lag behind normal due to all that snowpack that still sits on the ground in those areas I mentioned.”
Many different sources of stress are currently impacting farmers and ranchers. In response to the growing pressure on agriculture, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Red River Farm Network (RRFN) have joined forces to create a new radio series called TransFARMation.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is teaming up with the Red River Farm Network to launch a radio series called TransFARMation, designed to help farmers deal with the stresses they’re under and to encourage them to ask for help, if needed.
“Farming is a stressful business during the best of times,” says Don Wick, president, RRFN. “Agriculture’s financial health is being influenced by tight margins, the trade war, production issues, and more. These are all factors where farmers and ranchers have little or no control.”
The series uses farm radio, podcasts, and social media to increase awareness and reduce inhibitions about acknowledging farmer stress. It will also highlight sources of support.
“Many people are struggling and they need to know they’re not alone,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “This is a powerful series – we hear from farmers, ranchers, and others in agriculture talk about some of the strategies and solutions that helped them when things got tough.”
The 60 second prime-time radio stories can be heard on all of RRFN’s 20 stations throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, starting the week of April 8. In addition, the in-depth podcasts can be found at www.rrfn.com/transfarmation.
TransFARMation is supported by a grant from the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, and by AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Soybean Council, North Dakota Wheat Commission, and Prairie St. John’s.
Broadcasts are solely the responsibility of the creators and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC, NIOSH, or the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or other problems, the free and confidential Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline is available 24 hours, seven days a week at 833-600-2670.
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.”
Here’s the best way to describe just what Bullfighters Only is:
It’s the kind of thing most people will only see in a nightmare. It’s the center of a rodeo ring and there’s just you and an angry 1,500-pound animal running directly at you with malicious intent. The only job you have then is to stay out of its way for a predetermined length of time. That’s the kind of thing that Mabel, Minnesota native Justin Ward does for a living. The 23-year-old has gotten quite good at it and was named the Bullfighter’s Only Rookie of the Year Award Winner.
Bullfighters Only Rookie of the Year Justin Ward, a Mabel, Minnesota native, shown here in action. (Photo from BCNG.com)
NFL of Bull Fighting
Ward describes Bullfighters Only as the “NFL of freestyle bullfighting.” The contestant has to “fight” a Mexican fighting bull for a minute. And by fight, Ward says that means don’t let him kill you. As a bullfighter, Ward says he’s running around the ring “trying to do cool stuff for 40 seconds” and then really tries to up the score with one final trick in the last 20 seconds. The goal is to get the highest possible score between 0-100.
“While this animal is trying to kill you, some guys will do front flips, some do backflips, and some even get on their knees and try to juke out the animal,” Ward said. “The first 40 seconds is basically to prove that the animal can’t catch you. My big trick is leaping over the top of the charging bull from a flat-footed position, all the way from his nose to his tail.”
Ward said being off on a trick like that, even by a millisecond, gets painful in a hurry. He said a trick like that in Las Vegas “didn’t end up so well.” It’s tough to practice something like that leap every day. Ward says he just goes out and does it. But that’s not the only kind of bullfighting he does.
This is what Justin Ward looks like in action. Could you be brave enough to do this?
“I also do the rodeo protection bullfighting,” Ward said. “I
had actually done that for quite a while. One of the guys that trained me to do
that said I was pretty athletic and should go try out a Bullfighters Only competition.
I went to California for a developmental camp, which is similar to an NFL
Combine. I got an opportunity in my first Bullfighters Only event and placed in
the top five.”
It didn’t stop there. At his very next event, Ward took home a $10,000 paycheck. It’s a giant step up from where he was the first time he stepped into a ring one-on-one with an angry bull.
The First Try
“The first time I stepped into the ring by myself, it was terrible,” he recalled. “I literally got knocked around for 30 of the required 40 seconds. I climbed out of that ring and never wanted to do that again. Then, they announced that I’d won my round and had to do it again after all. My first thought at the time was ‘are you kidding me?’”
Bullfighters Only Rookie of the Year Justin Ward, in action, taking on a 1,500-pound Mexican Fighting Bull. Ward was a $10,000 dollar winner in the second competition he ever entered. (Photo from BCNG.com)
Ward’s experience with bullfighting, as well as rodeo in
general, goes back a long way. He and a partner were competing in a team-roping
competition, as well as steer wrestling, at a rodeo in southern Wisconsin. One
of the bullfighters didn’t show up so a rodeo committee member offered 50
dollars to anyone who would fill in.
With a laugh, Ward said, “I was 17 years old and dumb enough
to take him up on it. My first bullfight that day was terrifying. I got wrecked
up pretty good. However, it didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would, I lived
through it, and they paid me. I thought to myself ‘I can do this!’”
It’s important to remind people that he’s not out there completely unprotected. A collision with an angry bull is quite similar to getting hit by a car, but the bullfighters still have a full-sized plastic chest plate. So, they absorb the full force of the collision, but a lot of pain is kept at bay. Ward said it knocked the wind out of him, but it did the job of “keeping me alive.”
Practicing
Ward and his fellow bullfighters have come up with an
unusual way to hone their skills. They take the front wheel of a bicycle and
weld some handles to it. Then, they’ll attach a fake bull head to the machine.
One bullfighter will operate the machinery as if it’s an actual bull while the
other one works on his skills.
“I tell those guys that if I slip up, they need to whack me
with it,” Ward said. “I need to learn that if I fall right here, it’s going to
suck.”
Ward said he hits the gym regularly, doing HIT (High Intensity) workouts three days a week and works on cardio five days a week. He’s in the gym at least twice a day. It’s all about avoiding collisions like the one he referenced in Vegas and still remembers to this day.
Injuries Happen
“I did my big move and tried to jump over the top of the
bull,” he said. “He hit me on the way by and when I fell to the ground, he just
smoked me up against a panel three or four times and dislocated my shoulder. He
actually hit me in the stomach hard enough that the doctor thought I might be
bleeding internally. It was rough.
“I didn’t have long to recover,” he recalled. “I had another
bullfight the following week, so I had to tough it out and compete injured.”
Not all bullfights are equally as challenging. A lot of the difficulty
actually depends on the animal’s temperament. It all depends on what each
bullfighter draws for a matchup.
“You can tell ahead of time if they’re going to be easy to
perform with,” Ward said. “Then it’s a lot of fun knowing that you can pick on
them a little and they can’t catch you. However, there have been other bulls
that there was almost no getting away from. We’re talking pure adrenaline and
pure fear with bulls like that.”
Most of the Mexican fighting bulls weigh between 1,200-1,500
pounds. You won’t see the giant 2,000-pound monster bulls because Ward said, “they’re
not very quick.” However, the smaller Mexican fighting bulls are lightning
quick.
A lot of miles
It’s a busy life of travel as a bullfighter. The first show Ward ever did was in Ada, Oklahoma, and his next show the following week in Washington state. He had a show earlier this year in Scottsdale, Arizona, followed by another one in Atlanta, Georgia. If someone from his area is competing at the same show, Ward said they’ll team up and drive there. If he’s traveling solo to a show, Ward said it’s easier to fly. He estimates putting on 50-60,000 miles in the last year alone. Ward said finding out he won the Rookie of the Year Award made it all worth the effort.
“I didn’t even know it had happened,” Ward recalled. “I was
doing an interview just like we’re doing now, and someone asked me how it felt
to be the Rookie of the Year. My first response was ‘I’m rookie of the year?’
He was a little surprised no one had told me yet.”
So, is this something that Ward is planning on doing for a
while? “This is a long-term occupation for me,” Ward said with a smile that was
almost visible in spite of talking on the phone.
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.”
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.
Bill Butters, pictured here during his playing days at the University of Minnesota, is a living, breathing example of the power of Jesus Christ to change lives. A self-professed “despicable” guy, he’s now sharing the Gospel of Christ with Hockey Ministries International. (Photo from thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com)
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.
The St. Paul Hotel, where Bill Butters spoke during a Hockey Ministries International fundraiser. (Photo by Chad Smith)
“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.”
Bill and Debbie Butters, pictured here after Bill received an award from the Herb Brooks Hockey Banquet, are examples of just how Jesus Christ can restore a broken marriage to wholeness through His love and forgiveness. (submitted photo from presspubs.com)
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?”
Jack and Jim O’Donnell of Rushford, Minnesota, were both selected as ‘Everyday Hero’ award winners. The award usually goes to one Lion from each district, but both brothers were equally deserving so the Lions made an exception. (Photo from bluffcountrynews.com)
Everyday Heroes times two. The Rushford Lions Club had two of their members honored with the Everyday Heroes Award. It’s a prestigious honor usually given to just one member of a local Lions Club. In this case, the Rushford Lions had two members that both deserved the award. They just happen to be brothers.
“Jack and Jim O’Donnell are the Everyday Heroes for the
Rushford Lions Club,” said club member Larry Bartleson. “There are more than 50
Lions Clubs in our district and the awards committee typically will only accept
one nominee from each club. However, I asked for a received an exemption to
nominate both of them. I told the committee I couldn’t nominate one without the
other.”
Both the O’Donnells had no idea the award was coming. They
both joined the Rushford Lions back in the 1990s and enjoy doing things to
serve the community.
“I had totally didn’t expect it,” said Jack O’Donnell. “I
had no idea it was coming and was completely surprised. I hadn’t actually
planned on going to the meeting, so they had to sort of trick me to get me
there.
“I’ve been a Lions member since 1994,” Jack added. “Up to
that point, I’d been involved in several organizations while doing volunteer
work and helping with projects around town. I was invited by Maury Anderson to
join back in 1994. The kids were getting older and leaving the nest, so I had
more free time than I had before.
Jim O’Donnell said he was equally surprised by the award. “They
had to trick us into going up for the awards presentation. They got Jack and I
both up there on the pretext of going out to eat. Instead, we found ourselves
at the Lions Convention, where we first found out about it.
“I first got involved in the
Lions Club in the late 1990s,” Jim recalled. “I like serving the community. I
really enjoy the projects we do, especially when we build something for the
community. It’s a tangible thing that will last for a while and that’s really
satisfying.”
The list of things the O’Donnell brothers have done, both
inside and outside the Lions Club, is quite long.
They’re both members of the Rushford Lions board of
directors – Jack is the First Vice President and Jim is a Director.
Culpepper & Merriweather Circus – They help raise funds
for the event, a big job all by itself. They also help coordinate the event,
along with Jennifer Hengel (also a Lion and Executive Coordinator of the
Rushford-Peterson Valley Chamber.)
Hanging Flower Baskets – They help water baskets every week,
a big job by itself.
Calendar Sales – They help raise money for local needs.
Rushford Days Pork Chop Dinner – Always a popular event in
the community, they helped raise money for local needs.
R-P Crossing Guards – They volunteered as safety patrol at
the new school.
Taste of the Trail event – They’ve provided popcorn snacks.
Downtown Music Festival – Another place they brothers have provided
popcorn snacks.
KidsSight Eye Screening – They volunteered back in November
2018 at the R-P school with initial eyesight screenings.
Magelssen Bluff Park entrance sign – The O’Donnell’s designed,
built and helped to install a new sign.
Crossing Guards – They volunteer for the downtown Halloween
trick-or-treating.
Christmas Salvation Army fundraiser – They raise funds at
the holiday season for the Salvation Army.
Christmas Parade of Lights – They always help get the float
ready.
As if that list isn’t extensive enough, the O’Donnells are
planning a project to retrofit picnic tables at Creekside Park to be ADA
accessible.
Grace Place Chili & Soup fundraiser – They co-chairs for
the project, along with Lion Jim Hoiness to help raise money.
Jack is also a Historical Society member, as well as the Good
Shepherd Foundation Chairman.
Jim is also a City of Rushford council member.
“The best part of being in the Lions is the different
projects we do,” said Jack. “We don’t just help around town, either. The Lions
gives a lot of money to a lot of different causes. We always have something
going on.”
When Jack O’Donnell found out that Larry Bartleson nominated
both he and Jim, what was his first reaction? “I told him I was going to get
even with him,” he said with a laugh.
Jim O’Donnell said he appreciates the honor, but he isn’t
involved with the Lions Club for the accolades. “I just like to serve,” he
said.
