Our Take on Renewables in Morrison County Renewable energy _ wind, solar and conservation technology _ is becoming rapidly more efficient and profitable. An accelerating conversion to renewables could be particularly helpful to our Minnesota economy and for our workforce outside the metropolitan area, where about 97 percent of our wind blows and our sun shines. Our One Minnesota Rural Equity Project, will help dispel irrational opposition... Read More
MN Biz Alarmed About Anti-Immigrant Tilt Minnesota business leaders have been ringing alarm bells loudly since November about the potential damage to our economy from anti-immigrant policies and attitudes. One of the best takes we’ve seen is this insightful two-part editorial series by Dale Kurschner, Editor-in-Chief of Twin Cities Business Magazine. Kurschner focuses on Greater Minnesota and heavy agribusiness reliance on imm... Read More
State Revenue Dip and the “Mis-Session” Our third annual session round-up and guest blogpost for the Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation expresses deep concerns about missed opportunities and misspending on tax cuts in the 2017 legislative session, amid uncertainty around the possible decimation of federal economic security programs. Our analysis of the session impact on our most vulnerable Minnesotans coincides with... Read More
Rural “Place-making” Key to Job Growth On our many travels this summer, listening closely to both concerns and success stories in Greater Minnesota, we constantly hear about the importance of “place-making” for rural communities. The Center for Rural Policy & Development expresses this idea very well with this recent statement in the Morning Take tipsheet: “For most parts of the state, the coming wo... Read More
Immigrants Boosting Economy in Rural MN Check out this hopeful and inspiring story about Isabel and Raul Castellano’s start-up of Chabelita’s Yummy Foods and Fruits, a new business in rural LeSueur Minnesota, enabled in part with assistance from the Region Nine Development Commission. Research consistently shows that immigrants provide a net gain for Minnesota, from high rates of entrepreneurialism, to filling agribusines... Read More