Buffer zones, bees, and turkeys in the special session

from News Day by Mary Turck

What’s wrong with the agriculture, environment and natural resources bill? It’s hard to know where to begin. Partly, the problem is the bill is too damn big. Along with the budget items, (mostly) Republican legislators threw in a pile of bad laws that they thought they could get through at the last minute. They figured, wrongly as it turned out, that Governor Dayton would focus only on the education bill and would let them get away with murder in environmental rollbacks. They were wrong.

Here’s a short list of bad items in the bill, followed by an explanation of what’s wrong with the omnibus process.

When our animals get sick and die

from Minnesota Farm Living by Wanda Patsche

One of the hardest things about farming is when our animals are sick.

We hate it.

And the only thing worst than sick animals are dead animals. We just can’t get around the feeling that we have failed them.

So why do pigs become sick?

LEADERSHIP: A choice — you decide

from Gov. Arne Carlson’s blog

…Now Eric Kaler, the new President, who has a most impressive academic resume, did not create the stonewalling or the untruths of multiple investigations that were “exhaustive” and “found no fault”.  However, he had a choice when he arrived in 2011.  He could meet with the Professors who were waving the red flags and who had fully informed him as to what was transpiring in drug testing which brought millions of dollars to the University and its researchers but was also rift with financial conflicts of interests, false claims about investigations, and abuse of enrollees. Or he could take the road of least resistance and continue the cover-up. He knowingly chose the latter.

Currently, President Kaler is under siege from some of his faculty and others for his lack of truthfulness and participation in a cover-up that protected serious misconduct.  Their claims are fully supported by a recent report by the Legislative Auditor. Yet, there is no acceptance of responsibility.

Q+A with a 15-year deep fry veteran: ‘Don’t get burned.’

from Stubble by Tom Johnson

Stubble: What’s the secret to deep frying?
Eric: Well I don’t know if there’s any real secret here. “Don’t get burned” would be the best advice I’d give on that.

Stubble: Anything to help actually fry the things well? Cooking-wise?
Eric: Keep the oil hot. Don’t get burned and move the product around.

Stubble: How long have you been deep frying?
Eric: Oh jeez. Probably about 15 years, easily.

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