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West Central Minnesota Regional Food Assessment
Full text linkThis project documents food access, barriers, production, and suggestions for improvement in the food system across a largely agricultural five-county (Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, and Traverse) region in West-Central Minnesota. A variety of methods, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups, were used to gather data. Secondary (e.g., US Census, USDA Census of Agriculture) and historical (e.g., grocery store directories) data were also used in this project.
Approximately half of household food security survey respondents (N= 283) had in the last year at least worried about there not being enough money for food in their household. Respondents experiencing food insecurity were much less likely to be able to meet basic and/or special dietary needs. About 6% of the region’s 71,000 people receive SNAP (formerly Food Stamps) benefits, and visits to some emergency food providers have increased by over 50% in the past two years. The number of grocery stores in the region has decreased by half since 1990, and most communities in the region no longer have a grocery store. More than three-fourths of survey respondents indicated most of their grocery shopping is done at Walmart (43%), Aldi (25%), Cub Foods (6%), or Target (2%).
In the past few years, new large scale local vegetable production and processing has increased and includes carrots, dried beans, lettuces and herbs, though most produce consumed in the region still is imported. Despite large numbers of livestock (meat) and prodigious volumes of milk production in the region, there are only a few small meat processors and no dairy processors. To help address these issues, the Growing Grant County project is training youth in Ashby and West Central School districts to grow vegetables in greenhouses and to process meat.
Household food security survey, focus group, and interview data all indicate that the price of food (groceries) is a major concern for a significant proportion of the regional population. Economic issues, transportation/distance to food sources, and time of year were the top barriers to food access noted by study participants. Participants also had a variety of suggestions for addressing food security-related issues in the region, including increasing SNAP benefits, supporting more local food production, processing, and preservation, to increase freshness of produce, finding ways to improve transit options or reduce distance between residents and food retailers, and making sure that emergency food providers stock quick/easy and non-perishable foods for those experiencing food and/or housing insecurity.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/cst/1084/thumbnail.jp
Investigating the Effect of Soil Origin on Antibiotic Production in Streptomyces
Full text linkStreptomyces bacteria produce antibiotics that inhibit competing microorganisms. We hypothesized that Streptomyces from the rhizosphere (around plant roots) would be more likely to produce antibiotics than those from bulk soil (further away from roots). Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere and bulk soils in transitional and long-term organic fields of corn and alfalfa. Streptomyces from these soils were cultured on glucose-asparagine agar media. Their antibiotic production was evaluated by testing whether they could inhibit the growth of two target Streptomyces strains. No significant effects of soil type (rhizosphere vs. bulk), crop, or management on antibiotic production were observed for one target strain. In contrast, the other target strain showed a complex interaction, where antibiotic production depended on the combination of soil type, crop, and management. The results did not support the hypothesis that rhizosphere-derived Streptomyces are more likely to produce antibiotics.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/urs_2025/1007/thumbnail.jp
Jayson Weber Interview, 2025
No full textJayson Weber discusses his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was a high school senior in Morris, Minnesota and as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota Morris.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/covid19/1003/thumbnail.jp
The Dark Side of Midwest Nice: Neighborliness as a Mechanism of Privilege
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/tafs/1074/thumbnail.jp
\u27Hard Moon\u27 or \u27withéȟi wí\u27 (January)
No full textThe ‘Hard Moon’, or ‘withéȟi wí’ refers to the hardships faced during the height of the winter, in January. This month is also referred to as “Hard Times Moon” because, historically, this time of the year made it difficult for the survival of Dakota and other indigenous tribes in the region.
The watercolor drawing depicts a bare tree with few leaves next to a buffalo skull on the ground. In the background, a large yellow moon dominates the sky.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/calendar_posters/1000/thumbnail.jp
Julie A. Eckerle
No full textEckerle, Julie A. Life-Writing Dapifers: Early Modern Women as Textual Stewards. Early Modern Improvisations: Essays in History and Literature in Honor of John Watkins, edited by Katherine Scheil and Linda Shenk, Routledge, 2024, pp. 161-171.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/cosa2024/1010/thumbnail.jp
Ann DuHamel
No full textBELIEVE: The Pedagogy of Ted Lasso, Music Teachers National Association Conference, Atlanta, GA; March 18, 2024.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/cosa2024/1009/thumbnail.jp