News

Little Falls food hub, Sprout MN, connects farmers with consumers

Wednesday, January 08, 2020

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. — Agriculture stories this past year focused on the affects of a trade war and the impact of climate change on farmers. Arlene Jones has a different story to tell. She's a farmer with 80 acres and the executive director of Sprout, a food hub in Little Falls that connects local farmers with markets in schools and restaurants and with consumers directly. "The trade wars don't impact small, biodiverse farms," Jones told the St. Cloud Times. “The trade wars are impacting the growers that have thousands and thousands of acres of mostly corn and soybeans that are sitting in grai...

Carol Anderson of Community Development of Morrison County Appointed to Governor's Workforce Development Board

Monday, December 09, 2019

Carol Anderson of Community Development of Morrison County has been appointed to Governor's Workforce Development Board. She and the other appointees to the Board will assist the Governor in: developing, implementing, and modifying the State plan, review of statewide policies and programs, providing recommendations on actions to align and improve the workforce development system and programs, develop strategies to identify and remove barriers for better alignment, support career pathways, provide outreach to individuals and employers benefiting from the system, developing and updating comprehensive state performance accountability measures, and disseminating of best practices.

Boone’s Market in Randall open and ready to welcome community

Monday, November 04, 2019

After being hungry for a grocery story for more than a year, Randall residents and those passing through, can have their fill. Adam Boone opened Boone’s Market in Randall, Friday, Oct. 25. In July, Boone purchased Gosch’s, the town’s grocery and meat market that had been a staple in town since 1902. It had been closed for more than a year. After a few months of challenges, Boone’s Market is finally open for business. The store has been cleaned from top to bottom and Boone has put his branding everywhere — on the walls, carts and aisle signs. His parents and siblings helpe...

Eastern Morrison County Sportsmen's Club rifle and trap range grows into favorite for sportsmen

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Eastern Morrison County Sportsmen's Club rifle and trap range is a hidden jewel on Highway 27 between Pierz and Little Falls. For 50-plus years, a little piece of land on Highway 27 has offered sportsmen a place to practice their shooting skills. In the 1960s, landowner Bumpy (Alcuin) Faust opened a 10-acre piece of his property to people who wanted to shoot trap on Sunday afternoons. Today, that piece of land, now expanded to 40 acres, is what members call a premier shooting range, due to all of the improvements made to the range over the years.

Starry Eyed Brewing Co. in Little Falls, MN

Monday, September 30, 2019

Tucked away in north Little Falls, just off the juncture of highways 371 and 10, exists a brewery that owes much of its existence to a woman named Dayna -- from its inception as a small birthday gift, to the name and logo emblazoned on its building today. It started as a home brewing kit for her husband Thomas Goebel, the current president, co-owner and head brewer at Starry Eyed. A lifelong beer lover, Goebel discovered he had quite the knack for brewing his own beer and it grew from there.

Barrett pet food company breaks ground for Little Falls facility

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The site of Brainerd area-based Barrett Petfood Innovations' expansion was bustling with activity and excitement when ground was broken Monday, Aug. 12, in Little Falls in Morrison County. “We’re expanding ... and the pet industry is -- as everyone knows -- that people love their pets,” Sarah Barrett said before the groundbreaking ceremony. “We’ve moved from pet owners to pet parents, and those are the people that we cater to.” Brother and sister Tom and Sarah Barrett are the managing directors of Barrett Petfood Innovations, which was founded by their father Mike. Barrett Petfood Innovations has been a global manufacturing partner sinc...

A sunny future for Smude oil

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The Smudes began their operation on their 160-acre farm, but outgrew the production space and moved it into Pierz. To meet the growing demand for their high oleic sunflower oil and popcorn, Smude Enterprises recently acquired a facility near their existing location. The new plant will help them expand from producing about 800,000 pounds of oil per year to 6 million pounds. The Smudes have 23 employees now and expect to add 10 more in the next year. The expansion provides an opportunity for other local farmers too.

The Burton-Rosenmeier House

Little Falls' leading example of Neoclassical architecture, built c. 1900 and owned successively by notable local merchant Barney Burton and attorney/politician Christian Rosenmeier. Now houses the Little Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau.