Minnesota
Minnesota-based Sustane Natural Fertilizer is a worldwide powerhouse in the industry
CANNON FALLS, Minn. — What began as a Minnesota farm family looking to turn poultry waste into a fertilizer good for plants and the environment has turned into a company that ships its products nationwide and to 60 different countries in the world.
Cannon Falls-based
Sustane Natural Fertilizer
was one of 12 fertilizer plant projects that was
announced last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is investing $83 million to enhance domestic fertilizer supply.
The family-owned company plans to use a $2,397,792 grant to enhance and expand its current facility and purchase new equipment to increase production.
USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Basil Gooden and Colleen Landkamer, Minnesota’s director of USDA Rural Development, were in Cannon Falls on Thursday, May 30, to hear from Sustane’s founder, CEO and president Craig Holden and other company leaders.
Gooden said fertilizer prices have almost doubled since the pandemic.
“The Biden-Harris administration is focused on this supply chain for fertilizer, and reducing the costs and making fertilizer more available,” he said. “(USDA) really wanted to make that significant investment in fertilizer companies.”
Noah Fish / Agweek
The investment in Sustane, which specializes in products that can be used on certified-organic operations, also has an environmental impact, Gooden said.
“It’s a win-win,” he said. “I’m really just delighted that we were able to come here to learn more and to see it, and to show our support for such initiatives as well.”
A turkey farmer at the time, Craig Holden came up with the idea for the company in the 1980s when he was looking for a solution to having an excess of manure on the farm.
“That’s me, 39 years and 39 pounds ago,” Holden told Gooden and Landkamer, pointing to his face on the cover of a farm magazine for regenerative agriculture in 1985. “A local agronomist suggested that we donate the manure and give the manure away to crop farmers that could benefit from the nutrients. But we literally could not give manure away. Crop farmers didn’t want it.”
Contributed / Sustane Natural Fertilizer
Holden said he’d “never forget the look on the face” of the crop farmer across the road from him, who refused to take manure from his farm. Instead, he found ways like anaerobic composting to store manure safely to prevent disease transmission to flocks, but Holden said the costs were adding up.
“Even though we were able to get rid of it, at about 25 bucks a ton in those days, all of our income was consumed by transportation because we were handling this wet, humus, nutrient-rich product and transporting it only about 10 or 15 miles,” he said.
Blaize Holden, vice president of operations for Sustane, said that was when the family began to research the agronomic benefits of composted turkey litter.
“So we began dehydrating it and granulating it, and bagging it,” Holden said. “Now we ship it to over 60 countries around the world.”
Today, around 40 poultry farms in Minnesota and western Wisconsin contribute to the company’s products.
Sustane is currently the only manure-based fertilizer that’s permitted to ship to Europe, Blaize Holden said, and the only U.S.-based organic fertilizer that’s permitted to ship to China. The company has around 50% of its customer base inside the U.S., with the other half international.
The company’s products are sold to a diverse range of customer populations from home gardeners to large-scale organic farms, and is used on areas to regrow grass and reclaim damaged or depleted soils.
Noah Fish / Agweek
“We service agriculture, but we also service professional lawn and landscape, nursery and greenhouse, erosion control,” Holden said. “It’s a very high-quality, organic, sustainable product with low odor, low dust, so easy to handle.”
Holden said that products from Sustane Natural Fertilizer are used at exclusive properties, including the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Disney facilities, PGA Tour golf courses, and Premier League, MLB and NFL fields.
The USDA project funding will allow the company, which has been pushing against its capacity for several years, to expand
“We’re looking to increase fertilizer production capacity here in Cannon Falls, and we’re also building a second facility on-site for our seed treatment production,” Blaize Holden said. “We have developed markets all over the world, so we’re looking to be able to supply those better.”
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The draft pick becomes a fifth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft if Minnesota wins two playoff rounds and Petry plays in 50 percent or more of the Wild’s playoff games during those first two rounds.
Petry, 38 (12/9/1987), owns eight assists, 22 penalty minutes and 45 shots on goal in 58 games for Florida this season. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound native of Ann Arbor, Mich., has recorded 393 points (96-297=393), 103 power-play points (24-79=103), 1,745 shots on goal and 1,616 blocked shots in 1,039 games across 16 NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (2010-15), Montreal Canadiens (2015-22), Pittsburgh Penguins (2022-23), Detroit Red Wings (2023-25) and Florida (2025-26). He has also amassed 13 points (5-8=13) and 90 shots on goal in 48 postseason games across four Stanley Cup Playoff appearances (2015, 2017, 2020, 2021), all with Montreal.
Petry skated in the 1,000th game of his NHL career with Florida on Nov. 17 vs. Vancouver after signing with the Panthers as a free agent on July 1, 2025. He served as an alternate captain for Montreal for three seasons (2019-22) and set career-high marks in goals (13), assists (33) and points (46) with the Canadiens during the 2018-19 season. Petry totaled 28 points (7-21=28) in 51 career American Hockey League (AHL) games in parts of three seasons (2009-12) with the Springfield Falcons (2009-10) and Oklahoma City Barons (2010-12), and represented the United States at the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2024 IIHF World Championships, earning a bronze medal with Team USA in 2013. He was originally selected by Edmonton in the second round (No. 45 overall) of the 2006 NHL Draft. He will wear sweater No. 2 with Minnesota.
Minnesota travels to play the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow, March 6, at 9 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.
Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Grand Casino Arena Box Office. Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are also available for purchase. Please visittickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can contact [email protected] for more information. Single game suite rentals are also available, contact [email protected] for more information or book instantly at wildsuites.com.
Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.
One of the oldest operating theaters in the Midwest is in danger of closing its doors for good.
If you’re heading south on Highway 15, Fairmont, Minnesota, is your last gasp before you hit Iowa. It officially became a city in the late 1800s — and not long after, the Opera House was born.
“We are the oldest, operating, continuously operating theater in the state of Minnesota,” said Jane Reiman, a lifelong resident of Fairmont.
When the doors opened in 1901, operas, musicals, plays, and concerts—drew people from across southern Minnesota, and even from Iowa and South Dakota.
“We have done a lot of entertainment over the years.”
The rock band America once performed at the opera house, as did folk legend Arlo Guthrie. In the 1990’s, the opera house even got a visit from Paul McCartney. His family bought seats.
“They came here and sat in the chairs, and now we have plaques on the chairs to memorialize them.”
In 3rd grade Blake Potthoff went to his first performance at the theater, and later, he acted on stage.
“You’ve grown up with this opera house?” asked WCCO’s John Lauritsen.
“Yeah. Absolutely, it’s a part of me even before I became executive director,” said Potthoff.
But like everything else, the theater has aged over time, to the point that it’s going to cost more than $4 million just to keep it running. If they can’t raise the money, the Opera House may have already seen its final curtain call.
“The building is on life support, and we are doing everything we can to make sure we get back to surviving and thriving,” said Potthoff.
Scaffolding is there, just to reinforce the roof; that’s the biggest expense. But the Fairmont community is starting to respond. Grants and donations have raised $1.5 million so far—still short, but a start.
When renovations are complete, they’d also like to maintain the old character of this theater. That includes this hand-cast plaster, which is also 125-years-old.
The chandeliers were installed a decade before the Titanic sank, and they’re hoping to keep those too. For Blake and others, the show has to go on. For the people in the seats, the actors on stage, and for the livelihood of a small town.
“There’s reason to save this building. That $4 million isn’t impossible. Only improbable. And I truly believe it too. I have a history of performing here. And I have two young kids. I want them to perform on stage like I had the opportunity,” said Potthoff.
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) called on Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to resign during the House Oversight Committee’s hearing on the widespread fraud in Minnesota.
Higgins began his line of questioning by referring to Ellison’s open statement.
“Under Minnesota law, my Office has limited jurisdiction over criminal matters. The only kind of criminal case we can prosecute on our own is Medicaid fraud; any other criminal case must be specifically referred to us by county attorneys or the Governor,” Ellison said in his opening statement.
Higgins stated Ellison said that his office only had the authority to investigate Medicaid fraud, to which Ellison nodded his head in response.
But, Higgins pointed out that was incorrect.
“Under your own law, you have authority if the county district attorney asks you to get involved, or if the governor asks you to get involved, then your office can take the lead on any criminal investigation,” Ellison said.
Ellison remained speechless after Higgins asked him if that his statement was correct.
“So you have the authority to lead your state’s effort to respond to this massive fraud at the state level, from within the health care realm, where government money has been stolen at very, very high levels, unprecedented levels, in your state,” Higgins said.
“Are you leading that effort for the state of Minnesota?”
Ellison replied but his response was not picked up by the microphone.
“You’re addressing it,” Higgins asked. “Are you leading it?”
Ellison responded, “we are leading the effort to prosecute Medicaid fraud.”
“I’m not talking about Medicaid fraud,” Higgins yelled.
“Don’t hide behind that. You have the authority to prosecute anything criminally that the governor asked you to. And this thing is big.”
“I’m giving you an opportunity, sir. Are you leading the criminal investigative effort into this massive fraud across the board in the healthcare spectrum, in the state of Minnesota or not,” Higgins continued.
Ellison replied, saying his office was “following the law,” prompting Higgins to interject.
“You are not leading,” Higgins responded. “You’re not leading. I must say, Mr. Chairman, that the Attorney General of Minnesota should resign.”
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