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SCHEDULE UPDATE: Minnesota vs Rutgers – University of Minnesota Athletics

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SCHEDULE UPDATE: Minnesota vs Rutgers – University of Minnesota Athletics


The Minnesota women’s tennis team’s match at Rutgers has been postponed due to travel complications with the Golden Gophers. Originally scheduled for Sunday, April 2, the schools will work to find a future date for the match to be rescheduled.
 
The Gophers return to action on Friday, April 14 when they host Northwestern at Baseline Tennis Center. The home match is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.



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Minnesota

Dozens of eagles spotted at Minnesota lake: Video

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Dozens of eagles spotted at Minnesota lake: Video


Dozens of eagles were spotted at Lake Traverse in Wheaton, Minnesota, on Sunday. 

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The video, captured by Carol Bauer, filmed the eagles perched in the trees, saying, “A rare occurrence of thousands of dead fish has brought in several dozens of Bald Eagles to Traverse County MN located near Wheaton MN.”

Bald eagles can be found across much of the United States, and early in the year they are on the move, with some traveling long distances to get to their summer breeding grounds, Storyful notes. 



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Census: Minnesota farms are growing

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Census: Minnesota farms are growing


Connor Danielson’s inspiration for farming was his grandfather, even though his grandfather had retired before Danielson was born.

“He kept some of his equipment, and I would always follow him around,” says Danielson, who is a student at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minn.

He also spent a lot of time at his uncle’s hobby farm. “I kind of grew up out there, so that got me into farming,” he says.

Danielson started helping neighbors in the Atwater area, at first picking rocks. Then he helped another neighbor who needed part-time help through the summer with chickens, among other things.

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That was in 2018, and that farmer said he would help Danielson farm some land if he could find some to rent.

Danielson went back to the farmer he originally picked rocks for to see about renting some land, “so he rented me 11 acres that year,” says Danielson, who used that land as the basis for his FFA supervised agricultural experience project that earned him a trip to the National FFA Convention.

Data from the 2022 ag census that was released in February shows Danielson fits into a couple of boxes, as Minnesota farms of all sizes grew from 2017, including those on the small size.

While many bemoan the loss of small farms, the number of farms with 1 to 9 acres grew from 1,974 five years ago to 2,189 in 2022. Farms with 500 acres or more grew from 2,183 in 2017 to 2,599 in 2022.

Farms with 10 to 49 acres grew from 4,365 to 5,672; 50 to 179 acres grew from 4,741 to 5,305; and the farms with 180 to 499 acres grew from 2,869 in 2017 to 3,149 farms in this latest census.

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The average-sized farm in Minnesota is 388 acres in 2022, up from 371 in 2017.

Aging, but youth movement

While the Minnesota farmer continues to age from 56.5 in 2017 to 57.1 in 2022, and all age categories saw growth, there is also hope, as about 500 people younger than 25 were added to the ranks since the last census.

While Danielson may not be the stereotypical starting farmer in Minnesota, he shares the same dreams with many young farmer hopefuls across the Gopher State.

“If I could farm full time right now, I would do it,” he says, “but I don’t have that option at this point in time.”

Knowing full-time farming is not currently an option for him, Danielson is working toward an associate degree in ag mechanics as a fallback, but that also will serve him well on the farm.

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“I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands, working on the equipment, and I’ve always enjoyed putzing with my own equipment, so I decided to go to school for it, and then I could use this on the farm if I ever do get the opportunity to farm full time. … It’s almost impossible to get into because it’s really expensive, so this way I can live off this income, and I can use it to help me farm.”

Of the 114,000-plus total farmers in Minnesota, more than 68,000 worked off the farm, with over 45,000 working 200 days or more off the farm to supplement their farm income. Almost 64,000 producers considered off-farm employment to be their main occupation.





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Asylum seekers from Ecuador, who came Minnesota for better lives, struggle to find work

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Asylum seekers from Ecuador, who came Minnesota for better lives, struggle to find work


MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota is home to more than half a million immigrants. Census data shows most of them came here from Mexico and Somalia. More recently though, the state is seeing hundreds of people fleeing Ecuador and seeking asylum in Minnesota.

For hours, people hold out their thumbs and swarm to any car that pulls over. They’re from Ecuador, new to Minneapolis, and looking for work — day jobs like moving, cleaning or construction. The competition is insane.

“Like everybody else here, when a car stops and try to pick up a guy, we all run and try to get there first and get picked, but that doesn’t happen all the time. The last time I had a job here, was more than a month ago,” one man said.

A section of Lake Street near the old Kmart has become a symbol of what experts say is an overwhelmed immigration system. Many of the people WCCO spoke to have fled danger in Ecuador and are seeking asylum here — a legal process that would allow them to get a work permit. But Minnesota’s courts have nearly 13,000 cases in the backlog.

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People swarm cars looking for work — day jobs like moving, cleaning or construction. 

WCCO


A woman named Alejandra told WCCO her court date is scheduled for February 2025. In the meantime, Alejandra, who was a nurse in Ecuador, comes here, always thinking of her family back home.

“Every afternoon, I make a video call with my 8-year-old son to help him with his homework, find out how his day went, and bring joy to my day,” she said. “I immigrated to the United States to have a better life for me and my family, but I haven’t been able to find something.”

MORE NEWS: Alito extends order barring Texas from detaining migrants under SB4 immigration law for now

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Nearly 2,000 Ecuadorians have immigration cases pending in Minnesota. David Wilson helps who he can as an attorney, but he says there are no easy solutions.

“There’s not enough judges. There’s not enough asylum officers. There’s not enough government people to process the requests, and so it leaves people in limbo, wondering what to do and how to feed themselves and their children while waiting,” Wilson said.

WCCO was told jobs typically pay $15 an hour but on the rare occasions they even get one, it doesn’t always go well.

“Yesterday, a contractor stopped by, saying he wanted some people to work and he had a few guys in his truck, but someone said that he made him work for a week and didn’t give him his check for $1,200,” one man said.

Many organizations help where they can.

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“They’re out here trying to get a job, it’s like, how do we help them keep the strength and keep them out here wanting to work,” said Chris Bellanger with the nonprofit Involve MN.

Ultimately, Wilson says it’s going to take political willpower to improve the system. One suggestion he has is to fund more staffing to get through the backlog.

“It’s so politically volatile, but people forget they’re just real lives. There are people running from real danger,” Wilson said.

An immigration attorney told WCCO that being hired off the street for a day is legally similar to paying a friend to help you move. If the work becomes more consistent, then it could become a legal problem for both the immigrant and the employer.

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