Home Care In Plato, MN

FORADA, Minn. — The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday that a tornado hit the small lakeside town of Forada, Minnesota during a bout of severe storms on Monday, May 30.

NWS crews confirmed EF-2 damage in Forada after winds of up to 120 mph hit the area. The survey team also found evidence of multiple vortexes and a path width of at least a half mile. Officials also confirmed EF-1 tornado damage in Eagle Bend and Plato.

Monday night, Forada Fire Chief Stephen VanLuik escorted a KARE 11 crew to see the storm's aftermath. About 100 homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.

The next morning, speaking with KARE 11 reporter Cece Gains, VanLuik said his team did a house to house search to make sure everyone in the community was OK.

"I know it's devastating to look at, but we're glad that no deaths that we know of [were reported], or any major injuries," VanLuik said.

WATCH BELOW: Aerial video reveals extent of the damage along Maple Lake in Forada

Tuesday morning, the widespread damage was more visible as community members started the process of cleaning up their homes. Photos and videos revealed downed trees and power lines. The roofs of several homes were completely ripped off. Other structures were nearly leveled by the storm.

"It's going to be a long, drawn out" process to recover from the damage, VanLuik said. "It's going to be a day by day thing."

This tornado is second twister to impact the area in about 17 days. The first was a confirmed tornado that touched down in Alexandria on May 13.

Slightly farther northeast in Cass County, officials are estimating at least $120,000 worth of damage, saying the most extensive damage occurred in Poplar and Byron Townships. The NWS is still inspecting the area to determine whether the damage was caused by a tornado.

Click here to see video of more storm damage in Forada.

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Farmers are waiting for "priceless" raindrops as the state slips deeper into drought.

Star Tribune

June 23, 2023 — 6:23am

Noticed it's been kind of dry lately?

You're not imagining it: Looking at the period starting in May through now, the Twin Cities has seen less rain this year than any year for the past five decades.

The chart below shows cumulative precipitation — basically, total rainfall — from May 1 to June 22. That blue line at the very bottom is 2023.

But wait, you might remember, didn't we just come off one of the snowiest winters on record? Weren't we just worried about rivers flooding?

That also happened! The chart below looks at the first part of the year, January to May. The blue line near the top is 2023. By the way, if those totals in inches seem less impressive than you remember, it's because this chart shows precipitation, which in the case of snow, the National Weather Service calculates by first melting it down to water.

And while a lot of that snow stayed on the ground throughout the winter, as spring weather came, it melted, driving the flooding seen in late April.

The net effect of the very wet winter and a very dry spring means looking at overall precipitation for the year, the cumulative total is right in the middle.

Still, the moisture a farmer needs for seeds to germinate and crops to thrive is not present at the moment.

Dean Engelmann, who farms outside Plato, Minn., grows produce for the Tangletown Gardens CSA. He said after a hot and dry early growing season had him watching a beautiful crop of spinach wither in 10 days, a short burst of rain last weekend found him beside himself with emotion.

"Do you go out in a puddle and cry or dance?" he said. "Those little rains are priceless."

He also has known the agony of the season. He's been up all night, moving irrigators across his fields. He described the tiny window of time for peas, arugula and radishes to thrive. Those crops love cool, spring weather, and they've suffered under this year's abrupt transition from winter to what Engelmann calls "the cooker."

It's also the third season in a row he's managed drought conditions on his farm an hour west of the Twin Cities.

"The worst thing is when it forecasts rain, and you watch it coming your way only to dissipate before reaching you," he said.

On Thursday, the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln reported 92% of Minnesota is now in drought conditions. Two months ago, drought conditions were markedly lower.

The worst of the drought hovers just south of Lake Mille Lacs. In central Minnesota last weekend, many producers along Hwy. 10 had turned on irrigators to keep crops hydrated, often more of a telltale sign of midsummer than June.

In Chisago County, John Peterson stood in his field of calf-high corn, recounting the tenths-of-an-inch of rain his grounds had seen since Mother's Day. Peterson is a no-till farmer who prides himself on soil health. But he bent low to pick up a fried earthworm lying atop the dirt.

"He didn't make it," Peterson said. "The drought got him, too."

It's a worrying sign for farmers who've been on the land for decades. The only hope for now is to keep watching the sky, waiting for one of those million-dollar rains.

Tom Nehil is the Star Tribune’s newsroom developer, using code to help find and tell stories.

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The circle of life cycle that powers Tangletown Gardens and its neighboring Wise Acre bears striking resemblance to the recycling emblem, traveling from a 140-acre farm in Plato to the storefronts in South Minneapolis and back again. And it’s a path paved with rich black gold: topsoil.

Proprietors Scott Endres and Dean Engelmann consider themselves “humble farm boys,” with Endres hailing from Hampton Township and Engelmann from the land they farm to this very day. Together, the friends have helmed the company for 19 years, through economic downturns and a global pandemic that continues to stretch into the foreseeable future. And they’ve done it without ever taking a shortcut.

In fact, they’re committed to taking a step forward by taking a few steps back, returning to what’s considered “regenerative agriculture.” This way of farming helps rebuild topsoil and reverse the effects of climate change with a focus on biodiversity, crop rotation and other earth-friendly tactics.

Their idyllic farm “has its own ecosystem,” Endres notes. “There’s this ebb and flow of energy to and from the farm. That energy is really important for the lifeblood of our businesses that serve so many people in our community.”

Although the buzzy phrase “farm to table” has unfortunately long since been stripped of any real meaning, Endres and Engelmann have in fact created a carbon-positive farm-to-table-to-farm formula that has allowed their business to bloom. And just as they diversify their crops, over the years they have continuously diversified their offerings to meet the needs and demands of the community. Today, the rich Tangletown portfolio includes the ornamental plants available at the cult-favorite garden center, dreamy garden and landscape design services, true farm-to-fork fare served at Wise Acre, a CSA program, and farm-direct meats and produce.

All of this begins with the dirt under their feet. “Our soil is alive,” Engelmann says. “If you come to the farm and scoop up a handful of soil, you’re holding more microorganisms than humans on the planet. It’s not just a substance we stick a seed in; it’s a living, breathing collection of organisms. You know that beautiful, rich, loamy black soil — you can smell it and almost feel it. You can stand there and admire the diversity of cover crops, wildlife and insects galore.”

“We have lush rolling hills and very rich topsoil that has been formed over tens of thousands of years,” he continues, noting that biodiversity across the region sadly has suffered as many farms have consolidated and become increasingly monoculture. “We’re trying to create and nurture a system that mimics what Mother Nature would do. There’s a lot of cross-pollination: Our pastures become fields, and fields become pasture. Nothing is static. It’s an ever-changing, ever-evolving rhythmic beat, where plants and animals work together to support a sustainable system.”

The farm’s roster includes cows, pigs, ducks, turkeys, an orchard, more than 100 kinds of vegetables, and thousands of ornamental plants. The flora is put to creative use in the brand’s trademark design services as well as showcased at the trend-forward garden center — complete with some of that magical soil. All the prep and packaging for Tangletown’s vast offerings happen right here, too. And when food waste gets scraped from plates at Wise Acre, it’s sent back to Plato to enrich that carefully cultivated topsoil.

“The farm is driven by one equation: Healthy soil leads to healthy plants leads to healthy animals and people,” Engelmann asserts. “Every decision we make is rooted in one thing and one thing only: how we improve our soil. It underlies pretty much everything we do. Modern industrial agriculture will feed the world — until it collapses, because we’ve mined out from underneath our feet.”

Although Tangletown’s unique approach is a direct response to today’s challenging realities, its proprietors remain optimistic, both for business and for the environment. “Throughout the pandemic, food has been good medicine for people,” Endres says. “Gardening has also been good medicine, letting people reconnect with something, nurture something, and feed themselves both in a physical and mental sense.”

“What’s important is that we’re not just taking from the land but nurturing it, leaving it in better condition than when we came to it,” he concludes. “That’s also true for how we approach our businesses and the way we present ourselves to our community. We always strive to give back to the community we serve.”

Read this article as it appears in the magazine.

Discover 5 ways to shop Tangletown Gardens this season and beyond.

It was springtime, 1914. Plato, Minnesota, was home to a two-story brick school. The school, though small, was quite a feat for a small town at the time. Built in 1903, the structure was partitioned into four classrooms and was considered one of the best schools in McLeod County — certainly a credit to the Plato School District.

It’s safe to say that things were a bit different in 1914. Schools were smaller and graduating high school wasn’t always expected of students — especially those living in rural areas. In addition, athletics were not considered as vital as they are today, hence the Plato school, like many others, did not house a gymnasium. Aside from school activities, safety was not regarded as it is in 2022. With that in mind, it wasn’t deemed a big deal when the school’s chimney caught fire.

Though the weather was beginning to warm, there was still a need for heating the indoors. Since the schoolhouse was a two-story structure, a large furnace and chimney were needed to keep students warm through the coldest months of the year. It was common for the chimney to become caked in soot that would occasionally start on fire — in fact, this occurrence seemed to happen in two-week intervals, yet staff and students were aware of this and seldom became anxious that it could lead to disaster.

On Monday, March 12, at around 1:15 p.m. the chimney caught fire once again. This time, however, the school’s principal, George Monier, and several students noted that the chimney was burning hotter than normal. Monier decided to alert the school janitor of the fire, and to watch it closely as he feared the chimney fire could result in sparks falling to the roof and igniting it.

School work continued through the afternoon. At 2:50 p.m., just prior to students being dismissed, Monier heard a heavy thud from above. His first thought was that a student fell while descending the staircase, yet when he stepped into the hall, he found the situation was far more serious — a gleam of light was visible through the hole where the bell rope passed. The garret was of fire!

The situation was critical, yet Mr. Monier did not want to cause a panic. He went to each classroom and told the students to pick up their belongings, exit the school quietly, and wait outside. The principal’s approach worked, and all students and staff exited the building without incident.

The alarm was raised, and the fire department responded promptly. As was customary at the time during a community emergency, residents flocked to the fire to aid in any way they could. Unfortunately, there was a lack of water in the community, and this hampered attempts to fight the fire. People worked persistently to save what contents they could from the school. While the roof burned, any moveable objects such as desks, books, musical instruments and so on were removed from the school. A valiant effort was made to stop the flames, yet it was in vain as the school was a complete loss.

It was a dangerous situation that day, yet in the end, the residents of Plato could count their luck as no students were harmed in the fire. It’s probable that the school year resumed in homes and empty buildings in the vicinity of Plato. A new school was eventually built, yet those who were present in the spring of 1914 would never be able to forget the day the school burned down.

Charitable gaming organizations across Minnesota say they could lose millions of dollars if the House and Senate adopt a new law prohibiting certain e-pull tab games.

“Today is about taking care of our veterans, our firefighters, our Lions Clubs and literally every youth sports organization and association in the State of Minnesota,” said Rep. Shane Hudella, R-Hastings. “The absolute only thing that the language does in this bill is hurt Minnesota charities.”

At issue are e-pull tabs that require just one touch to activate multiple rows of characters to determine if a player has won anything. Native American tribes say those electronic pull tabs started to look and operate too much like slot machines, which only the tribes are allowed to operate in Minnesota. The Minnesota Court of Appeals agreed and now the Legislature is considering banning those specific devices.

“This clarification of game features is not an elimination of electronic pull tabs or bingo,” says Andy Plato, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association. “Current e-games have evolved beyond both the plain reading and intent of the current statute.”

Plato adds they are not trying to hurt charitable causes and hopes the Legislature can do something to help the charities.

Meanwhile, the group Protect our Charities held a news conference Thursday with Rep. Hudella and other lawmakers urging the House and Senate not to ban the games.

“Changing the rules would be devastating to these organizations,” said Keith Franke, a bar and restaurant owner in St. Paul Park who leads the charity group.

Franke says the courts technically didn’t rule the games illegal, and his group urges lawmakers not to take that step. Forcing charities to go back to older technology would be like going back to flip phones and wouldn’t be as popular or profitable, he said.

The e-pull tabs not only help charities but are also a major funding source for U.S. Bank Stadium.

In the 2022 fiscal year, paper pull tabs brought in $2.1 billion in gross receipts, up from $1.7 billion the previous year. In fiscal 2022, electronic pull tabs brought in $1.9 billion, up from $1.3 billion the previous year.