It’s been more than 15 years since a meeting between former United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN) executive director Shelley Valentini and former Mesabi East school nurse Shelly Whiting were continually interrupted by students complaining of stomach aches.

Valentini called Whiting and said UWNEMN wanted to pilot a program to help prevent those Monday stomach aches. In 2025, UWNEMN’s Buddy Backpacks are now available in every school across the Iron Range and Koochiching County. Since its inception, local donors and volunteers have united to pack and deliver more than 300,000 “Buddy Backpacks” – which are bags of food with shelf-stable, child-friendly, nutritious food items intended for breakfast, lunch, and dinners over the weekend.

Buddy Backpacks go home with students who are likely to rely on school meals. During the school year, students receive the bags of food before weekends and holiday breaks to fill the meal gaps. In recent years, Buddy Backpacks have also become available at all of UWNEMN’s free summer lunch sites.

Buddy Backpacks was first piloted in 2010 and made available to all schools in their service area in 2011. To make a year-end donation in support of Buddy Backpacks, visit the United Way NEMN Website. 

The trail conditions might be poor now due to recent weather trends, but Lake Bemidji State Park will be offering many different recreational activities to visitors. Lake Bemidji State Park Naturalist Christa Drake tells us some of the things you’ll be able to do in the park, once the snow allows it. 

More information about Lake Bemidji State Park can be seen on the park’s webpage on the Minnesota DNR website.

Most local and area schools are going on Christmas Break today, with most returning to school on January 5th to begin the new year. Tom Jerome, Superintendent of Roseau School District talked with us to send a holiday message to those apart of the Roseau School District that make a huge impact, and to those who continue to work over the holiday break period to ensure a smooth transition into 2026.

Again Roseau schools do have sports over the holiday break, most notably, holiday tournaments taking place next week throughout Northwest Minnesota. Students return to the classroom Monday January 5th.

We’re less than two weeks away from Minnesota’s new Paid Leave program launching. DEED Deputy Commissioner Evan Rowe says the program will make the lives of Minnesotans better.

Rowe says Minnesota will become the thirteenth state to implement a paid leave program.

More resources and info on the program can be found on the paid Leave website at paidleave.mn.gov.

The Farmer Bridge Assistance Program announced Friday that they will receive up to $11 billion of funding allocated to the FBA to offset losses during the 2025 crop year. The program provides broad relief to U.S. row crop producers, including growers of 

barley, chickpeas, corn, cotton, lentils, oats, peanuts, peas, rice, soybeans, wheat, canola, flax, mustard, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, sunflower and more.

Payments will be calculated using a formula based on Farm Service Agency (FSA) reported planted acres, USDA Economic Research Service cost-of-production estimates. Also affecting the formula is WASDE yields and prices as well as economic modeling and national loss averages.

If you have any questions or concerns about the formula, you should contact your local FSA office.

If you’re going to be travelling in the next few days for Christmas, you need to remember to pack more than just presents and your kids. Brynna Knapp of AAA Minnesota has this advice.

Knapp also tells us the most popular destinations for holiday travel.

Wherever you’re going during the holiday season, you can find the latest Minnesota road conditions online at 511MN.org.

With area producers ensuring their 2025 acreage reports are accurate and submitted to the FSA over the weekend, Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota District 7 including Roseau County provided some other important dates and reminders to keep in mind.

For payment rates, commodity-specific rates will be announced by the end of this month. Eligible farmers should expect for payments to be issued by February 28, 2026.

A requirements reminder that crop insurance participation is not required to receive FBA payments. For those planning for the future, it is important to know that The USDA strongly encourages producers to utilize the new One Big Beautiful Bill risk management tools to protect against future price volatility.

The Roseau-Lake of the Woods County Soybean Growers and their checkoff dollars are supporting those in need during the Christmas holiday. Growers donated ham to the Northwest Community Action (NWCA) based in Badger and the Roseau Area Food Shelf in Roseau.

Treasurer of the Soybean Growers Association Ed Walsh “With these dollars, we are able to partner with our local grocery store and purchase hams that will be distributed the week of Christmas through Northwest Community Action and the Roseau Area Food Shelf.” Walsh went on to say “It is very important and helpful to give to those in need, The NCA and the Food Shelf do tremendous work, and we are proud to help the families in our community.”

Studies estimate that more than 50 million people rely on food pantries and meal programs to feed themselves and their families, according to a recent study by Feeding America. That equates to one in six people in the U.S.

The Northwest Community Action Family Service Department assists individuals and families in the Roseau-LOW service area, which includes the counties of Kittson, Lake of the Woods, East Marshall and Roseau.

The Roseau-Lake of the Woods County Soybean Growers are affiliated with the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, which oversees the investment of soybean checkoff dollars on behalf of approximately 26,000 soybean farmers in Minnesota.

Minnesota farmers described how life on the farm is getting even tougher with a lot of uncertainty heading into the new year. Theresia Gillie is a soybean farmer from Hallock and says she is dealing with specific challenges

Peter Schwagerl farms corn and soybeans among other crops near Browns Valley. He was asked how he’s preparing for next year.

Theresia Gillie is also a Kittson County Commissioner so she sees how these higher expenses are affecting her entire county. A bipartisan Senate subcommittee will take this testimony with them into the next legislative session.