Podcast: Center of Everywhere Podcast

Season 2 Ep 9: Discussing the data trends from the pandemic

Now that we are beginning to exit the pandemic (hopefully), the data from the previous year and a half are being released. In this episode, Marnie Werner and Kelly Asche discuss what they’ve been seeing in the data. And although the illness and deaths associated with COVID-19 hit hard in our rural areas, some of ...

Season 2 Ep 8: State Demographer Susan Brower

On this episode, Marnie Werner and Kelly Asche speak with the Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower. The conversation covers how the process of drawing new district and approval differ on paper vs. the reality, how much of rural Minnesota isn’t growing in population, but isn’t really declining either, and ideas on how rural areas might ...

Season 2 Ep 7: Telecommuting in Rural Minnesota

This week hear Kelly Asche discuss the rise in working from home, and what telecommuting can mean for rural Minnesota. Features special guests Xinyi Qian and Neil Linscheid of the University of Minnesota – Extension. 

Season 2 Ep 6: The rising value of ag lands and property taxes

On this episode, Marnie Werner discusses her newest research report coming out in February on the rising values of agriculture lands and the rising property taxes associated with these values. We discuss the disconnect between the value of ag land and farm profitability, the increasing role investors and non-farmers are having on the issue, and ...

Season 2 Ep 5: Shifting Energy Infrastructure

In this episode, CRDP researcher Whitney Oachs discusses her new research examining the issues, barriers and opportunities facing rural energy providers in shifting their infrastructure to renewable sources. She is joined by Tim Velde, who sits on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light & Power Association as well as on the ...

Season 2 Ep. 4: State of Rural 2021

In this episode, hear from Kelly Asche and Ben Winchester as they discuss the narrative myths surrounding rural Minnesota, from population statistics, to workforce and housing. 

Season 2 Ep. 3: E-Commerce and the Amazon Effect

In our third episode of the Center of Everywhere Podcast, researcher Kelly Asche explores the topic of the amazon effect on retail and local tax revenue with UMN Extension community economics educators Neil Linscheid and Ryan Pesch. Online sales have permeated everyday life and their impacts stretch beyond convenience of shopping. Local leaders see the ...

Season 2 Ep. 2: A conversation about food cooperatives

Grocery stores have been on Julie’s mind lately. As a member of the Waseca EDA, she finds herself thinking about ways and alternatives to attract a new grocery store business to the community to help fill a need that is currently only occupied by Walmart. On this episode, she discusses one alternative – cooperatives. She’s ...

Season 2 Ep. 1: Why our upcoming research is focused around taxes

After taking a break over the summer we are happy to be back and discuss some of the future research we have coming out this Fall. On this episode we discuss why our upcoming research will be focused around a general topic – taxes. What we thought, at first, was just coincidence that our topics ...