Farmers win two of three open seats on Olmsted County soil and water board

Noah Fish / Agweek By Noah Fish Today at 5:30 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? ROCHESTER, Minn. — Two farmers won seats on the Olmsted County Soil and Water Conservation District board in the Nov. 3 election, filling two of the three open spots on the five-member board. Kevin Connelly, who farms near Byron, took the District 1 seat with 51.2% of the vote in a three-way race, according to official results. Jesse O’Driscoll had 27.5%, and Pernell Meier had 20.8%. ADVERTISEMENT John Pries won District 3 with 58% of the vote. James Tully had 41.3%, though he backed Pries after the ballot was set. Pries replaces Cheryl Winters. Lance Flores ran unopposed in District 2 and replaces longtime supervisor Paul Uecker. Supervisors represent districts but are elected countywide, with terms running for four years. Pries, a first-time candidate, listed his priorities in a candidate questionnaire before the election to “continue cover crop programs, reduce soil erosion, no solar on prime farmland and keep non-farm businesses playing by the same rules as farmers.” “We need to keep on these issues so that our future generation who are farming can continue to do so to keep family farming moving forward,” he wrote. ADVERTISEMENT Read more What comes after the green screen for the grain markets? 30m ago Paul and Diane Overby named Soil Health Champions 30m ago Over $650,000 awarded to agricultural students at South Dakota State University 30m ago Connelly’s district covers Cascade and Rochester townships and the city of Rochester. He replaces James Rentz, who did not run again. Asked before the election why a farmer should represent the city, Connelly said everyone has a stake in the same resources. “We’re all concerned about our soil and our water and our air, our natural resources,” he said. “Everybody has the same level of concern for ourselves and the next generation.” Connelly has been on the board before, as the board appointed him to a one-year term after a supervisor died. He couldn’t run for that seat because he didn’t live in the district. His house in Rochester is about 200 yards from the line. He doesn’t spend much time there. ADVERTISEMENT “I spend 18 hours a day at my Byron address on the farm,” he said. Connelly uses cover crops, small grains and no-till. He said the farm’s conservation work has “really ramped up in the last 15 years,” and he can see the same change in other fields. “There’s a lot of green out there in April,” he said. “Twenty years ago the idea was to have everything black in the fall. Now we want something growing in there. We want some live roots.” He said erosion is the county’s biggest resource problem. Water erosion is easy to spot. Wind erosion is harder to see, but over time it fills “county or township ditches” with soil, he said. Connelly said the board shouldn’t micromanage district staff. ADVERTISEMENT “We’re not lawmakers, we’re not commissioners, we’re supervisors,” he said. The staff are “much higher qualified than we are,” he said, and “it’s just our job just to supervise it and make sure it’s getting implemented.” A couple of people asked him to run when the seat opened. “I think everybody should be involved in something,” he said. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags MINNESOTA ELECTION 2026 CONSERVATION SOIL HEALTH By Noah Fish I am a reporter who covers all things agriculture, using multiple elements of media. I prioritize stories that amplify the power of people. I report out of northeast Rochester, Minnesota, where I live with my wife, Kara, our daughter, Rooney, and polite cat, Zena. Email me at [email protected] Twitter Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Policy Steele County ag educator position slated for cut 1d ago · By Noah Fish Policy Petersen says he’ll seek to stay on as Minnesota ag commissioner under Klobuchar 1d ago · By Noah Fish Policy Farmers Union report links high grocery prices to corporate consolidation 1d ago · By Noah Fish ADVERTISEMENT Get Local