Brothers Brad and Rod Anderson reflect on farming in Goodhue County, suburban growth, and shifts in rural–urban relationships over 50 years
Ellen talks with brothers Brad and Rod Anderson about growing up on their sesquicentennial family farm in Goodhue County, Minnesota, during the 1950s and 60s. Brad and Rod share about changes in agriculture and rural life over the last 50 years. While Brad remained on the family farm to run it, Rod moved to Eden Prairie in the 1970s, and describes its evolution from a small village to one of Minneapolis-St.Paul’s largest suburbs. Rod and Brad share how many small family farms have evolved into fewer, larger farms and how land use has shifted to accommodate new forms of development. Brad and Rod, who have followed different paths as a county commissioner and a Lutheran pastor, also reflect on the connections and divides between rural and urban communities, questioning if these areas are more connected now than they were decades ago.
04:28 Life in Eden Prairie
12:59 The Evolution of Farming
24:59 Rural and Urban Connections
31:05 Hopes for Future of Rural Minnesota
More Information:
Brad Anderson Bio, https://goodhuecountymn.gov/commissioners/members/2/
Rod Anderson Bio, https://gustavus.edu/profiles/pastorrodanderson
Anderson Family Farm, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QoesDLuN_pz4sGzUuX7ZbdAyQSO0akBZ/view?usp=sharing
Eden Prairie Stories: From Farm to Suburb
Cafe at "The Wye", Eden Prairie, 1970s
https://www.eplocalnews.org/2022/07/17/the-preserve-which-aimed-to-be-a-new-town-turns-50/#jp-carousel-20338
https://gis.edenprairie.org/edenprairietales/?data_id=dataSource_14-Eden_Prairie_Tales_Locations_8237%3A2&page=Barbara-Eigen
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