The Watershed

48 | What We Leave for the Next Generation (Holdingford, MN)

The Watershed

Show Notes

Thanks for listening to The Watershed, a podcast of We Are Water MN. In this episode, we dig into conservation practices that protect soil and water. Interviewee Don Tschida, whose family farm will become a century farm in 2025, explores questions surrounding the responsibility of caring for land and water. He shares the conservation practices he and his family have implemented on their farm in Agram Township.

We Are Water MN will be hosted by Mississippi River – Sartell Watershed partners including Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District in spring of 2024. You can visit the exhibit at Art in Motion on the Lake Wobegon Trail, in Holdingford, from April 25 through June 17. Learn more at https://www.stearnscountyswcd.net/wawmn.

This episode of the Watershed was produced by Angela Hugunin, and by We Are Water MN, which is led by the Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; the Minnesota Historical Society; the Board of Water and Soil Resources; the Minnesota Departments of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources; and University of Minnesota Extension.

We are Water MN is funded in part with money from the Clean Water, Land, & Legacy Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008 and by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Special thanks to Emma Needham, who conducted our interviews in Holdingford. Thank you to Don Tschida, our interviewee for this episode.

Don Tschida and his family are enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, a unique opportunity for farmers to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our state’s lakes, rivers, and streams. Learn more at MyLandMyLegacy.com.

You can find We Are Water MN on Facebook (⁠https://www.facebook.com/wearewatermn/⁠), Instagram (⁠https://www.instagram.com/wearewatermn/⁠), and Twitter (⁠https://twitter.com/wearewatermn⁠). Follow along for the latest updates!

Music credits: These Times and Drone Pine by Blue Dot Sessions (⁠www.sessions.blue⁠).

You can learn more about We Are Water MN and upcoming host sites at mnhum.org/water.

More from The Watershed

Aug 3, 2026

This special episode of The Watershed Podcast celebrates 100 years of water quality testing on the Mississippi River and the communities who have fought to bring the river back to life.

Jul 10, 2026

At the headwaters of the Mississippi, six storytellers share how Northern Minnesota’s waters have shaped their lives, their identities, and their sense of place.

May 5, 2026

In this episode of The Watershed Podcast, we explore six powerful stories from community members living in the Capitol Region Watershed District in St. Paul.

Mar 6, 2026

Thanks for listening to The Watershed, a podcast from We Are Water MN. In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Holger, a woman who lives in the Zumbro River watershed and who has dedicated her career to getting kids connected to the outside world. Sarah dives into her past and shares about a magical swamp that has helped shape who she is today.

Feb 2, 2026

Thanks for listening to The Watershed, a podcast from We Are Water MN.

See all episodes →