Larry Alan Mikkelson, age 72, of Harmony, Minn., died peacefully on March 16, 2019, at Gundersen Harmony Care Center after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at the Canton Scotland Presbyterian Church, 104 West Fillmore Ave, Canton, Minn., Friends may call from 10 a.m. until time of services at the church. Lindstrom … [Read more...]
Joanna Elaine Mensink
Joanna Elaine Mensink, 53, of rural Spring Valley, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 11, 2019, surrounded by her family and friends. Joanna was born May 1, 1965, in Dixon, Ill., to Roberta and John Smith Sr. Joanna and her family settled in Minnesota in 1992. On June 3, 1995, Joanna married Brent Mensink at Saetersdal Lutheran Church, Harmony, Minn. Together they … [Read more...]
Irvin H. Feine
Irvin H. Feine, 88, of Rushford, Minn., died Wednesday, March 13, 2019, at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wis. Irvin was born on the family farm near Rushford on December 20, 1930, to Hubert and Emma (Erdman) Feine. Irvin was raised on the farm where he lived and worked as a dairy farmer all his life. He was united in marriage with Marilyn Luhmann on March 24, 1951. He … [Read more...]
Farmers encouraged to participate in annual survey Wheat and hay growers should anticipate calls in March/Aprila
ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging farmers to take part in its annual pesticide and fertilizer use survey. This year the phone survey is directed at wheat and hay growers. The data helps the MDA track the use of agricultural chemicals on Minnesota farms and provides guidance to educational and research programs. The survey should begin … [Read more...]
Soil health case studies share farmer knowledge, experiences
Farmers can turn to a new set of case studies to learn about the experiences of southwest Minnesota farmers in adopting soil health practices. University of Minnesota research assistant Kathy Dooley visited farms and interviewed farmers in late 2018 to develop case study profiles of nine farms in southwestern Minnesota. Farmers were selected to participate in the project based … [Read more...]
Big, fast and sometimes deadly Avoid the risk of being run over by one of the farm’s most powerful tools
Power and size are two features that make farm tractors so valuable – and dangerous. Modern technology is helping make tractors safer in many ways, but some 60 people still die each year after being run over by a tractor. Aaron Yoder, Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s (UNMC) College of Public Health, Department of Environmental, Agricultural … [Read more...]
Public input wanted: Environmental Quality Board to hold meeting on proposed GEIS to study groundwater contamination in southeast Minnesota
The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) will hold a public meeting March 25 in Red Wing to gain public input on a proposal to study nitrate-contaminated water in the karst region of southeast Minnesota. The meeting will be held at the St. James Hotel, 406 Main St., Red Wing, Minn., with doors opening at 5 p.m., presentations starting at 5:30 p.m., and table discussions … [Read more...]
Safety tips for parents of young farmers
People who live in cities, exurbs or suburbs may not come across farms very frequently. But millions of people, including children, still live on farms. In fact, in 2009 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that more than one million children under the age of 20 lived, worked or had a regular presence on farms in the United States. Protecting children from … [Read more...]
Agriculture and the economy
Though it’s easy to look at the tech industry and think this increasingly influential sector is what makes the world go round, something closer to the very core of the Earth may be what’s driving your economy. The agricultural sector plays a strategic role in a nation’s economic development and prosperity. From the earliest days, agriculture has been heralded as playing a … [Read more...]
