Extension Educator for Fillmore and Houston Counties Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s land rent survey. According to our survey results, 2020 land rental rates in Fillmore County averaged $194.29/acre and in Houston County averaged between $176.76-$199.92/acre. Survey responses for 2020 land rent ranged from $60.00-$290.00/acre. The predicted average for … [Read more...]
An evening of food, socializing, and education for local cattle producers
The Fillmore and Houston County Extension offices would like to invite all local cattle producers to a viewing party for this year’s Cattle Feeder Days. The annual Cattle Feeder Days program has been held for more than 40 years and continues to be the leading information, technology and research outlet for cattle feeders in the state of Minnesota. The program features … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Land Rent Survey results and upcoming Extension workshops
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s land rent survey. According to our survey results, 2019 land rental rates in Fillmore County averaged between $189.92-$197.61/acre. Survey responses for 2019 land rent ranged from $40.00-$300.00/acre. The predicted average for 2020 land rental rates is between $189.26-$197.03/acre. These values are based on 84 returned … [Read more...]
Do you have thoughts related to value added agriculture in SE Minnesota?
Join us for a community conversation on value added agriculture and other topics at the Trinity Church in Spring Grove on May 29, 2019, from 10-11:30 a.m. With weak markets for conventional commodity products and increasing interest in local, home grown goods, value added agriculture has become a hot topic. What is value added agriculture? It is simply adding value – … [Read more...]
Regional UMN Extension events are worth the drive
The University of Minnesota Extension is a big organization, with educators in agriculture, natural resources, youth development and more. While I often highlight local workshops and events like the Tesmer Farm Safety Day and Land Rent Workshops, our regional and state educators also put on high value workshops that are worth attending. Below is a small sampling of these types … [Read more...]
Soil compaction – An annual springtime issue
Soil compaction is an annual spring time concern for farmers, gardeners and anyone else working on wet soils. But what is compaction and why is it such a concern? First, think about what a healthy soil looks like. If you could dig up a column of healthy soil without disturbing it, you would find a balance between solids and pore space. The pore space would be partially full … [Read more...]
UMN Extension and SE Minnesota support farm safety
Farm safety programs have a long history in this region of the state. Many Extension employees and community members have participated in safety programs that have included small camps at county fairgrounds, workshops at local schools and tractor safety training for teenagers. We design these programs to reduce the number of tragic accidents and incidents that we see annually … [Read more...]
Two timely workshops for the local ag community
University of Minnesota Extension would like to invite you to attend two important workshops on February 22 at the Mabel Community Center. From 8 -10 a.m., Meg Moynihan, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and Cynthie Christensen, Houston County Farm Bureau, will present “Dealing with stress in our ag communities.” Stress factors are on the rise for Minnesota farmers. Many … [Read more...]
Public meetings on invasive weeds along the Root River
Please come join us for two public meetings being held on November 29, 2018, to talk about invasive plant species – such as Japanese hops – along the Root River. The first meeting will be held from 3-5 p.m. at the MiEnergy building 31110 Cooperative Way, City of Rushford Village, Minn. The second meeting will be held at the Houston County Nature Center, 215 W Plum St, Houston, … [Read more...]
What to expect from Extension when calling about weed control options
Controlling weeds – especially ones with invasive properties – is challenging. Part of my job is to help people make decisions related to weed control. Here are some things you can expect when calling the Extension office looking for advice. • There is often no silver bullet to control the weeds we have today. Complete control takes time and work. And you will often need to … [Read more...]