ST. PAUL, MINN – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board has determined that an emergency exists in Minnesota due to drought, which makes zero-interest loans available immediately for Minnesota farmers whose operations are suffering from lack of rain. “The RFA board members voted unanimously to make these disaster recovery funds available … [Read more...]
MDA awards $95,000 to combat noxious weeds
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has awarded $95,000 to combat noxious weeds across Minnesota. Twenty projects are being funded though the 2021 Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grant. The money, awarded to cities, counties, townships, conservation districts, and tribal nations, will be used to purchase equipment and supplies, conduct mapping and … [Read more...]
USDA to provide pandemic assistance to livestock producers for animal losses Farm Service Agency taking applications for indemnity program
WASHINGTON, July 13, 2021 — Livestock and poultry producers who suffered losses during the pandemic due to insufficient access to processing can apply for assistance for those losses and the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack announced the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program (PLIP) in [recorded] remarks … [Read more...]
Meet Houston County 2020-21 4-H Federation officers
By Garrett Waldenberger 4-H Federation Reporter • President: Cora Niebeling Club Name(s): Houston County Sharp Shooters and Hearts and Hooves Years in 4-H: 8 years Favorite 4-H memory: Spending time with friends. Projects in 4-H: Dog, Horse, Goat, Photography and Shooting Sports. Goal for 4-H 2020-21 year: to be a good Federation leader and further my … [Read more...]
Heiden to serve on Region VIII FFA team
Emma Heiden from the Rushford-Peterson FFA Chapter will be serving as Region Assistant Officer on the 2021-2022 Region VIII FFA team. It is her first year serving on the team. Emma also serves as her chapter’s vice president. Best wishes to Emma as she enters her year of leadership! … [Read more...]
Triplets at Dead End Dairy
Josh and Steph Dahl should have played the lottery Wednesday, June 16; that day they had a set of triplets, two sets of twins, and two single calves all born in less than five hours on their farm, Dead End Dairy. While twin calves are relatively common with a set born every 29 births, triplets occur much more rarely – once in every 105,000 births according to the internet. With … [Read more...]
Eagle Bluff Environmental Center completes prairie burn
The last prairie burn for this season at Eagle Bluff Environmental Center was conducted this week by employees Colleen Fohnrenbacher, Jenna Moon, Joe Deden, and volunteers Joel Mielke and Jerry Cleveland. Prairie burns are an annual event at Eagle Bluff and other locations in the area. They are conducted to maintain the health of the prairies and slow down the incursion of … [Read more...]
Strategic Farming: “Let’s Talk Crops” recordings available
By Lizabeth Stahl Extension Educator – Crops Did you miss any of the Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops sessions this winter and were wondering where to access recordings? Well search no more. All sessions, which were originally held Wednesday mornings from January 6 to March 24, are available at: z.umn.edu/strategic-farming. Just scroll down the page to find the … [Read more...]
Planting date is just one factor affecting yield potential
By Lizabeth Stahl and Jared Goplen Extension Educators – Crops WASHINGTON, MN, April 15, 2021 – It is well known that planting date plays a key role in determining yield potential in corn and soybean. Long-term University of Minnesota trials demonstrate, for example, that corn yield is usually optimized when corn is planted from April 25 to May 10. Long-term data also show … [Read more...]
Online beef quality assurance and secure beef supply training scheduled
SLAYTON, MN, April 5, 2021 — University of Minnesota Extension, along with Minnesota Beef Council, will host several online Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and Secure Beef Supply (SBS) training sessions starting in April through June. Producers only need to attend one of these free workshops to receive a three-year BQA certification, and they will also learn the steps needed to … [Read more...]