Farmers impacted by pandemic supply chain back-up may be eligible ST. PAUL, MN: Hog operations that were forced to depopulate hogs and turkey producers who marketed fewer liveweight pounds due to supply chain back-ups during the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for cost-share funds to recoup some of their losses. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Hog … [Read more...]
USDA grant funds agriculture marketing partnership MDA to partner with UMN to bolster local, regional markets
ST. PAUL, MN: A grant from the US Department of Agriculture will help the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and partners at the University of Minnesota (UMN) engage farmers and agriculture businesses in marketing their products more effectively both locally and regionally. The USDA’s Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program awarded the MDA $235,169 to develop a … [Read more...]
Nathan Honsey, new GM at Preston Dairy and Farm
Nathan (Nate) Honsey took over the helm as the new general manager at the Preston Dairy and Farm Association on September 28, 2020. The Association has been in business since 1979 and currently has 16 employees and two locations – Preston and Canton. The independent farmer’s co-op governed by a board of directors is a full agronomy service providing farmers with seed for … [Read more...]
Know to grow: A webinar series for managing and marketing on small farms
University of MN Extension is hosting a five-part webinar series for small Minnesota farms. The series will focus on various aspects of marketing your farm and its products. The webinars will take place from 9-10 a.m. on the dates listed below: • November 17: Facebook Live - Grow your social media following through simple, authentic to your farm videos with very little … [Read more...]
November weed of the month: Norway maple
Colorful fall leaves have blown away, but hopefully you got a chance to enjoy the vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds of maple trees. Minnesota has six species of native maples, and some non-native species as well. You may be familiar with the lobed shape of a maple leaf, but on closer inspection each of these seven species’ leaves look a little different. Leaf shape is useful … [Read more...]
Black bear harvested near Lewiston
Living in the hills and valleys of Bluff Country, we sometimes hear stories of bear being sighted in the area. It most cases, it appears that the bear is just moving through the area while looking for a mate. Randy Hoekstra of rural Lewiston, Minn., in western Winona County, was wishing that was the case when he first start seeing pictures of a black bear from the trail … [Read more...]
Obsessively grateful
“Begin each day with a grateful heart.” This has been my theme for the past several months. You don’t need me to outline the challenges our world faces – in 2020 and every other year. As a world, we may all be in the same storm, but everyone is in a different boat. It’s certainly not my place to say how easy or difficult these challenges are to overcome. However, no matter … [Read more...]
Happy Hart 4-H Club meets in person for the first time in seven months
Mere words cannot express the joy of finally having an in-person 4-H meeting in seven months. Happy Hart had their first club meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we are able to do just about anything. We have many guidelines to follow in order to have a meeting, but that didn’t stop us from taking advantage of an outdoor meeting. We are unable to interact … [Read more...]
The Father of the Green Revolution
You’ve maybe heard his name, and certainly been impacted by his work. Norman Borlaug was 19 and in Minneapolis when a man asked him for pocket change to buy food, while people were dumping milk in the streets to protest low food prices. As a college student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Norman himself knew what it was like to be hungry. Some of us may know what … [Read more...]
Living to serve
How do you find a few ducks that weigh a single pound full grown? Well, I didn’t know the answer to that until I asked a friendly neighbor for help. I had been raising poultry for a few years, and I wanted to raise call ducks – a breed of ducks that weighs 16 ounces full-grown. Darrell Ray, our neighbor, gave me the contact information for a man named Chuck Rector, who raised … [Read more...]