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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

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...]

As they work to assist farmers in taking their land to the next level, Jason and Mary Schwarz, owners of JMS Agronomics took a big leap forward with their business in the fall of 2018. The company, which specializes in assisting farms in reaching their greatest potential and productivity, offers precision agronomy services, some chemical services, and sells a full line of … [Read more...]

Five states, 3,270 miles, two national competitions and many memories.  Five members and their coach Maggie Haugstad of the Fillmore County Horse Project were awarded two national trips at the 4-H State Horse Show in September. Chase Ketterhagen, Kira and Courtney Nelson and Nati Vande Zande comprised the horse judging team that won a national trip to the All American Quarter … [Read more...]

“We have a clear vision of what our Arabian horses should be. Strong, sound athletes that are beautiful to behold and a pleasure to be around. Merely being pretty is not enough; the horses of Conway Arabians are doing horses, bred to have the conformation and temperament to perform in the show-ring or on the trail,” quotes Peter Conway in an informational brochure   about the … [Read more...]

“My grandparents, Duane and Joan Sveen, gave me my first horse when I was six years old, and I was hooked ever since,” states Alesha Sveen who has taken her love of horses a step further by competing with her horses and then another step further by choosing her career around horses and their well-being. Sveen’s first horse, Stormy, will be 28 this year and “happily still … [Read more...]