Jaclyn Tweeten-Eberth and Ryan Eberth planned a wedding that totally suited them. Jaclyn grew up in Spring Grove, a community with a strong Norwegian influence; Ryan grew up in Baseohr, Kans., near Kansas City. The couple had met on an online dating site; they shared an interest in cattle and had both shown cattle growing up. Soon they were going to cattle shows … [Read more...]
Fillmore County Couple Marries Underground at Niagara Cave
More than 400 weddings have been held at Niagara Cave since it opened to the public in 1934. Almost immediately, its beauty inspired romance. In 1935, just a year after opening, a young couple asked if they could get married inside the cave, beginning a tradition that flourished through the 1960s and 1970s when unconventional wedding venues were especially popular. Today, an … [Read more...]
No-Till Planting
By Dan Wermager Technician, Root River SWCD No-till planting is a great tool for conventional farmers to use in order to help the environment. No-till planting can reduce erosion, improve infiltration, reduce runoff, and build organic matter. These are all very important things, because eroded soil is the #1 pollutant of surface water in the world. Erosion is an … [Read more...]
Free Manure Sampling and Spreader Calibration
By Bob Scanlan MN Dept. of Agriculture The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Houston County Environmental Services Office are offering free manure sample analysis and manure spreader calibration in certain townships of Houston County. Feedlot operators working in Black Hammer, Caledonia, Mayville, Spring Grove, and Wilmington Townships can take … [Read more...]
Prairie Strips
By Dan Wermager Technician, Root River SWCD An exciting opportunity for prairie strips is now available for area farmers. Prairie strips are a fairly new CRP practice. They reduce erosion, improve water quality, and create insect and bird habitat by establishing strips of native prairie vegetation on a field. They can be placed across a field in one or more contour … [Read more...]
The Many Benefits of Cover Crops
By Dan Wermager Technician, Root River SWCD As you are driving through the area in late fall or early spring, you may notice more green fields than you normally would. If it’s not a hay strip, then the green vegetation you are seeing is likely winter rye that has been planted as a cover crop. Cover crops are gaining a lot of traction in the area in recent years, and … [Read more...]
Tap-In – Free Well Test Kits Available
By Jean Meiners Technician, Root River SWCD The Minnesota Department of Health is offering free well test kits for eligible homes in eight southeast Minnesota counties. Your household may be eligible if: 1) A private well is the main source of drinking water for the place you live, 2) The private well is in Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha or … [Read more...]
Potential Opportunity for Feedlot Operators in Houston County
By Bob Scanlan MN Dept. of Agriculture The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is working with farmers and crop advisors located in Houston County townships where 10% or more of the private wells tested over the nitrate Health Risk Limit (HRL) of 10 mg/L. Those townships include Black Hammer, Caledonia, Mayville, Spring Grove, and Wilmington. This pilot program is … [Read more...]
Well Decommissioning
By Jean Meiners Technician, Root River SWCD Do you have an inactive, unused or abandoned well on your property? Every unused well that is not properly sealed poses a safety, health, and environmental threat to your family and community as well as a potential legal risk to the homeowner. Children and small animals can easily fall into an unprotected, open well. Also, … [Read more...]
Veterans Experience A Welcome Home
When the North Star and Freedom Honor Flight delegations returned from their one day trips to Washington, D.C., crowds of people lined the airports of Rochester and La Crosse to welcome them back home. “That’s not the way it was when we returned from Vietnam,” remarked Mike Lane of Chatfield, “it took 50 years before I heard ‘Welcome Home’ after my time serving in Vietnam.” … [Read more...]