ROCHESTER — Midwest farmers and ranchers are facing unprecedented stressors and uncertainly imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, weather related concerns, and the derecho storm that impacted parts of the Midwest. As a result, mental health experts are predicting an increase in deaths by suicide ...

As we are moving our gardening indoors, it may be necessary to provide some better or more lighting for some of our plants. Due to space, most of my house plants will be sitting near windows in the basement of my home and they seem to do just fine with some exceptions. The first is that the ...

Lilacs are often a staple of our groves and yards here in southwestern Minnesota. In the past year or two, the growing conditions have been difficult for these prized plants and they have been suffering through some different problems. There are several different varieties of lilac but the ...

UMN Extension releases operations contingency plans for livestock producers By Emily Krekelberg University of Minnesota Extension The University of Minnesota Extension Livestock Team has released a set of customizable forms that can be used to create an operations contingency plan for their ...

Old Man Winter is giving us a little taste of what is soon to come in our area. If you have not started to work on cleaning up in the garden, it may be wise to start planning for that to happen now. The wintery weather that will be upon us will soon have many of the tender plants needing to be ...

Applications being accepted to be a Master Gardener Think globally, act locally. It’s a phrase that applies so well to the Lyon County Master Gardeners. Now more than ever before Master Gardener volunteers are connecting with people to share University research-based knowledge on ...

It is time to divide and conquer in the garden. We often think that springtime is the only time to divide plants. In reality, there are some plants that will do better for you if they are divided now. A good rule of thumb is if the plant is flowering in the spring or summer, now is the time to ...

Think globally, act locally. It’s a phrase that applies so well to University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners in Lyon County. We are the University of Minnesota, on the ground — often literally — delivering science-based practices to our communities. As volunteers, Master ...

Horse power event Sept. 12 The Chippewa County Historical Society announces that the 16th annual “Horse Power Event” will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the historic Swensson Farm Museum. The Swensson Farm Museum is located six miles east of Montevideo or 11 ...

The Farmer’s Markets have been very busy this year! If you are missing the feel of the county fairs that we have all missed out on this year due to the pandemic, visit your local farmer’s market. It may just help a bit! There are so many interesting crops that are for sale there along with ...

AgriBusiness State of the Agriculture Panel The Agribusiness State of the Agriculture Panel will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Lyon County Fairgrounds Hoop Barn. The even includes a panel of Agriculture experts in different areas to hear about the state of agriculture in ...

There is yet, one more invasive species that is now on our doorstep and one to watch out for especially if you love a lush, green lawn. This is another beetle that has been in the US for a little while but has been just recently found in a lawn in the Twin Cities metro area. According to the ...

AgriBusiness State of the Agriculture Panel The Agribusiness State of the Agriculture Panel will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Lyon County Fairgrounds Hoop Barn. The even includes a panel of Agriculture experts in different areas to hear about the state of ...

Paul & Brenda Zeug Family recognized as a 2020 ‘U of M Farm Family’ The Paul and Brenda Zeug family of Morgan has been named Redwood County’s “2020 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota. Paul’s family originally ran a dairy operation, but it was ...

Extension educator in Crops At 1 p.m. on Aug.18, U of MN Extension will host a virtual Cover Crop Field Day: Setting up for Success. Through this live webinar, researchers and educators will highlight U of MN research that provides management tips and considerations to help farmers and ag ...

Japanese beetles, Emerald ash borer, so what could be next? The next invasive insect to knock on our Minnesota doors is not green this time but red. Some of the most beautiful or captivating insects that grace our doors are some of the most destructive insects that we can come into contact with ...

GREELEY, Colo. — Through its Hometown Strong initiative, JBS USA recently announced plans to donate $2.6 million to help Worthington respond to needs resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and invest in the community’s future.  JBS USA is working with local leaders to identify where ...

It is interesting that we have two pests that are metallic green that cause so much widespread problems in the gardening world. They are also both invasive pests too. For the purpose of this column today, I am not going to go into any detail about Emerald Ash Borer except that the Minnesota ...

Nominations open for the 2020 County Committee elections The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages all farmers, ranchers, and FSA program participants to take part in the FSA County Committee election nomination process. FSA’s county committees are a ...

CLEAR30 pilot program offers 30-year enrollment FOR CRP contracts The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will open signup this summer for CLEAR30, a new pilot program that offers farmers and landowners an opportunity to enroll in a 30-year Conservation Reserve ...