The year has finally come to a close. While there have been many different kinds of losses this past year, there has been one positive this year that has been very near and dear to my own heart. There are so many more people getting back to the basics and starting to have their own gardens ...

Olson re-elected to Minnesota Farm Bureau board of directors Carolyn Olson of Cottonwood in Lyon County was re-elected to a three-year term on the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) board of directors to represent District III during the 102nd annual meeting on Dec. 11. District III ...

While there are loads of crazy things happening in the world right now, one thing that we Minnesotans can be grateful for is our current weather situation. The early October snows had me and many others wondering if we were going to have one of “those” winters. The longer we go without snow ...

As we start to decorate our homes and yard with greenery for the holidays, there are a few things to keep in the back of your mind as you are out purchasing wreaths, Christmas trees, and other plant material. There are quite a few of these plant materials coming into Minnesota from other states ...

Like many annual events, this year’s Soil Management Summit (SMS), formerly known as the Conservation Tillage Conference or CTC, has had to make the transition from in-person to online. The SMS planning committee wants to ensure the health and wellbeing of participants, vendors, and ...

It is that time of the year when we are starting to look forward to putting up the Christmas tree in our homes. So, what do you think is the most popular Christmas tree to purchase for the holidays? Keep reading to find out! If you wanted to purchase a native tree to Minnesota, could you do it ...

There is a bunny rabbit that has been living in and near a community garden that I take care of in Marshall. Generally, I only know he or she is there when I just about step on it while I am weeding or planting something in the garden. I am also making the assumption that this is the same ...

It is that time of the year when we need to start thinking about how to take care of those plants outside before we are sent into the deep freeze for a few months. Mulching is very important to protect plants from winter kill and it can be done in several different ways. The first thing to ...

The I-29 Moo University webinar series continues with a presentation by Minnesota Extension Ag Business Management Specialist, Megan Roberts, on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The webinar will be live from noon to 1 p.m., and there is no registration. This presentation will dive into what we do and ...

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 ...