I think that with all of the rain that we have been receiving we might need a little reverse psychology this year. If you are like me, last year was a terrible year to establish a vegetable garden and to keep it going. Perennial flower gardens seem to just eat this type of weather up. It is ...
USDA reopens Continuous CRP signup USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications beginning June 3 for certain practices under the continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup and will offer extensions for expiring CRP contracts. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized CRP, one ...
When the rain decides to stop, we will all be out mowing our lawns. There isn’t anything like the smell of freshly cut grass on a spring day especially if it is the first couple of times that we are able to get out and mow. Lawn care is getting a lot of press these days because our lawns are ...
Sustainability is something that creates a functional space in our outdoor garden spaces. This includes choosing plants that will live a long time. It could also include creating special habits such as pollinator gardens or native prairie gardens in our spaces. It also creates backyard spaces ...
Gardeners celebrate Earth Day each and every day. In particular, we do our best to provide food for our pollinators. We are all thinking about them but there are a few ways that you can help pollinators that you might not have thought of. We have to remember that there are more than just honey ...
A significant amount of seed planted this year will have been treated with one or more fungicide, insecticide, nematicide, or biological seed treatments. The following are some key precautions and reminders to follow when working with treated seed to help prevent pesticide exposure to ...
The heavy ice storms we recently had took a toll on our trees. There were some people who had hardly any damage and others who had significant damage. The ash trees and silver maples in my yard took a big hit. We were lucky that no big branches damaged our house. We do, however, have a big mess ...
Beef Quality Assurance & Secure Beef Supply trainings set Today’s consumers are more interested than ever before on where and how the food they purchase is raised, which has led to an increased focus on our beef production systems — how we handle cattle, our use of pharmaceutical ...
Patience in more ways than one right now. The weather will get better to some degree or another; it always seems to even itself out. Stearns County is also having its patience tested because they have now found Emerald Ash Borer there too. City workers in the area were cleaning up and noticed ...
According to the All-American Selection Winners website, “AAS is the only national, nonprofit plant trialing organization in North America. All-America Selections is an independent nonprofit organization that tests new, never-before-sold varieties for the home gardener. After a full season of ...
Women in Ag Network Spring Workshop in St. Cloud April 11 The University of Minnesota Extension Women in Ag Network’s spring workshop is scheduled for Thursday, April 11, at the St. Cloud Regional Extension Office, 3601 18th St. S. #113, St. Cloud. This half-day workshop will feature two ...
The sunnier days and warmer temperatures are getting the gardener inside all of us ready to go and pumped up for another summer of gardening in Minnesota. We made it through probably the worst winter has to offer, and I am finding that there are many gardeners who have been starting their seeds ...
Free respirator fit testing and train-the-trainer workshops Respirators are necessary for using certain pesticides safely, but we lack resources in Minnesota to help farmers and pesticide applicators choose the right respirator, as well as fit testing and medical evaluation resources. In ...
I think as the weather seems to be going, we are all wondering how quickly our gardening season will take off this year. I am not even betting that my vegetable garden will be wet because there were portions of it still under water from last fall yet. I am pretty sure that I will need to move ...
Cottage food producer food safety training is April 10 in Mankato Do you make the best homemade bread, home canned pickles or cookies? Consider selling your product as a Minnesota Cottage Food producer. Join University of Minnesota Extension Food Safety Educator Kathy Brandt at the Keep it ...
NEW ULM — Mental health practitioner Ted Matthews of Hutchinson said farming is unlike any other profession with its unique challenges at the 2019 Farm Show Friday. “Farming is a very complex way of life, much more than it was in the past. Farming and stress are synonymous,” Matthews ...
I usually compile a list of must-haves for my garden each year. Last year, for some reason, I had lost three lavender plants that I had for almost 4 years. Lavender can be a tricky one to grow in our area. I have used some tamed varieties of catmint (or cat nip — you choose) for their place ...
‘Strategic Farming — Maximizing Return on Investment’ Montevideo workshop March 7 What tactics are worth the investment when managing weed problems, disease and insect pests, SCN and IDC? What should we be looking for when making seed and technology trait decisions? What best management ...
A long cold winter makes me start to think more about my houseplants and how I could add to them so that there is living proof of something green in the world. My houseplants sit in the basement of my house and are grouped together under a grow light. My small little garden in our winter ...
The word, “landscaping,” sometimes strikes fear into a homeowners mind mainly because of the cost. If you are a gardener who is setting up a perennial garden or if you are taking a do over with your landscaping near or around your house, the next few weeks will help you through the ...