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Ag and Extension

Citrus plants

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 wonderland. As I was looking up another fellow gardener’s houseplant problem, I ran across some interesting information on growing citrus in our homes. I have seen lemon trees for sale in various magazines, but I have never tried to raise them. They look very interesting and there are several kinds ...

Landscaping

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 process. The first step is deciding how much work you are able and willing to do during the growing season. This means starting with some clean up in April or early May all the way through fall clean up in October. There are many who want to have some landscaping now with the thought that as kids grow ...

Ag and Extension Briefs

Cottage Food Producer Food Safety Training is Feb. 26 in Marshall Do you make and sell baked goods, home-canned pickles, salsa, jam and jellies? Are you a cottage food producer? If you are, attend the Cottage Food Producer Food Safety Training from 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the SW WC Service Cooperative, Marshall. This advanced safe food handling course focuses on aspects of cottage food products including baked, confectionery, dried, fruit preserves and, acid and acidified fruit and vegetables. You will learn how to produce, package and label a safe food product.  Wonder ...

Moorses and Olsons attend American Farm Bureau Convention

Grant and Denaca Moorse and Carolyn and Jonathan Olson of Lyon County attended the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 100th Annual Convention held in New Orleans, Louisiana Jan. 11-16. Grant serves on the MFBF Board of Directors as the Young Farmers and Ranchers chair and is from Minnesota. Carolyn serves on the MFBF Board of Directors as the District III representative. Attendees had the opportunity to attend farm tours and sessions and hear from U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “The farmers and ...

Sesquicentennial Farm Applications Due March 1

Minnesota Farm Bureau’s Sesquicentennial Farm program will honor Minnesota families who have owned their farms for at least 150 years. Since the Sesquicentennial Farm program began in 2008, over 225 farms have been recognized. The Sesquicentennial Farm program recognizes family farms according to the following qualifications: 1) The farm must be at least 150 years old this year (2019) according to the abstract of title, land patent, original deed, county land records, court file in registration proceedings or other authentic land records. Please do not send originals or copies of ...

MFBF Foundation gets grant from BNSF Railway Foundation

The Minnesota Farm Bureau Foundation (MFB Foundation) received a grant of $20,000 from the BNSF Railway Foundation to be used to support the MFB Foundation’s agriculture promotion grant program. The announcement of the grant was made today at the MFBF LEAP Conference in Bloomington. “The BNSF Railway Foundation is pleased to support the Minnesota Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureaus in their local agricultural education efforts,” said Amy McBeth, BNSF Railway’s Regional Director of Public Affairs. "Our Foundation has provided more than $2 million in grants over the last five ...