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Ag and Extension

Minnesota Farm Bureau Supports Loaves and Fishes

Nearly 200 Farm Bureau members from across the state attended the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) LEAP Conference led by the MFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Committee and MFBF Promotion & Education (P&E) Committee. This was held January 25-26 at the Radisson Blu in Bloomington. During the conference, attendees conducted a service project for Loaves and Fishes Farm for All project. Loaves and Fishes is a Minnesota- based nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve free, nutritious meals to people in need at locations where the need is greatest, and Farm for All is a ...

Hoversten represents Lyon County in MFBF discussion meet contest

Emma Hoversten of Marshall and the Lyon County Farm Bureau was among the young farmers from across Minnesota who competed in the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) Discussion Meet contest. The competition was held during at the MFBF LEAP Conference at Radisson Blu in Bloomington on Jan. 26. The Discussion Meet contestants were judged on their basic knowledge of critical farm issues, and their ability to exchange ideas and information in a setting aimed at cooperative problem solving. The two topics discussed by contestants were: • How can Farm ...

Teen hog farmer works to bring a Spanish-style meat to Iowa

WEST BRANCH, Iowa (AP) — Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear — and Sally — can be found in a hog pen on the edge of West Branch, Iowa. The hogs, for the most part named after the emotions in the Pixar Movie “Inside Out,” make up the latest pack of pigs in Emily Harold's small, niche farming operation. The 17-year-old producer is on a mission to bring a Spanish-style meat to Iowans, one group of hogs at a time. Harold started the West Branch business with her father while in middle school. Now a senior in high school, she runs the operation with a bit of help from her brother, the ...

Minnesota Farm Bureau commemorates Food Awareness activities

Minnesota Farm Bureau is focusing on Food Awareness during the months of February and March. Food Awareness activities were created to bring awareness to all things food — from the farmers who grow and raise our food, to food safety and availability. “Farm Bureau’s Food Awareness activities aim to help American consumers learn about the food they eat every day,” said Tony Seykora, Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Promotion and Education (P&E) Committee chair. “Minnesota farmers and ranchers take pride in ensuring safe food choices for Minnesota families.” To mark ...

Suicide prevention project targets distressed farmers

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Financial struggles led Leon Statz to sell his 50 dairy cows, causing the third-generation farmer to become depressed. Then land next to his 200-acre farm near Loganville went up for sale — land his late father had said he should buy. Statz, who didn’t have the money, became hopeless. On Oct. 8, the day the adjacent property hit the market; Statz killed himself on his farm. He was 57. “He said, ‘How am I going to afford this?’ ” Brenda Statz, his wife of 34 years, told the Wisconsin State Journal. “He would panic about everything when it got to ...

SMSU’s Farm Outlook and Education seminar to be held Feb. 13

Marshall — The 35th annual Farm Outlook and Education Seminar will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 13 from 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m. in the Conference Center Ballroom on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University. The Farm Outlook and Education Seminar is a scholarship fundraiser for students in SMSU’s agriculture programs. Three speakers with broad agriculture backgrounds will highlight the event. They will share their expertise on a number of ag topics, including agronomics and economics, cash flow planning in tough economic times, and analysis of current grain and livestock market ...