Wright County NRCS and University of Minnesota Extension are hosting a free event from 9am-1pm on April 19, 2013. It will feature speakers on cover crops, tillage, soil health and water quality.

 HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Field demonstration of the “Soil Warrior” strip till implement by Environmental Tillage Systems 
• First hand experiences shared by local landowners 
• Lunch and refreshments will be provided 

SPEAKERS:

• Jill Sackett U of MN, Cover Crops + Farmer Panel: Jill Sackett is a Local Extension Educator, Conservation Agronomist for University of Minnesota Extension....

Kenyan women living in Minnesota pose for a photo as they harvest a food plant from their homeland known as mwangani, or spider plant. Photo by Elizabeth Kackman.

This story features Elizabeth Kackman's NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant project. Through the project, Kackman and a group of Kenyan immigrant farmers were able to grow, harvest, and market a specialty crop called mwangani in Minnesota. Mwangani,...

A 2013 Urban Agriculture Expo will be held on April 20th, 2013 at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis, MN. The Expo will be from 9:00am - 1:30pm, with educational seminars beginning at 9:30am. This event is for those who currently have an urban farming enterprise, are considering starting one, are supporters of urban farming, or are just curious to learn more. No preregistration is required for the event. There is suggested donation of $5 to attend.

The 2013 Expo will include three different topic categories; growing topics, business topics, and people topics. The growing topics will...

Source: Sleepy Eye News, Troy Krause

Education is not passive.

Students learn most effectively by being involved, and that involvement often takes its best shape in hands-on activities.

For students in the Wabasso Public School District, their science education is going to be taken to the next level through a recent donation of some state-of-the-art, high-tech equipment.

This past Tuesday morning, representatives from the U of M’s Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) were in the Wabasso school library presenting science equipment to one of the school’s educators. That equipment,...

Source: Barb DeGroot, 952-433-1459

Chanhassen, MN (Jan. 2, 2013)- Learn the latest research in sustainable farming - both rural and urban - and network with leaders in the movement at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit: Growing the Farmer to Farmer Network, set for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 & 16, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  The conference runs 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the fee is $90 a day (through Jan. 15) and $95 a day (after Jan. 15).

Presented by the Arboretum in partnership with the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, the summit offers an opportunity for...

The story below features a powwow event called Gichi Manidoo Giizis that focuses on commitment to community and the environment. It is sponsored, in part, by the Minnesota SARE State Program.

-------------

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network, by Tish Leizens

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota is launching its first powwow this month as the tribe renews its commitment to its community and environment.

The traditional powwow called Gichi Manidoo Giizis, meaning Great Spirit moon or start of the winter moon, will be held Saturday, January 12, at...

Folks with an interest in grassfed beef production are invited to attend a pasture walk and workshop at the Jane and Joe Jewett farm near Palisade, MN on Monday, October 22 from 9:30am-2:30pm.

Jane Jewett has an NCR-SARE Farmer-Rancher grant to document finishing weights and time to finish for grassfed beef steers. Three other farmers in Minnesota are cooperating on this project, and preliminary results will be presented. Betsy Weiland, Minnesota SARE co-coordinator, will present information about the SARE grant programs.

Scott Kittleson from the Aitkin NRCS...

In spring 2012, Stone's Throw Urban Farm in Minnesota received an NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant to explore different ways in which cover-cropping could improve depleted, urban soils while also fitting into the management requirements of a small farm.

At this event, they will be explaining their cover cropping goals, experimental design, and initial ruminations. Then, they hope to enter into a broader discussion regarding soil fertility challenges and potential solutions for urban agriculture and small-scale vegetable production in general.

PLACE: Peace Coffee, 3262 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis...

August is the perfect time for a day trip. The University of Minnesota Extension, along with the Minnesota State SARE Program has developed a tour of farming operations in Norman and Mahnomen counties in Northern Minnesota. The tour, scheduled for August 16^th, is an opportunity for friends and families to connect with the thriving local foods community. Participants will have opportunity to learn about natural and sustainable production methods that can be used in their own backyard gardens. The full day event has timed stops along the way offering a look into several local foods farm operations....

As part of the 2012 Third Crop Walk-n-Talks, you can join in an afternoon of cover crop discussion at the Ackermann Farm west of Lakefield, MN on November 7, 2012, from 1-3pm.

The Heron Lake Watershed District and Jerry and Nancy Ackermann have been awarded an NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant to continue their work with cover crops that they started in 2011. They will be using a helicopter to aerially apply winter cereal rye, purple top turnip, and tillage radish into a 37 acre field of soybeans. Aerial application allows for the cover crop seed to germinate before the cash crop is...