Otter Tail County Extension Update

Happy February!

Even though winter is still in full swing, many of us are looking ahead to the growing season. Now is a great time to continue to build your knowledge and participate in one of the many upcoming events and workshops in our area. There are plenty of offerings for all interests, whether you're looking to learn about gardening, row crop updates, local foods, pasture management, and more.

As always, please reach out with any questions or ideas you may have.

Take care,

Olivia Olson

olso7655@umn.edu

office: (218) 998-8308

cell: (218) 282-5963

Garden Day

Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture deadline approaching

Farm to School Roadshow

Winter Garden College

Gardening from the Ground Up

Horticulture Day

Let's Talk Crops Webinar Series

Irrigation and Nutrient Management Clinic

Sustainable Ag Webinar Series

Winter Grazing Workshop

High Tunnel Vegetable Production Course

EOT SWCD named SWCD of the year!

Join the West Otter Tail Master Gardeners for an educational day at the Fergus Falls Library, where you'll get to hear from three fantastic speakers over the course of the day on Saturday, February 15th. Registration is free, and can be found on the Fergus Falls Library event page, at bit.ly/gardenday25. Each session should be registered for separately.

The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture pilot program's second round of applications close soon on February 14. Landowners and operators in East Otter Tail and Wadena counties can apply for the opportunity to receive $100 per acre or animal unit for adopting specific conservation practices. Applicants are randomly selected. Landowners should contact the East Otter Tail or Wadena Soil and Water Conservation Districts to discuss the program and schedule an appointment with technical staff to apply. See the Alliance website for details regarding the program and application process.

The Farm to School Roadshow is on the move again for 2025! The Roadshow is an opportunity to make new connections and learn how to build successful Farm to School relationships. These in-person events will bring together Minnesota school nutrition professionals, early care providers, producers and farmers for networking and training opportunities.

For 2025, the Roadshow is a full day event with options to attend for the full day or half day.

The morning session will take an in-depth look at vegetable crop planning and management for production to the wholesale market, specifically schools. The afternoon session is open to all local sellers (farmers, producers, makers) and buyers (schools, early care centers and providers) who are interested in expanding their local purchasing power and connecting directly with farmers to purchase products.

In Otter Tail County:

Tuesday, February 11

9 am to 4 pm

Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Fergus Falls

More information can be found in the press release below.

Winter Garden College is a two-hour deep dive into backyard gardening and small-scale farming topics. In this course, you will learn how cover crops improve soil health by preventing erosion, providing nutrients, building organic matter, and feeding beneficial microbes. This course is split into two 45-minute presentations along with a 30-minute hands-on session. These free workshops will be held six times across the state, with the dates and locations as follows:

Thursday, February 13 – Alexandria, 6-8 pm

Douglas County Public Works Meeting Room, 526 Willow Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308

Tuesday, February 25 – Moorhead, 5-7 pm

Clay County Family Service Building, 715 11th St N, Moorhead, MN 56560, Meeting Room 4

Monday, March 3 – Fergus Falls, 5-7 pm

Fergus Falls Public Library, 205 E Hampden Ave, Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Tuesday, March 11 – Park Rapids, 5-7 pm

The Event Room, 1104 Park Ave S Suite 2, Park Rapids, MN 56470

University of Minnesota Extension educators are excited to bring back the sixth annual Gardening from the Ground Up webinar series. The online workshops are free to attend and will take place February 17th-21st from 1:00-2:30 pm each afternoon. This year’s webinar series focuses on adaptation, with topics on embracing climate change, non-traditional lawns, replacement trees, food forests, and integrated pest management.

Join the East Otter Tail Master Gardeners for their annual Horticulture Day! This full day educational event provides you with access to 5 learning sessions on a range of topics, as well as vendors and a lunch. Pre-registration is requested, and more details can be found on the registration page or the Facebook event. Session topics include tree pruning, roses, hydrangeas, succulents, cooking oils, tomatoes, seed saving, plant propagation, prairie wildflowers, deer deterrents, and more.

When: Saturday, March 15, from 9-3

Where: Prairie Wind Middle School, Perham

Cost: $35

Registration: z.umn.edu/EOTHortDay2025

Facebook Event with more details

Join UMN Extension this winter to discuss key issues around commodity crop production facing Minnesota farmers and other ag professionals through the “Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops” webinar series. This live, online program will provide up-to-date, research-based information to help optimize your crop management strategies for 2025. Sessions will be held over Zoom from 9 to 10 a.m., Wednesdays, January 8 through March 26. Register for access to all of the webinars here.

Upcoming Topics:

February 12 - Navigating the corn maize--new trends in corn production

February 19 - Using multi-state trials to address key cover crop questions in soybean

February 26 - Keeping track of changes in corn insect challenges

March 5 - Corn and soybean diseases--looking back as we look forward

This program is free to the public thanks to the generosity of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council and the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council

Join the East Otter Tail SWCD for their annual Irrigation and Nutrient Management Clinic, held on Tuesday, March 4th. This event is free to attend, and will feature several speakers on the topics of VRI, aquifers, and soil moisture management.

Registration can be accessed via the link below, or by calling the EOT SWCD office at 218-346-9105.

Join the West Central Food Council for a series of inspiring lightning talks from some of the most interesting initiatives and businesses in Minnesota's food and farming ecosystem. This free, virtual event takes place every Tuesday throughout the month of March. Consider this a lunch and learn opportunity! The weekly topics are Year-Round Production, Small Scale Livestock and Dairy Direct Marketing, Small Scale Fruit + Veg Production, and Regional Aggregation Models.

Dates: March 4th, 11, 18, and 25th

Time: 12:00-1:15 p.m. CST.

Registration through Eventbrite. More details will be added to the agenda as our speakers are finalized in the coming weeks!

This webinar series is sponsored by the West Central Food Council and made possible by funding provided by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Local Climate Action Grants.

Join the Crow Wing River Basin Forage Council for their annual Winter Workshop on February 11, 2025, in Staples MN at the Central Lakes College. Our highlight this year includes Steve Kenyon from Greener Pastures Ranching of Alberta, Canada. The MN GLCA is also hosting a producer panel during the event moderated by Troy Salzer from UMN Extension.

Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required, and can be found at www.sfa-mn.org/forage-council

Cost: $30 for SFA members, $40 for non-members

Location: Central Lakes College, 1830 Airport Road, Staples

Are you new to growing in high tunnels? Join us for a nine week course to learn about the fundamentals of high tunnel vegetable production.

The goal of this course is to help develop a plan for managing your high tunnel that includes: choosing crops to grow, designing an irrigation system, managing soil fertility and soil health, managing weeds, insects, and diseases, planning for pruning and trellising, special considerations for harvest and postharvest handling, and keeping up with basic maintenance. By the end of our nine weeks together, you should have an actionable high tunnel plan that you can use to guide you through the season.

Format: online

When: Weekly from February 25-April 22, from 12-1

Cost: $75, with funding to implement high tunnel plans upon completion of the course

Looking for help in coping with business, family, or mental health issues? This resource list from the MN Department of Agriculture has a list of trained professionals to assist in a variety of ways.

MN Farm and Rural Helpline:

Phone: 833-600-2670

Text: FARMSTRESS to 898211
Email: farmstress@state.mn.us

Crisis Text Line:

Text: MN to 741 741

Are you a beginning farmer looking to rent or purchase working farmland in the Midwest? Or are you an established farmer/landowner in the Midwest who is seeking a beginning farmer to purchase or rent your working farmland, or to work with in a partnership situation? The Land Stewardship Project's Farm Beginnings project has simple application forms available for people seeking farmland or farmers. More information and the forms can be found at this link.

Email: olso7655@umn.edu

Phone: office (218) 998-8303 cell (218) 282-5963
Website: extension.umn.edu
Location: 118 N Main Ave, New York Mills, MN 56567

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