Benton Ag Plus - November 20, 2021

BENTON AG Plus

SERVING RURAL BENTON, MORRISON, MILLE LACS AND KANABEC COUNTIES

Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, November 20, 2021

USDA offers online tool for drought-stricken ranchers An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Farm Service Honeybees and FarmAgency News raised Fish Program,

by Ryan Brunn, also known as ELAP. executive director The U.S. Departfor Benton and Mille Lacs counties ment of Agriculture updated the program this year to include feed transportation costs as well as lowered the threshold for when assistance for water hauling expenses is available. USDA’s Farm Service Agency is now taking applications for this program.

The new ELAP Feed Transportation Producer Tool is a Microsoft Excel workbook that enables ranchers to input information speci c to their operation to determine an estimated payment. Final payments may vary depending on eligibility. The tool can be found at www.fsa.usda. gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistanceprogram/emergency-assist-for-livestock-honeybees- sh/index. Or, producers can visit www.fsa. usda.gov and navigate to the Disaster Program page and nd the ELAP section to get to the same spot.

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Drought page 3B

“

Hillman downsizes beef operation due to summer drought

The decision to downsize was the hardest Andy Hillman had to make since beginning his beef farm in 2003. Hillman and his wife, Connie, and daughter, Addison, of Rocky Flats Farm had a goal to reach 100 head.

Instead, the family chose to reduce its number of cattle to 23 cows and 10 heifers as the summer drought held steady and feed ran short.

“We were just a year or two from that (goal), and now we take a signi cant step backward,” Hillman said.

Rocky Flats Farms is located in Platte Lake Township in Crow Wing County, just over the Morrison County line.

Along with their predominantly Angus herd, the Hillmans own and lease a combined 450 acres of land that provides area for the animals to graze as well as forage production. They are members of the Mississippi Valley Cattlemen’s Association where Addison is the reigning beef princess.

“It was tough on my

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

Andy Hillman stands amid his beef cattle at Rocky Flats Farm Nov. 17 in Crow Wing County. Hillman and his family sold about three-quarters of their herd this summer to ensure they would have enough feed to overwinter their livestock. daughter,” Hillman said of Addison, who is 17 and takes stock in the family farm. “She prided herself on the animals that she owned and that we owned together as a family. Trying to promote the industry but yet having

to sell our cows, it really bugged her.”

Rocky Flats Farm was not immune to dry weather in 2020, and the less-than-ideal year was only aggravated by the widespread drought of 2021. Prior to Novem-

ber 2020, Hillman had pulled roughly $30,000 from his retirement fund to pay for hay to overwinter his cattle with the additional goal to have feed left over for this year.

Hillman page 2B

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Page 6B | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021| SAUK RAPIDS HERALD PROBATE NOTICE STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF BENTON IN DISTRICT COURT SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT PROBATE DIVISION Court File No: 05-PR-21-1906 ORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION OF INTESTACY, DETERMINATION OF HEIRSHIP AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE IN UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS In Re: Estate of Larry Joseph Ramer, Deceased.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND CREDITORS: It is Ordered and Notice is hereby given that on the 13th day of December, 2021, at 8:00 a.m., a hearing will be held in the above named Court at 615 Highway 23, Foley, Minnesota,

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on petition of Ronnie J. Ramer for the adjudication of intestacy and determination of heirship of the above named decedent, and for the appointment of Ronnie J. Ramer whose address is 920 Clay Street, Mantorville, Minnesota 55955, as personal representative of the estate of the above named decedent in unsupervised administration, and that any objections thereto must be led with the Court. That, if proper, and no objections are led, a personal representative will be appointed to administer the estate, to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, and sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the estate.

Notice is further given that ALL CREDITORS having claims against said estate are required to present the same to said personal representative or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this notice or said claims will be barred.

Dated: 11/15/2021 /s/ Michael S. Jesse Judge of District Court By /s/ Nicole Kampa Court Administrator Deputy Joseph S. Mayers Attorney No. 0295747 KELM & REUTER, P.A. 1287 2nd Street North, Suite 101 Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 (320) 251-1423 kelmreuter@kelmreuter. com

PUBLIC NOTICES/ BENTON AG

Upcoming conference slate Questions always abound following the for waterhemp control in a complete progrowing season. gram, gall midge in soybean update, soybean With this past year, there seem to be cyst nematode variety selection guidelines, a lot of questions surrounding the issues conducting meaningful on-farm research that we faced in- eld. While we have found and soybean agronomics. The trade show answers to these questions for this year, and educational sessions will take place at next year will bring its own problems. This the downtown Minneapolis Hilton Hotel. highlights the need to continue learning The University of Minnesota educational sesabout the management systems employed sion agendas and session descriptions may on farms. While not every workshop, upbe accessed at https://extension.umn.edu/ University of date and conference are applicable, I hope event/crop-pest-management-shortcourse.

MN Extension Online registration and hotel information people take the opportunity to participate

by Nathan Drewitz in ones that are relevant to their farms. can be found at https://mcpr-cca.org/shortOutside of the two conferences listed below, there course-programming-information. are numerous other opportunities that will be anRegistration for the Soil Management Summit is nounced over the next few weeks. These educational now open. The SMS emphasizes proven farmer expeopportunities will cover topics from forages to row rience and applied science. Straight from the elds, crops and weeds to diseases. Be on the lookout for learn how heavier, colder soils aren’t necessarily the announcements in the mail, over email if you are sub- challenge they’re made out to be. Hear from longscribed to the z.umn.edu/tricountycrops email list, time no-till, reduced tillage and cover crop farmers over radio and in articles such as this one. as they share their experiences, so you can be spared Registration for the Crop and Pest Management the same hard-earned lessons. Additionally, some of Shortcourse is open. The three-day program is Dec. this year’s topics will include soil health, soil organic 7-9. The educational sessions will be from 8 a.m. to matter and water dynamics, and the conference 5 p.m. Dec. 8 and 8 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Dec. 9. The staple – a panel of farmers sharing their own personal general session will start with the theme “Let’s Get experiences with soil management. This year’s format Real,” going from 8-11 a.m. and then breaking into will include both in-person and virtual opportunities. the concurrent educational sessions throughout the The SMS will take place Dec. 14-15 at the Mayo Clinic rest of the program. Topics covered will include: corn Event Center in Mankato. For more information and rootworm status, chlorpyrifos replacements, options to register, visit z.umn.edu/SMS2021.

Public Notices PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE OF PROPERTY SALE

The Sauk Rapids Housing and Redevelopment Authority gives notice that it will hold a public hearing on December 7, 2021, at 6 p.m., or as soon after that as can be heard, at the Sauk Rapids City Hall Council Chambers at 250 Summit Avenue North, in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota to hear all persons present regarding the HRA’s proposed sale on a Contract for R-46-2B Deed, to El Rosario, Inc. of the real property located in the

BENTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 2, 2021 The Benton County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on November 2, 2021 in the Benton County Board Room in Foley, MN. Call to order by Vice-Chair Steve Heinen was at 9:00 AM followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the ag. A roll call showed Commissioners Beth Schlangen, Scott Johnson, Jared Gapinski and Steve Heinen present. Commissioner Ed Popp was absent due to a prior commitment. Vice-Chair Heinen noted absence excused.

County Administrator Montgomery Headley requested to amend the Agenda to add the discussion and possible action to transfer the Technical Analyst position in Land Services to the Auditor-Treasurer’s Of ce after his rst Agenda item at 9:30 AM. Motion by Johnson and seconded

by Gapinski to approve the amended Agenda. Motion carried unanimously.

No one was present to speak under Open Forum.

Motion by Gapinski and seconded by Schlangen to approve the Consent Agenda: 1) approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of October 19, 2021; 2) approve the Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes of October 6, 2021.

Motion carried unanimously.

Next, Department of Development Director Roxanne Achman provided an update on the cleanup efforts at the site of the former King’s Inn. Property owner Tom Ranallo was contacted and gave permission to install erosion control on the lake side of the structure. Ranallo is aware that the cost will be assessed back to the property at a later date.

The cost of the installation of bio logs was $1,400 from Doucette’s Landscaping and Contracting. Ranallo has indicated that he does not have the funds to clean up the site at this time. Ranallo has signed a document agreeing to allow the County and its agents on to the property to assess cleanup costs. Ranallo has also indicated that if the costs are acceptable, he may be willing to enter into an agreement with the County, with the understanding that the costs will be assessed back to the property. There was a consensus among the County Board to move forward with clean-up efforts, and the Department of Development would begin gathering several quotes and working with the County Attorney’s Of ce to draft an agreement between the County and Ranallo. The agreement would outline the work to be completed, the expected cost and that the costs would be assessed back to the property. Clean up costs are anticipated to be over $40,000 and will likely involve the hauling of debris, removal of the remaining structure and back lling the site.

Next, County Engineer Chris Byrd invited Duane J. Walter of 7665 Ronneby Road NE Foley, MN 56329 to discuss the possibility of designating a County Highway as

a Veteran’s Memorial Highway. Walter was approached by several Veterans about such designation. The Veterans suggested County Road 4 to be designated since it runs almost the entire length of Benton County. Walter added that he is not here today on behalf of the Foley American Legion, however he is looking for direction from the County Board if this is something he can pursue, and if it is, he will bring it to the Foley American Legion for their approval as well.

Walter indicated that the Legion would likely be able to nd the funds for the signs.

Byrd added that he has been in contact with other Counties that have a Veterans Highway designation and has some sample resolutions for designating a County Highway as a Veterans Memorial Highway. There was a consensus by the County Board to move forward with this, and to also ensure we are working with the re and police departments to keep the 911 addresses accurate, and then to bring this back to the County Board for adoption.

Next, Byrd provided a brief update on construction projects.

The Regular County Board meeting was recessed at 9:25 AM to conduct a Human Services Board Meeting.

The Regular Board meeting reconvened at 9:30 AM. Next, Headley asked the County Board to consider a request from Anoka County for one contracted bed at the East Central Regional Juvenile Center. Dylan Warkentin from Anoka County provided a presentation to the County Board on this request. Anoka County has requested that Benton County re- join the East Central Regional Juvenile Joint Powers Organization and contract for one bed in this facility. Benton County uses this facility currently and pays the non-member rate. Anoka County reports that Benton County has consistently used approximately one bed all year long over the past ve years. The current non-member daily rate is now $330 and will increase to $340 in 2022.

The 2022-member rate will be $285 per day. Potential savings would be $21,170 annually by paying the member rate. Anoka is seeking new members to help to ensure the long-term viability of the juvenile facility. Department of Corrections District Supervisor Deb Anderson and Sheriff Troy Heck were both in attendance virtually to share their support of this. There was a consensus by the County Board to move forward and to provide the County Board a Joint Powers Agreement and a contract for one contracted bed at the East Central Regional Juvenile Center in Anoka County.

Next, Headley invited Auditor-Treasurer Nadean Inman to discuss changing the Technical Analyst position in Land Services to the Auditor-Treasurer’s Of ce. The Technical Analyst is responsible for maintaining parcel data in the County’s tax system whenever parcel ownership changes, new parcels are created, or parcel boundaries change. This position also calculates State Deed and

City of Sauk Rapids legally described as: Lots 1 and 2, Block 27, Original Town of Sauk Rapids, Benton County, Minnesota; The proposed terms and conditions of the property sale are available for review and inspection at the of ce of the Community Development Director, City of Sauk Rapids, Sauk Rapids City Government Center, 250 Summit Avenue North, Sauk Rapids, MN during normal business R-46-1B

Mortgage Registry taxes on real property documents recorded in the Land Services Department. The State Deed and Mortgage Registry tax duties are Treasurer functions, so the Land Services employee needed to be deputized to carry out these duties. Also, the Auditor-Treasurer’s Of ce has a better capacity to back up this position’s duties.

With changes in Department leadership, the two affected departments have concluded the best organizational t for the position is back in the Auditor-Treasurer’s Of ce, and both Inman and Land Services Director Michael Harvey were present to share their support of this change. Motion

by Gapinski and seconded by Johnson to transfer the Technical Analyst position from Land Services to the AuditorTreasurer’s Of ce with the actual date of transfer to be determined jointly by the Inman and Harvey. Motion carried unanimously.

Next, County Board members reported on Commissioner updates and recent meetings they attended on behalf of the County.

Under Commissioner concerns, Gapinski would like to explore other resources to fund an additional Deputy position in the Sheriff’s Of ce as opposed to using our levy dollars to fund the position. This discussion could be at a future Committee of the Whole Meeting.

Heinen/Johnson to set Committees of the Whole: Tuesday, November 30, 2021, nal 2022 Budget and Levy, review proposed Fee Schedule changes, discuss 2022 Elected Of cials Salaries and minimum salaries for Elected Positions ling for of ce in 2022, County Board Room, Foley, 9:00 AM; Monday, December 6, 2021 through Wednesday, December 8, 2021 AMC Annual 2021 Conference at the Doubletree Hotel, 7800 Normandale Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55349, beginning at 7:00 AM. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Johnson and seconded by Gapinski to recess Regular Board Meeting at 10:29 AM to conduct a Closed Session: 1) to conduct a closed session of the County Board pursuant to MN Statutes §13D.05, Subdivision 3 to develop or consider offers or counteroffers for the purchase or sale of real property. The properties that are being considered are parcel 1301123000 (property adjacent to Court facility property) and parcel 130030201 (old High School property). Motion carried unanimously.

Regular Board Meeting reconvened at 10:44 AM. Motion by Johnson and seconded by Gapinski to adjourn the Regular Board Meeting at 10:45 AM. Motion carried unanimously.

Steven J. Heinen, Vice-Chair Benton County Board of Commissioners ATTEST: Montgomery Headley Benton County Administrator R-46-1B

Page 8B | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021| SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

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