Calendar of Events

Visit www.TheLandOnline.com to view our complete calendar & enter your own events, or send an e-mail with your event’s details to editor@thelandonline.com.

Dec. 9-10 — Minnesota Cattle Industry

Convention & Trade Show — Willmar, Minn. — The 2022 convention will feature MSCA’s annual Cattlemen’s College series with timely topics and speakers. Other highlights include MSCA and MN Cattlewomen annual meetings, live & silent auctions, setting 2022 legislative priorities, and networking opportunities. For more information, visit www.mnsca. org/events/convention.

Dec. 10 — Dairy Goat Management Seminar —

Orange City, Iowa — This year’s focus is on goat health, feeding, and milk marketing. Contact Fred Hall at (712) 737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu.

Dec. 15 — What is a Fair Farm Rental Agreement

— Willmar, Minn. — Attendees will receive several informative worksheets and factsheets that will help to determine what a fair 2023 farmland rental rate is. For more information, please visit https://z.umn.edu/ landrentworkshops.

Dec. 15-16 — Soil Management Summit — St.

Cloud, Minn. — Learn how heavier, colder soils aren’t necessarily the challenge they’re made out to be. Hear from long-time, reduced tillage and cover crop farmers as they share their experiences. Contact Jodi DeJong-Hughes at dejon003@umn.edu or (320) 235-0726 ext. 2006.

Jan. 3 — Crop Advantage Series — Sheldon,

Iowa — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists will provide updated management options and recommendations on crop production issues. Meeting will also include continuing education credits AD COPY INSTRUCTIONS Please read attached email for Certified Crop Advisers and pesticide applicator recertification. Contact ANR Program Services at CODE AND REP NAMES ALREADY ON AD THE LAND 3.417 x anr@iastate.edu or (515) 294-6429. Other Dates and Locations: 2”

Jan. 4 — Storm Lake, Iowa Jan. 10 — Okoboji, Iowa Jan. 11 — Webster City, Iowa Jan. 12 — Cedar Falls, Iowa

The Land Jan. 13 — Mason City, Iowa

Jan. 24 — Le Mars, Iowa

Jan. 5-6 — Minnesota Organic Conference — St.

Cloud, Minn. — The conference will include two keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and an 80-booth trade show. For more information, visit https://www. mda.state.mn.us/environment-sustainability/minnesota-organic-conference.

Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7 and 14 — Annie’s Project

— Owatonna, Minn. — Course topics will include financial reporting, human resources, legal, market risk and production metrics. Contact Claire LaCanne at lacanne@umn.edu or (507) 444-7691.

Jan. 12 — What is a Fair Farm Rental Agreement

—Online — Attendees will receive several informative worksheets and factsheets that will help to determine what a fair 2023 farmland rental rate is. For more information, please visit https://z.umn.edu/landrentworkshops.

Jan. 18-19 — MN Ag Expo — Mankato, Minn. — Learn what researchers are discovering about new uses for corn. The Expo will also include learning sessions focused on carbon credits, nitrogen, state regulations, and the 2023 farm bill. Contact MN Ag Expohttp:// mnagexpo.com.

Jan. 19 — Planning Your Dairy Farm Future —

Paynesville, Minn. — Session is “Who’s the Boss?” (Leadership and Communication). Learn about family member personality and communication and how it affects your farm’s performance. Contact Dana Adams at adam1744@umn.edu or (320) 255-6169, ext. 3.

Jan. 19-21 — Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference

— Ames, Iowa — This year, the conference invites attendees to consider the many places where common ground exists in our lives, farms, ideas and shared aspirations. Contact Tamsyn Jones at tamsyn.jones @practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661.

Jan. 26 — Planning Your Dairy Farm Future —

Little Falls, Minn. —Session is “How Do I Get from Here to There” (Goal Setting and Business Planning). Begin thinking about your farm’s goals and plan for future farm success. Contact Dana Adams at adam1744@umn.edu or (320) 255-6169, ext. 3.

Jan. 26 — What is a Fair Farm Rental Agreement

—Online — Attendees will receive several informative worksheets and factsheets that will help to determine what a fair 2023 farmland rental rate is. For more information, please visit https://z.umn.edu/landrentworkshops.

Jan. 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, and Mar. 2 — Annie’s Project - Education for Farm Women — St. Cloud,

Minn. — Course topics will include financial reporting, human resources, legal, market risk, and production metrics. Contact Anthony A. or Dana Adams at (320) 255-6169.

Jan. 31-Feb. 2 — Pollinator Habitat Webinar

Series — Online — This three-part series covers how to create a pollinator-friendly garden, bee lawn & prairie planting. Contact your local Extension office with questions and/or for help with registration. Contact for residents of Stearns, Benton, Morrison and Sherburne counties: quincy@umn.edu or (320) 255-6169 x 1.

Feb. 2 — Private Pesticide Applicator Continuing

Instruction Course — Hampton, Iowa — Topics to be covered include: Personal protective equipment, Safe handling, Storage of pesticides, and Pests, pest management and pesticides. Contact Traci Kloetzer at tkloetze@iastate.edu or (641) 456-4811.

Feb. 7 — Nitrogen Conference — Mankato,

Minn. — Current topics in crop production and environmental stewardship will be discussed. For more information, please visit https://mawrc.org/events.

Feb. 8 — Dry Manure Applicator Certification

Workshops — Kamrar, Iowa — This workshop meets manure applicator certification requirements for both confinement site manure applicators and commercial manure applicators who primarily apply dry or solid manure. Contact 515-832-9597.

Other Dates and Locations:

Feb. 9 — Clarion, Iowa Contact 515-532-3453.

Feb. 10 — Greenfield, Iowa Contact 641-7438412.

Feb. 14 — Washington, Iowa Contact 319-6534811.

Feb. 15 — Storm Lake, Iowa Contact 712-7325056.

Feb. 16 — Orange City, Iowa Contact 712-7374230.

Letters to the editor are always welcome.

Send your letters to: Editor, The Land 418 South Second St., Mankato, MN 56001 e-mail: editor@thelandonline.com

Ever walk in the wintertime with the wind biting at your face and then all of a sudden the wind just... stops?

Something stopped it. It could have been a building or even a tree. A single tree won’t stop the wind much, but a tree windbreak of a whole row or multiple rows of trees? Now that’s a conservation practice that can stop a lot of wind and snow too.

In order for a windbreak to function properly, it first needs to be designed and implemented with a few factors in mind. These factors include wind direction, space, and types of trees desired by the landowner. Other factors to consider are snow dumping load and odor control.

A windbreak can be made up of one row, all the way up to five or more rows. If one row is planted, that row should consist of conifer trees. Conifer trees keep their needles all year, and thus they will block the wind all year long.

If you are planning a two-row windbreak, a shrub row should be planted along with the conifer row. Shrubs add fast-growing protection from the wind at the ground level and also catch snowfall. Additional rows after this can be either conifer trees or deciduous trees.

The windbreak should be planted perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. That means if you have wind coming directly from the north, you would plant the windbreak going from east to west on the north side of where you want to protect from the wind. The rows don’t need to be in a completely straight line and can curve to fit the space and prevailing wind direction. The shrub row should always be on the outside of the windbreak, meaning it is the first line of defense against the wind.

When trees are planted, usually they are small. This can lead to wanting to plant them close together so there are little to no gaps. It can be hard to remember that those little trees do not stay little for long.

If the trees are planted too close together, they will eventually choke each other out a few years down the road. Shrubs should be planted five feet apart, deciduous trees 15-20 feet apart, and conifers 20-25 feet apart. This will allow for adequate space to grow, but close enough together to trap the wind effectively.

According to the University of Minnesota, windbreaks can reduce energy costs to rural residences by 10 to 20 percent. Windbreaks also have other benefits. They can also reduce odor caused by livestock and can reduce stress on farm animals.

Windbreaks also have great benefits for wildlife. Conifers provide valuable winter habitat for many species of birds that stay here during the winter like chickadees and nuthatches. Choosing a shrub species like highbush cranberry or juneberry can also provide a great, natural food source for birds. The blossoms and leaves of many hardwood tree species are

Census of agriculture now underway

DES MOINES — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently mailed survey codes to all known agriculture producers in Iowa with an invitation to respond online to the 2022 Census of Agriculture at agcounts.usda.gov.

The ag census is the nation’s only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county, and territory. By completing the survey, producers across the nation can tell their story and help generate impactful opportunities that better serve them and future generations of producers.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture will be mailed in phases, with paper questionnaires following in midDecember. Producers need only respond once, whether securely online or by mail. All responses are due Feb. 6. Farm operations of all sizes, urban and rural, which produced and sold, or normally would have sold, $1,000 or more of agricultural products in 2022, are included in the ag census.

Collected in service to American agriculture since 1840 and now conducted every five years by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Census of Agriculture is a complete picture of American agriculture today. It highlights land use and ownership, producer characteristics, production practices, income and expenditures, among other topics.

Between ag census years, NASS considers revisions to the questionnaire to document changes and emerging trends in the industry. Changes to the 2022 questionnaire include new questions about the use of precision agriculture, hemp production, hair sheep and updates to internet access questions.

Responding to the Census of Agriculture is required by law under Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105- 113. The same law requires NASS to keep all information confidential, to use the data only for statistical purposes, and only publish in aggregate form to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation. NASS will release the results of the ag census in early 2024.

To learn more about the Census of Agriculture, visit www.nass.usda.gov/agcensus. On the website, producers and other data users can access frequently asked questions, past ag census data, special study information, and more.

For highlights of these and the latest information, follow USDA NASS on twitter @usda_nass.

This article was submitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ❖ important for many species of moths and butterflies while their nuts and seeds also provide a food source for wildlife.

If you are thinking you would like to install a windbreak, restore your woodlot, or want to create woodland habitat for wildlife or birds, contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District office for assistance with planning and implementation. District staff with backgrounds in forestry are available to answer any questions you may have regarding species selection and can help you make the right choice of trees and shrubs.

This article was submitted by Emmie Scheffler, District Technician with the Rice Soil and Water Conservation District. ❖