Calendar of Events

Feb. 7 — Women in Ag Network Conference — Willmar, Minn. — The conference’s theme is “Building Resilience on your Farm and in your Family.” This event will be a day of learning and networking for women involved in agriculture. Contact Besty Wieland at eliza003@umn.edu or (612) 624-7119.

Feb. 8 — Cow Calf Days — Pipestone, Minn. — This year’s event will feature information on: the cattle market outlook & where do we go from here, simple things that add value integrating grazing & soil health, and vitamin & mineral nutrition. There will also be a corresponding trade show. Contact Eric Mousel at emmousel@umn.edu or (218) 513-0781.

Other Dates and Locations:

Feb. 9 — Oronoco, Minn.

Feb. 10 — Le Sueur, Minn.

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) 743-8412.

Feb. 14 — Washington, Iowa Contact (319) 653-4811.

Feb. 15 — Storm Lake, Iowa Contact (712) 732-5056.

Feb. 16 — Orange City, Iowa Contact (712) 737-4230.

Feb. 10-11 — Farm Couple Getaways — Dubuque, Iowa — This event is aimed at farmers wanting to take advantage of activities to improve farm family communication, work on farm or family goal setting, farm transitions or looking for a weekend away to discuss farm and family issues. Contact Fred Hall at fredhall@iastate.edu or (712) 737-4230.

Other Dates and Locations:

March 3-4 — Holstein, Iowa

Feb. 13 — Beginning Farmer Summit — Ames, Iowa — This event is designed for beginning farmers, as well as experienced farmers and landowners looking to help beginners get started and access land. Contact Greg Padget at greg. padget@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661.

Feb. 15 — Youth Mental Health First Aid training — Clarion, Iowa — This program provides adults with tools they can use to identify when a youth (ages 6-18) in their life might be struggling with a mental health and/or substance use problem. Contact Demi Johnson at demij@iastate.edu.

Feb. 15 — ARC/PLC Webinar — Online — Farmers and others involved in agriculture will have an opportunity to learn more about the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs and factors to consider when making elections for the 2023 crop year. For more information, visit https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FG9_VSE-T0iXAhe2qftdRg.

Feb. 20 — Carver County Dairy and Beef Expo — Norwood Young America, Minn. — Farmers, ag professionals, and friends of agriculture are invited to attend this trade show event and educational sessions covering key topics pertinent to today’s agricultural community. Contact Colleen Carlson at trax1042@umn.edu or (507) 521-3640.

Feb. 20-24 — Gardening from the Ground Up — Online — This series of virtual workshops will focus on trees and shrubs in the home landscape. Visit z.umn.edu/GardenUp.

Feb. 21 — Nutrient Management Conference — St. Cloud, Minn. — Current topics in crop production and environmental stewardship will be discussed. Visit https://mawrc.org/events.

Feb. 28-March 1 — Central Minnesota Farm Show — St. Cloud, Minn. — Visitors can look for special product offers, entertainment, and educational opportunities from a variety of professional exhibitors. Contact Laura Wagner at (320) 656-3831.

March 1, 8, 15 — Minnesota Irrigator Program — Farmington, Minn . — Programming will include a discussion of irrigation systems, how to use soil moisture sensors on your farm, irrigation scheduling, and special topics like variable rate irrigation and remote sensing. Contact Taylor Herbert at therbert@ umn.edu or (612) 394-5229.

March 21 — Garden Gala — Litchfield, Minn. — Learn from experts about a wide variety of gardening topics. There will also be vendors offering a wide array of services. Contact Meeker County Extension office at (320) 6935275.

April 11-13 — PEAK 2023 — Minneapolis, Minn. — Formerly called the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention, PEAK is the nation’s largest trade show and convention in North America focused exclusively on the business and food production of poultry. Contact Lara Durben at ldurben@midwestpoultry.com or (763) 284-6763.

Grants for noxious weeds

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2023 Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grant. Counties, municipalities, tribal governments and weed management entities (including weed management areas) may apply for grants to mitigate noxious weeds around the state. To be eligible for consideration, applicants must spend grant funds by June 30, 2023.

To review the application requirements and find the application, visit www.mda.state.mn.us/plants-insects/ noxious-weed-invasive-plant-grant.

Applications are due no later than 3 p.m. on March 31.

Questions can be directed to MDA Noxious Weed Law Coordinator Emilie Justen at Emilie.Justen@state.mn.us.

This article was submitted by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.v