Farm & Ag News

Gardeners, anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts are likely to encounter earthworms. Minnesota earthworms are exotic species from Europe and Asia. Aside from their use for bait and composting, most people don’t know the purpose of earthworms. A group of scientists think they should.  Minnesota has no native earthworms, angle worms or night crawlers. Those that have…

Scout alfalfa fields for potato leafhopper Historically, potato leafhoppers exceed economic thresholds in alfalfa fields 5 out of 10 years. Not until 3 years ago did most dairy farmers understand the injury symptoms to watch for. The year I took my leave to work with soybeans, Minnesota alfalfa fields were overcome by potato leafhoppers. Potato…

Farmers and gardeners alike are invited to the annual tour at Bihl’s Organic Homeplace Beef in Clearwater on Monday, July 21. Two tours are offered where participants can learn how grazing pastures are managed and how organic beef is raised. The first tour begins at 5 p.m. and the second begins at 7 p.m. A…

Apple maggots, also known as the railroad worm, are the most destructive pests of apples grown in home orchards. The apple maggots spend the winter in the soil as pupae and begin to emerge from the soil as adult flies in July. These flies do not all appear at the same time, but continue to…

Flower crabs losing leaves Our office has had many calls regarding flowering crabapple trees losing their leaves. A disease called apple scab is responsible. The disease infects certain apple and flowering crabapple trees. Apple scab infections look like brown to black blotches. Some trees have lost the majority of their leaves. These trees may partially…

KLFD sponsors June Dairy Month Breakfast Everyone living in Minnesota knows that June is dairy month. It’s the month we recognize dairy families who are on the job 365 days of the year. KLFD radio has sponsored an on-farm breakfast for many years. The first I can remember was Gene and Mary Ellen Nilson in…

The Crow River Chapter of SFA, Sustainable Farming Association invites you to visit the Schut Dairy Farm beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 (The tour will begin at 10:20 a.m. and conclude by noon). During the tour, you can learn and share sustainable grazing techniques for 90 milking cows. The farm is located…

On Tuesday, May 20, the Canadian government notified United States officials that a cow in a remote area of Alberta had tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as Mad Cow Disease). This raised questions about BSE, its potential human health impact, and steps being taken to prevent it in America. The Alberta…

Unfortunately, our suspicions of increased winterkill of the alfalfa crop in many parts of Minnesota came true. Throughout much of central Minnesota, old alfalfa stands died from winterkill and need to be replaced. What do I do? The first step is to determine your current forage inventory and forage requirements. Typically, cows will consume between…

How rainfall effects preemergence herbicides Bob Hartzler, weed scientist at Iowa State, wrote an interesting article on how rainfall affects preemergence herbicides. Pre-emergence herbicides are those that are applied after planting but before the crop emerges. The effectiveness of herbicides applied at this time is greatly influenced by rainfall. Herbicides need to be present for…