UMN Online Horse Certificate Courses
January 13 – February 23, 2020
Horse certificate courses are semi self-paced on a specific topic, such as nutrition or manure management. The courses each last six weeks. Courses are recommended for adult learners (ages 18 and older) but open to everyone. The course does not result in college credit.
1. Growing and Feeding Horse Hay
2. Horse Pasture Establishment and Management
3. Basic Horse Nutrition
4. Manure Management
5. Equine Biosecurity
Each course costs $75 and registration is due by 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 12.
More information and registration is available at https://z.umn.edu/51fl
Cow-Calf Days
January 24, 2020, 5:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Clinton Community Center, Iron, MN
The program features information on production management, nutrition, efficiency and marketing. The corresponding trade show features vendors with new information, technology and products with a wide-array of practical uses for the operators in the cow-calf sector.
Farm Transition and Estate Planning Workshop
February 12, 2020 – 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Floodwood Fair Building – Floodwood, MN
Presented by University of Minnesota Extension, this workshop covers topics including:
- Family communications
- Farm goal setting
- Business structures
- Mechanisms for inheritance and transition
- Estate and gift taxes
- Basic concepts such as retirement planning
Participants will also learn about the Farm Business Management program and SCORE mentoring.
No cost to attend. Lunch included at no cost if pre-registered
Commercial Fruit & Vegetable Growers Workshop/Research Update & Discussion
Friday, February 14, 9:30 a.m.
Floodwood Fair Building, Floodwood, MN
Please join us for several topics like SWD & other university research.
Please contact the Virginia Extension Office at 218-749-7120 for more details.
Cottage Food Producer Safety Training
Thursday, March 5, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Mountain Iron Community Center
This in-person course focuses on food safety practices for all processes covered under the 2015 cottage food law including drying, baking, confections, jams and jellies, acid and acidified fruit and vegetables and fermentation.
By taking this course, you will meet the training requirement of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to register as a cottage food producer for Tier 2 food sales.
Grant money available to prevent wolf attacks
New money is available to Minnesota livestock producers to help prevent wolf attacks. A total of $60,000 will be awarded through the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. Applications are due January 31, 2020, to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).
The grants provide reimbursement for costs of approved practices to prevent wolf-livestock conflicts. Eligible expenses for the grant program will include any or all of the following items:
- Purchase of guard animals
- Veterinary costs for guard animals
- Installation of wolf-barriers which may include pens, fladry, and fencing
- Installation of wolf-deterring lights and alarms
- Calving or lambing shelters
- Other measures demonstrated to effectively reduce wolf-livestock conflicts
“We’re fortunate to be able to offer this assistance again to Minnesota farmers and ranchers thanks to a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Whitney Place. “Livestock owners can get additional resources to protect their animals and livelihood, and I encourage producers to examine ways they can decrease the chances of wolf attacks and apply for this funding.”
Producers must live within
Minnesota’s wolf range, as designated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or on property determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture to be affected by wolf-livestock conflicts.
Any animal species produced for profit and documented to have been killed by wolves in Minnesota in the past is eligible. This includes bison, cattle, chicken, deer, donkey, duck, geese, goat, horse, llama, mule, sheep, swine, and turkey.
The grant application must be emailed or postmarked by 5 p.m. on January 31, 2020. Work for this grant must be done and expenses reported by August 31, 2020. The application and more information can be found at
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/wolfgrants.
The grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service is funding the third round of Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. The first two rounds were funded by the Minnesota Legislature in 2017. Those grants awarded $240,000 between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2019. Grantees used the money for items like fencing, guard animals, and motion lights – all deterrents to wolves.
For more gardening advice tune in to
Great Gardening on PBS North to watch Bob Olen and Tom Kasper answer viewer questions live and share their garden expertise. You can find the show schedule
here.