Pine & Isanti County Ext. Update
Agriculture, Horticulture, & Natural Resources
School is back in session and harvest is underway in the fields and gardens, so flower gardens may be forgotten about. As Extension Educator, Robin Trott says:
"Fall is often seen as the garden’s winding-down season, but it’s a critical window for pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects need late nectar sources to survive migration or overwintering. By planting fall-blooming perennials and designing pollinator-friendly containers, we extend the garden’s generosity right up until frost.
In Minnesota, fall is not the end of the garden; it’s a chapter filled with color, purpose, and pollinator support."
There is still time to plant perennials this fall! If you want to attract pollinators consider incorporating asters, goldenrod, or rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) into your flower gardens. Perhaps you want to do something a bit smaller or in a container? Try native asters like Aromatic or Wood's Blue, pansies and violas, or salvias and sweet alyssum, which are pollinator friendly too.
~Katie Hagen
From Roots to Retirement: Estate Planning for Farming Audiences
Where: Online
When: September 14, 2026 from 10-11 AM
Cost: Free
About: This mini-session for Annie's Project provides a comprehensive overview of estate and succession planning specifically tailored for self-employed individuals and family farms. It guides participants through the essential paperwork needed for healthcare and financial decisions, while also exploring various tools for asset transfer, such as trusts, wills, and buy-sell agreements.
2026 Agroforestry Institute
Where: Online
When: September 15-17, 2026 starting at 8:00 AM each day
Cost: $100
About: This two and a half day workshop includes classroom sessions and on-farm visits discussing five main agroforestry topics, including design and implementation: windbreaks, silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian forest buffers and forest farming. Registration is required.
Farm Safety Day
Where: Rock Creek City Hall in Rock Creek, MN
When: September 21, 2026 from 4:00 - 7:00 PM
Cost: Free
About: Safety on the farm in our priority - visit with local organizations to learn more about various aspects of farm safety including electrical, fire, ATV, and grain bin safety. Take home checklists and resources to make sure you, your family, and employees are safe while working on the farm.
Annie's Project Retreat
Where: Frog Tree Farm in Verndale, MN
When: September 24-26, 2026; Thursday from 6-9 PM, Friday from 8:30 AM - 4 PM, Saturday from 7:30 AM - 3 PM
Cost: Sliding fee scale; pay what you can afford - full price $199, reduced cost $129 or $75
About: This 2-night retreat covers financial strategies, legal basics, risk management, and production. Connect with fellow leaders across Minnesota and gain the confidence to navigate your farm’s future.
Everything Equine and Wine - Save the Dates!
Where: Northwest, East Central, and Southwest Metro
When: October 29 (NW), November 5 (EC), and November 12 (SWM), 2026
Cost: $30
About: Uncork the charm of horses! Relax with a beverage of your choice over dinner while gaining equine insights from University of Minnesota experts and educators to support your horse’s health and nutrition. Everything Equine and Wine is open to anyone but is geared toward horse owners ages 18+.
Third Annual Agritourism Exchange
Where: Keepsake Cidery in Dundas, MN
When: November 19, 2026 from 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Cost: Free
About: Join Minnesota's annual gathering of agritourism operators and the organizations that support them. Connect with fellow farm hosts, hear real-world experiences from experienced operators, participate in engaging discussions, and discover resources to help grow your agritourism business. Whether you're just getting started or have years of experience, you'll leave with new ideas, valuable connections, and practical takeaways.
Midwest Bumble Bee Identification, Ecology, & Conservation
Where: Online at your own pace
Cost: $80
About: This self-guided course will cover 25 common and uncommon bumble bee species, including the endangered rusty patched bumble bee. Color morphs common in the upper Midwest and cover species common throughout eastern North America will be the focus. Anyone who wants to reliably identify bumble bees to species in the field, including conservation professionals, students performing research on bumble bees, and volunteers who want to take their identification skills to the next level.
Hinckley Residents Community Garden Interest Survey
Pine County Extension would like to gauge your interest in having a community garden. Share your thoughts at z.umn.edu/HinckleyCGSurvey!
Community gardens offer a wide range of benefits to a community that include accessing healthy food, reducing food costs, fostering community relationships, encouraging physical activity, creating educational activities and spaces, and reducing environmental impacts. Overall, community gardens contribute to a healthier, resilient, and sustainable community. Let us know your thoughts!
Japanese Beetle Survey
The University of Minnesota is developing a research proposal focused on Japanese beetle management and the winsome fly. The proposed research will examine whether insecticide products or application timing can be adjusted to reduce harm to winsome fly while maintaining practical Japanese beetle control.
The University of Minnesota is developing a research proposal focused on Japanese beetle management and the winsome fly. The proposed research will examine whether insecticide products or application timing can be adjusted to reduce harm to winsome fly while maintaining practical Japanese beetle control.
We want to make sure the research will be helpful for Minnesota fruit and vegetable growers. Help us make sure the research captures your growing system and management practices by filling out our survey, Japanese Beetle Management Practices and Decision-Making in Minnesota. The survey is anonymous, works on mobile, and should take 3-4 minutes.
Harvesting Drought Stressed Corn
During drought conditions, aside from areas where plants are barren (with no pollination or ear development) and have little green tissue remaining, it is often best to delay corn silage harvest as long as possible to allow for maximum development of the kernels and total dry matter.
Harvest Moisture
Test the moisture level of corn silage before and during chopping. Silage moisture is a crucial factor in the ensiling process, and the moisture content of drought-stressed corn can be misleading. Even if the corn looks fired up and dried out, it may still contain over 70% moisture.
When testing for moisture, it’s essential to get a representative sample from the field. A Koster tester or microwave oven can provide an accurate estimate of the moisture level of the silage. Test often because silage that is too wet or too dry will have storage issues.
- Silage chopped too wet can become clostridial, and nutrients can seep from storage structures.
- Silage that is too dry will not pack well, increasing the potential for air pockets, mold, and storage losses.
- It is possible to add moisture to dry corn silage, but it is usually not feasible, as it takes large amounts of water to increase moisture. For example, it takes 7 gallons of water per 1 ton of silage to raise the moisture level by 1%.
The recommended moisture levels for the different storage options of corn silage are:
- 65-70% for bunkers
- 60-70% for bags
- 60-65% for upright stave silos
- 55-60% for upright oxygen-limiting silos
- 40-55% for baleage
Test for Nitrates
Nitrates taken up by plants are normally incorporated into amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The conversion of nitrates to amino acids usually occurs in green leaf tissue. Drought conditions can cause nitrates to accumulate, especially in the lower one-third of the stalk.
Nitrate concentrations in drought-stressed corn:
- Leaves: 64 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
- Ears: 17 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
- Upper third of stalk: 153 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
- Middle third of stalk: 803 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
- Lower third of stalk: 5524 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
- Whole plant: 978 ppm nitrate-nitrogen
Raising the cutting deck to a height of 10 to 12 inches to avoid the stalks that are highest in nitrates will decrease the nitrates in the silage, but also decrease tonnage. The whole-plant nitrate concentration should be factored into the decision regarding cutting height.
Harvest should also be delayed a minimum of three days following a rainfall event, as a flush of nitrates can enter the plant, temporarily increasing nitrate concentrations.
If ensiled properly, one-third to one-half of the nitrates will be converted and released as a gas. Test the silage during feedout to ensure you’re not feeding unsafe nitrate levels, taking into account the nitrate level in the corn silage and the proportion of corn silage in the ration.
Green chopping drought-stressed corn is not recommended, as nitrates will likely be high without fermentation. Chopping length also plays a role in the ensiling process. The theoretical length of cut for processed corn silage is 3/4 inch, and if not processed, the length should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
If harvesting corn silage that is drier than recommended, decreasing the cutting size may help with packing.
Using an inoculant can also increase the chances of successful fermentation. With reduced yields, it is critical to preserve the forage we do have.
Read the full article by authors: Liz Stahl, Extension educator; Jeff Coulter, Extension specialist; Craig Sheaffer, Emily Popp, Nathan Drewitz and Jared Goplen
Contact Me
Katie Hagen
Ag Production, Hort & Natural Resources Extension Educator
Email: hagen@umn.edu
UM Ext Isanti County
555 18th Ave. SW
Cambridge, MN 55008
763-689-8254
UM Ext Pine County, County Courthouse
635 Northridge Dr NW #280
Pine City, MN 55063
320-591-1662