Carlton County Extension Connection
October 2024
Hope you are all enjoying the warm fall we are having. Here at the Extension Office we want our readers to truly benefit from the content in this newsletter. We welcome you to contact the office with any tips, story or program ideas, or photos we could include in future publications.
Thank you,
Your local Extension staff
Come learn from local experts at "The Green House in Carlton" on how to prepare your shrubs for the upcoming winter months. Be prepared to learn about pruning with hands-on experience, requirements for covering, and so much more! Bring questions about any type of shrub you may have.
Participants will also have a chance to shop a private clearance sale and be entered in a drawing for a chance to win 3 "Flowerful Hydrangeas" introduced from Bailey’s Nurseries. Class size is limited to 20 participants.
When: Thursday October 10th from 6-7pm.
Where: The Green House: 210 6th St N, Carlton, MN 55718.
Cost: Free
PRERIGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Call 218-384-8680 to register.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Are you a young farmer taking over an existing operation or have you started your own farm?
Are you confused on what your banker wants to see or what goals you have for your farm?
Do you want to better understand business deductions, or do you want help with grain marketing?
Do you want a farm business refresher?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, then the Minnesota Beginner Farmer Institute is for you.
The Minnesota Beginner Farmer Institute is a three-part course that uses an interactive and fun
approach to teach participants farm management topics. The participants will build camaraderie and meet three times over the course of two months. Each workshop will have educational handouts, presentations, and lunch.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand the Ag Economy, Business Plan and Goals, including AgPlan.
- Understand components and use of Taxes, Business Entities & Record Keeping, including expenses and deductions.
- Understand components and use of Finances, Land Rent and Grain Marketing, including cost
- of production. balance sheet, income statements, and cash flow.
DATES AND LOCATION
The Institute is free to attend, and lunch is provided.
Carlton – Carlton Co Transportation Building 1630 Co Rd 61, Carlton, MN 55718
o January 9 Noon to 5:00 p.m.
o January 16, and 23 – 10:00 to 3:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION
Registration is free, but pre-registration is required at https://z.umn.edu/BF24
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Please contact Nathan Hulinsky, University of MN Extension ag business management educator, with questions at (218) 828-2680 or huli0013@umn.edu.
A minimum of four 8th District scholarships ranging from $400 to $700 will be awarded to students residing in or attending school in the Minnesota State Horticultural Society 8th District. The 8th District includes the counties of Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, north and south St. Louis.
Applicants must be a graduating senior form the MSHS 8th District who will be attending college or technical school within one calendar year after being chosen as a recipient. No restriction as to course or school. A completed application and essay must be submitted by March 15, 2025.
For an application and more information please contact Ann at the office. 218-384-8684
The NEFGC is hittin' the road
This year the tour is headed out to North Dakota. Highlights include Schaff Angus Valley, Ellingson Angus, Kenny's Candy and Confections and more. This tour is open to anyone who is interested not just NEFGC members!
When: October 23-25, 2024
Bus Cost: TBD
Pre-registration is required. Call Mandi at 218-384-8680 by October 15th at 4 pm.
Meals and hotel are not included. Book your hotel by calling the Country Inn and Suites, Bismarck. Reserve your room under NEFGC at 701-258-4200. The cost is $159 per night. The discounted room block closes on October 1st.
A gathering for agricultural entrepreneurs
Calling all current and aspiring agritourism entrepreneurs: UMN Extension will be hosting a networking event for producers who currently offer or plan to start agritourism activities. Whether you're currently engaged in agritourism or simply agritourism curious, this gathering is the perfect place to spart fresh ideas and build connections. We'll have time to chat, share ideas, and swap stories over coffee and snacks.
Where: Beaver River Farms: 5936 Beaver River Rd, Duluth MN 558203
When: Sunday October 27th from 1-4pm
$10/person
Click here to register and for more information on this event. Email fjt@umn.edu with questions. We look forward to having you at the event and building our community of agritourism entrepreneurs!
Doug has been saving his own seeds for years and has presented a basic seed saving class for us in 2023. This time he will take it up a notch and talk about more difficult seeds to collect such as biennials, carrots, onions, beets and cabbage etc.
The cost is $5 at the door and 18 and under are free. Contact Ann at 218-384-8684 or rustx048@umn.edu to register.
Earlier this year the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced new regulations to improve traceability for cattle and bison. The update is designed to enhance the U.S. response to foreign animal disease outbreaks, helping to quickly identify and contain diseases, and limiting their impact on U.S. herds.
Rapid traceability will minimize farm quarantines, reduce disease spread, and speed up market resumption. By enabling the identification of disease-free regions, the U.S. can prevent widespread trade restrictions and protect its agricultural trade relationships.
Tags applied on or after November 5, 2024 must be visually and electronically readable to be considered official when required for intrastate or interstate movements of cattle and bison.
Look for more details from the Board in the next few months as we get closer to the official requirement date. Veterinarians who do a lot of tagging can order free official RFID tags from the USDA via the Board's website. The Board is also working on a system for producers to order smaller quantities of tags for their herds.
-Article from Minnesota Board of Animal Health
As our fall season is well underway, and we are steadily trying to get that to-do list done before the snow flies, remember that fall is a great time to take soil tests on your fields to see what you need for next years cropping season. This puts you one step further ahead for the spring. Remember that while the soil sample tells us what nutrient recommendations are suggested, we live in a fortunate area where we have options for our fertilizer choices. This month we are highlighting WLSSD.
Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) is a special purpose unit of government
created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1971 to address serious environmental pollution
problems in the lower St. Louis River Basin. WLSSD operates a wastewater treatment plant that
produces clean water that enters the St. Louis River, methane gas used to heat buildings and
generate electricity, and Field Green® biosolids.
So just what are Field Green® biosolids? It all starts with the source – wastewater.
Approximately half of the 35 million gallons of wastewater WLSSD receives each day comes
from Carlton County homes, businesses, and industries. This wastewater is treated through a
series of steps to remove inorganic substances (sand, dirt, trash, etc.) and break down organic
substances and nutrients so water can be safely discharged into the St. Louis River. Field
Green® biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic matter that are separated from wastewater and
further treated at high temperatures for about 30 days to become a high-quality fertilizer. Field
Green® is used on agricultural fields and mine tailings basins, recovering and returning
nutrients from the community back to the soil.
At WLSSD, we are proud of the product we produce. While the use of biosolids is heavily
regulated at the Federal and State level, not all biosolids are the same. It all depends on the
wastewater entering the treatment plant as well as the treatment processes in place.
Fortunately, the industries contributing wastewater in our region are not a significant source of
heavy metals or ‘PFAS,’ also called ‘Forever Chemicals.’ WLSSD tests Field Green® biosolids
quarterly for PFAS.
You can learn more about Field Green® and PFAS by visiting our website:
https://wlssd.com/services/biosolids/
Questions? Contact Erik Johnson – Environmental Program Coordinator, 218.740.4808 or erik.johnson@wlssd
The 2025 Carlton County Plat Books will arrive this fall!
The on going plat book fund raiser for the Carlton County 4-H federation has the 2025 edition on order. They will include not only land descriptions but aerial photos. Makes a great Christmas gift and profits benefit the local 4-H kids. Please call the office to be placed on a notification list to get one hot off the press.
As a reminder if you have a question regarding gardening, insects, pests, weeds, you name it! We have a form you can ask to get in touch with one of our local Master Gardeners. Please submit your questions here.
