The MSCA Summer Beef Tour & Trade Show will be held July 9th, 2013 in Roseau, MN.  The Roseau County Fairgrounds will be the gathering location, with planned stops at Bear Creek Ranch, CarlSon Angus, Waage Farms, Isane Farms, Burkel Grain Service, Central Boiler, and Skime Ranch.  Registration begins at 6:00 a.m. with buses departing at 7:00, 7:10, and 7:20.  All meals will be provided on the tour.  Visit www.mnsca.org for registration information.

 

The University of Minnesota Extension will participate in the event through an exhibit at the Roseau County Fairgrounds staffed by Deborah Zak, Regional Director, Northwest, and Alfredo DiConstanzo, Extension Animal Scientist, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus.

Bowerman is a member of the northwest Minnesota regional 4-H Team of the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development.  In her role as a regional educator, she will work with 4-H program staff in the northwest counties of Minnesota to ensure the 4-H programs remain vibrant and abundant with opportunities for youth to reach their full potential.  She will also be directly supporting 4-H science programming and works with a team of three educators, housed in the Moorhead and Roseau offices, to provide support for the 19 counties in the northwest region of Minnesota.

Bowerman comes to the University of Minnesota following her work for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County as the 4-H team coordinator for 13 years. As coordinator, she was involved in every detail of the program, from food and nutrition to animal science to volunteer development to risk management.

She holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Albany, N.Y., and a master of science in wildlife ecology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, N.Y.

Today the University of Minnesota Crookston delivers 28 bachelor's degree programs, 20 minors, and 39 concentrations on campus--as well as 11 degrees online--in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology.  With an enrollment of 1,800 undergraduates from 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree.  "Small Campus. Big Degree."  To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.

For additional information on the conference and to receive a registration form contact U of M Extension educator Bill Craig at 218-281-8692 or email craig030@umn.edu.

Registration for the forum is free, and can be found at http://communityengagement.und.edu.  The website also includes a schedule for the day of the forum. Dan Svedarsky, director of the U of M, Crookston Center for Sustainability, and Chris May, NW Clean Energy Resource Team coordinator, are panelists.  Deb Zak, Extnsion Regional Director, and Linda Kingery, executive director of the NW RSDP, will facilitate an afternoon session, as will Ben Anderson, Extension Regional director in the Moorhead office. 

The forum will focus on civic, economic, and environmental sustainability, addressing topics such as smart government, new business ownership models, and changes in agriculture and energy.  As hosts of the forum, Warren will have the opportunity to showcase its own town story and their efforts toward creating more sustainable practices in their community such as becoming a GreenStep City.  Warren will also highlight their unique assets with their downtown businesses and nearby Audubon wildlife preserve.  Participants will have the opportunity to network and view exhibits of different regional projects, agencies, and resources.  

The forum will be held in the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School.  There will be free transportation available for UND participants on the day of the forum to travel to Warren; the bus will leave Memorial Union at 8 AM.  Warren is about 30 miles northeast of Grand Forks.  

About the Center:  The UND Center for Community Engagement links academic resources with community needs by connecting students and faculty to teaching and research projects off campus.  It was created by an act of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education in 2004.  The Center serves as a catalyst for faculty and students to learn from and with nonprofit organizations, rural communities, tribal communities, and other public partners through local and regional initiatives.  

About Community Connect:  The Community Connect project provides opportunities for rural communities to work together with UND faculty and students on the challenges and opportunities in our region.  There are three components to the Community Connect project - a community-university forum, a print journal, and a website with an online academic journal.  

About our sponsors:  The Community Connect project is supported in part by a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation and sponsorships from the United Valley Bank, the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, the Farmers Union Insurance, and private donations. 

vegetables among K-12 students, according to an Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy survey of school food service leaders. Getting these locally grown foods on the menus of schools and other institutions such as hospitals and childcare centers requires cross-sector partnerships, community support and relationship building. The Northwest Region Workshop  is one of eight Farm to Cafeteria workshops taking place across the state between February and April. 

The workshops are designed to meet the needs of the region and strengthen connections to advance partnerships between local farmers and community institutions. Farm to Cafeteria builds strong communities, healthy people and resilient local farms, creating a "win-win" for all parties. This year's gatherings build on an earlier round of Farm to Cafeteria workshops. In 2010, more than 600 Minnesotans attended eight regional workshops that were aimed to inspire, inform and build support for local food to local institutions.

The workshop in Mahnomen will include peer-learning though presentations of practical experience and innovation in the region; panel discussion about making farm to cafeteria work for the farmers and the cafeterias; presentation on contracts and agreements between farmers and cafeterias; and tools and resources for strengthening community food systems.  We'll enjoy a supper meal and generous time for networking.  

"When schools buy food from nearby producers, their purchasing power helps create local jobs nd economic benefits, particularly in rural agricultural communities," said USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "Evidence also suggests that when kids understand more about

where food comes from and how it's produced, they are more likely to make healthy eating

choices."

The 2013 workshops are coordinated by University of Minnesota Extension in partnership with

the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Statewide Health Improvement Program and Renewing the Countryside, and funded by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

For more information and to register, visit www.extension.umn.edu/go/1132. Contact Linda Kingery at kinge002@umn.edu or 218-281-8697 for more information on the Northwest Regional Farm to Cafeteria Workshop. 

For information on Minnesota Farm to School, visit www.extension.umn.edu/farm-to-school.

The first session of the series will be held on the evening of Tuesday, January 22, 2013, and will continue on Tuesday evenings through mid-March. The series will be available via webinar at several locations throughout northern and central Minnesota, and may also be viewed at a home computer. Registration is FREE, $25 for printed materials for the entire series mailed to you, and $15 for the Beginner Growers Manual. 

Session topics include: "Beyond the Soil Survey Book"; "Efficient Irrigation"; "Weed Suppression and Control"; "Seeds and Seed Selection"; "Business Planning"; "Working Together for a Regional Food Hub"; "Preservation"; and "Farmers' Markets and Merchandising". 

Participants will learn from practitioners, educators, and those involved in the growing movement to build resilient local foods systems. Participants will choose their viewing location as well as the sessions they wish to attend. 

Host sites will be available in Bagley, Baudette, Bemidji, Crookston, Fergus Falls, Moorhead, Park Rapids, Staples, and Thief River Falls. The series may also be viewed at your own location. 

The Local Foods College is part of a movement to strengthen local and regional food systems. The 2013 Local Foods College is sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension and the Statewide Health Improvement Program. To learn more, visit www.localfoods.umn.edu. 

For more detailed information and registration, visit: http://localfoods.umn.edu/college or call 888-241-0781. 

received a Tekne Award in Minneapolis on November 1, 2012, from the Minnesota High Tech Association for their work on broadband access and adoption. Representatives of the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities (MIRC) initiative collected the "Innovative Collaboration Award" in front of a crowd of nearly 1,000 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant, the MIRC coalition, which included as one of its partners the Economic Development Administration University Center (EDA Center)  located at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, brought together a network of resources and support to rural Minnesota individuals and communities--especially those unemployed and seeking employment, small businesses, coalitions of government entities, and local leaders. 

 

Jack Geller, director of the EDA Center served as the project's primary evaluator and was pleased to be a part of the award winning project. He also acknowledges the vital role played by the University of Minnesota Extension in the MIRC and their work in rural Minnesota.  

Selection of Tekne finalists and winners was made by an independent panel of judges. In choosing MIRC, an initiative convened by Blandin Foundation and involving 30 partners, judges noted that, "MIRC has benefited from a legacy of collaboration. MIRC partners are numerous and the impact the collaboration has had on broadband adoption is significant. In fact, the [broadband] adoption rate is 29.8 percent faster in MIRC partner communities when compared to the rest of rural Minnesota."

All rural regions of Minnesota have engaged in broadband projects as part of the MIRC Initiative. Individual communities initiated more than 70 locally designed and led demonstration projects, suchas Lac Qui Parle County's "Commuter Computer" (mobile learning lab) or Winona's "Project FINE" (language-specific computer literacy training in Hmong and Spanish).

Statewide MIRC partners provided training to more than 8,000 individuals, computers to more than 1,600 households and has resulted in more than 40,000 households in rural Minnesota subscribing to high-speed Internet. The two-year initiative was funded through a $4.3 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant administered by Blandin Foundation and will be completed at the close of 2012.

"Resilient, vibrant communities are connected communities," said Dr. Kathy Annette, Blandin

Foundation CEO. "And the quality and diversity of those connections is a hallmark of a community's leadership and sustainability. Through MIRC, engaged local leaders and statewide partners worked together to bring the promises of broadband to many of Minnesota's rural communities, including all residents in their progress. Blandin Foundation is thrilled that coalition's ambitious and innovative work has been honored through the Tekne Award."

Presented by the MHTA, the Tekne Awards honor those who play a significant role in discovering new technologies that educate, improve lifestyles, and impact the lives and futures of people living in Minnesota and all over the world. The program reinforces Minnesota's place as one of the most competitive and technologically advanced regions in the world. A full list of winners and finalists is available online at http://www.tekneawards.org/finalists

About the EDA Center at the U of M, Crookston

The mission of the EDA Center, located at the University of Minnesota, Crookston, is to engage university faculty, staff and students with local, county and regional economic development agencies in support of the rural economy. For more information, contact Jack Geller at 218-281-8248 or visit the EDA Center's Web site at www.edacenter.org.

About Blandin Foundation

Blandin Foundation stands with rural Minnesota communities as they imagine and claim ambitious, vibrant futures. It is one of only a handful of foundations in the U.S. focused exclusively on rural communities and the largest rural-based private foundation in Minnesota. Information on Blandin Foundation grant-making, leadership development programs and public policy initiatives are at www.blandinfoundation.org and broadband news at www.blandinonbroadband.org. On Twitter at http://twitter.com/BlandinFound. Media contact: Allison Ahcan, 218-326-0523.

About Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA)

MHTA, or the Minnesota High Tech Association, is an innovation and technology association united in fueling Minnesota's prosperity. MHTA helps bring together the people of Minnesota's technology ecosystem and leads the charge in directing technology issues to Minnesota's state capitol. MHTA is the only membership organization that represents Minnesota's entire technology-based economy. Its members include organizations of every size − involved in virtually every aspect of technology creation, roduction, application and education in Minnesota. Find out more online at http://www.mhta.org or follow MHTA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MHTA.

Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 26 bachelor's degree programs, 18 minors, and 39 concentrations on campus--as well as 10 degrees online--in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology.  With an enrollment of 1,800 undergraduates from 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree.  "Small Campus. Big Degree."  To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.

The following is a list of recipients and awards:

Deb Zak (left), regional director in Northwest Minnesota, began her career as a county Extension educator in Pennington County before moving into regional leadership positions. Some of her administrative accomplishments include serving on the State Coordinating Committee for the Regional Sustainable Development Partnership; completing a nine-year term on the State Tourism Advisory Council; and serving on the University of Minnesota Crookston Executive Committee. Zak co-chairs the Extension American Indian Task Force, and works with University faculty and various tribal and community organizations to design and deliver a science and math summer program for students in grades 8-12 on the White Earth Reservation. The program improves students' academic achievement using a natural resources-based curriculum that incorporates Ojibwe culture and traditions.

Dan Dolan, Distinguished Friend of Extension

As a strong Washington County 4-H supporter and volunteer, Dolan led the core group of 4-H volunteers that advocated for restoring county funding for Extension programming. Today, as Washington County Extension Committee chairperson, Dolan continues to lead the effort to ensure county support and raise private funds that leverage county and state investments.

As president of the Washington County Agricultural Society, as well as horse program leader, Dolan ensures that the Washington County Fair provides a rich environment for 4-H'ers to demonstrate their learning and leadership.

Larry Jacobson, Extension engineer, Distinguished Campus-based Faculty

As an Extension agricultural engineer, Jacobson is a national expert in the area of agricultural housing, livestock air quality and odor abatement. Jacobson and colleagues developed a national air quality and odor control, monitoring and prediction model called OFFSET (Odor from Feedlots -Setback Estimation Tool). He was also a key member in developing the National Air Quality Assessment Tool used by Extension educators, farmers and government agency professionals across the U.S.

Suzanne Driessen, Extension Educator, Distinguished Field-based Faculty

Suzanne Driessen teaches foundational programs in food safety and food preservation while constantly working to identify and meet emerging food safety educational needs. Her teaching has reached consumers and food service staff across the state, resulting in behavior changes that protect the health of Minnesotans from foodborne illness. Driessen's work addresses many aspects of food safety in consumer, institutional and food service settings.

Private Applicator Recertification Team, Distinguished Team

The Pesticide Safety and Environmental Education - Private Applicator Recertification program team reaches farmers who have not historically been involved with Extension's Integrated Pest Management training. In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the team helps farmers learn to make better decisions about managing pesticides and pesticide-resistant insects, weeds and diseases. This program supports the need for up-to-date information that benefits the safety and security of their families, their communities and the environment. 

U of M Team Members: Dean Herzfeld, Tana Haugen, Mary Kay Ferguson, Fritz Breitenbach, Lisa Behnken, Diane DeWitte, Michael Donnelly, Phil Glogoza, Dan Martens, Ryan Miller, Dave Nicolai, Brenda Postels, Liz Stahl, Jerry Tesmer, and Nathan Winter. 

MDA Team Member: Kay Sargent

Community Mentorship Program Team, Distinguished Diversity and Inclusion

The Community Mentorship Program helps Minnesota's diverse and underserved populations "live a little better" through financial literacy education. This program is implemented through a unique partnership between Extension and Minnesota Council on Economic Education (MCEE), along with other University faculty members. A primary goal is to build the capacity of grassroots organizations to conduct their own culturally sensitive financial literacy training, especially in the language of the participants. The program has increased the capacity of participating agencies. 

Team Members: Antonio Alba Meraz, Sara Croymans, Jennifer Garbow, Rosemary Heins, Lori Hendrickson, Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Cindy Petersen, Suzanne Sheridan, Patricia Olson, Claudia Parliament, and Jane Stockman

Honoring those who have aided in the development of the University of Minnesota, Crookston, the Northwest Research and Outreach Center (NWROC), and Extension is the purpose of the Torch & Shield award. This celebration of leadership is the highest honor presented by the Crookston campus and a special recognition event was held on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, on the campus.

The Torch & Shield award recipients for 2012 include Alan Cattanach, general agronomist at American Crystal Sugar Company in Moorhead, Minn.; Wayne Goeken, director of the International Water Institute's Center for Watershed Education; and Otter Tail Power Company, whose headquarters are located in Fergus Falls, Minn.

Alan Cattanach (left) has worked in cooperative research efforts in the past with 8 scientists from Northwest Research and Outreach Center and 6 from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. He has served on U of M search committees and Extension planning teams and committees. He has participated in numerous sugarbeet and soil fertility extension meetings with other U of M Extension specialists and county extension agents and served as liaison to NWROC and St. Paul campus scientists for Sugarbeet research programs of interest to American Crystal Sugar Company.

Working as part of the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota, Cattanach has helped to provide extensive funding of projects at the NWROC and to St Paul campus scientists, as well as involved in an EPA grant partnership with NWROC (Biological control of Cercospora Leafspot) and provided gift funds to NWROC in support of sugarbeet research projects.

He earned his doctorate in soil science from the University of Minnesota, and master's of science, and bachelor's of science also in soil science from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and University of Wisconsin-Madison respectively. He has been general agronomist at American Crystal Sugar Company since July 1998 and prior to that worked for North Dakota State University and the U of M as Extension sugabeet specialist. 

Over the years, Wayne Goeken (left) has worked with a number of personnel at the U of M, Crookston primarily with River Watch and watershed education and monitoring efforts. Recently he has worked with associate professors Katy Smith and Brian Dingmann on a river sediment research project involving high school and university students. 

Goeken has been involved in ongoing work with the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and Executive Director Linda Kingery in promoting the Red Lake River Enhancement Project, including leading a canoe/kayak trip of the entire 195-mile length of the Red Lake River to raise awareness of its cultural attributes and recreational potential. He continues to work with the NRSDP on development of initiatives to connect people to nature, especially children, including promoting nature-based interactive play spaces for children.

He coordinates the annual River Watch Forum on the U of M, Crookston campus during spring break, with high school River Watch teams coming from 25 schools throughout the Red River Basin to share their results and learn about current topics in watershed science. He also conducts annual training and certification workshops each spring for personnel from natural resource agencies who are involved in water quality monitoring, the only certification program of its type in Minnesota.

Goeken earned his bachelor of science in agribusiness and his master of science in economics from South Dakota State University in Brookings.

 

Named for the river that provided its first source of power, Otter Tail Power Company was 

incorporated in 1907. The company began producing electricity in 1909 at Dayton Hollow Dam on the Otter Tail River near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and home to the company's headquarters.

Today, Otter Tail Power Company is a subsidiary of Otter Tail Corporation. Its approximately 790 employees provide electricity and energy services to more than 129,000 customers in 422 communities and in rural areas in an un-crowded 70,000-square-mile service area in western Minnesota, eastern North Dakota, and northeastern South Dakota. The company has customer service centers in Crookston and ten other communities in its service area.

Otter Tail Power Company's mission is to produce and deliver electricity as reliably, economically, and environmentally responsibly as possible to the balanced benefit of customers, shareholders, and employees and to improve the quality of life in the area in which we do business. To learn more about Otter Tail Power Company visit www.otpco.com.

Otter Tail Power Company has supported the University of Minnesota, Crookston over the years through scholarships, the Campus Energy Challenge, and various sponsorships. 

Cris Oehler director of public relations for Otter Tail, accepted the award on behalf of Otter Tail Power Company. 

The Torch & Shield Award honors contributions of significance to higher education, the Crookston campus, and the region; recognizes champions of the U of M, Crookston, NWROC, and Extension for their impact on the region through teaching, research, and outreach; and distinguishes both high profile individuals and those who have been "quiet" contributors to the success of the Crookston campus. For more information, visit www.umcrookston.edu/torchandshield.

 

Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 26 bachelor's degree programs, 18 minors, and 39 concentrations on campus--as well as 10 degrees online--in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology.  With an enrollment of 1,800 undergraduates from 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree.  "Small Campus. Big Degree."  To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.

The morning offers presentations by staff from the U of M, Crookston and local partners covering planning, installation, and the programming aspects of nature-based play spaces. In the afternoon, break-out discussions will address specific areas of interest to help move projects forward no matter what stage they are in currently. 

For more information, contact Marlne LeBlanc at the Extension Regional Center at 218-281-8696 or mleblanc@umn.edu. 

Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 26 bachelor's degree programs, 18 minors, and 39 concentrations on campus--as well as 10 degrees online--in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology.  With an enrollment of 1,800 undergraduates from 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree.  "Small Campus. Big Degree."  To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.

History Center near Grand Rapids, Minn. The workshop, which runs from 7 a.m.to 1 p.m., will include an optional birding walk. The cost is $10 and includes workshop materials, breakfast treats, and lunch. Pre-registration by September 18 is required and registration fees will be collected on the day of the workshop.  Participants should register online at http://z.umn.edu/BFFM (preferred) or call the University of Minnesota Extension-Itasca County at 218-327-7486.  

The workshop is open to the general public as well as natural resource professionals and is under the coordination of John Loegering, University of Minnesota Extension. Woodland Advisor Credit (WAC7) also is available (http://woodlandadvisor.org/classes).  Highlights include habitat management for wildlife; strategies for ruffled grouse, American woodcock, and other brushland species; financial assistance and incentives, property tax programs, invasive species; and a panel discussion of the implications for forests and wildlife in the future.  Workshop content questions may be directed to Loegering at jloegeri@umn.edu or 218-281-8132.

"This workshop will be a great opportunity for woodland landowners with an interest in managing their forest for birds," Loegering says.  "We will have several great presentations by resource professionals from three different agencies with a mission to offer technical assistance to landowners."

Public interest in birds and birding has increased in the past decade.  Private forest landowners have an opportunity to manage their land to produce forest products as well as enhancing wildlife values, especially for birds.  The workshop will review the basics of private forest management as well as strategies to enhance forests for migratory songbirds, ruffed and sharp-tailed grouse, American woodcock, and cavity-nesting species. This workshop is supported by the Renewable Resources Extension Act Program, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and University of Minnesota Extension. To learn more, visit 

http://z.umn.edu/BFFMinfo.

Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers 26 bachelor's degree programs, 18 minors, and 39 concentrations on campus--as well as 10 degrees online--in the areas of agriculture and natural resources; business; liberal arts and education; and math, science and technology.  With an enrollment of 1,800 undergraduates from 25 countries and 40 states, the Crookston campus offers a supportive, close-knit atmosphere that leads to a prestigious University of Minnesota degree.  "Small Campus. Big Degree."  To learn more, visit www.umcrookston.edu.