Latest news

University of Minnesota Extension economist Laura Kalambokidis will assume duties as Minnesota state economist in August.

University of Minnesota Extension is among the state's top three leaders in building access to healthy foods, according to newly released rankings by Philanthropedia.

Spring rains and flooded fields have delayed or prevented planting for many farmers in Minnesota. If farmers have multi-peril crop insurance and have not been able to plant by their crop's final planting date, they do have options.

The snowy, rainy spring of 2013 has left many farmers making the decision to put some, or all, of their acres into the prevented plant insurance option. Although cover crops are not a requirement of the prevented plant option, they are still a good idea to help with erosion control and weed management.

A new, tri-state collaboration has resulted in a website to assist rural community food system development.

Earlier this month, the choice between the safety net programs - Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program and the Direct and Countercyclical Program (DCP) - seemed to be tilting toward signing up for DCP in 2013.

New technologies available to dairy farmers are changing the way milk is produced on many U.S. dairy farms.

"Precision dairy is the name used to describe several different areas of innovation on dairy farms. The thing all of the various new tools have is that they increase efficiency in milk production," says Marcia Endres, University of Minnesota Extension Dairy Scientist.

Robotic milkers, individual cow sensors, automated calf feeders and inline parlor technologies are some of these innovations.