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(9/13/2011) —This is Bev Durgan on the Farm. Too many people read the top line of the US Census data showing rural Minnesota losing population and make judgments about the vitality of rural communities.
Fortunately, Dick Senese, Associate Dean of the University of Minnesota Extension's Center for Community Vitality, dug deeper into the numbers and found three points worth remembering:
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network
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(9/12/2011) —This is Bev Durgan on the Farm. Governor Mark Dayton declared September as Farm to School Month in Minnesota. The phrase "farm to school" refers to programs that encourage schools to use more local foods in their cafeterias and encourage teachers to include food and agriculture in their lesson plans.
These programs are growing in Minnesota. More than 120 Minnesota school districts participated in farm to school in 2010. That's a 43-percent jump from the previous year.
Farm to school programs are good for our economy. Buying food locally helps farmers and rural communities. Farm to school programs can contribute as much as $400,000 annually to a regional economy, according to a University of Minnesota Extension study.
Farm-to-school programs are also good for our kids. Research shows that students in schools with a farm to school program increase their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables.
The educational impact of farm to school programs is good for agriculture. An increasing number of Minnesota youth have no connection to a farm and only a vague idea how food is raised. Farm to school programs help make that connection and increase the awareness among young people about food and agriculture.
University of Minnesota Extension is committed to providing the research-based information that will help both farmers grow food and consumers make informed choices on the food they consume. You can find out more about farm to school programs on our website www.extension.umn.edu/farm-to-school. This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network.
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(8/11/11) —This is Bev Durgan on the Farm. State and federal funding for agricultural research and extension is declining.
The long term solution is to increase public support for the impact farming and agricultural research and extension have on our economy, our communities and our quality of life. The short term solution is to managing these declining funds to increase efficiency and reduce the impact of scarce government dollars.
That is we are doing with agricultural research and extension at the University of Minnesota. The most visible example is teaming up with North Dakota State University. This year—for the first time ever—our two universities are jointly releasing a hard red wheat variety, Prosper.
The research-based information that farmers need on the Minnesota side of the Red River Valley is roughly the same as on the North Dakota side of the Valley and we are sharing staff across state boundaries. North Dakota State and the University of Minnesota currently have five joint faculty positions in sugar beets, potatoes, water quality and food and nutrition. And, we are laying the groundwork for more joint faculty positions with North Dakota and other land grant universities.
This is one of many steps we are taking to increase the efficiency of providing research-based information. We are already a lean operation and the budget cuts will have an impact despite our best efforts to become more efficient in fulfilling our commitment to provide the research and research-based Extension information that helps Minnesota farmers succeed.
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network
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(8/11/2011) —This is Bev Durgan on the Farm. This summer a new leader is taking onthe presidency of the University of Minnesota. His name is Eric Kaler. Kaler received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1982 and this summer he moved back to Minnesota to become the sixteenth president of our land grant university.
William Folwell, the first University of Minnesota president, was described as a person who was interested in everything from Plato to hog cholera. Today the University of Minnesota is a big place and covers an even broader range of interests.
One of the first things our new University President Kaler did when he took over the top job was to send a message to everyone who works at the University saying among other things: "The University of Minnesota is our state's glowing gem, and we must fight to preserve its statewide role, its national rankings and its ability to prepare young Minnesotans to be the best and smartest they can be."
This summer President Kaler is traveling the state to learn about the University's reach into every corner of the state and learn how our land grant university can help Minnesotans. This process will include fun events like Farmfest, serious discussions with our state's agricultural leaders and field trips to get to know the impact that agricultural has on our state's economy and quality of life.
President Kaler and the University of Minnesota are committed to providing the agricultural research and Extension that will make a difference in Minnesota.
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network
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(7/11/2011) —This is Bev Durgan on the Farm.
Modern Minnesota agriculture got its start when a few courageous families moved out on the prairie. They lived in sod houses, faced fierce blizzards and struggled to survive on their newly homesteaded land. Those pioneer families made decisions that laid the foundation for agriculture becoming a leading factor in Minnesota's economy.
Life has changed considerably since those pioneer times, but the one thing that hasn't changed is the importance of farm families to Minnesota agriculture. Farm families make the decisions that increase production, build rural communities and provide consumers with safe and healthy foods.
Earlier this year, local county Extension committees throughout Minnesota selected a family in their county to be honored as farm family of the year. You will see these Farm Families of the Year recognized at local events this summer and also at the official recognition ceremony at on August 4 at Farmfest in a program emceed by Tom Rothman and other Minnesota Farm Network broadcasters.
These are families that make a difference in their counties. Some are innovators and early adopters. Others are leaders in their community, involved in their church and school and value-added operations.
These successful farm families have looked at the challenges facing their farms, their rural communities and agriculture and found innovative ways to make a difference. The University of Minnesota is proud to honor these families and salutes their willingness to make a difference on their farms and in their communities.
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network.
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(7/11/2011) —This is Bev Durgan on the Farm.
Much of what we hear about the economy these days is gloom and doom with the media focused on the state and federal budget situation. The good news does not get enough attention.
That is why I was happy to see a recent report from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture sharing the good news that Minnesota exported $900 million more in agricultural products in 2010 than the year before. Minnesota is outpacing the nation in agricultural export growth.
Minnesota's $5 billion of agricultural exports in 2010 are one of the few bright spots in Minnesota's economy. This success did not happen by accident. It starts with the entrepreneurial spirit of Minnesota farmers. Minnesota farmers are not content to do exactly what their neighbors do, but our innovative farmers create livestock and crop enterprises that fit their farm, their skills and their personalities.
Minnesota agriculture is diversified. Our state does not specialize in one or two commodities, but rather we export corn, soybeans, wheat, pork, beef, dairy products, poultry and host of other items.
The economic impact of having about one-third of Minnesota's total agricultural production exported is felt in both our rural communities and in our large, urban areas. It also creates strong employment opportunities for our young people which is one reason why recent college graduates with agricultural degrees are having an easier time finding jobs.
The University of Minnesota is proud to provide the research and research-based Extension information that helps Minnesota farmers succeed.
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network
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(5/17/2011) —This is Bev Durgan 'On the Farm.' It is graduation time. A common question at graduation parties is: "So, what are you going to do next?" Some young people have solid career plans. Others are still deciding.
I have some advice for young people planning their careers: Think agriculture. Agriculture is a bright spot in our troubled economy. Agricultural companies are doing well and they are hiring.
The 2010 U.S. Agribusiness Job Report found job postings up significantly from the previous year. The number of jobs posted on www.AgCareers.com grew 23 percent last year with the Midwest having the largest increase.
The Career Center on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus reports students with four-year agricultural degrees are finding strong opportunities in the areas of agronomy, animal health, food production and food safety.
The demand is even stronger for students with Master's and Ph.D. degrees in agriculture. The USDA identified an expertise shortage of graduate students in animal and plant production, forest resources, agricultural education, agricultural economics, food science and agricultural biosecurity.
Demographics drive part of the growth in agricultural jobs. The average Minnesota farmer is 57 years old, and many who work in other agricultural careers are close to that age. The expected wave of retirements, the growing demand for food and the increase in agricultural technology is creating opportunities for young people.
Good luck to all of our graduates, and if you get a chance, remind young people of the great career opportunities in agriculture.
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network.
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(5/16/2011) —This is Bev Durgan 'On the Farm.'
I hope farmers listening to this broadcast are in a tractor cab and the conditions are perfect for field work. This cool, wet spring has put a lot of pressure on farmers. Today I am going to remind everybody about the importance of farm safety during this busy time.
GPS, auto-steer and other technologies add precision to planting, but do not remove the dangers of drowsiness and being inattentive. The rush to plant crops in this cool, wet spring increases the need to pay attention to farm safety.
Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. The National Safety Council says 700 farmers and ranchers die in work-related accidents each year and another 120,000 agricultural workers are injured. Most listeners to this broadcast probably know someone who has been involved in a farm accident. Not all accidents are preventable, but slowing down and paying attention to potential hazards will decrease the numbers.
The same warning goes to motorists. In Minnesota there were 140 collisions between farm equipment and vehicles in 2009. These crashes resulted in six fatalities. This time of year expect to see equipment moving on rural roads. Farm equipment gets bigger, heavier, wider and longer each year. Be prepared to see a farm vehicle over the next hill, around the next curve or entering the road way from the next field driveway. Please slow down and be ready to share the road with our farmers.
Take time to think safety this spring.
This is Bev Durgan on the Minnesota Farm Network.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (3/2/2011) —In the coming months, 2,500 members of Minnesota's National Guard will be deployed. More than 15,000 Minnesota youth have been personally affected by military deployment.
The Extension Center for Youth Development's 4-H program delivers Operation: Military Kids (OMK), which supports military youth in Minnesota in discovering positive ways to cope with deployment. Minnesota does not have military bases which often provide such support systems.
According to Amber Runke, 4-H and OMK program specialist, the goal of the program is to support kids before, during, and after their family member's deployment. "Extension's 4-H program is a major partner of Operation Military Kids, and we support the kids in every county of the state where the 4-H programs are," Runke said. The program is funded through the 4-H/Army Youth Development Project.
To participate, support, or find more information on Operation: Military Kids, visit Extension's 4-H youth development website at www.extension.umn.edu/youth.
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Minn. (11/30/2010) —University of Minnesota Extension water resource management experts are researching how shoreland plants will be affected by the fluctuating water levels, periodic flooding and drought that climate change is expected to bring.
Shoreland plants protect water quality by stabilizing shorelines, reducing runoff and erosion, and improving wildlife habitats. Researchers have been unsure how climate change could affect shoreland plants' ability to survive.
According to Barb Liukkonen, Extension program leader in water resources, the impact of climate change may need to be considered when communities and individual property owners plan revegetation projects. "If they know which plants are more likely to survive and thrive under different climate conditions in the future, then we're going to make sure the projects that we put on our shorelines function the way we want--and help protect Minnesota's water resources," Liukkonen said.
The research team is conducting its study at the university's St. Anthony Falls Laboratory in Minneapolis.
For more information on water resources research and education from University of Minnesota Extension, visit www.extension.umn.edu/environment.
]]>Minnesota celebrates its first Farm to School Week, designed to help bring locally grown foods to school cafeterias around the state, Sept. 20-24. Stephanie Heim, University of Minnesota Extension Farm to School coordinator, says the benefits of Farm to School initiatives are numerous.
Heim says Farm to School programs can also help keep money circulating in local economies. For more information on farm to school, visit www.extension.umn.edu/farm-to-school.
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For other formats, contact Ryan Maus, maus@umn.edu. The feature and archives can be found at the U of M Moment site.
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The U of M Moment is a service of the University of Minnesota News Service, Office of University Relations, 3 Morrill Hall, 100 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455. Delivered every Thursday, the U of M Moment is a 90-second radio vignette featuring University of Minnesota expert commentary on rural, local and world issues, groundbreaking research and what the U of M is doing everyday to improve the global quality of life.
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Source: Stephanie Heim, Farm to School coordinator with University of Minnesota Extension
]]>Anderson-Barnes is one of more than 100 Extension nutrition education assistants throughout the state who teach children and adults about healthy food choices. Neighbors teaching neighbors, they tailor nutrition education classes for a wide variety of community settings.
]]>MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/03/2009) —University of Minnesota Extension’s Operation Frontline is a hands-on program that teaches low-income families how to prepare healthy and tasty meals on a limited budget, using foods that are commonly available in stores and from emergency food providers.
Volunteer chefs and nutrition educators connect with community partners, such as the South Minneapolis PICA-Head Start Program, to teach meal preparation, practical nutrition information, and food budgeting skills to adults, kids and teens. Operation Frontline Minnesota’s pilot program runs through Dec. 9 and is led by Seth Bixby Daugherty, formerly executive chef of Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis (2003 to 2006).
Additional six-week courses will be offered in Minnesota beginning in January 2010.
More information is also available at Extension’s Operation Frontline Minnesota Web site at http://www.extension.umn.edu/Nutrition/operation-frontline.html
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