Pine Community Connector
Jan 2024
Welcome to the Pine Community Connector
Ag Update from Katie Hagen
Visiting the local Christmas tree farm for the holidays gets me thinking about agriculture and natural resources in our local community. Did you know that Pine County is ranked sixth in Christmas tree production of Minnesota's 87 counties?! One of Pine County's Christmas tree farms even competed and won the best Christmas tree in the nation!
Getting a real Christmas tree from a local farm also reduces your carbon footprint on earth, when compared to buying an artificial tree. Not only are artificial trees made from plastic, which take decades to decompose (if ever), but they are also made in factories, have to be shipped, and clutter landfills. Real trees are beneficial because they provide habitat for wildlife, boost the local economy, and remove (8,000 lbs.) carbon from the atmosphere.
Yes, real trees are being cut down every year, but two to three trees are being planted in its place to regenerate the tree stands or forest, and new trees remove carbon at a faster rate than older trees. Disposing of real trees is also more sustainable because they readily decompose or can be chipped into mulch to be used again.
If you're looking at how to get rid of your tree (artificial or otherwise), be sure to contact your local waste or recycling service. According to the USDA, the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of your tree is to give it to your garbage service. On our farm, we feed it to the goats and then let it decompose in the compost.
Pine County Master Gardeners Create an educational Discovery Garden in honor of former Master Gardener Cindy Novy
Pine County Master Gardener and Pine City Flower Box flower shop owner Cindy Novy passed
away from COVID in December 2020. When the Pine County Master Gardeners asked the city
how they could honor Cindy, the city asked them to renovate an overgrown garden located on
the north end of Main St. (Hwy 61) in Pine City.
A committee of master gardeners met for two years to plan, raise funds, design, and plant the
40 ft x 85 ft garden. Their goals were to honor Cindy, create a green space for relaxation,
enhance the community, and make it educational through signage and educational classes.
They named the garden the Discovery Garden to encourage the public to stop by to see and
learn from what was planted in the garden.
Over $33,000 was raised from donations and grants to fund a pavilion, drip irrigation system, a
path, plants, lighting, picnic table, and signage. In the fall of 2022, 1,700 tulips, daffodils, and
grape hyacinths were planted to create a spring splash of color. In June 2023, 750 native plants,
perennials, trees, and shrubs of over 95 species were planted. The goal was to have something
blooming throughout the growing season and with each type of plant planted in several
locations throughout the garden. 550 more bulbs were planted in October 2023. Individual
plant signs with plant common and scientific names and a QR code were installed to link people
to information about the plant species.
Signage with the garden story, a list of donors, information about native plants, pollinators, and
things for children to discover are being installed. Their first educational class was held in
September on how and when to divide and plant peonies. A recording is posted on the Pine
County Master Gardener Facebook page. The master gardeners are working with the city on
maintaining the garden as needed.
Anyone who would like to donate to the garden project, or the master gardeners can contact
UMN Extension Pine County Master Gardener Coordinator Terry Salmela at the Pine County
Extension Office, Courthouse in Pine City, or email: salme002@umn.edu
4-H Virtual After School
Livestock in a Box
Still available! Get animal science lessons and hands-on learning activities designed for youth in grades 4-7 to explore with little to no adult assistance. This year's 4-H livestock in a box series will focus on the animal science project areas of pets (dog and cat), beef, sheep and swine.
Each box will include all of the supplies necessary to complete lessons on breed identification, nutrition, health, care and associated careers. Boxes are $25 each, which includes shipping directly to homes. Families may select individual boxes or order the entire series.
Quantities are limited! Learn more and register at https://extension.umn.edu/event/minnesota-4-h-livestock-box-series
Pine County Master Gardeners Honored at their Awards Night
Thirty-eight University of Minnesota Extension Pine County Master Gardeners volunteered
5,855 hours and put in 485 education hours in 2023. They were honored at their Awards Night
and Dinner at Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center west of Sandstone on January 16th.
Ann Mlaskoch, Willow River was recognized for her 20 years of service. Carol Evans, Grasston,
Stacy Bruch, Pine City and Sue Sloper, Sturgeon Lake were recognized for over 2000 hours of
service. Kari Holmberg, Roger and Linda Fischer, all of Pine City were recognized for 1,000
hours of service.
Five master gardeners earned their Master Gardener Certification Certificates and name badges
for completing the 48-hour master gardener core course and putting in over 50 volunteer hours.
They were Cris Klein, Askov; Roxanne L. Orvis, Braham; Sue Mottinger, Bruno; Jessie N and John
Carlson, Pine City.
Julie Bjorklund, Chisago County Master Gardener was the guest speaker on the topic of
“Vertical Gardening”.
The Pine County Master Gardeners main projects in 2023 included:
- Planning, raising funds for and planting bulbs, natives, and perennials in the Pine City Discovery Garden
- Holding their Annual Horticulture Day in March
- Teaching gardening classes to elementary students at the East Central and Pine City Elementary Schools and Kettle River Explorers 4-H Club
- Posting 308 posts on gardening topics and events on their Pine County Master Gardener Facebook page
- Presenting Community Education classes at Willow River and Hinckley
- Coordinating the Pine City Community Garden
- Visiting with 389 people at their Pine County Fair booth
- Visiting with people on gardening topics at their Ask a Master Gardener booth at the Pine City Farmers Market, Grand Casino Wellness Expo, and County Fair
- Maintaining three public and three at-home pollinator gardens
- Doing four KBEK “Garden Gab” radio programs on the first and third Wednesday mornings
- Holding their plant sale at the Pine County Fairgrounds in May.
The master gardeners invite everyone to save the date of Saturday, March 16th for their 20th Annual Pine County Master Gardener Horticulture Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pine City High School. Look for registration information at the U of M Extension website at: z.umn.edu/HortDay. Or, contact the Pine County Extension Office at mnext-pine@umn.edu or call 1 -320-591-1650.
The Master Gardener program is a University of Minnesota Extension horticulture education program that trains volunteers who have an interest in horticulture and apply for the program. Trained Master Gardener volunteers provide research-based horticulture information to the public through a variety of ways. Anyone with an interest in the program or who has gardening questions should contact Terry Salmela, Coordinator at the U of M Pine County Extension office at the courthouse in Pine City at 320-591-1650.
Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/pinecountymastergardeners
Photo by Kyle Holgate
Learn to Lead
Registration for Building Leadership and Understanding (BLU) and Teens Engaged in Emerging Leadership (TEEL) is now open! BLU is for youth in grades 6-9 and TEEL is for youth in grades 10+!! This year’s theme is "3, 2, 1, Blast into Leadership!" Youth will learn about communication skills and the intake of information through engaging activities and discussions.
A bus will be available to transport attendees from Hinckley to the Annandale location and back. To learn more and register for BLU visit z.umn.edu/4-HBLU and to learn more and register for TEEL visit z.umn.edu/4-HTEEL.
Scholarships may be available. Please contact Sarah at 320-591-1654 or sodendah@umn.edu for more information.
Project Bowl Interest
Project Bowl is a long-standing program in Minnesota 4-H and is the second most attended event of the year. In Project Bowl, teams of 3-6 youth build skills working and thinking together while testing their knowledge in these 4-H areas: dairy, dog, general livestock, horse, llama/alpaca, poultry, and rabbit. In 2024, Plant Science Bowl will also be available at the state contest. Please note, Cloverbuds (K-2) can only participate in the Cloverbud bowl.
There are four regional bowls, which lead to the state competition. Regional winners advance to the 4-H State Project Bowl. Winners at the state level in dairy, general livestock, horse and poultry go on to national contests!
If you're interested in taking part in Project Bowl, please fill out the form at https://z.umn.edu/PineProjectBowl. Staff will work to connect youth into teams and find volunteer coaches.
Join us for the 20th Annual Pine County Master Gardener Horticulture Day
Learn all about healthy soil, companion vegetable planting, butterflies, organic landscaping, perennials, trees, shrubs and lilies at the 20th Annual Pine County Master Gardener Horticulture Day on Saturday, March 16, at the Pine City High School.
Online registration will be an option for the first time this year and will open on Feb.5.
“Building Healthy Soil: A User Manual for Earth’s Least Appreciated Biome” will be the keynote presentation by Ann Marie Journey, founder of EntoVentures LLC and former Soil Health Coordinator (ACES) with Minnesota USDA-NRCS.
Journey will cover what makes a good seedbed, what makes soil smell good, the role of earthworms, weeds and insects in healthy soil. Journey has a master of science degree in Zoology and a doctorate in Entomology from the University of Minnesota. She researched corn rootworms, conventional herbicides, and ecological evaluations of transgenic herbicide-tolerant and root-worm-resistant corn.
Breakout sessions will be on the following six topics:
- Companion planting and inter-planting vegetables by Susan Kirchner, Chisago County master gardener
- Know your neighbors: Common Minnesota trees and shrubs by Stephen Staupe, St. Benedict and St. John's University biology professor emeritus
- Easy gardening with perennials by Donna Tatting, Chisago County master gardener
- Butterflies through the seasons by Larry Weber, naturalist, educator and author
- Organic landscaping 101 by Russ Henry from Minnehaha Falls Landscaping and author of "Healthy Home Landscape"
- Lilies: An oasis of color by Denise Haldorson, president of the North Star Lily Society and K & D Gardens
Registration includes educational sessions, morning refreshments, handouts, door prizes, and time to visit our garden marketplace, which features garden items, plants, and bulbs. Morning coffee and snacks will be provided for everyone. Lunch is available for an additional cost, with registrations received by March 11. Registrations received after March 11 or at the door will not have lunch provided.
Advance registrations by March 11:
$26 with lunch
$18 without lunch
Registrations after March 11 or at the door is $20 without lunch.
Online registration is preferred, but mail-in registrations are available. Registration opens Feb. 5. Registrations are appreciated by March 11.
For more information and registration link, visit z.umn.edu/HortDay. Questions, or to request a Horticulture Day brochure, call the Pine County Extension office at 320-591-1650 or email mnext-pine@umn.edu.
Real Life, Good Food Website & SNAP-Ed
Real Life, Good Food is a great food recipe and health resource offered by the University of Minnesota Extension SNAP-ed. The website offers information regarding healthy eating tips, good nutrition, cooking, food resources, physical activity, and a variety of recipes. Check out some warm recipes that are perfect for the cold season like Black Bean Soup or Chicken Wild Rice Hotdish at Real Life, Good Food: reallifegoodfood.umn.edu/.
Educational Opportunities
Grape Pruning Workshop
Learn to prune grapes with the Extension fruit specialist and the County Extension Educator(s). Discover new types of trellising systems and management techniques in this hands-on, practical learning experience. Workshops will be held February 27 and March 15.
When: Red Pine Winery in Isanti, MN (2/27) &
Northern Hollow Winery in Grasston, MN (3/15)
Time: 1-3 PM
Cost: $15/party.
Tour de Forage NE
When: January 22, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Cost: $25
Corn & Soybean Conference
This annual conference is for those in farming working in East Central Minnesota. University of Minnesota Extension specialists will give updates on the latest research done for corn and soybeans, discuss grain marketing, crop insurance, integrated pest management, nutrient and fertilizer management, soil health, return on investment (ROI), and corn hybrid and maturity techniques. Breakfast and lunch included.
When: March 5, 2024 from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm
Where: Braham Event Center in Braham, MN
Cost: $15 at the door
Extension calendar of events
Contact
Katie Hagen, Ag Educator, 320-591-1662
Kristin Riley, SNAP-Ed Educator, 320-591-1656
Terry Salmela, Master Gardener Coordinator, 320-591-1653
Joanna Gechas, Administrative Assistant, 320-591-1651
D. Craig Taylor, Interim NE Regional Director
Email: mnext-pine@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu/local/pine
Location: 635 Northridge Drive Northwest, Pine City, MN, USA
Phone: 320-591-1650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UofMNExt
Twitter: @UMNExt