Nicollet & Sibley County Ag News
August 2021
Your Ag Educator- Notes from Emma Severns
Welcome to August!
One of the things I love best about the summer are all of the county fairs across Minnesota. I try to get out to as many as I can to look at all the 4-H projects and even judge some of the premier showmanship shows. I encourage you all to support our local county fairs and check out all of the hard work 4-H members have put into their projects this summer. Stop by our Master Gardener stand with any of your gardening questions.
The University of Minnesota Extension has many opportunities to gather in person again including 4-H events at county fairs and the state fair, a cover crop field day, and a manure composting workshop. I am also looking forward to celebrating with all of the 2021 Farm Families at Farm Fest. I hope you'll take advantage of some of these many opportunities and share them with your friends and colleagues.
Take care!
Emma
Extension Events
Manure Composting Workshop-Morris
Join us for this free, in-person event and learn about manure composting through educational sessions, demonstrations, hands-on activities and discussions with an expert panel. Best management topics include:
- Site selection
- Composting process
- Turning and temperature
- Understanding analysis
- Economics
- Regulations
- Land application
Tuesday, August 10th 8-4:30pm
Strategic Farming "Field Notes"
Cover Crop Field Day
Learn about the latest University of Minnesota cover crop research at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center near Lamberton! Program will be held rain or shine.
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. The program will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m.
Attendees will learn about the latest cover crop research results and management considerations, the potential role of cover crops in carbon markets, and how various cover crops perform when planted in the summer. The program is for farmers, with or without cover crop experience, and for anyone who works with farmers and would like to learn more about cover crops.
Schauer Family Recognized as a 2021 'U of M Farm Family'
The Schauer family of Glencoe has been named Sibley County’s “2021 Farm Family of the Year” by the University of Minnesota.
Schauer Farms was homesteaded in 1888 and has been under the Schauer name ever since. Five generations have called this farm their home. Dale and Jeanne live on the current farm, helping out wherever they are needed. Tim and Dawn, along with their family, also live on the farm and are the main day to day managers. Their three sons help with chores and cropping when available but are finding their own career paths. Taylor is a power linemen in the local Glencoe community. Adam is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin River Falls studying crop and soil science. Owen is a freshman at Glencoe Silver Lake, involved in FFA and planning to obtain a degree in agriculture after completing high school.
The Schauer’s current farm consists of three enterprises including cattle, crops and cut flower production. The family raises approximately 350 head of replacement dairy heifers for dairy clients in the surrounding area. They also custom raise around 70 head of crossbred beef calves for a beef client. Their cropping enterprise consists of 400 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and orchard hay, all of which are used for feed and market sales. The third enterprise consists of 1 ½ acres in cut flower production under the name of Milkhouse Flowers. Flowers are used in bouquet subscriptions, sold to local florists and used in arrangements sold to the local community.
The Schauer family is devoted to giving back to the community by participating on various boards and volunteering their services. All of their family members are members of the First Lutheran church where they serve on multiple boards and volunteer. Dale has been a New Auburn Township supervisor for 17 years; while Tim has served on the Glencoe Coop Board for the past 15 years and is currently acting president. Tim and the family are members of the Sibley County Holstein Association and the Nicollet/Sibley County Corn Growers Association. Dawn is also currently serving on the Sibley County Extension Committee. The whole family has been active in the Sibley County 4-H program, including being adult leaders and members of the Weeping Willows 4-H club.
Struck Family recognized as a 2021 'U of M Farm Family'
The Struck family’s Traverse des Sioux Garden Center started in 1972 as Silent Oaks Nursery. It began in a converted hog house on the family farm. Eventually, a greenhouse was built on the farm and in 1981 the Strucks’ retail garden and landscaping company was named Traverse des Sioux Garden Center.
The business is a horticultural grower and retailer. The family produces most of their annuals, hanging baskets and vegetable plants for the garden center in modern glass greenhouses. The Strucks’ landscape division is rapidly expanding with over 20 employees.
Fred and Joy Struck are the founders of the operation. Fred received a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture science from the University of Minnesota in 1968. The Strucks have three sons. Karl is the head grower and landscape foreman. Keith is head of the retail operation. He takes care of merchandising, buys pottery, and tropical plants. The Strucks’ son Oren is not involved in the operation but readily lends encouragement. All three boys are third-generation members of the Norsland 4-H Club in Nicollet County. Fred’s many years with horticulture 4-H projects in his youth played a big role in his career choice.
Fred has served on the garden committee of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association and has been on the board of Linnaeus Arboretum at Gustavus Adolphus College. The Strucks are members of the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce, the Norseland Preservation Society, and are active in their church, Norseland Lutheran Church in St. Peter.
Hot Topics in Agriculture
Growth regulator herbicide injury on soybeans
Multiple herbicide-resistant soybeans such as XtendFlex (resistant to dicamba, glyphosate, and glufosinate) and Enlist E3 (resistant to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate, and glufosinate) have created the opportunity for post-emergence “over-the-top” application of growth regulators (dicamba and 2,4-D choline) to soybean. However, off-target damage to sensitive soybean from these herbicides is widespread in Minnesota and other soybean-producing states in the US.
Forage supplies are tight: Preserve what you have!
A lot of time and energy is spent harvesting quality hay and silage. Up to 50% losses in dry matter can occur in some instances for hay and silage. This is the equivalent of leaving half of your acres unharvested! Losses up to 20% can occur without even noticing. In a year when forage supplies are already tight, don’t make matters worse by poorly storing forage.
Controlling buckthorn: the who, what, where, when and how
Buckthorn is one of Minnesota’s most damaging invasive plants. Landowners should be concerned if buckthorn is present in their woodlands because it is an aggressive invasive plant that outcompetes native vegetation and degrades wildlife habitat. Soybean growers should be concerned if buckhorn is present in nearby wooded areas because it serves as the overwintering host plant for soybean aphid eggs and the crown rust fungus.
University Resources for You
Manure management planning - or accounting for how, when, and where you’ll apply all of the manure generated on your farm every year - is an important aspect of livestock production. There are often rules associated with manure management planning, depending on the state where you farm. In Minnesota, the Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has created a Manure Management Planner (MMP) spreadsheet tool to help you create your plan while meeting state guidelines. We recently created an online course to help folks learn how to use the planner while also learning more about the science behind manure management!
Digital Crop Doc
Do you have disease developing in one of your fields? Are you wondering what it might be or are you looking for confirmation? The UMN Extension crops team is launching a new program, Digital Crop Doc, to help you with disease diagnosis in several crops. Simply fill out the the form and submit photos of the diseased plants that you'd like diagnosed. After you submit the form and photos, one of our team members will contact you with a diagnosis, a request for more information or a suggestion to submit the samples to a plant disease clinic.
Applying for Loan Forgiveness from the Paycheck Protection Program
If you got a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP 1 or PPP 2) loan, now may be time to consider the PPP loan forgiveness process. PPP loan forgiveness is not automatic. You must apply for it with the lender from which you received your loan.
Many of the general details of forgiveness are available at the Small Business Administration's PPP website. To learn more about the PPP loan forgiveness from an agricultural perspective, the University of Minnesota Extension Ag Business Management team and Farmers’ Legal Action Group teamed up for a webinar to walk through: the application process, tax implications, health insurance subsidy implications and other related issues. The webinar was recorded on Thursday, June 10 and is available on YouTube.
Continue reading about the PPP loan forgiveness process.
Farm Information Line
Contact the Farm Information Line for reliable, research-based answers from Extension agriculture and natural resources experts. It is a statewide service backed by a network of local educators, so you'll get information to meet your needs.
Call: 1-800-232-9077
Afterhours: Leave a voicemail and we'll return your call the next business day.
Anytime: Email us at fil@umn.edu.
Connect With Us
Email: sever575@umn.edu
Website: extension.umn.edu
Location: 501 South Minnesota Avenue, St Peter, MN 56082, USA
Phone: 507-934-7828
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UMN-Extension-Nicollet-Sibley-County-296711563757356
Twitter: @UMNExt