Conservation & Restoration
Dirt Rich: Grazing Cattle to Restore Oak Savanna in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Using livestock to restore landscapes may seem like a contradiction, but oak savannas thrive with disturbance. Grazier Doug Voss and PhD candidate Austin Yantes are involved in a project at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, studying the results of carefully managed cattle grazing, tree thinning, and burning in striving to meet Sherburne’s ecological goals. The…
Read MoreBeyond Your Backyard: The First Signs of Spring
I always know it’s time for spring when the first fuzzy pasqueflowers emerge. For a wildflower—something we often think of as delicate—they are anything but. They continue to grow undeterred by wide weather fluctuations between 60 degrees and then 30. Their shoots and buds armored in a dense winter coat of fuzz. Doggedly determined to…
Read MoreA View from the Summit, Part 2
Read Part 1 here. Recently, I shared some moments from the first day of our Midwest Soil Health Summit. Our second day was more tailored to crop and livestock farmers, and it was a delight to see over half of our guests attend both days, regardless of their focus. There’s always something to learn. Featured…
Read MoreA View from the Summit, Part 1
What a simple joy it was to come together again for the Midwest Soil Health Summit! Fruit, vegetable, and perennial presentations kicked the Summit off on Tuesday, March 8. After a welcome from Commissioner Thom Petersen, Sarah Lindblom presented the opening plenary, encouraging attendees to apply a systems thinking approach to soil health. Lindblom also…
Read MoreManaging Land with Solar Grazing
Audrey Lomax manages the grazing enterprises of MNL, a Minnesota-based land management and restoration company that provides ecological products and services. One of the neat parts of her job is that she manages thousands of acres under solar arrays with their flock of 2500 Katahdin sheep. This service provides vegetation management and pollinator habitat in…
Read MoreBeyond Your Backyard: A time for reflection
We were driving home from Mankato the other day and a Christmas song came on the radio. As the music played, one key verse stuck out to me: “A weary world rejoices…” If I had to describe 2021 in one word, it would be “busy.” I felt pulled in a thousand different directions, disconnected, and…
Read MoreBeyond Your Backyard: Liking the Lichen
Wondering how you can possibly top last years costume of being one of the clam fam and dressing as a Minnesota mollusk? Well I’ve got just the thing for you this Halloween. But first, a persuasive introduction… I’ve been listening to Braiding Sweetgrass on the recommendation of your very own Katie Feterl. It’s been on…
Read MoreBeyond Your Backyard: Tiny green torpedoes
I recently crashed a motorized mini bike at my grandma’s farm and suffered a concussion. My cousin’s response was to congratulate me on passing the “test” and becoming a true Indiana redneck. I’m not sure about that, but it did make me chuckle. To pass the time in recovery, I’ve been observing three male hummingbirds…
Read MoreDirt Rich: Getting Water Quality Certified
“It’s hard to find a Minnesotan that’s not proud of the fact that we’ve got so many wonderful lakes in our region and we’re the source for the Mississippi River…We have a lot of pride for our natural resources in this state and we have a lot of pride for our operations.” –Jennifer Wagner-Lahr The…
Read MoreDGA Update: Ag Water Certified Farms Show Higher Profits
A new study by the Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence shows that farmers enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) had higher profits than non-certified farms. The MN Ag Water Quality Certification Program is a voluntary program for farmers and landowners that protects the state’s water resources by putting farmers in…
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