Minnesota | Field 2 Field

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019

Canine Officer from Minnesota wins national contest

Canine Officer Lieutenant Trace Erickson of the Houston County Sheriff’s Department recently took first place in a national police canine competition earlier this month. The National Field Trials and Certification event is put on by the United States Police Canine Association and takes place in Florida. Erickson said it’s a chance to compete with the “best-of-the-best” canine officers from across the country.

“You have to qualify with a high-enough score at a regional competition to be invited to the national contest,” Erickson said. “We qualified with a high-enough score and got to go up against the best canine officers from across the country. We went down representing a small law enforcement agency and won the whole thing.”

One reason police departments from all over the country send canine officers to these contests is for national certification, something that’s very important to their canine programs.

“It shows that our dogs are under control,” he said. “They’re fully functioning, above board, and they meet high standards. The U.S. Police Canine Association sets the highest standards in police certification because it’s been around 49 years and is accepted in all courts as the highest certification.”

The dogs are put through five different tests in these competitions. “There’s obedience, which dogs are scored on,” he said. “Then there’s agility, which is the dog’s ability to move around and over obstacles.

“There’s also scent work,” Erickson said. “That includes a suspect search, as well as an article search, in which someone holds two articles for 45 seconds, throws them into a 30-foot by 30-foot pad, and the dogs have to go retrieve them in a timed event.

“There’s also an apprehension part of the test,” he added. “The dog has to show proficiency, in that as a decoy takes off running, the dog doesn’t move until it’s told to. There’s a recall part of the test, in that the dog takes off after a decoy and is then called back after about 18 yards. It shows that canines are the only use of force police have that we can call back. Once you fire a gun or taser, that’s it.

“After that is the actual apprehension test, where the decoy is chased and bitten (while wearing protective padding),” Erickson said. “When the handler tells the dog to let go, the canine has to immediately let go.”

The last part of the apprehension testing takes place under gunfire. Erickson said that shows the stability of the dog in a loud environment. “While blanks are fired in the background, the dog is sent after the decoy, releases at the handler’s command, and the decoy is searched,” he described. “During the search, the suspect ‘assaults’ the handler, the dog engages again, and then has to let go immediately when told to.”

There are 700 total points available in the competitions. Erickson and his canine “Roman” scored an amazing 692.8 to win the contest.

As a veteran canine officer, he spends a lot of his time training with the dogs he’s had over the years. It takes a lot of time to make sure the dog is 100 percent competent in the job, noting that “obedience and control” are the biggest keys to a successful canine. “We do something every day to keep Roman sharp,” he said.

“I didn’t start out intending to be a canine officer,” Erickson recalled. “That came a few years later. I’ve worked with several dogs for the Houston County Sherriff’s Office. We’ve received several awards for street work and certification. We’ve been very fortunate in Houston County in terms of the canines we’ve had over the years.”

Roman is a 3.5-year-old Dutch Shepherd and the fourth police canine that Erickson has worked with during his career. “This dog has been on the street a little over a year, and to win a national title like that is unbelievable,” he said. “He also does drug detection, and we use him to search vehicles and execute search warrants at different locations in the county.

“He can also do things like tracking, including searching for missing children,” Erickson added. “He can also help us track suspects and find lost hunters. Of course, he’ll also do protection work if someone attacked me. He can help us clear buildings. If someone breaks into a building, he can go in and search the building, keeping officers out of harm’s way.”

The Houston County Sheriff’s Office Canine Program received both regional and national certification with the team’s wins. “We do these contests because we want people to know our canine program is proficient and above board,” he said. “We also won a national championship trophy too.”

December 18, 2019December 18, 2019

Dairy Assistance Program Enrollment Reopened

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is reopening enrollment in its Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative (DAIRI) program for eligible milk producers through the end of the year.

Producers who have locked in five years of coverage through the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program and who have not already successfully enrolled in the Dairy Assistance program can apply.

The MDA has already issued $3.4 million to about 1,800 producers representing more than 1,550 farms in Minnesota through the program in its first round of payments.

Producers not yet successfully enrolled will not receive the first round of payment, but may receive a check for the second round of dairy assistance, which will be determined after all new enrollments have been received.

In order to qualify, farmers must have produced less than 160,000 cwt (hundredweight) of milk in 2018. They will be paid based on production levels, up to 50,000 cwt of milk produced in 2018.

An application form, an IRS Form W-9, a copy of their DMC enrollment form, and a statement from their processor(s) detailing the amount of milk produced in 2018 are required to complete an application. All materials must be postmarked by December 31, 2019.

Producers who are already successfully enrolled and have received their first check do not need to take any action. They will automatically receive a second payment. However, producers who submitted incomplete applications and have not received a check must return any requested information by December 31, 2019, to be eligible for the second payment.

For additional information and the application form, visit the DAIRI program page of the MDA website.

November 14, 2019November 14, 2019

Dairy Industry is “Optimistic” at #NAFB19

Dairy industry officials know firsthand that the industry has struggled in recent years, and there’s no question about it. Former Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, who spoke to broadcasters during the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s annual convention in Kansas City. Vilsack, is the current President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. He says in spite of some tough years for the American dairy industry, there are reasons for optimism.

News broke this week that Dean Foods, America’s largest milk producing company in the dairy industry, filed for bankruptcy. I had a chance for some one-on-one comments with the former Ag Secretary, who preferred to talk more about the positive signs ahead in the dairy industry than the bad news about Dean Foods.

He took a lot of questions from farm broadcasters on a variety of topics in the dairy industry. One of the biggest topics in recent months is the growing market for plant-based “milks.” He and the rest of the dairy industry aren’t happy with these companies referring to themselves as “milk.” The question came from Orien Samuelson, the dean of farm broadcasters and a good friend of Vilsack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbopKYObCAs&feature=youtu.be

He says the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement making its way through the House of Representatives, all be it slowly because of Democratic concerns, is another reason to be optimistic. He’s confident that the agreement will get done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCURYBZ6IIo&feature=youtu.be

It’s hard to believe that folks in Washington, D.C. are already talking about the next Farm Bill. The reason for that is House Ag Committee Chair Collin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat, isn’t sure yet if he’ll be running for re-election in 2020. He’s said publicly that decision will be coming in either January or February. Vilsack said even if Peterson doesn’t run again, the next farm bill will get done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHU9-7w_CVU&feature=youtu.be

Lastly, as President of the Dairy Export Council, he pays close attention to the country’s export situation, which hasn’t been great at all thanks to trade disputes. In spite of that, with agreements pending in Japan, as well as in North America, exports are another reason to be optimistic.

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019

Wolf help available for Minnesota livestock farmers

New money is available to Minnesota livestock producers to help prevent wolf attacks. A total of $60,000 will be awarded through the Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. Applications are due January 31, 2020, to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).

The grants provide reimbursement for costs of approved practices to prevent wolf-livestock conflicts. Eligible expenses for the grant program will include any or all of the following items:

Purchase of guard animals
Veterinary costs for guard animals
Installation of barriers which may include pens, fladry, and fencing
Installation of wolf-deterring lights and alarms
Calving or lambing shelters
Other measures demonstrated to effectively reduce wolf-livestock conflicts

“We’re fortunate to be able to offer this assistance again to Minnesota farmers and ranchers thanks to a grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Whitney Place. “Livestock owners can get additional resources to protect their animals and livelihood, and I encourage producers to examine ways they can decrease the chances of wolf attacks and apply for this funding.”

Producers must live within Minnesota’s wolf range, as designated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or on property determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture to be affected by wolf-livestock conflicts. Any animal species produced for profit and documented to have been killed by wolves in Minnesota in the past is eligible. This includes bison, cattle, chicken, deer, donkey, duck, geese, goat, horse, llama, mule, sheep, swine, and turkey.

The grant application must be emailed or postmarked by 5 p.m. on January 31, 2020. Work for this grant must be done and expenses reported by August 31, 2020. The application and more information can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/wolfgrants.

The grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service is funding the third round of Wolf-Livestock Conflict Prevention Grants. The first two rounds were funded by the Minnesota Legislature in 2017. Those grants awarded $240,000 between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2019. Grantees used the money for items like fencing, guard animals, and motion lights – all deterrents to wolves.

October 22, 2019October 22, 2019

Harvest season in MN requiring extra patience

Here’s another chadsmithmedia podcast, this time with Houston and Fillmore County Extension Educator Michael Cruse, talking harvest progress in southeast Minnesota.

Harvest season. Never a dull moment in farm country. It’s never an easy season for anyone, regardless of what the growing season was like. This year’s ridiculously wet growing season is going to make things even more challenging, which is not exactly a state secret.

The harvest season is officially underway in southeast Minnesota. A few days of drier and windier weather last week allowed some crops to come out of fields across the area. Houston and Fillmore County Extension Educator Michael Cruse said timing appears to be everything when it comes to fall harvesting in 2019.

“I’m glad you called me later last week, rather than on Monday,” Cruse said. “I would have been much more down on the situation earlier last week. However, a couple of windy days helped some farmers take some corn and beans out of their fields. In spite of that, we’re still behind and we’ll still be scrambling to make sure everything gets done before the ground freezes. At least we’re starting to make some progress.”

The excess rainfall this year means the crops will come out of the fields much wetter than normal. He said the recent windy days seem to have put soybeans into pretty good shape. But, the corn is still going to require some time in the dryer, which isn’t a big surprise this harvest season.

Harvest season is underway in southeast Minnesota, all be it slowly, according to Michael Cruse of the University of Minnesota Extension Service. There’s still a long way to go in very we conditions. (Photo from UMN.Extension.Edu)

“The beans are actually drying down to the point that it looks like they’ll be okay,” Cruse said. “Just be patient with them. Obviously, the last thing you want is to get a big snowfall on top of them, but they seem to be coming along. However, the hard truth is that the majority of our corn crop will come out of the field too wet.

“No matter how long we wait this fall, we just won’t have the drying conditions to get that corn down to optimal moisture,” he added. “That’s probably why we see a lot of farmers working corn right now. They know there’s going to be a bottleneck while the corn has to sit in their dryers and it’s going to take some time. Get a head start because it’s going to take a while.”

September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

World Horseshoe Tournament: Minnesotans do well

The 2019 World Horseshoe Tournament took place in Wichita Falls, Texas, on July 22-August 3. The National Horseshoe Pitching Association sponsors the tournament once a year in different locations around the country. Once again, this year’s tournament included a contingent of “pitchers” from the Rushford-Peterson area, who all competed well down in Texas.

Darren Chambers of Rushford usually takes a delegation of area residents to the World Horseshoe tournament once a year, with this year being no exception. “This year, we had a few more people going along than in 2018,” he said. “I took three new players this year. A total of five went from the Rushford area and I took my two grandsons from West Salem too.

“My new players this year included my niece, Donata Kitchens,” he said, “along with my granddaughter, Brielle Schneider, as well as Lucas Rasmussen. They all took part in their first world tournament. The three that I took to last year’s tournament, Isaac Rasmussen, Mason Chambers, and Noah Chambers, all went again this year too.”

Brielle Schneider, who Chambers says has “only been pitching for about five months,” won the Class C Division at the tournament. “She won the round-robin tournament with a perfect 9-0 record,” Chambers said. “Brielle actually had to beat Isaac Rasmussen at one point (18-17) to win the championship. Isaac wound up in second place with an 8-1 record.

“A total of four kids were in Class C, including Brielle, Isaac, Lucas, and Noah,” he said. “Noah took sixth place in Class C and Lucas Rasmussen finished in seventh. Mason won his class last year and took fourth in this year’s World Horseshoe Tournament. He started slowly but finished the tournament on fire, throwing 15 ringers in one game (40 total throws, 37%).”

Chambers said he takes the kids to different tournaments in Iowa throughout the winter (indoors). It’s not hard to get them ready for the world tournament because “they just love the road trips” and they “love playing the game.”

Lucas Rasmussen had the distinction of being the youngest player at the World Horseshoe Tournament in Texas. He played quite a match with Brielle Rasmussen in Class C competition. “Lucas lost to Brielle in the last game of the tournament,” Chambers recalled. “He trailed 11-9 and just needed a ringer to win the game. Lucas threw a ringer that would have won him the game. However, she had a shoe that was literally standing up on the side of the pole and it flipped her shoe right on there. That canceled out his ringer and he lost 11-9.

“This old guy (Darren) finished up 9-6 at the tournament this year,” he said with a laugh. “I wound up in sixth place, which got me into a little money. They pay out through sixth place.”

Chambers said Donata Kitchens wasn’t initially going to play in the tournament. At first, Chambers said she came along to “help out with the kids.” Chambers admitted he knew they would need an extra pair of hands on the trip, especially with the extra kids going along to Texas. “Well, we decided since she’s going along, Donata might as well play,” he said. “You have to play in four tournaments to qualify for the world tournament and we just barely got her qualified. It was worth it as she took third place in the women’s Class K Division.”

It takes many hours of practice to be successful at the world tournament. Chambers likes the fact that people in each division are competing against other players with similar skill levels, thanks to the way the national association organizes the tournament.

“This tournament really has a class for everybody,” he said. “Participants are put into their class based on their ringer percentage. The more ringers you make, the higher class of competition you’re in. For example, I’m in the second-to-lowest class at the tournament because my ringer percentage is between 10-12 percent., while the number-one-ranked guy in the world will pitch somewhere between 85-90 percent.

“That’s a big difference and why they class it up the way they do,” Chambers added. “When you play someone in your class, you’ll have a good chance to win. It makes the tournament a lot more fun for everybody.”

Chambers started attending world tournaments every year since 2003 and typically went by himself, however the group traveling to next year’s world championship tournament in Monroe, Louisiana, will likely include at least 13 people from Minnesota. He said there’s always room for more people who want to play.

“Anyone interested in pitching horseshoes can give me a call if they want to get involved,” Chambers added. “I’m happy to teach them different ways to throw and would be happy to help anyone interested.”

I included a video recap of some of the action at this year’s tournament:

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019

Agricultural trade opportunities are still out there

Here’s the podcast with Jeremy Miller. If you want to download it for later, go ahead and click on the three dots on the right side of the player and hit download.

Agricultural Trade is a sore topic of conversation these days. The agricultural sector in Minnesota and around the country has been struggling for more than a year due in large part to trade disputes with other nations, including the biggest one with China. However, there is some good news out there in international market opportunities for Minnesota farmers. District 28 Republican Senator Jeremy Miller recently took part in an overseas trade mission to Taiwan July 21-26 and says there are opportunities out there for Minnesota farmers to find markets for their commodities.

“A representative from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago reached out to me earlier this year about leading a multi-state, bipartisan legislative leaders’ delegation to Taiwan,” he recalled. “Before we go any further, people have asked who paid for the trip. I want to make it clear that the trip was paid for by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The whole purpose of the trip was to develop relationships between the United States of America, specifically Minnesota, and partners in Taiwan.”

It was the second trip Miller has taken overseas, with the first one taking place in South Korea back in 2011. He said the number one focus of these trips is to “meet people,” with the number two focus of “looking at opportunities.” The third and most important focus of the trip is “developing relationships” to see what kinds of business dealings can evolve in the future.

“The potential is there for a lot of different relationships between Minnesota and Taiwan,” he said. “By far, the biggest opportunity I see in Taiwan is for agricultural trade. Minnesota already exports a good number of crops, especially soybeans, to Taiwan. I think there’s even more opportunity there, whether it be for corn, more soybeans, and especially for pork.”

Miller looked into the numbers and found that Minnesota exported about $413 million worth of goods to Taiwan in 2018. However, that number is likely to go higher. “Last year, there was a agricultural trade mission to Taiwan that both Minnesota and Iowa took part in,” he recalled. “On that trip, Taiwan signed a $1.5 billion-dollar deal to buy 3.9 million metric tons of soybeans from both Minnesota and Iowa before 2021.

“What I’m driving at is there are even more opportunities for Minnesota and Taiwan to increase the amount of business done,” Miller said. “But, it comes down to keep lines of communication open and building on those relationships once they’re established.”

August 21, 2019August 21, 2019

Kingsland High School Fall Preview on the Sports Podcast

Kingsland high school fall sports are officially underway! We’re going to try something new when it comes to podcasts. I cover several high school sports programs for the Bluff Country Newspaper Group, so we’re going to take some of their coaches’ comments and provide periodic updates for their fans. Pass the word if you decide you like what I’m doing here.

You can download the podcasts and listen at anytime, or feel free to play them right off the website. First up is Kingsland football coach Brent Stinson. They want to improve on last season’s win total (1-8 overall, 1-6 District) as they move from 11-man football to 9-man play.

The Knights, like most football teams, have some holes in the roster to fill from the previous year. Kingsland lost a couple of All-District First Team selections in Reid Kruegel and Dallas Jones. Kruegel was a top receiver that drew double-coverage on almost every play but still finished with 22 catches for 486 yards (22.1 yards per catch). Jones was the team’s leading rusher and top linebacker last year. He ran the ball 102 times for 400 yards and four touchdowns. He made 39 solo tackles and assisted on 34.

Football

“We have several guys looking to step up and fill in some of that gap this year,” Stinson said. “Names people recognize include Reid Merkel, Devin Carr, James Howard, and Lucas Howard, who can really run.

Cross Country

Next up on the podcast is Erin Milz, the head cross country coach at Kingsland High School. Their first week of practice is a unique one. Their schedule included a two-day, midweek camping trip that involved some camping, swimming, and even a service activity.

The Kingsland boys’ team will be very competitive this year as they have the best roster numbers they’ve seen in several years. Twelve boys are on the roster, with ten of the boys eligible to run varsity meets (have to be in grades 9-12). Kingsland hasn’t been able to have competition for boys’ varsity spots because of low numbers since Milz started coaching. She’s looking forward to the new experience. “It’s hard to predict who the top boys will be because I haven’t had enough time to dial that in just yet,” Milz said.

Volleyball

We’re also talking with Amanda Siskow, the new coach of the Kingsland volleyball team. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to be hired until late July, which put the team’s preparations a little behind the 8-ball. Preparations are kind of on fast forward, which is okay as she says the first week of practice went well.

“We’ve got Ellie Buchholtz, a really good all-around player as a setter and hitter, who can also play the back row,” she said. “We’ve got middle hitter Shelby Beck back, who’s been playing well so far, as is Kate Miner in the front row. We also have some seniors back who didn’t play a ton last year but are really trying to step up to the plate and take on bigger roles.”

One of the biggest names not coming back is All-Southeast Conference standout Lauren Buchholtz. The senior outside hitter will be sorely missed during the 2019 season as both an outstanding player and a team leader. Her younger sister, Ellie, is back as a first-team All-SEC selection. Because of an early-season ankle injury last year, she made the switch from setter to an outside hitter to limit her on-court movement somewhat and didn’t miss a beat.

Sorry about the annoying little bursts of static in the interviews! Working on rectifying that. Hope you enjoyed the sports talk! More to come in the near future.

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019

Wild Parsnip Invading southern Minnesota

Wild parsnip is back in southeast Minnesota and that’s not a good thing for man nor beast. According to the website www.invasivespecies.com, wild parsnip is also known as poisonous parsnip. When the sap from wild parsnip comes in contact with human skin that’s exposed to direct sunlight, the chemicals cause intense burns, rashes, or blisters. Take it from someone who knows.

James Colbenson, who once lived in the Chisholm Valley area between Rushford and Houston, had a run-in with wild parsnip back in his mid-teens. “I was looking to make money back then and the neighbors hired me to whack some of their weeds,” the now-34-year-old recalled. “I was wearing a cutoff shirt while I was working that day, so I got some of the sap on my arms, which were then sunburned too.

“I first remember it starting to sting,” he recalled. “When I got done working, I remember jumping in the pool and it burned everywhere. I had one small blister the next day, but over the next two days, my arms and my neck were just covered with inch-high blisters.”

Houston and Fillmore County Extension Agent Michael Cruse says the chemicals in the plants are in the seeds and especially in the stem. Once the chemicals get on to human skin and that person gets out into the sunlight, that’s when things begin to deteriorate.

“That’s when you start to see those blisters and burns,” Cruse said. “You really want to be vigilant and keep kids away from this stuff. If you are going out to clear this stuff off your property by hand, make sure you wear gloves, long sleeves, hats, and pants. Make sure you take care of those clothes because they’re going to have the chemical all over them.”

Southeast Minnesota sees the largest amount of wild parsnip in the state; however, the noxious weed is found in every county in Minnesota. Cruse says wild parsnip was a big topic of conversation a couple of years ago, and it’s a conversation-starter in county-level extension offices again. “Probably two years ago, we had the big flush of wild parsnip that led to a bunch of conversations at the county level,” he recalled.

“Last year, the populations seemed to drop off a bit,” Cruse said, “and I think a lot of that had to do with some aggressive spraying in the fall. The state roads saw a lot of mowing too. This is a good bounce-back year for the biennial weed because of the recent run of hot weather.”

Colbenson said it took a while before his family figured out that it was wild parsnip that caused the blisters on his arm and neck. “I felt a stinging/burning sensation when the sunburn really started to kick in,” he recalled. “The stinging and burning lessened as more and more blisters showed up. The blisters didn’t hurt as much but they were big and puffy.

“We tried a bunch of different ointments and anti-itch creams,” he said. “I know we also put a lot of Neosporin on them. I remember the blisters lasting about a week-and-a-half. They slowly went away after that, but they did leave some small scars on my arms.”

Colbenson lives in Rochester these days and travels back home to the Rushford area periodically. He says the weed has “taken over everywhere.” Colbenson says you can see the weed’s explosive growth in virtually every ditch near the road, as well as near rivers and streams.

It’s not just humans that need to worry about wild parsnip. Cruse says it’s important for livestock farmers to make sure their animals don’t ingest it either.

“If animals ingest the plant, the material will enter their bloodstream,” he said. “When it gets into the capillaries that run along the outer edge of the skin, the chemicals can react to the sunlight and cause some injuries there as well.”

Cruse said the burn can be extremely severe for both humans and livestock, depending on the level of contact with the skin and sunlight interaction. If it gets bad enough, this will be a “go to the doctor” type of event. What does wild parsnip look like?

“The first thing people will notice while they’re out driving is the yellow flower,” Cruse said. “But remember, not every yellow flower will be wild parsnip, either. The yellow flower on wild parsnip actually expands out and has a shape like an umbrella. The plant itself is typically four-to-five feet tall.

“It’s a biennial plant,” he added, “so it has a rosette. If you were to walk one of our local ditches in the fall, you’ll notice that virtually everything will be dead. However, there will be some green rosettes in the ditch too. There’s a better than decent chance at least some of that is going to be wild parsnip. It stays green later in the year, which is why that’s a good time to target it with some spraying.”

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019

Japanese Hops Invading Southeast Minnesota

Japanese hops is and invasive weed that’s overtaking the banks of the Root River in southeastern Minnesota and growing onto adjacent property. Weed experts at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) are asking for the public’s help in controlling the weed and reporting new finds.

Infestations are popping up along the Root River from Preston to the confluence of the Mississippi River. Small infestations of Japanese hops have also popped up in Winona; however, these have been controlled.

Japanese hops are annual vines native to eastern Asia that can grow up to 35 feet in a single growing season. With this explosive growth, the vines smother native vegetation and even grow into trees. Leaves are approximately 2-6 inches long and have at least 5 lobes that are shaped like a hand with the fingers extended. There are separate male and female plants that are beginning to flower this time of year. Seed production then follows.

Minnesota is also home to American hops. It is a native perennial vine that looks similar but often has 1-5 lobes and does not have more than 5 lobes on the leaves.

“We don’t know how they got to the Root River; but now that it’s here, we need to work together with the public to control this invasive weed,” said Christina Basch, Noxious Weed Specialist at the MDA. “Since Japanese hops is a prohibited noxious weed on the state’s eradicate list, it’s important that we find infestations and work to get rid of it.”

For successful Japanese hops control, the dispersal of mature seed must be stopped. This can be done by pulling or cutting the vines at the base or with herbicide treatment. Herbicide treatment is the only practical approach for large infestations that can’t be mowed. Experimental torching of seedlings appears to be effective for control of small infestations.

If you find Japanese hops on your land and the infestation is beyond what you can manage, report it to the MDA’s Arrest the Pest line at arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us or 1-888-545-6684. It is helpful to include photos with the report. It is also important to report infestations other than those on the Root River.

Work is already underway to control Japanese hops in the Root River area. Through a grant from the MDA, the Fillmore Soil Water Conservation District and Houston County Planning and Zoning are conducting hops treatments on the Root River banks. Fillmore and Houston County officials, with grants from the Board of Water and Soil Resources Clean Water Fund, are also using Conservation Corps Minnesota (CCM) to control hops along the Root River Trail. The MDA is working with landowners and CCM to control hops on private lands. The MDA’s work to control Japanese hops and oversee the coordinated efforts is supported by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.