I went exploring a place that turned out to be so big, it took me two consecutive Saturdays to finish. I took a couple trips to Harriet Island Park in St. Paul, I found the perfect mix of urban area and wide-open spaces, just across the Mississippi River from each other.
Looking at the St. Paul skyline across the river was an amazing view. The old-fashioned architecture is amazing to photograph. When you combine it with some of the newer skyscrapers erected in recent decades, that makes it more interesting for an architecture buff like me. I’m not so into it that I can name you all the different styles of buildings. I just know what I like to look at.
Harriet Island is a great place to talk a walk. The boardwalk along the Mississippi River is really quite spacious, with plenty of room to stop and take pics or videos. In fact, I had some company walking down the boardwalk at one point. I looked to my right and saw a hen mallard swimming alongside, trailed by three of the most adorable little ducklings you would ever see. In fact, this is what they looked like.
They were adorable!
As I walked further down the boardwalk, I saw it split into several different walking/biking trails, so I headed in a southeasterly direction. I was hoping to find the trail that would take me up higher in the surrounding bluffs for some cool pictures, but never found it. What I DID find is a pretty good sunburn. Not much in the way of protection from the sun’s rays on a rip-snorting hot day. That’ll learn me.
The boardwalk at Harriet Island Park keeps you tight to the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The view is amazing. (Photo by Chad Smith)
I know what you’re thinking; “Chad, you posted a picture with the first brand-new baseball cap you’ve had in 30 years. Why didn’t you put it on?” Simply put, I wasn’t in the habit yet and I paid for it.
I did come upon an abandoned Union Pacific railroad track. I saw a big old “PRIVATE PROPERTY” sign that didn’t stop me from climbing up to the elevated track in order to snap a few pictures. At one time, the railroad ran all the way across the Mississippi on a bridge. The giveaway that it was abandoned is the fact that a chunk of the railroad bridge is missing. It was strange. The tracks extends from the other side of the river out into the middle of it. Why not take the whole thing out?
The trails will take you through some wooded areas that reminded me of walking through certain parts of the Black Hills in South Dakota. Beautiful. I was really enjoying the walk until I noticed a discarded couch/roll away bed that someone had tossed into the trees. Why do people do that?
An abandoned Union Pacific railroad track. Not sure why, but they took a chunk of the track out of the bridge that runs over the river and turned it sideways. Seems a little strange. (Photo by Chad Smith)
It took more effort to carry that couch that far down the path than it would have to hoist it up into a vehicle and drive it to the dump. I know we all get lazy from time to time but we need to be better than that.
The looks like a big chunk of the railroad bridge that no longer stretches over the water. (Photo by Chad Smith)
I initially thought someone was drilling for oil. Instead, I find out this is the “Target Stage.” Seriously? Does EVERYTHING in the Cities have to have “Target” in the name? 🙂 I saw some really nice boats out on the water. Lots of room on the Mississippi.
Not sure I wanna know what happened to the guy missing this shoe? After all, it IS St. Paul, so who knows?
Wonder if he or she noticed they’d blown a tire? (Photo by Chad Smith)
There’s an old lift bridge down there on the Mississippi that I’m pretty sure is no longer in use. However, please don’t quote me on that. The blue lift-control house on top of the bridge looks like a pretty lonely place to be?
I’m not a boating expert by any means, but I think these are some type of retaining walls to keep ships from hitting the bridge? The doves sure liked hanging out down there in the shade on a scorching hot day. (Photo by Chad Smith)
You really don’t ever know what you’ll find when exploring the metro area. Found a blushing bride and her groom out getting pictures taken in the Union Depot area of St. Paul.
The blushing bride hurrying to get back and get hitched after taking pictures. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Como Zoo in St. Paul is a Smith family favorite. It’s one of the family’s favorite places to be together. We’ve been going there for years because we spent a lot of time in the Twin Cities before finally settling here a couple years ago.
The ostriches at Como Zoo in St. Paul were really giving Gaelan Smith the stinkeye. It was hilarious! (Photo by Chad Smith
If you’ve never been there, I recommend taking the family. There’s no cost to get in, other than a suggested donation. As far as I know, Como Zoo exists entirely on donations from the public. There may or may not be patrons that make regular donations, but I have no idea for sure.
Here’s proof: Gaelan Smith getting the stinkeye from one dorky bird.
The zoo is set up really well. A family getting lost there means they worked hard to do so. There’s likely a little something for everyone. There’s a polar bear exhibit, which is one of our favorites. Unfortunately, we picked a scorching hot day to visit Como Zoo, so there wasn’t much outside activity. There’s big cats, including a beautiful tiger!
There are silverback gorillas in there and they are amazing to watch move around. They’re so big, powerful, and graceful. Como Zoo currently has an entire gorilla family, including three youngsters. Of course, what do Monique and Talisa Smith notice? “The father is laying on his back, doing nothing, while mom watches the brood,” they said while laughing.
We saw a mother orangutan playing with her baby. The little one smiled from ear to ear. I’ve got a little video here of the two of them playing. The quality is less than I hoped for the fingerprints covered the windows.
The only thing I hope the zoo can get cleared up is some of the aquatic displays. The weather was hot and steamy, so the tanks all had condensation on them. However, the tanks need cleaning desperately, so much so that we couldn’t see some of the fish in there. I’m really hoping they can get enough help to take care of that particular problem.
Those aquatic displays really did need a little bit of work to get cleaned up.
Giraffes really are goofy-looking creatures, aren’t they?
Giraffes are really weird looking animals, aren’t they? (Photo by Chad Smith)
To coin a phrase from Art Linkletter (how’s that for long-term memory?), “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” I forget which kid said it, but I heard a voice say, “Wouldn’t it stink to be a giraffe and choke? How long would it take before the rest of its body figured out it was choking?” Of course, my only intelligent response was “depends on how far down the throat it got?” And I have a Master’s Degree. So proud.
Have you seen that little cabin exhibit between the Como Zoo entrance and the primate display? Looks just like a settler’s cabin you may have seen all those many years ago in Minnesota.
I love this little cabin that sits near the entrance of Como Zoo in St. Paul. Never noticed the water wheel behind it before. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Do you think we interrupted something here? Get a room, for goodness sakes.
Good grief, get a private room or something.
Last but not least, can I show you my favorite exhibit? It’s this guy:
He was adorable! BTW, it’s a tree sloth, in case you’ve never seen one before.
That tree sloth in the jungle exhibit cracked us all up. When we came through the door, the slot was sitting up on that same branch while scratching his left side. By the time we’d gotten around the exhibit, he passed out. Must have been some serious hard work?
St. Paul is one of my favorite cities to explore. Another Saturday means it was time to head off to the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. I’d spent so much time exploring Minneapolis that I thought it was time to take a closer look at the sister city. What I didn’t realize was just how CLOSE I would be to St. Paul in spite of exploring a nature area.
One of my favorite parts of the Bruce Vento Nature Conservancy in St. Paul is the fact that there is so much interaction with trains down in that neighborhood.
The first thing I saw was a signpost that pointed in different directions I could go and different things I could check out. To my surprise, I saw a sign that said I was one mile from downtown St. Paul. Well, I can’t let the chance go by to check out one of my favorite places to take pictures. I’m an architecture buff and love the way St. Paul was put together.
Walking a short way down the sidewalk, I saw a familiar sign in the distance; “CHS Field.” For those who don’t know, it’s the home of the St. Paul Saints, who play in the Northwoods Baseball League. I couldn’t believe I’d walked approximately a mile and went from a nature sanctuary to the edge of a major city like St. Paul in that short of a time frame. I’d driven by CHS Field many times while traveling between the Twin Cities and Rochester.
One of my biggest surprises of exploring a nature area was how close I still was to the city. A half mile directly behind me on the same sidewalk was the nature area. A half mile ahead stood St. Paul. I love the surprises you find when exploring the Twin Cities. (Photo by Chad Smith
I did see something I hadn’t come across before. It looked like a big lot that contained railroad tracks running in a half-circle before splitting into at least a half-dozen separate tracks that each ran into a large gray building. It reminded me of an auto shop that has several different doors along one side that each run into a separate repair station. I’m pretty sure I’d found a repair shop for trains, but I honestly don’t know that for sure.
Walking around the block past the train depot, I found myself in St. Paul proper. I really love the architecture down there. I saw one building from behind that looked like an abandoned warehouse. However, walking around the front, it was an immaculate series of shops up and down the length of the building.
You wind up exploring a nature area in St. Paul and find yourself on the doorsteps of a St. Paul Saints baseball game. (Photo by Chad Smith)
The only thing I was unhappy with while walking around St. Paul was the number of people holding cardboard signs. You know what I’m talking about, right? The homeless veteran signs always break my heart. I’ve spoken to more than a few homeless veterans (and handed out a few bucks too), with those some of the most heart-breaking stories you’ll hear. However, at the other end of the spectrum, there was at least one gentlemen holding a homeless sign who was literally dressed better than I was. Who knows what to believe anymore?
At least I knew for sure where I was in St. Paul today? (Photo by Chad Smith)
If you saw my last post about exploring, it should be obvious I find urban artwork (tagging) interesting. I saw my favorite tag earlier today that said “Freddy sucks eggs.” Thanks for the tip. It makes me glad my name isn’t Freddy.
I loved the red brick architecture I found here on the edge of St. Paul. (Photo by Chad Smith)
One thing I find interesting about both Minneapolis and St. Paul is the fact that they seem to have repurposed a lot of buildings for new uses. (Photo by Chad Smith)
St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Loved the colors at the Bruce Vento Nature Conservancy in St. Paul.
This is the part of city living I DON’T like… at all. I think the bridge at the Bruce Vento Conservancy could hold me up? (Photo by Chad Smith) Did I mention that was a LONG train? This was kind of weird.
If you read this far, thank you! Here the link to my Facebook photo album:
There’s a hidden gem in the Minneapolis area known as Boom Island Park. I took a walk there the other day and was amazed at how the riverfront and the skyline of the city blended with the green of one of the bigger parks I’ve seen in the metro area. As a guy from small town Rural America, I’m amazed at just how much green there is all over the Twin Cities.
One of the more challenging parts of urban exploration around the metro is just FINDING the place you’re heading to. Thank the Good Lord (not joking at all) for Google Maps (or Apple Maps, if you have an iPhone). You know you’re adapting to city life when you arrive at the park, find it’s been shut off because of a private gathering, and you don’t bat an eye about parking in an open lot that you may or may not be allowed to actually park in. You’re risking getting a car towed for a couple hours of exploration. Works for me?
One thing I didn’t know is that some Minneapolis parks have a lot of places to park your kayaks or boats after spending time on the water.
One of the first things I noticed at Boom Island is just how many spots there are for kayakers/boaters to park themselves after a day on the water. LOVED the little lighthouse in the background. (Photo by Chad Smith)
One of the first things you notice is a lot of walking areas, paved, gravel, and wood around the outskirts of Boom Island. Perfect for urban exploration. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Some of them will even RENT you a kayak. Looked like a lot of fun and something I will be trying again.
As mentioned previously, I walked into Boom Island with the oddest sound in the background. Urban Exploration can lead to interesting (and educational) discoveries. The parking lots were actually roped off because of a Tibetan Festival taking place that day. Being from small town America, as mentioned previously, it was something really new.
However, the most interesting part of the festival, aside from the explosion of color, music and foods, is the fact that almost everyone there smiled at me. Such friendly people. The older I get, the more I’m really enjoying expanding my horizons.
The Twin Cities are an interesting area to live in and explore. They’ve clearly worked hard to put together the best park system possible and I can’t wait to keep exploring it.
One thing I loved about Boom Island was the city skyline across the river from the park. Really blended the urban with the non-urban really well. (Photo by Chad Smith)
I really loved the “observation decks” that are up along the waterfront. Great places to sit and enjoy the view. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Here’s my first look at Boom Island Park, which sits right on the Mississippi River. (Video by Chad Smith)
The park sits on an impressive 22.5 acres right the metro area, right in the St. Anthony West neighborhood.
Here’s a little bit of the music I heard at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis. It’s part of a Tibetan Festival that took place on Saturday, July 6. (Video by Chad Smith)
Fantastic views from Boom Island. (Photo by Chad Smith)
One of the epiphanies of middle age that have hit me recently is the fact that you don’t always have to take an exotic trip to see something new. Sometimes it’s right in your own “backyard.” Time for me to get off my duff and do some exploring.!
Looks like there was a pretty serious lightning strike here? (Photo by Chad Smith)
I’d say there was a pretty serious lightning strike here just to the left?
Seriously, THIS is how someone should take a tour of one of the inner-city parks in Minneapolis! Segway is the only way!
Some final thought here in the video directly above.
Looked like a repurposed railroad bridge that they made into a pretty cool place to walk. (Photo by Chad Smith)
All the way down at the end of a path out of Boom Island, it looks like a direct path down to gang land. (Photo by Chad Smith)
I can just see a train conductor telling his co-pilot to “roll up them windows” going through this neighborhood! (Photo by Chad Smith)
Here’s a link to my Facebook album with every picture and video I took. Enjoy. And if you like it, let me know? I’m thinking I’d like to do more of this kind of blogging. I just need someone to find it interesting.
Archaeology.. the term makes me think of Indiana Jones. That shows my age, doesn’t it? Well, as hard as it may be to believe, that’s not real life. However, I know someone who’s living the adventure (without the bullwhip).
Chatfield native Paige Brevick is living what can only be called an adventurous life. She’s a recent graduate of the University of Memphis with a master’s degree in Egyptian Art and Archaeology. Brevick has worked in faraway places like India and Israel over the course of her studies and will continue globe-hopping when she studies for her doctorate at the University College London in England. How does a small-town girl from Chatfield get to travel the world as she studies to be an archaeologist?
Paige Brevick of Chatfield, MN, is unearthing skeletons at Thornton Abbey in England. These bodies are part of a mass burial site for black plague victims. (Contributed photo)
“That’s a really good question,” she said with an infectious
laugh. “A lot of people ask me that. I’ve always loved the stories that objects
tell about people and the cultures that made those items. As a kid, I was
interested in arts, museums, the outdoors, and that sense of adventure, so
archaeology seemed like a natural career choice.”
Brevick said she had no idea that archaeology was a “real job you could have” until she got to college. While growing up as a youngster in Chatfield, her parents took her to a lot of different museums. She describes herself as “always excited” to turn the corner in a museum and find an Egyptian gallery or see some Asian art. “That’s where the curiosity got started,” she said.
Archaeology Studies Begin
Her secondary education started at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. “My degree there was in Religion and I spent a lot of time studying the Hebrew Bible. It was in those early religion classes that I became interested in Near Eastern archaeology. Even though my degree was in religion, I got to study abroad quite a bit.
“I lived in India for a while,” she recalled. “After that, I studied public archaeology and what the community involvement was in museums across Maharashtra and South India. I saw people there who were passionate about their heritage and where they came from. It was a great place to It was a great place to study because India is full of ancient sites, temples, and history.”
A lack of what she called archaeological “site management” triggered an interest in protecting those sites and the antiquities that were being found. The trip to India was her first journey overseas and eye-opening in many different ways. What was it like for a Midwestern gal to step off the plane into a foreign country for the very first time?
Paige is seen here while working at a dig site in Tigray Province, Ethiopia. (Contributed photo)
“It was exhilarating,” she said with a giggle. “It’s quite a
country to jump into for my first overseas experience. It’s overwhelming
because Mumbai is so loud. The city was so loud and packed with people. It’s
not a surprise that it was more people than I’d seen in my entire life.”
The trip to India triggered her interest in a career in “heritage management,” which she’s currently working in. She says it’s all about the running of an archaeological site and how to go about involving the community in that preservation. Rather than having archaeologists come into the site and then leave, it’s about how to create something sustainable with the community. Brevick hopes to facilitate relationships between archaeologists, museums, and communities.
Masters degree in archaeology
She recently wrapped up a three-year stay at the University
of Memphis, her second stop in secondary education. Brevick said it’s one of
the few programs in the country that offer a master’s degree in Egyptian
studies and archaeology. Egypt is a major part of her long-term interest in
studying the near East. Brevick’s acquired some unique skills while studying
for her master’s degree.
“I got to study hieroglyphs,” she said. “I can now read Middle Egyptian, which are the glyphs you may see on objects or in museums. It took a lot of time and practice to learn Middle Egyptian, but it’s really been rewarding. You really don’t meet a lot of people who can say they’ve learned hieroglyphs.”
She also spent time working at a dig site in Lalibela, Ethiopia, where they found a church that had been completely carved in stone. (contributed photo)
Brevick has had a couple of opportunities to head to Egypt
and see things firsthand. In a case of real life getting in the way, one of her
trips was canceled because of safety concerns. Brevick found out firsthand that
she’ll have to be “flexible” to succeed as an archaeologist. Funding issues can
cause challenges, as can real-world dangers on the ground. Even after all the
delays, she’s hopeful of getting to Egypt within the next year.
She’s lived for a short time in other places overseas, including Ethiopia. “I was there doing a study abroad class through Cornell,” she recalled. “We traveled all over the country and visited several sites, including the rock-hewn churches in Lalibela. I also lived in the Bahamas for a month and studied anthropology.”
Digging up plague victims
Personally, her most interesting experience to date took
place in England. “I was just a student and only stayed there for a couple of
weeks,” Brevick said. “I got to work on a black plague mass-burial site at
Thornton Abbey. It’s so different from what I normally do but I wanted some
bio-archaeology experience.
“The site was very unusual because we don’t normally find
mass burial sites,” she added. “In this case, there were about 50 bodies buried
there. It was a very humbling experience because you saw what the community had
been through. They were hit so hard by the plague.”
The adventure will soon continue in London, where she’s off to study for her Ph.D. Brevick was there for a short time last year to interview with the faculty at the school and found the experience a little overwhelming because of the “hustle-and-bustle of the city.” She said this is her next step in a new adventure.
Paige is standing outside the Ajanta Caves in India. (Contributed photo)
“I’ll be at University College London,” she explained. “They were just ranked third in the world when it comes to archaeological studies. I’ll be working on a heritage management project which will be launched in Egypt. My doctoral dissertation will identify and develop co-creative heritage management strategies. I’m really interested in the relationships between archaeologists, museums, and the local communities they are working in and for.
“Rather than only advocate for more community engagement,” she said, “I think museums have a responsibility to go into their communities and ask community leadership what it is they need from the museum.”
Career goals in archaeology?
After all the education is finally finished, what are her long-term career goals?
“I think I’d like to stick with museums,” Brevick said. “I
think that’s perfect for my personality. Anything that would allow me to
continue advocating for archaeology cultural heritage. I feel honored and
grateful to be doing what I’m doing.”
Dairy farmers have had a tough go of it lately as milk prices continue to struggle. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is rolling out its new Dairy Assistance, Investment and Relief Initiative (DAIRI) program to provide financial assistance for farmers. To be eligible, the state’s milk producers have to sign up for five years of coverage in the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program.
The Minnesota Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative is now taking applications. The program is designed to help the state’s dairy farmers stay afloat during very tough economic times. (Photo from nal.used.gov)
“Minnesota farmers are the cornerstone of our state’s economy,” said Governor Tim Walz. “We know that this has been a tough year for agriculture, and our dairy farmers need our support. I’m proud that our budget secured $8 million for the Dairy Assistance, Investment and Relief Initiative, The new initiative will help make sure our dairy farmers can continue doing the work they love and providing for our state.”
Applications to the program are being accepted now through October 1, 2019. In order to qualify, Minnesota farmers must have produced less than 160,000 cwt (hundredweight) of milk in 2018. Again, they also need to have signed up for five years of coverage through the DMC program during its current enrollment period, which is open between June 17, 2019 and September 20, 2019.
The MDA will issue payments on a rolling basis. Producers can expect to receive their first payments roughly two to four weeks after successfully applying. Minnesota dairy farmers will be paid based on production levels, up to 50,000 cwt of milk produced in 2018.
An application form, a W9, a copy of their DMC enrollment form, and a statement from their processor(s) detailing the amount of milk produced in 2018 are all required to complete an application.
Dairy farmers may receive a second payment this fall after the application period has ended, depending on remaining available funds.
I was at my desk the other day and missed a phone call. Thinking it may have been a potential interview subject for an article, I played the voicemail and got the shock of my life. “We’re calling to alert you that we’re prepared to take legal action against you because of suspicious activity on your social security number.” I played it three different times because I’d noticed they never actually said WHO was taking legal action against me. My cynical journalist radar was up and running.
I’ve seen this setting coming up on my cell phone an awful lot lately. Keep an eye out for scammers. I took a scam phone call the other day and included the audio at the end of the blog post. Don’t give out personal information if you didn’t initiate the phone call.
I also should have known that something was up when the first three numbers of the “800 number” was 855. That’s an out-of-country 800 number, i would find out later. Anyway, I make the call because now I’m flat-out curious. The guy who answered the phone informed me that he was with the “Social Security Administration” and even tried to pass on his “badge number.” At this point, I know I’m being scammed because in all my years in the media, one thing that’s stuck in this old brain was the fact that the Social Security Administration will NEVER call you about a problem. EVER. They always reach out and correspond through the mail.
Anyway, back to the story. In VERY broken English, the guy says there’s legal action pending against me because of suspicious activity on my SSN. He confirms my name and that I am who I say I am. THEN, he asks me to confirm my social security number over the phone, which is a big faux pas when dealing with someone who actually knows better.
I thought just for fun I’d put the audio of the phone call up here for you to listen to. I had played it for a couple family members, including my wife Monique. She looks at me after the recording was done and said “I can’t believe how patient you were during that phone call.” Hey, I was having fun!
However, all giggling aside, a scam phone call is a very serious matter. If you didn’t initiate the phone call, under NO circumstances should you give our personal information. EVER.
The last thing I need you to remember is to call your local law enforcement and report the number the scammer used to call you. It really does help because law enforcement will put out the information to the public as a number to avoid.
Here’s some recommendations on how to deal with scam phone calls.
Lanesboro alum Eric Holst is a two-time national champion in the Hammer/Weight Throw and finished as a runner-up in this year’s hammer throw event at the NCAA Division Three Track and Field Championships. (Contributed photo)
Track and field has been very good to Lanesboro alum Eric Holst. He’s a three-time All-American track athlete at St. Thomas University. He’s a two-time national champion, winning the Hammer Throw (outdoor season) as a junior and the Weight Throw (indoor season) as a senior. Holst wound up taking second in the Hammer Throw at this year’s National Division Three Track and Field Championship Meet. Holst said he was initially disappointed that he couldn’t repeat in the top spot but second was still a great way to finish up his college track career.
Runner Up
“It’s second place in the nation and very few people will ever reach that in their athletic lives,” Holst said. “It’s still a great thing and I still get All-American honors. However, I still wanted to win. I don’t know a single athlete that wouldn’t want to hit that mark. It came down to one throw that didn’t go my way.
Lanesboro’s Eric Holst qualified for the NCAA Division Three National Track and Field Championship Meet in both the hammer throw and the discus. He finished as the runner-up in the hammer throw. (Contributed Photo)
“My first throw of the meet was technically sound (60.90 meters),”
Holst recalled, “it just felt soft, not full-go. However, that put me into the
finals, which meant I was All-American. I told myself at that point ‘now we can
push it.’ I attacked my second throw too hard and let go one turn too early in
order to save the mark. Still, that throw put me into second place (61.69
meters).”
Holst said he couldn’t find the rhythm again and wound up
scratching on his next four throws. The senior thrower either hit the net with
the hammer or stepped out of the launch area. The only two throws he hit all
meet were the first two attempts. “I just couldn’t find it again,” he said.
However, it wasn’t just Holst that lost his rhythm.
Zak Dysert of Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio wound up as the national champion in this year’s hammer throw. He had a couple of scratches and poor throws during his earlier attempts. However, Holst said Dysert ‘pulled it together as I should have’ and won it on his last throw (62.01 meters). Converting meters to feet shows just how close the competition turned out to be. Dysert’s best throw totaled 203 feet, 5 inches. Holst’s best throw was one-inch shy of that mark at 202-05.
A Big Change
Holst made a big change in his training last year that carried over to this season. He switched up his throwing form last year as a junior. He went from spinning three times before releasing the hammer/weight to four times. It took some time to get used to, but Holst was feeling good about the adjustment by the end of last season. This season, it took a little longer to find the rhythm during his senior year.
“Switching from three rotations to four give you more time to accelerate ahead of the throw,” Holst explained. “If you’re a very explosive athlete, three turns are generally all you need. I’m not as explosive as many other competitors are, so that fourth turn to build up more speed can help me even the field quite a bit.”
Training Harder
In addition to changing his throwing form, Holst also changed his in-season training regimen. “I trained a lot harder during the season and attempted a lot more throws in practice,” Holst recalled. “The hope was that I could break down my body a little more during the season in hopes of building up to a stronger peak by the end of the year. I cut back on the number of throws as I got to the meets where they give out titles, trying to be a little bit fresher at that point of the season.”
Because it’s a throwing event, strength is obviously
important if athletes want to be competitive. However, Holst says technique
plays an even bigger part in success. “I think it’s the most technically-driven
event in all of track and field,” he said.
“You mainly see that when you go from high school track up to the college level,” Holst said. “At the lower level of competition, you’ll see big guys that win by simply outmuscling the other competitors. However, when you get up here, you’ll notice that people aren’t quite as big as they were down below. They realize it takes more than just brute strength to compete in the throwing events. Everyone is strong, so it boils down to technique.”
Eric Holst of Lanesboro is one of the more successful Burros when it comes to collegiate sports. He’s a two-time national champ in the hammer/weight throw and a runner-up in the hammer throw at this year’s national meet. (Contributed photo)
Holst is quick to credit his coaches for pushing him to be better every day, both at practice and during competitions. However, they won’t be pushing him anymore as his St. Thomas track career ended after the Outdoor National Meet. Looking back over his four-year career, it’s been interesting to remember how things developed.
On to New Things
“It really hit me hard this year that I’m done with college
track,” he recalled. “I struggled with it for a few days. I remember back in my
freshman year when we had a thrower that placed ninth at the national meet. We
looked up to him like a god because he was one spot away from being an
All-American. A spot in the national meet seemed so unattainable that we
thought he was a ‘freak athlete.’
“It’s funny to look back and think about how I’ve made the
same level of competition as that ‘freak athlete’ back then,” Holst added.
“It’s kind of wild to think that I did it too, especially when I think about my
freshman season and what we had thought was so unattainable.”
What will he miss the most about college track? It boils
down to one word: routine.
“I’ve been used to going to class and going to track
practice for the last ten years, going all the way back to middle school,”
Holst says. “Now, there’s no more practice at all. It’s off to the workforce,
which is a whole different routine to learn.”
Dicamba is an important tool for farmers when it comes to controlling weeds. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) wants to remind pesticide applicators of the state-specific dicamba cutoff for the 2019 growing season. Product application cannot take place in Minnesota after June 20.
The 2019 Minnesota dicamba cutoff is in addition to those established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The affected formulations are XtendiMax by Monsanto, Engenia by BASF, FeXapan by DuPont, and Tavium by Syngenta.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is reminding farmers and pesticide applicators that the dicamba cutoff date is set for June 20th. (photo from agweb.com)
“We understand that late planting this season has caused concern for growers who want to use this crop management tool,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “However, delaying applications in an attempt to control later emerging weeds can result in poor control and presents other risks. If you are one of the growers that has invested in dicamba technology, now is the time to use it for the dicamba cutoff date. The University of Minnesota Extension says late planting combined with pre-plant tillage can offer advantages for weed control.”
The June 20, 2019, the dicamba cutoff date is based on the MDA’s ongoing investigations and informal surveys into reports of crop damage from alleged dicamba off-target movement over the past two growing seasons. In 2017, the MDA received 253 reports of alleged dicamba drift; 55 of those were formal complaints requesting investigations. Those reports impacted an estimated 265,000 acres. After state restrictions were put in place for the 2018 growing season, the number of complaints dropped dramatically to 53 reports, of which 29 were formal complaints. Just over 1,800 acres were impacted in 2018.
This year’s dicamba cutoff date was first announced on December 10, 2018. Over the winter, approximately 5,800 pesticide applicators attended trainings across the state as required by the product labels.
Dicamba is most effective early in the growing season. Product labels recommend application on small broadleaf weeds that are up to 4 inches tall.
To manage weeds after June 20, growers can use herbicides from Group 9 (Glyphosate), Group 2 (Pursuit, Classic, FirstRate), and Group 14 (Flexstar, Cobra, Cadet, Ultra Blazer). If you have herbicide resistant weeds such as water hemp, follow University of Minnesota Extension recommendations on layering of residual herbicides such as Dual, Outlook, Warrant, and Valor.
In Minnesota, the XtendiMax, Engenia, FeXapan, and Tavium formulations of dicamba are “Restricted Use Pesticides” for retail sale to, and for use only by, certified applicators.
Minnesota Seed Law must be followed on prevented planting acres
Minnesota farmers may be in the market for more cover crop seed than in previous years. Poor planting conditions this spring are forcing some farmers to make decisions on prevented planting. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) wants to remind farmers about the legal requirements for selling and buying seed in Minnesota, which does include cover crop seed.
More acres might be going into cover crops because of prevented planting conditions. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has some reminders when farmers are looking to buy cover crop seed. (Photo from AgNook.com)
MDA says it has seen several issues in past years that violate Minnesota’s Seed Law. Buying grain from an elevator for the purpose of sowing is not legal. It is also illegal to brown bag or sell grain out of a bin. Furthermore, all seed sold in the state must be labeled.
“Minnesota’s Seed Law restricts these activities for numerous reasons, ” said Denise Thiede, MDA’s Seed Unit Supervisor. “Farmers could be bringing in weeds through unlabeled and untested seed, or they may not be get the type or quality of seed they paid for.”
In addition, almost all seed varieties have some form of intellectual property protection that restricts the use and sale of the variety under the federal Plant Variety Protection Act. Violating this act can lead to significant fines for both the seller and the buyer.
If farmers are buying seed to sow on their land, the MDA offers the following advice:
Make sure the seed has a label.
Confirm the cover crop seed has been tested for noxious weed seeds, including Palmer amaranth.
Make sure that it is a legal sale by asking the seller if they have the legal authority to sell the product.
Ask about the variety of seed. A variety protected by the Plant Variety Protection Act must be sold by variety name and may be required to be sold as a class of certified seed.
