The Minnesota FFA Alumni Association is proud to announce its FFA Hall of Fame Class of 2019. These nine inductees will join the 176 members already inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame over the past sixteen years. That number includes 75 inaugural members in 2004. The FFA Hall of Fame is a collaborative effort between the Minnesota FFA Association, Alumni, and Foundation.
The Minnesota FFA Organization has announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2019. (Photo from FFA.org)
Criteria
A selection committee consisting of FFA members, alumni, agricultural educators, and foundation representatives selected the final inductees. “We were looking for individuals who have been influential and supportive of Minnesota FFA,” said Steve Olson, co-chair of the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame Committee. “We want people who have demonstrated a high level of service and longstanding commitment to agriculture, agribusiness, and/or education in agriculture.”
The induction ceremony is on Monday, April 29, 2019, during the 90th State FFA Convention. You will see the 2019 Hall of Fame Class on the Minnesota FFA Alumni Association website. They’ll also be on the state FFA convention newsletter coming out shortly after the convention.
The Minnesota FFA Foundation, through its Star Partners Program, provides resources that support the FFA Hall of Fame program. Check out www.mnffafoundation.org for more information on programs and funding opportunities.
Making a Difference
FFA is a national youth organization making a positive difference in the lives of young people by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success of its 629,367 student members. FFA members are preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology sectors of agriculture. Nearly 11,000 students are members of the Minnesota FFA Association. www.mnffa.org.
Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame Class of 2019
● Judy Barka, Watkins, MN
● Nancy Dahlman,Cokato, MN
● Roy Johnson, Elk River, MN
● Fred Troendle, St Charles, MN
● Neil Pearson, Grove City, MN
● Ken Hammer, Frazee, MN
● Jeff Voss, Jackson, MN
● Gary Olson, Moorhead, MN
● Doug Hoseck, Hector, MN
Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame
Selection criteria
Nominees should meet many, but not necessarily all, of the following criteria:
1. Contributions and service the candidate has provided to agriculture/agribusiness, to education in agriculture and FFA. Consideration should be given to longevity.
2. Leadership to the candidate’s profession, to agriculture, to education and to the FFA;
3. Career accomplishments, honors and recognition;
4. FFA leadership at the local, state, and national level;
5. Leadership and support to other agriculturally related organizations and/or agencies;
6. Responsibilities, leadership and/or services to non-agricultural groups and organizations;
7. Participation and support of philanthropic endeavors;
8. Service to and participation in activities which promote agriculture, citizenship, education and the FFA.
The weather forecast. You know you’re paying extra attention if you live in the Upper Midwest as I do (Minnesota and any of the surrounding states). Simply put, you’re wondering when the white stuff falling from the sky will finally end. After all, it’s getting really hard to find places to pile the extra snow when it’s time to shovel (or snow blow) the driveway. So, I figured it was time to call up my favorite weather guy, Ryan Martin of Warsaw, Indiana, to get a weather forecast of what’s coming for different areas of the country in late winter and early spring.
Ag meteorologist Ryan Martin speaks during a recent event. Martin is the Chief Meteorologist for Hoosier Ag Today. (photo from hoosieragtoday.com)
“From Iowa and northward through the Upper Midwest, it’s
been a very snow-filled winter to this point,” he said. “We’ve exceeded total
snowfall amounts in our forecasts by a little bit. One thing you need to note
is the fact that it’s still February.
“We generally expect the snowfall patterns to gradually
start to ease up in mid-to-late March,” he added. “I think we’re going to be on
track to see that this year. Am I calling for an immediate stoppage of now? No.
What I do see is temps switching from below normal to normal to slightly above
normal. You’ll see more rain mixing in with the snow as March progresses.”
In the weather forecast for the eastern Corn Belt, including the Ohio River Valley, Indiana, Ohio, and the Great Lakes Region, Martin says things take a more active turn as February turns into early March. There’s going to be some “excessive” precipitation moving through that area.
“Temps are going to be on a roller coaster,” Martin said. “We
had the brutal cold snap a few weeks ago but are now transitioning into a
period during which temps will average out to normal. But, keep in mind that
means you could be ten degrees above normal one day and ten below the next day.
I’m seeing a lot of rain in the eastern Corn Belt region, which will have a big
impact on Ohio River levels, mid-and-lower-Mississippi River levels, and even
the Illinois River levels.
Find out Ryan’s weather forecast for the Plains States, the Delta region, as well as the western United States forecast.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that Clemson beat the socks off Alabama to capture the NCAA football crown. As over a foot of snow sits on the ground in Minnesota (with more on the way this week), it may be surprising to realize that spring football isn’t that far away, at all. Ryan Burns of Gopher Illustrated talked all things Gopher football on a recent episode of Minnesota Sports Weekly.
“We’re only a few weeks away now,” Burns said, “and considering the kind of February we’ve had, with all the snow and the Polar Vortex, it’s going to be a sight for sore eyes. Warmer temps are around the corner, the doldrums of winter are getting behind us, which is a good thing for Minnesota residents and for Gopher football.”Recruiting has basically wrapped up (for now). Burns said Gopher coaches spent roughly three weeks in January pounding the pavement on the recruiting trail. That second national signing day cut down on the number of recruits Gopher football signed this time around during the traditional signing day, which is the first Wednesday of February.
“Minnesota only signed one more scholarship player,” Burns said. “They’d signed 21 scholarship players during the early signing day in December. It’s the second year that college football had two signing days. I’d say roughly 70 percent of all college football recruits have signed during December.
Ryan Burns of Gopher Illustrated. (Photo from twitter.com)
“The Minnesota coaching staff should be back in the office
this week and looking at more recruiting tape,” he added. “Just a couple weeks
later, the staff will get started on their spring football season.”
How much time do these coaches spend on the road trying to
build the future of the program? It’s astronomical. After the Gophers beat
Wisconsin at the end of the regular season, head coach P.J. Fleck was out on
the road 19 of the next 23 days recruiting, all the way up to the early
National Signing Day. As Burns said, “There’s no rest for the weary.” Right
after that signing day, the Gophers were off to Detroit and their Dec. 26
appearance in the Quick Lane Bowl.
“They (coaches) got a couple weeks off after the bowl and they were back out on the recruiting trail through late January and early February,” he said. “They get another week off and then it’s back to work figuring out who they want to recruit for the 2020 class, which is all juniors as we speak today. It’s spring football until April 15th, after which they’ll be back on the road till the end of May.
Gopher coach P.J. Fleck and the rest of his coaches spend sometimes ridiculous hours away from their families, all in the name of recruiting. (photo from the dailygopher.com)
“Once that wraps up, their home with their families for 6-7
weeks,” Burns said. “Coaching is demanding. I know several Gopher coaches that consistently
work 12-14-hour days and it’s tough being away from your family that much. When
you’re out for a six-week stretch of recruiting, you’re home maybe one day
every week. You better have an understanding better-half who’s willing to put
up with the lifestyle.”
Looking at recruiting specifics, Burns said they had a few
holes in the roster to fill. “They were trying to add more talent into a young
team. The Gophers might have been the youngest team in the country last year. You
always want to continue to add talent, especially at the quarterback position.
“It’s the position at which the Gophers have the biggest
question marks on how the program takes the next step forward,” he added. “I’d
argue they have as good of a stable of running backs that they’ve had in a long
time, they have as good a wide receiver group they’ve had in a long time, and
the Minnesota offensive line really flipped a switch in the last month of the
season. The O line was a big reason the team took a big step forward late in
the year.”
Minnesota signed two quarterbacks in the offseason. One was
from out-of-state and was the highest-rated QB to sign with the Gophers in
decades. His name is Jacob Clark and he’s from Rockwall, Texas. They also
signed Cole Kramer, a quarterback from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Burns said
Fleck did “a good job” of filling his two biggest needs at quarterback and
along the defensive line.
One of the most amazing things about recruiting under P.J.
Fleck is how the Gopher program is getting recruits who are being chased by
school in the Power 5 conferences. A good example is defensive lineman Rashad
Cheney of Atlanta, Georgia. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive tackle, a four-star
recruit, had previously committed to play for both Georgia and Alabama in the
SEC. However, he signed a letter of intent late last year to play football for
the University of Minnesota.
“Any time that you’re able to get a kid who had committed to
Alabama all the way up to Halloween of last year before deciding to look
around,” Burns said, “I think Alabama’s defensive line is absolutely something
you should try to emulate. Think about it, they annually send two or three guys
off their defensive line to the NFL every year.
“Winning in the trenches every year is a big point of emphasis for defensive coordinator Joe Rossi,” he added. “I think they addressed that well.”
Here are lots of Gopher football highlights from last season
The Gopher football team took many Minnesota football fans by surprise, finishing 7-6 overall, getting three wins in the Big Ten Conference, and winning five of their seven home games. The goal of spring football is to make sure the program takes steps to keep things moving forward.
“The coaches want to make sure they can build on some
things,” Burns said. “They want to make sure the players who had difficulties
last year with certain aspects of their positions can get those things
corrected by understanding the cause and correcting their technique. As much as
they want to get the kids physically ready to go, it’s more about the mental
aspect as Minnesota will continue to install new things both on offense and
defense.”
He added, “Going into year three, they want to take things
up a notch.”
The big headliner for Gopher football fans to watch in spring football is definitely at the quarterback position.
“You had Mankato native Zach Annexstad win the job out of Gopher football fall camp and then gets injured during the season,” Burns said. “Tanner Morgan then comes in to finish the season. Tanner started seven games and Zach started six. Neither one of them really did enough to pull away from one another.
“You also have the two freshmen quarterbacks coming in, both of whom graduated high school early,” he added. “They’re already enrolled on campus and will be there for workouts, as well as spring ball, trying to compete for that starting quarterback job. Fleck has said the quarterback job is wide open, but I say that Annexstad likely has the inside track. However, they’re all underclassmen, all 18-20 years old, and they’ll all grow and develop at a different pace, so we’ll see what happens.”
You don’t have to be a farmer if you go to secondary education for an Agriculture Degree. American agriculture has been fighting that perception as long as anyone can remember. The Ag umbrella has more jobs underneath it than most people realize, and most of which have nothing to do with growing crops. Mahtomedi, Minnesota native Emma Persoon is the perfect example of how valuable and versatile an ag education can be.
“I’m a sophomore at Iowa State University and studying
Animal Science,” she said. “The Animal Science Degree falls under the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I’m there because I love working with
animals.
“I grew up showing rabbits around the country,” she
recalled. “I also showed a llama during my time in the 4H program, which is where
I really got my start in working with animals. As a sophomore in high school, I
got a job at a dog kennel in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. I really enjoyed that job as
well, so I knew I wanted to do something with animals for a living.”
Persoon wasn’t quite sure just what that would be at that
point. At the end of her senior year in high school, she’d chosen to attend
Iowa State University and major in Animal Science. At that time, she was
considering a career as a large-animal veterinarian. After working through her
freshman year and returning home for the summer, her career path took an
unexpected turn.
“I had returned to working at the dog kennel in Lake Elmo when my mom asked me an interesting question,” she said. “My mom said, ‘do you want to foster a dog for a service animal organization?’ My first reaction was ‘yeah, sign me up!’”
Emma teaching a new service dog-in-training all the tricks of the trade. She says “it takes a lot of patience.” (contributed photo)Emma teaching a new service dog-in-training all the tricks of the trade. She says “it takes a lot of patience.” (contributed photo)
Through peals of laughter, she said, “I think I was filling
out the online application before we’d finished the conversation.”
Just a week after filling out the paperwork and going
through volunteer orientation, her life would change as she got their first
puppy. He was just ten weeks old and it was up to Persoon to show him the
service-dog ropes.
“I’d already had public-access training through the
organization,” she recalled. “When we receive the dogs, they come with a vest
that says ‘Service Dog in Training’ on it. Even when they’re just 10 weeks old,
the organization wants you to take them out in public. The training teaches the
volunteers how to interact with people out in public, and how to interact with
store managers who might not be comfortable with the dog in there.”
While walking a dog might sound like fun, it’s important to remember the dog was still a puppy, and puppies can be a challenge. “He went to the bathroom in stores,” she said. “As I kept working with him through the summer, I asked the organization (who wishes to remain anonymous) if I could take him back to school with me. I’d only had him for six weeks, but they said no, they didn’t want him that far away, which I understood. Once I got back to school, I kept getting their emails, saying they really needed volunteers.”
She called them back a month later and told them she was
still willing to take a dog. Her apartment was on the second floor, so she didn’t
have front door access to potty train a young dog. Persoon requested one that
might be a little older. After emailing back and forth for a while, they sent
her a dog to work with while at school.
There’s more to an agriculture degree than just farming. Animal Science major Emma Persoon found her life calling in training service dogs.
“I’m what’s known as a puppy raiser in the program,” she
said. “Puppy raisers have the dog from the time they’re ten weeks old to when
the dogs go in for final training at 18 months. It’s a two-year long process
from start to finish training as a service dog.”
Persoon said giving up dogs after working with them for
weeks on end was tough. “Yeah, I cried even after just six weeks with the first
puppy I had. I cried all day.”
Training a service dog happens in two parts. Part of it is
what the public might think of as typical dog-obedience training. The other part
is training them to be in public as service dogs. They go out in public two or
three times a week to get them used to different situations.
“The dog I’m working with knows all the basic obedience commands,” she said. “He knows how to grab something off the floor and bring it to your hand. He also knows how to open and close cupboards
Emma spends a lot of time out in public teaching service dogs how to react when they’re “on the job.” It’s important for the public to know not to approach or talk to service dogs when they have their vest on. (Contributed photo)
“What we do is put a braided rope-type of a toy on the
handle of the cupboard,” she said. “Then, we teach the dog to pull it open.
That means you need to have some things set up in your house to do that type of
training. Once you get the setup in place, it’s actually not difficult to teach
them that skill.”
She said the service dogs that go into training are typically super-smart. That doesn’t mean you don’t need a ton of patience to do the job well. Persoon said her dog is very smart but gets frustrated very easily.
“The organization I work with has a breeding program,” she
said. “The Labrador retrievers are bred for their smarts, but they still do go
through adolescent phases where they get frustrated. I’ve brought my dog with
me to class and he doesn’t like having to sit still for 50 minutes at a
time.
“I try to take him for a half-hour walk before class to tire
him out a little,” Persoon said. “I also bring a mat for him to sleep on
because the floors are a little slippery. I try to set him up with the most
comfortable experience as possible. I even bring in a chew-toy for him.
“He’s a vocal dog, which makes it more of a challenge,” she
said. “I wish he was quieter so I could ignore him, but I can’t. He’s very
vocal and I can’t have him interrupting class. All my professors know they’re
going to have a service dog-in-training in their classroom. They’re obligated
to let them be there. However, if the dog becomes disruptive enough to
interfere with the teaching, then they are absolutely able to ask me to leave.
However, none of my professors have gotten to that point yet. I do get looks
occasionally but they try to be patient.”
“it takes a lot of patience,” says Emma. But it’s so rewarding when you realize this dog will be able to help someone function in society who might otherwise not be able to (Contributed photo)
Persoon said working with service dogs has given her a path she’d like to follow in her professional life. Again, she was considering a career as a large-animal veterinarian. However, the first service dog she worked with changed that path completely. Working with a dog for hours at a time on skills “relaxes” her.
“It’s really rewarding to see their brain work for me,” she
said with a smile visible through a phone call. I’m looking into different
internship opportunities with service dog organizations this summer. I would
love to go into service dog training, but I’m also considering canine nutrition
as well, which I’m interested in.
“That’s the most rewarding thing about service dog
training,” she added. “I’ve found my career path.”
She’s a living, breathing example of the fact that an
Agriculture degree doesn’t mean you have to be involved in production
agriculture.
“I know for a fact there are some people (including her
professors) that think choosing the service dog training as a career path isn’t
as valuable as working on a hog farm, a dairy farm, or any other large-animal
production fields.
“For me, it’s all about knowing that someone who normally
can’t go out in public on their own, can now be out in public because of the
dog I’m training,” Persoon added. “That to me is just as valuable as putting
food on the table is for someone else.”
The organization she works for trains five different types
of service dogs. They train mobility-assist dogs for people in wheelchairs or
on walkers; hearing assist dogs, which can alert someone on things like a smoke
alarm going off, if an oven bell dings, or the doorbell rings; diabetic alert
dogs for people with Type 1 Diabetes. If someone goes into a diabetic low, the
dog will alert to that; there are seizure-assist dogs, which lick the face of
their handler to help them come around, go get help if it’s needed, or actually
push a button to call 911; they also train dogs for autistic people.
Persoon is looking into a possible internship involving
service dog training for people with autism. It’s near-and-dear to her heart as
she has a brother with autism. “it’s amazing to think that we can train a dog
to help someone with autism just because there’s a wide range on the whole
autism spectrum.”
“We see dogs from the organization I work for out with their
people all the time, which is neat to see,” Persoon said. “We were in a mall
the other day and I had the dog with me. We were doing some training when a
woman approached me to talk about her autistic daughter’s service dog. The
woman said the dog helps her out so much. It’s neat when we have our service
dogs out in public and we meet people who’ve been doing well with the dogs our
organization trains.”
She wanted to let those in the public who don’t know that
it’s important to not approach service dogs when they’re in public and
working/training. The dogs are supposed to pretend that other people don’t
exist. Persoon said that’s one of the hardest lessons for the new puppies to
learn. It’s not surprising that people want to pet or talk to a dog in a place
where they don’t normally see one. Again, it’s important to leave the service
dogs alone when they’re wearing a vest.
“The dog I’ve got right now really recognizes the difference
between off-duty and working,” she said. “When the vest goes on, he’s really
good at ignoring people. Once in a while, he gets kind of excited when someone
talks to him, but for the most part, he’s all business. When his vest comes off
and we go for a walk, he’s like a typical dog.
“Any breed of dog can be service dogs,” she added, “but most of the training organizations use labs or golden retrievers. The dogs have to be intelligent but those two breeds in particular love working with and want to please their people.”
Voting. Why don’t we do it? I’ve got a question I’m still
looking for an answer to. Why don’t Americans seem to care about the future of
our country? We’d rather exchange recipes on social media than read “one more
damn political post.” I get that. I get tired of it too, especially as the
liberal left leans more and more toward socialism. But that’s just a symptom.
When did Americans stop caring about the future of their country?
Here’s something we can’t relate to. You likely didn’t hear much about it, but Pakistan had its first elections in decades back in July of last year. Elections turned violent during that time as an explosion at a polling place killed 31 would-be voters. About 50 percent of that country turned out for the first democratic election since 1947. They cared enough about the future of THEIR country enough to risk violence.
After researching this post and looking at these pictures from Pakistan and what voting cost some of them, I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t always been motivated enough to vote. (photo from mainichi.jp)
We likely won’t have to ever face that kind of a threat at
American polling locations. At least I hope not. The problem was summed up well
in an article
on the website enidnews.com. “The problem is “our grasp on representative
government is slowly slipping away for one reason: We simply don’t care enough
about our system of government to keep it.”
Remember the 2016 election when Trump ran against Hillary?
The media had us all up in arms about the importance of the election to the
future of our country? Only 55 percent of our eligible voters turned out to
vote “in the most important election of our time.” Seriously?
Just FYI: I didn’t vote for either of them. For the first
time in my life, I voted for a third-party candidate (Gary Johnson) that I knew
didn’t have a shot to win. He was still better than both candidates from the “established
parties.” The reason I did that? I did some research. Johnson was twice elected
governor as a Libertarian in Massachusetts, a MILITANTLY liberal Democratic-leaning
state. Not only was he elected twice, he left the office in better financial
shape than he found it. It’s called research.
How much research did it take for my state (Minnesota) to send someone like Ilhan Omar to the House of Representatives? You’ve likely heard the rumors that she married her brother and committed immigration fraud, right? I’m going to teach you a little something about journalism 101. If there’s enough smoke (stories out there that seem to tell the same story), then there’s likely some fire (truth to the accusations).
It’s really not that difficult to change the direction of America. High voter turnout and even a little candidate research could change everything. But we have to start caring about the country we’re leaving our kids first, don’t we? (photo from the Springfield News Sun)
For example, an article
on the Fox 9 TV website in the Twin Cities looked into what the Congresswoman
said in explaining the “miscommunication.” The TV station found some “discrepancies
between Omar’s stated husband and marriage certificates that are on file with
Hennepin County and the state.” How was she still elected? And why didn’t
anyone push the issue farther? There are enough questions here that should have
immediately disqualified her from even running.
What’s done is done, now.
She’s just one example of numerous people that likely have no business being in office. Don’t get me started on AOC out of New York. How many Republicans have spent DECADES in office? If we don’t hold our elected officials accountable with our voting, we deserve whatever happens to our country. And don’t kid yourselves, the extremist left in the Democratic party want to turn this country socialist as soon as possible. If you look at social media threads, you might be shocked at how many Americans don’t seem to have a problem with it. Its right here in their own words.
And don’t think I’m on an anti-Democrat kick. Amy Klobuchar and Collin Peterson are just two Democrats I’ve voted for in recent elections. I don’t agree with everything they say and do but there’s enough common sense that I have no problem voting for them. Hell, I was a registered Democrat when I became old enough to start voting. As I got older, I switched to Republican (White privilege kicking into effect?). After that, I’m an independent voter and will stay that way for life.
Just checking off a series of candidates under either “Republican” or “Democrat” just because that’s what you’ve always done is foolish. Have you noticed how much the parties have changed over the decades? Do you really believe either one “cares about the little guy?” They don’t. It’s Republicans and Democrats that have gotten us into the situation we find our country in. Divided. Rudderless. Broke (we are). Meantime, we just keep voting to send the same people to Washington, D.C., because they’re in the party we’ve always voted for?
The article on enidnews.com lays it out. We Americans are “pitifully
unprepared when we head to the polls, and that’s where the greatest threat to
our republic lies.” We’ve got little hand-held computers with us that link us
to the collective knowledge of the human race. “But, by and large, we use it to
chase click bait that affirms our preconceptions, leaving us collectively
ill-suited to guide our own nation.”
“We gorge ourselves on only those information sources that
confirm what we want to believe, because we don’t feel any incentive to put in
the work required to form independent, informed policy preferences. We pick a
team, we let it speak for us, and we only listen to reporting that echoes our
team.” For those that only vote “Republican” or “Democrat,” does that sound
familiar?
“it’s just another damn political post on some random dude’s
blog.” If that’s what you’re thinking, maybe you’re right. I don’t have all the
answers. But I’m not convinced that America is so far gone that it can’t come
back. Maybe keeping the phone lines open to our elected officials and
expressing opinions is a good start? Then, actually doing research every couple
years and making an informed choice? That’s an even better idea.
Grecian foxglove (Digitalis lanata) is a beautiful but toxic invasive plant. It was brought to North America from its native Europe as an ornamental plant. Grecian foxglove thrives in sunny to partially shaded areas and has been found in Washington County, Minnesota. All plant parts are toxic, alive or dried, necessitating careful handling with protective clothing and equipment. This is a threat to humans and other animals. Additionally, Grecian foxglove overtakes and unbalances the ecosystems it takes root in.Grecian foxglove is a perennial plant that forms a rosette then sends up a flowering stem its second and subsequent years. The flowering stems are 2-5 feet tall. Its leaves are oblong-shaped with pointed tips and are simple and alternately placed on the stem. Flower color ranges from white to faint yellow with brownish-purple venation inside. Some of the ways Grecian foxglove can be distinguished from its look alike, common or garden foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), is that Grecian Foxglove has woolly hairs located on the stems and sepals, green petals that surround and protect the flower bud, and garden foxglove’s flowers display a much wider color spectrum.
Grecian foxglove (Digitalis lanata) is a beautiful but toxic invasive plant. It was brought to North America from its native Europe as an ornamental plant. The noxious weed thrives in sunny to partially-shaded areas and has been found in Washington County, Minnesota. All plant parts are toxic, whether it’s alive and thriving or dead and dried out, which means you have to take precautions. Careful handling with protective clothing and equipment is vital to your safety. This is a threat to humans and animals. Additionally, the weed overtakes and unbalances the ecosystems it takes root in, squeezing out other non-invasive plants.
Grecian foxglove synthesizes toxic compounds that impact cardiovascular, neurological and gastrointestinal systems. The poison effects can come after either accidental ingestion or absorption through the skin. Poison symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, abdominal pain, strange dreams, arrhythmias, and changes in vision.
Grecian Foxglove is highly toxic, either through ingestion or it can be absorbed through the skin. (Contributed photo)
Please take this seriously. If you suspect foxglove poisoning, call Minnesota Poison Control System at 1-800-222-1222. Obviously, if someone needs immediate help, call 911 if immediate help is needed.
These toxic compounds can be deadly, but when extracted and used properly, they can also be used as a medicine. They can be highly beneficial in treating cardiac arrhythmia, a condition that causes the heart to beat irregularly.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), Washington Conservation District, along with the Conservation Corps of Minnesota (CCM), University of Minnesota-Extension, Belwin Conservancy, and private landowners and contractors are all working together to find and eliminate foxglove in Minnesota.
These groups and their efforts are supported by Environment and Natural Resources Trust Funds, as recommended by the Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources. Grecian foxglove is a prohibited and eradicate weed on the Minnesota Noxious Weed List. If you suspect that you have found Grecian Foxglove, please take pictures of the plant, note the exact location, and report to Arrest the Pest at arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us.
Sunken Cities. The name alone peaks the interest, doesn’t it? It was an interesting trip for a guy like me from a small town. Thought it would be a good idea if I got some culture. The wife bought tickets for the family to head to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to take in the Sunken Cities exhibit. If I understand it right (and I’ll post the official description in a bit), there were a couple big cities right on the northern coast of Egypt. They were huge ports of trade that suddenly seemed to disappear from existence. As near as the experts can figure, rising sea levels combined with seismic activity led to their downfall. Here’s the official history behind the exhibit.
It still blows my mind that major cities, even way back then, could just up and disappear. They were literally Sunken Cities.
Imagine being a scuba diver in the Mediterranean Sea and coming across some of these amazing artifacts. In fact, of all the items on display, the museum figures it’s only about 10 percent of what’s buried down there at the bottom of the sea. There’s much more work than someone can accomplish in one lifetime. Here’s the official description from the MIA website.
Gotta admit, this one creeped me out a little.. “the eyes say ‘Helter Skelter,’ don’t they? ((Photo by Chad Smith
A Pharaoh’s head sculpture found at the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Sunken Cities exhibit. (Photo by Chad Smith
“More than 1200 years ago, two ancient cities were lost to natural disasters and the rising tides of the Mediterranean Sea. Two decades ago, underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team discovered those Sunken Cties, revealing monumental statues, religious images carved in stone, exquisite jewelry, and delicate ceramics—and a greater understanding of life during the age of the pharaohs. Don’t miss this epic story of their discovery.”
By the way, if this is something you’re interested in, admission to the museum is free but you do need to buy tickets.
This is a wash basin built out of pink granite. Absolutely beautiful to behold. (Photo by Chad Smith)
Again, the ancient Egyptians were amazing craftsmen, weren’t they?
Here’s a link to my photo album I put up on my Facebook page:
There’s a new sport coming this month to Rushford-Peterson school and it doesn’t involve any kind of ball, hockey puck, or brand-new bat. It’s called competitive robotics and it’s a real thing. The new sport is coming to Rushford-Peterson school for the first time, thanks to second-year science teacher Mike Mulholland.
Students in competitive robotics work during the season as a team to build a robot. The kids are assigned a “task” for the robot to do, such as shoot a basketball. The robot that performs the task the best wins the competition. (photo from NPR.org)
Minnesota saw its first two high school competitive robotics teams compete back in 2006. That number has grown rapidly in recent years. The competitive robotics competition involves teams building robots to complete specific tasks that are different every year. Past tasks including building a robot to do everything from shoot a basketball to throwing a frisbee. All teams work on the same assigned task during their season.
“We’re going to get started on Saturday, Jan 5,” he said.
“We pick up the building kits and get the information on what game they’re
doing this year. We get a new game (objective) every year. The overall theme
for this year is ‘Space Exploration.’ The competition is set up with rules,
ways to score points, and we have to design a robot that will be best able to
score points and win the match.
“This year’s competition is called ‘Deep Space,’” he said. “Teams
will be competing in groups of two alliances of three to apply security hatches
and fill cargo bays to both rockets and a cargo ship before time runs out.
There is a beginning section of 15 seconds that requires teams to control their
robot by either automation or onboard camera. After the first section, teams
freely control their robots for 2 minutes, 15 seconds. After time runs out,
points will be counted and the team with the highest score wins that round.”
He said it’s hard to describe what the robot will look like.
The finished product typically has four wheels, as well as different mechanisms
that can grab on to or lift something, helping it to perform a specific task.
“Each competitive robotics competition usually has six teams that are going at the same time,” he said. “There are three robots on each side, one is ours and the other two from the team we partner with. They’ll switch up teams for each match, so our partners in one match could be opponents in a future one, and vice versa.”
“We’ll find out what it’s like when we go to a local competition over in La Crosse (Wisconsin), in April” he added. “We’ll be competing with a number of other schools coming in from all over the region. There’s also a Minnesota state tournament coming up, too. It’s run by the Minnesota State High School League.”
Here’s a fantastic example of what a robotics competition looks like:
The one big challenge to robotics participation is the cost. Equipment kits can run several thousands of dollars. Many schools around the state rely on sponsors to help defray the cost. Mulholland said the R-P Competitive Robotics Club would love to have some area sponsors of their own to make it easier to participate in what’s been a growing sport around the state as well as across the nation.
“Because of the cost of the kits, there are a number of
opportunities for sponsorships by different organizations,” Mulholland said.
“We actually have a couple of sponsorships already. We also got a $ 6000 grant
from NASA to help pay for the fee from First Robotics (the organization behind
the robotics league). We also have some other organizations that have pledged
support and financial aid.”
The kits that they pick up before the season contain the
same basic parts. They can buy or build additional parts, but that’s where
sponsorships come in to help defray some of the extra cost.
Mulholland is excited for the first season of robotics
competition. Both students and administration officials wanted to get this
program off the ground. He’s already had several meetings with interested
students to get the robotics program organized. Mulholland says there are
between 12 and 15 kids between seventh and twelfth grades that seem to be
serious about the activity.
“I was student-teaching at Southland, and they had a
robotics program,” he said. “However, It was a different program than the one
we’re involved in at Rushford-Peterson. I helped out with that a little and
that’s where I got interested. It’s my first kind of go-around with a program
like this, so I’ll be learning right there with the kids.”
The Seven Rivers Regional Robotics Competition is April 4 through April 7, in La Crosse.
Here’s a neat video that the Edina, Minnesota high school robotics teams put together last year talking about the impact that robotics can make at the high school level.
The link above will show you which Minnesota FSA offices are open.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers who are experience difficulties because of the government shutdown to remember that MDA can help. While the USDA did announce today that Farm Service Agency (FSA) Offices will temporarily reopen January 17, 18, and 22, some farmers may still need to get additional resources heading into the spring planting season.
“I’m pleased that the FSA offices will reopen for a few days to help farmers get their existing loans processed,” said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “FSA is an important federal partner and provides critical services to farmers. My understanding is that the FSA staff will be available to assist farmers with existing farm loans.”
Petersen encourages Minnesota farmers to contact their local FSA office immediately during this temporary reopening. He also reminds farmers who may be in need of financial assistance or other resources to remember these programs run by the MDA.:
Rural Finance Authority low interest loan programs. Contact Ryan Roles at 651-201-6666, or visit www.mda.state.mn.us/agfinance
Farm Advocate Program for farmers needing one-on-one financial advice or other assistance. Contact Matt McDevitt at 651-201-6311, or visit www.mda.state.mn.us/farmadvocates.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is encouraging residents who purchased wreathes, swags, boughs, and other evergreen decorations at several retailers to burn items, or bag and throw away items to stop the spread of the invasive insect elongate hemlock scale (EHS).
EHS is native to Asia. It feeds on nutrients found on the underside of conifer needles.
Earlier this week the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection issued a similar warning after finding EHS in greenery at several retail chains. The MDA then began inspecting similar retailers across Minnesota, looking for the insect in any leftover greenery. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture found the insect in displays at Menards and Home Depot locations. Both companies are cooperating with MDA investigators and are pulling what’s left of the displays off the shelves.
The bigger challenge for inspectors is the evergreen items came all the way from North Carolina. It’s more than possible that the items were sold at other locations as well.
Minnesotans who bought wreathes, swags, boughs, and other evergreen decorations at Home Depot or Menards should burn the items, or bag them and dispose of them in the trash once the items are no longer useful for decoration. Do not compost the items.
Here is the insect itself and the damage it leaves behind. (Photo courtesy of OSU Extension)
“Unless you know you purchased evergreen products from a locally grown source, residents should err on the side of caution and burn, or bag and throw away your evergreen items,” said Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Whitney Place. “This will help us ensure this invasive insect does not get a foothold in Minnesota.”
Elongate hemlock scale has been found in the eastern U.S., Michigan, and Nevada. It had previously not been found in Minnesota.
