Eric and Carla Zirbes Family, 2024 Farm Family of the Year
New in 2024: Double the fun! Two themes are offered in different communities throughout Stearns County! Sign up for one or both, and dive into fun with Stearns County 4-H.
![youth sitting at tables playing a quiz bowl game](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/projectbowl.jpg?h=7268ad62&itok=LagHuvLY)
Join a 4-H project bowl team in Stearns County. Team will start practicing soon.
![three Somali men meet with a farmer](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/somali-community-members-visit-camel-farm.jpg?h=09e0c0a5&itok=q4CAzmoX)
Can camels be raised as dairy in Minnesota? An innovative collaboration between Extension and Somali community members in Stearns County is exploring the possibilities.
![Person pouring water into a testing machine.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Testing%20Water.jpg?h=2019dc2d&itok=Y4dPuNS4)
There are an estimated 980,000 privately owned wells in Minnesota. A new community-based approach to well water testing is gaining momentum, working to keep well-sourced drinking water safe for Minnesotans.
![Sign outside of a University of Minnesota building that says Soil Testing](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/soil-lab-sign-umn.jpg?h=2cb0256d&itok=WJ1SzNgK)
Just as in agricultural settings, understanding the fertility of the soils in your woodland is important for selecting, planting, and growing trees that will be healthy in the long term.
![A drought-stressed maple tree has leaves browning from the tips toward the center of the leaf.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Drought%20stressed%20maple%20tree%20-%20Robert%20L.%20Anderson%2C%20USDA%20Forest%20Service%2C%20Bugwood.org_.jpg?h=5a43c567&itok=yM0kJz2W)
This is the third consecutive year of drought across much of the state, and successive years of drought can compound stress on trees. There are steps you can take to reduce drought stress on your woods.
![A rich, deep green forest with a closed canopy and lush understory plants](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Northern%20hardwood%20forest%20stand.png?h=6f9f2036&itok=IBId3-hQ)
Extension foresters provide recommended tree and plant lists for east-central Minnesota.
![Dairy scientist and dairy farmer stand side by side in front of Holstein cows, smiling and gesturing](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Marcia-Endres-Lisa-Groetsch.jpg?h=b2c4ced5&itok=p27qxTZF)
Discussions aid understanding of high-tech dairy systems, cow health, and the farm’s bottom line.
![illustration of graduate with diploma and 4-H clover](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/4-h-grad3.jpg?h=9da29a38&itok=Nfby_sCu)
Congratulations to the 15 4-H youth and alumni across Minnesota who stood out among approximately 97 applications.