Safety with emerging tech a core focus for pesticide applicators
Using a drone for pesticide application is a hot topic for agricultural applicators. Participants at the Pesticide Safety and Environmental Education program’s 2025 Lamberton recertification Field Day with Sally Raymond, Extension educator, learned about the specifics of this emerging technology.
The session covered the essentials, from the pros and cons of drone spraying versus conventional ground equipment, to how this technology excels in specific jobs, such as treating field edges or managing weeds in pastures.
Safety was a core focus, covering practices like reloading. The field day provided critical, hands-on education to protect crops and the environment, including sessions on optimizing nozzle selection to minimize drift, evaluating misapplication in demonstration plots and reviewing proper rinsing and disposal of pesticide storage containers.
Highlights
- Extension’s agricultural business management team conducts an Ag Marketing Group in Wanda.
- FarmFest is an annual tradition in Morgan, and Extension specialists and educators answer questions in the U of M booth and participate in panel discussions, all in a fair-like community environment. The U of M Farm Family event is a highlight, showcasing specific farm families from across the state.
- Extension’s winter Research Updates for Ag Professionals in Lamberton include talks from Extension specialists and other researchers.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Petersen family farm focuses on corn and soybeans, covering 2,750 acres of owned and rented land. They also keep a small hobby herd of 10 Hereford beef cows.
- The Empowering Small Minnesota Communities initiative provides tools, guidance and partnerships to support Redwood County.
- Redwood County 4-H’ers participated in the Growing Minds, Growing Skills Academy series, which helps youth learn how to be ready and equipped to stay home alone.
- Extension provides financial capability education for participants in the judicial district’s treatment courts, including adult and juvenile drug courts, and courts for mental health, veterans, family dependency and DWI/DUI.
- The Climate Adaptation Partnership is helping characterize future flood and drought extremes in the Cottonwood River watershed, equipping natural resource managers, farmers and communities with education and resources to inform resilience strategies.
Redwood County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Redwood County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.