Connecting across borders over cold-hardy honeyberries
Haskap (Lonicera caerulea), also called honeyberries, are a delicious and nutritious early-season hardy fruit that can sell for up to $9 per pound.
Extension systems in Minnesota and Wisconsin work together on topics of mutual interest, such as cold-hardy plants, as well as with other states and, in this case, Canada.
One hundred honeyberry enthusiasts came to Haskap Minnesota, George Terwey’s honeyberry farm near Stillwater, to explore the grounds and hear from presenters such as University of Saskatchewan plant breeder Bob Bors, as well as Annalisa Hultberg, a University of Minnesota Extension educator who shared Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for food safety during growing and harvest.
Madeline Wimmer, University of Minnesota Extension fruit educator (pictured left with Terwey and Josie Dillian( her Wisconsin counterpart in fruit education) said Minnesota and Wisconsin complement one another. Terwey said he was excited to open his farm to others: “I especially hope that emerging and immigrant farmers will take an interest,” he said.
Highlights
- Master Gardener volunteers in Washington County created a beginner’s guide to growing fruits and vegetables, including everything from apples to zucchini. The guide provides education on preparing the garden site, testing the soil, composting and crop rotation — plus recipes that use garden produce.
- RSDP impact: With support from a CERTs Seed Grant, Dream of Wild Health in Hugo will work with Solar Bear on a ground-mounted solar installation to power their new greenhouse. It also will serve as a demonstration project for farm visitors.
- 4-H’ers pledged their hands to larger service, volunteering to help with quail and pheasant game bird habitat restoration in Washington County.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Springborn family (2026)
- Master Naturalist volunteers participated in National Public Lands Day at the Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center in Lake Elmo and with the city forester in Stillwater. This annual event of the National Environmental Education Foundation promotes enjoyment and volunteer conservation of public lands.
- SuperShelf: Valley Outreach (Stillwater)
- The Climate Adaptation Partnership is developing new resources on future groundwater and soil moisture conditions for Washington County based on long-term precipitation changes. This information will allow communities to weigh issues like proposed data centers and future drinking water availability using the best available science.
Washington County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Washington 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.