Extension news and highlights

New research from the University of Minnesota shows that a fall potassium application has no effect on alfalfa's winter hardiness.

A new 4-H volunteer impact study shows the personal, organizational and community benefits of being a 4-H volunteer. Nearly 12,000 trained, caring adults volunteer to work with 69,000 4-H youth in Minnesota.

Did you know you can visit Extension’s website to find out what’s going on in your region of Minnesota? You can also find online courses; that way, it doesn’t matter where you live.

Fall and spring are good times to plant trees, providing you water and care for them as needed. Gary Johnson, University of Minnesota Extension urban forester give recommendations on which ones to plant.

Teenagers in 4-H enjoy all that Minnesota nature has to offer, even in the coldest of times.

Master Naturalists make a difference by volunteering for nonprofits, state agencies, nature centers and University research programs. One project they are working on is researching native mussels.

In April, Dean Bev Durgan formed the Extension Rural Stress Task Force to work with Greater Minnesota to address challenges faced by farmers and their communities.

In a tough year for crops, Minnesota farmers are turning to cover crops with the help of Extension educators.

CJ Holl of Wells, Minn., makes award-winning smoked nuts that he sells online and in stores throughout southern Minnesota. He’s also a city administrator there, and has worked with University of Minnesota Extension to help keep all businesses strong.

“We want the focus to be on the 235,000 people buried here and their families,” says Trevor Blake, assistant gardener at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Blake took the Master Gardener core course taught by U of M Extension in order to better understand challenges facing the 436-acre resting place for U.S. military veterans.