Farm, Garden & Outdoors calendar published July 24, 2021

West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·3 min read

Jul. 25—Gardening

Dykstras: Bill and Helene Dykstra will have their garden open from noon until dark daily until frost. Freewill donations for Guatemala will be accepted. Take Kandiyohi County Road 5 south of Roseland for one mile, go east on 210th Avenue and turn south on 37th Street.

Horticulture Night: July 29, 4 to 8 p.m. display garden, University of Minnesota's West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 State Hwy. 329 in Morris. Planning for a safe 2021 in-person event that follows COVID-19 safety protocols all while taking in the beauty of the Horticulture Display Garden. Social distancing and facemasks required for those who are not fully vaccinated. Registration will be required upon admittance.

Presentations and demonstrations will be spread out throughout the garden, allowing participants to freely go from one station to another. There will be no set start and end time for these demonstrations. This allows for social distancing. We encourage participants to ask questions at the stations that are of interest to them, while going through the various stations at their own comfort level.

Stations include herb gardening, tomatoes, 50 years of annual flowers, rain gardens, orchids, landscape design and protecting pollinators with integrated pest management.

All tours will be self-guided to avoid crowding together. Maps and brochures will be available to guide you.

Bring your own seating (i.e. camping chair) since there will be no bleachers. There will be no tents (again, to avoid crowding together) so bring your own umbrella or shade if you desire.

Other activities include a self-guided annual flower tour, food and vendor booths, cow milking demonstration and cheese sampling from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and West Central Research and Outreach Center farm animals will be available for an up-close look at what they eat, how they grow and what they produce for us.

Check the website wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/events/hort-night for updates, especially prior to coming to the event.

Outdoors

Sibley State Park: A vehicle permit is required to enter the park and is available online. Sibley State Park is west of New London just off U.S. Highway 71. Construction projects include renovation of the amphitheater near the Interpretive Center and a new trail connecting Sibley State Park to the Glacial Lakes State Trail, which requires closing of the Mt. Tom Trail this summer. The beach store is open. For more information, visit the state Department of Natural Resources website at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center: Trails at the rural Spicer center may be used during daylight hours at no cost. A bathroom with composting toilets is open by the pavilion. Pets should be on a leash. All equipment rentals (fat-tire bikes, kayaks, canoes) will be handled on a reservation basis, made at least 24 hours in advance. To reserve equipment for the weekend, please call by noon Friday.

Special events this summer include:

* Sound Scape: Aug. 7, art Installation by James Everest, jgeverest.com

Farming

Partners in Ag Innovation Conference: July 29, MinnWest Technology Campus, free for ag producers and agribusiness professionals. The MinnWest Technology Campus and the Kandiyohi County & City of Willmar Economic Development Commission are joining forces to co-host the conference.. The theme is "From Survive to Thrive." See partnersinag.com for more.

Organic Dairy Day: Aug. 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 State Hwy. 329 in Morris. Take a pasture walk with us as we explore raising calves with cows in pasture, summer forages and dehorning options for calves. For more information, contact Brad Heins via email at hein0106@umn.edu.

Manure Composting Workshop: Aug. 11, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., free, West Central Research and Outreach Center, 46352 State Hwy. 329 in Morris. Learn about manure composting through educational sessions, demonstrations, hands-on activities and discussions with an expert panel. Topics include site selection, composting process, turning and temperature, understanding analysis, economics, regulations, land application. For more information, contact Chryseis Modderman via email at cmodderm@umn.edu.