EMERGING ISSUES | AVIAN INFLUENZA | EVENTS | CONTACT

Calm handlers = Calm cows

The 2019 Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association was held April 16 and 17 in St. Cloud and Rochester, Minnesota respectively. Jeff Bender, co director of the UMASH center was one of the event speakers and he focused his talk on calm, thoughtful working with cattle. Low stress or positive animal handling is a key initiative of UMASH. Calm handlers equal …

Farm Safety Check: Safe Digging

Preparation is the first step on any project. Before starting a new digging project on the farm, call 811 before you dig. Hitting a buried utility is dangerous and expensive, and it’s the law to call 811 before you dig. Remember: small or big, call then dig. …

SPOTLIGHT: Safe Farm Excavation

Excavation on the farm can be dangerous work. Hitting or damaging an underground gas or electric line can lead to potentially fatal results along with loss of property such as equipment and buildings. This spotlight features Gopher State One Call, Minnesota’s one call excavation notification center, and highlights what can be done to ensure safe agricultural excavation practices. …

Reaching Women Farmers – Close to Home

Compeer Financial kicked off spring with four Women’s Financial Seminars throughout Minnesota. These seminars provided female farmers an opportunity to network with other local women in agriculture and to learn more about the business side of farming, marketing and leadership. The cities of Mankato, Rochester, Worthington and St. Cloud hosted the seminars which allowed participants to attend on a regional basis. …

SPOTLIGHT: Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

UMASH, Minnesota 4-H, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) joined together to produce two new videos for 4-H clubs on the topics of biosecurity and food safety when exhibiting and working at county fairs. …

Double Up for Dairy

UMASH and the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health & Safety (HICAHS) doubled up to provide safety and health information to dairy farmers, families and workers at the Central Plains Dairy Expo, March 27 - 28 , 2019 in Sioux Falls, SD. …

Compeer Financial County Fair Facility Upgrade Grant Program


The mission of the County Fair Facility Upgrade Grant Program is to support rural areas in Compeer Financial’s territory by funding county fair organizations as they repair fairground livestock buildings, 4-H buildings or livestock judging arenas.

County fairs enhance rural communities by bringing people of all ages together to learn and experience agriculture. This grant program is designed to help fund upgrades and repairs of fairgrounds and facilities so fairs can continue to offer the best possible experience year after year.

Funding of up to $3,000 per fair is available.  Eligibility is determined by fairground – must be a county fair organization located within the Compeer Financial territory in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

Application deadline is March 31, 2019.

read more

HICAHS Community-Initiated Small Grants Program

The High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (HICAHS) is one of ten national Agricultural Safety and Health Centers sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Grant money is available to community-based organizations for the development of programs that
promotes health and safety in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. All projects that address issues related to the type of agricultural and forestry in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming will be considered. Projects that align to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) for Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing will be given a higher priority.

A maximum of $12,000 can be granted per application and these funds must be spent by August 14,
2019.

Application deadline is April 11, 2019.

read more