WILLMAR—Ziegler CAT opened its new facility in Willmar on July 20, according to a Ziegler CAT news release.
Located at 4600 Highway 71 S., the two-story facility features a retail showroom, a 25,000-square-foot shop, warehouses, offices, and a 7,800-square-foot cold-storage building. The shops include two bridge cranes, lube systems, a hose bench, and a wash bay. An on-site Cat solar array will provide clean, cost-effective, renewable electricity to the new facility.
Read more at West Central Tribune
WILLMAR—Ridgewater College and agriculture partners received a $584,000 National Science Foundation grant to address a need for more agriculture technicians.
The grant will fund the program Technical Applications in Agriculture which will educate and qualify high school students as agriculture technicians.
“We have the second longest running precision agriculture program in the country, along with our newly created Agriculture Power and Equipment Technician program, so this partnership is a natural
WILLMAR— With the potential for high per-acre profits there’s increasing interest in growing industrial hemp on west central Minnesota farms.
But with limited processing options available, an untested market chain and federal law that still classifies industrial hemp as a controlled substance, there are a few roadblocks yet to overcome.
That’s why a feasibility study that could detail the financial risks and gains of growing, processing and marketing industrial hemp is expected to be
WILLMAR—In an effort to diversify their farming operation, the Hultgren family planted 40 acres of organic industrial hemp this year on their land in northern Kandiyohi County.
After making adjustments on the combine to prevent the rope-like stems from wrapping around the equipment, the hemp seeds were harvested and cleaned in September.
“I thought it went OK,” said Noah Hultgren, who farms with his brother, Nate, and parents Duane and Nancy Hultgren.
With a history of planting corn,
This two-part workshop brought to you by the EDC’s Ag and Renewable Energy Development Committee to help our progressive farm managers grow smarter and stronger. This workshop features two dynamic sessions on talent and technology.
SCHEDULE:
7:30 – 9:30AM | Attracting, retaining and managing your ag labor workforce. Plus, the latest changes to the employment regulatory environment.
Speakers | Mike Henke, Mike Henke Inc. and Kristie Haefner, Firm Administrator & Lead HR Consultant
WILLMAR—When he looks at the herd of 100 Angus cows and their frisky spring calves grazing in a pasture of belly-high grass, Cullen Fischer still can’t believe his lifelong dream of raising cattle is coming true.
“It’s kind of a pinch-me thing,” said the 31-year-old from Lake Lillian about his good fortune of taking over ownership of the well-established cow-calf operation from a retired farmer he met just a few years ago—a man who will continue to be his mentor.
“I
RAYMOND—If you’re craving a fresh yak steak and can’t make the trip to the Everest Steak House Restaurant in Kathmandu, Nepal, take a short ride over to Raymond.
That’s where you’ll find the Hot Disch Farm, home to Shawn and Craig Dischinger and their assistants, sons Jack, age 5, and Peter, age 3. They’ll happily sell you ground yak, or yak roasts, steaks, brats and sticks.
Their yaks thrive on the lush grasses of the Minnesota prairie, where the harshest of winter
NEW LONDON — With plates heaped high with at least five varieties of lettuce picked that morning at an aeroponics farm a couple miles away, restaurant owners and volunteers working to bring a food cooperative to New London were clearly enjoying their salads.
They were also talking with the farm’s owners about getting the fresh greens on the menu and on the shelves.
“Absolutely,” said Leah Michaelis, owner of Lake Affect Coffee in New London, when asked if she would consider
NEW LONDON—What had been a large, empty pole barn on a farm in rural New London last year is now becoming a climate-controlled maze of computer-operated, high-powered lights and a water misting system housed on a dozen massive stainless steel frames.
By early spring, the building will be filled with lush, fresh lettuce and other leafy greens.
Grown without soil, pesticides or herbicides, the greens will taste “like a treat,” said Kevin Ortenblad, who along with his wife, Julie, and
WILLMAR—After being in the works for several years, a local angel fund now has nearly $1.4 million ready to invest in private companies that have the potential for profitable growth.
Based in Willmar, the West Central Angel Fund I LLC officially began accepting applications this fall from “early to middle stage” private business ventures that need a minimum of $100,000 in investment capital.
“Access to capital is critical to economic strength in a community,” said Connie
