- Hello and welcome to "Farm Connections."

I'm your host, Dan Hoffman.

On today's episode we attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Farmamerica's refreshed Visitor's Center and Ag All Around You Learning Center with executive director Jessica Rollins.

We talked to program director Jenny Delnay, about the center's importance and the University of Minnesota Extension provides us with new best practices all here today on "Farm Connections."

(upbeat banjo music) - [Announcer] Welcome to, "Farm Connections," with your host, Dan Hoffman.

- [Announcer 2] "Farm Connections" made possible in part by.

- [Announcer] Minnesota Corn Growers Association, working to identify and promote opportunities for corn growers, enhanced quality of life, and help others understand the value and importance of corn production to America's economy.

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EDPR Wind Farms, and Solar Parks, provide income to farmers and help power rural economies across the continent.

- [Announcer 3] Northern Country Coop, a full-service cooperative in grain, agronomy, feed and lumber.

For the latest news, job openings, and podcasts, you can go to their website, NCountryCoop.com.

- [Announcer 2] R&S Grain Systems, a family-owned business serving its customers for 50 years with leading designs in the manufacturing of grain-handling equipment and grain storage systems.

You can call them for a quote today.

- Welcome to "Farm Connections."

We traveled to Waseca, Minnesota to Farmamerica, the interpretive center for Minnesota's Agriculture and with us is the executive director Jessica Rollins.

- Hi Dan.

- Well hello, and something exciting is happening here, tell us about it.

- So many exciting things are happening here at Farmamerica today.

So, we launched some new exhibits.

We had a a private grand opening, ribbon-cutting celebration, to recognize all of the donors who have helped us get to where we are.

We have some educational hands-on experiences about today's agriculture that we are celebrating today.

- Well, we can tell you're excited and in the speech before you cut the ribbon, you gave recognition to a lot of people.

How does that impact Farmamerica?

- We could not do any of this without donors.

We are a non-profit organization that tells the story of agriculture through hands-on experiences, and partnerships, and community engagement, and part of that is donor support.

So when we receive financial support from places like Minnesota Corn Growers, and Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, we take it very seriously and we are very humbled to receive that support because this space would not happen without those farmers and donors supporting us in the background.

- Well said.

What is the mission of Farmamerica?

- Ah, Farmamerica's mission is to connect Minnesotans to the evolving story of agriculture through hands-on educational experiences, partnerships, and community engagement and then through that mission our vision is to really have Minnesotans, and consumers, understand that agriculture is part of the solution to some of the challenges that we're facing in today's environment.

- Well, behind us is a very nice exhibit, how did it come to be?

- Oh my goodness, it has been years in the making.

So I started at Farmamerica as the executive director in 2016 and the Farmamerica board of directors knew they wanted to be including the story of today's agriculture in some way because we do a really good job talking about the history of agriculture, but what better way to understand and respect the history than to also be showing how far we've come today and help people realize the relevance of agriculture in our lives personally.

So the board tasked us with this project and here we are from 2016.

We started planning in 2017, we received our first donations in 2019, and here it is finally in 3D real life (chuckling).

- Well after the ribbon cutting we saw a lot of people take tram rides out to another site, what was happening there?

- Yes, yeah.

So we have the Ag Around You Discovery Center here in the Visitors Center at Farmamerica, but we also did some updates to our historic feed mill and Crystal Valley donated and, to have the naming rights, so we now have a Crystal Valley classroom.

Prior to that we had kind of a makeshift classroom space that we would use when we had field trip groups come out and when we had fun special events for the public, but now we really have a space that celebrates, again, the history and today, helping people make that connection from how far we've come with technology, and innovation, between animal husbandry, and animal science, and animal nutrition.

So that classroom space is a classroom, functioning, but it's also a neat educational space as the walls have different exhibits on them for folks to engage with.

- I noticed inside the feed mill a sign for Alltech, and Hubbard, any other donors you wish to call out?

- Yeah, that has been a really fun partnership to work with them since they are local just in Mankato and they're right there in the business of animal nutrition, so they were one of the donors and then we also received a generous donation from Roy Johnson, who works with Cargill, and his heart is also in that same animal nutrition space and he used to be a board member at Farmamerica, so it's really fun to have those exhibits sponsored by Roy Johnson from Cargill, and Alltech, and Hubbard Feeds.

- And you referenced the wood floor and it looks worn like it's authentic, like people have actually used it to move feed carts across, why is that important in the new use of the feed mill?

- I think, again, it helps people respect and connect that history of agriculture to where we are today.

So, it really was a feed mill that was right here in Waseca and then when they didn't need it anymore they moved it out to Farmamerica and with a rustic floor, and we left it authentic, that means we can do some really fun hands-on activities with youth and adults and not feel bad about getting the floor messy.

So we can do soil science experiments, we can do strawberry DNA extraction, and it's like, oh you spilled, that's okay, we can just sweep it up, we don't have to worry about trying to spot-spray all the stains, so it really gives us a good hands-on educational place to be.

- Why is that important today, especially when we have kids using the phone so much?

- There can sometimes be a disconnect between, oh this is hands-on, it's my tablet, and really getting in, down and dirty, literally, into the soil and feeling the life of the soil and there's something that helps ground us and connect us when we can be in a space and using our hands and our brains and be with our friends and experience nature and agriculture, not just in a video, but really touching it and smelling it and using all your senses to experience it and that's something we'll be able to do in that classroom.

- Well you also referenced a young person that had came out here and you talked about careers, you talked about agriculture being, more than just the production side, and he just lit up and said he wanted to go into a field of metal energy, right?

- Yes, because of the capital campaign we're launching new educational programs for different age groups that we haven't reached before and one of those was our, Jobs, Food & You, four-day job shadowing program, and we did have a student go through that program, not really sure what his direction was in life and then he did a tour of the environmental tillage systems in Faribault and talked to a guy who had been welding for years and all of a sudden it was just like this moment that he had this clarity of where he could fit in the world after high school and that's because we helped him.

- How fantastic, and what a great return on investment for the Capital Investment Program.

- It is, it is really fun to see those quick results already because we know we're making a difference in people's lives.

- Well in case someone wants to go to the website, or learn how to donate, or fund programs here, have you got a website you can mention?

- Yeah, farmamerica.org, super simple, farmamerica.org, is where you're gonna be able to find lots of information about tours, self-guided tours, guided tours, what fun events we're doing, opportunities to donate, or to volunteer, or become a season passholder because some of the stuff we do is seasonal so it really is based on the weather and outside, but now that we have this Ag Around You Discovery Center we're able to be open year round and offer opportunities both exploring this space, but then fun programs around that, so definitely check out farmamerica.org.

We try to be on Facebook and Instagram as well with Farmamerica so you'll find us, wherever you look online, we're there.

- In fact this morning I got a Facebook message from the program director Jenny, and also was on your website looking at the pumpkin patch experience, what's happening there?

- Yeah, today we have this pumpkin party going on.

Last year it was our biggest event, we had over 700 people attend, and this year we had about 400 register in advance and we usually get lots of folks walking up the day of just deciding the weather looks good let's go do something with our family.

So this pumpkin party event lifts up and celebrates all things fall.

So we have our corn maze, you can get a free pumpkin with admission and decorate it here, which is kinda nice, you can leave like all the gooey stuff here for us to clean up and not have to have that in your house.

And there's tram rides, so there's wagon rides going around our historic sites, and then everybody who experiences today, the regular pumpkin party that they've been to before, is gonna feel new this year because of our new Ag Around You Discovery Center and the new exhibits we have in place.

- Fantastic, and Jessica, you are authentic.

You grew up on a farm in Southeast Minnesota, you married into a farm family in Waseca County.

- Yep.

- And here you are.

- Yep.

- Farmamerica executive director.

- I did and I'll tell ya I had no idea that that's where I would end up because I got a degree in psychology and then it was, there wasn't an opportunity for me to really connect with the career choices in agriculture, when I was a youth, which is why it is so rewarding to be able, at Farmamerica, to offer some of those educational experiences for youth to see what agriculture is about, that it's not just a farmer, 'cause I didn't think I'd fit in agriculture until I went to college and did a farm stay in Australia and visiting with that farmer and his wife made me realize I need to be doing agriculture communications, so here I am (chuckling).

- And doing a great job.

Thank you for the work you do.

- You're welcome, it's an honor to be working and representing farmers.

- So, Jessica, certainly you've given some time in thinking about the future, what's the vision for Farmamerica going forward?

- The vision for Farmamerica going forward is to continue that historic piece that we have because it's a unique opportunity for folks to make that transition from the prairie to the 1850s farm site that we have, to the country schoolhouse and the 1930s farm site, and the feed mill and blacksmith, this is a one-stop shop where you can get all of that history, that whole timeline in a one-mile walking path, and then to be able to add on the story of today's agriculture here in the Visitors Center is really important.

So, we keep that vision strong and keep moving forward, but we know what we're showing in the Ag Around You Discovery Center isn't enough, we know there's more.

We know we can be telling the story of today's agriculture, and the future of agriculture, in even bigger ways.

So as the board, and the staff, and the volunteers, explore what that looks like we'll keep everybody informed because this isn't the end, this is just the beginning and we are, we are moving forward to even neater, cooler things, like this is cool, this is so cool, and wrap your head around something even cooler than this, that's where we're headed because agriculture is constantly changing and we wanna be able to share that story with folks to understand it as well.

- Jessica, thanks so much for joining us today.

- Yeah, it was a pleasure to have you in our space, Dan.

- Stay tuned for more on "Farm Connections" coming from Farmamerica in Waseca, Minnesota.

- [Announcer] "Farm Connections," best practices brought to you by.

(upbeat Western music) - Hi, this is Vasudha Sharma, I'm the Irrigation Extension Specialist at the University of Minnesota, and today I'm going to tell you a couple of best irrigation management practices starting with, irrigation scheduling.

So what is irrigation scheduling?

Irrigation scheduling is applying right amount of water at right time and at right location and there are a couple of methods of doing that.

One is using soil moisture sensors.

So soil moisture sensors tells you how much water is available in the soil at particular time and how much water your crop is using, that can help you in deciding how much water you want to put in on your farm.

The other method is using weather data.

So we have tools that can help you in understanding the irrigation recommendation using weather data.

One such example is using irrigation management assistant tool that is available for many counties in the state and we are working on expanding that tool throughout Minnesota.

You have to register online, select your fields from this map that is there, and give some inputs to this tool that will help you in understanding the irrigation recommendation.

So there is no money associated, so it's free of cost for all growers, who are irrigating in in the state so you just have to add your fields, and you can add as many fields as you want, and look at the soil water dynamics based on the weather data.

So to find where the irrigation management system tool, one way is if you go search irrigationumn, which is our irrigation extension webpage at the University of Minnesota website, you will find a link there.

The other is if you just search, irrigation management assistant tool, RESPEC.

So RESPEC is a private company that built it, initially, but now they are collaborating with University of Minnesota to expand that to state level.

So this is the first year that this tool was expanded to Sherman County, Polk County, and there are other counties that were already included.

I can name them.

There's five-county area in the Otter Tail County area, and then Benton and Morrison County that are included for this year.

But for the next year our hope is that we expand this tool throughout the state for growers to use.

This is Vasudha Sharma, Irrigation Extension Specialist at the University of Minnesota, thanks for joining us.

- Welcome to "Farm Connections."

We're on-site in Waseca, Minnesota at Farmamerica and with us is Jenny Delnay, the program director.

Welcome to "Farm Connections."

- Thank you, I'm excited to be here.

- We're excited to be in your space.

- Yeah.

- What is this and why are we here?

- So, this is Farmamerica, we are Minnesota's Agricultural Interpretive Center and we are super excited because today is our grand opening of our new exhibits that we have here.

We're standing right now in our Ag Around You Discovery Center which has all sorts of really cool explanations of how agriculture makes it into your home every day.

- Jenny, we've watched people touch, feel, look at, there's a really neat spot to learn about agriculture and it's called Farmamerica, right?

- Absolutely, yes.

So here in this space we have all sorts of drawers that you can open and explore, a kitchen you can explore, videos to peek inside local farms to see how all of these products make it to your table at home.

- Did it just show up, or what happened?

- No, we've been working on this for the last five years, fundraising, and pitching this concept, and so we're so excited that it's finally here.

I've been looking at renderings and pictures for so long I'm excited to be physically standing in this space for the first time.

- Well this is part of your work, and part of the things that you do at Farmamerica, but as Program Director there's probably many more.

What is your job?

- Absolutely, so my job as Program Director is I put on all of these really fun events and programs.

Everything from school tours to today is our pumpkin party to celebrate fall and pumpkins.

So I really try to make fun and engaging events, but also accidentally teach people a little something about agriculture while they're here too.

- Last year you had several hundred at the pumpkin party, how many?

- We had over 700 people last year at our pumpkin party.

I know we had 300 this morning already who had purchased tickets and we've had many more people buy them at the door today, so, I don't know the final head count for today yet, but it should be another great turnout.

- With all of that work, and some of it not between 8:00 and 5:00 for you, what's the greatest victory, what's the greatest reward if something happens here to you, for you?

- I just love seeing, you can see the look on a kid's face when something clicks and he's learned something new and that to me is so satisfying.

Whether that's here at the pumpkin party when they're carving a pumpkin and talking about how those grew here on-site, or during our school tours I talk to kids about log cabins in the 1850s and how that impacted agriculture.

You can just see that that joy and that smile on their face and that's what makes it all worth it for me.

- So Jenny, as we travel through this space in Farmamerica, maybe take a tram ride, we see the log cabin you speak of, or maybe the grounds where Native Americans gathered nuts, hunted, we see that there's a transition in agriculture, is that part of your mission?

- Absolutely, our mission at Farmamerica is really to connect Minnesotans to that evolving story of agriculture.

So this space talks about today's agriculture, but it hasn't always been like this.

So we look at the last 200 and more years here, whether, like you said, we have a 1930s dairy barn, an 1850s homestead, that prairie that existed with the Native Americans before that time period, for generations.

So we're excited to explore all of those different aspects and how things have changed to make it the way it is today.

- What does the future look like for your programming?

- That's a great question.

You know, we're constantly trying to look at what kids, and families, and people are looking at here and trying to figure out how we can reach people even more.

So, we love our school tours that we do with elementary kids.

We have ag-based career opportunities for middle schoolers and we're expanding that now to high schoolers as well and doing a job-shadowing program with them where they look at how they can be involved in careers that are connected back to agriculture in ways you don't always think about.

Agriculture is more than just a farmer standing in the field growing crops, there's ag marketing, there's insurance that's based on ag, there's all sorts of different things you can be involved in that are still connected to agriculture.

- And all needed occupations to feed the world.

- Absolutely.

- Jenny, I am envisioning hundreds of students here, and tens of buses coming, tell us about those programs and how you get people here.

- Absolutely, yeah, so we do our elementary school field trips here where they explore our timeline loop how agriculture has changed over the last 200 plus years.

So we offer those in the spring, and again in the fall, for students to come and explore those days.

And then we have our middle school students who are doing that ag-based career where they see the different sections of jobs and how they all tie back into agriculture.

- What's happening today?

- So today is our pumpkin party, which is maybe our biggest event of the entire year and it's a huge celebration of all things fall.

So we have pumpkin carving and decorating that's happening here, we have a corn maze that people wander through, our blacksmith is on-site giving demonstrations and food trucks, and a petting zoo, and all sorts of great opportunities for that.

So we have lots of kids here in their costumes today, they're trick-or-treating around the site as they do that and it's just really fun to see them all explore.

- Well there's certainly a lot of excitement.

- Yes, absolutely.

- And as you can witness on set, there's adults that like it too, right?

- Absolutely, yeah, so it's, I always go to the little kids 'cause they're the ones with the biggest smiles, but the adults do too.

I spoke with someone yesterday who said last year she brought her teenagers to this event and they loved the pumpkin carving, and the trick-or-treating and all of that as well, so it's good for all ages.

- Jenny, when I think about the kind of amount, volume of work you have to do, I'm hoping that you have some staff and volunteers, tell us about that.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So we have a few staff members here who are always super involved in all of our events.

I tend to take the lead as the Program Director, but I certainly couldn't do it without all of our other staff here and then our volunteers are absolutely phenomenal.

We have a lot of volunteers who have been been here for many years helping with everything from our antique equipment to our school tour days, and we're always getting new volunteers as well.

So, we're certainly always looking for new people who wanna come and explore the events, either as an individual, or representing a business, all of our events look for great partnership opportunities like that.

- It certainly deepens and enriches the entire experience when you bring in people from around agriculture around Minnesota.

- Yeah, that's one of my favorite things with our middle school programs, is we bring in all of these ag professionals who are doing these jobs and then they get to tell the students all about the things they love about their job and you can see everyone's passion come alive in those moments and it's really exciting to see.

- If somebody in the audience wants to know more about Farmamerica, or knowing about opportunities to volunteer, or actually careers here, do you have a website you can share.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So you can go to farmamerica.org and there's lots of information there about the tours we give, about volunteer opportunities, all of that sort of stuff and all of our upcoming events, of course.

You can certainly learn more on there and find our email, or our phone address, and reach out to us and we'd love to see how we can partner with them.

- Jenny, thanks so much for sharing today.

- Absolutely, it was such a pleasure.

- Stay tuned for more on "Farm Connections."

(light bass jazz music) - I think we are misunderstood because of just the, what's been hanging over marijuana for so long, all the demonization of it over the years.

I really wish more people would understand that this is really a valuable plant.

- Some people think of it as a, you know, still a Schedule 1 drug, if they're new to it, or haven't really researched it, that's kind of the lens that they look through.

So sometimes it can be difficult to explain benefits if they're not real open to it.

- So we opened in June of 2019.

It came about the December before, the end of 2018.

Myself and my two partners sat down and we talked about this crazy idea to start the shop and here we are.

- We have a lot of our families involved in every part of production, and part of sales and marketing, so it's really important for our families, but really the main point of starting this was to help people.

- Well, first time they come in they usually get a little bit of a strange look on their face.

- I think they're a little bit surprised, it's very welcoming if you noticed, and I think they enjoy their experience here and they learn a lot.

If we weren't educating as we were going along I don't think we would grow at all.

- We see anything from a 21 year old to a 90 year old, all different reasons, two of the most being pain and then anxiety and stress.

- I would say about 80% of our customers utilize it for pain.

- Right now stress seems to be playing a major role in a lot of people's lives and they're looking to find something that will help alleviate that.

- Surprisingly, we thought it would be the younger generation, maybe, you know, 20s to 40s, but our biggest clientele is actually 60 and over.

One thing we've noticed is if they've had a friend, or a family member that have had some success with CBD, usually word-of-mouth is really the most affective way to promote it and educate.

So marijuana is very high in the intoxicating effects of THC and very low in CBD, and then hemp is really the inverse, so it's very high in CBD and then very low in THC.

So in Minnesota we have to be under 0.3% of that THC threshold to be able to sell our product.

- The flower is, it's a smokable, it's a vapable, it can be put into recipes also.

- The difference with the oil and the flower is the flower is really effective very fast through inhalation.

The oils take about that 45-minute window to take effect.

There's so many modes of taking it so if some people don't enjoy it, or like it, in one way, shape, or form, they can kinda switch to even a topical, it's very effective, even absorption topically, or internally, so.

- We're regenerative farmers.

We try to work with our soil to make it better every year naturally.

- We all live in Austin, we all grow, we all grow separate plots.

Southern Minnesota's just this wonderful climate.

We have beautiful rich soil and then our plants just thrive down here.

- Teaching is its own reward.

We see that every time the next generation steps up to take over.

Education is a very important aspect of agriculture, be sure to get out and investigate you just might learn something.

I'm Dan Hoffman, thank you for watching "Farm Connections."

(upbeat banjo music) (upbeat banjo music)