Land & Water​

This equipment top-dresses nitrogen on the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council plots; its technology adjusts application rates on the go, to make these trials possible. Improving yields and using nutrients efficiently is the goal for landowner Jon East working closely with <a href="https://nutrienagsolutions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nutrien Ag Solutions</a> agronomist Scott Barnes, Harmony, Minn. Barnes has been a catalyst for bringing southeast Minnesota growers into on-farm plot research funded by the <a href="https://www.mda.state.mn.us/business-dev-loans-grants/agricultural-fertilizer-research-education-council-afrec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council</a> (AFREC). A 40 cent per ton fee paid by Minnesota farmers on all fertilizer sold in the state funds AFREC. The lion's share of the $1.2 million disbursed each year goes to the University of Minnesota, however a small portion is dedicated to on-farm plot research. "We use data from all these plots with growers," says Barnes. "They like these trials because the data is local."

Nitrate and Water Issue Proposals Addressed by 2024 Minnesota Legislature

Root River Current updates 2024 legislative issues regarding southeast Minnesota water issues, including a story by Minnesota Reformer reporter Madison McVan on a proposal that would levy a tax on fertilizer to offset farm pollution.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Production fields of Cardinal Flower and Meadow Blazing Star located outside of Spring Grove, Minnesota. (Photo by Shooting Star Native Seeds)</span>

Bold Vision, Deep Roots | Two Southeast Minnesota Nurseries Source Seed for Restoring Native Landscapes

Nancy North visits two bluff country nurseries both working to help restore native prairieland.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Marty Walsh, Lead Organizer of the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail, hikes along the beginning of Lost Creek Hiking Trail near Chatfield. (Photo by Julie Fryer)</span>

The Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail Gets Two Steps Closer to Reality

Julie Fryer visits with Marty Walsh, the lead organizer of the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Hundreds of pelicans congregate in the backwaters of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The Mississippi Flyway is a migration route followed by tens of thousands of North America’s water and shore birds. (Photo near Alma, Wisconsin by Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinal)</span>

Spring Migration | Things to Know About Our Region’s Mississippi Flyway

Madeline Heim chronicles the importance of the Mississippi Flyway for spring and fall bird migration.

The Root River on an autumn day inspires one to reflect on the beauty of nature. (Photo by Ella Deutchman)

Forest Bathing: Meditations on Sound and Movement

Ella Deutchman attends a forest bathing workshop led by artist Annie Hejny.

Pool 8, situated between locks and dams on either side of the Root River’s confluence with the Mississippi River, is a sprawling body of water providing wildlife habitat, boating, fishing and other recreational activities, as well as breathtaking blue and green hues as captured in this aerial photo by Houston County photographer Robert Hurt.

The Mighty Mississippi’s Locks and Dams | What and Why?

The Mississippi River’s locks and dams have changed the river’s natural flow. Madeline Heim explores their history and purpose.

Prairie strip vegetation in the middle of corn fields operated by Mower County farmer Wayne DeWall south of Grand Meadow, Minnesota. (Photo by Mower County SWCD)

Prairie Strips | Small Investment, Big Benefits

Prairie strip vegetation in the middle of corn fields operated by Mower County farmer Wayne DeWall south of Grand Meadow, Minnesota. (Photo by Mower County SWCD)

Tom Scarponcini, left, and Dean Thomas look over Scarponcini’s flock of Île-de-France sheep in September 2023. With technical advice from Thomas, a regional grazing specialist, and with assistance from NRCS, Scarponcini established a strip-grazing setup within 20 acres of a blufftop pasture: “We’re really here borrowing land from future generations.” (Photos by Ann Wessel, BWSR)

Area Sheep Producer Boosts Productivity with Rotational Grazing

Ann Wessel visits a sheep farm north of Rushford where rotational grazing improved productivity.

Natalie Vogel-Gabor, 5, of Winona, gets help from Dave Potts of Chaska, who volunteered to help teach youths to ice fish; this gathering in January was in recognition of the 100-year anniversary of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. (Photos by John Weiss unless otherwise stated)

Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge Turns 100

John Weiss attends a youth ice fishing event, the inaugural event celebrating the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge 100th anniversary.

Canfield Creek, a small trout stream in Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, joins the South Branch Root River. Are neonicotinoids killing invertebrates, the canary in the coalmine for stream health? (Photos by John Weiss)

Healthy Stream, Healthy Trout

John Weiss monitors stream health along the Root and other nearby rivers.

Reggie McLeod stands on an overlook along the Mississippi River in Winona. His Big River Magazine covers 400 miles of river from the Twin Cities to the Quad Cities. (All photos by John Weiss)

For Love of the Big River

John Weiss visits with Big River Magazine editor/publisher Reggie McLeod who was inducted into the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Hall of Fame.

Southeast Minnesota's karst topography–and its network of sinkholes, caves and streams–exacerbate well contamination issues. There are more than 10,000 sinkholes in Fillmore County alone. (Photo Julie Little)

State Officials | January 2024 Plan Addresses Nitrate Contamination Issues

Minnesota updated its response to EPA on nitrate contamination in ground water.

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