Would you like to enjoy bright, crisp garden green beans all year long? How about ripe juicy strawberries? Freezing fruits and vegetables can be an easy way to enjoy the bounty of your garden and orchard all year round. Compared with other methods of food preservation, freezing saves time an…
Country singer Garth Brooks canceled the rest of his concerts in 2021, saying, “In July, I sincerely thought the pandemic was behind us. Now, watching this new wave, I realize we are still in the fight and I must do my part.”
The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that the weather pattern of patchy, light precipitation and above-average temperatures has started to stress crops and pasture conditions throughout Wisconsin. Seasonal field activities have continued, including the first cutting of h…
Now is the time to keep an eye out for problems showing up on tomato plants. One of the most common disorders home gardeners will find is blossom end rot. It can look as awful as it sounds. Blossom end rot begins as a sunken, dark spot on the blossom end of the tomato. It is often found in e…
May you live in interesting times! This saying, often described as a curse, does not have a proven provenance. It does feel appropriate for these trying times. 4-H, the largest youth development program in the nation is a part of the University of Wisconsin. Like most companies, schools, and…
No statement is as likely to bring about exhaustion in a reader as the one I lead with: I want to talk to you about COVID.
During the first week of my time as Executive Director with Stepping Stones of Dunn County, I was going through the mail and came across a handwritten letter on a yellow sheet of paper. It was a quick note, welcoming me to the position as the new ‘skipper’, offering that the farmers of the a…
I was on the Dunn County land records site last week, looking at the lot that Stepping Stones’ main building sits on at 1602 Stout Road in Menomonie. We are working to extend an ADA-compliant sidewalk, connecting our program offices to the Menomonie city walkway, and our approval with the go…
Did you know the United States Department of Agriculture recommends 3 servings of dairy every day?
Every two years, the state budget process gives us an opportunity to reimagine our commitment to public education. Governor Evers’s proposed budget for 2021-23 is exceptional for education and will go a long way towards undoing the harmful effects of 8 years of cuts during the Walker era.
Despite the coronavirus limiting many activities, Dunn County youth continue to do amazing things, and the Menomonie Optimist Club continues to honor those achievements through its Youth of the Month program. Students from Colfax and Elk Mound High Schools are the latest honorees.
Parenting is never easy. Parents are juggling the effects of a global pandemic, virtual school, and the changing of the weather. It is a hard time to be a parent. Sometimes you want to pull your hair out and you just need a break.
Sending a request to the Dept. of Public Instruction (DPI) recently I wanted to find out how many school district referenda were scheduled for the April election next month; it has been pretty quiet as it relates to the April election until I received my information from DPI.
I want to share a number with you: 2,193
On April 13th the Wisconsin Department of Health Services declared a statewide emergency—ensuring that $70 million per month in federal funding would continue to funnel through the state to food insecure residents of Wisconsin. This may be the most recent lob in a strange political back-and-…
As we age, how we take care of our bodies becomes more vital not only to health, but to our quality of life. Being physically active and maintaining a healthy diet is associated with improved outcomes for seniors including increased mobility, improved quality of life, lower instances of fall…
“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God” Ps. 42:1
With shots going in arms and COVID rates going down, we are looking optimistically to days when the majority of our volunteers will work beside us again. So many of you had to step back from service due to health concerns—and because we asked you to. We have been hearing from many of you tha…
One thing I have seen this winter is that miracles don’t just happen. They are created.
Among the thirty or so children who came up to the chancel every Sunday for the children’s moment in the last church I served, there was a little girl who was discovering that she was really a little boy. I cannot imagine what that must be like but I know it happens all the time. And I know …
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. This year’s theme is “Know Your Worth.”
Whether you’re interested in dairy production, livestock production, or farm management, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension’s Farm Ready Research webinar series has the most up-to-date information.
In late December 2019, a friend and I were walking down a hall at work, chatting about all that was happening in the world—how turbulent it was and how little peace was to be found.
As the largest youth leadership program in the nation, 4-H has had to re-evaluate how to “do” 4-H in a world where participants mostly cannot meet in person. 4-H has the benefit of having faced, survived and even thrived challenges like world wars, terrible droughts, economic collapse and ye…
In a July column in the Dunn County News, I detailed our plans for a safe return to UW-Stout for students, faculty, and staff. As the semester draws to a close and we prepare for spring semester, I thought it appropriate to provide the community with a brief update.
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