That's a wrap on our spring project installations! Check out what we accomplished. Welcome, summer!
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| | Spring projects are complete and summer begins next week! With lots to do under the sun, you’ll find our staff conducting irrigation routes, certifying practices, hosting nitrate clinics, and providing technical assistance to local landowners over the next few months. Interested in learning more and/or implementing a conservation practice on your operation? Be sure to reach out to either office! Until then, we hope you enjoy reading about our spring achievements within this newsletter. |
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| | Nitrate Clinics in Otter Tail & Wadena Counties |
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The East Otter Tail and Wadena SWCDs offer free nitrate testing at our clinics (results while you wait) and walk-in/drop-off at our offices (results in 1-3 days). Nitrate clinics will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for the following dates and locations: |
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| | June 25th - Ottertail Community Center; Ottertail, MN July 9th - Adley Event Center; Parkers Prairie, MN July 16th - West Otter Tail SWCD Office; Fergus Falls, MN July 23rd - East Otter Tail SWCD Office; Perham, MN August 13th - Lions Community Center; Verndale, MN August 20th - Menahga City Hall; Menahga, MN |
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Want to know more about nitrate testing? Call 218-346-9105 or use the buttons below to visit resources on our website. |
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| | The local agriculture community and a host of volunteers are all geared up for this year’s EOT Breakfast on the Farm event. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, August 1st, from 7 a.m. to noon at the Ron Doll Farm located south of Perham on Highway 14. This family-friendly event connects non-farming families with local farmers and agricultural professionals. Enjoy a traditional breakfast while learning about modern farming practices and agricultural production in our area.
Get an up-close look at farming machinery and technology, participate in activities hosted by our local FFA, and see local 4-H youth showcasing their animals. Don’t miss the popular barrel train ride for kids! You can find out more about the event using the button below. |
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| | Project installs wrapped up |
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| | The Next Generation of Trees |
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The Tree Program for 2026 is officially in the books! This year, our team battled cooler temperatures, heat, frosty mornings, and dust to plant 38,000 trees across Wadena and EOT counties. These plantings require months of preparation, including site visits, conservation planning, and equipment maintenance. A lot of work goes into getting trees in the ground, and we're happy to do it! Interested in planting trees on your property? Check out our website to learn more. Don't have much space for planting trees? Read this blog on Pocket Forestry. |
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| | This spring, we set up our Irrigation Scheduling Program equipment with twenty-two producers across Wadena, EOT, Hubbard, and Todd Counties. Our Ag Team will work with producers each week throughout the summer, monitoring soil moisture, crop water use, and crop growth across approximately 4,250 acres of land for six different crops. This information helps producers decide the timing and quantity of irrigation necessary for growing a healthy crop. There are roughly 70,000 irrigated acres in Otter Tail County. Are you irrigating? Check out the Irrigation Scheduler Program webpage below for more information.
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| | Gains in Lake Stewardship |
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| | The goal within our Shoreline Program is to restore native vegetation to the shoreland zone to combat water quality concerns and loss of riparian habitat. This year, SWCD staff, with the help from a Conservation Corps of MN & IA crew, planted a total of 7,044 native plants across 9 shoreland projects. These restorations stabilize soils, infiltrate runoff, filter pollutants, and create habitat for pollinators. But we can’t do it without you! With 1,048 lakes in Otter Tail County, we have a significant responsibility to protect our surface waters for future generations. Have you tried the DNR Score Your Shore tool to assess your lake property stewardship? Visit our Shoreland Program page on our website or call (218) 346-9105 to schedule a site evaluation. |
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| | Through the Minnesota Soil Health Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), we provided both financial and technical assistance in planning 33 projects totaling approximately 6,480 acres of either cover crops or no-still/strip-till from last September to the present date! These soil health practices will help build resiliency, reduce erosion, and improve water quality with both East Otter Tail and Wadena Counties. Interested in applying these practices to benefit your farm as well as the environment? Producers can call and/or sign up at their respective SWCD office. |
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| | Each spring East Otter Tail SWCD invites area producers to give presentations along with our staff and high school FFA students for Ag In The Classroom. This spring Perham and New York Mills 3rd and 4th-grade students learned about raising sheep, dairy cattle, growing a variety of crops, soil health, and FFA. In early May, Conservation Days was held at the DNR’s Walker Lake Fish Hatchery for 5th graders throughout Otter Tail County in cooperation with West Otter Tail SWCD and U of M Extension. Staff also helped out at both the Area 1 (EOT) and the Area 8 (Wadena) Envirothons, conservation-focused competitions for jr. high and high school students, as well as the state competition for area winners. |
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2nd Annual Pollinator Event |
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| | The EOT and Wadena SWCDs hosted their second annual Pollinator Party event on Saturday June 6 in New York Mills. We collaborated with the New York Mills library, the Cultural Center, Roots & Wings Forest School, Monarch Joint Venture, Dan’s Honey, and Continental Divide Brew Pub. Attendees learned about honey bees as well as native pollinators such as the Monarch butterfly and also had the opportunity to participate in a story walk, create a sun print, and have lunch at the brew pub. Thank you to all who attended! |
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| | Wadena Poster Contest Winners |
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With over 150 entries from 5th and 6th graders within 3 Wadena County schools, we wanted to say congratulations to Isaiah Wheeler, Olivia Dahlvang, and Adeline Halonen for winning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in our county-wide poster contest!
Congratulations also go out to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for each participating school:
-Wadena/Deer Creek 1st: Isaiah Wheeler 2nd: Alaina King 3rd: Olivia Quin Bailey
-Menahga 1st: Adeline Halonen 2nd: Alise Etzler 3rd: Duke Etter
-Verndale 1st: Olivia Dahlvang 2nd: Carsyn Weiher 3rd: Caleb Thompson
Thank you again to both teachers and students for participating in our annual contest! |
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Summer Blooming Noxious Weeds |
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According to State Statute 18.78, all Minnesota landowners are required to manage noxious weeds on their property. The weeds listed below bloom throughout the summer. Make sure you're aware of them and the other listed Eradicate and Control Species to plan ahead on control methods. |
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| | Blooms July - September Semi-aquatic perennial with dense, bushy growth Grows 4-7' and displays opposite, smooth-edge leaves and purple flowers with 5-7 petals
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| | Blooms July - September Short-lived perennial with gray-green foliage and a large taproot Grows 2-4' and prefers dry, sandy soils
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Blooms July - September Grows up to 4' and displays yellow, button-like flowers with fern-like leaves that emit ordor when crushed Shrubby perennial that is toxic to livestock if consumed in large quantites
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| | Selma Bleess joined our team May 18th as our new Riparian Conservation Planner. Her duties will include assisting with our Shoreland Program and implementing the Wetland Conservation Act. Selma is from Fairmont Minnesota and attended Bemidji State University for a BS in Environmental Studies, with an emphasis in ecosystems. Selma has translated her enjoyment of exploring the outdoors to a career in conservation. She’s excited to get connected with the community and work to improve local shorelines and waters that all can enjoy. She’s also been exploring and discovering great local spots like Paul Miller Park and the ice cream at MN Tru North. |
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The SWCD was fortunate to be granted an individual placement position through the Conservation Corp of Minnesota and Iowa for the summer season. Alicia Erickson joined us May 18th as our Clean Water Corps Member and will be assisting staff with everything from shoreline projects to irrigation scheduling. Alicia is from Alexandria and attended the University of St. Thomas for geography/GIS and applied statistics. Alicia's interest in public service has led her to explore a career in conservation. She's looking forward to learning more about how conservation projects are designed and planned as well as the role local policy plays in funding projects. Alicia has enjoyed checking out the Rush Lake dam modification and looks forward to exploring the local area parks this summer. |
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Thank you for taking the time to read about the conservation happening in your area! Our team is passionate about being a technical resource for you and your communities across East Otter Tail and Wadena. We'll have more stories to share at the end of the summer. We hope you will share this with neighbors, family, and friends.
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Kindly, East Otter Tail SWCD & Wadena SWCD |
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