East Otter Tail SWCD - Blog

September 10, 2024 by Alyson Levig

True Vine Specialty Farms, a relatively new elderberry farm operated by Stephanie and Patrick Hockett in Otter Tail County, has joined over 1,400 producers in becoming stewards of water quality through the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP).

September 3, 2024 by Olivia Olson

A pocket prairie is a small-scale native prairie planting under a few acres in size or can be as small as a garden bed.

August 14, 2024 by Alyson Levig

Earl and Coleen Hensel, proud owners of the Earthly Berry Farm in Hubbard County, have recently become water quality certified under the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP). The decade-old program is a voluntary opportunity that certifies farmers taking the lead in implementing conservation-minded practices to protect water quality. To date, there are over 1,400 certified producers and one million certified acres throughout the entire state.

August 6, 2024 by Mitchell Janson

Irrigation plays a vital role in the sustainability of many farms in the Central Sands Region of Minnesota. Approximately 18% of the irrigated acres in Minnesota are in Otter Tail and Wadena County. The last three summers of drought showed us how important the resource of available water really is.

July 18, 2024 by Alyson Levig

Nestled into the rolling hills of Deer Creek Township in East Otter Tail County lies the Moen homestead, the starting point of a farming operation established in 1951 by Carlton Moen’s father, Luther. Back then, Rock Creek Valley and the surrounding sandy-loam hills fed fifteen head of cattle and taught the Moen family lessons in erosion’s power. As the picturesque hilltops began washing out because of the previous owners’ conventional tillage, Moen’s father switched to contour farming (tilling along the lines of consistent elevation to conserve rainwater and reduce erosion) and was one of the first to do so in the area. The switch deemed the farming operation as the Minneapolis Star Tribune Soil Conservationist winner in 1962.