New Online Tool Helps Farmers, Applicators Time Manure Applications with Weather

St. Paul, MN: The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has teamed up with the National Weather Service to design a tool that helps farmers and commercial applicators determine the best time to apply manure.

The Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast tool uses past and predicted National Weather Service weather data like precipitation, temperature, and snow melt. It predicts the likelihood that applied manure will run off fields in daily, next day, and 72 hour increments. Farmers and commercial applicators use an interactive map to locate their field and find the forecasted risk. Users can also signup for email or text messages for their county that alert them to a severe runoff risk for that day.

“By providing this information, we hope to give our farmers and commercial manure applicators the tools they need to make well-informed decisions,” said Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson. “By being able to better predict times of high runoff risk, we can decrease the potential loss of manure to our waterways and increase farm productivity by saving nutrients on the land. It is a win-win situation based on an easy-to-use tool."

When someone goes to the interactive map, the runoff risk is displayed in one of four categories: no runoff expected, low, moderate, and severe. When the risk is moderate or severe, it is recommended that the applicator evaluate the situation to determine if there are other locations or later dates when the manure application could take place.

The forecasting tool can also be used by others looking for climate information including 2” soil depth temperatures which are useful at planting time, and 6” soil depth temperatures which are helpful when determining fall fertilizer application in appropriate areas.

The Minnesota Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast is part of a larger federal project. The National Weather Service has provided data and guidance to states to create similar tools in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. State funding for the project was provided by the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment.

UMC Commencement Set for Saturday, May 5

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Peggy (Lee) Hilton from the Class of 1968 will address the University of Minnesota Crookston Class of 2018 during commencement exercises on Saturday, May 5. Graduates will take part in the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. in Lysaker Gymnasium, Sports Center. All are welcome to attend.

Hilton is a member of the Class of 1968, the first graduating class from the University of Minnesota Crookston Technical Institute.  Graduating with high distinction, she earned an associate degree in applied science, specializing in legal.  She started her 30-year career in Crookston working as a legal secretary/paralegal and went on to work for noteworthy law firms in both the Twin Cities and in Seattle, Wash.  In 1998, Hilton retired early in order to thru-hike the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada with her husband on his 7-month sabbatical. During her non-work life, Hilton has been a competitive runner and has engaged in extensive mountain climbing and hiking adventures. She currently lives in Seattle with her husband, Jim.

A reception in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center, precedes the commencement ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both events; no tickets or parking permits are required. Additionally, online graduates will have an opportunity to meet faculty at 11 a.m. in the Prairie Room, Sargent Student Center followed by a special recognition for students who are Veterans, Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard members taking place from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in the Prairie Room. 

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the formal procession of faculty, candidates for degrees, and platform guests will begin from the Sargeant Student Center to the gymnasium led by Mace Bearer Professor W. Daniel Svedarsky, The procession also includes Faculty Marshal Sharon Stewart, associate professor in the Math, Science, and Technology Department.

Bringing greetings from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the Honorable Richard Beeson, St. Paul. Minn., who also will assist with the conferring of the degrees.

University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association (UMCAA) Board President Eric Morgan 2012 will bring greetings from the UMCAA and welcome the new graduates to the alumni association. The U of M Crookston Community Band under the direction of TJ Chapman, lecturer in the Math, Science, and Technology Department, will perform along with selections during the ceremony by the campus choir under the direction of Associate Professor George French.

Crookston Student Association (CSA) President Dalton Javner, a senior majoring in health sciences from Hardwick, Minn., will speak on behalf of the Class of 2018. Junior Ben Koisti will accept the torch of education, a Crookston campus tradition, as the incoming CSA president.

A reception for international student graduates will be held following commencement exercises at 4 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.

The 2018 commencement exercises mark the 110th graduating class to be recognized on the Crookston campus. A live audio stream of the commencement exercises will be available at www.crk.umn.edu/units/media-services. 

For more information, visit the commencement website at www.crk.umn.edu/umc-commencement.

MnDOT hosts open house May 5 in Detroit Lakes

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation invites the community to an open house Saturday, May 5, from 9 a.m. to noon at the MnDOT District 4 headquarters, 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes. Interested in learning about MnDOT? Here is your chance to see the equipment and tools used at MnDOT up close. Staff will be on hand to share current and future career opportunities. 

The Minnesota State Patrol will be in attendance. They will provide information for becoming a state trooper and a commercial vehicle inspector.

If you have questions about the event call 218-846-3646.

MnDOT District 4 manages and maintains more than 3600 lane miles of state, U.S. and interstate highways in the Alexandria, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Moorhead, Morris and Wheaton areas.

To request an ASL or foreign language interpreter, or other reasonable accommodation, call Janet Miller at 651-366-4720 or 1-800-657-3774 (Greater Minnesota), 711 or 1-800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay). You also may send an email to ADArequest.dot@state.mn.us. Please request at least one week in advance, if possible.

National Work Zone Awareness Week

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is observing National Work Zone Awareness Week April 9-13 to encourage safe driving through highway work zones. 

The week is an annual spring campaign to coincide with the start of road construction season. MnDOT officially kicked off the construction season April 4, although many construction projects started earlier.

The theme for the week is “Work Zone Safety is Everybody’s Responsibility,” reinforcing the message that motorists and construction and maintenance workers should use extra caution in work zones.

More than 250 active work zones are scheduled throughout the state this construction season. A work zone is defined as any area where highway construction, maintenance or utility work is being done. Work zones are identified by warning signs, signals, barriers, pavement markings and flaggers.

Each year in the U.S., a work zone crash occurs once every 5.4 minutes. Every day, 70 work zone crashes occur that result in at least one injury. Every week, 12 work zone crashes occur that result in at least one fatality.

In Minnesota in the past four years, an average of seven people died in work zone crashes and more than 1,700 fatal or serious injury crashes occurred each year.

“Drivers and passengers are more likely to be killed in work zones than workers, but maintenance and construction crew workers have also lost their lives, been injured or had close calls,” said Jay Hietpas, Office of Traffic, Safety and Technology director. “Rear-end crashes are the most common type of work zone crash. Most of these crashes occur because of driver inattention and speeding, both behaviors we can change.”

Hietpas said MnDOT works to alert motorists in work zones and sets speeds that are safe for navigating through it. He said when entering work zones, motorists should obey the posted speed limits, pay attention to signs and flaggers, be patient and not drive distracted.

“These work zones exist because we’re making roads better and safer. We’re asking that people look for the work zones, slow down and put down their cellphones and other distractions,” Hietpas said. “The 511mn.org website is a good resource to check for road closures, detours and traffic incidents.”

The National Work Zone Awareness Week observance is in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Federal Highway Administration and the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation.

MnDOT seeks Adopt a Highway volunteers

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Transportation is looking for individuals and organizations to join the more than 4,100 groups and 16,000 people in the state who are Adopt a Highway volunteers.

The program, which realized an estimated $6 million benefit in 2017, is a public service project that helps reduce litter along the roadsides. It’s been part of MnDOT’s maintenance operations since 1990.

“Volunteers pick up litter, keep the roadways beautiful and save taxpayers money,” said Ann McLellan, statewide Adopt a Highway manager. “When our volunteers are out cleaning the roadway ditches, MnDOT crews use their time to build and maintain our highways. It’s a win-win for all and it shows that Minnesotans care about their state.”

There are 5,455 segments of roadways defined for the program. Of those segments, 1,719 are available for adoption.

“Most of the available segments are in Greater Minnesota. In the Twin Cities area, there are nine segments available,” said McLellan.

The volunteers, representing schools, businesses, faith-based organizations, families and individuals, clean up nearly 10,000 miles of Minnesota roadways each year.

Last year volunteer groups, ranging from four to 25 people, spent an estimated 239,000 hours picking up 36,658 bags of litter. That’s more than 112,000 pounds of litter. 

Individuals and groups who want to volunteer should go to www.mndot.gov/adopt/ to find their local area program coordinator. MnDOT provides safety training, trash bags and safety vests, and picks up the filled bags that volunteers leave at the side of the road. MnDOT also posts signs along the adopted segments of roads with the names of the volunteer groups.

Volunteers are asked to commit to the program for at least two years and pick up litter on both sides of the roadway at least twice a year. The average length of an adopted roadway is two to three miles, although some roads are longer.