Founder & CEO of Extreme Sandbox to Present at UMC

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Randy Stenger, is the Founder & CEO of Extreme Sandbox, a Heavy Equipment Adventure company that lets clients play on construction equipment. Stenger will present at the University of Minnesota Crookston on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, at 12:30 p.m. in the Peterson Classroom in Heritage Hall. A question and answer session will follow the presentation and light refreshments will be served. The event is free and all are welcome.

Founded in 2012, Extreme Sandbox has quickly vaulted to a national brand that is redefining the way entertainment is experienced. Stenger embraces outside of the box thinking, and specializes in creative ways to launch and grow a business at the lowest cost. His journey has made Extreme Sandbox a leader in experiential entertainment with multiple awards and recognition as a Top-Rated Attraction. His focus on guerrilla marketing has generated a lot of media buzz and ultimately led to his appearance on ABC’s hit TV show, Shark Tank, in January 2016.

Stenger has a diverse professional background. He earned his business management degree from University of Georgia, and worked as an EMT and Police Officer before transitioning to leadership and consulting roles at Target Corporation. He is passionate about not only providing his clients with “bucket list” experiences, but also inspiring other entrepreneurs to take the path less traveled. Ultimately, he discovered the key to success is to remain a kid at heart and never be afraid to get dirty in your sandbox.

The presentation by Stenger is sponsored by the Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies (CRES) and the University of Minnesota Crookston Business Department. It is part of an entrepreneurship speaker series. For more information, contact Rachel Lundbohm at 218-281-8190.

Kiehle Auditorium Murals Focus of Presentation at UMC

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The murals that grace the walls of the Kiehle Auditorium on the University of Minnesota Crookston campus are 75 years old. Their history and impact will be the focus of a special presentation, “The Kiehle Murals: The Art of John Martin Socha,” by historian and librarian Bill Wittenbreer on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at noon. The presentation, which will take place in the Kiehle Building’s historic auditorium, will include the history of the Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) arts program and the artist and muralist John Martin Socha and his work around Minnesota and the country. The presentation is free, the public is invited, and parking permits will not be required.

Wittenbreer, a librarian and public historian, was the curator of An Artist’s Paradise:  Minnesota Landscape Painters, 1840-1940 at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, where he also serves on the collections committee.  He has written and lectured about Minnesota painters and holds graduate degrees in history and library and information science. He currently works as a librarian at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minn.  

Background

The Kiehle Building, completed in 1910, was one of the first three buildings to be constructed on the campus. Originally, the building held administrative offices, the library, and, on the second level, a gymnasium for the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA). In the 1930s, the second level of Kiehle Building was converted into an auditorium with a balcony. The renowned murals in the auditorium by artist John Martin Socha were added in 1942 as part of the WPA and in part were a gift from the NWSA Class of 1932. The murals have been retained as part of the building's historical significance.

The U of M Crookston Murals Committee is sponsoring the presentation by Wittenbreer in an effort to gain a better appreciation and deeper understanding of the history of the murals. The committee is charged with exploring ways to incorporate the murals into the ongoing education of current and future students; to engage the campus and the greater Crookston community in conversations about the history of the region, its rich and varied diversity, and the campus commitment to diversity; and to interpret the murals for those who visit Kiehle Auditorium.

Pulitzer Prize Winning Author and Historian to Speak at UM Crookston

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian Taylor Branch will present “Civil Rights Then and Now: Reflections on the King Years” in the Kiehle Auditorium at the University of Minnesota Crookston on Monday, January 20, 2014, at 7 p.m. The event is free and all are welcome.  A book signing will be held in Kiehle 124 following the presentation and books by Branch will be available for purchase on site. Branch also will speak on Tuesday, January 21 at 10 a.m. at the Lake Agassiz Regional Library in Crookston as part of his visit.

About Taylor Branch

Taylor Branch is an American author and public speaker best known for his landmark narrative history of the civil rights era, America in the King Years. The trilogy’s first book, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63, won the Pulitzer Prize and numerous other awards in 1989. Two successive volumes also gained critical and popular success: Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65, and At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968. Decades later, all three books remain in demand.

In the October 2011 issue of The Atlantic, Branch published an influential cover story entitled “The Shame of College Sports,” which author and NPR commentator Frank Deford said “may well be the most important article ever written about college sports.”  The article touched off continuing national debate. 

Aside from writing, Branch speaks before a variety of audiences—colleges, high schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, political and professional groups. He has discussed doctrines of nonviolence with prisoners at San Quentin as well as officers at the National War College. He has presented seminars on civil rights at Oxford University and in sixth-grade classrooms. His 2008 address at the National Cathedral marked the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s last Sunday sermon from that pulpit. In 2009, he gave the Theodore H. White Lecture on the Press and Politics at Harvard.

Branch began his career in 1970 as a staff journalist for The Washington Monthly, Harper’s, and Esquire. He holds honorary doctoral degrees from ten colleges and universities. Other citations include the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the National Humanities Medal in 1999. More information is available at taylorbranch.com.

Recent Work

In Branch’s latest book, The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement (Simon & Schuster), Branch has identified eighteen essential moments from the Civil Rights Movement, and providing selections from his trilogy, has placed each moment in historical context with a newly written introduction.  The captivating result is a slender but comprehensive view of America in the turbulent, transformative 1960s, by our nation’s foremost authoritative voice on the subject.

Background

This activity is funded, in part, by a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council and the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund appropriated by the Minnesota Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Other sponsors include the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, the Lake Agassiz Regional Library, Crookston High School, and Academic Affairs, Campus Ministry, Concerts & Lectures, Honors Program, and Career and Counseling at the U of M Crookston. 

Earlier in the day of activities in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., designed around the theme "Faces of Civil Rights: It isnt' just a Black Thing" will take place. The day marks a Red River Valley Celebration of Dr. King with events at the University of North Dakota and the University of Minnesota Crookston throughout the day. 

Precision Agriculture Summit Set for Jamestown Jan. 20-21

The Red River Valley Research Corridor has scheduled the third annual Precision Agriculture Summit at the Farmers Union Conference Center in Jamestown on Jan. 20-21, 2014.

The Precision Agriculture Summit is organized by the Red River Valley Research Corridor, North Dakota Farmers Union, Lake Region State College's Dakota Precision Ag Center and North Dakota State University's Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

John Nowatzki, NDSU Extension Service agricultural machine systems specialist, is collaborating with others to plan the summit and will be moderating crop precision technology sessions.

"The summit is intended to be an opportunity for sharing precision agriculture research, technology and needs among farmers, industry, consultants and university personnel," Nowatzki says. "The 2014 summit agenda includes concurrent crop and livestock precision technology tracks. Parts of the agenda are arranged for both tracks to come together for presentations applying to all areas of precision agriculture."

The main agenda focuses on new trends in precision agriculture technology, such as Google Glass, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and the economics of precision agriculture. Presenters from Boeing Corporation and Trimble Navigation will discuss their work with unmanned aircraft systems in agriculture.

Topics and presenters include:

* Google Glass precision agricultural applications - Jeff Caldwell, Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine multimedia editor, and Bruce Rasa, Inventive Branding managing consultant

* Macro and micro economics of current precision agriculture technologies - Craig Smith, Fort Hayes State University, and David Roberts, NDSU assistant professor

* UAS applications in crop and livestock production - Kevin Price, Kansas State University

* North Dakota UAS roadmap to establish a test site for the integration of unmanned systems into the national airspace - Bob Becklund, Northern Plains Unmanned Systems Authority executive director

* Overview of available UAS equipment and services - Ryan Jensen, HoneyComb UAS, and Mitchel Fiene, DMZ Aerial

* Available cameras and sensor technologies for use on UAS - David Dvorak, Field of View

* Moderator for the livestock precision agriculture track agenda - J.W Schroeder, NDSU Extension diary specialist

* Michigan animal tracking system - Daniel Buskirk, Michigan State University beef cattle nutrition specialist

* Use of electronic animal sensors for making comparisons of animal lying, temperature and rumination and the use of 3D cameras to measure feed intake and animal body conditions -Amanda Sterrett, University of entucky graduate research assistant

* Current technology in cattle genetics - Lauren Hanna, NDSU Animal Sciences assistant professor

* Cattle reproduction technologies - Carl Dahlen, NDSU Extension beef cattle specialist

* Automated milking and feeding systems for cattle - James Salfer, University of Minnesota Extension educator

* Dealing with soil variability - Dave Franzen, NDSU Extension Service soil science specialist

* Accounting for soil salinity in zone management - Abbey Wick, NDSU Extension soil health specialist and assistant professor

* Optical reflectance sensing of soil variability - Ken Sudduth, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service

* Current status and future trends in precision pesticide applications - Erdal Ozkan, Ohio State University Extension

Speakers from commercial companies will discuss current services for making detailed crop prescription maps and precision sprayer technology. The agenda includes presenters from Monsanto, WinField Solutions, Pioneer, Hagie, Titan Machinery and John Deere.

Sreekala Bajwa, NDSU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department chair, will conclude the summit with a presentation titled "A Systems Approach to Precision Ag in North Dakota Today and Tomorrow."

For more information or to register, visit the Red River Valley Research Corridor website at http://theresearchcorridor.com/precisionagsummit2014 or contact Ryan Aasheim at (701) 499-6994 or email ryan@theresearchcorridor.com.

Dakota-US War Presentation at Hjemkomst

Moorhead, Minn.–

The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County presents A Dakota Perspective on the Dakota War of 1862, a presentation by Tamara St. John, October 13^th at 2:00 pm at the Hjemkomst Center. Ms. St. John discusses the events leading up to the Dakota-US war and its aftermath as seen through the eyes of the Dakota people. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Tamara St. John is a historian and archivist for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Historic Preservation Office. She has conducted extensive research on the Dakota-US War of 1862 in particular with the legislation that pertains to the subsequent exile of the Dakota from the state of Minnesota.

“My role as a researcher and archivist has allowed me to access a part of the history that has not been written about or often shared outside of the tribal community,” Ms. St. John said. “[The Tribal Historic Preservation Office] has done some amazing work with the Minnesota Historical Society on the 1862 Exhibit and has made great strides in telling a far more balanced history, one that included the Dakota people and their experience.” Her present ation is drawn from this research and collaborations with various state historical societies.

HCSCC executive director Maureen Kelly Jonason says, "Given that the Dakota people were also victims of violence during this historic event, I think it is fitting to hear from the side that doesn't get much attention. We hope people interested in this topic will leave with new and vital information."

The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County collects, preserves, and presents the history and culture of Clay County and the region. HCSCC also provides interpretation of the Hjemkomst Viking Ship, Hopperstad Stave Church Replica, and hosts traveling exhibits in 7,000 sq. feet of temporary exhibition space. The Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County is a community resource for 210,000 people in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area and serves an average of 40,000 visitors a year from all over the world.

For more information, call 218-299-5511 or visit www.hcscconline.org. The Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County is located in the Hjemkomst Center at 202 First Avenue North in Moorhead.

Sand Hill River Community Discussion Scheduled

Fertile, MN – Sand Hill River Watershed District (SHRWD) will be hosting presentations and a community discussion on the condition of the Sand Hill River Watershed on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012.

There will be two sessions to accommodate different schedules. The presentations will be identical at both sessions.

The meeting will take place in Fertile, MN at the Community Center from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Reaches of the Sand Hill River do not meet state water quality standards. Areas are impaired for low dissolved oxygen and turbidity. Turbidity is a measure of water clarity.

Coffee and cookies will be available during the 2:00 p.m. session and a light supper will be provided during the 5:30 p.m. session. Fun water activities will be available for children during the evening session. The agenda will include:

- Overview of the Watershed Assessment Process
- Technical Work Progress-to-Date: Watershed Conditions Report
- Existing Cost-share Opportunities
- Community Discussion on the Condition of the Sand Hill River

For more information, please visit the Sand Hill River Watershed District’s website - http://www.sandhillwatershed.org/tmdl.html

20th Annual Aldrich C. Bloomquist Lectureship Set for March 21

David Thompson, Thompson Consulting and co-principal of Neighborhood Partners LLC, Davis, Calif., will be the featured speaker at the 20th annual Aldrich C. Bloomquist Lectureship on March 21 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo.

The presentation will take place at noon in the Executive and Board Room.

The lectureship is sponsored by the North Dakota State University Quentin N. Burdick Center for Cooperatives and Aldrich C. Bloomquist Endowment, which was established by the American Crystal Sugar Co.

Thompson has worked with cooperative organizations in the U.S., Britain and Japan, as well as the United Nations. He has visited cooperatives in more than 30 nations on five continents.

Thompson specializes in funding the capital needs of the cooperative business sector and low- income housing in the nonprofit and cooperative sectors. He has won numerous awards from the cooperative community.

Al Bloomquist was a longtime executive and president of American Crystal Sugar. The lecture series was established in recognition of his contributions to the company and the industry.

The lecture is free and lunch will be provided. To register, contact Greg McKee at gregory.mckee@ndsu.edu by March 15.