Train to be a Weather Spotter!
The National Weather Service, Murray County Emergency Management and the Slayton Fire Department are sponsoring a free weather spotter program for anyone interested in attending.
This free event will be held on Thursday, March 28th at 7:00 p.m. at the Murray County Central Auditorium in Slayton.
During the event you will learn about observations of tornadoes, hail, wind and significant cloud formations which will help provide reliable information for severe weather detection and verification.
This training is free and open to the public to anyone who is interested in learning more about severe weather. Even if you do not become an official ‘spotter’, you are encouraged to attend this training to expand your personal knowledge about severe weather patterns.
Fun at the Library with Blind Date with a Book
What fun we had with our ‘Blind Date With a Book’ at the Slayton Public Library! There were 54 books wrapped with a hint of what they might be about on the outside. We had 7 books left unwrapped at the end.
Patrons were asked to read the book or their choice and fill out a ‘rate the date’ slip which entered their name for a drawing. Jean Rice was our winner! Thank you to the Hut and the Plaid Moose for donating prizes for our event.
A few quotes from our ‘Blind Date With a Book’ participants when asked the ‘most memorable moment of their date’…
• The love and warm feeling you experience reading this book about “seniors”. Very appropriate for me to understand at present with my dad. They still have some much to give.
• Comparing the other Alcott books to this one I also became interested in the author herself and ended up researching her.
• It was interesting, kept me wanting to read on. I loved him going undercover to help his horses and reading what he saw and learned.
• Too much to learn about flowers and plants on a first date.
• I especially enjoyed getting to know the characters and trying to figure out how the relationships would end up.
FIREARMS SAFETY COURSE TO BEGIN IN SLAYTON
Minnesota Firearms Safety classes will be held at the Beaver Creek Archery Club in Slayton (1945 Engebretson Ave) on the following dates: March 19, 21, 26, 28 and April 2 and 4, 2019. Class sessions will run from 5:30 – 8:30pm. The field day is scheduled for Saturday, April 6, 2019. Attendance at all class sessions and the field day are mandatory for receiving a firearms safety certificate.
The course is open to all persons who will be at least 12 years old by December 31, 2019. Class size is limited to 25 students. All students should pre-register prior to the first class in order to ensure attendance. Contact Wendy Krueger at 507-220-3408. The cost is $12.50 per student ($5 due 1st session, $7.50 due online after class completion).
A parent is required to attend the first class for approximately 1 hour to register their child and receive additional information.
The firearms safety course involves safe gun handling, care of firearms, live firing, hunting ethics and wildlife management. Do not bring a firearm or ammunition to class!
District Building/Grounds Upgrades
Approximately one year ago, we were gearing up for the construction season and the breaking of ground for our new building addition. With the completion of that project in early January, we found ourselves in a great situation where we had a positive balance of funds remaining from the bond project of approximately $750,000. A survey was sent out to all district patrons looking for feedback on what to do with the remaining contingency funds. This survey resulted in 388 responses. 66% were in favor of using all of the contingency funds for additional building upgrades at Central High School and West Elementary. 12% were in favor of using all of the funds to pay down the bond early, and 22% were in favor of splitting the funds between building/grounds upgrades and paying down the bond.
The Board of Education took this feedback into consideration and assigned the facility committee of the board to do a thorough walk through of both buildings and grounds to compile a list of upgrades. This list was further divided into a “needs” and “wants” list. This walkthrough was completed in December and at the January school board meeting, the list was presented to the full board with discussion on each project. Pricing was obtained and presented to the board at the February meeting and it was voted to move forward on completing the projects on the “needs” list. The items on this list include the following projects:
Central Building – main electrical upgrade, conversion of remaining electrical fuse boxes to breaker boxes, remodeling of 4 bathrooms in the 1924 addition with new plumbing, fixtures, doors/frames & tile, asbestos abatement in library & two classrooms, new carpet in library, new floor tile in a classroom, AC split unit in a classroom with computer hub, foyer entry on east side of practice gym, basement staircase vestibule enclosure replacement, and new student lockers for grades K-1 and 7-11.
West Building – Asbestos abatement in library, offices, and 2 classrooms; new carpet in library & offices, replace carpet with new floor tile in 3 classrooms, replace the 3 main entry doors with new doors/frames, resurface the entire playground/parking lot, and replace the stage curtain.
The funds are restricted and can only be used for building improvements or for debt service. None of these funds can be used for purchasing of equipment, curriculum, salaries, technology, programs, or other such items.
Included in the survey was an opportunity for patrons to provide comments and these were reviewed by the board for consideration. Some of these items were included in the “needs” list and some were included in the “wants” list. All suggested items did not make the list at this time of course. However, the Board and Administration are very confident that the selected projects were deemed most beneficial to our District. Most of these items will be completed during the summer months but where possible, some of these projects will begin before school gets out in order to relieve the timelines to get things done during the summer.
It is an important job to maintain and fix up our buildings and grounds when needed. When facilities are neglected and maintenance tasks are put off too long, they can grow to the point that they are too costly for a school system’s budget for ongoing maintenance. Our buildings do have some age, but they are sound, in great shape with much character. The oldest section of our school building is coming up on a century being built in 1924. Additions to the original building were added in 1950, 1956, 1972, and our newest addition in 2018. West Elementary was constructed in 1963. We all should be proud of our buildings and grounds here at MCC. We appreciate everyone’s efforts in maintaining the facilities that we do have and for the support of Murray County Central.
Joe Meyer
Superintendent
Minnwest Bank Launches “Women in Agriculture” Series on International Women’s Day
To celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8th, Minnwest Bank is launching its Women in Agriculture blog series. This blog series entails articles stemming from interviews with various women within the agricultural sector highlighting the diverse professions within agronomy, genetic plant science, education, nonprofits, crop producers and agriculture lenders.
“Our goal is to not only further strengthen our brand as an ag leader in the market place but also to highlight the unique stories of women in our communities and the impact they are having on agriculture, “ said Doug Karsky, Minnwest Bank CEO. In addition, Karsky wants to educate the youth within our rural communities about the many career paths and opportunities within the agricultural sector. “If our youth understand how important agriculture is, and the opportunities that they can have as a profession, we believe our rural communities will continue to thrive.”
The first article delivered by Minnwest will highlight Wabasso, MN native, Jessie Alt. Alt earned her undergraduate degree in agronomy from South Dakota State University. Then from Iowa State University, she also earned a master’s in corn breeding and a Ph.D. in soybean breeding. In 2005, Alt launched her career as a soybean breeder with Schillinger Seed, where she developed herbicide-resistant soybeans and is now leading the global wheat program for Corteva Agriscience, a division of DowDuPont.
For the rest of Jessie’s story go to: https://www.minnwestbank.com/about-us/blog/women-in-agriculture-jessie-alts-farm-roots-take-her-to-an-enriching-career-of-plant-breeding
Minnwest Bank is one of Minnesota’s largest community banks with more than $1.9 billion in assets and 32 offices across Minnesota and South Dakota. Minnwest Bank is family owned and offers a full range of banking products and services, including commercial loans, lines of credit, SBA and leasing. For more information about Minnwest Bank, visit minnwestbank.com.
Farm Storage Facility Loans
FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
The low-interest funds can be used to build or upgrade permanent facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, floriculture, hops, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualified facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities.
Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement and loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security. Loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security.
Producers do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.
To learn more about the FSA Farm Storage Facility Loan, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport or contact your local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
4-H Retreat Builds Leadership And Civic Engagement Skills In Local Young People
52 Youth Attended Leadership Retreat At Southwest Minnesota State University
Marshall (March/2019) -- Minnesota 4-H held the Southwest BLU leadership retreat on March 2 at Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall for 52 youth from across our region including 19 counties. Murray County participants were Lydia Erb, Sophia Gaul, and Jayda Hellewell from the Lakers 4-H Club and Brylei Schreier, Currie Poco-a-Poco 4-H Club.
“The SW BLU leadership retreat was one of five 4-H events offered this winter to Minnesota youth in grades 6 and up,” said Jacquie Lonning, Civic Engagement & Leadership Director at the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development. “4-H uses these retreats to help youth learn valuable leadership skills they can apply in their communities and make connections with people from other parts of the state.”
BLU – Building Leadership and Understanding – is an annual leadership retreat offered regionally across Minnesota. This year’s theme, Connecting the Stars with 4-H, encouraged youth to make and strengthen relationships, expand communication skills, learn how to engage in civil discourse, and reflect on the people with whom they are already connected. Youth explored campus life with SMSU Education majors and learned more about the sparkling night sky full of stars at the planetarium. The leadership retreat was facilitated by 5 youth leaders from the Minnesota 4-H State Ambassador program and supported by a team of adult chaperones and staff.
One youth participant shared “I will apply what I learned at BLU to how I communicate with others and how to find common ground through values”
4-H offers leadership and civic engagement experiences throughout the year. To learn more, visit z.umn.edu/4HLeadership. Our state youth leadership conference YELLO! - Youth Exploring Leadership and Learning Outloud! will be June 11-14 at the State Fairgrounds near the St. Paul campus. Registrations will open in April.
