Stuff The Bus School Supply Drive
United Way of Southwest Minnesota (UWSWMN) is seeking new school supplies, financial contributions and/or hygiene product donations to help local children start the school year off right. Can you help us Stuff the Bus? Donation containers will be located at the following Marshall locations: Avera Thrift Store, Bank of the West, Bremer Bank, Elysian Chiropractic Center, First Lutheran Church, HyVee, Lockwood Motors, Marshall Area YMCA, Menards, Minnwest Bank, St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, UWSWMN and Walmart. There will also be collection containers at the following locations throughout our service area: Bank of the West – Ivanhoe & Minneota, Benson’s by the Lake – Balaton, First Security Bank – Hendricks, Hendricks Community Hospital, Jim’s Market – Slayton, Kilowatt Community Center – Granite Falls, Lyon-Lincoln Electric – Tyler, Sanford Canby Medical Center, Tim’s Food Pride – Dawson, Minnwest Bank—Tracy and Tracy Food Pride. Look for the marked collection containers starting July 1st. Collection containers will be in place through August 2nd.
The collected supplies and backpacks will be distributed to participating schools within the UWSWMN service area. School staff ensures the supplies reach those who need support. In 2018, nearly 4,000 students at 23 schools were helped through the initiative and a record breaking 67,003 school supplies were distributed. The community need continues to grow for this valuable effort. Supplies will be sorted and packed on August 14th. Those in need of supplies should contact their respective school district beginning on August 15th for details regarding distribution.
This project is coordinated by UWSWMN and includes public, private and charter schools in the UWSWMN service area. Generous support from the community also makes this annual initiative successful. Multiple churches, organizations, businesses and employee groups also collect supplies and financial donations. Partnerships with Marshall Radio, VAST, Hy-Vee and trūShrimp help with both advertising Stuff the Bus and coordinating events to collect supplies and monetary donations.
Be sure to stop by the following Stuff the Bus events in July: trūShrimp, in conjunction with Benson’s on the Lake of Balaton, will be collecting school supplies on Tuesday, July 16th from 1:00p.m.-5:00p.m. at the park across from Benson’s. Marshall Radio Summer Scratch-Off Event sponsored by VAST will be on July 25th from 4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. in front of the Marshall National Guard Armory, with a school bus provided by Southwest Coaches
Direct contributions (noted on the memo line for school supply purchase) can be sent to United Way of Southwest MN, P.O. Box 41, Marshall, MN 56258. Donations are accepted year round for this project and help the United Way purchase necessary items in bulk at a low cost.
School supplies most needed this year are backpacks, basic headphones and financial contributions. Other needed school supplies include: colored pencils, washable markers, disinfectant wipes, tissues and pink erasers. Please contact the United Way for more information at unitedway@unitedwayswmn.org or 507-929-2273. Volunteers for sorting and packing can sign up online by clicking the Volunteer Tab on the UWSWMN website at www.UnitedWaySWMN.org. A limited amount of slots remain.
Great Slayton Area Get Together July 2nd
The Community Band Concert on TUESDAY July 2nd at 7 PM will feature “Navy Hymn,” “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” and “American Celebration.” The Kiwanis of Slayton will be serving Burgers grilled by the Murray County Cattlemen’s Association, chips, bars, and beverages. Please come out and support activities that benefit youth in our community. This event is being held on Tuesday this week so families can celebrate July 4th with their families.
The Kiwanis Club of Slayton is a unit of Kiwanis International. Kiwanis Clubs support and promote activities that benefit youth in our communities and the world. Some of the youth activities that our fund raising efforts support include scouting, Children’s Miracle Network, K-Kids, college scholarships, Murray County Christmas Project, Wonder World, and many others.
Bring your lawn chair and come to Gullord Park for an evening meal, enjoy a musical concert, and support a local cause. What could be a better “Get Together!”
New Dairy Margin Coverage Signup Begins June 17
Signup begins June 17 for the new Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, the cornerstone program of the dairy safety net that helps dairy producers manage the volatility of milk and feed prices, operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
The 2018 Farm Bill allowed USDA to construct the new DMC, which replaces the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). This new program offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.
The program provides coverage retroactive to January 1, 2019, with applicable payments following soon after enrollment. At the time of signup, dairy producers can choose between the $4.00 to $9.50 coverage levels.
The Farm Bill also allows producers who participated in MPP-Dairy from 2014-2017 to receive a repayment or credit for part of the premiums paid into the program. FSA has been providing premium reimbursements to producers since last month and those that elect the 75 percent credit option will now have that credit applied toward 2019 DMC premiums.
The Department has built in a 50 percent blend of premium and supreme alfalfa hay prices with the alfalfa hay price used under the prior dairy program to provide a total feed cost that more closely aligns with hay rations used by many producers. At a milk margin minus feed cost of $9.50 or less, payments are possible. With the 50 percent hay blend, FSA’s revised April 2019 income over feed cost margin is $8.82 per hundredweight (cwt). The revised margins for January, February and March are, respectively, $7.71, $7.91 and $8.66 – triggering DMC payments for each month.
DMC payments will be reduced by 6.2 percent in 2019 because of a sequester order required by
Congress and issued in accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
DMC offers catastrophic coverage at no cost to the producer, other than an annual $100
administrative fee. Producers can opt for greater coverage levels for a premium in addition to the
administrative fee. Operations owned by limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged or
veteran farmers and ranchers may be eligible for a waiver on administrative fees. Producers have the choice to lock in coverage levels until 2023 and receive a 25-percent discount on their DMC
premiums.
To assist producers in making coverage elections, USDA partnered with the University of Wisconsin to develop a DMC decision support tool, which can be used to evaluate various scenarios using different coverage levels through DMC.
All dairy operations in the United States are eligible for the DMC program. An operation can be run either by a single producer or multiple producers who commercially produce and market cows’ milk.
Eligible dairy operations must have a production history determined by FSA. For most operations, production history is based on the highest milk production in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Newer dairy operations have other options for determining production history. Producers may contact their local FSA office to get their verified production history.
Dairy producers also are reminded that 2018 Farm Bill provisions allow for dairy operation to
participate in both FSA’s DMC program and the Risk Management Agency’s Livestock Gross Margin (LGM-Dairy) program. There are also no restrictions from participating in DMC in conjunction with any other RMA insurance products.
For more information, visit farmers.gov DMC webpage or contact your local USDA service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.
SENIOR SURF DAY CLASS
The Senior LinkAge Line® through the Minnesota River Area on Aging®, Inc. will be offering a class for beginning internet users. This free class is for adults who would like to learn the basics of operating a computer, learn how to use the internet to find answers to questions, and how to use email to stay connected with friends and family. Information is also provided on how to use www.medicare.gov to compare health plans and check your Medicare Summary Notice for accuracy; all which helps to prevent health care fraud.
Class is held in Luverne on Monday, July 15th, 2019 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Class size is limited, so call the Senior LinkAge Line® at 1-800-333-2433 to register.
The Senior LinkAge Line® is a free statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging and Area Agencies on Aging. The Senior LinkAge Line® is the federally-designated State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for Minnesota and is the place to call for Medicare and health insurance issues. Call 1-800-333-2433 for assistance or go to www.MinnesotaHelp.info® to chat live with a Senior LinkAge Line® specialist.
WHO: Senior LinkAge Line® and Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging (MNRAAA)
WHAT: Senior Surf Day Class
WHEN: Monday, July 15, 2019 from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
WHERE: St. John Lutheran Church, 803 N Cedar Street, Luverne, MN
Visit our website at: www.mnraaa.org Contact Information:
Katie Gillette, Client Service Center Specialist
Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging®, Inc.
1-800-333-2433 extension 82022
2019 Acreage Reporting Dates
In order to comply with FSA program eligibility requirements, all producers are encouraged to visit the local County FSA office to file an accurate crop certification report by the applicable deadline.
The following acreage reporting dates are applicable for MN Counties:
• November 15, 2018: fall seeded crops
• January 2, 2019: Apiculture
• January 15, 2019: Apples
• July 15, 2019: all other crops
The following exceptions apply to the above acreage reporting dates:
• If the crop has not been planted by the above acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed.
• If a producer acquires additional acreage after the above acreage reporting date, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendars days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office.
• If a perennial forage crop is reported with the intended use of “cover only,” “green manure,” “left standing,” or “seed,” then the acreage must be reported by July 15th.
Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP covered crops is the earlier of the dates listed above or 15 calendar days before grazing or harvesting of the crop begins.
For questions regarding crop certification and crop loss reports, please contact the local County FSA office.
