Tech Talk: Winter Camelina

Winter camelina is a winter hardy brassica that can add diversity to a traditional corn and soybean rotation and has potential as a cash crop. During this session Matt Leavitt (UMN Forever Green) and Anna Teeter (Cargill) discuss the agronomy and marketing of camelina including planting, harvest, herbicides, and markets.

2026 Agroforestry Institute

The 2026 Minnesota Agroforestry Institute is a two and a half day training that includes classroom workshops and on farm visits. It will provide all participants with the opportunity to integrate the concepts learned into a practical farm plan. Learn more about the five Agroforestry practices that benefit Minnesota landowners, windbreaks, silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian forest buffers and forest farming. This training is for SWCD, NRCS and conservation professionals but the public is welcome to attend.

Forest Pest First Detector Training

Minnesota Forest Pest First Detectors are trained to quickly detect, diagnose and report critical invasive pests. This workshop welcomes new volunteers and active detectors who want to help find new invasive species affecting Minnesota’s trees and forests.

The 2026 workshops will focus on emerald ash borer, oak wilt, Phytophthora species, including sudden oak death, jumping worms, elm zigzag sawfly, spotted lanternfly, tree-of-heaven, Amur corktree, round leaf bittersweet, stiltgrass, swallowworts, rowan mountain ash, and porcelain berry.

Tech Talk: Endangered Species Act Pesticide Labels: how and where do conservation professionals fit in?

Neal Kittelson (MDA) presents on the EPA's updated pesticide labels that include new Endangered Species Act protections. Conservation professionals may play a key role in helping agricultural producers navigate compliance. This presentation explores the intersection of pesticide regulation and conservation, highlighting how future and existing land management practices and conservation programs can contribute to meeting ESA mitigation requirements.