Not all training takes place in a classroom. We’ve put together a searchable library of recorded modules, webinars, videos and other resources to help our staff and partners find professional development information on a variety of topics.

Online Learning
This table displays Online Learning opportunities and details.
Training calendar
Title Subject Skill Format Description Source
Blowing Snow Control Tools Practice Specific Reference Material

University of Minnesota resources for design of Living Snow Fences.  This site includes a design tool, a video on how to run the design tool…

UMN Extension

Forest Management Guidelines Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Forestry Basics and Practices Reference Material

This document outlines the best management practices to be used to protect natural resources on all forest land in Minnesota.

Minnesota Forest Resources Council

Small Grains Crops Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

This website provides information on crop and variety selection, growing, harvest and storage, planting and pest management for small grains in…

U of M Extension

Sugarbeets Crops Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

This website provides information on  growing sugarbeets and pest management for sugarbeets Minnesota.

U of M Extension

Forages Crops Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

This website provides information on variety selection, growing, harvest and storage, planting and pest management for forages in Minnesota.

U of M Extension

Forest Pests and Disease Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Pest Management Reference Material

This Minnesota DNR website has links to forest pests and disease descriptions, identification and management options. 

MN DNR

Grazing Systems Planning Guide Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Managed Grazing Systems Reference Material

(Time: will vary)  This guide discusses the components of a grazing system by taking you through the grazing management planning process…

University of Minnesota

EFH2 Software Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Hydrology Reference Material

Website to download NRCS Technical Tools.

The EFH-2 software implements the procedures described in the NEH 650 - Engineering…

NRCS

Field Indicators of Hydric Soil Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Wetland ID & Ecology Basics Reference Material

This is a powerpoint presentation developed with the Wetland Science Institute, containing 65 slides covering the general concepts used for…

NRCS

Forage Management Resources Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Managed Grazing Systems Reference Material

(Time: will vary) This website provides research and other resources related to forage selection, planting, pest management, harvest and…

University of Minnesota, Extension

MN EFH2 supporting files Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Hydrology Reference Material

Link to NRCS MN Engineering Hydrology and Hydraulics page to find and download Minnesota specific files for the EFH2 software.

(Online…

NRCS

Hydric Soil Overview Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Wetland ID & Ecology Basics Reference Material

This is a powerpoint presentation developed by Michael Whited of the NRCS Wetland Science Institute, containing 18 slides explaining the…

NRCS

Redoximorphic feature Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Wetland ID & Ecology Basics Reference Material

This is a powerpoint presentation developed by Michael Whited of the NRCS Wetland Science Institute, containing 33 slides. The objectives of…

NRCS

Forest Pests and Diseases Advanced Tech Skills (Matrix) Forest Ecology and Management Reference Material

This University of Minnesota website has links to forest pests and disease descriptions, identification and management options.

UMN

Using Soil Taxonomy to Identify Hydric Soils Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Wetland ID & Ecology Basics Reference Material

This is a powerpoint presentation with 59 slides describing the hierarchical nature of soil classification and how a particular soil’s…

NRCS

CORE 4 Pest Management Technical References and Training Materials Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Pest Management Reference Material

(Time: will vary)  Basic overview of pest management principles.  Materials concentrate on assessing environmental risks of pest…

NRCS

CORE 4 Pest Management Technical References and Training Materials Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

Basic overview of pest management principles.  Materials concentrate on assessing environmental risks of pest management alternatives.

NRCS, June 1999

University of Minnesota Extension: Beef Extension Livestock Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

This site provides access to publications and other resources related to beef production in Minnesota including cow/calf management, feedlot…

U of M Extension

Breeds of Livestock Livestock Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

This site provides a comprehensive inventory of the various domestic breeds of livestock including cattle, goats, horses, sheep, swine, poultry…

Oklahoma State University, Department of Animal Science

NPC Silviculture Strategies for Forest Stand Prescriptions Advanced Tech Skills (Matrix) Forest Ecology and Management Reference Material

The Division of Forestry has developed silviculture strategies to inform sustainable forest management in Minnesota. These documents include…

DNR

Proficiency Exam - Conservation Economics Conservation Planning Reference Material

This proficiency exam verifies competency to satisfy the conservation planner designation requirement of the Economics of Conservation Planning…

TTCP

Body Condition Scoring Beef Cows Livestock Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

This document provides guidance on how to determine a body condition score (BCS) for beef cows.  Body condition scores are excellent…

Virginia Cooperative Extension

Quick Reference Links- CAD Advanced Tech Skills (Matrix) CAD Reference Material

This link takes you to the MN NRCS engineering page, under Resources and CAD.  This page contains over 100 quick reference guides (pdf)…

NRCS

Census of Agriculture Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

County specific data (examples include acres and sales by crop type, number and sales by livestock type and types of operators and operations) can…

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

Managing Cover Crops Profitably Practice Specific Reference Material

Managing Cover Crops Profitably, Third Edition, was published in 2007 by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)…

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

Quick Reference link - Surveying Advanced Tech Skills (Matrix) Surveying Reference Material

Time: will vary;   This link takes you to the MN NRCS engineering page, under Resources and CAD.  This page contains 7 quick…

NRCS

CropScape Crops Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

Layer developed by USDA NASS in cooperation with NASA.  Map showing crop history of areas going back to 1997.  Also evaluation of how…

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

Soil Data Viewer 6.2 User Guide Core Competency (Matrix) Soils and Soil Survey Basics Reference Material

A 57 page pdf with complete instructions on how to use Soil Data Viewer, standalone or as an add-in to ArcMap

NRCS

Sustainable Crop Rotations with Cover Crops Practice Specific Reference Material

Cover crops offer many benefits for agriculture that include erosion control; reduced compaction and nutrient leaching; increased water…

Ohio State University

VegScape Vegetation Ag & Agronomy Reference Material

Layer developed by USDA NASS in cooperation with NASA.  Map showing crop condition monitoring system. Integrates soil moisture, temperature,…

Fields to Streams: Managing Water in a Rural Landscape - Part One Core Competency (Matrix) Water Quality Basics Reference Material

This document is designed to assist rural landowners, land managers, and conservation professionals in protecting rural streams. The emphasis is…

Univ. of MN Extension, 2015

Fields to Streams: Managing Water in a Rural Landscape – Part Two Core Competency (Matrix) Water Quality Basics Reference Material

This document is designed to assist rural landowners, land managers, and conservation professionals in protecting rural streams. The emphasis is…

Univ. of MN Extension, 2016

Soils Training Resources Soil Reference Material

This is a collection of video, webinar, and presentation training resources related to soils: mapping, classification, interpretations, GIS data,…

NRCS

Soil Health & Sustainability for Field Staff Training Resources Soil Soil Health and Management Reference Material

A compilation of recorded webinars and other resources provided as part of the Soil Health and Sustainability for Field Staff training in 2019.…

TTCP

Pollinators, Monarchs and Beneficial Insects Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Native Vegetation, Habitats and Pollinators Reference Material

This website has multiple references for conservation planning for pollinators, monarch and beneficial insects.

NRCS

Training Module 1: BWSR Estimator 101 BWSR Estimators Reference Material
Corn Pest Management Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Pest Management Reference Material

This website provides information on insects, diseases and nematodes affecting corn.

U of M Extension

Training Module 2: What Practices does the BWSR Estimator address? BWSR Estimators Reference Material
Forage Pest Management Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Pest Management Reference Material

This website provides information on alfalfa diseases and insects. 

U of M Extension

MN NRCS Soil Health Training Resources Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Soil Health and Management Reference Material

(Time will vary) This is a set of 30+ soil health related training resources that is maintained by MN NRCS.

NRCS

Small Grain Pest Management Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Pest Management Reference Material

This website provides information about diseases and insects common to Minnesota small grain crops.

U of M Extension

EFT Reference Materials Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Practice Specific Reference Material

These documents support EFT Terrace and Waterway design tools (TDT and WDT).  They include workflows to prepare data for import into EFT and…

TTCP

Nutrient Management Module 2: Planning for Sensitive Features Nutrient Management Practice Specific Reference Material

This self-paced material regarding sensitive features for nutrient management planning includes:

  • What are the resource concerns?…

TTCP

Soybean Pest Management Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Pest Management Reference Material

This website provides information on insects and diseases affecting soybean.

U of M Extension

Cover Crop Strategies Podcasts Practice Specific Podcast

Cover Crop Strategies offers a series of Podcasts related to Cover Crops and Soil Health.  Topics include Cover Crop Management Tips,…

Cover Crop Strategies

Accounting for Human Remains and Burials reformatted.ppt Cultural Resources Online Course

This online training course will help you identify and help you understand how to respond to finding human remains and burials.

NRCS

Introduction to Agronomy Tech Note #31 Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Vegetation – Species, Seeding and Seed Mixes Online Course

Agronomy Technical Note #31 (ATN31) is used as a guide for the establishment of native and introduced plantings of herbaceous vegetation for the…

TTCP

Introduction to Conservation Forestry Planning Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Forestry Basics and Practices Online Course

Time will vary (8 modules, 178 slides); This training focuses on procedures, tools and processes used by conservation planners to deliver…

NRCS

Seed and Seeding Methods Basic Tech Skills (Matrix) Vegetation – Species, Seeding and Seed Mixes Online Course

This course is the second module in the ATN 31 series, and it describes the different methods for seedbed preparation and seeding and covers…

TTCP

Nitrogen Smart Practice Specific Online Course

(Time: minimum 2 hours) An interactive training program for producers that presents the fundamentals for maximizing economic return on nitrogen…

University of Minnesota Extension