State Fair!!!

It seems that you're either a "State Fair Person" or not....there are lots of reasons people like the State Fair, and lots of reasons why they don't. You might enjoy all the displays, the rides, the shows, and the people-watching......or you may find it's too much walking, it's usually hot weather, and you can never remember where you parked the car.


This year's State Fair runs from August 22 to September 2.


If you have never experienced it, here are some facts about the Minnesota State Fair:

• It started in 1854 as a Territorial Fair, because (10 points if you already knew this) Minnesota was not a state until 1858.  In 1859 it was officially named the Minnesota State Fair

• It is always held on the 12 days leading up to and after Labor Day. This year's fair will run from August 24 through September 4 (Labor Day)

                       The Giant Slide at the State Fair.

The State Fair employs about 80 fulltime year-round employees. 300 are hired to work as seasonal help and 2500 work at the fair only.

• The Fair is run as 'almost' a separate entity from the State of Minnesota and is run by the State Agricultural Society. The Society represents all 87 county fairs in the state.

• Did you know there is a K-12 Competition (for Kindergarten through Grade 12)? You can enter artwork, sewing, jewelry, or writing projects. There is also a Technology Education division where people enter architectural drawings, photograpy items, welding projects, woodworking, CO-2 cars and solar powered boats.
• New foods this year at the state fair are here: https://www.mnstatefair.org/new-this-year/food/

And of course there are the traditional adult competitions. You can win a ribbon or a prize for excellence in these categories:

• Needlecraft---Quilts and hand stitching
• Garment making
• Handcrafts, including things made from wood or metal, models, and dolls
• Collections, such as stamps or post cards
• Baked goods, like cakes, cookies, pies
• Canning

There will be Celebrity Agri-Lympics with local celebrities trying their skills at:

• Hand-milking cows
• Animal Calling
• Wool Packing
• Butter carving

Visit the Moo Booth for a schedule.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way is selected before the beginning of the fair.(She is rarely actually named Kay). This young lady will come from a background where she has knowledge of the dairy farming industry and will serve as a goodwill ambassador for them during her year's reign.



One of the quirky displays at the fair is the butter sculpture of Princess Kay. She will sit in a refrigerated booth surrounded by glass while the sculptor works (sculptor Linda Christenson has done this for 46 years!!), and visitors can watch the sculpture in progress. It is created from a 90 pound block of butter from a farm in New Ulm. It takes between six and eight hours to complete, and at the end of the fair, the princess can take the butter home with her.


The current Princess Kay (2018), Rebekka Paskewitz, and her butter sculpture:

What are Pinto, Arabian, Draft, Paint, and Appaloosa?


They are types of horses, and you can see them being handled at the State Fair as well. Horse competitions called 'Dressage' take place every year at the Minnesota State Fair.






Here is a list of trivia questions for you: http://www.mnstatefair.org/fun/fair_trivia.html

• And a list of free concerts and other fun stuff: https://patch.com/minnesota/southwestminneapolis/2019-minnesota-state-fair-free-shows-entertainment-announced
• You can catch an Express Bus: Park and hop on a bus to get to and from the Fair, and no parking hassles!!  http://www.mnstatefair.org/general_info/get_here/express_bus.html
• And the State Fair website for more information about what to see, what to do, where to eat, and what entertainment is available at our Great State Get-Together... http://www.mnstatefair.org/

Thank Your Farmer

Consider the role of the farmer in your Thanksgiving dinner:

• Turkey? Farmer.
• Or ham or beef? Farmer.
• Milk? Farmer. Cream for whipped cream? Farmer.
• Corn, Beans, Cranberries, Potatoes, Carrots, Yams, Apples, Pumpkin? Farmer.
• Celery, Onion, Spices? Farmer.
• Cucumbers for pickles? Farmer.
• Bread for stuffing? Farmer.
• Flour, Sugar, Butter, Eggs for pie crust, dinner rolls, or desserts? Farmer.

Have you ever thought about farming or something related as a career?

Farming can be anything from a small family farm to a major conglomerate involving several million-acre locations. If you grew up on a farm, you already know most of what's involved in running the place. You may have participated in 4-H in middle and high school. 4-H students often will raise an animal, such as a calf, lamb, or pig, and present it at the annual State Fair.

So how could more education be helpful?



Think of all the things involved in farming:

Farming crops--          Plant Science
                                    Soil Science and Irrigation:How do we rotate crops to keep nutrients in the soil?
                                    Research
                                    Farm Inspectors
                                    Biology: How can we make a plant less susceptible to disease?
                                    Meteorology: What is the weather projection for the next month or more?
                

                                            Harvesting corn: How many products can you name that have corn in them?

Farming with animals--Animal Maintenance
                                      Biology/Biomedicine
                                      Veterinary Science/Farm related
                                      Dairy Science
                                      Aquafarming--growing fish for food
       

                         
Both crop and animal farms require you to have knowledge of:

                                     Management
                                     Accounting/Budgeting/Math
                                     Machine Repair
                                     General building and maintenance skills
                                     Field Maintenance (fields needed for grazing)
                                     Biomedical Science
                                     Stock Market (what is your product
                                                        selling for-- varies day to day)



There are also careers in Agricultural Law, which deals not only with land and ownership issues, but also with pollution, price fixing, and corporate liabilities--what if an outbreak of food poisoning was traced back to food grown on your farm or by your company?



There is a constant stream of research being done on how to make plants disease-proof and yield more, as well as developing new plants (hybrids) and healthier animals, which includes genetic engineering and statistics.

You might focus on only dairy products (or, only milk); only turkeys, only certain vegetables like corn and soybeans, or products like honey, apples, or plants to be used in landscaping, including sod, trees, shrubs, and garden plants.

                                                                      Turkey Farm

You may want to pursue organic farming--farming done with no pesticides or engineered growth chemicals. These farms tend to be smaller and require a lot more hands-on maintenance.

You may want to work as a county extension agent, who is someone who helps advise and guide farmers.



Last, while farming is a very valuable career, many times farmers find they need a second job to provide a steady income. Their income level varies year to year and is not only dependent on good weather, but also the risk of diseases in plants and animals. The machines they use are very expensive to buy and to maintain. It is very physical, demanding, tiring work, and with animals, it's rare that you can leave them and take a day off. However, most farmers will tell you they find their jobs very rewarding: Working the land and/or with animals, producing food, and enjoying the outdoors, are reasons they love what they do.





Take a few minutes to consider how your Thanksgiving feast arrived at your table and give thanks for those farmers this year.

Check out some turkey growing stats and lots of other stuff about farming in Minnesota, at the University of Minnesota Farm Extension Program: http://news.extension.umn.edu/
                            
                                    

Microblog: Minnesota Companies: Cargill

 

 

Cargill is a Minnesota-based company that produces foods, grains, feeds for animals, and services that relate to agriculture:

• Seeds and grains trading and distribution
• Palm oil
• Foods and beverages
• Food service
• Animal nutrition
• Bio-agricultural industry, including fuels
• Meat and Poultry/food safety
• Energy
• Personal care products
• Transportation
• Pharmaceuticals

Started in 1865 by William W. Cargill, the owner of a grain warehouse in Iowa, today Cargill's headquarters are in Minnesota, but they have offices all over the world in 70 countries: here is a list of them:  https://www.cargill.com/page/worldwide . Cargill has people working with Aquaculture, for healthy fish to eat as well as harvesting fish oil. Canola oil is another product Cargill helps produce. They also educate farmers worldwide to grow the best crops and feed their animals in the best way.

 

Cargill is the producer of Truvia, a naturally based sweetened substitute for sugar. They also produce shortening, corn syrup, sugar, and pectin (used in making jams and jellies).

 

 

Here is their history: https://www.cargill.com/about/cargill-history

 

If you are interested in a career with Cargill, you can look here for current opportunities:

https://www.cargill.com/careers/university-careers They have internships as well as careers for people who are newly-graduated, and those who have some experience in their fields as well.

Here are some careers available with Cargill:

• Engineer
• Computer Technologist
• Data Analyst
• Software engineer
• Land Management
• Accountant
• Biologist
• Nurse
• Lab Assistant
• Food Safety
• Human Resources
• Marketing

Microblog: Careers With Minnesota Companies: Land O Lakes

Land O'Lakes....when we think of that, we think of dairy products.

 

 

• The company is a co-op, which means it is member-owned. It is the 2nd largest co-op in the country. It began in 1921 with representatives from 320 creameries.
• The co-op developed inspection, grading, and certification standards to insure a quality product. Other large dairies brought their standards up to be the same as Land O'Lakes.
• Land O'Lakes produces 12 billion pounds of milk every year.
• The brands Kozy Shack and Alpine Lace are a part of Land O'Lakes as well.
• The name "Land O'Lakes" was given to the company in 1924 as a reflection of Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Lakes.
• Minnesota Headquarters are in Arden Hills, MN, but Land O'Lakes has locations throughout the U.S. and 60 countries worldwide.
• Sales for Land O'Lakes were over $15 billion in 2014.
• Refinement of the Native American maiden logo was done in the 1950s by a member of the Ojibwe Tribe, Patrick DesJarlait.

 

In addition, Land O'Lakes has two 'partners' in business:
--Purina---animal feed, not only for pets but for farm animals as well; and
--Winfield---A business dedicated to growing good crops, including developing seeds and seed coverings. Winfield helps make grass seed for lawns and:

• Grass for golf courses
• Lawn Management
• Sports turf

 --The company acquired a satellite agency, Geosys, in 2013; it uses satellites to view if crops are doing well.

Land O'Lakes also has a commitment to feeding others in the world. Here's an interesting collection of blogs by interns who have worked with Land O'Lakes in an effort to combat world hunger:

 

http://foodchallenge.landolakesinc.com/share-the-experience/

Here are some job titles listed currently available with Land O'Lakes:

• Equipment Tech
• Law Clerk
• Scientist
• Seed Production
• Sales
• Recruiting
• Human Resources
• Data Analyst

Dieticians, cooks, bakers, and quality control people are also employed with Land O'Lakes in their test kitchens. Here's some more info on the test kitchens, and recipes using Land O'Lakes products:
http://www.landolakes.com/TestKitchen/Behind_The_Scenes.aspx

Links to careers with Land O'Lakes and its other divisions here:
http://www.landolakesinc.com/careers/default.aspx