Ag agents from across nation visit South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa – make stops at Voss Park, Balzer, Fast Manufacturing
A busload of members of the National Association of County Extension Agents (NACAA) reached out on an agricultural extension of their own to southwestern Minnesota, learning first-hand about a couple of the state’s ag implement manufacturers – that included a stop at Butterfield’s Voss Park on Thursday afternoon, July 16.
The tour was part of the group’s 100th annual meeting and professional improvement conference being held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from Sunday, July 12 through Saturday, July 18.
Approximately 1,200 agents – county, regional and university – along with spouses, attended the week of meetings. Thursday was the designated day for professional improvement tours, the annual meeting attendees dispersed on a variety of tours to South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.
Tour #14, led by Brad Carlson of the University of Minnesota’s Mankato Regional County Extension Office, was the unit of NACAA members that ventured into this part of Minnesota, stopping first at AGCO, an ag equipment manufacturer in Jackson and then ventured on to Voss Park for the noon meal and an informational session on Environmental Tillage Systems of Faribault, featuring the company’s SoilWarrior. The SoilWarrior is a strip-till system whose advertising notes revitalizes the land by boosting soil health, minimizing erosion and reducing input costs by only tilling one-third of the field. It uses precision technology to blend fertilizer used in the zone for optimum plant growth.
This visit ended with the opportunity for the tour group to check out the Butterfield Threshermen’s Association’s collection of steam and gas vintage tractors and other various antique pieces of ag equipment as well as the Chris Kabele collection of big stationary gas engines housed in the Big Engine House.
The meal, sponsored by Environmental Tillage Systems and prepared and served by Butterfield residents, featured a hearty and traditional Minnesota farm family hot dish – tater tot hot dish – along with a lot of “side dishes” – and the introduction of a slice of traditional Norwegian fare – lefse, a flatbread made of leftover potatoes, flour, butter, and milk or cream, and cooked on a griddle.
Following the stop in Butterfield, and en route on their return to Sioux Falls, the group stopped in Mountain Lake to four Balzer, Inc. and then in Windom to take a look at Fast Manufacturing, Inc.
The NACAA is geared toward Extension educators and other professionals who work in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and natural resources, 4-H youth development, community development, administration, aquaculture and Sea Grant and related disciplines.
NACAA members represented at Voss Park hailed from Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Utah, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, New Mexico, Iowa, Nebraska and New York, as well as a student from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota.
Many of the attendees also took advantage of their visit to South Dakota to head out to Rapid City, South Dakota and visits to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial and the Badlands prior to the convocation of the annual meeting.
Below are some photographs of Tour #14’s stop at Voss Park:
