30Oct/24
3 students taking a selfie in a farm field

Watershed Internship Program connects undergraduates to a wide array of careers in water resource management

This past summer seven undergraduate students from across the US participated in Watershed Management Research and Outreach Internship Program. The program, which just completed its third year, places undergraduate students with Extension mentors at land-grant institutionsRead More…

27Sep/24
Ag Educators in a pasture

Training helps Ag Educators Make Cents of the Economics of Conservation

n mid-September, agricultural and conservation educators came together for the Reginal Conservation Finance Ag Educator Training in Arlington, Wisconsin. Extension educators and partners from across the Midwest heard from agricultural economic experts about the financial benefits of conservation agriculture and how to tackle tough conversations around these topics. Attendees also got to see first-hand some of the research taking place at the US Dairy Forage Research Farm in nearby Prairie du Sac, and see how one farmer is taking a mob grazing approach to his operation on the shoes of Lake Wisconsin.

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27Sep/24

Extension social science research unpacks diverse water values and perspectives

The process of creating policies and procedures surrounding water and soil management is a bit more complex than one might imagine. Ideas are generated to correct water issues all while wondering about why these problems arise and how these policies affect those in every community. That is what Research and Extension Coordinator, Sarah Roth, looks for in her research as part of her position at the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center (WRC)

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31Jul/24
Climate, Water and Equity Workshop, October 9-11, 2024

Climate, Water, And Equity Workshop Promises to bring together Extension professionals from across the region

The North Central Region Water Network team is excited to announce the upcoming Climate, Water, and Equity Workshop, set to take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from October 9-11, 2024. This in-person workshop will be held directly ahead of the First American Land-Grant Consortium Annual Conference, hosted from October 10-13, 2024, at the same venue.  The event is a collaboration between the Network, The First American Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON), Extension Foundation and partners at Central State University, Lincoln University, University of Minnesota, MU Extension, Nebraska Indian Community College, OSU Extension, and UW-Madison Extension.

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29Jul/24
Farmers and an extension educator standing in a farm field talking

Nebraska Extension Educator Focuses on the Connection between Water Quality and Health

Laura Nagengast grew up on a farm outside Bloomfield, Nebraska, a small farming community with a population of about 1,000 people. Surrounded by corn fields and livestock, as just a young girl Laura developed a strong interest in the environment and conservation practices. Little did she know her early years were so formative they would end up shaping her career. After high school, Laura attended college at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where she studied Anthropology and Women Studies. She then advanced to graduate studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), obtaining a Master’s of Public Health degree. During her time at UNMC, Laura worked as a graduate assistant for the Water, Climate, and Health Program.

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26Jun/24
A man kneeling in front of a well head collecting water

New Kansas State University partnership works to help locals know their water

Over 43 million people nationwide depend on private wells for drinking water. Kansas follows that trend, with more than 151,000 people sourcing drinking water from domestic private wells, according to the Kansas Geological Survey. Most citizens tout their well water as fresher and cleaner than chemically treated water from municipal water systems.

However, thinking your well water tastes better is very different than knowing your water is safe for consumption, according to Stacie Minson, an extension watershed specialist with the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE) at Kansas State University.

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