By Diane DeWitte, UMN Extension swine educator Written for submission to The LAND - as September 12, 2025 Swine & U column Memorial Day 2025 was going so well, it was a beautiful day of clear air, high clouds, and the distant hum of field work…. until we got that call that the baling tractor was on fire. Thankfully, someone knew where to find a fire extinguisher, and no one was hurt. The tractor driver had unhooked the baler and driven away from it, and, although the new baling tractor needed work under the hood, everyone was okay, and the operation resumed when a different tractor was hooked up. On Memorial Day Tuesday, new fire extinguishers were placed in every tractor and truck. In fact, even I, a small-town-dwelling civilian, have secured a fire extinguisher for MY truck. Field fires are a fear and a certainty when fall farm work begins, and the reasonably inexpensive insurance of a fire extinguisher on board can mean the difference between an incident and a tragedy. NAT...
A few in-person Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA+) and Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) certification sessions are scheduled for 2025. The sessions include the following dates and locations: Nov. 11 : Mankato, MN - Minnesota Pork Office, 151 Saint Andrews Court, Suite 810PQA+ certification is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon and TQA from 1 to 4 p.m. at all locations unless noted otherwise. If you need to renew your PQA+ or TQA certification and a date listed above does not accommodate your schedule, or if your farm has a large group of employees needing certification, please contact Colleen Carey at the Minnesota Pork Board office at 507-345-8814 or colleen@mnpork.com to schedule an alternative time for training. University of Minnesota Extension provides classes in partnership with the Minnesota Pork Board. PQA+ and TQA certification can be completed online in a self-paced course too. Your UMN Swine Extension Educators Sarah Schieck Boelke and Diane DeWitte can assist you in gaining ...