Through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will cover up to 75% of organic certification costs at a maximum of $750 per certification category. FSA is now accepting applications, and organic producers and handlers should apply for OCCSP by the Oct. 31, 2024, deadline for eligible expenses incurred from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024. FSA will issue payments as applications are received and approved.

Day one of sections took place this past Wednesday in Worthington at Great Life Golf and Fitness. On the boys side, 10 teams participated in the first round of play. For the girls, only 5 teams participated as well as a small group of individuals. In the 3A meet the top four teams and top twenty-five percent of remaining individuals qualify for the second and final day of the tournament. The Rebels set a goal to advance on to day two for both teams. The girls were able to advance on as a team, but the boys team came up just six strokes short.

The MCC Rebels Track and Field program hosted the 2024 3A South SubSection Track and Field meet on Thursday, May 23rd. Teams participating included; Luverne, Pipestone, Hills-Beaver Creek, SWC-Edgerton, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, Russell-Tyler-Ruthon, Adrian-Ellsworth, and Murray County Central. The top four finishers in every event would automatically advance to the section meet along with the next four best performances from the three subsections.

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Media Contact: Kim Hause, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Murray County, hausek@umn.edu, ph: (507)836-1144. Murray County 4-H will host nine sessions on summer programming that will suit a wide variety of interests! The first day camp will be held on June 6 from 9 a.m.

The Murray County Central Rebel Softball season came to an end on Thursday in the Section 3A playoffs. The Rebels played in Edgerton against the BOLD Warriors in the opening round of the tournament. The Rebels won nine of their first ten games this season, but struggled over the final two weeks, losing seven of their last eight games by two runs or less. Thursday, the Rebels played another thrilling game that came down to the final batter of the game, but the Rebels would lose 5 to 4.

The Murray County Foundation, best known for scholarship programs, is also supporting music and the arts at MCCHS. The Foundation recently awarded a $16,000 grant for the school to procure band instruments and make improvements to the sound system in the school auditorium. Band Director, Mike Helgeson, has assessed that the baritone instruments, in particular, are in need of replacement. Isaac Harms, faculty member responsible for the Fall Play and One Act Play competition, reports that the planned sound system improvements will benefit both the student performers and the community at large. The auditorium is used for a variety of public meetings and performances. Doug Pierson, a community volunteer, has offered to help the school administration review the existing sound system and to recommend technology that is more current.

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For many, Memorial Day is about honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. But for Matthew Prairie, who gave the Memorial Day Address in Balaton on Monday, it’s about much more than that.