Minnesota Firearms Safety classes will be held at the Beaver Creek Archery Club in Slayton (1945 Engebretson Ave) on the following dates: March 22, 24, 29, 31 and April 5 and 7, 2022. Class sessions will run from 5:30 – 8:30pm. The field day is scheduled for Saturday, April 9. Attendance at all class sessions and the field day are mandatory for receiving a firearms safety certificate.

Minnesota West Community and Technical College awarded students of $82,000 in scholarships last year. There are a variety of scholarships for new and returning students available through the Minnesota West Foundation and the Minnesota Workforce Development scholarship. Applications are available online and the deadline to apply is Friday, April 15. For more information about MN West Community & Technical College visit www.mnwest. edu or call 800-658-2330.

Are you a beginning farmer or rancher in Minnesota curious about eligibility requirements for a USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loan or a Rural Development (RD) grant? Do you need financing for your current operation or to purchase land to expand? Have you considered the idea of improving the energy efficiency of your grain dryer or other equipment?

The 75th session of American Legion Auxiliary Minnesota Girls State will be held June 12-18, 2022 at Bethel University in St. Paul. Any 2021-2022 High School Junior girl interested in attending is welcome to apply. We have scholarships available.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is encouraging producers to contact their local USDA Service Centers to make or change elections and to enroll for 2022 ARC or PLC, providing future protections against market fluctuations. The election and enrollment period opened on Oct. 18, 2021 and runs through March 15, 2022.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has clarified the definition of a spot market sale and hog eligibility under the Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP), which assists producers who sold hogs through a spot market sale from April 16, 2020, through Sept. 1, 2020. Hog producers will also now be required to submit documentation to support information provided on their SMHPP application. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications through April 29, 2022, which is an extension of the April 15, 2022, deadline previously set for the program.

Nobles Cooperative Electric would like to announce the 2022 Youth Tour Contest Winner. Abigail Bristow, a senior from Worthington High School, has been selected to represent Nobles Cooperative Electric at the 2022 Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., June 14-19. She is the daughter of Robert and Lori of Worthington. She will be representing Nobles Cooperative Electric among 1,900 high school students from cooperatives throughout the country.

Eligible hog producers can apply for SMHPP by April 29, 2022, by completing the FSA- 940, Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program application, along with required supporting documentation. Producers can visit farmers.gov/smhpp for examples of supporting documentation, information on applicant eligibility and more information on how to apply.

Training our children is a great responsibility that we should never take lightly. Parents will one day give account to God on how they raised their children. We can never properly raise them from our easy chair and yell, “For the tenth time now, I have told you to stop doing that!” You will never train them that way. You will just get angry and frustrated, throw your hands in the air and say, “My kid is five years old and I can’t do anything with him.”

Spring arrived on Sunday, March 20th, the calendar beginning of spring. The weather spring will probably arrive about mid-April.