Stop by MDA’s Farmfest Booth for Information on Drought Recovery, Weather Tracking Tools, Mental Health, and More 

St. Paul, MN: Farmfest 2021 attendees should plan to visit the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s exhibit for information and resources on a wide variety of agriculture-related programs and topics. Farmfest is August 3 – 5, 2021, at the Gilfillan Estate near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.                        

Tuesday August 3 – Thursday August 5 - featured programs:

• Zero % Disaster Loan Program – farmers hit hard by the drought may be eligible for the Rural Finance Authority’s Disaster Recovery Loan Program which can be used to help cover lost revenue or expenses not covered by insurance.
• Ag Weather Station Network – find out how you can get real-time weather information and air temperature inversion alerts to your cell phone via the 29 Minnesota weather stations incorporated into the North Dakota Ag Weather Network (NDAWN).
• Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program – learn how you can become certified in this popular water quality program and obtain regulatory certainty for a period of ten years.
• Rural Mental Health Resources – find out about the people and organizations ready to help farmers and their families deal with stress, depression, and suicide.

 Wednesday, August 4 – special appearances:

• 9:30 – 10:30 am – media availability with Ag Commissioner Thom Petersen and Second Harvest Heartland CEO Allison O’Toole to discuss partnering the fight to end hunger in Minnesota through programs such as Farm to Food Shelf.
• 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – COVID-19, drought, low prices, foreclosures? Are you or someone you know dealing with stress or depression? Psychologist Ted Matthews understands issues specific to farm families and will be on hand to visit informally with farmers and other attendees.

The MDA Farmfest Booth is #517S.

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