Happy Earth Day! Today, Monday April 22nd, Minnesota Energy Resources is offering all current residential natural gas customers in Worthington FREE Water Conservation Kits. The kits include low-flow showerheads, along with kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators. These items are easy to install so you can begin saving on your home's water heating costs right away.

The free kits can be ordered by visiting www.minnesotaenergyresources.com/waterkits or by calling 1-877-831-...

ST. PAUL, Minn.-- Weather conditions are delaying the onset of corn planting, but wide fluctuations in corn planting progress are not uncommon in Minnesota. By the end of April, about 50 percent or more of Minnesota’s corn acres were planted in 2009, 2010 and 2012, compared to less than 5 percent in 2008 and 2011.

While most growers prefer to get their crops off to an early start, early planting is not a requirement for high yields. In 2008 and 2011, when it was mid-May before half of Minnesota’s corn acres were planted, state-average grain yields ranked third and fifth among Corn...

Blue Mounds State Park, near Luverne in the southwestern corner of Minnesota, has closed its campground through Sunday, April 21, due to ice-storm damage.

Park Manager Craig Beckman said freezing rain and strong winds have taken down numerous trees and branches in the park’s campground. “With more rain, wind and snow predicted, I can only assume that branches will continue to fall,” he said.

No campers were in the park during the storm and no injuries occurred. No camping reservations had to be canceled.

Once it is safe for park staff to enter the campground area,...

Rapid snow melt and potential for flooding pose challenges for manure management among the more than 25,000 livestock farms in Minnesota. Many farmers who spread solid manure during winter must ensure that it doesn’t run off with rapid snowmelt flowing to ditches, streams and other waters. Manure-contaminated runoff not only threatens water quality, it reduces the value of manure as a crop nutrient. If possible, farmers should refrain from spreading manure during periods of rapid melt. Minnesota rules require a 300-foot setback from surface waters and open tile intakes for all manure...