Thought those of you in or near Minnesota might be able to help us out. I work
with the Center for Integrated Natural Resouces and Agricultural Management at
the University of Minnesota. As part of a project to determine research and
education needs for integrated land use*, we would like to talk with Minnesota
farmers and those who work closely with farmers (tree planters, agency
personnel, crop consultants, etc.).
We thought that some of you might know farmers (or those that work closely with
farmers) that we could potentially talk with. (We also thought that some of you
might be farmers that would be willing to talk with us.) We hope to talk to a
broad range of people in terms of geographic location in Minnesota, how they
farm, the size of their farm, full-time/part-time farmers, etc. We would
certainly like to talk with some people whose farms include things that fit into
the integrated management concept, for example farms that have: riparian buffer
strips, wooded or grassland areas that are purposefully kept for wildlife or
hunting, woody agriculture/agroforestry plantings such as hazels or hybrid
poplar, rotational grazing, windbreaks, etc. We would also like to talk with
people whose farms don't include these practices.
If you have suggestions of people we might be able to talk with, please contact
me through email at joann001@maroon.tc.umn.edu or by phone at 612/624-4299. We
will need 1 to 2 hours of the farmerŐs time. We will travel to where they would
like to meet, and can be very flexible to accommodate their schedules. (We
realize that planting season is almost here and we want to be sensitive to the
other demands on farmer's time.)
Additionally, if any of you are aware of other projects that are collecting this
type of information in Minnesota or elsewhere, we would like to hear about it.
Thanks for your help.
Jan Joannides
* [By integrated land use we mean the combination of land management practices
across a watershed or landscape that combines agricultural management, natural
resource management, and ecomomic and community development to obtain multiple
benefits (economic, environmental and societal benefits to individuals and
communities).]
Jan Joannides
Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Agricultural Management
University of Minnesota
612/624-4299