U of M Central Region Partnership meeting slated

The University of Minnesota's Central Region Partnership's annual meeting will be 1-5 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Central Lakes Agriculture Center, 1830 Airport Drive, Staples.

The annual meeting will feature displays, demonstrations and on-site tours of current partnership-sponsored projects.

Tours of the Living Legacy Garden, the High Tunnel Hoop House and crops and water quality research will be offered. Displays and demonstrations will feature projects in agriculture, tourism and natural resources that are being conducted throughout the eight counties served by the University's Central Region Partnership.

A water testing clinic offered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, will offer an opportunity to test water for nitrates. MDA staff will be on hand to explain the results immediately after testing.

A picnic meal and a short program will feature locally grown foods. The event is free to the public. There will be an opportunity to purchase fresh, locally grown food and other products from the partnership-sponsored farmer's markets that will be set up on site.