News

Today, we are advocating for Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) funding of $12.9+ million from the 2024 Minnesota State Legislature for a number of upgrades throughout a number of ROCs and field stations. These upgrades include a variety of HVAC, plumbing, roofing, lighting, septic system, and electrical infrastructure projects — and more — along with safety and ADA improvements.

Join us in congratulating Andy David, current Director of Operations for the Cloquet Forestry Center and Hubachek Wilderness Research Center, on his upcoming retirement. Read more to find out what Andy is looking forward to in his retirement, and the things he will miss most from his time with the U of M.

Winter rye (Secale cereale L.), also known as cereal rye, is the most winter hardy and drought tolerant of all small grains. Winter rye performs best in sandy loam, well-drained soils compared to fine textured soils with poor internal drainage. Soil pH for optimum growth ranges from 5.6 to 7.0 but rye can tolerated pH as low as 4.5 and as high as 8. Expect winter rye to be more productive than other small grains on infertile, sandy soils. Winter rye will continue to grow until late fall, overwinter, and resume growth quickly in the early spring.

Annual flower trials are hosted at the North Central Research and Outreach Center. This research is an extension of the flower trials occurring at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, MN. Companies such as All-America Selections, Proven Winners, Syngenta, and many others trial their flower varieties here at the NCROC in the field, in hanging baskets, and containers. During flower evaluations we grade the plants based on criteria such as color, uniformity, uniqueness, plant health, hardiness in zone 3, and insect/disease resistance.

2022 Top 10 Annual Flowers

Professor Jim Luby provides insight on the best apples for north central Minnesota based on his over 20 years of experience with apple trials at the CFANS North Central Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids MN.

Andrew David, Associate Professor - Department of Forest Resources, takes you through a virtual tour of the NCROC bog.

NCROC was recently featured in a recent article on preparing native plants in the Grand Rapids Herald Review.

Each year the University of Minnesota North Central Research and Outreach Center’s horticulture program hosts annual flower trials and rates the top 10 flowers. These trials are an evaluation of specific flower varieties and how well they perform in a field environment, a hanging basket and/or a container. We grade each ornamental variety for such criteria as color, uniformity, uniqueness, how floriferous they are and insect/disease resistance.