May is always a busy month for the city of Bottineau, and it is no different for
the Horticulture Department at Dakota College. Not only are they getting ready for graduation,
they are also finishing the semester, getting ready for their annual plant sale, hiring for summer
workers, and managing the Greenhouse and campus high tunnels and gardens. This last semester
was one for the history books. There was a record number of “snow days” where classes had to
be cancelled due to the weather. There was also a damaging storm that swept through the state in
April and damaged all of the high tunnels on campus as well as some trees. The horticulture
program had 2 graduates while the Ag program had 7.

For the Agriculture program, it was their second year of doing 12 week classes. These classes
were made to be 12 weeks so that students could start internships early due to the fact that
“many Ag jobs want people to start in the early spring {and} many students have taken
advantage of this” states Linda Burbidge, Agriculture Instructor and Advisor at Dakota College.
For the Horticulture program, it was a very busy semester as they were preparing for the campus
gardens, city planters and the annual plant sale. The Greenhouse Manager position has become
vacant so the practicum students became involved in seeding and propagating plants. According
to Keith Knudson, head of the Horticulture Department, “it gives them the knowledge and skills
they will need when they begin their careers.”

With every school year comes new challenges. For the Ag program the weather was a big
challenge. Not only did students miss class time, but they also had a hard time trying to find a
good day to fly drones and they sometimes had to schedule time outside of their normal classes.
For the Horticulture program, their biggest challenge was and still is filling key positions. The
Greenhouse Manager position is not presently filled and this position is vital in the program
because this individual works directly with students to assist in developing necessary skills for
their future careers. Hopefully next year will bring some brighter days for the students, staff and
faculty. A new year brings new students. With some students returning, they will be able to talk
about their experiences at DCB and encourage juniors and seniors at surrounding high schools to
consider Dakota College for their higher education experience.

While students may be away for the summer, Dakota College is still busy getting ready for the
next school year. The Greenhouse will be busy planting plants around campus and providing
planters for the City of Bottineau. Hemp trials will also be taking place on Dakota College’s
campus. Linda will be working on developing materials for her new World Food Crops lab. She
is also attending a conference in Salt lake City that will provide information and guidance on
expanding and developing more curriculum for her drone courses.

Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

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With a new building on campus, comes landscaping ideas as well. In the summer of 2021, Dakota College of Bottineau started a new project on campus of building a new dining center for their students. This would open up a new area for students to eat, study and reminisce with each other. The design of the project also gave the dining center a cement patio area for students as well as a lawn area that wasn’t available previously. The horticulture department took this task and made this a project for the practicum students to tackle. According to the blueprints, the students had roughly 236 square feet to work with. Three students put their minds together and created a beautiful plan for this area. Eric Hildebrand, Dustin Gilseth, and Jessica McInnes started working on this project at the beginning of April and had presented their project ideas to Dr. Migler, Christopher Nero, director of physical plant services, and Keith Knudson, Head of Horticulture Department on May 2nd. “This will be one of the most visible landscaping projects on campus, as it will be seen by everyone who is using the dining center” states Dr. Migler, dean of Dakota College at Bottineau.

The students decided to make their designs a continuation of the pollinator garden that is already established on campus, which also happens to be in that area as well. This will also create a “no spray no mow” area. Because this is a continuation of the pollinator garden, the plants are deer and rabbit resistant and are specific for bees, birds, and other pollinators. According to Jessica McInnes, the students wanted to “have a cohesive theme by incorporating plants that already exist at other locations on campus {and} with the certified pollinator garden being the closest existing flowerbed it was a no-brainer.” This will also require little maintenance and “serve as a barrier between the areas of campus that are sprayed with chemicals and heavily mown” states Jess. Dr. Migler, Chris and Keith were all delighted that the students took it upon themselves to incorporate their project with the existing pollinator garden on campus.

There are going to be a plethora of plants associated with this project. Each student was asked what plant(s) they were most excited for. “I’m a huge fan of the prairie grasses we chose to implement in the design. Karl Foerster and Prairie Dropseed to be specific. The height and movement of these grasses seem to bring the design alive and give it that final touch we all seem to seek,” states Dustin. Eric is most excited about the Arctic Fire Dogwoods. According to him, “it is a perennial shrub that has four season appeal.” The Micro Clover Lawn is what Jess is most excited about. This lawn will bring important nutrients back to the soil and it will have an inviting green space for individuals to enjoy.

Some might ask how this project will benefit the school and future students. According to Chris Nero, Physical Plant Director, “a beautiful, landscaped area improves the quality of life for our students and it’s great for future students trying to decide where they may go to school.” Not only will it be a visually appealing area for students, it is also an area to showcase the horticulture department on campus. This project goes to show that the classes the students are required to take help tremendously with real-world tasks that they may face in their career plan. “All of our classes are meant to prepare students for real life situations, and when the landscape project was brought up, I immediately wanted to incorporate it into their studies” states Keith Knudson, Head of Horticulture Department. All three students stated that their professors and classes did a phenomenal job in preparing them for this project.

This is just the start of landscaping projects for the Horticulture Department. According to Dr. Migler, there are going to be similar projects in the future. Once renovations have been completed “there will be a need to develop a landscape plan for Old Main and also the new CTE Center in Minot,” states Dr. Migler. These projects are a great learning exercise and gives the students “something to be proud of” according to Chris. While the Jess, Dustin and Eric will not be here when the renovations are completed for Old Main and the new CTE Center, they certainly have something to be proud of for many years to come. “For the future, I have learned to take a step back and look at whatever I’m working on through a bigger lens. Everybody sees certain things differently, so when working on a project like this it can be hard to focus on the little details that you may not notice at first glance” according to Dustin.

A placard is being made with the students name and picture to be put up in that area to recognize them and all of their time and effort they have put in to make this design come to life.

Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

Not many individuals would think that the Horticulture Department at Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) would hold a fish fry every semester. On May 3rd, the horticulture practicum students were busy harvesting Tilapia. The Tilapia came from the aquaponics greenhouse that is located on campus. According to Keith Knudson, Department Chair, and Instructor for the Horticulture Department, stated that “Tilapia are preferred for aquaponics systems because they are very tolerant to water quality and water temperature, which is ideal when teaching students how to properly care for aquaponics systems.” These fish are also very food tolerant, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on expensive fish food.

While the students started harvesting the Tilapia on Tuesday, the process actually started on Sunday, May 1st, when Jess McInnes, horticulture student, transferred the fish to a clean purge tank where they stayed for two days. “Doing this essentially allows the fish’s system to flush out before harvesting to make sure the filets taste clean and fresh,” said Jess. On Tuesday, Jess got the assembly line ready by transferring the fish to an ice bath to “shock” their system. The fish stayed in the ice bath for about an hour until the harvesting started.

The students harvested 57 Tilapia which produced about twelve pounds of filets! On Wednesday, the fish fry was held outside the Greenhouse, by the parking lot for students, faculty, and staff to enjoy. A table was set up to include the filets, ingredients for fish tacos, vegetables, freshly squeezed lemonade and a cheesecake for dessert.

Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

In late 2020, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians approached DCB with a proposal to work together regarding NRCS practices. Keith Knudson, Horticulture Department Chair, Sheldon Thomas, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians grant project manager and Zoee St. Claire, Food Sovereignty Program Coordinator met multiple times throughout the end of 2020 until April 2021 to discuss what practices could be covered and field days for participants to gain some knowledge. The participants included tribal farmers and other tribal members who are interested in NRCS practices.

In May 2021, DCB demonstrated soil sampling on two field locations. These samples were submitted to a lab for results and once the results came back, Keith gave Zoee recommendations on how to meet the nutrient needs of these locations. In July 2021, DCB held a field day for the participants regarding different practices such as raising vegetables in open fields and high tunnels, different types of irrigation and water issues, different types of mulches, cover crop practices, food safety practices and how to cover a high tunnel.

This year, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians has a few field days in mind that they want to do with DCB. These will take place at two separate locations and one will be based on sustainable practices and the second will be a community-based garden which would include high tunnels. Both of these locations would be educationally based and be available for all tribal members! During these field days, the study will be based on hemp production and growth. There will be 3 separate studies; one based on CBD, one based on carbon sequestering and one on commercial-based hemp fiber. With the help of Keith Knudson, who has been participating in hemp trials for the past two years, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians will get firsthand knowledge of hemp production & practices, issues that can arise, and solutions on how to fix said issues. In these field days, DCB will discuss fertilizer rates, weed protection, hemp transplanting methods, hemp cannabinoid cultivars and their resistance to pests, flowering periods, plant structure, THC testing, flower maturity, plant morphology, harvesting methods, cannabinoid levels, CO2 extraction and the decarboxylation process. These are practices that Keith has been working on at his own farm as well as on DCB campus.

“I really think this collaboration has been a huge help! I really like working with Keith and Apryl. They have been amazing answering any questions we come up with.” Apryl Mawby, Specialty Crop Technician for Dakota College, will be working closely with Zoee in the upcoming months regarding planting practices, preparing soil and pest management. “A lot of people on the reservation have not heard of other alternative ways to grow, they only know to put a seed into the ground, water it and that’s it. This partnership can help bridge that lack of knowledge” states Zoee. Apryl will also be helping Zoee with growing natural medicines such as cedar, tobacco, sweetgrass and sage which will be planted in a garden inside a geodome that
the tribe has purchased. According to Keith, “I’m really excited to be working with Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. This is a great time to collaborate with each other and to give the tribal members more resources that they may not have had access to before.”

​Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

Dakota College at Bottineau is always extremely busy during this time of the year from wrapping up the semester, to finals, to graduation. The DCB Greenhouse is also busy getting plants ready for this spring. These will be used for landscaping around the campus, City of Bottineau planters, plant sales and harvesting vegetables later in the summer and fall months. In March, the DCB Greenhouse Manager position opened up so there have been a lot more tasks that need to be completed by other individuals. The practicum students have stepped up to help stay on top of things and a work study student has also been helping out as well. According to one of the practicum students, Jess McInnes, “not having Apryl’s knowledge and guidance on a daily basis has been tough, but we have a really great and hardworking team of students and workers to manage things.” Some of the tasks that the practicum students have taken on include seeding, transplanting, managing the aquaponics system, editing the collection of houseplants and cleaning. Another practicum student, Eric Hildebrand, has started learning more specific skills such as understanding the requirements for specific plants and how they can vary in what they need during the seeding and transplanting process. With the Greenhouse Manager position being vacant, the students have had to take the initiative to problem solve and manage their time and learning. By doing this, they are also getting some real-world experience that will be helpful with their future career paths. The students are learning from trial and error which, according to Jess, is one of the best ways to learn and gain experience.

The next big project that the students are going to take on include landscaping by the new dining center on campus. While the weather has not been in their favor, they have been doing a lot inside which include maintaining a thorough seeding and transplanting schedule for landscaping, vegetable gardens and retail purposes. They have started downsizing the mature plant collection and propagating new plants. Overgrown plants have been cleared out to make room for the new plants. In the aquaponics greenhouse, spring cleaning has taken place as well to make room for a new crop of watermelons, peppers, cucumbers, and strawberries.

Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 
​

In 2018, Dakota College at Bottineau received the Farmers Market Promotional Program Grant. The purpose of this grant was to increase the capacity of North Dakota Farmers Markets. There was a challenge, however. It was found that North Dakota’s rural volunteer-run farmers markets lack the time, resources, and training to effectively meet increased consumer demand. One of the objectives of this grant was to provide a Farmers Market Marketing Workshop to incorporate the findings of the marketing needs assessment and learnings from the project. This workshop would also provide advanced marketing strategies for farmers market managers.

This workshop was held on March 15th, 2022 via Zoom. Dakota College’s, Quinn Renfandt, partnered with the Dakota Resource Council to put the workshop together and to get the word out. Not only was the workshop held via Zoom, it was also published in 145 different media publications between March 16th and March 22nd. Thanks to the work of Quinn Renfandt and Dakota Resource Council, the information in this workshop reached approximately 1.1 million people!

The workshop called upon the community leaders to come together and learn how they may have a role within the Farmers Markets around North Dakota. New approached to strengthen the community development function of Farmers Markets and equipping stakeholders with a course of action for the future was introduced. Two keynote speakers had some great information for the participants. Dr. Becca Jablonski, assistant professor and food systems economist, focuses on understanding processes of rural and regional development with an emphasis on identifying strategies to support entrepreneurship, improve agribusiness performance and enhance regional food systems. During the workshop she talked about her personal research in local food system economics. Simone Wai, community builder and co-founder of Folkways, uses immersive experiences to solve problems in the community like workforce retention, economic vitality, and communal belonging. During the workshop, Simone talked about the Red River Market in Fargo and the impact it has on the local economy. There was also an open mic panel where Jonathan Moser, a local vendor in Bismarck, talked about the needs of vendors for a more diverse leadership team for running farmers Markets.

According to Quinn, “by showing how the farmers market is part of a larger regional food system, then bringing to light a real world example right here in our region and bringing it full circle with a vendors perspective calling leaders to action, the workshop brought forth the potential of North Dakota Farmers Markets.”

Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

 Dakota College at Bottineau was awarded $37,553 from the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission. This grant's purpose is to "provide necessary assistance to the research and marketing needs of the state by developing new uses for agricultural products, byproducts, and by seeking more efficient systems for processing and marketing agricultural products and byproducts..." This grant ran from June 2020 until November 2021. During this time, hemp trials were conducted in two different environments; Bottineau, ND and Absaraka, ND that include high tunnels and open fields. There are more than 25,000 uses for hemp and will have an increase in demand for producers to keep up with consumer demand. The research will be used to provide growers with information about production in different growing conditions and compare viability of clones as a propagation method. 

Twelve CBD cultivars were used in the trials including Grizzlies, Cherry Wine 2, UPMxASP02, ASB, UMP, Meritage, Abacus, Space Force, Mauna Kea 3, Harley, and Cherry Wine. These cultivars were propagated through clones and some were propagated by seed to compare viability between the two techniques. Characteristics related to growth and production were monitored and measured during the growing cycle. Plant nutrient management included soils testing, application of nutrients, cannabinoid testing to record CBD:THC ratio and all seedlings and clones were inspected for uniformity and overall health. Some complications did occur during the trials, however. The Bottineau location experienced a damaging frost on September 9, 2020 which stopped CBD production in all cultivars, which were in the early stages of flowering. The trial was run again in 2021 and the potency testing was performed by Adams Independent Testing which is based out of Fargo, ND. Some cultivars were also unavailable in 2021 as there is a lot of turnover with seed suppliers in the hemp industry. One provider had gone out of business and the second provider no longer had the same cultivars.

​The research found out that the flowering dates were significantly different in the two locations. In Absaraka, ND the flowering date occurred on August 4th while the flowering date for Bottineau, ND was September 6th. Several cultivars proved to have higher CBD percentages and the THC levels were approximately 0.3 %. The top three cultivars were Space Force, Cherry Wine 2 and Meritage which all had a CBD concentration above 9%. It was also found that biomass is a key factor as it has the highest cannabinoid concentration. Other conclusions from the hemp trials showed that cultivars performed differently between the two geographical locations. Cultivars propagated from seed grew taller and there was more variability. The highest CBD levels were found 5-6 weeks after flowering was initiated. According to Keith Knudson, who was the project director of this grant stated, “the industrial hemp industry shows instability of seed providers as more providers are leaving as profitability declines. A few seed producers are investing in genetics to reduce variabilities in production of plant material and
potency.”

DCB will run trials again in 2022 to continue identifying stable cultivars. "High performance" cultivars have been cloned and selected from these trials to be used again in the trials next year. 

​Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

 Dakota College at Bottineau has a beautiful campus and there are many individuals who assist with the landscaping. On March 24th, a group of volunteers from the Bottineau area came into the Greenhouse to assist in transferring plugs from their trays to single cells. Plugs are known as young plants that are grown in large quantities that started from a small seed or cutting. These plugs were ordered from Mast Young Plants who are located in Michigan. Some of these plants include Canna Cannova Yellow, Ipomoea marguerite, Ipomoea Blackie, Ipomoea Sidekick Heart Bronze, Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Italian Oregano, Spike Dracaena Indivisa, Bosa Nova Night Fever Papaya, Juncus Effusus Spiralis and Vinca High Color. These flowers are planted around the Dakota College campus and throughout Bottineau in the big city planters. Not only did these volunteers transfer the plants to the single cells but they also assisted in potting soil and labeling the plants. 

The volunteers are Joan Mortenson (not pictured), Tim Davis, Lynn Nero, Bobbi Aus, Donna Porter and Cathleen Grosz (not pictured). This group of individuals have been friends for a long time and have been volunteering at the Greenhouse for about 10 years according to Tim. They started volunteering when Diane Beckman was in charge of the Greenhouse. They helped establish the pollinator garden that is located on the Dakota College campus! Every year there are different projects that these individuals work on such as seeding, transplanting, or assisting in planting flowers throughout Bottineau. Volunteering every year at the Greenhouse has become a tradition between this local group of friends. "We like to do things that get us out of the house and we all enjoy the gardening aspect" says Tim. 

One of the best memories that stands out to Tim is when the group was able to use one of the high tunnels on campus. They were able to do their own planting while also assisting the college in whatever projects they had going on at the time. "We always have a lot of fun. We realize that we are providing a service to the college and always find ways to incorporate games or challenges" says Tim. Not only do they volunteer at the Greenhouse but they also volunteer at the Museum, Family Crisis Center, Bottineau Food Pantry and they also assist in making Braille Books! After volunteering at the Greenhouse, the group will head over to Pride Dairy or Marie's to enjoy coffee, a meal and each other's company. 

​Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant 

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has certified Dakota College at Bottineau Campus as a New Wildlife Habitat Garden! “Every Certified Wildlife Habitat garden provides natural sources of food, water, cover, places to raise young, and is maintained in a sustainable way that incorporates native plants, conserves water and doesn’t rely on pesticides” (Ordonez-Lancet).

The horticulture team at Dakota College is mindful of how the plants used for campus landscaping may also be used by wildlife. The flowers grown during the warm months provide nectar and pollen to native bees, butterflies, and other pollinator insects. There’s even a certified pollinator garden, planted primarily with native prairie plants, on the west side of the Knudson Center that is buzzing with life during the growing season. The pollinator garden contains the sole habitat and food source of monarch caterpillars, milkweed. Campus flower beds are mulched using wood chips from trees that needed to be removed. This mulch decays in place and provides rich ecosystems that help plant and insect life thrive. The insects provide a food source to birds. Even into the cold months, vegetative material is left intact until as late into the fall or following spring as possible. This enables insects to overwinter in the hollow stems of plants and leaf debris which provide rabbits, squirrels, and birds the opportunity to forage for seed heads and dried foliage through the cold months.

The mature trees in the arboretum are not only a beautiful place to take a walk on campus, but also provides a great habitat for deer, rabbits, squirrels, and other small creatures. Foliage, twigs, berries, pinecones, and acorns are great food sources for these animals. Dense areas of brush and downed trees not only provide cover, but also provide protected areas for wildlife to raise their young.

Dakota College is lucky enough to have Oak Creek running along the east side of campus. Northern Pike and other species of fish inhabit the creek. Though the creek is not always flowing with water during times of drought, pools provide drinking water for wildlife and habitat for frogs and minnows.

“Every Certified Wildlife Habitat garden is also part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, a national effort to create a million gardens that provide habitat for declining pollinator insects such as butterflies and bees” (Ordonez-Lancet). For more information on this program, please visit https://www.nwf.org/certify

Breanna Blue, ECH Administrative Assistant