Agriculture

Five women vie for the asparagus queen crown

June 6, 2025

Photos courtesy of Britani Dostal Photography  HART — One of five candidates will be selected Saturday, June 7, to reign as the 2025 Asparagus Queen. The candidates will meet with the judges panel Saturday, and the 2025 National Asparagus Queen and Runner-up will be announced. The queen and runner-up will be crowned Friday evening, June 13, during a free concert…

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MSU Extension and Farm Bureau host Farm/Home Safety Day 

June 2, 2025

WEARE TOWNSHIP — Mason and Oceana County MSU Extension, in partnership with Farm Bureau, are hosting a Farm/Home Safety Day for children ages 7 and older Thursday, June 26, from 1-5 p.m. at the West Michigan Research Station, at 5185 N. Oceana Dr.   Sponsors for this year’s event include Helena Agrichemical, Matt Williams Farm Bureau Agency, Lane Stotler Farm Bureau…

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MSU Extension offers food preservation class June 10

May 30, 2025

NEW ERA — MSU Extension is offering a free course about the “Basics of Food Preservation” Tuesday, June 10, at 5 p.m. during the first New Era Farmers Market of the 2025 season. “Welcome summer! It’s time again to plan, garden, harvest and preserve our generous bounty of local foods,” states a press release from MSU Extension. “Although it is…

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Asparagus queen candidates pick asparagus during tour

May 27, 2025

WEARE TOWNSHIP — The National Asparagus Festival queen candidates recently toured the West Michigan Research Station, and under the guidance of Justin Adams, the women learned about the local asparagus industry.  The queen candidates had the opportunity to pick asparagus — a process that requires coordination and technique. From a candidate field of 11, the judges narrowed the candidates down…

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11 women compete for asparagus queen crown

April 29, 2025

Candidate field will be narrowed down to five HART — After having no asparagus queen in 2024, the National Asparagus Festival has a group of 11 women competing for this year’s crown. Last year’s asparagus queen competition was canceled ‎due to a lack of interested candidates. This year, there are so many women interested in wearing the crown that the…

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