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Loftness Adds Lightweight Mulching Head For Compact Excavators
Jessica Schwartz
Bobcat Investing $13M To Expand In Minnesota
To streamline efficiencies across its manufacturing footprint in the Midwest region, Bobcat Company will build a new assembly plant on 22 acres in Rogers, MN, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. It will be the compact equipment manufacturer’s third location in Minnesota. The $13 million investment will add an additional 225,000 square feet in production capacity, and the company plans to add more than 100 new, full-time positions at the location this year. “This investment further demonstrates our commitment to our presence in Minnesota, while supporting the growth we are experiencing in the marketplace,” said Mike Ballweber, president of Doosan Bobcat North America. “We are dedicated to continuing to expand our capabilities and equipment product lines to empower our customers, and this new location will be an important part of this success.” Bobcat anticipates the new operation will be fully operational by fourth quarter of 2022. The facility will include assembly space, shipping and receiving docks, employee parking, breakroom, offices and meeting rooms. Bobcat chose the location in Rogers, a growing suburban community in Hennepin County and the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, due to the benefits of its unique location at the intersection of two regional roadway systems – Interstate 94 and Highway 101. This location will allow Bobcat to optimize manufacturing logistics by streamlining the company’s supply routes alongside other locations in the region, as well as create supply efficiencies that support both market demand and the company’s vigorous growth plans. The addition of the Rogers facility ...
Pollinator Friendly Or Overgrown Mess? How One State Is Rethinking Property Codes
Are more naturalized yards that support pollinators becoming more acceptable? Or do we still embrace neighborhood standards—either formal or implied—that dictate a yard be well kept primarily with grass that is trimmed and manicured? What is the line between pollinator friendly and an overgrown, messy hazard? In Minnesota, this debate is currently being considered in a recently introduced bill. State Representative Rick Hansen, chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee has introduced a bill that would require all MN cities to permit native landscapes. “You do have a lot of cities with ordinances that the traditional lawn is the standard. Having something different and having a diverse landscape is more healthy,” Hansen told the MinnPost in an Oct. 8 article. But there are restrictions. ““Except as part of a managed natural landscape…, any weeds or grasses growing… to a greater height than eight inches or that have gone or are about to go to seed are prohibited,” he continued. He told the MinnPost it’s a natural next step in the Lawns to Legumes program, previously profiled in Turf, which provides modest financial incentives for homeowners to convert some or all of their lawns to native gardens that support pollinators, especially the rusty patched bumblebee. To date, 44 Minnesota cities have adopted resolutions declaring themselves pollinator friendly cities, but laws on grass height and weeds are still commonplace nationwide and can lead to conflicts—and even court cases—between property owners and municipalities. Lawns to Legumes tries to address such conflicts ...
Major Turf Pest Spreads To Minnesota
The European chafer beetle (Amphimallon majale), an insect that can cause major damage to turfgrass, has been found for the first time in Minnesota this week. A resident of south Minneapolis noticed large swarms of beetles in his/her yard at dusk and reported the find to a University of Minnesota Extension entomologist who suspected the beetles were European chafers. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) then worked with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to confirm the identity of the beetle, which had never been found in Minnesota before. The European chafer beetle was discovered in the U.S. in 1940 in New York state and is currently found in the northeastern U. S., as well as Michigan and Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the grub of the European chafer can cause more damage to turf than Japanese beetles because it spends a longer portion of the summer feeding on turf. Fortunately, since adults don’t eat, they don’t defoliate other plants like Japanese beetles. According to MDA, home lawns, golf courses, and turf growers could be significantly impacted if the European chafer beetle becomes established in Minnesota. The adult insects are about a half-inch long and tannish in color. They are similar to the “June bugs” commonly found in Minnesota in early summer, but are generally a bit smaller and lighter in color. The beetles emerge from the soil between mid-June and early July and adults are active on warm evenings for several hours just before and after sunset. Most European chafer ...
