Ward County Extension Service

Congratulations Kent and Lori McKay!

The NDSU Harvest Bowl program recognized the success, dedication and hard work of outstanding agriculturists in 53 counties in North Dakota and several counties in Minnesota.

Ward County 2011 Honorees are Kent and Lori McKay from Carpio.  Kent, an NDSU graduate, has worked as an NDSU Extension Agronomist, Research Director of Vision Research and is currently a representative for BASF.  He received the United States Durum Grower Amber Award, North Dakota Crop Improvement Service Award and professional awards from NDSU Extension, North Dakota Grain Growers and State Soil Conservation.  Lori works at Gratech Company, LTD.  She was a 4-H Club leader, active with FFA and church.  They have five children.

As the state's land-grant university, NDSU plays a major role in contributing knowledge through research, academic programs and the Extension Service.  Through the NDSU Harvest Bowl more than 2,000 agriculturists have been recognized and more than $80,000 have been awarded to NDSU student athletes with agricultural backgrounds or majoring in a field of agriculture.

2012 Minot VITA site Schedules Now Available

Find out the 2012 Minot VITA Schedule.

Thermometers Available for Checkout

NDSU Extension Service is providing equipment and information to help residents assess areas in their home that may need attention to reduce heating costs and make their home more comfortable.

Ward County Extension office has three infrared thermometers that homeowners can check out to quickly identify places in their home where the outside cold is finding its way indoors.  According to Lori Scharmer, Extension Agent, "The thermometers are easy to use and a great tool for homeowners to search out the areas of their home that may need some attention before the real cold temps hit."

NDSU Extension publication AE-1373, "Determining Insulation and Air Infiltration Levels Using an Infrared Thermometer," can help people learn how to use the thermometer to identify air leaks and get a rough estimate of insulation levels in walls. 

The common culprits that most people think of for air leakage are window and doors, but air can leak into and out of the house through a variety of locations, energy experts warn.  Even insulation can allow air leakage.  Insulation types such as fiberglass are not air barriers, so air can pass through these materials easily.  An infrared thermometer can identify those heat loss areas.

Ward County Extension office has a number of publications on adequate insulation levels and proper installation techniques, as well as other tips on how to make a home or farm more energy-efficient.  More information is also available on the NDSU Extension Service's website: www.ndsu.edu/energy. To check out an infrared thermometer, please call our office at (701)857-6444.

Our offices are located in the Ward County Courthouse.

NDSU Extension Service in Ward County gives local residents easy access to the resources and expertise of North Dakota State University. Extension agents deliver unbiased, research-based information to Ward County citizens through educational programs, publications, and events. We can answer your questions on a wide array of topics. To find out how we can help you, browse our site or contact us by email or phone.

Welcome to our new web site! This is a work in progress,

so please check back often to see what we have added.
If you have suggestions on what you would like to see,
please contact us.

Weather  Data

Ward County farmers can have instantaneous weather data from NDAWN stations at Minot, Berthold, Karlsruhe, and Plaza. These stations give you air temperature, soil temperature, rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction. Note the wind direction is by degrees clockwise from north. For example, east is 90 degrees.

Be sure to press the "*" star key before hanging up. This is important.

The information is also on the NDSU web site under NDAWN.