TECHNICAL TOURS

 

Saturday, June 16

TT#1               Oliver Kelly Living History Farm

 

Monday, June 18

TT#2               Minnesota Erosion Control Association

TT#3               Lemna Corporation

TT#4               Nuclear Power Plant Tour

TT#5               University of Minnesota Tour

 

Tuesday, June 29

TT#6               Hormel and Spam Museum

TT#7               Ethanol Plant Heartland Corn Products

TT#8               Trolley to the Hydroelectricity Plant

TT#14               Antique and Vintage Agricultural Tour

           

Wednesday, June 20

TT#9               E-Ride Industries

TT#10             Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

           

Thursday, June 21

TT#11             Cargill

TT#12             Ag Irrigation Practices in the Fringes of Minnesota Twin Cities Urbanization

TT#13             Leinenkugel Brewery Tour and Tasting

 

 

 

 

TT#1

Oliver Kelly Living History Farm

 

Saturday, June 16 –5:00PM-9:00PM

 

The Oliver H. Kelley Farm is a living history farm depicting mid 19th century agricultural life in Minnesota. This National Historic Landmark is the farm of Oliver H. Kelley who founded the Grange in 1867. Today the Kelley Farm comes alive with programs taught by trained and experienced site staff. Dressed in period clothing, historic site guides perform daily farm activities that demonstrate rural life between 1850 and 1876 and teach students about historic agriculture.  A nice pork chop dinner will follow at the farm providing networking opportunities.  Renew old friendships from previous meetings and make new ones.

COST: $47.00

(minimum 40)

             Tour and pork chop dinner included. Tour departs from Minneapolis Convention Center

 

 

 

TT#2

Minnesota Erosion Control Association

 

Monday, June 18 – 9:30AM-5:30PM

 

Event Lab invites you on a Low Impact Development Storm Water Tour.  The tour offers a rare opportunity to visit the most innovative storm water management systems in the Twin Cities.  Each stop includes presentations by the storm water professionals who designed and constructed the sites, developers and city or county staff; and site demonstrations.

 

  •  Assessment protocol demonstration
  • Conservation Development –lessons learned over a few years
  •  Pervious pavers

·        “No Mow” lawn

  • Subsurface irrigation system
  • Green roofs

·        Storm water treatment train

  • Rain gardens

 

Low Impact Development (LID) is an innovative storm water management approach with a basic principle that is modeled after nature: manage rainfall at the source using uniformly distributed decentralized micro-scale controls. LID's goal is to mimic a site's predevelopment hydrology by using design techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and detain runoff close to its source. Techniques are based on the premise that storm water management should not be seen as storm water disposal. Instead of conveying and managing / treating storm water in large, costly end-of-pipe facilities located at the bottom of drainage areas, LID addresses storm water through small, cost-effective landscape features located at the lot level. These landscape features, known as Integrated Management Practices (IMPs), are the building blocks of LID. Almost all components of the urban environment have the potential to serve as an IMP. This includes not only open space, but also rooftops, streetscapes, parking lots, sidewalks, and medians. LID is a versatile approach that can be applied equally well to new development, urban retrofits, and redevelopment / revitalization projects.

 

Cost: $165.00 per person
(Minimum 30)

Includes MECA Tour Guide, Project Representative, Boxed Lunch

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TT#3

Lemna Corp

 

TBA

 

Lemna Technologies has been providing innovative  wastewater treatment systems for municipal and industrial applications for the past 23 years.  Recognized as a market leader in lagoon-based process technology and floating cover systems, Lemna's expertise encompasses all aspects of project development from conceptual design to final commissioning and ongoing customer support. Starting with its unique patented duckweed process in 1983, Lemna has evolved into a full service designer/provider of a wide array of products and processes. With over 200 installations currently operating, Lemna has gained a solid reputation for its superior customer service and its ability to provide economical solutions tailored to fit each client's specific needs.

 

LemTec™ Modular Insulated Cover System utilizes a patented floating modular cover consisting of individual casings of closed-cell extruded polystyrene insulation encapsulated by two sheets of durable, 10 year UV-resistant, high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane.  Individual casings are laced together during installation to form a complete cover over the liquid in the basin. The cover offers insulation R-factors ranging from 10 to 30 and a geomembrane capable of withstanding even the most severe environmental conditions. This innovative, adaptable design shields the water column from sunlight to prevent algae growth, controls odors and provides an insulated environment for heat retention to enhance biological reaction rates.  This warmer environment provides conditions conducive to the reduction of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), the reduction of total suspended solids (TSS) and the enhanced performance of aerobic and anaerobic processes. The LemTec™ Modular Cover System is the only system in the world that solves ponding and ballooning problems with non-mechanical, around-the-clock, guaranteed service. Unique LemTec™ design allows rainwater to pass between the individual casings and gases to escape. Each LemTec™ Cover is custom engineered and configured to meet specific basin requirements. 

Cost: $37.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

 

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TT#4

Nuclear Power Plant Tour

 

Monday, June 18 – 12:00PM-5:00PM

 

Located within 30 miles of the Twin Cities are two Nuclear Power Plants.  The Monticello Plant is consistently rewarded the highest ratings from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and from organizations that promote safety and reliability in the United States.

 

The Monticello Plant began operating in 1971 and produces 569 megawatts of electricity. 

 

The Prairie Island nuclear plant produces 1,040 megawatts with its twin pressurized water reactors.  The first reactor began operating in 1973 and the second in 1974.  Prairie Island is praised for its operational excellence, based on its ranking among the top 10 list of the most cost-effective nuclear plants and received the highest ranking for safety and operations.

The tour begins with an individualized personal radiation reading.  This assists in calming any concerns regarding safety.  The next two hours are spent in the Training Center.  The Training Center is a complete replica of the actual power plant.  Here you will learn how the plant operates, how nuclear energy is created and just how safe the Power Plant is.  Once everyone has learned the basics, it’s onto the real thing.  For security reasons, there will be one guard to every five guests.  An hour will be spent touring inside the plant and viewing all the equipment that was discussed in the Training Center.  After the tour is completed, individual radiation readings are taken again to confirm each person’s safety.

 

Cost: $36.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

 

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TT#5

University of Minnesota Tour

 

Monday, June 18 – 1:00PM-5:00PM

 

Tour of the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering and Research Laboratories. Learn more about the department and current research activities. Transportation will be provided.

COST: No Charge. Preregistration required.

(minimum 20)

 

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TT#6

Hormel and SPAM Museum

 

Tuesday, June 19 – 8:00AM-2:00PM

 

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, MN (100 miles away), is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the best known and trusted in the food industry. The company leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring quality, value-added brands to the global marketplace. In January 2001, January 2002 and January 2003, Hormel Foods was named one of “The 400 Best Big Companies in America” by Forbes magazine. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value.

 

Just as every Elvis fan longs to visit Graceland, SPAM fans worldwide now have their own pilgrimage to make. In Austin, Minnesota a 16,500 square-foot SPAM Museum opened in September2001.

Museum visitors will be welcomed to the world of SPAM Family of Products with a variety of interactive and educational games, fun exhibits and remarkable video presentations.

 

A Hormel tour guide will board the motor coach and will give a narrated tour of the historic Hormel Home, Paramount Theater and SPAM museum.  After the tour enjoy a SPAM-a-lish lunch at the SPAM Café.

 

Cost: $80.00 per person
(Minimum 28)

Includes Admission to SPAM museum, Hormel Home,  Hormel Institute, Paramount Theater, SPAM Cookbook, Lunch at SPAM Café

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TT#7

Ethanol Plant Heartland Corn Products

 

Tuesday, June 19 – 8:00AM-2:00PM

 

Ethanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted into simple sugars. Feedstocks for this fuel include corn, barley, and wheat. Ethanol can also be produced from "cellulosic biomass" such as trees and grasses and is called bioethanol. Ethanol is most commonly used to increase octane and improve the emissions quality of gasoline.

 

Heartland Corn Products is farmer-owned cooperative 2 hours outside of the Twin Cities that produces 16 million gallons per year of corn-derived ethanol.  You will take a tour of the plant and process.

 

·        Ethanol is produced from field corn fed to livestock, not sweet corn fed to humans. Importantly, ethanol production utilizes only the starch portion of the corn kernel. The remaining vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber are sold as high-value livestock feed.

 

·        According to the USDA, ethanol production adds 20-40 cents to the value of every bushel of corn grown.

·         Increased use of renewable fuels, such as ethanol, could provide an additional $6.6 billion of net cash income annually for America's farmers over the next 15 years.

Cost: $60.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

Includes Boxed Lunch

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TT#8

Trolley to the Hydroelectricity Plant

 

Tuesday, June 19 – 12:00PM-4:00PM

 

A flashback from the past, The River City Trolley is actually a modern addition to the streets of Minneapolis.  With its brass hand-rails and delicately etched windows, you will  hear the conductor cry “All aboard!” as you climb on the natural gas-powered River City Trolley in front of the Minneapolis Convention Center.  Your guests will then be taken on a tour of the city via Nicollet Mall.  The first landmark they approach will be the Stone Arch Bridge that was completed in 1863 by James J. Hill’s Minneapolis Union Railway Company and is a National Civil Engineering Landmark.  Now restored and opened as a pedestrian and bike trail, the bridge offers a panoramic view of  St. Anthony Falls, now covered with a concrete apron to protect it from erosion.  Looking back toward the milling district, you will see remains of the mills that have been exposed by recent archaeological work.

Once you approach your stop at St. Anthony Falls, your guests will disembark and take a tour of one of NSP’s oldest facilities, the Hydroelectricity Plant.  Since 1903, NSP has turned the power of the Mississippi River into electricity. The Plant was constructed to generate electricity for the city’s expanding network of electric streetcars.  This plant supplemented the power from a hydroelectric facility constructed at the lower dam.  The old 1903 Plant currently provides steam heating for the University of Minnesota.  Your guests will take with them several interesting facts about Minnesota’s history.

Cost: $41.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

 

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TT#14

Antique and Vintage Agricultural Tour

 

Tuesday, June 19 – 8:30AM-3:00PM

 

Enjoy a day of rural reminiscing at the LeSeur County Pioneer Power Showgrounds, near LeCenter, Minnesota. Situated on one hundred picturesque acres in south central Minnesota, The Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Association is dedicated to the preservation of the past agricultural equipment and farming practices. View numerous working exhibits, from a locally manufactured 1870's lumber sawmill, to various antique and classic tractors, threshers, combines, gas engines and construction equipment. Many pieces of this equipment will be operating. Visit a one room country schoolhouse, a creamery and ride on a miniature railroad. Enjoy a home cooked "Thresher's Dinner" prepared by Pioneer Power members, and visit with the collectors, restorers and operators of classic and antique equipment and displays.

Cost: $77.00 per person
(Minimum 25) includes lunch

 

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TT#9

E-Ride Industries

 

Wednesday, June 20 – 7:30AM-11:30AM

 

e-ride Industries was born out of humble beginnings as a custom golf car manufacturer called Classic Golf Car Company Inc. Classic Golf Car Company, founded in 1990 by John Herou, strove to provide its customers with the very best product on the market. Their golf cars were completely hand built with the finest parts and care in mind. Customers were from all walks of life and all around the world. Classic golf cars are still regarded as one of the finest golf cars ever produced.

Today e-ride Industries offers two models, the exv4 electric transportation vehicle and the exv2 electric utility vehicle. Both vehicles are offered with a wide array of options to suit any individual’s needs. e-ride is enjoying great success all across the country, from California to Florida.  This is only the beginning for e-ride Industries.

·        e-ride electric vehicle produces zero emissions

·        Emissions released by power plants producing electricity for charging electric vehicles creates less than 1/20th the pollution that a comparable gas powered vehicle would produce

·         e-ride maintenance requires no disposal of hazardous materials such as used oil, antifreeze, or other liquids associated with gas-powered vehicles

Cost: $34.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

 

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TT#10

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

 

Wednesday, June 20 – 3:00PM-7:00PM

 

The Minnesota Arboretum boasts 905 acres of rolling hills, native woods and prairies, formal display gardens and a variety of plant collections.  There are 6 miles of hiking trails, paved paths, ski trails and a three-mile drive.  The Arboretum is owned and operated by the University of Minnesota as a regional resource for horticultural and environmental information, research and public education.  They develop and evaluate plants and horticultural practices for cold climates with beautifully designed displays, gardens, and model landscapes.

Guests are transported via luxury motor coach to the Arboretum, a 30-minute ride west of Minneapolis to Chanhassen.  Privately guided walking tours or tram tours would be arranged for viewing the different gardens.  The gift shop offers books in horticulture and related subjects, unique cards and graphics, and special Minnesota gift items.  The Horticultural Library has over 10,000 volumes on horticulture and other sciences, several computerized databases, a rare book collection and an extensive seed catalog collection that dates form 1840 to the present.  A room may be reserved for lunch, or lunch at leisure in the tearoom.

 

Cost: $40.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

Includes Admission to Arboretum

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TT#11

Cargill

 

Thursday, June 21 – 6:30AM-6:30PM

 

Cargill has a long, rich history, starting with W. W. Cargill's first grain storage facility on the American frontier in 1865. The company has grown to become one of the largest, privately-owned businesses, providing food, agricultural and risk management products and services around the globe.

 

Cargill produces and distributes crop nutrients and feed ingredients to farmers, livestock producers and animal feeders. We originate and process grain, oilseeds and other agricultural commodities for distribution to makers of food, feed and other products.

 

Take a day trip down to Iowa to see one of Cargill’s working plants in action. An Engineer will lead the tour.

 

Cost: $97.00 per person
(Minimum 28)

Includes Boxed Lunch

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TT#12

Ag Irrigation Practices in the Fringes of Minnesota Twin Cities Urbanization

 

Thursday, June 21 – 8:00AM-4:30PM

 

Sponsored by: SW-241, SW-244

 

Learn and observe how irrigation systems and operators/farmers are operating and surviving within the urbanization belt serving the Twin Cities; observe latest irrigation system practices with high value crops in Minnesota

 

Attendees will gain better understanding of how irrigating farm families have adjusted to perating with a rapid and urban growth region; 2) Attendees will increase their knowledge of modern center pivot irrigation systems and related best management practices to be profitable and environment friendly

 

COST: $69.00 per person

(minimum 20)

 

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TT#13

Leinenkugel Brewery Tour and Tasting

 

Thursday, June 21 – 10:30AM-5:00PM

 

The original brewery founded by Jacob Leinenkugel and partner John Miller was called the Spring Brewery after the Big Eddy Spring, the natural spring located on the site that gave the brewery the source of its most important ingredient. When the Leinenkugel family took over full ownership of the brewery in 1890, the name changed to Jacob Leinenkugel’s Spring Brewery, and eventually the spring dropped out of the name.

Today’s brewery spans the history of the company, with the oldest part, the malt house, built in 1877, and the newest part, the brew house, constructed in 2001. A historic red barn built in 1880 is still located on the site and once housed the horses and wagons used to distribute the beer.

Leinenkugel beers have their history in German beer styles and brewing methods, but the lineup has expanded to encompass a number of styles, including its most popular beer, Leinenkugel Honey Weiss; a number of lager styles from light to red to dark; and several seasonal products that rotate in and out throughout the year.

 

Leinenkugel Brewery is located 2 hours outside of the Twin Cities in beautiful Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.  At the conclusion of this informative tour everyone gets to experience the tradition that is Leinenkugel beer.  With a few more hours to spare why not take in beautiful Irvine Park located right outside of the Leinenkugel Brewery.  If you prefer to shop, Chippewa Falls has a number of lovely antique stores.  For those of you that are still wanting to learn the Museum of Industry and Technology is located only blocks away.  Lunch will be on your own, but the locals recommend the Fill Inn Station, a renovated filling station that has classic American cuisine.

Cost: $46.00 per person
(Minimum 24)

Includes Admission to  Leinenkugel Brewery