MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Scott Berschback has been a part of NOAA's meteorology team for 15 years and understands people's frustration with forecast accuracy. He visits with Pam Jahnke to help people understand the technology they use and the collaboration that is necessary to improve that accuracy. Drought is a No. 1 topic in agriculture today, and amidst the strawberry season, it's got us concerned. But in southeast Wis...

The flash drought in Wisconsin has our attention. And it’s got phones ringing in the crop insurance offices. Jenny Brown is a Multi-Peril Specialist with Rural Mutual Insurance overseeing acres across the state primarily in corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat. She helps answer some of the common questions you may have about late emergence and replanting from an insurance standpoint. She starts off w...

Drought. It’s a key topic in many conversations right now when it comes to the agriculture industry. However, it hasn’t put a damper on the strawberry season in Southern Wisconsin. Scott Thompson, owner of Thompson Strawberry Farm in Bristol says they are right on track with last year and expect to have berries through the fourth of July. Thompson says they are right on schedule, if not a little b...

Taylor Schaefer is getting ready to bid farewell to her position as Alice in Dairyland.  Stephanie Hoff chats with her about highlights and memories she'll be taking with her, and what she hopes the next "Alice" will realize when she steps into the post. Pam Jahnke shares comments from Jerry Cheatam, barge captain on the Mississippi River, already worried about lower water levels this fall.  Brady...

Some pretty strong  words from the board chair of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, Inc.  Mel Pittmann, farmer and board chair, visits with Bob Bosold about the future of the show.  He's particularly vocal with his criticism of UW-Extension support in the state. Henry Koerner from the Big Foot FFA had no exposure to agriculture until his agriculture education class.  That began to turn a page for th...

What do you do in the face of unexpected tragedy? That was a question the Fond du Lac Area Agribusiness Council had to ask after a barn fire meant they could no longer have the Breakfast on the Farm at their original host site. Amy Ries, the Director for Agricultural Programs for Envision Greater Fond du Lac, shares how a resilient community came together to ensure the Breakfast would still go on...

There's no better way to get a first-hand look at the low water levels of the Mississippi River and the impacts on shipments than the pilot house of a river tow boat. Jimmy Cheatham, Barge captain on the Western Rivers, otherwise known as (Captain)Capt-J-Rock on Tik Tok, provides some insight into what he’s facing. Cheatham has been a boat captain for 28 years collectively, working on the river fo...

Wisconsin was one of the main attractions for a South Korean feed miller trade team. Tanner Johnson serves on both the national and state Soybean Association Board of Directors. He works for AB Farms in Dallas, Wisconsin in Barron County. In that role, he helps oversee about 4,500 acres of crops, including soybeans. And he was the host with the most for this recent trade mission. He opened the far...

Social Security is not just a tool for "senior citizens" - it's a safety network for many.  Martin Hernandez, Association State Director of Advocacy for AARP of Wisconsin is helping to organize listening sessions across the state that will help educate people about  Social Security. Hernandez says as part of this tour, AARP will be able to hear what people have to say about Social Security. This i...

Farming continues to be one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the death rate is seven times higher than the national average. And because farming is usually solitary work… sometimes you have to be your own first responder when accidents happen. We're talking about the smaller emergencies that basic First Aid can take care of. Kyle Kriegl is...

Tucked between downtown Madison and the beltline is the UW-Arboretum. An arboretum is a collection of plants in a park-like area available for public enjoyment as well as research. David Stevens is the Curator of the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens. He shares the purpose of an arboretum and a few of the challenges they have been experiencing related to weather and invasive species.  See omnystud...

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) works with schools, employers, tech colleges and others to develop a total of 75 youth apprenticeship programs. Two of which are in the agriculture sector and provide a wide variety of pathway opportunities for hands-on learning. Apprenticeship Bureau Director David Polk zeroes in on just how well these ag programs are doing. Wisconsin's registered app...

University Ridge Golf Course Superintendent Phil Davidson has at least four main varieties of grass he’s working with that are ideal for playability, meaning they can withstand drought, winter mold, and high traffic, for example. These varieties are dense and can be cut as short as the width of two credit cards! Yes, they are irrigating in this drought. Thousands of pipes are under these greens. A...

Wisconsin is an agricultural powerhouse, and even our favorite beverages can be traced back to the field… including beer! Rich Joseph owns Hop Garden Brewing. He’s got two taprooms – one in Paoli and another in Evansville. And he grows his own hops for his beer. The rest goes to the Wisconsin Hop Exchange. He says this year’s drought is a challenge, but for now he still expects a close to average...

Every year the outgoing State FFA Officer Team selects someone from their team to serve as the State President for the new State Officer Team. Mary Schrieber from the East Troy FFA, who was serving as the Section 10 State Officer and one of the State Vice Presidents, was elected State President. Schrieber shares what she is most looking forward to in the year ahead as President.  See omnystudio.co...

Ethan Lulich of the Mauston FFA won the Wisconsin Star in Agricultural Placement. Lulich's Supervised Agricultural experience consisted of working on his family's business, Lulich Landscaping LLC. Responsibilities began with moving material for the landscaping crews and eventually grew into operating heavy equipment, wall installation, laying sod, and lawn mower maintenance. Lulich also maintains...

FFA members in Wisconsin have a chance to apply for a Star Award across four categories. One of the categories is Star in Agriscience. Charitee Seebecker speaks to this year's winner -- Henry Koerner of the Big Foot FFA. With Henry’s Supervised Agricultural Experience, Henry wanted to find solutions for hot issues in a variety of AFNR pathways. In regard to the plant science realm, Henry analyzed...

The Alcohol Modernization Act is moving through the state legislature to update some old rules, such as opening hours for some establishments. But there are other provisions that have the agricultural tourism industry alert. These are more stringent rules for agricultural venues, such as wedding barns, that the Wisconsin Ag Tourism Association argues doesn’t make sense. It would require those venu...

FFA members in Wisconsin have a chance to apply for a Star Award across four categories. One of the categories is Star in Agribusiness. Charitee Seebecker speaks to this year's winner -- Jacob Harbaugh of Clintonville FFA. Harbaugh’s involvement in the dairy industry allowed him to see the need for fitters and the opportunities that it would bring to him. Because of this, he decided to start his o...

We're still waiting for a verdict on what's going to happen with Mexico's acceptance of GMO corn.  It's been off the radar for most producers, but Ken Rosenow from the WI Corn Growers Association, says it's important to keep an eye on that conversation because Wisconsin's so dependent on Mexico for the export market.  Stephanie Hoff gets an update. The 94th Wisconsin State FFA Convention announced...

Enrollment's now open for the Farm & Industry Short Course school, now at UW-River Falls.  Bob Bosold talks to Steve Kelm who's coordinating the migration of this long standing program from UW-Madison to UW-River Falls this October. Ashley Huhn with the Steffes Auction group catches up with Pam Jahnke.  They've added a new feature on their website the "Steffes Spotlight".  Ashely explains how...

FFA members in Wisconsin have a chance to apply for a Star Award across four categories. One of the categories is Star Farmer. Nate Zimdars speaks to this year's winner -- Nathan Seitz of Pulaski FFA. Seitz's supervised agriculture experience was focused on sheep entrepreneurship. He started in 2017 purchasing two market lambs. Then he grew that to a herd of nine ewes, a ram and 13 lambs.  See omn...

Every FFA member has the opportunity to participate in a Supervised Agricultural Experience. Ashton Brusveen, an FFA member from the Randolph Cambria Friesland FFA Chapter, started his own seed cleaning business and has found great success in building a customer base while excelling in FFA. And he is only going into his junior year of high school!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Firefighters and farmers have different jobs, but both face risks as part of their everyday duties. Pittsville Fire Chief Jerry Minor encourages farmers to invite their local department on farm to help each other learn as historically, many rural departments had members who grew up on farms, but that has changed. He provides insight into what it’s like responding to emergencies and how they’re wor...

Match Made in Heaven, Livestock + Crops is a three-year venture that aims to bring livestock back into cropping operations. The goal is to boost soil health and the farm’s bottom line. A co-director of the project Laura Paine says that they’re in their second leg of the project which is all about surveying farmers about some of the opportunities and challenges they see in integrating livestock int...