MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Since it started in 2019, the UW Dairy Innovation Hub has been working on keeping Wisconsin’s dairy industry alive and well. It does this through research surrounding land and water stewardship, human health, animal welfare and growing farm communities. We get an update on what the Dairy Innovation Hub is looking forward to in the new year from UW-Madison Prof. Chuck Nicholson. He’s funded through...

Have you thought about using rye in your cropping operation? There’s certainly a lot of options when it comes to when you terminate the crop, the crops you're following it with, and if you want to use rye as a cover or a forage. Luckily, we have folks right here in Wisconsin with some of the answers. UW-Madison Division of Extension Outreach Specialist Kevin Shelley focuses on south central Wiscon...

Mental health is becoming a more common topic of conversation however for rural communities, there is still a gap. Alma Jorgenson is the Rural Mental Health Program Coordinator for the Lake Superior Community Health Center. She says providers for rural communities are low and those that are there don't fully understand the unique aspects to living in rural places. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Wisconsin is hosting the National Outstanding Young Farmer awards ceremony this year. Appleton will host roughly 200 people for the event Feb. 15-19. Wisconsin does have skin in the game: Kyle and Rachel Zwieg (pictured) from Ixonia are one of 10 couples in the finalist group. A committee of Outstanding alumni are in charge of putting this event together. Rich Norz and his wife, Debbie, are the pr...

New additions to the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds will be coming thanks to grant monies, generous sponsors, and the hard work of many. Northwestern Wisconsin State Fair Executive Director Rusty Volk, says that this project is designed for the future of agriculture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The average cow is making about 30 gallons of manure a day. A new digester facility in eastern Wisconsin is trying to recover half of that as clean water and the other half as valuable fertilizer products and bedding. Bobby Levine is the CEO and founder of Digested Organics, which claims one of the largest manure digester facilities in the world… and it’s right here in Wisconsin. Greenleaf to be e...

Pennsylvania may claim the title of top mushroom producing state, but Wisconsin can claim a few mushroom growers as well.  Jennifer Brown, General Manager at River Valley Ranch tells us more about this unique crop and how they are using some unique ways to market their products.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Walworth County Fair received a Bob Williams Ag Grant for their Barnyard Adventure Agriculture Garden Kids Can Compost Project. This project will provide easy composting ideas for families to demonstrate the benefits of composting. Additionally, a scrap garden will be planted that will highlight ways to reuse food waste. Eileen Grzenia, Walworth County Fair Secretary, has played a key role in...

In order to figure out the future of grazing, we first need to take a step back and look at the past. Jason Cavadini is the UW-Extension Grazing Outreach Specialist. He says grazing is not a new concept, but with key technological advancements, it is making it a new opportunity for some. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can learn something from dairy and grain producer counterparts out of state. In fact, there’s some great collaborations where problems in one state, such as in Pennsylvania, can lead to solutions in other states, like here in Wisconsin. John Wallace is an extension weed specialist at Penn State University with a focus on cover crops. He’s got details on how your farm can integrate cover crops i...

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says Wisconsin can look forward to dollars coming its way for ag research, dairy innovation, farmer wellness and farmland security. The money comes from the FY2023 Omnibus Legislation. She touches on four components: 1)  $6 million for expansion of the facilities at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station in Marathon County and $10 million for the UW Dairy Forage Cente...

Test often as you approach the harvest window. That's the key advice from Rock River Laboratory Director Dustin Sawyer. Growing hemp can be a regulatory maze amidst the changes happening in the industry. Rock River Lab has a first-hand look at how Wisconsin hemp acres have shifted since it became legal to grow in the 2018 Farm Bill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the pandemic may be in the rearview mirror, organic farmers are still facing struggles and 2023 is a key time for them to contact members of congress and get their concerns heard with the upcoming Farm Bill. Lori Stern, Executive director of MarbleSeed says their farmers aren’t getting a share of the price increases and are producing milk at a loss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

GrassWorks provides resources to farmers and consumers on the advancements in managed grass-based agriculture. Kevin Mahalko, GrassWorks President says that things are really picking up post pandemic for their membership and provides insight into what they do.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even if you don't use it, you probably know where it is -- your local hospital. It's a staple of a community. But many of Wisconsin's rural hospitals are facing headwinds in 2023 from the rural economy and labor shortages to funding issues and health inequity, says Alan Morgan, executive director of the National Rural Health Association. Will Stafford, the Washington representative for CHS, lists...

After three years of changing our day to day eating and buying habits, animal protein markets are working on getting the pendulum back towards center.  Brenda Boetel is a professor and extension commodity marketing specialist at UW River Falls. I had the opportunity to dive into many of the concerns in the animal protein world as 2023 gets rolling. Beef, poultry and pork all have challenges to ove...

Asma Ahad, director of Halal Market Development for the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, says that farmers should know that demand for foods that meet Halal requirements is a growing market. The U.S. is putting together a second dispute settlement panel under the USMCA. The panel will challenge Canada’s tariff-rate quotas, which allow them to put higher tariffs on imports over a cert...

Determining ideal nitrogen rates can be tricky but is important for farmers to evaluate their management practices. Mike Castellano, agronomy professor from Iowa State University, says that there is a lot of uncertainty about what optimum nitrogen rates are but thanks to advances in precision agriculture, it is getting a little easier.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A crisis can happen anywhere at any time and fairs are not excluded from this. These can be anything from canceled concerts, severe weather, activists, biosecurity issues, ride malfunctions, or shootings and much more. While the fair season may not kick off until summer, fair boards all across the state are working hard to prepare for their fair and these are some of the conversations they’re havi...

The U.S. is putting together a second dispute settlement panel under the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement. The panel will challenge Canada’s tariff-rate quotas and failure to follow the USMCA. These quotas allow Canada to impose higher tariffs on imports over a certain quantity. The  U.S. argues it unfairly blocks key export opportunities for farmers and processors. Even though the U.S. w...

Rock River Laboratory stays busy testing both agronomic and animal nutrition samples through the winter. But since the ground is frozen in Wisconsin, the soil samples actually come from other parts of the world. Rock River Lab is testing soil from South America, which is in the height of its growing season. Scott Fleming is the director of field operations. Dustin Sawyer is the lab director. They...

The Sweet Corn Breeding program at UW-Madison has been around for about 200 years. Professor Bill Tracy has been a part of it for almost 40 years. He says the focus of research has shifted in that time due to changing industry and consumer needs. For example, when the breeding program first started, flavor and sweetness was the name of the game. Today, the focus is on shelf life, quality, health a...

UW-Platteville hosted two free sessions in January for high schoolers interested in the meat industry. The funding came from the state's Meat Talent Development Program. Project lead Prof. Krista Eiseman says the sessions were a success, and the university is planning more to be more friendly to student schedules. She says to keep an eye out for news on more programming coming in the next few mont...

Now's the time to start researching and selecting farm partners you might like to work with this year to provide you with fresh produce.  CSA's or Community Supported Agriculture operations dot the state.  Right now, they're making plans for production this year.  Charitee Seebecker talks to Sam Tilton with the CSA Coalition about all the work going on behind the scenes. Consumers are already maki...

The Wisconsin Beef Council is helping to remind consumers, physicians and health care professionals about the benefits of lean beef in the diet. Sarah Agena, Consulting Registered Dietician with the Wisconsin Beef Council, visits with Pam Jahnke about the diverse audience that's asking more questions about how beef fits in their lifestyles. Agena says there's a lot of misunderstanding about how le...