MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Brenda Scheider, executive director of the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation shares how 4-H has evolved from when it first started in the early 1900s to now, and the impact that it has on people statewide. Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association is hosting the 2022 International Maple Conference in La Crosse Oct. 26-29. It's the first time Wisconsin has hosted this event in 16 years, says Executive Dir...

Pittsville FFA students run tours on cranberry bogs during harvest as part of their Cranberry Science Class. Lindsay Meissner, Pittsville FFA Advisor and Agriculture Teacher talks about what the class is and their partnerships with local growers. Wisconsin is on two “top 12” lists that aren’t necessarily good. Cris Coffin, American Farmland Trust Senior Policy Advisor, shares more on their report...

Happy National 4-H Week! Jessica Jens, Wisconsin 4-H Program Associate Director, says membership numbers have rebounded from COVID to 2019 levels. Extension has allocated dollars to marketing 4-H. You may have seen ads while using a streaming service. Social media ads are coming this fall. The program is targeting 3rd and 4th graders. The GEA Farm Technologies ice cream stand is in its 18th year a...

It takes a lot of behind the scenes work and preparation to make the cattle look their absolute best before gracing the colored shavings at World Dairy Expo.  Jason Danhoff, Dairy Cattle Merchandiser, shares insight into his role in helping exhibitors prep their animals for the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cows? Check. Grilled cheese? Check. Ice cream? Yes please! The GEA Farm Technologies ice cream stand is in its 18th year at World Dairy Expo in Madison. Sue Begg is the GEA marketing manager and she leads the planning for the ice cream stand. It takes her six months to prepare for Expo. You'll also see her in the back directing student volunteer scoopers. The money from the stand goes to Dane Coun...

World Dairy Expo is underway at the Alliant Energy Center. Expo General Manager. Laura Herschleb, talks with Pam about the changes made for the 2022 show and what attendees can expect. The biggest change is the all digital tickets. Carrie Mess talks with Avani Rai. Rai is a 4-H Member from McClain County, Illinois. Last week at the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health, she sat on t...

Wisconsin State FFA Vice Presidents Heidi Strey and Jerimiah Ihm share more about their involvement here at World Dairy Expo. We catch up on their ties to the dairy industry, their first 100 days in office, and the leadership trainings and events they are holding at each officer's home chapter.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin’s races for governor and the U.S. Senate are still very competitive with voters 50-plus set to play key roles, according to a new AARP survey of likely Wisconsin voters. Martha Cranley, State Director of Wisconsin AARP, visits with Pam Jahnke about the details of their latest poll. In the governor’s race, U.S. Rep. Tim Michels (R) leads incumbent Gov. Tony Evers (D) by three percentage p...

Mike Edge, Sr. Regional Marketing Director, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin talks with Pam Jahnke about how critical the holidays are for Wisconsin's cheese industry. As 90 percent of Wisconsin milk is made into cheese and 90 percent of that cheese is sold outside of the state, the team at DFW collaborates with some of the largest and most influential retail chains and distributors to ensure that Wisco...

World Dairy Expo officially begins tomorrow at the Alliant Energy Center, but some activities began long before the show.  Carrie Mess talks to Rohit Kapoor about the World Dairy Expo Products Competition and how it inspires new product development. Katie Schmitt with World Dairy Expo talked to Pam Jahnke about the youth already engaged in competitive events at the show. There's a new general mana...

Fall colors are starting to pop on trees and in Wisconsin's cranberry bogs!  Stephanie Hoff visits with cranberry producer, Ray Habelman, about the unique marketing approach he's taking with his immature berries. A railroad strike has just been averted, but that's not enough for WI Senator, Tammy Baldwin.  She visits with Pam Jahnke about the reliance agriculture has at this time of the year on ra...

4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization, with more than six million members and over 90,000 clubs. At its heart, 4-H is very similar to the organization from 108 years ago, the basis was experiential learning then and it is just that today.  Brenda Scheider, Executive Director of the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation shares more about how 4-H has evolved from when it first started in the...

Wisconsin's export of food, forestry and agricultural products reached an all-time high in 2021 and is on track to reach another record in 2022. Dairy is up over 37%, crops are up 14% and meat is up nearly 2%. Wisconsin ag exports remain strong in light of headwinds from inflation, conflict between Russia and Ukraine, low container availability, continued tariffs on agricultural products, and many...

Giving rural Wisconsin students an opportunity to travel abroad. This is just one of many programs 4-H offers that could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Happy National 4-H Week! Spending six weeks in Switzerland as a girl is an experience that stands out for Cindy Kolzow, a longtime 4-H leader in Clark County who has also served on the International 4-H Youth Exchange Board. The pandemic mean...

Avani Rai is a 4-H Member from McClain County, Illinois. Last week at the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health, she sat on the closing plenary panel. A member of the Teen Teachers 4H Club, a special interest or SPIN club, she focuses on growing her leadership and speaking skills through community work.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A late spring is allowing for an extended picking season for apple lovers in Wisconsin.  Bob Bosold visits with Andy Ferguson of Ferguson's Orchards, about the growing season and how things are looking. Ashley Huhn from the Steffes Group visits with Pam Jahnke about an upcoming dairy cattle disbursement in Wisconsin.  Courtesy of Steffes Group. There's a new leader coming to Compeer Financial. Jas...

There's over 4 million sheep in Ireland driving an industry that relies on fresh, green grass as feed - and people to care for them.  Jamese McCloy operates Glenshane Country Farm as the fourth generation shepherd on that land.  McCloy talks to Pam Jahnke about the challenges he faces including available land, markets, regulation and weather.  McCloy has added agrotourism to his menu to try and of...

Pork producers across the nation are proud to be producing more pork than ever before with less inputs. Swine production uses 25% less water than 20 years ago.  AV Roth, Wisconsin Pork Producer shares more about what pork producers are working through and trends in the industry, but first he talks about his farm development.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sheep producer may sell a carcass for $300, but Danielle Dockery of Driftless Tannery says the hide can nearly double that price because it sells for $350. That's the reason she and two other farmers started a tannery. They do EVERYTHING by hand, which is why they stick to smaller animals such as sheep, goats and deer. It's a two-week process to tan a hide. She likes to educate people on the rec...

1,200 trees. That's how Tucker Gretebeck's family is providing shade to their grazing dairy cows outside of Cashton. And it's how the farm is reducing carbon for Organic Valley's new net zero carbon initiative. Gretebeck says it was too expensive for him alone. But with help from OV, NRCS, and environmental groups, he was able to get the funds and labor he needed to plant the trees back in May. He...

Green County Humane Society Executive Director Matt Mullen says while they have not raised prices for animals (yet), the margins are getting thin. He thanks generous donors for food, but says costs are rising for medicine and vet services. Meanwhile, the shelter is satisfied with the animals' length of stay -- or adoption rate. He says it's slowed from the pandemic years but is still good. He says...

Dane County Executive Director, Joe Parisi, is focused on more clean energy measurements in 2023 involving area farmers. In a conversation with Pam Jahnke, Parisi explains his plans for the 2023 budget that will include $3 million to study the feasibility of opening a commercial grade, community scale manure processing plant and funding to acquire a site for this potential development. “We have do...

Dairy producers that ship their milk to Foremost Farms, headquartered in Baraboo, were informed via a letter, that they will be experiencing a $.90/hundredweight deduction to their milk check to offset increased costs of operation that the cooperative is experiencing. Rachel Schroeder and her dad, James McManama, of Simply Crazy Dairy in Watertown, where one of the dairies to get the bad news.  Sh...

When you look at the potential loss of farmland in Wisconsin, it's the equivalent of losing 2400 farms, and a loss of potentially $377 million in farm output. Wisconsin is on two “top 12” lists that aren’t necessarily good. Wisconsin is listed as the 12th state in the country in terms of total acres likely to be converted by 2024 from farmland to residential and commercial use. It also ranks 7th i...

As Wisconsin’s unemployment rate hits all-time lows, and as the workforce shortage continues, the state has a focus on growing its own talent for industries that need the help. The Department of Workforce Development works with schools, employers, tech colleges and others to develop a total of 75 youth apprenticeship programs. The industries span construction, health sciences, transportation, and...