MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

A variety of businesses and schools were present at the Wisconsin FFA Convention Expo to speak with FFA members and provide advice. One company that featured hands-on activities at the Expo was Fox Cities Builders.  Angie Larsen, the Manager of Business Development for Fox Cities Builders, shares what they are doing to offer hands-on opportunities for students at a young age and why they chos...

Land O Lakes® Cheese can now be found in the dairy case section of the grocery store with seven new products in select retailers. Heather Anfang says that Land O'Lakes talks with consumers and customers regularly to see how they are using dairy, and following the pandemic many were looking for cheese. They also developed butter balls, which can be found across the midwest. See omnystudio.com/l...

The Wisconsin FFA Convention Expo featured a variety of businesses and schools/training programs for students to browse and learn more about. One unique program offers training on the farm.  Joe Tomandl is the Executive Director of the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program. He outlines the program and shares why he visited the Wisconsin FFA Convention. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Farm Director Pam Jahnke met with Christy Harteau and Caryn Standal from WRWI to discuss the listening project, which will offer a listening helpline available beginning May 24th, 2022. They emphasize the importance of being heard, and how a listening ear can make a difference for those who are struggling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rhodes Bake-N-Serv is a unique place to work. Each year, they take a whole week to celebrate their employees. There are a number of employees are related and invite their family to join the Rhodes Family. Ty started in the mail room and has been able to grow to become the overseer of plant resources.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's summer time and the grill becomes a family focus for making meals and spending time together. These skewers take about 30 minutes and are hit with everyone!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The call line is more just people calling with issues. These live, local respresentivites answer all answer sorts of baking questions with Thanksgiving being the one of the biggest call days of the year! Julie talks about common questions and funny stories in customer service.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taste. Appeal. Ingredients. These are all keys elements that Mikaela from Rhodes Bake-N-Serv considers as she creates new recipes for families and individuals alike. Learn how recipes range from traditional breakfast, to dessert, to vegetarian to grilling specialites. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AgrAbility works to assist agriculturalists facing many types of challenges. This includes offering support and learning opportunities for physical, emotional, behavioral, and health injuries or issues.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 93rd Wisconsin FFA Convention has ended, and a new officer team is ready to serve FFA members all across the state for the next year.  Casey Denk, previous Wisconsin FFA Vice President and member of the Mondovi FFA, was chosen to serve as the 2022-23 Wisconsin FFA President. She gives her raw reaction to this selection and shares more about her background. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Just like you don't have to live on a farm to be involved in 4H and FFA, you don't need to have access to a farm to show animals at the fair. Rabbits can be a low-cost, low-space project for students to get involved in their local fair scene. Wisconsin State Rabbit Breeders Association President Barb Semb says there are over 50 breeds to choose from, starting as low as $10 a bunny. Rabbits that ar...

At the 93rd Wisconsin State FFA Convention, Farm Director Pam Jahnke had an opportunity to meet with FFA leadership, alumni, and board members - including the Wisconsin FFA Foundation Executive Director, Abigail Quinlan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While school may be out for the summer, ag teachers are still at work developing and reworking their curriculum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rain barrels and rain gardens are your best bet at yielding the free water that falls from the sky. But when it gets dry, there are other ways to keep your garden, landscaping and lawn alive while conserving water — mulch keeps moisture in the ground, drip irrigation is growing in popularity amongst gardeners, and sprinklers can be an effective tool if used correctly. Dane County Extension H...

The 93rd Wisconsin State FFA Convention is set to wrap up later today with the selection of the 2022-23 State FFA President, and installation of the new state officer team. In the meantime, Farm Director Pam Jahnke met with Cheryl Zimmerman, Wisconsin FFA Executive Director, to talk about membership involvement and convention numbers for this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Although the Wisconsin FFA Convention seems to have returned to normal this year, ag educators and FFA advisors across the state are still noticing the effects that the pandemic has had on students. From adjusting to in-person classes to finding it hard to balance work and FFA, these students are still in a time of transition.  Gwen Boettcher, an agricultural educator with the DeForest School...

One industry that is closely tied to Wisconsin agriculture is the wood industry. Northcentral Technical College offers a unique Wood Science Associates degree program that trains students in all aspects of the wood industry. They are one of the many schools speaking with FFA members at the Wisconsin FFA Convention Expo. Logan Wells, a Wood Science instructor with the college, shares more about the...

The Wisconsin FFA Convention continues this week, and one of the largest supporters that keeps Wisconsin FFA chapters going is the Wisconsin FFA Alumni. This Association helps provide funds and all other support necessary to help FFA chapters across the state.  Terri Wilfert, Wisconsin FFA Alumni President, shares more about the organization and what they've got going on right now.  See...

The Cider Farm apples are off to a great start in Mineral Point. But these apples aren't meant to eat whole -- these are apples will go to make hard cider and brandy. Deirdre Birmingham and her husband operate about 16,000 trees across their land, with expectations to grow to 18,000 shortly. After three touches of frost last year, she's expecting a large apple crop. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Deirdre Birmingham of The Cider Farm in Mineral Point is thankful for the pollinator infrastructure she and her husband had been putting in place since the early 2000s. Wild pollinators were responsible for the pollination of her early blooming apple varieties this year. The hives that usually set on neighboring farms did not come until thousands of trees were done flowering during the heatwave in...

Wisconsin tobacco producers have been hard at work getting their crop in the ground the past few weeks. Although tobacco production in the state is a small percentage of Wisconsin agriculture, there are many youth who are involved in keeping the tradition alive.  Leah Huchthausen is a Senior from the Stoughton FFA, and she is the FFA Specialty Crop Production Proficiency State Winner this yea...

Sally Ladsten recently filled the role as the Agriculture Food and Natural Resources Education Consultant for Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, as well as the Wisconsin State FFA Advisor. She has been helping coordinate this year's State FFA Convention to ensure that it runs smoothly. Ladsten shares more about her transition into her current role and touches on how she is handling ag edu...

The Wisconsin FFA Convention featured a visit from one of their own this year. Cortney Zimmerman, National FFA Central Region Vice President, spoke at the First General Session of the convention and shared the message that everyone has a voice. Cortney, who hails from Spencer, shares more about her year of service as a National FFA Officer and hints at her plans for the future. See omnystudio.com/...

A new project is underway that aims to bring livestock back into cropping operations in order to boost soil health and protect water quality. Match Made in Heaven: Livestock + Crops is the title of this new venture, a sub-project of Green Lands Blue Waters, which is a regional collaboration of farmers, universities and environmental organizations. “The goal of [Match Made in Heaven: Livestoc...

A historic barn turned event venue will be the site of this year's Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. Together with Roehl Acres, the Roehl family will welcome thousands of visitors to their dairy farm and event venue in Loyal, WI July 12th-14th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.