MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

It is the lifeblood for many businesses.  The lock and dam system that allows for barge traffic up and down the Mississippi River.  Aaron Zimmerman talks to Jim Rand from the Army Corps of Engineers about ongoing maintenance vital to keeping the system functional. The WI Farmers Union has recognized some of their state leaders during their 91st annual meeting.  Pam gives the rundown...

Sustainability.  It's something that farmers have been engaged with for a long time, but are finding increased attention on documenting their practices.  Bob Bosold talks to Casco area dairy farmer, Lee Kinnard, about Farmer's for Sustainable Food.  A new group that's concentrating on showing the general public the practices they use that are focused on the sustainability message. R...

As the state moves toward using more liquid salt solutions to stop icy roads, Ashland County is mixing its own recipe for an effective brine using beet juice. Ashland County Highway Commissioner Matt Erickson says the beet juice has a stick factor, helping to keep that liquid brine on the road's surface. He notes the dark color also warms up when the sun hits it. He says the state is looking to mo...

County highway officials are monitoring the roads to know when to post and when to lift road restrictions. Ashland County Highway Commissioner Matt Erickson says the dead of winter is the time to move your heaviest loads before things start thawing out. He also reminds farmers there are opportunities to get a heavy load permit once road restrictions are in place. And remember, the fines can be cos...

Wisconsin State Fair officials have released the application for the 2022 the Century and Sesquicentennial Farm and Home Award, a prestigious award given to families who have dedicated their life to Wisconsin Farming for 100 or 150 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Babcock Hall Dairy Plant construction continues on in 2022. The Center for Dairy Research side of the project is mostly complete. Staff are slowly migrating into those new spaces. The plant itself has just started undergoing construction, which means Babcock ice cream production continues to take place offsite. Amidst renovations, supply disruption has persisted on the campus dairy. Scott Rankin,...

Wisconsin ginseng growers are still struggling with high tariffs on their product headed to China.  Jackie Fett, executive director or WI Ginseng Growers, says it's had an impact on the number of growers that are still in the crop.  She talks to Pam Jahnke about the industry in front of China's lunar new year. It will come as no surprise that crop insurance costs are going up this year.&...

If you're thinking about putting up a new building, keep in mind design features that could make or break your roof. Department of Biological Systems Engineering Professor David Bohnhoff shares tips you should think about, and talk to your contractor about, before breaking ground to prevent a potential roof collapse in the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic brought on huge demand for garden seeds. What this means is that seed producers have had to catch up to that demand. Nathan Zondag is the president and CEO of Jung Seed. He says they’ve been sitting pretty good in terms of seed supply, but if you’re in search of specific breeds, you want to make sure you get those now. He says it’s always a good rule of thumb to purc...

California’s new law, Proposition 12, will impact pork production nationally. The law went into effect at the start of the year. It requires a breeding hog to have at least 24 square feet of space. This is significantly higher than the industry standard. But if your facility doesn’t meet that requirement, the pork cannot be sold in California. This matters because California consumes a...

Fabulous Farm Babe Pam Jahnke is moderating a Feb. 23 luncheon and panel hosted by WisBusiness.com/WisPolitics.com: “Seeking a sustainable future: climate change and farming.'' The event will be at Fox Valley Technical College's DJ Bordini Center just off of Highway 41 in Appleton from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Panelist Steve Dvorak, president of DVO in Chilton and designer of a digester now a...

The Badger State gives Margaret Kalcic a warm welcome at the Discovery Farms Wisconsin annual conference. Kalcic is transitioning from a faculty position at the Ohio State University to UW-Madison in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Her research will focus on adopting conservation measures to protect surface waters in ag regions. She will monitor farm fields and watersheds to find...

Eric Cooley, the co-director of Discovery Farms Wisconsin, reflects on the past two decades of the UW-Madison program. Its annual conference this month drew about 150 agriculturists from different commodities and regions, representing water quality, conservation and nutrient management. For 20 years, Discovery Farms has performed water quality research on privately-owned farms statewide. He shares...

UW-Platteville Dairy Innovation Hub liaison Tera Montgomery gives the Mid-West Farm Report an update on how the campus is utilizing Hub funds. The university has seen three new hires -- which means three new research projects -- reinstalled the Lely milking robots, and got Pioneer Sweets well underway. In the first year, UW-Platteville got $240,000. In year two: $1.872 million. The third year will...

Pioneer Sweets is a new student-managed ice cream business out of UW-Platteville. It got on its feet thanks to a grant from Compeer Financial. It’s also borrowing money from the UW Dairy Innovation Hub for expansion. Students make custom flavors for area businesses to sell. Pioneer Sweets is looking at having its own retail in the future in addition to using milk from campus cows. Students a...

Rural communities can feel abandoned when it comes to available resources and support.  Stephanie Hoff talks with Marcy West from Director of the Office of Rural Prosperity, about a new website that's been created to help connect rural community leaders with resources and people that can help. Ag Day at the Capitol was a success on Wednesday with hundreds of farmers gathering to talk about po...

Wisconsin's weather is nothing to fool around with when it comes to care of livestock.  Aaron Zimmerman talks to UW-Extension Agent, Bill Halfman, about the increased calorie consumption farmers have to factor in for animals just because of the harsh weather. Pam Jahnke talks to Ashley Huhn from the Steffes Group about the huge social media traffic they've witnessed by farmers searching for g...

There will be a new face in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction by the end of the month.  Sally Ladsten, current Sauk Prairie teacher, will assume duties as the state FFA advisor at DPI.  Stephanie Hoff talks with Sally about her background and what she expects in the position. The state of Wisconsin is building a nontraditional workforce through the Bureau of Correctional Ent...

Chippewa Valley Bean in Menomonie helped celebrate National Bean Day.  Jill Welke talks with Charles Wachsmuth of Chippewa Valley Bean about their operation. Wisconsin selected their 68th annual Outstanding Young Farmer winners over the weekend.  Congratulations to Kyle and Rachel Zwieg of Ixonia. Stephanie Hoff visits with Brody Stapel, re-elected president of Edge Dairy Cooperative.&nb...

The Wisconsin Meat Caucus got a pleasant surprise when WI Governor, Tony Evers, announced he was committing $5 million of state funds to generating new talent for the meat processing industry.  Pam Jahnke talks with Kevin Ladwig of Johnsonville Sausage, one of the members of the Meat Caucus, about how those funds could be used, but also about how money alone won't solve their issues. Bitterly...

Processing milk into the foods and beverages many enjoy can be anyone’s dream. Christopher hails from a farming family in Kaukauna. After the farm was sold about five years ago, Christopher worked construction. Today, he’s been working for about a year at Waupun Dairy. Upon release, Christopher aims to work for a major Wisconsin cheese processor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Waupun Dairy supervisor Kory Fietz says the pandemic has been a continuous challenge for the plant – like most dairy processors in Wisconsin – as it impacts the supply chain of ingredients and packaging. Outbreaks in the correctional facility and the dairy plant have also created tight labor supply.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Wisconsin faces labor shortages due to an aging population and competing regions, the state’s correctional system is developing a nontraditional workforce. The Bureau of Correctional Enterprises is the Department of Corrections’ manufacturing enterprise. The mission of the program is to provide jobs and training for about 400 inmates, who then develop marketable skills while providi...

The Waupun Farm is home to a Holstein dairy herd of 470 milk cows. This team employs personnel from the John Burke Correctional Center. Sherman, a native of Racine, had dreams of playing professional basketball. He says bad decisions led to time at John Burke. He had never been to a farm before this experience, and now he is the lead milker. He says working on the farm has made him appreciate...

Workforce continues to be a challenge for the agriculture industry, but there has been some relief for meat processors due to recent investments made at the State level.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.