MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Gaynor Cranberry Company in Wisconsin Rapids is the latest feature farm for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation's sustainability tour. Manager and co-owner Heidi Slinkman says her family's 212-acres of cranberries must be environmentally sustainable to continue on for more generations. Those 212 acres of cranberry vines are accompanied by about 2,000 acres of support land -- wetlands. See omnystu...

The state Senate approved DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski yesterday. Several ag organizations are applauding the move. Romanski talks with the Mid-West Farm Report ahead of the decision.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin's corn silage harvest is nearing completion.  It's getting to be time to look at forage inventories and pricing when it comes to buying and selling corn silage to feed dairy and livestock.  Farm director, Pam Jahnke sits down with Ryan Sterry of UW-Extension in St. Croix County to discuss how to decide what the crop is worth.  There are many resources to farmers that Sterr...

Gov. Tony Evers was joined today by Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, Rep. Dave Considine, D-Baraboo, and DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski at the 2021 World Dairy Expo to introduce a package of legislation to invest in Wisconsin’s agricultural industries, rural communities and farm families.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The holiday's are month's away but a lot of Wisconsin's food industry is preparing today for your parties of the future.  Stephanie talks to Pine River Foods in Northeast Wisconsin about how they're ramping up production and managing their employees to keep up with volume. Bill Hageman is the president of the World Dairy Expo Board.  They used the show's absence in 2020 to give the show...

Brent Christianson, instructor at Chippewa Valley Technical College in Chippewa Falls is the latest honoree picking up national acclaim.  Scott Schultz visits with him on his teaching perspective. World Dairy Expo is back this week at the Alliant Energy Center.  Stephanie Hoff talks to Katie Schmitt, Communications Coordinator, about the youth emphasis this year.  Not just competiti...

Allison Jonjak is the cranberry outreach specialist for UW-Madison’s Division of Extension. In her role, she connects researchers with growers to plan research projects that answer growers’ questions. Some examples of these recent challenges raised by growers is how to stop the blunt-nosed leafhopper and when to fertilize the perennial cranberry plants.  See omnystudio.com/listene...

Cool, crisp fall air means that the cranberry harvest is underway. Wisconsin is No. 1 in the nation for cranberry production, providing half of the world's cranberry supply. Cranberry production has been happening in America's Dairyland since before Wisconsin was a state, says the 74th Alice in Dairyland Julia Nunes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is National Farm Safety Week for a good reason.  Wisconsin farmers are busy with the harvest and large farm equipment's on the road.  But safety doesn't end there as Angie Bunker, Senior Loss Control Specialist with American Family Insurance explains to Pam. Ashley Huhn with Steffes Auction says used equipment prices remain robust in his weekly update with Pam. Angie Horkan with the...

The Community Kitchen Cooperative is a new business based in Monticello set to open in October. A group of farmers and workers own the business. The producer members sell their produce and meat to the kitchen and the crew make it into meals to be sold in monthly shares to subscribers. It takes after a community supported agriculture or CSA model. The meal boxes can also include coffee, cheese, bre...

WFBF President, Kevin Krentz shares the importance of their Leaders of the Land programs.  Farm Bureau's goal with this series was to feature a diversity of Wisconsin farms and share the amazing things that they do every day.  Sustainability is a main topic of these gatherings, and he hopes farmers can learn from each other as sustainability looks different for every farming operation. &...

AV Roth has had the honor of serving on the National Pork Producers Council, even as president and now past-president.  Serving on the council, he has learned more about pork production across the US and been able to network with other producers to share ideas and make an impact for the US pork industry.  They serve as a voice for producers to legislators to help promote the industry and...

As part of Wisconsin Farm Bureau's Leader of the Land Series, Roth Feeder Pigs of Wauzeka, Wisconsin was able to host a discussion on what sustainability means to them and what the pork industry is focusing on.  AV Roth, owner and fifth generation on his family farm says that there are many aspects to sustainability, including the environment, animals, profitability, people and the community....

World Dairy Expo is coming back in 2021, but it's going to look different.  Katie Schmitt, communications coordinator with the show explains to Pam how things change on almost a daily basis with exhibitors and attendees. Dairy farmers need to spread the news on the Dairy Innovation Hub.  WI Senator Howard Marklein, who helped secure the $8.8 million in state funding to launch the researc...

Wisconsin's corn crop is looking good, but there's still time and weather challenges to keep an eye on.  Dr. Joe Lauer, UW-Extension Corn Specialist talks to Bob Bosold about what he sees. There's a big collegiate crowd looking forward to World Dairy Expo 2021.  Stephanie Hoff talks with one of that group - Taylor Schaefer - about her excitement for expo and what it's like to be getting...

World Dairy Expo is Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, and it will feature more than Wisconsin's quality dairy genetics. High school and college-aged students will be represented by the thousands. If you're thinking about what you'll be eating at World Dairy Expo, attendees can find the next generation in agriculture at the UW-Madison Cheese Stand, among other places, according to communications manager Kat...

The extended pandemic impacts agriculture at the student level. UW-Madison senior Taylor Schaefer gives the Mid-West Farm Report a student-eye view of what agriculture involvement looks like during COVID-19. Schaefer is involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture, Saddle and Sirloin and Badger Dairy Club. She also plays the trumpet in the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. See omnystud...

As you wrap up your summer with one more boat ride, you may see things you don't want to see -- invasive plants and animals in Wisconsin lakes. UW-Madison Professor Bret Shaw says Wisconsinites do a good job preventing the spread of invasive species. But a recent survey found people don't know how to manage invasives once they do arrive on land or a body of water. The Dairy Business Association ha...

It's fall time here in Wisconsin!  A favorite activity of many in the fall is visiting a local apple orchard to stock up on the delicious fruit.  One of those apple orchards is Munchkey Apples in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, owned by the Tisch family.  Laura Tisch shares what their apple crop is looking like this year and encourages people to come out and visit the farm. See omnystudio.c...

It's never too early to start preparing for Christmas, when it comes to Wisconsin's Christmas tree producers.  Stephanie Hoff visits with Dean Lemkey of Central Wisconsin Evergreens for an update on Wisconsin's tree crop.  It takes months of preparation to produce the perfect tree for your home.  The crop of trees for cutting is looking pretty good around the state, and wildfires an...

Wisconsin's ethanol industry is continuing to face challenges after the pandemic.  Erik Hushitt, CEO and General Manager of Badger Ethanol in Monroe explains that basically all inputs needed within the plant have skyrocketed in price. Three farms have been named finalists for the Wisconsin Leopold Conservation award. The 54th annual World Dairy Expo is returning to the Alliant Energy Center i...

It's time to reap the rewards of hard work and weeding for a lot of gardeners.  Making sure you safely harvest and store the garden goods creates a lot of options, and a lot of questions.  Stephanie Hoff visits with Heather Quackenboss, UW-Extension Specialist, on some details not to be overlooked when freezing, canning and storing. Fall's quickly approaching and some livestock owners ma...

Researchers led by Professor Geoffrey Dahl at the University of Florida exposed pregnant Holstein cows to the heat of the Florida summer and gathered data about the resulting offspring, comparing these against data on calves born to cows provided with cooling measures during late pregnancy. The team found that calves born to heat-stressed cows had lower birth weights, lower organ weights and highe...

Jeff Swenson, Livestock and Meat Specialist with Wisconsin DATCP joins Aaron Zimmerman to talk about current cattle inventories and what that may mean for markets going forward. Dr. Scott Brown, associate extension professor of ag economics at the University of Missouri, estimated recently that the January USDA Cattle Inventory Report could see a 1 to 1.5 percent decrease in beef cow inventory. Th...

The Labor Day holiday led to a smaller weekly cattle harvest of 577,000 head. The supply chain held its collective breath when news of a fire at the JBS Grand Island facility broke on Monday. The plant harvests about 6,000 head per day. Harvest operations resumed on Tuesday. Tyson also experienced a brief shut down due to computer issues. Last week’s weekly harvest estimate was 577,000 head....