MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Stephanie Hoff is looking at what it takes to bring the community together for one of the most anticipated ag events of the season: Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. Vicki Halupka is the chair of the volunteer committee for the show. Sign up for a shift today: https://www.wifarmtechdays.org/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janet Keller, general manager of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, gives Stephanie Hoff a behind-the-scenes look at the massive undertaking that is this unique show. The event is July 14-16 at No Joke Dairy in Stratford. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deans from Wisconsin's schools of agriculture are standing is support of the Dairy Innovation Hub.  The Hub acts as a collaborative "nexus," uniting the unique strengths of UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls to benefit Wisconsin's broader  agricultural and education landscape. For example at UW-Platteville, faculty members from the chemistry and mechanical engineering de...

St. Mary's School educator Mary Cooper shares with Stephanie Hoff how she blends her deep-rooted background in the dairy industry with innovative STEM education. As a member of the Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Educator Ambassador Team, Mary discusses how she uses free, standards-aligned resources and multi-grade school challenges to make agricultural literacy accessible to all students....

As commercial fertilizer prices have farmers rethinking their nutrient strategies, real-time sensor technology is turning highly variable manure into a precise economic asset. Stephanie Hoff interviews Joe Sanford about his UW Dairy Innovation Hub research exploring how near-infrared spectroscopy tools can help large-scale dairies and custom operators track nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on t...

To date, the hilarious campaign from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin - "Born to Dairy" - has already racked up more than 10.5 million views, and counting!  Today we’re joined by one of the stars of the campaign! Welcome, Jody Miller — also known as The Barnyard Beautifier! Jody and her family farm in Avoca at Miller Time Dairy.  Currently they're planning to host the Iowa County B...

Horses and horse owners from across North America will make their way to the MN State Fairgrounds in St. Paul for the Percheron World Congress.  Bob Bosold explains the elements of the horse, and the show components with Jim Day, co-chair of the event.  Day says this horse was initially bred for battle in the Middle Ages, but has advanced to being great in the harness, or saddle.  H...

Schumacher Farm Park invites visitors to take a step into history. When this Dane County Park was created, the goal was to preserve the land and create a living history museum that accurately depicted life on the farm in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, many Wisconsin farms had chickens. Nelle Kempfer, Park Administrator, tells Kiley Allan that the chickens took a year-long hiatus, but they're b...

Every year, when it comes time for us to get a growing update about the state of Wisconsin's diverse and many agricultural crops, we have to check in on grapes. Today's conversation takes us to Prairie du Sac, that's the town that Wollersheim Winery calls home. Philippe Coquard operates the winery alongside his family. He tells me they have 27 acres of grapes with about 700 vines per acre. He sat...

Dan Schaefer of Schaefer Beef Consulting tells Kiley Allan about common mistakes producers make when transitioning from dairy to beef. Stu Muck outlines a beautiful day in the Revolution Plastics Ag Weather Update. Is manure feeding your crops like it used to? Division of Extension Specialist Chris Clark tells Stephanie Hoff about her latest research out of the UW Dairy Innovation Hub looking at m...

There's no question.  Margins are tight for Wisconsin soybean growers.  Andy Bensend from Dallas, WI is one of those looking at those margins.  He also sits on the WI Soybean Marketing Board where decisions are made on how to invest hard earned farmer dollars. Bensend says the investments made by the WI Soybean Marketing Board are calculated, researched and designed for a return on...

Did you know keeping your lawn mower blades sharp is a critical key to a great lawn?  Many people don't!  Ben Jarboe finds out about some of the other ingredients that make up a lush, green lawn from Doug Soldat, UW-Madison Extension Turf Specialist. After a few showers this morning, dry moderate weather moves into WI.  Stu Muck says rain shouldn't redevelop until later this week. T...

Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to host a community dairy breakfast as we tour a family farm in the hilly Driftless region. Stephanie Hoff visits Windi Ridge Farm as part of her Leaders of the Land tour with Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. The 35th annual Sauk County Breakfast on the Farm is bringing together more than 75 local businesses to spotlight the Luxton family's...

The U.S. Senate has yet to take action on allowing E-15 use year round across the nation.  It's a frustrating spot for Wisconsin biofuels facilities to be in.  Erik Huschitt, General Manager at Badger State Ethanol in Monroe, and current President of the WI Biofuels Association feels it.  He tells Pam Jahnke that "big oil" is actually on E-15's side in this debate.  The problem...

Chris Clark, a soil and nutrient management outreach specialist with the Division of Extension, tells Stephanie Hoff about her latest research looking into the micronutrients in manure. She explains that due to EPA air quality improvements, sulfur contributions from acid rain have dropped from 10 pounds per year to less than one pound. Long-term data comparison shows that while several nutrie...

This time of year is extremely busy time of year in the equine world. Dr. Lisa Nesson joins us, she's an equine veterinarian at Irongate Equine Clinic. She tells me that this time of year she's doing all kinds of preventative health care. That includes vaccinations, travel preparation, routine dental care, deworming and more. On top of that, because horses are seasonal breeders, she spends a lot o...

The agriculture road improvement program has been in place for over a year.  The goal - improving the states rural infrastructure.  How's it doing?  Kiley Allan follows up with John DesRivieres, Director of Communications at the WI Dept. of Transportation.  He says the program has been overwhelmingly popular with farmers and their community leaders.  DesRivieres says while...

The Wisconsin State FFA Convention is just around the corner, and the state officer team is pulling together the final details.  Jill Welke finds out about theme's and projects from Amanda Draxler.  Draxler is the current President of the WI FFA State Officer team.  She says there day of service this year will involve around 1,000 members from across the state the come to Madis...

As the dust begins to settle on a busy and exciting planting season, the team at Wyffels Hybrids sat down with us for one more conversation. District Sales Manager, Brant Smith reflects on this year’s season. He explains some agronomy tools found at wyffels.com that support producers through the growing season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The dairy industry is a lot more than a cow herself." Wise words from Megan Lauber. She's a PhD candidate at the UW-Madison. Her focus is on dairy youth programming. She tells me how she's working to encourage students to pursue a career in the dairy industry in its entirety. Information about the camp can be found at https://andysci.wisc.edu/badger-dairy-camp/ . See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Wisconsin continues to move forward with the goal of connecting everyone to the internet.  Ben Jarboe finds out that the path has been rife with challenges.  Alyssa Kenney, State Broadband and Digital Equity Director for Public Service Commission of Wisconsin says the goal remains to achieve full broadband access statewide by 2030.  The state has h...

Host Ben Jarboe shares his fishing update which includes bass and walleye. Davion Freeman joins the show and they get into the weeds on spring fishing and bait and gear considerations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As summer approaches, and people plan road trips, there is a palpable excitement in the air. Sheila Everhart is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association. She sits down with Kiley Allan to talk about a tool that helps people find the ideal stops for their road trips. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

147,000 people in southwestern Wisconsin struggle with hunger. That's exactly why Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin works with their 300 partner agencies across 16 counties to make sure families, seniors, and children alike have access to enough food to thrive. Chris Tazelaar, along with us, he's the media and public relations manager. He tells Kiley Allan that there's been an increas...

Weather looks good this holiday weekend - especially if you're planning outdoor activities.  Be careful though!  You're not alone.  Kiley Allan visits with UW-Madison Extension Entomologist, PJ Leisch, about this year's tick population.  Although Wisconsin's weather threw a challenge at the overall insect population, ticks got an early start on activity.  Leisch says his c...