MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

The tractors are rolling across the fields and the dust is flying, marking that planting season has officially sprung. Lucas Clayton is a District Sales Manager in Southwest Wisconsin for Wyffels Hybrids. Our Wyffels Wednesday conversations always lead to good insight on the newest genetics and innovations at the company, and today is no different. Lucas tells Kiley that each year he plants test p...

We talk about drivers and motorcycle operators using care when sharing the road with large farm equipment.  We also must focus attention on the farm youth that could be operating those implements.  Ben Jarboe talks with Brittany Marquard, the education and programing manager at The Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover.  She says the with distracted drivers causing more ac...

In northwestern Richland County, it lies a seven generation farm. What started as a small dairy has now grown into a maple syrup operation. They tap about 4,000 trees a year and that gets them 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of syrup every year. Connie Allen sat down with me. She's now the seventh generation taking the reins of the farm, but that wasn't always what she thought she would do. See omnystudio....

Will fullwider’s phone has been ringing with more and more questions about Camelina. He tells us that the hardy winter brassica can be planted much later than a lot of other cover crops. The timing can most similarly be compared to that of winter rye. The regional crops educator tells Kiley Allan about the potential benefits See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bergmann's Greenhouses is a six-generation, family-owned Wisconsin business. Known for its exceptional plant quality, customer service, and deep community roots, Bergmann's operates year-round. Its long-standing reputation is reflected in local awards, including Best Greenhouse/Nursery and Best Gardener in the Amery area. Owners Jenny and Ivanna Bergmann were exploring a greenhouse project and req...

Graduation season is here which means college seniors are getting ready for their next step in life. Mia Dauphin is one of these students graduating from UW-Platteville, having majored in Agribusiness and Dairy Science. She shares how her experiences in school, which included a trip to Thailand, have helped set her up for success in her future within agriculture. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Springtime in Wisconsin means that row crop farmers are getting in the field to start their season and maple syrup producers are ending theirs. Scott Walter sits down with me. He has an eight-generation family farm in northwestern Richland County. He says that the operation started as a small dairy farm and has evolved into something that can support his kids coming back to the farm, a maple syrup...

Saturday is the big day for UW-River Falls seniors – it’s graduation! The number one question they’re fielding from family and friends – what are you doing next? Here at the Mid-West Farm Report, we’ve been catching up with soon-to-be grads about their plans and what the job market looks like. Our UW-River Falls student today is turning a passion for livestock into a...

This week we're celebrating all pets and "Pet Week".  The UW-School of Veterinary Medicine touts the phrase 'small but mighty' when it comes to their staff size and the research and innovations developed.  Star Cameron is the clinical assistant professor in veterinary neurology and neuro surgery.  She also recently became the assistant dean for clinical and translational research.&n...

Wisconsin green thumbs are waking up this spring!  New varities, plenty of questions and a lot of ambition.  Kiley Allan finds out what's happening with Scott Trudell.  He works at the Plant Desk for The Bruce Company.  While  spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils are hardy enough to survive fluctuating temperatures, deciduous shrubs (such as lilacs and crab  ap...

Feeding the world is truly a labor of love. Farms take many hours and many hands to make sure food makes it from the field to the table. Bruce Dannenberg is the co-owner of Triple D Farms. He sat down with Kiley Allan to explain how he balances working his own operation as well as custom work.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The town of Ashippun in Dodge County was successful in approving the start of the process of switching to farmland preservation zoning. This is after conflicts with an incoming private golf course and solar energy proposals -- an issue that our guest says is becoming more common in rural Wisconsin. Robert Guenther, a local dairy farmer, is a member of Ashippun's planning commission. He tells Steph...

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at UW-Madison was a natural fit for Amanda Bender. In May, she'll graduate with her Bachelor's in Plant Pathology. She took time out of her busy schedule to tell me about her plans after the diploma is in her hands. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the heart of the Driftless Region to the global supply chains of brands like Starbucks and Nestlé, the health of soil and water is top of mind. Today we’re looking at the first results of the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration project. We have a researcher and a farmer from the project here to share what’s been going on – Jack Herricks is a Cashton dairy farmer who g...

There's more than meets the eye at June Dairy Celebrations around Wisconsin.  Helping to guide those activities and educational opportunities are farm families all across the state and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Pam Jahnke visits with Dan Hinz of Pickett.  Hinz is a fourth generation dairy operator that represents other dairy farms in Outagamie and Winnebago counties.  Hinz believe...

Wisconsin farmers are dealing with a new pest familiar to gardeners.  Slugs!  Dane Elmquist tells Stephanie Hoff that slugs are becoming a bigger field pest because of conservation practices.  Elmquist is the conservation cropping specialist with the Division of Extension .   Slugs  thrive in no-till and cover crop systems because the heavy crop residue and lack of so...

It's the right time of the year to be focused on the bee population in Wisconsin.  Jill Welke catches up with Wisconsin's Honey Queen,  Emily Skala.  She explains the training she's gone through to make sure she's properly educating the general public about everything bees can do.  She says most people don't realize the different types of honey you can enjoy based just on what...

Dairy farmers and Wisconsin agriculture stakeholders got a seat at the table when Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made the trip to Wisconsin this week. From exclusive roundtables to new proposals for the national labor crisis, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation President Brad Olson tells Stephanie Hoff about how the day went at Morning Star Dairy in Onalaska. Photo courtesy of Rep. Travis Trane...

As Wyffels Hybrids celebrates its 80th anniversary as an independent, family-owned company, Regional Sales Manager Steve Quade joins Stephanie Hoff to discuss current spring planting progress in the region. We explore the latest digital tools available to farmers, including a GDU calculator and planting progress map, designed to assist with critical hybrid and timing decisions. Additionally, Steve...

Lately the internet has been bursting with excitement around beef tallow. It's all the craze when it comes to an at-home natural skin care product. But did you know using lard can actually be even better for your skin? Julie Schrader, owner of Open Road Ranch, sits down with Kiley Allan to talk about the lard products she handmakes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary Lewandowski and her older brother are the sixth generation on their family's dairy farm in Bevent, Wisconsin. After some reflection about her time growing up on a dairy farm and needing an FFA project, she turned to writing her very first children's book entitled "Welcome to My Farm." Throughout the story, she acts as a tour guide of her family's dairy farm with a story that features actual p...

Weather and global conflicts.  It's all being surveiled by NASA.  Ben Jarboe goes behind the scene with Mike Humber.  Humber is NASA Harvest Data Lead and NASA Acres Deputy Director. The data collected by NASA satellites allows monitoring of crop conditions, water availability and much more.  Jarboe finds out about what they learned when war erupted between Ukraine and Rus...

Immigration enforcement continues to be an issue that Wisconsin farms and agribusinesses are monitoring.  Sam Moheban, immigration specialist and attorney at Wausau based, Ruder Ware law firm says things are changing.  Moheban tells Pam Jahnke that instead of focusing on raids, which are expensive and require a lot of staff, ICE is pivoting to enfocement through paperwork.  Specific...

This is a big weekend for the equine industry.  Another big show - in Minnesota.  Jill Welke talks with the organizers of the show and entertainment at the MN Horse Expo.] Rainfall reports are spotty this morning around Wisconsin.  Stu Muck says western Wisconsin suffered the brunt of the heavy rainfall.  Drier weather for most of the weekend with rain back in the forecast on M...

The EPA recently came out with new mandates for the renewable fuel standard which provides a jump from 3.35 billion gallons in 2025 to 5.4 billion in 2026 and 5.7 billion in 2027. Kurt Kovarik the vice president of federal affairs, with Clean Fuels Alliance America, says this is a big step in the right direction. This will help the US soybean farmers find a bigger market in hopes to increase the d...