MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Wisconsin 4-H Foundation President Charlie Crave says you do not want to miss the upcoming National 4-H Dairy Conference in Madison the first week of October. He says this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for youth interested in agriculture. We introduce you to Sesquicentennial Farm in Seymour. Fifth-generational Brittney Muenster says exploring new ideas and testing new markets is how they've k...

The Casper family’s century-old farm in Jackson County, Wisconsin, holds a deep legacy of resilience and love. Established in 1919, the farm has witnessed countless hardships, from the Great Depression to the daily struggles of farm life. Jane Casper fondly recalls her grandmother's unwavering strength, running the farm alone while her grandfather worked miles away to save it. Over the years, the...

Ed Elfmann with the American Bankers Association, says the ACRE Act would help lower lending costs for farmers, ranchers, and rural residents. The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival highlights a heritage breed for the first time and is excited to celebrate a milestone with the Crook & Whistle Sheep Dog Trials. Ben Jarboe takes us to a hemp plot in Arlington with UW Researcher Phillip Alberti....

The Wisconsin Ag Coalition’s regional "Engage with Agriculture Series" events allow candidates running for state office this fall to visit farms, agri-businesses, and agricultural processing facilities to gain first-hand insight into modern agricultural production and practices. Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Director of Government Relations Jason Mugnaini says the goal is to inspire policymaker...

The Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival is celebrating 22 years -- Sep. 6-8 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Jefferson. Festival Coordinator Hedge Becker says the Leicester Longwool Card Grading Event is new this year, one of the first of its kind in the Midwest. There will also be several educational sessions offered by the Leicester Longwool producers, including one on Tasmanian agricultur...

Spring Creeks Cattle Company has been selected as the 2024 Cattlemen of the Year by the Wisconsin Cattlemen's Association. With a legacy of excellence since 1992, this family-run operation has set a benchmark in cattle breeding and feeding, specializing in Limousin, Red Angus, and Black Angus breeds. Known for their high-quality genetics and commitment to innovation, Spring Creeks Cattle Company h...

When it comes to ice cream, everyone has a favorite flavor that brings back fond memories. But what many don’t realize is the incredible amount of work and innovation that goes into creating these delicious treats. Andrew Riley, Kwik Trip Dairy Production Manager, and Katarina Nemitz, a food scientist in the R&D department join Charitee Seebecker to provide an inside look at the meticulous pro...

Fifty million dollars is going to improve agricultural roads. Mike Koles with the Wisconsin Towns Association says in one application, the Agricultural Road Improvement Program would save the area farms 17 miles of travel per trip.  Northern Montana might see snow this week. Pam Jahnke's Farm Tour in Alaska is seeing 60s and rain. But here in Wisconsin and in other areas of the country, a heat adv...

The meat markets are having some interesting things happening as cattle numbers are down, but the weights are staying steady, and pork is strong, and lamb is also holding steady, which is unusual for this time of the year. Jeff Swenson a livestock and meat specialist with DATCP gives his insight on these markets and what we may expect in the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Wyffels Hybrids is about to kick off its seed harvest as its farm clients prepare for the corn harvest later this fall. Sales Development Manager Dave Rolli reflects on the growing season and predicts a bullish corn crop this fall in Wisconsin. In the meantime, Wyffels has expanded its partnership with Farm Rescue as the nonprofit just announced it will offer its services in Wisconsin. Dave is exc...

Steve Galoff shares the story of his family farm in Pierce County See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gina Schreiber shares the story of her family farm in Dodge County. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diane & William Wipperfurth share the story of their family farm in Dane County See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carl Anderson Shares the Story of his family farm in St. Croix County. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Madison we have Babcock Hall which is famous for ice cream, but at Utah State University, they have an Aggie Chocolate Factory. This is the only chocolate type curriculum in the world. Andrea Leduc joins Bob Bosold to share more about this unique offering. According to the latest Wisconsin 4-H impact report, membership has grown to more than 26,000 students -- an 8 percent jump year-over-year....

And he says it's rewarding work. He takes two weeks of vacation to help out families in need. Farm Rescue is now serving Wisconsin. This nonprofit serves farm families who have experienced an illness, injury, or natural disaster. The volunteers help with planting or harvesting, hauling, or livestock feeding, to name a few. Peterson has been volunteering with Farm Rescue for four years now. He tell...

Tera Montgomery, school of agriculture director at UW-Platteville joins Ben Jarboe to share more about some of the dairy hub fund research that UW-Platteville is conducting and what enrollment looks like for this fall.  Patrick Schley is celebrating his family's Centennial Farm in Door County for our Farm salute Friday. He tells us the story of how his great-grandfather, Wolfgang, came to America...

Here in Wisconsin, beer is something we know and love. But you can’t have flavorful, aromatic beer without a very important specialty crop -- hops! August is a busy time of year in the hop yard. This is when the cones come off the vine and go to the brewery. But it’s more complicated than that. Today we’re heading to Four Winds Farm in Fitchburg with the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association....

4 Wheel Drive tractors have become a hot commodity the past few months with new technology and increased horsepower. Curt Blades, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Senior Vice President of Industry Sectors and Product Leadership, shares some of the possibles causes for this increase in sales and some advice for how farmers should go about buying this machinery.  See omnystudio.com/listene...

Imagine waking up one morning to start chores, you go out to check the beef cattle and find that not all of your animals are where they should be. Some of your animals have vanished. While it’s not common in Wisconsin to experience a large cattle theft, it’s a nightmare turned reality for some ranchers. Just this spring, $20,000 worth of livestock were taken from a beef operation in Jackson County...

Some of the hardest working animals are honeybees. Jill Wielke is joined by Jon Logterman of the WI Honey Producers Association to shed some light on how these worker bees are doing. The American Dairy Goat Association is hosting its national convention in Wisconsin for the first time since 2006. It'll be October 19-25 at the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva. Association Vice President Anna Thom...

Chris Ritscher Shares the story of his farm that has been around since 1854 and some of the memories he made there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin’s rich dairy history is finding new life in a unique and flavorful way, thanks to a local distillery that is incorporating milk sugar, a byproduct of cheese production, into their spirits. This innovative approach not only supports the local dairy industry but also adds a distinct character to the final product. The distillery sources its milk sugar from a nearby family-run cheese factor...

Here at the Mid-West Farm Report, we are celebrating families that have farmed the same land for more than 100 or 150 years. Today, we visit with a Sesquicentennial dairy farm in Seymour in Outagamie County. Brittney Muenster is the fifth generation and continues to dairy farm today. She says the farm didn’t start out as a dairy 150 years ago. Trying out new ideas on the farm is a theme in her fam...

Joan Staffon shares the history of her century farm. As well as the memories from growing up and living on the farm through the years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.