MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

For the first time in over a decade, an international crowd is coming together in the Green Bay area to celebrate the Brown Swiss heritage in Wisconsin. Josh Hushon joins us in-studio, assistant chair of the National Brown Swiss Convention and past president of the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association. He has the details for this week’s show. He suggests the public come on Thursday or Saturday. Learn...

Hundreds of thousands of people will head to Washington D.C. this week to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. While they look up to enjoy the fireworks, there’s something else up there that’s a bit harder to see: rooftop farms. Kristof Grina, the co-founder and farm manager at Up Top Acres, says his goal is to restore nature in cities, and they do this by establishing gardens on top of commercia...

More than 300 agriculture educators and FFA advisors got together to share ideas, resources and support, at the Wisconsin Association of Agricultur Educators (WAAE) summer conference in Oshkosh. Collaboration was a major theme when visiting with instructors.  The new president of WAAE, Mary Handrich from Denmark, is continuing to build bridges with local technical colleges to leverage their assets...

Ashley Hagenow from Poynette WI, finishes her year as Alice in Dairyland on July 8th. She recalls lots of fond memories and recaps what her year of service looked like. While also elaborating on what's to come to for the hopes of this program.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the severe weather surprising many communities in Wisconsin, it's important that farmers and land owners know the NRCS is there. Terry Cosby is the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service , and was in Madison for the Sand County Foundations National Conservation Symposium.  Cosby has been with NRCS for over 4 decades, but continues to try and help people better understand all the...

UW-Madison is celebrating 175 years, and to help celebrate has been on a tour all across Wisconsin. This stop in particular was at the Badger Veterinary Hospital in Janesville.  Tod Pritchard works at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, and helped organized this tour. His hope with this tour was to help people see the direct correlation between the students education at UW-Madison to...

Kristi Thorson is the  Associate Dean for the advancement and administration for the Veterinary School of Medicine for UW-Madison. On the Janesville stop for the 175 year tour for UW-Madison she touched on the highly anticipated renovations and improvements that are in play on campus. Some of the renovations including new buildings and facilities to help in aiding a better education for Veterinari...

Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative is launching an innovative program to simplify the permitting process for farmers. The Maestro program assists farmers in orchestrating the many steps and processes of obtaining and maintaining a permit. Tim Trotter Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative CEO says this initiative was shaped by the voices of their members and is designed to simplify compliance and empower farmer...

Representative Scott Johnson of the Assembly for the 33rd District, was apart of the Badger Veterinary Hospital tour in Janesville. This tour was put on to celebrate 175 years of UW-Madison. The purpose of the tour was to showcase possible career pathways for students from UW-Madison partnerships.  He touches on the significance of medical advancements seen on the tour of the veterinary hospital....

After a EF-1 Tornado touched down right outside of Marshall, a local Century farm was left in shambles. Klecker Farms was recognized as a Century farm at the Wisconsin State Fair back in 2019. After all these years of many close calls, they were now hit with devastation. Although they don't milk cows anymore, none of the beef cattle on the farm were hurt or lost. And only one chicken was missing o...

You may know Meister Cheese for their various products of delicious cheese. But what you may not know is they process whey protein concentrate to create protein products.  Muscoda Protein Products is conjoined with Meister Cheese to help process the whey byproduct left from the cheesemaking process. The Meister family created Muscoda Protein Products in 1981. Instead of the whey going to a landfil...

Alice in Dairyland, Ashley Hagenow, is getting ready to pass the duty on to the next "Alice".  Jill Welke sits down with Hagenow to recap all her June dairy activities and talk more about what her plans are for the future. Bridget Mason, assistant state climatologist in Wisconsin, explains the severe weather the state's experienced and what July's forecast looks like. About 300 agriculture educato...

This past week has seen unprecedented weather activity across Wisconsin, marked by intense heat, high humidity, and severe storms that have brought significant rainfall and caused widespread damage. "We've experienced multiple rounds of storms, producing heavy rainfall, damaging winds, tornadoes, and hail across the state," said Bridgette Mason, Assistant State Climatologist. "In some areas, rainf...

Chelsea Wunnicke works for the Wisconsin College Saving Program and helps farm families save for their children's education, such as being a guide for the Edvest 529 program.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leslie Rather's daughter benefits from the Edvest 529 program with the Wisconsin College Savings Program. She talks about her journey with saving for her daughter's education and how it has impacted all of their lives.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you want a farming legacy to last for many generations, it's essential to take good care of the land by using effective conservation practices.  Bella Wood, 9th generation farmer of Ute Creek Cattle Company in New Mexico shares her family's success story. While they’re not in Wisconsin–with over 250  years of the Ute Creek Cattle Company,  the practices they use are still beneficial to us here....

No matter what state you call home, conservation is a universal priority for farmers dedicated to preserving the land for future generations.  Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms in Maryland sheds some light on how conservation has allowed their family to now be the 8th generation on the farm.  The Crothers Family were the 2022 Maryland Leopold Conservation Award Winners. https://sandcountyfoundati...

Big Sky Country is all about cattle.  Bob Bosold catches up with fellow farm broadcaster and cattle rancher, Taylor Brown, about how this season's range and markets are doing. With all the wet weather Wisconsin farmers are battling with, fields that have been tiled are paying dividends.  Charitee Seebecker learns more about the technology from Troy Aalsma, Sales Representative for Kartechner Broth...

Wisconsin dairy operators are being asked to finish up their 2024 Dairy Producer Survey before the end of the month. DATCP mailed the survey to licensed producers in late May 2024. The survey includes about 30 questions on various topics including herd demographics, management practices, business structure, labor, and future plans. Survey responses will provide insight into industry challenges and...

The 2024 growing season has not gone according to script in most areas of the state.  Even the best laid plans are needing to be revised.  Dean Ebert from the West Bend location for Helena Agri , is busy working on those re-writes. Ebert visits with Pam Jahnke about the adjustments that are going on field by field in his territory.  He says ultimately it's about whatever's best for the client and...

The phrase "swarms" is catching attention but it's not about insects, it's about new technology.  Stephanie Hoff talks to Preston Rice from Madison Drones, about the recent approval to use swarms of drones to address challenges in field crops. There's so many background stories circulating at fairs in Wisconsin.  One special story involves Emmet Saddlery in Hustisford.  They started out supporting...

It's June Dairy Month -- the perfect time to remind producers that there is a Spanish for Dairy class for farmers and anyone who works with dairy farm employees. Farm and Industry Short Course Outreach Program Manager Heather Gayton has the details. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UW-Madison's Farm and Industry Short Course program will be offering a new Farm Electrical Maintenance and Safety short course in July. Participants will learn about the laws, procedures, tools, protective gear, and other basics for staying safe while troubleshooting or maintaining electrical equipment, says FISC Outreach Program Manager Heather Gayton. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Unseen for a few years, two major wheat diseases have re-emerged, catching farmers off guard. Damon Smith, UW-Extension Plant Pathologist says he’s starting to see diseases really taking hold and shutting the plants down early. “We’re seeing the resurgence of stripe rust and fusarium head blight (scab),” says Smith. “After several years of relative calm, this has caught many by surprise.” Smith sa...

Wisconsin's dairy goat industry also contributes to the state's nickname of America's Dairyland.  The Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association traces its roots back to the 1930s. Association Vice President Anna Thompson Hajdik says Wisconsin's dairy goat heritage has gotten a new light in the last decade or so thanks to the development of new products. "You can find goat milk in everything from your conve...