MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

The Automated Milking Systems User Group is hosting its first meeting on April 9 at the Agriculture Center of Excellence in Wausau from 1-3:30 p.m. The Division of Extension is hosting the user group. UW Milking Lab Director Prof. Doug Reinemann says farmers will exchange ideas and best practices and group together to conduct on-farm research until the next meeting. Joining the AMS User Group allo...

When you’re out shopping for meat at the grocery store or maybe from your local farmer, what do you look for? Bernie O’Rourke is the Extension Youth Livestock Specialist. She says understanding quality grading and yields can be hard if you’re not doing it everyday.  Quality grade serves as a compass for consumers navigating their purchasing decisions. It embodies attributes like tenderness, flavor...

Are you a dairy farmer looking to stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving industry? The key to success in today’s fast-paced dairy industry is a focus on continuous improvement and innovation. The countdown is on to the 2024 Business Conference presented by the Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP), set for March 13-14, 2024, at the Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells. Cassandra Strupp, PDP prog...

The World Championship Cheese Contest is like the super bowl to cheese makers. But just why is it so big and important? Marieke Penterman of Marieke Gouda says a lot has changed over her time competing but she keeps coming back regardless of how she places. Participation in cheese competitions has been transformative for Marieke Gouda propelling them onto the national and international stage. With...

Surface-ripened cheeses account for some of the 142 classes at the World Championship Cheese Contest. That includes Limburger cheese. Limburger has a reputation for a potent aroma, but it's also a staple in Wisconsin's cheese-making heritage. One of Limburger's biggest fans, John Jaeggi, is the coordinator for the Wisconsin Master Cheese Maker program at the Center for Dairy Research. He's also a...

For farm gals, or any woman that appreciates rural Wisconsin - it's time to take a break.  Before spring planting kicks into gear and the kids are out of school, the community of Plover is offering Savor & Sow - a weekend agventure retreat.  Pam Jahnke talks to organizer, Malorie Paine, about why they developed the option and who they partnered with. There's more to judging cheese than meets t...

Helping farms collect data from their farming operations is the goal of the new "Your Farm, Your Footprint" offered through the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.  Charitee Seebecker talks to executive director, Shelly Mayer, about the program. Derrick Van Orden, Congressman from WI, is paying attention to the money flow in Washington, D.C.  He says the ag appropriations process looks soun...

Steve Stetler, a cheese maker at Decatur Dairy has emerged victorious in the Open Class Cheese Curd category at the prestigious World Championship Cheese Contest. Stetler's Muenster Curd earned him the top honor in a highly competitive field, solidifying his position as a master of his craft. "You work really hard at this contest because it's the best of the best and everybody brings their A-game....

In Wisconsin - We like cheese. It’s who we are. But have you ever thought about what actually makes cheese good besides that you like the taste of it? There’s a lot that goes into actually judging cheese. Jill Allen of Tillamook Cheese in Oregon is serving as an official judge for this year's World Championship cheese contest. She shares some insight into what she looks for. "When we judge cheese,...

It’s kidding season on Wisconsin dairy goat farms. That means sweet baby goats and increased milk production. But it’s not the only excitement that the goat dairy industry is witnessing in 2024. Anna Thompson Hajdik is the vice president of the Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association and serves as a director of the Upper Midwest Region for the American Dairy Goat Association. She frequently returns to th...

You know that burger you order every time you go out? The one that you just crave throughout the week? Well now's the time to share that hunger with others and  give it and the restaurant the full recognition it deserves. The Wisconsin Beef Council has kicked off their inaugural Wisconsin’s Best Burger Contest. The contest is designed to seek out and promote 100% beef burgers prepared in Wisconsin...

At the World Championship Cheese Contest happening this week in Madison, you’re bound to come across some cheeses you’ve never seen before. This is part of the excitement for contest judge Cathy Strange. When she’s not scoring cheese, she’s a food ambassador and buyer for Whole Foods Market. She comes across some exotic cheeses across the globe that are meeting the consumer’s desire to eat somethi...

The 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest is officially underway. Now through Thursday, more than 3,300 cheese, yogurt, butter, and dry dairy products will be evaluated by a skilled team of internationally renowned judges. But the judges won't be able to eat all those entries! So, the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association will use the dairy products to give back. Executive Director John Umhoefer ha...

The World Championship Cheese Contest -- it's possible thanks to the B-Team, 122 volunteers who sort and serve thousands of dairy products to the judges. These volunteers are people throughout the dairy industry from finance to marketing and from processing to education. Stephanie Hoff introduces us to two B-Teamers who are proud to give back to the industry.  MaKenzie Skibbie is a junior at UW-Ri...

Have you ever wondered what its like to be a farmer in a different part of the word? Luke Keulers is a farmer from Beek Netherlands and says while they may have different regulations to follow, you’d be surprised how similar things are. He shares a bit more about what it’s like for him. "One of the biggest regulations we face is the manure surplus. The abundance of manure in the Netherlands poses...

The clock is ticking on applying for the first round of state funding available for the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP).  The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be accepting the first round of applications until April 1st. Applications for the first round of grants are now available at DOT’s website Priority will be given to projects that provide the greatest benefit to agric...

While we may be having mild winter weather and seeing some early greening, experts are urging farmers to proceed with caution when it comes to their pasture management.  According to Jason Cavadini, Grazing Outreach Specialist, there has been a noticeable trend of vegetation greening up earlier than usual, including clover, legumes, and other cool-season plants. This early growth is accompanied by...

A farmer's relationship with legal counsel can be critically important to the overall health and function of a farm or agribusiness.  Rachel Armstrong has made this her career - forging those valuable relationships.  Charitee Seebecker dives deeper with the attorney about some of the do's and don'ts for planning success. Today's the day!  The beginning of the World Champion Cheese event in Madison...

This is the week a lot of cheesemakers wait for!  The World Champion Cheese event begins in 24 hours.  Bob Bosold talks to Jim Mueller, who oversees all the judges involved in evaluating entries for the competition. Shelly Mayer talks sustainability and a new opportunity Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin is offering its members to track valuable data. The six Alice in Dairyland finalists w...

As temperatures rise, Wisconsin's insect population is springing into action, signaling a potentially early start to the bug season. With approximately 20 thousand different insect species in the state, varying strategies help them survive the winter, but warm weather can prompt their activity sooner than expected. “While certain species may still be dormant as eggs, others, such as adults, have b...

Cheeses from Sri-Lanka!  Cheese made from camel milk!  It's all featured during the 2024 World Champion Cheese event happening at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. Pam Jahnke talks with John Umhoefer, executive director of the hosting Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association, about the logistics behind moving a mountain of cheese and other dairy entries from around the world.  It starts a...

Randy Swensen, Director of Quality & Grading at Wisconsin Aging & Grading (WAG) Cheese, has been working with the World Championship Cheese Contest for more than 20 years. As the Director of Contest Logistics, he spends much of his time in the weeks before the event at WOW Logistics' warehouse in Little Chute. This is where he leads the effort to receive and categorize the more than 3,300...

The latest hay stocks report from USDA shows Wisconsin supply is down 30 percent from the year before. Meanwhile, out West, they're seeing a hefty carryover supply that will bring their hay prices down, according to Josh Callen, a market analyst with The Hoyt Report. He covers hay markets in the seven Western states of the Continental U.S. But he says the cost of hauling hay negates any interest i...

Jordan Lamb is a policy consultant representing seven Wisconsin farm organizations at the State Capitol. She expects the legislative session to wrap up during the first few weeks of March. Ahead of the session, back in December of 2022, she says three themes stood out among Wisconsin farmers: transportation, workforce, and health care. And Lamb says they've made strides in all three areas. This su...

It’s tough to show progress without a starting point or a scale of measurement. That dilemma has been a roadblock for those tasked with reducing the environmental impact of milk production. Professional Dairy Producers® (PDP) provides a solution with a new initiative, Your Farm – Your FootprintTM. The first-of-its-kind, farmer-led sustainability initiative empowers dairy producers to know and easi...