MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Happy National FFA Week! FFA members across the nation are participating in exciting events and educational workshops to highlight the success of members.  Traveling throughout Wisconsin to help local chapters celebrate is the State FFA officer team. . Linsey Mueller is serving as a State FFA Treasurer, and shares more about how people can be involved and support FFA. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

It’s National FFA Week and FFA members are sporting their blue and gold across the nation to celebrate. From exciting events and educational workshops to highlighting the success of members, the week is packed full of activities. Traveling throughout Wisconsin to help local chapters celebrate is the State FFA officer team. Mary Schrieber  is serving as a State FFA President. She has more of a non-...

So you want to be a farmer? Ag lender Rene Johnson with Lake Ridge Bank recommends partnering up with an existing farm to learn the ropes. She says there's growing interest among nonfarm consumers to get involved in agriculture - some even exploring how to start their own farm business. However, it can be challenging to get a farm loan if you don't have farm experience. Johnson says if you fall in...

When your animals are out on pasture it can be hard to make sure they’re still getting a balanced diet with all of the nutrients they need. It requires a lot of knowledge about your forage quality, soil health, specific animal requirements and much more. I Dr. Greg Brickner, veterinarian for Organic Valley says not all of our grazing management and forage species decisions are equal. It’s importan...

Feed is the number one cost in swine production. However The using corn and soy, both as feed ingredients and as nutrients recycled through swine manure, can help your overall bottom line. Nic Rue, vice president of swine lending for Compeer Financial explains how beneficial having a good relationship with corn and soy growers is for your overall sustainability. "The beauty of this relationship li...

Even though it's felt like an 'early spring', Kevin Shelley recommends holding off on frost seeding until March. Shelley is with the Division of Extension Nutrient and Pest Management Program, specializing in cover crops. He joins Mid-West Farm Report in-studio to go over the ins and outs of frost seeding this year, and the pros and cons it can bring to pastures, forage stocks, and a winter wheat...

The first months of the year are all about farm animal babies, especially lambs and kids. Emma Schaffel, DVM, with Waupun Veterinary Services reminds new and seasoned sheep and goat owners about best practices for the kidding and lambing season, which can last from January to April. Emma says there’s a high demand for veterinarians in agriculture because of the growing amount of hobby farms in the...

Next week one of the largest gatherings of organic farmers happens in LaCrosse.  The annual Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference will draw attendees from across North America.  Stephanie Hoff talks to Lori Stern, Executive Director of Marbleseed. Stern says waste is a key theme at this year's conference -- reducing waste of time, money, food, etc. Another theme -- transitioning to organic. Funds...

Have you or someone you know attended the Farm and Industry Short Course program at UW-Madison? Maybe you have kids that went. The program has had a large impact on many in the agriculture industry so when UW-Madison announced they were no longer going to have it, it took many by surprise. Representative Tony Kurtz says that’s why he’s happy it has been reestablished at UW-River Falls. He explains...

When you’re grazing your livestock, are you also thinking about the wildlife around you? Well- rotational grazing actually provides a great habitat for grassland birds. “Rotational grazing offers a sanctuary for a plethora of bird species such as meadowlarks and bobolinks,” says Tom Prestby, Wisconsin Conservation Manager at Audubon Great Lakes. “The varying sizes and thicknesses of grass provide...

State lawmakers are almost done with this session's work, and Wisconsin farmers don’t want any of their bills falling through the cracks. One of these is a program to expand ethanol availability at gas stations. AB 455/SB 454 would require that new retail or wholesale fueling facilities offer higher ethanol-blended motor fuels. It would also provide grants to upgrade existing facilities. Cal Dalto...

Call of Duty, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto - those are probably video games you've heard of and may have played yourself.  What about Mooving Cows?  That's the title of a new video game released by UW-Madison Animal & Dairy Science department to help farmers, their employees - anyone - fine tune their animal handling techniques.  Dr. Jennifer VanOss is the brain behind the game.  She explains h...

The U.S. Grain Council (USGC) is actively engaged in maintaining and expanding trade relationships for U.S. corn, barley, and sorghum in foreign markets. With a focus on market development and access, the USGC has been a key player in facilitating exports to regions such as Asia, Latin America, North Africa, and beyond. “The current strategies of the USGC revolve around sustaining relationships wi...

Protect the Harvest is an organization that's been around since 2011, but in 2024 they're refreshing their logo and their name to try and help policy makers and consumers better understand what they do.  Bob Bosold talks with Dr. Mike Siemens, now executive director of A Free and Fed America. Saturday marked the beginning of China's Lunar New Year celebration - and Wisconsin's got a stake in how t...

Valentine's Day pops up on the calendar tomorrow!  How's the flower industry doing these days?  Charitee Seebecker catches up with Nichole Campbell, President of the Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association.  She's also owner/operator of Petal Pusher Floral Studio in Green Bay.  She says roses still remain the #1 flower as far as valentine's demand, but she also shares other trends the...

Just because vegetables aren't growing outside right now doesn't mean that the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers are just sitting around. A big thing that CSA growers are doing now during the winter is looking at seed and equipment catalogs. These growers need to order  thousands of dollars worth of seeds, not to mention supplies such as potting soil, roll cover, tractor tires, greenho...

Blair Richardson leads Potatoes USA, a trade group looking for new opportunities for U.S. potatoes. He says that they also have to be concerned about misinformation about potatoes that target both consumers and healthcare providers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend begins China's New Year celebrations, and this year Wisconsin Ginseng is hoping they're going to see more business.  Charitee Seebecker catches up with Jackie Fett, Executive Secretary for the Wisconsin Ginseng Association.  The group just took a trade mission to China for the first time since the pandemic to try and restore buying relationships that stretch back generations. Wisconsi...

The weather we’re experiencing this winter could pose some challenges for Wisconsin’s potato crop. Pests and diseases may benefit from the mild temperatures, and storage management has to change based on the forecast as well. Mike Copas, a senior agronomist with the Wysocki Family of Companies in the Central Sands, tells us how the warm conditions are impacting not just the stored potato crop but...

One of the biggest logistical challenges, for many farmers, often occurs on the roads just outside their farms. Wisconsin farmers help feed the world and need to have strong and reliable roads in place to make sure that the food they produce is able to leave the farm and arrive to market quickly, reliably, and efficiently. That’s where the Agriculture Road Improvement Program (ARIP) comes in.  “Th...

March 15th is the looming deadline for crop insurance decisions that farms will live with for the rest of the calendar year.  Do you have all the answers you need to make the right choice?  Crop insurance rates are basically the same for any company you might work with, but the service you receive can vary. Jenny Brown is a Rural Mutual Crop Insurance advisor.  She's been involved in production ag...

It’s earlier than normal, but you may see maple syrup producers in Wisconsin already tapping trees and cooking sap. Steve Anderson is one of them. He’s the president of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association and the third generation of Anderson Maple Syrup in Cumberland. He says the 'January thaw' is lasting weeks instead of days, and it's sparking producers to tap early. He hopes that co...

There's a lot of different discussions happening in Wisconsin about affordable health care options for farm families.  Our state’s largest general farm organizations are bringing it up as a top priority in this legislative session and have brought different strategies to the table. Wisconsin Farmers Union, for example, is asking the state to expand BadgerCare by accepting federal Medicaid expansio...

The Wisconsin FFA Alumni gathered together in Green Bay over the weekend for their annual state convention.  Jill Welke was there to chat with Deb Ihm, the current president of the WI FFA Alumni and Tom Bressler, past WI State FFA Officer now leading a campaign to raise money for the group. Ashley Huhn from the Steffes Group chats with Pam Jahnke at the WI Corn/Soy Expo about the conversations the...

The Wisconsin Soybean Association marks a significant milestone as it celebrates 50 years of growth, innovation and dedication to Wisconsin soybean growers. Tony Mellenthin, a farmer from Eau Galle Wisconsin and director on the United Soybean Board says membership is growing, and more farmers are actively promoting soybeans. Those types of things haven’t been happening for a long time. He explains...