The U.S. dairy industry has set a goal of reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020. UW–Madison researchers are helping identify strategies to accomplish that.
Researcher follows dairy-cow footprint
Agri-View
Category: Agriculture
Peninsular Research Station thrives through challenges
Door County Daily News
The station continues to partner with the USDA for the NRSP-6 Potato Genebank, which is located at the station. Peters says the work by UW and USDA staffers at that facility is one of national importance.
Countdown to 2019 Farm Tech Days is on
The Country Today
The annual meeting also included the announcement of the recipient of the Donald R. Peterson Technology Transfer Award. Dr. Brian Luck, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at UW-Madison received this year’s award, although he was unable to attend the annual meeting.
Class III milk on trajectory for improvement
The Country Today
In their March “Dairy Situation and Outlook” podcast, UW-Madison’s Bob Cropp and Mark Stephenson said milk prices are on a trajectory to be quite a bit better by this fall.
Collegiate Farm Bureau’s Ag Day on Campus set
The Country Today
Collegiate Farm Bureau at UW-Madison will celebrate its annual Ag Day on Campus with the theme “The One Percent Who Feed the 100 Percent,” 9 a.m. to noon on April 17 on Library Mall in downtown Madison to educate students on the importance of agriculture.
Now is the time to invest in research for our dairy future
WI Farmer
UW System agricultural research, which Wisconsin farmers of the past relied on to help build America’s Dairyland, still focuses on nutrition, production efficiency, welfare and disease prevention in dairy cows. In addition, UW researchers are also developing new stress-reduction programs for farmers, formulating new dairy-based food products, and creating sustainable practices that benefit water, land, rural communities and farm workers.
What Else Is in Your Ice Cream These Days?
Consumer Reports
Quoted: There are two main schools of thought about choosing a “healthy” ice cream, according to Scott Rankin, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “On the one hand, you have consumers who want the fewest ingredients possible,” he says. “On the other, you have customers who want their ice cream to have specific ‘attributes,’ such as no sugar added or nonfat.”
Can Ice Cream Ever Be Healthy?
Consumer Reports
Quoted: In its simplest form, ice cream has just four ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring, such as vanilla. For many years, there were limited options in overall ingredients, composition, and flavor, says Scott Rankin, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the department of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Farmers learn from farmers
Agri-View
UW-Discovery Farms is a research and outreach program focused on the relationship between agriculture and water quality. It’s a unique program that conducts research on privately owned farms in Wisconsin.
Heart of the Farm Conference for Farm Women to be Held in Merrill
Antigo Times
Heart of the Farm-Women in Agriculture workshop is a University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension program committed to addressing the needs of farm women by providing education on farm business topics, connecting them with agricultural resources and creating support networks.
Identifying ‘normal’ helps farmers better spot ‘abnormal’
The Country Today
Sandy Stuttgen has spent a lot of time around cows. She grew up a dairy farmer’s daughter in Marathon County, leaving the farm to become a large animal, predominately dairy, veterinarian before joining the staff at UW-Madison Division of Extension as an associate professor.
MARS agronomist: Large, small farms can succeed together
The Country Today
As the agronomist at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station, Cavadini has been integrating no-till and cover crops practices to support the station’s dairy herd. He also grazes a small herd of about 40 Black and Red Angus beef on his family’s 80-acre Cavern Point Farm near Stratford.
Experts predict rise of group housing of calves
The Country Today
Jennifer Van Os, an assistant professor and Extension specialist at UW-Madison’s Department of Dairy Science, also wouldn’t be surprised if the age of group housing was on the horizon.
Are milk prices headed for a recovery this summer?
WI Farmer
Cropp, emeritus professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, said a slowdown in milk production, reduced cow numbers and a falloff in heifer numbers could mean good news.
Ag Day at the capital: Telling the story for agriculture
Wisconsin Farmer
Noted: John Holovoet of the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association told of the proposed UW Dairy Innovation Hub $7.6 million funding request. The proposal focuses on four areas: land and water resource stewardship; enrichment of human health; growth of farm businesses and communities and animal health.
The governor included a request of $88 million of state funding for the expansion of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine that was built in 1983 to see 12,000 patients a year, a figure that has since risen to 27,000. The always top five rated school of Veterinary School in the nation has trained over 50 percent of the veterinarians practicing in the state. The $128 million project includes some $38 million from private donations in addition to the state funds.
Dairy farms seek higher milk prices to help save struggling farms
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“It’s very much a matter of your perspective,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at University of Wisconsin-Madison and chairman of Dairy Task Force 2.0, a committee of Wisconsin dairy farmers and others that aims to chart a course for the dairy industry’s future.
Wisconsin dairy farmers seek higher milk prices before it’s too late
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: “It’s very much a matter of your perspective,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at University of Wisconsin-Madison and chairman of Dairy Task Force 2.0, a committee of Wisconsin dairy farmers and others that aims to chart a course for the dairy industry’s future.
Wisconsin dairy farmers lean on creativity, innovation
AP
University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Victor Cabrera wants to help farmers make better decisions through his project called Dairy Brain , which would collect and integrate data from all parts of the farm operation, then use artificial intelligence to analyze the findings and help farmers make smarter management decisions.
Axios Markets
Axios
“Farmers are structured to ride these waves out, but when the waves are this long they can’t ride that out,” says Steven Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW Extension Hosting Conference on Farm Human Resources
WI Ag Connection
“Many ag consultants are on the farm and see the challenges farmers face with employees every day,” said Simon Jette-Nantel, Professor and UW-Extension Farm Management Specialist. “These are often the people farmers ask for advice regarding employees. This program provides information and resources to help Wisconsin farmers address these questions.”
Task force recommends changes
Agri-View
Mark Stephenson, chairman of the task force and director of dairy-policy analysis for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said at the end of the meeting, “We’re kind of stuck in the red zone and have a little bit of clean-up work yet to do.”
10 Things to Know About Wisconsin
US News and World Report
The University of Wisconsin—Madison opened the nation’s first dairy school in 1890.
Wisconsin proposed budget affects farmers
Ag Update
But the Wisconsin Farm Bureau would like to prioritize the positions of integrated specialist roles that would hold a joint appointment between UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and UW-Extension. Those specialists perform and teach the specialized research that is essential to Wisconsin farmers.
Farms reeling from late February storm that wrecked barns and killed thousands of animals
La Crosse Tribune
Buffalo County officials are estimating that 235 cattle, 4,800 hogs and 2,000 turkeys have been killed there by collapsed roofs since the winter storm, according to Carl Duley, the ag agent for UW-Extension’s Buffalo County office.
Siemers, Shaver to be recognized by WDE this fall
The Country Today
Randy Shaver, a UW-Madison professor in the Department of Dairy Science and Extension dairy nutritionist, will be honored as the Industry Person of the Year.
Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Say It’s Go Creative, Or Go Out Of Business
WUWM
He is among hundreds of farmers who were in Madison this week for the annual business conference of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.
Potato grower eyes seed
Agri-View
Administered by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the program consists of a full-time staff of experienced professionals dedicated to ensuring thoroughness and impartiality in inspection and certification procedures.
Can this radical approach to dairies save US farms?
Public Radio International
But little by little, supply management is rising to the surface of the national conversation. University of Wisconsin-Madison director of dairy policy analysis Mark Stephenson told radio station WPR in January that he believed it could be an effective way to increase the price of milk paid to farmers — despite governmental hurdles. “Some version of that program… [could] be a little softer than a Canadian system and certainly might help moderate these prices when we get into these deep downturns,” he said.
Irwin Goldman is pushing this loved and loathed vegetable in new directions
WI Farmer
Right now, Goldman is the nation’s only plant breeder at a public institution who works on table beets, making UW–Madison a key resource for all things beet research and breeding. This includes the development of new and improved varieties and serving as a repository for one of the world’s best collections of beet seeds.
UW-Madison tar spot video provides Wisconsin perspective on disease
WI Farmer
If you are concerned about tar spot this year but haven’t been able to get to a winter meeting to learn more on how to control it, the University of Wisconsin has a solution.
Expert: Select manure technology that fits the farm
The Country Today
Larson is an assistant professor in the Biological Systems Engineering Department at UW-Madison and a biowaste specialist with UW-Extension. She performs research and extension/outreach applications of biowaste management including handling, treatment and processing of biological waste streams, including manure.
Wisconsin Farmers Expected To Take On More Debt Despite Improved Income
Wisconsin Public Radio
But Steven Deller, agricultural and applied economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it won’t offset the 17.8 percent decline in farm income last year.
Dairy producers hit hard
Agri-View
Carl Duley, a former farmer, and now a University of Wisconsin-Extension agent with Buffalo County, helps farmers like Weisenbeck. Duley said he’s working with the state government to try to get local farmers some low-interest loans to help pay for their losses.
Class III milk price struggles, but higher prices expected
The Country Today
Futures prices are relatively flat and may be too pessimistic toward the end of this year, UW-Madison dairy market experts Bob Cropp and Mark Stephenson said in their February dairy outlook podcast. Price improvement is coming, and Cropp looks for Class III to reach the $16s by the fourth quarter.
‘I wouldn’t bet the farm on it’: Experts pump brakes on industrial hemp hype
WISC-TV 3
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison agriculture and applied economics Professor Paul Mitchell said the university has a lot of research to do before they fully understand the crop, and his department is considering hiring someone to study it.
A farm is more than fields: What contemporary black farmers can learn from the past
Isthmus
When is a farm not just a farm?
Monica M. White’s new, impressively researched book Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement (University of North Carolina Press, $28) highlights historical examples of black farmers using agricultural cooperatives “as a space and place to practice freedom.” And White explains how similar strategies are helping today’s underserved communities pool resources and alleviate poverty.
Funding for county agents, hemp and dairy are part of Tony Evers’ proposed budget
Wisconsin State Journal
That will take some of the pressure off the UW Extension, which has struggled to staff ag agents at many of their county offices after deep cuts in recent years to the UW System budget.
Program to help create, revisit farm’s financial blueprint
The Country Today
The UW-Extension Program, “Your Farm Future: A blueprint to move your farm forward,” is intended for farmers interested in planning and preparing for the future of their farm business in the context of current challenging economic conditions. It offers an opportunity for farmers interested to further develop and/or re-evaluate their plans and goals for their farm with consideration for family business dynamics and current economic conditions.
Efforts aim to prevent suicide
Ag Update
The Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program started a farmer suicide-prevention project this past month. The effort, funded by a $50,000 grant from the University of Wisconsin-School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program, was prompted by an increase in stories about suicides or suicidal thoughts among farmers, said Wally Orzechowski, executive director.
Agricultural Contributions – past to future
Agri-View
The food-science department has been a part of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences for more than 100 years. Originally housed in Hiram Smith Hall at its founding, the food-science department moved into Babcock Hall when the building opened in 1951.
The comeback crop: Hemp farming returns and it promises big rewards
Isthmus
Quoted: Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska, a family doctor who practices and researches addiction medicine at UW Health, remains skeptical of CBD. “The research on CBD oil has not been sufficient to say that this is evidence-based treatment for x, y or z,” she says.
Dairy farmers are in crisis — and it could change Wisconsin forever
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: “This downward cycle has been brutal,” said Kevin Schoessow, a University of Wisconsin-Extension agent in Washburn County.
University of Wisconsin Extension hits the road for Dairy & Beef Well-Being Conference
Wi Farmer
At all locations, Jennifer Van Os, the University of Wisconsin Dairy Welfare Specialist will discuss dairy calf management to foster socialization that improves growth and performance.
2019 Midwest Manure Summit at Lambeau Field
Agri-View
The University of Wisconsin’s 2019 Midwest Manure Summit is being held Feb. 27 in the Lambeau Field Atrium, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Specialty crops bring opportunities despite decreased consumption
The Country Today
“Specialty crops can add diversity in the long-term strength that really balances our outlook for agriculture,” he said during his presentation at the Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum held in late January on the UW-Madison campus.
Oversupply Of Milk Continues To Erode Farmers’ Bottom Line
Wisconsin Public Radio
Mark Stephenson is director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said the 7 cent jump in the average hauling charges likely had a big impact on farms, especially given the continued low price for milk.
Plant earlier for better yield, study suggests
Agri-View
An important consideration in early planting is spring-frost occurrence, which can damage or destroy the crop – but only after emergence at 15 to 25 days after planting.
6 Money-Saving Preventive Care Tips for Your Horse
The Horse
“Very simply, it pays off to get an annual physical exam for your horse because there are conditions that can show up in those exams that, if not detected, can cost owners money for larger veterinary bills (in the future),” said Fernando J. Marqués, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, clinical associate professor and chief of services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine’s Morrie Waud Large Animal Hospital.
‘Food and the Wisconsin Idea’ talk discusses Wisconsin farming, solutions to dairy crisis
Badger Herald
UW undergraduate Chloe Green moderated the discussion and said they chose to focus on agriculture policy because so many local farmers are suffering due to the low commodity prices in Wisconsin.
This spud’s for you: A breeding revolution could unleash the potential of potato
Science Magazine
Potato breeders doubted the approach was possible for tubers. “I was trained to believe that potatoes can’t be inbred,” says Shelley Jansky, a potato breeder with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Madison.
Trump Trade War Helps Push Farmers Into Record Number Of Bankruptcies
Huffington Post
Quoted: “The problem is that both nations have stubborn leaders,” Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said at an agricultural forum last week in Madison.
Integrated management key to success when combating top soybean diseases
The Country Today
Some research has been conducted at UW-Madison in regards to white mold-resistant varieties, although nothing is 100 percent immune to the disease. Smith recommended farmers study the yield and white mold score before selecting a variety and consider the environments and fungal populations on their operations as they can differ from field to field.
Ag economists: no huge improvement in farm income predicted for 2019
Wi Farmer
Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the UW-Madison said that 2018 was “another challenging year” for dairy farmers and that there was a significant amount of stress in the state’s dairy industry.
What’s ahead? Change for sure
Wi Farmer
Paul Mitchell, Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, at the UW-Madison, the leadoff speaker at the recent 2019 Ag Outlook Forum called 2018 “a year of tight margins in farming with income down and expenses up. Total crop income gained a bit (1.5 percent) but dairy income was down some 7 percent.”
Produce farms to be inspected
Agri-View
In partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Extension, produce growers can prepare their farm for inspections by participating in produce-safety training. The training is required for fresh-produce growers who must meet the federal produce-safety rules.
Managed Grazing Is Needed for Clean Water
Wall Street Journal
If we want clean water, reduced flooding, healthy soils and abundant wildlife in rural America, we must move quickly to reconfigure policies and remove financial barriers to incentivize and support transition of livestock production from confined feeding to managed-grazing operations.Prof. Randall D. JacksonUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Extreme Cold Could Impact Wisconsin Fruit, Alfalfa Crops
Wisconsin Public Radio
Amaya Atucha, fruit crop specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said grapes, apples and other fruits grown in the state aren’t used to the frigid temperatures brought by last week’s polar vortex.
Agricultural Contributions – past to future
Ag Update
The Walnut Street Greenhouses were constructed to meet the needs of researchers in the UW-Madison departments of agronomy, genetics, horticulture, plant pathology, soils and entomology.
UW short course helps dairy farmer find small-farm success in a brutal market
Wi Farmer
Jaworski began milking his cows in 2014, using a business plan heavily shaped by the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy & Livestock Farmers, one of several “Short Courses” Jaworski started at the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in November 2008.
Experts Predict Another Challenging Year for Dairy Farmers
AP
Milk prices paid to farmers are expected to be better this year but not by much, University of Wisconsin dairy economist Mark Stephenson said. He predicts an increase of about a $1 per hundredweight, or hundred pounds of milk.