Nick Baker, agricultural agent for University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension in Rock County, said that likely influenced producers to get an early start this spring.
UW-Extension meat specialist Jeff Sindelar said that while there are fewer packages of meat available at stores, this isn’t a “no food on the shelf” situation. He encouraged consumers to avoid the impulse to stock up on supplies.
The effort, led by the Madison Food Policy Council with partners including the Dane County Food Council and UW-Madison Division of Extension along with broad community input, could tap into city funding, attract outside dollars, and use city land and facilities.
Karl Martin, who has served as interim dean and director of Extension since June 2018, will lead the division, which has more than 700 faculty and staff located in 72 county offices.
Karl Martin, who is serving as interim dean and director of the UW-Madison Division of Extension since June 2018, has been chosen to serve as the permanent dean and director of the division, the university announced Tuesday.
Quoted: “I think a lot of that first buying was people loading up and now I think that demand has decreased,” said Ronald Kean, a University of Wisconsin Extension poultry specialist. “Some of our large egg producers sell a lot of liquid eggs, but that has dropped off because that’s mostly used by restaurants and schools.”
Mindful Money Moments will cover topics like dealing with a drop in income, managing money in tough times and options for paying back student loans, among other things.
The agency worked with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension to create a program called “Unexpected Tomorrows,” where farmers can learn stress management techniques and share their experiences with depression, anxiety and loss. They also created a Farm Couples Weekend with workshops on improving communication.
Gail Huycke is a community development specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Huycke, who focuses on broadband access, lives in Phillips in the northern part of the state. Her internet runs slowly, about 8 to 10 megabits per second.
Kevin Jarek is the agricultural agent for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Outagamie County. He said some farmers are worried about another late planting season this year because the National Weather Service has reported precipitation numbers that are above average.
Kevin Jarek, agricultural agent for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Outagamie County, said some farmers were forced to harvest crops in wet conditions, leaving major ruts in their fields or compacted soils which will complicate planting this year.
In Green County, participating homeowners are expected to get their results back in April, while UW-Stevens Point will provide the county board with an annual report in June 2020, said Victoria Solomon of the UW-Madison Division of Extension-Green County.
Though Dodge and Sauk counties have farmer-led conservation groups, Columbia County currently does not. However, George Koepp, agriculture agent with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Columbia County, said that may soon change. In March he and county conservation officials plan to meet with a variety of local farmers, which includes Schoepp, to discuss creating a farmer-led organization.
One of the proposals from the task force would create a new Office of Water Policy within the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, a part of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The office would be tasked with “coordinating efforts to manage, conserve, protect, and enhance the productivity of the state’s water resources,” according to the task force’s official report.
Among the thousands of voters flagged to be possibly removed from Wisconsin’s voter rolls are two state lawmakers, a cabinet secretary, a Milwaukee County supervisor and a former University of Wisconsin chancellor.
Election officials in October asked more than 230,000 people to update their voter registrations because they believed they had moved. The letters triggered an ongoing legal battle over whether the recipients should be quickly taken off the rolls.
Among those who were targeted were Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam; Rep. David Crowley, D-Milwaukee; Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman; Milwaukee County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor and former UW Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen.
“It can be very difficult for a smaller farm to afford this technology because you need, you know, a larger operation to spread those expenses across,” said Liz Binversie, an agriculture educator in Brown County for the University of Wisconsin extension office. She said she knows of one farm that went out of business because it couldn’t find enough workers and could not afford a robotic milking system.
Few things embody the Wisconsin Idea more than UW Extension agricultural agents.
Gerald Whitburn, who served for nearly 10 years across two terms on the University of Wisconsin System’s Board of Regents, resigned Thursday, effective immediately.
Others would add five positions to DATCP to help farmers access mental health support and provide one-on-one counseling to farmers and add 20 county-based ag experts to UW-Madison’s Division of Extension, who would provide research and technical help to farmers around the state on business and ag practices.
Pruning serves a variety of functions, including shaping, removing dead matter, and cutting back to reduce stem loads and keep the plants from sagging or drooping, said Diana Alfuth, a horticulturist with University of Wisconsin Extension.
One of the proposals from the task force would create a new Office of Water Policy within the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, a part of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The office would be tasked with “coordinating efforts to manage, conserve, protect, and enhance the productivity of the state’s water resources,” according to the task force’s official report.
Noted: This winter, Wisconsin farm couples can attend workshops in Mineral Point, Wausau, Appleton, Waupun, Eau Claire and Rice Lake, aimed at helping them manage stress associated with financial problems.
The workshops, sponsored by the state agriculture department and University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, will include a segment on how to talk with children about problems on the farm, and decision-making when the farm may have to shut down.
“We have started to raise awareness in our communities through several efforts,” said Debbie Moellendorf, who works in the areas of positive youth development and health and well-being as an educator with UW-Madison Extension Lincoln County.
The tests are part of a broader study of well contamination across the three counties conducted by county conservation officials, the University of Wisconsin-Extension and federal researchers.
Bradbury said language in the resolution restricting how study information would be released “doesn’t seem workable at all” for the University of Wisconsin Extension, which is heading up the study.
Noted: Liz Binversie, agricultural educator for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Brown County, said she has heard farmers describe silage as like pickling vegetables.
Agricultural educator Jamie Pfaff of UW Extension Jackson County said farmers are leveraging their farm to get loans, selling off or renting parts of their farm, diversifying crops and investing their time in multiple enterprises such as livestock.
Quarantine houseplants for a time after bringing them indoors, said Diana Alfuth, an Extension horticulture educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The “Our Farms, Our Future” package would create two farm-succession planning positions at the University of Wisconsin Extension, implement a student loan assistance program for beginning farmers, and provide grants to small, diverse farms.
The flow of educational resources throughout Wisconsin does not stop at the halls of its university campuses. For over 100 years, Wisconsin’s universities have done outreach that connects farmers, families, youth and businesses to university research. The branch that facilitates this is known as the Division of Extension.
The idea stems from research done at the university showing children of jailed parents often lag behind their peers in literacy skills such as reading, writing and even speaking. Mary Huser, a program specialist with UW Extension, wanted to put that research into practice.
As a companion to Advance Now 2.0 is a series of in-depth analyses conducted by MadREP and UW-Madison Extension over the past several years that explores each of the sectors determined to be the area’s main employment clusters: information and communication technology; bioscience; health care; agriculture, food and beverages; and advanced manufacturing.
Erin Dahle, educational program support specialist in the Kewaunee County UW-Extension office, has been recognized for her work creating a Spanish version of Home Alone, an online class that helps prepare young people who are old enough to be left home without a caretaker.
Quoted: “I think we all probably expected to be out playing outside this weekend,” said Joe Muellenberg, horticulture program coordinator at Dane County’s University of Wisconsin Extension. “Instead, we’re going to be rushing to protect our plants and worrying about them.”
Several initiatives around wasted food in the Madison/Dane County area have seen recent progress. Last fall, a trio of University of Wisconsin-Madison undergrads and a communications coordinator at FairShare CSA Coalition created a food waste recovery guide on behalf of the city and county, now available as a spiral-bound print copy and online at UW-Extension. Magnets that say “Got food waste?” with a picture of an apple core include a short link to the guide.
Unbundled faculty teams aren’t all the same. The University of Wisconsin Extension, an arm of the state system that partners with member campuses on traditional and competency-based online programs, takes a bifurcated approach, with academic success coaches providing wraparound services to students and instructors overseeing individual courses.
“If we use row shut offs on our planters, to turn those implements on and off at exactly the right spot, we’re not double-planting, we’re not over spraying, we’re reducing skips and overlaps to maintain a profitable operation,” said Brian Luck, a biological systems engineer with University of Wisconsin Extension.
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.
UniverCity is in its third year at UW-Madison. It’s helped or is in the process of helping the city of Monona, Dane County and Green County.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
Fuenzalida recently received her doctorate in dairy science from University of Wisconsin—Madison, where she gained extensive experience collaborating with dairy farmers and conducting research trials on dairy farms.
UW Extension agents estimate more than 200 farms had buildings damaged or destroyed by heavy snow and high winds in late February. That includes almost every farm in Trempealeau County.
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.
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.
Most of the losses occurred in Buffalo and Trempealeau counties, which border the Mississippi River just north of La Crosse, UW-Extension officials said.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Upham Woods and the University of Wisconsin Regents have no plans to revisit removing a fence that has sparked protests and controversy for nearly three years, despite the efforts of the Wisconsin Dells Stewards to force the fence’s removal.
The centers provide entrepreneurs with new or existing businesses personalized consulting services to start, manage and grow their businesses. The program was founded in 1980 and in Wisconsin is part of UW Extension.
The cities of Ashland, Washburn and Bayfield are looking to do a study for similar reasons, said Kellie Pederson, community development educator with Bayfield County, University of Wisconsin-Extension.
A 2014 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension showed the trail had a $26.4 million economic impact on the region — a number that included mountain biking and skiing.
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.
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.
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.
