This one-half day meeting is designed to help agribusiness professionals and agency staff feel more comfortable and confident working with families in distress, and to connect with others to provide support for the farming community.
The coming year will bring some exciting change to UW-Extension as we become the Division of Extension within UW-Madison. We are excited about this return to our historic home at UW-Madison and the potential it brings to tighten connections with the University’s award winning researchers and academic staff.
University of Wisconsin-Extension will offer a number of meetings across the state for farmers interested in learning about the new Dairy Revenue Protection program, a new federal insurance tool, with a quarterly payout to dairy farms when milk revenue falls below their insured revenue level.
As farmers hustle to finish the harvest, there is no sign of a letup in the long-term slump in commodity prices that are now being fed by trade and tariff tensions. The result is “almost a perfect storm,” says Mark Hagedorn, a UW-Madison Division of Extension dairy/animal science agriculture educator in Eau Claire County.
To propagate artisanal cider trees, a producer often needs to graft. That’s exactly what 50 people opted to do on a Saturday afternoon this past spring as participants in the inaugural Hard Cider Apple Grafting Workshop hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems.
In early November, 15 individuals completed the 2018 UW-Extension Master Gardener Level 1 training course offered by the UW-Extension Horticulture Program in Racine and Kenosha Counties.
According to Tera Johnson, director of the UW System Food Finance Institute, big and bigger changes are here when it comes to food business trends.
The garden, which is a joint effort among the Spooner Agricultural Research Station, the Spooner Area UW-Extension Office and UW-Extension North Country Master Gardener Volunteers, completed against entrants in its category from across the U.S. and in Canada.
Sarah Mills-Lloyd is a licensed veterinarian who serves as the UW-Extension Oconto County agriculture agent, specializing in dairy and livestock. She recently shared suggestions for remodeling “retired” dairy facilities for beef herds, noting that the state has more beef farms than dairy farms.
AgrAbility of Wisconsin is a program designed to help farmers who have physical limitations or disabilities continue to farm. The program is primarily funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and is a collaboration between UW-Extension and Easter Seals Wisconsin.
The University of Wisconsin-Extension in Barron and Polk counties has hired Becky Schley as a new agricultural educator. She will serve the two northwestern Wisconsin counties from a main office in Barron, Wisconsin.
The onset of colder conditions is the best time to take preventive measures to keep small animals — such as bats, mice and small rodents — from getting into homes, said Jamie Nack, wildlife outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
To use data that applies specifically to their dairy, producers can use an online “Heifer Replacement” tool developed by Victor Cabrera, a dairy science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Farmers who are hesitant about transitioning to no-till practices might consider doing a test and hiring someone to do the no-till planting. The Uplands Watershed Group has a no-till drill available to rent at an economical cost, said Daniel Smith, southwest regional specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nutrient and Pest-Management Program.
Wisconsin pork farmers are invited to join University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Wisconsin Pork Association, and the UW-Agriculture Colleges (Madison, Platteville, and River Falls) for the Badger Swine Symposium on Friday, November 9, 2018. The Badger Swine Symposium is being hosted at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station.
The curriculum is developed at University of Wisconsin-Extension and delivered in partnership with more than 50 host organizations like nature centers. It’s customized to explore natural history, flora and fauna. Courses in southern Wisconsin may focus on prairie habitats, while those in the northern part of the state may spend more time learning about different types of forests.
“Students wanted to know where they could find positive internships and training opportunities for hands-on learning,” said Julie Dawson, University of Wisconsin-Extension horticulture educator and UW-Madison assistant professor of horticulture. “This really brought out the need for a more comprehensive training program.”
Maenner plans numerous educational events at which UW-Extension specialists make presentations. She strengthens connections between grower groups and UW-Extension, brainstorms educational-program ideas with growers, and manages research grants through associations, Guedot said.
Jerry Clark, Chippewa County UW-Extension agricultural agent, agreed with Hagedorn that this is good news for local farmers. There is more milk produced in the U.S. than what can be used domestically. Both Mexico and Canada are major buyers of Wisconsin milk and dairy products, he said.
Quoted: “You need a boat to get into some fields,” quipped Kevin Jarek, a University of Wisconsin Extension agent in Outagamie County.
The project with the UW-Madison interns, overseen by professor Fred Madison, continued from 2010 to 2015. It examined the links between karst topography, groundwater, and dairy farm practices. As a result of those ventures, Geiser reports that mistakes were uncovered in the existing soil survey data.
Corn is looking pretty rugged in many areas of the Wisconsin corn belt. Areas in southern, southwestern, and south-central Wisconsin have experienced major foliar disease epidemics including the new disease, tar spot.
James Anderson, the UW-Extension Douglas County department head, hosted a discussion in May with agencies involved in the April 26 explosion, fire and evacuation. He said the document outlines that discussion, which focused on “What was supposed to happen? What worked well? What could be improved?”
There is potential in 2018 for abundant volunteer wheat in late-summer-seeded alfalfa stands, says Mark Renz, University of Wisconsin-Extension weed specialist.
Management decisions made now can impact how alfalfa stands do during winter. In spring 2018 there were a lot of reports of alfalfa surviving winter, but much alfalfa was weak and yields were less. Winter weather was to blame.
Noted: “Usually the population starts to go down by the middle to the end of September, but that hasn’t happened,” said Lisa Johnson, horticulture educator with the University of Wisconsin Extension.
Quoted: “Usually the population starts to go down by the middle to the end of September, but that hasn’t happened,” said Lisa Johnson, horticulture educator with the University of Wisconsin Extension. “This year we got a bump.”
Eau Claire County’s UW-Extension says the purchase may help Wisconsin milk producers, who have been struggling with low prices and recent tariffs from export markets like Mexico and China, get back on their feet.
Quoted: “This is a year of transition. A lot of work is happening behind the scenes. But it should be invisible to our listeners and viewers,” says Purcell. “Over the next year, we are figuring out how to move [public media] under the UW-Madison umbrella. In a sense, we’re coming home. But in a sense, we’ve never left.”
Farmers market vendors and consumers are on the rise according to a new survey released by the University of Wisconsin- Extension Office.
Wisconsin is home to an estimated 308 farmers markets of all sizes and geographical locations. And now researchers from UW-Madison and UW-Extension have taken a dive into the numbers and issues that farmers markets face.
Wisconsin is home to an estimated 308 farmers markets of all sizes and geographical locations. And now researchers from UW-Madison and UW-Extension have taken a dive into the numbers and issues that farmers markets face.
Quoted: “We see over $1 billion in economic activity in these counties when we add up the infrastructure that’s out there and all the commerce that occurs between the production, the processing and the selling of the product,” said Jerry Clark, Chippewa County Agriculture Agent with UW-Extension.
Noted: Many weed varieties aren’t toxic unless environmental conditions make them so. “If plants pick up a lot of nitrogens from rain and rapid growth, and animals eat a lot of them, they can die,” said Mark Renz, a University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension weed scientist.
Ryan Sterry, St. Croix County UW-Extension agriculture agent, said the Johnson farm is unique in that they grew their business “in steps” to bring in the next generation, and they have dabbled in registered Holstein genetics, with bragging rights to some high-ranking genomic animals.
Farmers’ market managers in Wisconsin, along with other people who support farmers’ markets, expressed interest in learning more about what practices and features are common across the state. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Extension and the UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences conducted a survey in 2017 to help answer their questions.
Judging teams from across the state battled during the State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest held July 23 at the Stock Pavilion at UW-Madison. This annual venue allows the top junior and senior county 4-H Livestock judging teams the opportunity to apply their skills in evaluating beef, swine, sheep and meat goat classes in hopes of qualifying for a national livestock judging event this fall.
More than 20 plant breeders from UW-Madison, other universities, seed companies, non-profits and independent farms have contributed numerous varieties of 12 different crops to the project. Trials are conducted at UW-West Madison Agricultural Research Station and UW-Spooner Agricultural Research Station to compare crops for flavor, productivity, disease resistance and earliness.
The team of supervisors is working with the UW-Extension to examine methods other municipalities and local governments throughout the country use to inform residents and seek input.
Bryan Jensen, Integrated Pest Management specialist for Cooperative Extension and UW Horticulture professor says he’s been getting plenty of emails and phone calls from farmers who describe damage ranging from moderate damage of leaf tissue to extreme defoliation in corn plants.
Statewide, there have been reports of a healthy mosquito crop this year. That’s according to Jerry Claire, Agriculture Agent with UW-Extension in Chippewa County. “Coming out of a mild winter with ample snow cover, that tends to protect some of those last year’s eggs,” said Clark.
If you see Japanese beetles in your corn fields it could mean poor pollination is imminent. The pest loves to snack on corn’s delicate silks—and if they clip them to ½” or less the crop might not pollinate.
Consider a foliar insecticide treatment during tasseling and silking if there are three or more beetles per ear, silks are clipped to ½” and pollination is less than 50% complete, according to Eileen Cullen, University of Wisconsin Extension entomologist.
“[If applying an insecticide] beetles must be on the outside of the ear, which is normally the case,” Cullen says “The main concern with Japanese beetle feeding is to protect silks for pollination.”
Farm tours of the Sternweis’ dairy operation will also be held throughout the day, along with Virtual Tours of Weber’s Farm Store, Heiman Holsteins and Nasonville Dairy at the University of Wisconsin-Extension Tent.
Three UW-Madison/UW-Extension state specialists will be on hand to share the latest in research that will help ensure the decisions you make help reap a profitable harvest.
Innovative technologies that support Wisconsin’s agriculture will be on display throughout the University of Wisconsin – Extension’s Education Station.
We have observed a little Septoria leaf blotch in some fields in the lower canopy. However, this pathogen will not limit yield this season, as it has not reached the flag leaf yet.
UW-Extension will feature several interactive displays, such as safe transportation of livestock, and a UW research project designed to help dairy farmers improve management decisions.
Supervisor Bob Mott announced the retirement of long time 4-H leader Lynn Feldman, who thanked the board.
Wisconsin Public Media will have a new leader later this summer, and it’s someone with longtime ties to public broadcasting.
Aerica Bjurstrom, University of Wisconsin-Extension agriculture agent in Kewaunee County, said there’s interest in compost bedding for cow comfort and agronomic reasons.
“A lot of times when you hear that term task force, it’s really, it’s a group coming together identifying those problems and developing solutions,” Kaitlyn Lance, Agriculture Educator at UW-Extension La Crosse County, explains.
The city is working with UW Extension and UW-Madison on an economic impact analysis to determine any financial benefits for the city and surrounding businesses.
University of Wisconsin Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen has been named chancellor for the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press’ book Somos Latinas (“We Latinas”): Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists first began as part of a UW-Madison course in an effort to engage students in documenting the lives of Latina women in Wisconsin.
Keynote speaker at this year’s Twilight meeting is Dr. Jennifer Van Os, UW-Madison Extension specialist on animal welfare, who will talk about “Why millennials care about animal production practices and what it means to you.”
But before you plant anything, figure out whether the crops you want to grow match up with Wisconsin’s growing conditions, said Vijai Pandian, a horticulture educator for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Brown County.
Just in time for summer, dairy producers are slowly starting to reap the benefits of good domestic sales and stronger exports. That’s the assessment of Dr. Bob Cropp with the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
This event, which has been held annually since the 1990s, educates approximately 275 sixth-graders from public and parochial schools across the county. It is designed to teach the students about monitoring the fish population, wildlife habitats, benefits of trees, soil management, agricultural environmental regulations, wind energy and plastics recycling technology.
Nearly 300 sixth-graders from area schools spent May 16 shuttling among six sites in the annual Kewaunee County Conservation Tour.
UW-Extension has a planting guide to help you figure out when to plant in the Madison area, based on the vegetable. However, if you live in a different region, those dates may be different.
