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.
Wisconsin farmers still have time to see a decent start to the growing season, said Mike Ballweg, a University of Wisconsin Extension agent in Sheboygan County.
There’s still time to have a decent start to the growing season, said Mike Ballweg, a University of Wisconsin Extension agent in Sheboygan County. “But if it’s too wet, too muddy, there’s nothing you can do but wait,” he said.
Improved water infiltration is another benefit that doesn’t find its way into a crop budget but can have a major impact on crop yield. Research at Arlington Research Station showed that cover crops significantly increased water infiltration in a corn silage rotation with a rye cover crop.
“The university research has shown that each day after May 10 we lose a couple bushel yield and that’s simply because we have to plant a shorter day hybrid or the risk of a frost,” said University of Wisconsin-Extension agricultural educator Jerry Clark of Chippewa County.
Alana Voss, 25, grew up on a family farm in Mauston. Like a lot of young people, she left her town to go to college at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. And right after she graduated, she moved back.
The Wisconsin Association of County Agricultural Agents (WACAA) recently recognized several members during their annual banquet in Wisconsin Dells.
Research shows the loss of young adults raises the cost of schools, public services, and recreation for individuals. The Applied Population Lab at the UW-Madison projected that 15 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties will have smaller populations in 2040 than they did in 2010.
While speaking at the Extension Service’s semi-annual farm management update, Gould described the legislation which was passed on February 9 as “a gift” for dairy farmers, particularly for those with a history of annual milk production of up to 5 million pounds (the approximate equivalent of 200 cows with an annual milk production average of 22,000 pounds).
Lisa Johnson, horticulture educator with Dane County UW-Extension, has been involved in the jumping worm situation after the pests were found in Madison.
“Free compost is a risk,” said Johnson. “If leaf litter or yard waste was used in making it, it is a prime way for jumping worm to travel.”
MHDL can provide soil screening for lead, pH, conductivity and nutrients (phosphorus, potassium and organic matter) through the Growing Health Soil for Healthy Communities grant partnership with UW- Madison Soil Science, UW- Extension, Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Walnut Way.
Determining when to cut first-crop alfalfa is often difficult because alfalfa quality, relative to flowering stage, varies greatly. To help with this dilemma, agronomists at the University of Wisconsin – Madison developed the Predictive Equations for Alfalfa Quality (PEAQ) method which predicts alfalfa’s Relative Feed Value (RFV) at the time of cutting.
Republic Rep. Todd Novak, of Dodgeville, says Grant, Green and Lafayette counties don’t have a full-time agent despite paying the required fees for them. He says officials are in the process of hiring an agent for Grant and five other counties.
Agents give advice, troubleshoot problems, educate through workshops and connect farmers to research at the university.
Wisconsin farmers and counties are making do with fewer agriculture agents statewide. The head of the University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Cooperative Extension division said cuts to state funding are limiting their ability to meet local needs. However, some state and county officials argue the agency needs to better prioritize which positions should be filled.
Olson says one of the key reasons people come to the convention is to learn how to make their lake organization work better.
Around the state, the service is operating with 15 fewer ag agents than in 2017, according to UW-Extension data.
Eight students will represent Columbus High School with artwork on exhibition as part of the Capitol Conference Art Show at the Pyle Center, located at 702 Landgon Street on the UW-Madison campus.
Trisha Wagner, agriculture agent for the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Jackson County, said April snow storms aren’t unusual.
Quoted: “It’s a program for all families,” said Pam Wedig-Kirsch, school readiness and family resiliency educator for Racine County UW-Extension and workshop facilitator. “It’s helpful to strengthen any family. We aren’t targeting that there’s a certain type of parent that needs this.”
Quoted: “We were starting to hear information from farmers about how the economic downturn in the commodities market was having an impact on their bottom line,” said Shawn Conley, Cooperative Extension state soybean and small grains specialist and agronomy professor at UW-Madison. “A lot of us saw the writing on the wall.”
Apps followed the advice of his undergraduate advisor and stayed in college to acquire his Masters Degree. While there, Apps enrolled in the Introduction to Extension course and the idea of becoming a county extension agent and working with farm people appealed to him.
The UW-Extension Clark County chapter hosted a meeting Thursday called ‘Farming in Difficult Times,’ where several people spoke about not only the issues farmers are facing, but the stress they’re dealing with. They also want farmers to know there are ways to cope.
Leigh Presley, the local agriculture educator at the University of Wisconsin Extension office in Burlington, said at that time she saw a lot more small farms crop up as the local farm-to-table food movement and farmers markets started to grow.
The University of Wisconsin System’s Colleges and Extension chancellor has been named a finalist for the top Louisiana Higher Education post.
The AAS designation is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for plants. The plants, which are new previously unsold varieties, are tested for performance in the garden by independent judges throughout the United States.
From the way of life to political views, the differences between rural and urban America are well-documented. But an economic development specialist from Madison who studies business trends said the entrepreneurial spirit is higher in rural Wisconsin than it is in the state’s urban areas.
Joining Holte as keynote speakers at the event were Mariah Martin, UW-Madison Collegiate Farm Bureau member along with Glen Schraufnagel, Wisconsin Cooperative Educational Service Agency 10 Consultant.
Dr. John Shutske, UW-Extension Agricultural Safety and Health Specialist, will present the program and discuss the science of stress and how farm families are coping with stress.
Oversight of Wisconsin Public Radio and TV will return to the University of Wisconsin–Madison July 1 as part of a reorganization of the statewide university system.
New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Extension points toward ways Wisconsinites can help their local farmers markets.
Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television will become part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison this summer, members of the UW System Board of Regents decided Tuesday.
University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross is responding to criticism from faculty and students who say he failed to consult them on the plan to merge two-year campuses with four-year universities.
Cross says Wisconsin has to be the state everyone continues to come to for answers or solutions for agriculture, and particularly the dairy industry.
For more than 25 years she was the consumer horticulture agent for the University of Wisconsin-Extension Milwaukee County, where she headed the Master Gardener volunteers program in Milwaukee and Waukesha.
We are appreciative on many levels for Dane County and UW-Extension’s annual free tax preparation help. First of all, it helps a lot of people. And second, it’s a quiet example of local government and the UW providing that help.
