MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

The Brian and Teri Stibb family farm -- near Princeton in Green Lake County -- has been part of the local agricultural community for more than 130 years.

In 1893, the family purchased 60 acres of land. Early generations raised dairy cattle, pigs and poultry, while also growing crops such as rye, oats, corn and navy beans.

Over the years, the farm became a hub of activity for the Princeton area. Brian Stibb’s grandfather was known as a jack of all trades, doing everything from threshing and corn shredding to baling and combining for neighbors. The family also grew cucumbers, watermelons and muskmelons, selling produce at farm auctions.

Today, Brian and his wife are carrying that history forward. Their son is the fifth generation and has taken over the crop operation while continuing to work with antique tractors and farm equipment. The family is active in tractor pulling.

They tell Pam Jahnke how the farm remains a story of German roots, changing technology, community agriculture, and five generations working to keep a Wisconsin farm tradition alive.

You can catch more Century and Sesquicentennial farm stories on-air, and by visiting MidwestFarmReport.com. This special series is brought to you courtesy of Compeer Financial.

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House Ag Committee Chair Glenn GT Thompson discussed the farm bill, labor, and other issues with Larry Lee from the Mid-West Farm Report during World Dairy Expo.

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As we look to the month of October, Halloween and everything that comes with it, it can be a rather spooky time of year, but it doesn't have to be spooky inside your house. Marcus Mueller joins us. He's the owner at Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. He says that this time of year is one where we see a lot of activity when it comes to bats and rodents moving within our houses, but he says it doesn't have to stay this way.

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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke to dairy farmers and the media at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, Wednesday. She announced programs meant to strengthen the dairy industry and support producers. Rollins also discussed the challenges facing agriculture. 

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Mid-West Farm Report's Larry Lee explains the Forage Analysis Super Bowl, and gets insight from Matt Fenske at Dairyland Laboratories on how the forage is evaluated.  Wisconsin's 2026 winners are also included.

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Former University of Wisconsin forage expert Dan Undersander discusses the history of the Forage Analysis Super Bowl, a part of World Dairy Expo for more than four decades.

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For Justin Brandel, the feeling of gratitude and pride following his Annette Ostrum Memorial Supreme Showman win has been a long time coming. The Lake Mills high school junior credits his victory to the village of family and mentors who have helped him along the way. He describes his experience at the end of the halter.

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One of the very special things about World Dairy Expo is that you can see the impact of its patrons long after their time at expo has come to an end. Ed McCartan is one of those people. At this year’s World Dairy Expo, they opened a 30-year-old time capsule. The capsule itself is a milk can that ed McCartan painted a beautiful dairy scene upon. His wife Mary and daughter Patty McCartan joined me to tell the story of ed’s painting. They say that he would be 100 years old if he were here today

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Let's take a little stroll through Georgia cotton fields and miles of peanut production with Bill Tyson.  Tyson's a University of Georgia Extension Outreach Coordinator in Bulloch County.  He tells Pam Jahnke about how growers there have been switching acres based on input costs and available markets.  He also gives us a little insight into growing cotton and peanuts and why the crops are sought after in the global market.

Rain will drift in today across Wisconsin and bring lower temperatures overnight.  Stu Muck says you may need a slicker at World Dairy Expo today.

That wet, overcast weather is slowing Wisconsin's harvest.  With just 4% of the states corn harvested and 5% of the soybeans combined, we're lagging behind.  Andy Grebner, district sales representative for Wyffels Hybrids in Dane and Green County says it's time to monitor stalk quality and prioritize field harvesting.  Paid for by Wyffels Hybrids.

Dane county is proposing nearly $200 million in improvements to the Alliant Energy Center grounds.  Home of World Dairy Expo and other major ag events like Midwest Horse Fair.  Dane Co. Executive Director Melissa Aagard says it will happen over phases.  Laura Herschleb, general manager of World Dairy Expo, says they'll be watching the first phase of improvements on the coliseum.  It could change how WDE operates for a year or more.

Meanwhile a look back at World Dairy Expo with the opening of a time capsule.  Kiley Allan watches as former WDE general manager, Tom McKittrick, reopens the milk can he closed some 30 years ago.  Trinkets inside include Holstein registration papers, Alice in Dairyland press releases and FFA memorabilia.

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What's in the World Dairy Expo time capsule? We now know it was filled with wonderful memories from 1996. Former Expo General Manager Tom McKittrick helped create the capsule, housed in a hand-painted milk can featuring Wisconsin dairy scenes. McKittrick says exhibitors, cattle breeders, and breed association members were then invited to choose what should be included, and sealed, for the next thirty years. 

Kiley Allan shares why the contents offer a fun look back at the Expo’s history.

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