In a year marked by a lot of uncertainties, many Wisconsin farmers are wondering what’s next. Behind the scenes, agricultural lenders are working closely with producers—not just to manage risk, but to help guide long-term success. One of those voices is Nicholas Felder, vice chair of the ag bankers section board, who’s seeing both concern and quiet confidence among his clients in Southwest Wisconsin.

Lenders are watching for key traits in borrowers. “The farms with an executive mindset—handling HR, finances, equipment choices—those are the ones that survive long term,” he emphasized.

Some sectors are faring better than others. “Dairy had an average year in 2024. But 2025 will be tougher. Crop farmers will face another rough season,” Felder shared. “Cattle producers are doing okay—if the math adds up.”

Across the board, producers are feeling uncertain. “There’s a lot of pessimism in agriculture right now,” Felder said. “No one knows what’s coming next—six weeks or six months out.”

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From your favorite restaurant to dinner tables around the world, a key Wisconsin facility quietly helps deliver cheese to your plate. But when a fire temporarily shut down operations, it posed a major challenge. Now, that plant is bouncing back stronger than ever. Sarah Schmidt, Vice President of Marketing for AMPI, is sharing the story of how they overcame the setback at their Portage plant and what it means for the future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wisconsin Beef Council is crisscrossing the state in the month of May, promoting beef and the recipes that are making it great!

Kaitlyn Kesler, Director of Communication & Outreach for the Wisconsin Beef Council tells Pam Jahnke that their annual "Best Beef Burger" campaign has been overwhelmed with entries!  Here's your Elite 8:

• Elite 8:
  • 11:11 Burgers & Beignets - Fond du Lac
  • Brazen Head Pub - West Bend
  • Brothers On Oak - Baraboo
  • The Dump - Cambria
  • IRON Horse Saloon - Hurley
  • Local Press Burger Bar - Kewaskum
  • Mihm’s Charcoal Grill Menasha - Menasha
  • Straight Home – Eland
• Kesler says that the panel of judges will be logging miles to make sure that the best of the best are announced as winners at the end of the month!

Speaking of the month!  All month long in May, pay attention to the beef messages you'll hear and see at your Kwik Trip pumps!  Thanks to a partnership with Kwik Trip and Pit Boss, you could score not only great beef - but a Pit Boss Navigator grill/smoker. You can use store visits to enter, and get an additional entry by making a fresh beef purchase.

Checkoff Chat is brought to you courtesy of the Equity Livestock Sales Cooperative Sales Association.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring is the time for horse owners to reevaluate their vaccine regimens. Diseases are out there that threaten your prized animals, but they're preventable. Dr. Heather Roney is a veterinarian and epidemiologist with the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's Division of Animal Health, overseeing state equine programs. She walks us through the health risks your horse may encounter this year.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Organic Valley has selected agricultural veteran and community advocate Shawna Nelson as the cooperative’s fourth CEO, effective March 28. She’s also the cooperative’s first female CEO.

Over almost 20 years within the co-op, she has grown from intern to CEO, contributing significantly to Organic Valley’s growth.

Born and raised in the Driftless Area, Nelson started her career at Organic Valley in 2005 as an intern. She later moved into marketing, sales analysis, recruitment, employee relations, field operations, and dairy pool management. In every position, Nelson excelled and deepened her understanding of cooperative structure and strategy.

She takes the lead as outgoing CEO Jeff Frank leaves to assume the CEO role at Monogram Foods.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 15th AgrAbility of Wisconsin and the National Farm Medicine Center, will be hosting an outreach summite to educate agencies on what's available resource-wise through the group.  Melissa Ploeckelman, outreach specialist with the National Farm Medicine Center. explains the itinerary to Jill Welke.

Fog this morning, but improving temperatures on the horizon according to Stu Muck.

How far do you have to drive to find a doctor?  Any kind of doctor?  For many rural residents that drive may take an hour or more.  Ben Jarboe finds out about the Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural GME(graduate medical education).  Lori Rodefeld is their director and says they're focused on engaging with medical students about the options to practice in rural communities.  One of the ways they entice students into the conversation is through tuition reimbursement.  She explains both the challenges and the rewards.

Tariffs were paused on Wednesday and the markets immediately started to respond.  Dr. Joe Outlaw is a professor and extension economist at Texas A&M University, and his most recent survey of farmers doesn't look promising. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Midwest Horse Fair returns to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison this weekend.  Ben Jarboe visits with show manager, Terri Giannati, about how engagement looks this year.  The event is the biggest gathering of equine enthusiasts in the nation, and focuses on education instead of the "show" element.

Rain is rolling back to Wisconsin.  Stu Muck says it's not going to be a lot, but it will diminish the sun.

Pam Jahnke visits with Randy Cath from the Steffes Group at the WPS Farm Show.  April auctions are stacking up and Cath explains the conversations he's having with auction partners.  He says that there's all kinds of dynamics at play when an auction's being pulled together.  Paid for by Steffes Group.

Emily Sydow, Wisconsin's new Honey Queen, says she's learning that beekeepers lost a large number of bees over the winter.  She says she's hoping to draw attention to the issue at the state capitol and within state agencies that could help.

The 68th annual WI Beef Improvement Association's Bull Sale was a record breaker last weekend.  Stephanie Hoff gets the digit details from Alan Arndt, president of the WBIA.  68 bulls came from WI, IA, IL, MN and Montana!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From heartbreak to harvest—one Minnesota woman has turned unexpected tragedy into something truly beautiful. For Liz Fiedler, what began as a simple roadside flower stand during the pandemic has blossomed into a thriving farm and floral business. She joins Pam Jahnke to share how digging into the soil helped her heal, and how she’s built a business rooted in resilience, beauty, and a deep sense of community

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2025 Wisconsin Honey Queen is Emily Sydow from Sun Prairie. Currently a student at UW-Madison, majoring in Agricultural and Applied Economics, she shares how beekeepers placing their hives on her family's farm first sparked her love for the industry. She shares more information about the farm she grew up on and the animals they kept. She also says that she hopes to one day work in the capitol with legislatures to advocate for agriculture.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

April is Earth Month which means Wisconsin residents are encouraged to get out and do something good for the environment. Alice In Dairyland, Halei Heinzel, shares some fun facts about sustainable agriculture efforts within the state. She also says that on Arbor Day, which is April 25th, she will be planting a tree in Crawford County to support sustainability efforts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.