When you’re grazing your livestock, are you also thinking about the wildlife around you? Well- rotational grazing actually provides a great habitat for grassland birds.

“Rotational grazing offers a sanctuary for a plethora of bird species such as meadowlarks and bobolinks,” says Tom Prestby, Wisconsin Conservation Manager at Audubon Great Lakes. “The varying sizes and thicknesses of grass provide crucial nesting and foraging grounds, catering to the specific needs of each species.”

The benefits extend beyond avian residents. By keeping water cleaner and minimizing soil disturbance compared to intensive agriculture methods like row cropping, rotational grazing contributes to overall ecosystem health. The method allows grasslands to regenerate, ensuring a sustainable environment for both wildlife and livestock.

One key aspect of rotational grazing is its flexibility in timing, enabling farmers to optimize habitat conditions for wildlife. By strategically managing grazing areas, farmers can ensure that grasslands are at optimal condition during critical periods for breeding and nesting.

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State lawmakers are almost done with this session's work, and Wisconsin farmers don’t want any of their bills falling through the cracks. One of these is a program to expand ethanol availability at gas stations. AB 455/SB 454 would require that new retail or wholesale fueling facilities offer higher ethanol-blended motor fuels. It would also provide grants to upgrade existing facilities. Cal Dalton is a corn grower from Endeavor who sends most of his crop to ethanol facilities in Columbia County. He says this bill would not only benefit Wisconsin agriculture but would also bring lower gas prices.

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Call of Duty, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto - those are probably video games you've heard of and may have played yourself.  What about Mooving Cows?  That's the title of a new video game released by UW-Madison Animal & Dairy Science department to help farmers, their employees - anyone - fine tune their animal handling techniques.  Dr. Jennifer VanOss is the brain behind the game.  She explains how they developed it to Pam Jahnke.

There's a big consignment sale coming up in March focused purely on Wisconsin.  Ashley Huhn with the Steffes Group explains the opportunity for growers to "clean house" before spring planting unfolds.  Paid for by the Steffes Group.

State policy makers are almost done with this session's work.  Sen. Joan Ballweg, chair of the senate agriculture committee from Markesan, says there's a few things that will possibly be left behind like a carbon credit calculator, but there's also two TIF districts that will probably make it to the finish line.  Those TIF districts would help a potato processing facility locate in central Wisconsin, and also advance planning for a major soybean crush facility in Evansville.

Not everyone has the opportunity to have a garden, but that doesn't mean you have to forgo enjoying fresh farm produce.  Charitee Seebecker talks to Tess Romanski, Communications & Development Manager for the Fairshare CSA Coalition.  Generally CSA's or community supported agriculture operations offer weekly boxes/bags of fresh farm produce to their subscribing customers.  Romanski says those farmers are working hard on planning on the menu for summer - and slots are filling fast on their roster. 

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The U.S. Grain Council (USGC) is actively engaged in maintaining and expanding trade relationships for U.S. corn, barley, and sorghum in foreign markets. With a focus on market development and access, the USGC has been a key player in facilitating exports to regions such as Asia, Latin America, North Africa, and beyond.

“The current strategies of the USGC revolve around sustaining relationships with established markets in countries like Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, and Mexico,” explains Brent Boydstun, Chairman of the USGC. “We’re also looking into expanding our footprint in emerging markets across West Africa and different parts of Asia.”

USGC recently opened an office in India and is now the first U.S. cooperator group to have an officer there. Boydstun says he fully expects there to be a very good return once everything is fully up and running and operational.

Recent missions to regions like West Africa, including Senegal, have yielded promising outcomes. Collaborative efforts with local entities, such as feed mills and agricultural associations, are paving the way for enhanced trade relationships and market penetration.

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Protect the Harvest is an organization that's been around since 2011, but in 2024 they're refreshing their logo and their name to try and help policy makers and consumers better understand what they do.  Bob Bosold talks with Dr. Mike Siemens, now executive director of A Free and Fed America.

Saturday marked the beginning of China's Lunar New Year celebration - and Wisconsin's got a stake in how they celebrate.  Charitee Seebecker explains that real Wisconsin ginseng is a prized gift presented during New Year celebrations.  She also points out ginseng's use in China's culture in everything from food to medicinal applications.  She speaks with Jackie Fett, executive director of Wisconsin Ginseng.

Recognizing student athletes across Wisconsin is where Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is focused these days.  Vicki Janisch with DFW explains to Pam Jahnke how overwhelmed they were with student athlete nominations last year.  They've expanded the program this year to recognize a male and female athlete every month through the entire year.  Program paid for by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

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Valentine's Day pops up on the calendar tomorrow!  How's the flower industry doing these days?  Charitee Seebecker catches up with Nichole Campbell, President of the Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association.  She's also owner/operator of Petal Pusher Floral Studio in Green Bay.  She says roses still remain the #1 flower as far as valentine's demand, but she also shares other trends the industry's noticing.

Grants are now being accepted for Wisconsin's Agriculture Road Improvement Program (ARIP).  The Wisconsin Ag Coalition celebrated the beginning of the program on Monday at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federations office.  Rebekah Sweeney, Senior Director of Programs and Policies for the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association, says these funds are long overdue to reinforce the state's rural infrastructure.

Wisconsin had a good year in 2023 for vegetable production.  The state landed in the number one spot for snap bean production, bringing in 48% of the nation's total production.  Sweet corn, green pea's and cabbage were other headliners.

John Heinberg, market advisor for Total Farm Marketing in West Bend joins Pam Jahnke.  Markets are very quiet right now.  Heinberg says unemployment and currency values are keeping commodities under pressure.  Trade routes across international waterways are still presenting some challenges.  Heinberg says with the added cost of avoiding areas like the Red Sea are keeping purchasing volumes low.

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Just because vegetables aren't growing outside right now doesn't mean that the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers are just sitting around.

A big thing that CSA growers are doing now during the winter is looking at seed and equipment catalogs. These growers need to order  thousands of dollars worth of seeds, not to mention supplies such as potting soil, roll cover, tractor tires, greenhouse plastic, you name it. So the winter means a lot of time in the office.

At the end of February, some greenhouses are getting fired up to start the longer growing produce. Then in March and into April, the transplants will be started in the greenhouse. By the middle of April, depending on the weather, farmers will get into their fields and work the soil for the first time. 

“They're also working to adjust to industry changes post pandemic,” explains Tess Romanski,  Communications and Development Manager for the Fairshare CSA Coalition. “Two big changes we’ve seen are the surge of customizable shares and the use of home delivery services.”

Additionally, market shares have witnessed substantial growth. This allows consumers to shop for their produce on-site or at farmers markets and choose what they want versus receiving the traditional CSA box.

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Blair Richardson leads Potatoes USA, a trade group looking for new opportunities for U.S. potatoes. He says that they also have to be concerned about misinformation about potatoes that target both consumers and healthcare providers.

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This weekend begins China's New Year celebrations, and this year Wisconsin Ginseng is hoping they're going to see more business.  Charitee Seebecker catches up with Jackie Fett, Executive Secretary for the Wisconsin Ginseng Association.  The group just took a trade mission to China for the first time since the pandemic to try and restore buying relationships that stretch back generations.

Wisconsin experienced its first tornado EVER in the month of February last night.  It's another example of weird weather that everyone's been working through.  The above normal temperatures, and lack of snow cover are really impacting WI Maple Syrup production too.  Steve Anderson is the president of the WI Maple Syrup Producers Association from Cumberland.  He tells Stephanie Hoff that they're tapping earlier than they've ever tapped in history this year.  He's concerned at whether the season will be short, or will they have to stop and start again later in the spring.  Anderson says the lack of snow cover is also increasing the soil temperatures which tell the tree to start making leaves - not sap.

Don Meyer is proud to tell you the history on his Sauk County farm.  It stretches back more than 150 year.s  Meyer shares the story with Pam Jahnke of how multiple families came together to manage the initial acreage.  Meyer's also very proud of the conservation projects he installed back in the 1960's that are still in place today.  Our Century/Sesquicentennial farm salutes are made possible by Compeer Financial.

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The weather we’re experiencing this winter could pose some challenges for Wisconsin’s potato crop. Pests and diseases may benefit from the mild temperatures, and storage management has to change based on the forecast as well. Mike Copas, a senior agronomist with the Wysocki Family of Companies in the Central Sands, tells us how the warm conditions are impacting not just the stored potato crop but the next crop that goes into the ground.

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