There is something special to Wisconsin that just isn’t known in many places outside of the state, but one UW Madison Grad student is doing research to change that. Maggie Becher grew up in Somerset, WI before heading off to South Dakota State University to do her undergrad. But Wisconsin called her home and now she can be found on the UW Madison campus. In her 4th year as a graduate student Maggie is most often found at the Center For Dairy Research where she looks at ways to improve the fresh factor in string cheese and cheese curds.

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Corn rootworm. A pest which causes over a billion dollars’ worth of damage annually across the United States and has crept up in numbers in Wisconsin. Emily Bick, UW-Madison Entomology Professor explains what we can expect this year from this pest and how farmers can take proactive measures to mitigate its impact on their crops.

Corn rootworm beetle pressure persists. Based on the high adult corn rootworm pressure observed last August, southern and western Wisconsin corn producers have been advised to closely review their rootworm management plans for 2023.

“Corn rootworm can cause extensive damage to corn crops,” says Bick. “Larvae feed on roots in late spring and early summer, causing stalks to tip over. Adults feed on leaves and silks in the late summer, inhibiting pollination. The number of adults in your field in the fall is an indicator of the larvae to be there in the spring.”

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A father-son team from central Wisconsin was turning heads during the Midwest Horse Fair's PRCA Rodeo event in Madison.  Carrie Mess shares the story of the shared passion that brought these two together.

Wisconsin farmers can't get moving with spring planting, but that's not stopping insects!  Charitee Seebecker talks to UW Entomologist, Emily Bick, about corn rootworm and the economic damage the pest can cause.  She says Wisconsin's population started building last year and could cause problems for growers this year.

John Hinberg, market advisor with Total Farm Marketing in West Bend, joins Pam Jahnke to recap the planting progress report and how the trade's reading it.  Milk markets have also taken a turn for the worse.  What's happening there?  Hineberg explains.

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A first of its kind program, the Humane Handling Institute, will provide comprehensive hands-on training for current meat industry workers in humane pre-slaughter handling, transport, stunning, and equipment maintenance. Kurt Vogel, Humane Handling Institute Director, shares an update into the timeline of where the institute is at, what they are working on, and their new pilot program.

They are in an ordering phase where they’re ordering a lot of tools to teach maintenance and repair of stunning equipment. These will be put into six different rolling cart stations, so they can have a set of tools in each. 

“Additionally, we have ordered model animal heads such as cattle, sheep and pig, that are going to be used to train captive bolt stunning and euthanasia,” says Ashlynn Kirk, Humane Handling Institute program manager. 

Vogel says they have been getting flooded with emails of interest in the institute which is set to roll out in the fall of 2023.

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There's a flurry of activity happening around Wisconsin when weather improves.  Building projects are also getting underway.  Charitee Seebecker visits with Chad Krueger with Diggers Hotline about precautions people need to take BEFORE they start building projects.

Wisconsin may not be well known for its rodeo prowess, but there's still competitors here that want some respect.  Carrie Mess introduces us to a father/son team of ropers from Marshfield that love the competitive option the sport gives them. Chad Gukenberger is proud that his 19 year old son, Justin, shares his passion.Video surveillance is something we've become very familiar with in the retail space - but it's becoming a valuable tool for agriculture too. 

Stephanie Hoff visits with Jason Nosrati from Ag Video Surveillance in Beaver Dam.  He says dairy operations are his best customers for video surveillance, and it's not just targeting people, it's targeting the animals. 

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Applications came in with a flurry for this year's Century/Sesquicentennial farms and homes recognition.  Jill Albanese, competitive events coordinator for the WI State Fair, says they've got 78 farms/homes that will be recognized for 100 years in the same family, and 30 farms/homes celebrating 150 years of ownership.  She talks with Pam Jahnke about the program.

Wisconsin's seen a number of farms exit the dairy industry, but the barn, feed and know-how may still remain.  Pam Jahnke talks to Gary Williams, vice president of credit with the Equity Livestock Cooperative, about their Livestock Feeding Program that partners with growers to use their resources raising beef, that Equity owns.

There's a lot of competitive events held in the food processing industry.  Wisconsin just hosted the U.S. Championship Cheese contest in Green Bay.  What attendees may not notice during the event, is the business it generates after the event.  Pam Jahnke talks with Master Cheesemaker, Pam Hodgson, and Tim Multerer from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, about the unseen benefits from these events.  Paid for by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

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The United States isn’t going to see the turnaround wheat yields it expected in 2023. This is the word from the U.S. Wheat Associates President Vince Peterson. He says the association is working on marketing U.S. wheat and wheat ingredients to new export markets. But unfortunately the ongoing drought in the Plain States and the flood risks in the Dakotas and Minnesota are putting a damper on wheat yield projections.

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Wisconsin’s Rural Development office has money on the table specifically for farmers and small rural businesses to make improvements and offers guarantees for their lenders. Cari Sabel, business and cooperative programs specialist for Wisconsin Rural Development, says they have grant and loan programs that will finance renewable energy or help improve energy efficiency, generate additional income, and much more. She explains more about these opportunities and how they are partnering with agriculture lenders.

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Jonathan Gibbs is a soybean producer in Fox Lake, Wisconsin.  He's also the current secretary/treasurer of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

Gibbs says that he's always recognized key components of sustainable farming practices, and has found increased appreciation for sharing that story through experiences offered through soybean leadership programs.

Find out more about how soybean checkoff dollars are being invested, and how you - as a grower - can get involved.  Click here for details.

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The debate over E15 has renewable fuels advocates busy in Washington D.C. E15 – which is gasoline that contains roughly 15 percent ethanol – has not been approved for year-round sale. Biofuel advocates say it’s because of outdated policy that doesn’t allow summer sales. Wisconsin is an ethanol producing state. And ethanol is made from corn. Ethanol advocacy group Growth Energy is asking for a change to allow year-round or summer sales of E15. Chris Bliley is the senior vice president of regulatory affairs for Growth Energy. He gives more details on what they are asking of the Environmental Protection Agency. He says not only does renewable fuel like ethanol help the environment and consumers' wallets, but it boosts rural economies like those in Wisconsin.

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