For some of us, manure smells like home. It's also a sure sign of spring. Heim Brothers Custom in Kewaunee County is getting ready for a busy season handling manure for area farms. Heim Brothers Custom has been around since 2015, helping about 17 farms on 60,000 acres reach their manure management and conservation goals. The Heim family also belongs to Peninsula Pride Farms, a farmer-led watershed group in Kewaunee County. Jeremy Heim tells me more about the success they’ve had with conservation practices, but first he previews the manure handling season. 

In 2022, farmers potentially prevented an estimated 101,415 pounds of phosphorus from leaving the fields and reduced 65,525 tons of sediment erosion, along with reducing carbon dioxide equivalents by 11,194 tons, according to an analysis shared by Farmers for Sustainable Food, DATCP and The Nature Conservancy.

For comparison, 100 tons of sediment is about 10 standard dump truck loads, and 1 pound of phosphorous in a lake or stream has the potential to cause the growth of up to 500 pounds of algae, which can degrade water quality. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced equals 2,412 cars driven for a year.

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As the weather warms up and we get excited to start outdoor projects it’s important to take your time and recognize that April is Diggers Safety Month. If you’re fencing, installing a mailbox, tilling a garden, or whatever that project may be, it’s important to stop and think about the project before digging. 

Chad Krueger with Diggers Hotline shares tips, or rather, steps you must take before using that post hole digger. 

“A lot of the services that we depend on day to day, natural gas, electricity, fiber optic lines, water, sewer, and more are all things in the ground,” says Krueger. “Some of these lines are inches or even less than inches below the ground and can cause serious damage if hit.”

While some people may think they’re just planting a tree or starting a garden and they don’t need to worry about calling, it is actually the law to call Diggers Hotline before disturbing the soil. If you damage a buried line you are responsible for paying the owner of the line to repair it which can sometimes cost thousands of dollars. 

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The dust has settled at Babcock Hall at UW-Madison. After a three-year renovation, the campus can now say it has a world-class dairy research facility between the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant and the Center for Dairy Research. CDR Director John Lucey tells Mid-West Farm Report that there’s excitement coming from students, faculty and the industry to get started in the improved space. And it is a bigger space… the roughly $73 million project added about 50,000 square feet on three levels to the West side of Babcock Hall. Lucey says there isn't a dairy product they can't make in the building.

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Production kicks off this week in the new and improved Babcock Hall Dairy Plant. Manager Casey Whyte says they begin making ice cream today, and they'll start cheese in a few weeks. This is following a three-year renovation project to the 1950s facility. Babcock Hall Dairy Plant is known for its popular Babcock ice cream and award-winning cheeses, as well as a new, three-story addition for the Center for Dairy Research, a world-class resource for dairy processors and entrepreneurs.

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Attention dairy industry dreamers! The deadline for the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance grant program is this week. A fresh face at the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association Danica Nilsestuen, Director of Grants and Business Programs says these grants are made for helping get new products and ideas in the dairy sector launched.

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It seems like no one is happy with milk pricing and there may be some change on the horizon. Carrie Mess caught up with Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of National Milk Producers Federation during CheeseCon in Madison. He was a panelist discussing the need for another look at how dairy farmers are paid. 

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How do you keep an employee once you find them?  First impressions can matter.  Jim Versweyveld, UW-Extension Farm Management Specialist, says the impression new hires witness on the first day can resonate with them on whether they stay or not.  Pam Jahnke visits with him.

Don't be intimidated by the calendar when it comes to soybean planting.  Dr. Shawn Conley, UW-Extension Soybean Specialist, says some changes made in crop insurance should allow Wisconsin farmers in the southern part of the state to begin soybean planting as soon as this Saturday.

Dairy markets took a nosedive on Monday, but why?  How's the planting progress report looking? Cattle market remains red hot. Pam Jahnke chats with guest, John Hineberg from Total Farm Marketing, about what's happening.

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Setting their sights on the Farm Bill, Wisconsin Farmers Union is already working on building alliances.  Bob Bosold gets an update from Darren VonRuden, president of WFU, about their priority items.

Now that spring planting is likely to get a jump start, paying attention to details can be compromised.  Charitee Seebecker visits with a Purdue University ag economist that has a checklist growers need to keep in mind.  Dr. Brady Brewer has 5 keys to continued farm success.

The state's largest outdoor farm show will have a different look this year.  WI Farm Technology Days is going to be hosted at a neutral site near Baraboo.  Pam Jahnke talks to show general manager, Arnie Jennerman, about details so far.

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Soil health remains a top-of-mind concern for many crop and dairy farmers. With spring planting season beginning, it’s important to take proper steps before and after planting to better control waterhemp. 

Rodrigo Werle, UW-Extension Cropping Systems Weed Specialist, says it's very hard to control waterhemp once it's established. He provides advice on how to handle this weed and the impact it can have on your yield.

“Waterhemp has evolved resistance to many common herbicides we apply post emergence and is very hard to control post emergence,” says Werle. “When not properly managed, it affects your yield but it also impacts the way farmers need to think about how they manage weeds.”

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The calls are coming in as farmers take their planting equipment out of the shed and realize they need new tires. Luckily, Todd Cavil at Pomp's Tire Service says availability is better than last year and the price hikes have stalled. During the busy season, there's also incentives from manufacturers, such as rebates, for growers to take advantage of. To keep those tires working like new -- keep that valve stem clean; frequently check the treads and sidewalls; and use an inflation calculator to make sure your tires can do the job you need them for. 

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