With spring comes manure hauling and spreading and there's going to be more and more equipment back on the roads.But what is the demand really like for custom operators? Manure application is a part of the conservation conversation in Wisconsin. Isaac Lemmenes, OEM Product Specialist at R Braun Inc. explains how the sustainability conversation fits into his line of work. He says there is a high demand for custom operators to haul manure but not necessarily enough operators themselves to keep up in the long haul.

“With the industry growing and more farmers buying cows to capitalize on their investment, it generated more slurry for us to move,” says Lemmenes. “Every year, it seems like we have more and more manure to move sooner than ever.”

At R Braun Inc, they pump about 275 to 280 million gallons of manure a year. Lemmenes says he expects 2023 to be about the same. He notes that even though some smaller customers are going out of business, those animals are ending up somewhere else and that manure still needs to be hauled.

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Composting is an environmentally friendly way to create healthy soil. But how do you start one and why should you? Melanie Burns, Waste Management Specialist with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says composting is a diversion of food waste from landfills and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The overall benefit of a compost pile is that it is a soil amendment because it improves the soil health which in turn can lead to healthier plants,” says Burns. “Other benefits include saving money, reducing the need to be buying fertilizer, and saving water as composting actually holds in that moisture in the soil.”

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Charitee Seebecker starts us off with news on how the state of Wisconsin is making sure residents have access to what’s really become essential in this day and age – high-speed internet. PSC Chairwoman Becky Valq has the answers.

So you like to celebrate St.Patty's Day with corned beef? We give you a sense of what it takes to haul livestock around the country, especially when the weather gets out of hand. JBS livestock hauler Rick Reese has been doing it for 50 years.

What’s available to you when it comes to keeping your home and farm energy efficient and cost effective? Focus on Energy joins us with some programming options and more to wrap up the week.

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The Senate Agriculture and Tourism Committee is focusing on the state budget and hosting listening sessions to best represent Wisconsin's farmers. This is the word from Senator Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, who chairs the committee. She also talks about bills being discussed and what is happening on the national level that she is involved with.

"We inherited a $2.3 billion deficit and it took us 10 years to get out of that. The Governor's budget  completely eats away at all of this money and unfortunately, will put us back in that position by 2025 if we're not careful."

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The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center will be hosting their first annual Something Special from Wisconsin™ Spring Vendor Market on March 25 from 9am-3pm. Abigail Winkel, Program Manager at Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, provides insight into what attendees can expect.

“This is a really great partnership with the Something Special from Wisconsin program and ourselves to help promote producers that are making products,” says Winkel. “Whether they are growing fruits, and vegetables, creating baths, mixes, or crafting, lotions, and soaps. These products are all produced here in the state of Wisconsin.”

75th Alice in Dairyland, Taylor Schaefer will also be in attendance to mingle with guests and vendors. The vendor market will be taking place in the business center and costs $2 per person to attend. This does not include admission into the center’s exhibits, but Wiinkel encourages attendees to enjoy the center as they will also have ewes on display. 

To learn more about the event go to https://farmwisconsin.org/.

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What could be more Wisconsin than talking about dairy and the weather? That's what we have in store for you on a Thursday morning.

Cedar Crest Ice Cream and the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation have announced the winner and finalists of the 2022 Cedar Crest Ice Cream Flavor Creation Contest. Congratulations to the Pilsen Skylighters of Kewaunee County for their flavor, Cow Lick. Cedar Crest Marketing Manager Jennifer Flierl has the delicious details.

As an agronomist at AgSource Laboratories, Tim Boerner relies on good weather reporting to make recommendations to his clients. That’s one reason he’s been a CoCoRaHS weather reporter for over 15 years. You can, too, at WisconsinWeatherWatchers.org

Cody Koster with ever.ag has his attention on cheese, which has been moving progressively upward since the start of the week. It's also pushed Class III prices up to the higher $18 range. He goes over different factors that play into the dairy trade: demand and headlines, for example.

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Whether you're working on the farm with family or you have a town job and coworkers, good communication is vital. But often different generations have different expectations and styles when it comes to sharing information. Angie Coleman, is an organizational development consultant with FCCS consulting. She has done a deep dive on the different generations in the workforce right now and shares some key takeaways for all of us. 

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On a Wednesday morning, UW-Madison Division of Extension Specialist Damon Smith reminds us that tar spot is a relatively new disease. It's been moving further North year after year since it came to the Badger State in 2016. Tar spot will shut a corn plant down prematurely. To control it -- look for resistance in hybrids and utilize fungicide. These techniques will slow tar spot, allowing the plant to be successful before damage.

Also this morning, it's that time of year -- manure tankers and application equipment are on the roadways making sure valuable nutrients get to farmers' fields safely. Steffes Group (steffesgroup.com) has a manure pumping and handling specialty auction coming up March 28! Ashley Huhn has the details.

And the latest Checkoff Chat with the Wisconsin Beef Council highlights how and how much consumers are eating meat. Mike Simone is the executive director of market research and intelligence at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, one of the contractors for the checkoff.

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Come along with the UK Trade Mission, funded by Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports! The United Kingdom is Wisconsin’s sixth largest trading partner. As the UK’s planned exit from the European Union (Brexit) continues, opportunities for food, forestry and agriculture products will increase. Specialty foods, organic foods, wood products, feed, livestock and genetics, craft spirits, beers, and pet foods are among the products with the strongest opportunity. The mission will include buyer meetings, store visits, market briefings, and meetings with regulatory entities. Interested? Email Mark Rhoda-Reis at [email protected] or call at 608-400-5311.

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What market is right and viable for your farm? What resources are available? Answering those questions is Chris Kpman of Newtrient. He joins Pam Jahnke to talk about how they’re helping farmers to take advantage of market opportunities.

Whether it’s deciding when to start salting and plowing operations, staging barricades for an expected flood-related road closure or planning maintenance operations, decisions made based on the forecast impact both operations and the budget. Charitee Seebecker visits with Meteorologist Taylor Patterson more about what she does everyday and how the general public can become weather observers through the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHS.

John Heinberg, Market Advisor with Total Farm Marketing speaks with
Charitee Seebecker about how the Silicon Valley Bank collapse may take some risk off trading. Russia/Ukraine grain deal to be extended and corn prices dropping last week are continuing to affect the corn and wheat market. 

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