Pest surveys during the 2022 season offer some insight into what pest pressure may look like in the following growing season. Krista Hamilton is the entomologist for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. She also leads the statewide pest surveys. She tells us the results of this year’s survey for corn rootworm and bean cutworm -- the state's top two pests.

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The Dairy Together Coalition of farmers and industry stakeholders is advocating for the dairy revitalization plan to be included in the 2023 Farm Bill. Bobbi Wilson the Wisconsin Farmers Union Dairy Together Program Coordinator is working hard on this plan to create a viable dairy industry.

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The Meadows in Darlington, a first-of-its-kind farm worker housing project, is done with construction and welcoming tenants. The 32-unit development and the Darlington community can also look forward to a Head Start classroom and health clinic to come next door, thanks to more than $1.5 million secured by the Southwest Wisconsin Community Action Program. SWCAP partnered with Cinnaire Community Development on this farm worker housing. The requirement to live at The Meadows is that 40 percent of the household income must be from agriculture, for example, working on farms or cheese plants. Wally Orzechowski is the executive director of SWCAP – he gives Mid-West Farm Report an update on how The Meadows is coming along.

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If you’re looking to borrow money for a project on the farm – don’t overlook the Farm Service Agency. Tom Brandt is the Farm Loan Chief for Wisconsin FSA. He says there’s both an appetite to borrow and lend. And your FSA office can help find you a desirable rate. Brandt tells Mid-West Farm Report what’s available for farmers. But first, he talks about the spending trends going into the new year. In the past couple of years, the focus has been on real estate. The best way to get a hold of your local FSA office is to visit fsa.usda.gov. There’s also farmers.gov, which has a loan application tool to help walk you through your eligibility and loan limits. 

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Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany is still trying to work through policy that would limit the amount of agricultural land lost to things like solar energy projects.

In a conversation with Pam Jahnke, Tiffany explains his concern about losing productive agricultural land for decades, and finding a way to remove the incentives that are spurring projects across the state.

He's also mindful of all the new faces that will be coming to Washington, DC, as newly elected representatives and senators.  Tiffany says with the 2023 Farm Bill on the horizon, it's more critical than ever that farmers, farm organizations, commodity groups and rural citizens help "coach up" those newly elected.

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Taylor Schaefer, the current Alice in Dairyland, isn't letting Wisconsin's weather dampen her spirits about what's special during the holidays.

In a conversation with Pam Jahnke, she updates us on her travel experiences and focuses attention on all the vendor partners participating in the Something Special from Wisconsin program.

The Something Special from Wisconsin™ (SSfW) program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, has helped its members stand out on grocery store shelves and consumers connect with genuine Wisconsin products since 1983.

SSfW members are local producers of all shapes and sizes, certifying that at least 50% of a product's ingredients, production, or processing is from or completed in Wisconsin. The recognizable red and yellow program logo provides a quick and reliable way for consumers to identify high-quality member products at grocery stores, retail outlets, farmers' markets, and restaurants throughout the state. Whether it is locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally, the logo brings recognition and credibility to the product and builds on Wisconsin’s reputation for providing quality products.

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An agriculture instructor in northwest Wisconsin has received a $20,000 grant to invest in reaching students and helping them understand where their food comes from.  Jill Welke talks with Amelia Hayden, the ag instructor with successful grant request.

The president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union sees a busy agenda ahead for Wisconsin farmers and policy makers.  Darren VonRuden is a dairy producer from Westby who serves as president.  He visits with Charitee Seebecker about development of the 2023 Farm Bill.

John Hineberg, market advisor with Total Farm Marketing in West Bend joins Pam Jahnke, and focuses on the livestock complex.  Demand remains strong globally at a time when there's fewer cattle available to serve that need.

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The Wisconsin Farmers Union has an aggressive agenda planned for legislative efforts in 2023. Jill Welke visits with WFU Government Affairs Director, Rick Adamski, about some of their major platform points.

The percentage of people actively engaging in on-line auctions keeps climbing.  Ashley Huhn, from the Steffes Group, visits with Pam Jahnke about their latest statistics and prices.  Paid for by Steffes Group.

Producer-led watershed groups having been growing in number across the state.  Recently the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture released $1 million in grant monies to 43 different producer-led watershed groups.  Carrie Mess visits with Patricia Cicero, a Director at the Land and Water Conservation Department in Jefferson County. She works closely with the Jefferson County Soil Builders, one of the farmer-led groups that just received a $30k grant from WDATCP. She shares why these producer led groups are so important for the future of our industry. 

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Patricia Cicero is a Director at the Land and Water Conservation Department in Jefferson County. She works closely with the Jefferson County Soil Builders, one of the groups that just received a $30k grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. She shares why these producer led groups are so important for the future of our industry.  

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When many dairy farms were building freestall buildings and bring cows in from pasture, the Tomandl family leaned in to grazing cows. Since that time, they've grown their farm while building a blueprint for grazing dairies, including a program to help others learn dairy farming on a grazing based platform. Their work has led them to be selected as the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award winners.    

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