MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Fox Valley Technical College is the only place in the state of Wisconsin where students can explore a two-year natural resources education program. It's recently received an addition that has campus buzzing with excitement. A 160-acre anonymous donation was made by a community member who wanted their land to stay in habitat and not be developed. A priority in education made the program the right fit for the donation. Paul Groell is the chair of the Natural Resources Department at Fox Valley Technical College. He says they were very surprised but very pleased with the donation.

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 As agriculture's ever-changing landscape sees high input costs and changes in the marketplace, Dan Schaefer of Schaefer Beef Consulting has been getting a lot of phone calls. We started our conversation with one of the two most common question he's been receiving. How can anyone make any money when calves are valued at $1,500 at just three days old? 

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The loss of a crop is awful.  The loss of a tradition, even more painful.  This year's erratic weather has caused some Wisconsin strawberry growers to rethink their plan.  Kiley Allan gets the story from Danielle Clark of Mayberry Farms in Mayville.  Their strawberry harvest is over before it started. They have pick-your-own strawberries, honeybees, row crops, and a newly planted apple orchard, backyard livestock collection of chickens and show lambs, makes skincare with farm grown ingredients such as strawberries, beeswax, tallow and lard. Agronomist believes Phytophthora attacked their plants - putting an end to their season before it started.  Clark says they had a little last year, but removed diseased plants but because soil doesn't drain well and the spring was cool and wet it accelerated it to a  total loss. One of their brand pillars is authenticity, so Danielle felt it was important to give the community an open and honest announcement that they would not have pick your own strawberries this year. She felt it was important to give enough time to digest the information and determine where they will go instead. The farm was met with an overwhelming amount of support from the community. The farm will convert the affected soil to an apple orchard expansion.

Rain is just starting to move into Wisconsin this morning.  Stu Muck says it'll hang around through the day Friday, but allow for a beautiful weekend of drier weather.

What do Wisconsin livestock owners need to think about regarding New World Screw Worm?  Curt Larson, president and CEO of Equity Livestock Sales Association in Baraboo feels confident that Texas has the insect under control.  Larson says market disruption so far has been minimal.  He also says the chances of the insect making it to Wisconsin are thin.  Still, for Wisconsin livestock operators that house/grow/breed their animals in other states, thinking through possible quarantine restrictions is not a bad plan.  Pam Jahnke visits with Larson.

The state's largest outdoor agriculture event depends on volunteers, weather and commercial exhibitors.  How's the 2026 show coming together?  Stephanie Hoff gets a preview from Janet Keller, general manager, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days.  Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is currently managing a "critical mass" of calls from potential exhibitors and sponsors to build the schedule and finalize the official program. The organization recently expanded its small staff by hiring Kate Borren as program coordinator and Abby George to handle financial bookkeeping. Unlike most other agricultural shows, this event moves to a different site within the state. Reorganized in 2023 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the show’s mission focuses on education and  resources for agriculture, health, safety, and food sourcing for both  farmers and consumers. The event requires a minimum of 200 acres to host—ideally on a modern dairy farm—and must be booked several years in advance so host farms can properly adjust their crop rotation schedules. The event logo changes every year to reflect the host county's unique identity. For 2026, the logo features the outline of Marathon County, the town of Stratford, and dairy cows representing the host farm, No Joke Dairy.

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The states weather network keeps getting upgrades that help Wisconsin farmers, and anybody that enjoys the outdoors.  One of the latest tools added is Plant Available Water readings.  Chris Vagasky, Research Program Manager for Wisconet, the states mesonet of weather stations, says they now have 400 soil sensors to tip off farmers when things are too dry, or too wet.

Vagasky says the soil sensors measure moisture at 2, 4, 8, 20 and 40 inches of depth.  It compares the values to the maximum amount of water a plant can extract from the soil.  This blanket of sensors puts Wisconsin near the top as one of the most comprehensive soil moisture networks in the United States.

All information is accessible real-time at wisconet.wisc.edu's dashboard.

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This year, Wisconsin's spring weather was good for a lot of different crops. The same is true for the rhubarb crop. Kathy Burrs is the owner and operator of Burrs Berry Patch in Barneveld, Wisconsin. She tells us about this year's crop growth.

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Field demonstrations are a core attraction at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. Ron Zygarlicke, field demonstration chairman, tells Stephanie Hoff about the firsthand look at machinery and techniques in action showgoers can expect.

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The loss of a crop is awful.  The loss of a tradition, even more painful.  This year's erratic weather has caused some Wisconsin strawberry growers to rethink their plan.  Kiley Allan gets the story from Danielle Clark of Mayberry Farms in Mayville.  Their strawberry harvest is over before it started. They have pick-your-own strawberries, honeybees, row crops, and a newly planted apple orchard, backyard livestock collection of chickens and show lambs, makes skincare with farm grown ingredients such as strawberries, beeswax, tallow and lard. Agronomist believes Phytophthora attacked their plants - putting an end to their season before it started.  Clark says they had a little last year, but removed diseased plants but because soil doesn't drain well and the spring was cool and wet it accelerated it to a  total loss. One of their brand pillars is authenticity, so Danielle felt it was important to give the community an open and honest announcement that they would not have pick your own strawberries this year. She felt it was important to give enough time to digest the information and determine where they will go instead. The farm was met with an overwhelming amount of support from the community. The farm will convert the affected soil to an apple orchard expansion.

Rain is just starting to move into Wisconsin this morning.  Stu Muck says it'll hang around through the day Friday, but allow for a beautiful weekend of drier weather.

What do Wisconsin livestock owners need to think about regarding New World Screw Worm?  Curt Larson, president and CEO of Equity Livestock Sales Association in Baraboo feels confident that Texas has the insect under control.  Larson says market disruption so far has been minimal.  He also says the chances of the insect making it to Wisconsin are thin.  Still, for Wisconsin livestock operators that house/grow/breed their animals in other states, thinking through possible quarantine restrictions is not a bad plan.  Pam Jahnke visits with Larson.

The state's largest outdoor agriculture event depends on volunteers, weather and commercial exhibitors.  How's the 2026 show coming together?  Stephanie Hoff gets a preview from Janet Keller, general manager, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days.  Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is currently managing a "critical mass" of calls from potential exhibitors and sponsors to build the schedule and finalize the official program. The organization recently expanded its small staff by hiring Kate Borren as program coordinator and Abby George to handle financial bookkeeping. Unlike most other agricultural shows, this event moves to a different site within the state. Reorganized in 2023 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the show’s mission focuses on education and  resources for agriculture, health, safety, and food sourcing for both  farmers and consumers. The event requires a minimum of 200 acres to host—ideally on a modern dairy farm—and must be booked several years in advance so host farms can properly adjust their crop rotation schedules. The event logo changes every year to reflect the host county's unique identity. For 2026, the logo features the outline of Marathon County, the town of Stratford, and dairy cows representing the host farm, No Joke Dairy.

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Throughout the month of June, farms across Wisconsin are opening their doors for visitors. Most of those farms are dairy farms because, after all, June is dairy month. But there's another farm, an herbal farm, opening their doors to visitors. Jane Hawley Stevens joins us. She's the owner of Four Elements Organic Herbals. They're 130 acres in Baraboo Bluffs. There, her and her husband, both former horticulture grads from the UW-Madison, have been certified organic since 1987. She grows herbs that go into their herbal wellness line. They make functional creams, lip balms, soaps, tea, and more with the herbs that they grow. She tells us about the event they're hosting on Saturday.

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Stephanie Hoff is looking at what it takes to bring the community together for one of the most anticipated ag events of the season: Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. Vicki Halupka is the chair of the volunteer committee for the show. Sign up for a shift today: https://www.wifarmtechdays.org/

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Janet Keller, general manager of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, gives Stephanie Hoff a behind-the-scenes look at the massive undertaking that is this unique show. The event is July 14-16 at No Joke Dairy in Stratford.

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