MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Deans from Wisconsin's schools of agriculture are standing is support of the Dairy Innovation Hub.  The Hub acts as a collaborative "nexus," uniting the unique strengths of UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls to benefit Wisconsin's broader  agricultural and education landscape. For example at UW-Platteville, faculty members from the chemistry and mechanical engineering departments successfully patented a method to turn spoiled milk into 3D printing material.  Researchers at UW-River Falls developed a more affordable lactose-free ice cream, which is currently being sold to the public at the campus’s Freddy’s Dairy Bar. UW-Madison is utilizing high-level science, such as SNAP plus modeling, to create new nutrient strategies that help farmers contain phosphorus and nitrogen. The deans say despite the rising "cost of doing business," state funding for the Hub has not been adjusted for inflation since it was established around 2019 or 2020. To ensure the Hub’s value is understood during budget cycles, the universities host major public events—ranging from Lafayette County Dairy Breakfasts to field days at Madison’s 12 regional ag research stations—where lawmakers can see the impact firsthand.

Heat will be noticeable today in Wisconsin and so will the wind.  Stu Muck says that wind will be bringing with it a chance of rain and thunderstorms beginning overnight.

On Wednesday evening, USDA confirmed the first case of New World Screw Worm in Texas.  USDA Secretary, Brooke Rollins, says they've mobilized APHIS staff and are implementing a 20 km quarantine radius to monitor and contain livestock movement.  She stresses this is NOT a food safety issue.

Dairy will be keeping an eye on the New World Screw Worm situation.  Collin Aardema, dairy analyst with EverAg tells Pam Jahnke that the impacted geography right now isn't a heavy dairy populus, but if the quarantine expands - it could impact milk flow.  Right now Idaho IS catching some attention because of a few outbreaks of HPAI in dairy.  Aardema says the curious piece is that it's impacting calves more than cows.

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St. Mary's School educator Mary Cooper shares with Stephanie Hoff how she blends her deep-rooted background in the dairy industry with innovative STEM education. As a member of the Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Educator Ambassador Team, Mary discusses how she uses free, standards-aligned resources and multi-grade school challenges to make agricultural literacy accessible to all students.

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As commercial fertilizer prices have farmers rethinking their nutrient strategies, real-time sensor technology is turning highly variable manure into a precise economic asset. Stephanie Hoff interviews Joe Sanford about his UW Dairy Innovation Hub research exploring how near-infrared spectroscopy tools can help large-scale dairies and custom operators track nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on the fly.

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To date, the hilarious campaign from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin - "Born to Dairy" - has already racked up more than 10.5 million views, and counting!  Today we’re joined by one of the stars of the campaign! Welcome, Jody Miller — also known as The Barnyard Beautifier!

Jody and her family farm in Avoca at Miller Time Dairy.  Currently they're planning to host the Iowa County Breakfast on the Farm, which is a perfect example of how Jody works to add beauty to the barnyard.

Pam Jahnke visits with Miller about the excitement she feels with the "Born to Dairy" persona's and the messages they relay.  Miller also believes that this platform is a wonderful way for dairy farmers to connect with consumers on a "real" level.  For Miller, there's a lot of truth behind her "Barnyard Beautifer" persona.  She cares deeply about the image her dairy operation portrays to the general public.  She believes that it's a visual example of how much the family cares about what they do.  Their devotion to taking care of their animals.  Their focus on improving the soil and water they depend on today for the next generation.

Miller is also proud of the other personalities involved in "Born to Dairy".  She says the campaign shows that dairy farmers are real people with humor, creativity, traditions, and passions outside of the work itself. Dairy operators work incredibly hard, but she adds that they also know how to laugh at themselves a little.

Which persona do you match with?  Where's your next June Dairy Adventure?  You can find all the answers at Wisconsin Dairy!

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Horses and horse owners from across North America will make their way to the MN State Fairgrounds in St. Paul for the Percheron World Congress.  Bob Bosold explains the elements of the horse, and the show components with Jim Day, co-chair of the event.  Day says this horse was initially bred for battle in the Middle Ages, but has advanced to being great in the harness, or saddle.  He also explains the different colors that the breed can feature.

Get your outdoor plans and tasks wrapped up today and tomorrow.  Stu Muck says the rain and thunderstorms begin popping up in Wisconsin's forecast on Thursday evening.

Chickens offer more than just bug eating abilities and eggs.  Kiley Allan gets a whole new appreciation for the creature from  Nelle Kempfer, Park Administrator at Schumaher Farm Park in Waunakee.  Chickens are a magnet for kids, and also adults interested in starting their own flock.  They've turned into a great recruiting tool to bring visitors to the living history farm site.

Wisconsin's latest crop progress report bears out that warm dry weather has elevated the crop.  Pam Jahnke runs down the latest ratings from the WI Ag Statistical Service.

With the high cost of fertilizer causing concern from Wisconsin farmers, researchers are looking at ways for them to maximize their local grown fertilizers - manure.  Joe Sanford, assistant professor at UW-Platteville and affiliated with the UW Dairy Innovation Hub says. Sanborn's working with industry leaders on developing sensor data to make immediate adjustments from the tractor cab to hit specific nutrient targets (e.g., 150 lbs of nitrogen per acre). Alternatively, they can empty their storages by volume, analyze the collected map data later, and use precise commercial supplements to fill in the gaps.The primary end-users for this expensive technology are large-scale farms with massive storages and high agitation costs, as well as custom operators who pump millions of gallons for hundreds of different clients annually and want to add a premium service. Currently, the sensor functions purely as an internal data collection system; it does not yet satisfy state regulatory requirements for annual laboratory manure analysis. Additionally, some farmers hesitate to adopt the technology due to lingering concerns over data ownership and how potential over-application data might be used.

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Schumacher Farm Park invites visitors to take a step into history. When this Dane County Park was created, the goal was to preserve the land and create a living history museum that accurately depicted life on the farm in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, many Wisconsin farms had chickens. Nelle Kempfer, Park Administrator, tells Kiley Allan that the chickens took a year-long hiatus, but they're back. 

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Every year, when it comes time for us to get a growing update about the state of Wisconsin's diverse and many agricultural crops, we have to check in on grapes. Today's conversation takes us to Prairie du Sac, that's the town that Wollersheim Winery calls home. Philippe Coquard operates the winery alongside his family. He tells me they have 27 acres of grapes with about 700 vines per acre. He sat down to give Kiley Allan an update about how the grapes are growing this season. 

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Dan Schaefer of Schaefer Beef Consulting tells Kiley Allan about common mistakes producers make when transitioning from dairy to beef.

Stu Muck outlines a beautiful day in the Revolution Plastics Ag Weather Update.

Is manure feeding your crops like it used to? Division of Extension Specialist Chris Clark tells Stephanie Hoff about her latest research out of the UW Dairy Innovation Hub looking at manure micronutrients and where farms are falling short.

Ashley Huhn and Pam Jahnke discuss The Steffes Group's auction calendar and resources for both buyers and sellers.

Market advisor John Heinberg of Total Farm Marketing walks Stephanie Hoff through the first USDA crop condition ratings and the recent loss of bullish momentum in the grain markets. Heinberg explains that while early corn and soybean ratings landed slightly below market expectations, the primary downward pressure on prices stems from a typical seasonal peak and heavy global competition from South American harvests. Ultimately, he advises producers to look past early-season weather anxieties and implement defensive risk management strategies before the market historically runs out of steam in mid-June.

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There's no question.  Margins are tight for Wisconsin soybean growers.  Andy Bensend from Dallas, WI is one of those looking at those margins.  He also sits on the WI Soybean Marketing Board where decisions are made on how to invest hard earned farmer dollars.

Bensend says the investments made by the WI Soybean Marketing Board are calculated, researched and designed for a return on investment.  Even if that return will take some time to develop.  Bensend notes that they're challenged from a number of fronts.  Growing conditions in Wisconsin.  How can they be managed for maximum output?  Developing markets both here and abroad.  What is the world looking for?  Of course education connects all those lines.  Making growers aware of the research findings and how it can help them is a must to keep moving forward.

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Did you know keeping your lawn mower blades sharp is a critical key to a great lawn?  Many people don't!  Ben Jarboe finds out about some of the other ingredients that make up a lush, green lawn from Doug Soldat, UW-Madison Extension Turf Specialist.

After a few showers this morning, dry moderate weather moves into WI.  Stu Muck says rain shouldn't redevelop until later this week.

Traditionally lard was thought of as a key ingredient to flaky pie crusts.  Today - thanks to social media - lard is being used as a moisturizer for skin!  Kiley Allan finds out about it from  Julie Schroeder, Owner of Open Road Ranch.  Schroeder says lard is highly effective for skincare because its pH and lipid profile closely mimic human skin, allowing it to absorb easily. Naturally rich in vitamins and antioxidants, lard serves as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment for conditions like eczema, rosacea, and minor wounds.

An agriculture instructor from Viroqua has been named the 2026 Miss Wisconsin USA!  Olivia Lulich, originally from Lyndon Station, was selected from the field on Saturday evening in Des Moines.  Lulich says her platform of helping people understand where their food comes from will be part of her Miss Wisconsin USA conversations.

It's officially June Dairy month in Wisconsin, and farms are ready for visitors.  Stephanie Hoff introduces us to the hosts for the Sauk Co Breakfast on the Farm, the Luxton family from Hillpoint.  Tom and Kay Luxton at Windi Ridge Farm say the breakfast has prompted them on some projects they wanted to get done like installing a new driveway and painting the parlor.  They remind visitors that it's about more than just the breakfast.

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