MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to host a community dairy breakfast as we tour a family farm in the hilly Driftless region. Stephanie Hoff visits Windi Ridge Farm as part of her Leaders of the Land tour with Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. The 35th annual Sauk County Breakfast on the Farm is bringing together more than 75 local businesses to spotlight the Luxton family's dedication to the community, the animals, and the land. This interview also explores how these "leaders of the land" use contour strips and expert-approved nutrient management plans to preserve soil health for generations to come.

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The U.S. Senate has yet to take action on allowing E-15 use year round across the nation.  It's a frustrating spot for Wisconsin biofuels facilities to be in.  Erik Huschitt, General Manager at Badger State Ethanol in Monroe, and current President of the WI Biofuels Association feels it.  He tells Pam Jahnke that "big oil" is actually on E-15's side in this debate.  The problem, he says, is a small group of midsized refiners that have been getting a lot of benefits from the current system.  Huschitt notes that consumers are on board, big oil is in support, but the lobbying arm of those midsized refiners is stopping any forward progress in D.C.

Gorgeous weekend on the way for Wisconsin.  The only thing missing is a little rain to keep coaxing crops along.  Stu Muck gives us the warm, dry details through Monday.

The weather this spring has come in fits and spurts for livestock owners.  Kiley Allan finds out that horse owners need to exercise a little caution introducing horses to the spring grass that has accelerated in growth lately.  Dr. Lisa Neeson, equine vet at Irongate Equine Clinic, says that horse with Cushing's, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, or those carrying extra weight could be at risk.  She says putting horses out on pasture for just 30-60 minutes at time is smart.  She also suggested those visits happen between 10 a.m. - and 3 p.m. when sugar levels in grasses are lower.

When consumers pick up a package of beef at the store, they may not understand everything that influences the price shown on that package.  Stephanie Hoff introduces labor strikes as an unnoticed influence on some of those prices.  Jeff Hadachek, UW Ag Economist explains how these strikes occur and how they can quickly skew the price consumers pay for the products they want.

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Chris Clark, a soil and nutrient management outreach specialist with the Division of Extension, tells Stephanie Hoff about her latest research looking into the micronutrients in manure. She explains that due to EPA air quality improvements, sulfur contributions from acid rain have dropped from 10 pounds per year to less than one pound. Long-term data comparison shows that while several nutrients were tracked, boron and sulfur are the two showing the most significant downward trends in manure. While farmers focus on N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), this research highlights the importance of secondary nutrients like calcium and magnesium, and micronutrients like copper, zinc, and manganese. Many agronomists have already begun instinctively supplementing sulfur between hay cuttings because they noticed deficiencies in plant tissue and soil analyses years ago.

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This time of year is extremely busy time of year in the equine world. Dr. Lisa Nesson joins us, she's an equine veterinarian at Irongate Equine Clinic. She tells me that this time of year she's doing all kinds of preventative health care. That includes vaccinations, travel preparation, routine dental care, deworming and more. On top of that, because horses are seasonal breeders, she spends a lot of time caring for mares and foals this time of year. Spring also means that we're beginning to see paddocks full of luscious new grass. Dr. Nesson tells us a few things that we need to consider before turning our horses out.

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The agriculture road improvement program has been in place for over a year.  The goal - improving the states rural infrastructure.  How's it doing?  Kiley Allan follows up with John DesRivieres, Director of Communications at the WI Dept. of Transportation.  He says the program has been overwhelmingly popular with farmers and their community leaders.  DesRivieres says while some projects are complete, many more are underway.  DesRivieres also says they're accepting more applications for the next round of funding.

A little less heat today, but dry weather remains.  Stu Muck says there's not much rain on the horizon for those fields freshly planted.

While America celebrates its 250th anniversary, USDA is also celebrating about 100 years of providing news content focused on farming and rural America.  Rod Bain kicks of a series that takes a look back at how communicating with the nation's farmers and rural residents has changed.

April milk production figures came in a little stronger than initially expected according to Ryan Yonkman with EverAg.  Yonkman tells Pam Jahnke that one story getting a little attention is how much dairy might be consumed connect to FIFA World Cup games in the East.

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The Wisconsin State FFA Convention is just around the corner, and the state officer team is pulling together the final details.  Jill Welke finds out about theme's and projects from Amanda Draxler.  Draxler is the current President of the WI FFA State Officer team.  She says there day of service this year will involve around 1,000 members from across the state the come to Madison early to help others.  Draxler says a couple components include packaging meals for those in need and helping with community projects around Wisconsin.

Hot and sticky - in May!  The weather gyrations in Wisconsin continue.  Stu Muck says the heat will break a bit tomorrow, but overall we'll stay dry and warm.

That heat has helped the state's corn crop advance pretty quickly.  In this week's Wyffels Wednesday, Kiley Allan chats with Brant Smith, District Sales Manager @ Wyffels about plant development and any issues growers should monitor.  Paid for by Wyffels Hybrids.

Getting the general public to recognize those efforts isn't always easy.  Stephanie Hoff finds out what some of the deans from our state's colleges of agriculture are doing to highlight these researchers.  They note that the Dairy Innovation Hub has acted 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. 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. 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. The initiative has proven to be a massive financial win for the state; last year, Hub researchers brought in more external grant dollars than the total amount of funding provided by the state. 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.

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As the dust begins to settle on a busy and exciting planting season, the team at Wyffels Hybrids sat down with us for one more conversation. District Sales Manager, Brant Smith reflects on this year’s season. He explains some agronomy tools found at wyffels.com that support producers through the growing season.

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"The dairy industry is a lot more than a cow herself." Wise words from Megan Lauber. She's a PhD candidate at the UW-Madison. Her focus is on dairy youth programming. She tells me how she's working to encourage students to pursue a career in the dairy industry in its entirety. Information about the camp can be found at https://andysci.wisc.edu/badger-dairy-camp/.

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Wisconsin continues to move forward with the goal of connecting everyone to the internet.  Ben Jarboe finds out that the path has been rife with challenges.  Alyssa Kenney, State Broadband and Digital Equity Director for Public Service Commission of Wisconsin says the goal remains to achieve full broadband access statewide by 2030.  The state has had a broadband expansion grant program in place since 2014. Early funding was modest, but investments increased significantly starting in 2019 and surged during the pandemic. State and federal funding (including the American Rescue Plan Act) have driven major broadband expansion. Over $365 million has been invested, supporting more than 400 broadband projects. Nearly 1 million people (about 300,000 locations) have gained improved broadband access in the last five years.

Heat has returned to Wisconsin!  Stu Muck says now everyone needs to stay aware of the possibility for severe weather as the week unfolds.

Career opportunities abound with the Steffes Group.  Ashley Huhn visits with Pam Jahnke about some of the areas they need staff that may not first come to mind for people.  Paid for by Steffes Group.

The fertilizer industry is as anxious as consumers to find out what damage has been caused in the Strait of Hormuz.  Corey Rosenbush, President and CEO of the Fertilizer Institute says about a third of the world’s urea, 20 percent of the phosphate, and more than half of the sulfur moves through the Strait of Hormuz effectively blocked by Iran since March 2nd. Unfortunately, says Rosenbusch, there are no simple or quick answers to bringing those prices back down.

Oil prices did take a break over the holiday weekend.  John Heinberg, market advisor with Total Farm Marketing our of West Bend says traders will watch that today.  He also notes that China has told Brazil they're not accepting their beef until after detecting hormones in some packages, but thinks there's some gamesmanship there.  He also recaps Friday's April Milk Production figures.  Big cow numbers and big production.  That'll keep the pressure on Wisconsin dairy operations.

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Host Ben Jarboe shares his fishing update which includes bass and walleye. Davion Freeman joins the show and they get into the weeds on spring fishing and bait and gear considerations.

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