If you've been following Fabulous Farm Babe on Facebook, you might have noticed a "SCAM" alert posted on Friday afternoon.  It told the story of a southeast Wisconsin dairy operation that was targeted.  The post stated that the farm was relocating and wanted to "rehome" some cattle.  Since that post, life at Golden E has been anything but normal.

Kim Saari took a moment to explain to Pam Jahnke when the farm first became aware that they were the target of this scam.  Since then, there's been a steady stream of voice messages, text messages and actual physical visits to the farm looking for these phantom animals.  Saari says the worst part is that people parted with money via Venmo, and have no cattle and no recourse.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's estimated that 50% of the workforce helping our Wisconsin dairy industry move are made up of illegal, undocumented immigrants.  The Wisconsin Farmers Union wants to host an open dialog about what that means to Wisconsin agriculture, and what that means in policy development.

Nick Levendofsky is the Government Relations Director with WFU.  He speaks with Pam Jahnke about an upcoming webinar that will focus on a documentary that looks closely at this issue in Wisconsin.

The documentary, “Los Lecheros” focuses on some of the workers and farmers struggling to survive amidst shifting policies. 

Many Wisconsin farm owners, like film protagonist John Rosenow, insist that immigrants are critical to the success of their farms. Workers, like Miguel Hernandez, who spent 16 years on a Wisconsin dairy farm, and Guillermo Ramos, who manages a 1,000-cow farm, are weighing the options for their families and their jobs amidst fears of deportation and family separation. 

The webinar will feature a panel, moderated by Dee Hall of Wisconsin Watch. Panelists will include John Rosenow, Buffalo County dairy farmer; Nick Levendofsky, Wisconsin Farmers Union government relations director; and Ruth Conniff, journalist and author of Milked. The panelists will discuss policies and new developments around work visas, as well as the powerful personal relationships farmers in Wisconsin are building with families in Mexico.

This event is being organized by the Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives, The Farley Center, and Wisconsin Farmers Union. RSVP at www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com/events.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Association of Women in Agriculture invite you to their 2022 Breakfast on the Farm. And it's finally in-person after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. AWA will welcome you on May 1 to the Stock Pavilion on the UW-Madison campus with a hearty, farm-style breakfast, celebrity appearances, live entertainment, baby animals, and activities for the kids. Junior McKenzie Trinko and sophomore Olivia McDonald are on the team coordinating the breakfast. The duo tells Mid-West Farm Report everything guests need to know upon arrival.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2022 is already proving to be a challenge for Wisconsin agriculture.  High input costs, temperamental weather, and more congestion on rural roadways than ever before.  Now, more than ever, farmers and their families need to keep the emphasis on operating safely.

Chris Schlechta is the Safety & Loss Control Manager for Rural Mutual Insurance.  His goal is simple.  To make sure every family member returns home as healthy and sound as they were when they left. 

Schlechta shares some of the resources available to anyone that wants to review their safety operations, with particular emphasis on the hectic spring schedule many farm families are facing.

Find the Learning Center and Farm Safety resources on line, whenever you need them.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first half of the fiscal year (July-Dec 2021) brought 438 new inquiries to the Wisconsin Farm Center -- this equates to over 3 calls per day, according to Program Supervisor Dan Bauer. The third quarter of the fiscal year (Jan-March) brought 278 new inquiries or over 4 calls per day. This is a more than 25 percent increase in the third quarter than in the first two quarters combined. This is a seasonal trend as farmers view their balance sheets this time of year. But most of the inquiries were around farm transition planning. Dan reminds folks that ALL services are FREE (mediation, financial, herd-based diagnostics and mental health). 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Located in southeastern Sullivan, Wisconsin is Heritage Honeybee. It is the nation’s largest distributor of bees. Owner Tim Wilbanks moves bee colonies and queen bees from northern California and southeastern Georgia to a seven-state region around the Great Lakes. Tim is about halfway through his season even though the recent cool weather doesn't suggest that it’s time for spring. But he says cooler temperatures don’t really impact bee distribution. The surplus of bees in warmer states is the supply that feeds the Upper Midwest's beekeepers. Wilbanks says demand has been growing for bees in Wisconsin. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How many times have you toyed with the idea of where you'd like to retire?  I'm guessing in the middle of winter those ideas get more serious, and the destinations perhaps a little farther south.  For many Wisconsinites, the goal is simply to stay where their at.

Pam Jahnke visits with Darrin Wasniewski, Associate State Director- Community Outreach for AARP Wisconsin.  They've actually created an index that allows you to get a quick glance at any community you may be considering - and its "liveability index".

Wasniewski explains how they arrive at the "liveability index" and what it tells you.  He also explains how AARP partners with organizations of all types to help create and improve those indexes across the state.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fuel prices, freight charges and avian influenza are driving up prices for organic fertilizer, according to Steve Lundeen with Midwestern BioAg. Lundeen manages the Milledgeville, Illinois location. Supply is tight for chicken litter because of the depopulation of big flocks and it's hard for trucks to go in and out with biosecurity measures, he says. High commodity prices make for an ideal time to start transitioning your farm to organic if that's something you're interested in. He sees organic acres increasing because of the value-add to consumers. He's also seeing interest in 'soil health' products, such as calcium to extract nutrients from the soil, which can be cheaper than adding nutrients.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With avian influenza making headlines across the state, the importance of the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) has been amplified.  Pam Jahnke visits with Jodi Legge, executive director of WLIC on the consortium's background and what role it's playing in protecting Wisconsin agriculture.

Saturday the Grilled Cheese Championship returns to Dodgeville.  Pam talks with Potsie Weber, volunteer with the event, about what people can expect.

Owen Feenstra joins the show with an update on what's happening with dairy production in the U.S.  There was a slight dip in overall milk production in the 24 major dairy producing states.  Will that trend likely continue?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jelli's Market is a diversified, family farming operation smack dab between Madison and Milwaukee in Helenville. Year-round, the farm store offers a bounty of meat, eggs, preserves and baked goods. In the summer, the family welcomes thousands to pick and purchase produce. To get ready for their customers -- hailing from large urban centers, including Chicago -- the Knoebel family is in the greenhouse at the start of March, starting plants. Libby Knoebel says she relies on sunshine to get a good start in the greenhouse. Then, it's off to the races when the soil temps are warm to get those fruits and vegetables into nearly 40 acres.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.