Gary and his late wife, Gertrude, purchased the farm from her parents, which started in Gertrude's grandparents' possession. Gary and Gertrude raised their kids on the farm, which is now a beef cow-calf operation and row crop family business. Two of their sons are auctioneers and serve on the state auctioneering board. In addition to farming, the sons are each former state auctioneer champions and travel for work. The Crawford County Sesquicentennial Farm used to be a dairy. Gary said a lot of small square bales were made and cows milked by hand. Gary adds that, as his wife passed away in February, she would be super proud of how far the family has come and where it will continue to go.  

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Doug and Kari's farm started as a dairy farm run by Doug's great-grandmother. The farm passed to Doug's grandfather and father before becoming his. He sold the dairy cows in 2000, raised some steers, and now grows solely cash crops. They milked 42 cows, had 500 laying hens, some pigs, and harvested crops while doing custom silo filling. His grandfather experienced some hardships during the Great Depression while farming. Doug is the youngest of two sisters and fondly recalls showing cattle in 4H. His wife, Kari, did not come from a farm and moved here from Minnesota. The future of the farm is uncertain due to urban development.

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In the photo from 1946, you can see the government's first attempts to stop soil erosion by including terracing in the fields. David Brennan says this took place at his family's Sesquicentennial Farm in Sauk County. He recalls the story of big equipment coming in to put terraces in the side of the hill. This is a common practice today in row cropping. His grandfather was the one who purchased the now 157-year-old farm. David and his wife own it today. In the 1960s, they took the terraces out and went to contour strips. They are strictly no-till for the field management. They sold the cows in 2007 and went from milking cows to raising beef. David and wife have a daughter and son-in-law who are interested in continuing the farming tradition.

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Meet the new executive director of Wisconsin Farmers Union, Danielle Endvick! We caught up with her at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. She gives us a sneak peek at what's on tap for their annual conference, including how they are growing relationships between farmers, rural businesses, and the community. 

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Wisconsin Farm Technology Days wraps up at 4 p.m. today. Don't forget to swing by Wisconsin Farmers Union at Booth 607. President Darin Von Ruden is concerned about the latest dairy farm numbers released by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. That's why he's mobilizing members to call on legislators to advance farm priorities.

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Ag Meteorologist Stu Muck gives insight into whether we can expect to see the smoke roll out anytime soon and if we will get some rain to help the crops.

Farm Director Pam Jahnke is joined by the Wisconsin FFA Association Executive Director, Cheryl Zimmerman, to give some insight on the current ag teacher shortage.

Kiley Allan talks with Richard Gumz from Gumz Farm, about one of the more unique specialty crops grown in Wisconsin. That being mint. He gives insight into the current lackluster mint harvest.

Temps are looking to warm up some again this weekend so Aubrey Schlimgen has a chat with Melissa Ploeckelman-Brown, an Outreach Specialist with the National Farm Medicine Center, to give some tips on how to stay cool while working out in the heat.

Jenny Wackershauser, a Dairy Broker with EverAg, joins the show to give us an update on all things dairy markets. She says that June saw record exports in both cheese and butter.

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A new bill is circulating Congress, and it’s called the Save Our Bacon Act. The Save Our Bacon Act aims to restore interstate commerce as the latest response to Proposition-12. Morgan Worek is the Program and Marketing Director at the Wisconsin Pork Association. She shares what the bill would mean for the pork industry.

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Richard Gumz of Gumz Farms shares what the start of mint harvest has produced. They are seeing a decrease in oil production this harvest season. While they are exploring other possibilities, they suspect the cloudy days in early July, as well as the smoke haze, greatly affected sunlight penetration. It will be a matter of time to determine if it changes throughout the remainder of the season. 

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Ag Meteorologist Stu Muck joins the show to give us a look at if we can expect rain in this critical growing period. 

David Giehtbrock, a Fish Culture Section Leader with the DNR, gives us a more detailed look into how the state works to stock fish in our lakes. He says this year they stocked over 1 Million Chinook Salmon into Lake Michigan. 

Stephanie Hoff talks with Kelly Wilfert, the Extension Farm Management Outreach Specialist with UW, on how an expiring legislation may leave farmers needing to pay an increased “Death Tax”. 

Jeremy Williams the Owner of American Drone to see what he has planned as far as drone demonstrations for the 2025 Farm Technology Days.

Farm Director Pam Jahnke has a conversation with Randy Cath from the Steffes Group to give a deeper dive into the work they do behind the scenes when preparing for an auction.

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Megan Salentine's schedule has been nothing short of exciting after being crowned Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs. Living out of a suitcase has brought her incredible opportunities and memories!

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