MID-WEST FARM REPORT - MADISON

Setting your calves up for success from the very beginning is a crucial step, and the folks at Land O'Lakes Animal Milk Solutions are here to help. Dr. Tom Earleywine joins us. He's the Director of Nutritional Services for their team.

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John Deere's Mark Davey explains the features of the new 5 Series tractors during World Dairy Expo.

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When running a dairy, there's a host of decisions you have to make every single day. Your calf nutritional program should be one that you don't really have to think about. Vicky and Ross Greden join us. They're dairy producers from the state of Minnesota. Vicky starts by telling us about their calf program.

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Most Wisconsin growers feel like they're running behind with the harvest of 2026 so far.  That makes it tempting to keep the combine moving and ignore a few large weeds along the edge of an otherwise clean field. Dr. Rodrigo Werle tells Pam Jahnke that could be a BIG mistake.  Werle's Wisconsin's UW-Madison Extension Weed Specialist.  He's reminding growers and operators how powerful some of those weeds are - like waterhemp.

Werle says that running equipment through mature waterhemp turns a combine into a high-powered seed spreader. A single, chest-high, female waterhemp plant growing in a Wisconsin soybean field can produce up to 100,000 seeds.  An isolated female plant along headlands or field margins without crop competition can yield up to 500,000 seeds. Driving a combine straight through a thick patch drags these massive seed loads directly across clean acres, restarting the infestation cycle.

Werle's also encouraging all growers to document what they're seeing and share it with them.  He says this is the best time of the year to see what worked, and what didn't.  That helps guide Werle's research for the future, so he's looking for real farmer data as the combines roll.

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Testing has changed as technology has evolved.  Also, Dairyland Laboratories is involved in the Forage Analysis Super Bowl at World Dairy Expo.  Matt Fenske discusses these things with Mid-West Farm Report's Larry Lee.

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DRMS stands for Dairy Records Management Systems. They're a company that does just that. They help producers pair valuable data with action in their herd. Greg Palas from their team joins Kiley Allan, he's the support manager, talking about one of their programs, specifically the Dart program.

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Wyffels Regional Sales Manager Steve Quade discusses harvest, new varieties, online tools to help farmers with Mid-West Farm Report's Larry Lee.

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What's the number one thing we should be doing when it comes to keeping our calves healthy? Dr. Jeremy Schefers has an answer. He's the Technical Services Veterinarian with Merck Animal Health.

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The differences between Brazil's and the United States' dairy industries go beyond the climate itself. Caio joins Kiley Allan. He's the Cooperative President for Industry and Management of Farmers, and Ton Kramer, a consultant, both from Brazil, find themselves at World Dairy Expo exploring the opportunities in technology, genetics, and quality forage products.

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World Dairy Expo is always an exciting time, and this year was no different, as Merck unveiled some new technology. Chase Milem joins us. He's the Associate Director of Dairy Monitoring. He tells us about that special announcement.

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