COW97 Ag News from Brownfield

An agricultural group would like to see more utilization of Wisconsin’s Water Quality Trading Clearinghouse. Chad Zuleger with the Dairy Business Association tells Brownfield the bipartisan program was created three sessions ago in 2020 but has not been able to deliver the expected results. “There are good people doing good work out there, but really,… ... Continue Reading

Cool soil temperatures have Wisconsin farmers focused on manure and fertilizer applications and some spring tillage. Others, like Zeb Zuehls, who raises beef and no-till corn and soybeans near Montello in southcentral Wisconsin tells Brownfield he’s making a few repairs, and the planter is still in the shed. “I won’t plant for two weeks yet.”… ... Continue Reading

Many farmers are waiting to plant in the northern Corn Belt. Heather Morris covers the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin for Beck’s Hybrids and says conditions are cool. “We’re not seeing a ton right now, but I know in South Dakota there was some work going on. But a lot of talk about enjoying the Easter… ... Continue Reading

Several state legislative issues are high priorities for Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, but they will have to lobby for them another day.  Wednesday was supposed to be the day where members of the Dairy Business Association visited with lawmakers about issues important to the industry, but DBA’s Chad Zuleger tells Brownfield the weather prevented that from… ... Continue Reading

A Wisconsin program that pays farmers for permanent agricultural conservation easements might get its first funding since its creation in 2009. Wisconsin’s Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement or PACE program started strong but has not been funded since.  Angie Doucette with American Farmland Trust tells Brownfield she’s hoping Governor Tony Evers’ 15-million-dollar budget item gets… ... Continue Reading

The people between the Wisconsin farmer and the consumer were recognized during the Specialty Meat Products Championships.  Jake Sailer tells Brownfield the competition is held during the Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors conference in Middleton every April.  Sailer says processors enter meat products in 38 classes. “Those products get judged and evaluated by PhDs from… ... Continue Reading

Cool and wet conditions continued to slow most Wisconsin farmers last week.  USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service says northern Wisconsin still has some areas with frost in the ground, and most of the state is too wet for fieldwork.  The exceptions are in the southern counties and central sands regions where spring tillage and some… ... Continue Reading

A U.S. House bill that would remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List and prevent judges from putting the animal back on the list has made a step forward. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act, also known as HR 845, would restore authority back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials to control… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin food and farm businesses looking to expand or create value-added products have help available through the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Business Entrepreneurship. Paula Gilbeck tells Brownfield the Food Finance Institute, the Small Business Development Center, and the Center for Technology Commercialization have been around for years, but few businesses know about them.  She… ... Continue Reading

USDA has begun the weekly crop progress reports for the 2025 growing season, and thanks to the weather, there isn’t much to report in Wisconsin. Greg Bussler with the National Ag Statistics Service office in Madison says much of the state received rain, ice, or snow during the past seven days.  He says while conditions… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin’s weather has kept most farmers out of the fields.  The recent cool temperatures along with wind, rain, and snow have left fields far from ideal, impacting the ability to apply manure, fertilizer, or do spring field work, even in southern Wisconsin. Janesville area farmer and Wisconsin Soybean Association President Doug Rebout hasn’t been in… ... Continue Reading

The Wisconsin Corn Foundation has created a new scholarship to honor a past executive director. The scholarship is named for Bob Oleson, who served as executive director of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association and the Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board for seventeen years and was also a founding director of the United Soybean Board.  He also… ... Continue Reading

A Farm Service Agency official says farmers are actively signing up for crop insurance and economic relief. Wisconsin FSA’s Deputy Executive Director Tyler Radke tells Brownfield they’ve had a steady flow of farmers signing up for Ag Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage. “Wisconsin is actually quite a bit ahead of the national average with… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin has its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza for 2025. The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says a commercial poultry farm in Sheboygan County has been affected by the virus.  Forty-thousand egg laying chickens with the H5N1 virus will be depopulated at the farm to prevent the spread of the disease.… ... Continue Reading

An agricultural banker says some farm operations are borrowing for expansions despite the down farm economy and higher interest rates. Roger Sinkula with Nicolet National Bank tells Brownfield much of that expansion is in the dairy sector. “I see a couple of farmers that are expanding their heifer operation or are putting up some buildings… ... Continue Reading

Sustainable aviation fuel production could take off in Wisconsin if newly proposed legislation becomes law. Jason Mugnaini with Wisconsin Farm Bureau tells Brownfield the bill supported by the state’s agriculture coalition would incentivize fuel production in the Badger State. “Wisconsin is the only Midwestern state without a significant biofuels support program at the state level… ... Continue Reading

A Wisconsin Farm Service Agency official says there were a few less producers signing up for the Dairy Margin Coverage program in his state this year.  Deputy Executive Director Tyler Radke says, “We had a fair amount of sign-ups. Maybe not quite as much as in the past but several thousand producers.” Radke tells Brownfield… ... Continue Reading

A state Farm Service Agency official is optimistic the new tariffs and the federal job and program cuts won’t negatively impact the agency and the farmers they serve.  Tyler Radke is Wisconsin Farm Service Agency’s Deputy Executive Director.  He tells Brownfield the first Trump administration also used tariffs, and FSA helped farmers get assistance. “Last… ... Continue Reading

The winds of change have helped a Wisconsin farm family build a strong business model… literally. Edward Smith, his son, and young grandson operate Prairie Dairy Inc. The farm has been in the family more than 120 years, but the F5 tornadoes that struck Oakfield, Wisconsin in 1996 destroyed their dairy.  The following year, Smith… ... Continue Reading

Spring weather is preventing many producers from taking delivery of spring inputs.  Paul Kwiatkowski with Jaymar in central Wisconsin tells Brownfield most fertilizer and seed orders are in. “Everything is ready to go if we can get the weather to cooperate.” Kwiatkowski says the recent snow and rain has kept the seed and fertilizer trucks parked.… ... Continue Reading