Wisconsin’s Ag Road Improvement Program dollars are now going to local governments to repair or upgrade local road with weight restrictions. The bipartisan law authored by Representative Travis Tranel and Senator Howard Marklein allowed towns to use a simple application to apply for the special road improvement dollars, and Marklein says the first fifty-million has…… read more
Category Archives: Ag News
Farm Rescue expands to Wisconsin
A non-profit volunteer group that helps farmers get their work done now serves a larger area. Dan Erdmann tells Brownfield Farm Rescue just expanded into Wisconsin, and is there to help with planting, harvesting, commodity hauling, and livestock feeding. He says farmers don’t like to ask for help, but they often get referrals. “It may…… read more
Wisconsin farmer benefiting from early planting
A Wisconsin farmer is benefiting from getting his crops in very early, before the spring rains arrived. Ryan Nell raises corn, soybeans, and wheat near Juneau. He tells Brownfield, “Planting went really smooth for us. We were done by May 6th.” He says the frequent rains started shortly after planting, and that meant some replanting…… read more
Wisconsin small grains, potato harvests ramping up
Many Wisconsin farmers took advantage of the mostly-dry week to harvest small grains and hay. USDA statistician Greg Busler says some oats, wheat, and 2nd crop hay was harvested last week, and the potato harvest is getting underway. Forty percent of Wisconsin’s corn is done silking, which is 3 days ahead of the five-year average. …… read more
Farmers for Watersheds launches in Illinois
A Midwest program manager with American Farmland Trust says new farmer led, regional groups focused on conservation are sprouting up in Illinois. Dr. Staci McGill says “Farmers for Watersheds” groups are focused on farmers sharing experiences. “Farmers learn best from other farmers.” She says, “So this is to help new farmers do any of the…… read more
58% of Wisconsin corn, 56% of soybeans rated good to excellent
Warm and dry weather led to a slight decrease in crop ratings in Wisconsin last week. The USDA says as of Sunday 58% of corn is rated good to excellent, down 4% from the previous week. Seventeen percent of the crop is silking, six days ahead of 2023. Soybeans are rated 56% good to excellent,…… read more
Mink production down, pelt value up
Mink pelt production continued to fall in 2023. USDA says nationwide, mink pelt production was down 28% from 2022, and down 10% in Wisconsin, the nation’s leading mink producer. Wisconsin produced just over 514 thousand pelts in 2023, and Utah was the second-highest producer with just over 138 thousand. Mink breeding is also down, with…… read more
USDA winter wheat production guess up on month
The USDA has increased its 2024 U.S. winter wheat production projection. The crop is now estimated at 1.341 billion bushels, up 4% from June partially because of a higher average yield guess, 0.6 higher at 52 bushels per acre, and 7% more than 2023 because of improved yields and a lower rate of abandonment following…… read more
Veterinary researcher wants more ELAP dollars set aside for H5N1 surveillance, prevention
The Director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab says distributing more than 825 million dollars from the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program for the loss of milk caused by the H5N1 virus doesn’t adequately address prevention. Dr. Keith Poulson questions how the ELAP program will incentivize producers and processors to…… read more
Consumers, small farms focus of 2024 WI Farm Technology Days
The host family for Wisconsin’s Farm Technology Days says it takes a lot of planning, but having the right neighbors helps. The Close Farm is operated by Jamie and Renee Close and their daughter Taren. Renee Close tells Brownfield working with the Chippewa Valley Music Festivals, which is already set up for large crowds, parking,…… read more