A southwestern Wisconsin dairy farmer says this morning’s rain arrived at a good time. Mike Yager tells Brownfield he’s done planting all of his new alfalfa and grasses. “As of right now (Thursday morning), we’ve got a nice rain. It started earlier this morning and it looks like it’s done now. It’s starting to get…… read more
Category Archives: Ag News
Best Hamburger contest kicks off Wisconsin Beef Month
Photo: Staff at Brazen Head Pub in West Bend, winner of 2025 Wisconsin Beef Council Best Burger Contest (Photo supplied by Wisconsin Beef Council) A new Wisconsin’s best hamburger has been selected. Kaitlyn Kessler with the Wisconsin Beef Council tells Brownfield the second year of their contest had some very tough competition. “And the winner…… read more
Manure study examines nitrogen retention, soil health
Research is showing the benefits of applying solid manure over liquid manure to fields. Josh Mirabella with the University of Wisconsin-Madison is researching soil health and fertility comparing unprocessed liquid manure, manure that has had the liquid removed, and no manure applications at all. “Both in terms of their overall impact on nitrogen dynamics in…… read more
Wisconsin county group exposes students to ag career opportunities
A Wisconsin county is giving middle school students a chance to explore career paths in agriculture. The Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation is working with Ebert Enterprises, a dairy and crop farm, to show students about agronomy, cropping, horticulture, animal nutrition, milk testing, cheese making, agriculture support services, technology, and the business of agriculture. Ag…… read more
Check seed tags for germ quality
A soybean researcher is urging farmers to take another look at the fine print on the seed tags before planting. Shawn Conley with the Wisconsin Soybean Program says last year’s dry harvest conditions might have impacted the germ test. “Most of the time, when you harvest soybean seed at 14-15 percent moisture, handle it gently,…… read more
Wisconsin planting advances where conditions allow
Wisconsin farmers had about three days on average to continue planting last week. USDA’s latest weekly crop report says another rainy week hampered efforts, with corn planting at 4 percent and soybeans 6 percent planted. Oats are 26 percent planted, and potatoes are at 41 percent as of Sunday. About a quarter of anticipated spring…… read more
Conservation agronomy curriculum coming to Wisconsin
Wisconsin officials are bringing an conservation-focused agronomy education tool across the Mississippi River. Jeffrey Voltz with Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources tells Brownfield his agency is working with Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation and the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection to develop a curriculum to teach conservation agronomy. “It’s definitely for those that…… read more
Wisconsin weather monitoring network expands, gets new website
Wisconsin’s online weather and soil monitoring network has received some upgrades. Christopher Kucharik is with the Wisconsin Energy Institute, a part of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He tells Brownfield the Wisconet environmental mesonet just launched a new website improving free and easy access to their network of monitoring stations. He says each station…… read more
Wisconsin farmer’s conservation practices are working well
A Wisconsin farmer is continuing his father’s no-till farming lessons on his operation. Roger Bindl farms in Wisconsin’s hilly driftless region near the Village of Plain in Sauk County. A creek runs through his farm, and he does what he can to keep the soil from getting washed away. BindlePractices1 :05 “…alternative forages.” Bindl says…… read more
Beck’s manager in Upper Midwest sees large increase in corn acres
A regional manager for Beck’s Hybrids says farmers in the Upper Midwest are shifting more acres to corn. Heather Morris is based in North Dakota and covers the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. “Sales never stop, and (earlier this month) actually a grower had decided to shift even more of his bean acres into corn. So…… read more