The wintery weather pattern that brought snow to much of Wisconsin this week has kept most farmers out of their fields. Ben Augustine has a dairy and crop operation near Sheldon in north central Wisconsin. He says, “Yeah, I can’t even do stuff outside yet. It’s too cold, wet, and rainy.” Augustine tells Brownfield there is…… read more
The early April weather is keeping most Wisconsin farmers out of the fields. This week’s storm system brought slushy, wet snow from an inch deep in southeastern Wisconsin to more than nine inches in a line from Shawano to Fond du Lac. Mark Hoffmann farms near Whitewater, west of Milwaukee. He tells Brownfield the fields…… read more
Wisconsin’s state veterinarian says with highly pathogenic avian influenza spreading, producers need to be aware of cattle importation rules in other states if they’re planning to move animals. Dr. Darlene Konkle Many producers buy and sell cattle across state lines, and others send their calves and heifers to warmer climates until they are ready to…… read more
USDA says snow delayed some fieldwork in northern Wisconsin while rain slowed progress in parts of southern Wisconsin this past week. There are scattered reports of oat and corn planting in southern Wisconsin, but very little activity elsewhere. Just 2% of the state’s oats are planted, and only 3% of spring tillage is complete. Topsoil…… read more
An energy consultant says farmers can benefit from tuning up their electrical equipment. Kevin Weller from Focus on Energy tells Brownfield there are incentives for making dairy compressors more efficient. “We offer $40 per compressor tuned-up. Get it tuned up before the warm weather starts. A new offering we also came up with is an…… read more
A long-running agriculture conference that brings information and training to agronomists, farm managers, seed, and fertilizer retailers will look a lot different next year. Wisconsin Agri-Business Association Executive Director Tom Bressner tells Brownfield their annual Agribusiness Classic is changing and moving. “The 2025 Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic will be moving to the (Wisconsin) Dells.” Bressner says…… read more
An agronomist says farmers are being careful about their crop investments. Travis Hofslien from Alcivia Cooperative tells Brownfield with margins tight and commodity prices low, farmers are relying on soil testing to make sure they’re not wasting money on fertility inputs. “There are definitely years to build up your fertility and there are years to,…… read more
The USDA is projecting lower hay harvested area in 2024. That’s due to a decline in planted area caused by the ongoing drier than normal conditions in several states. The harvested area estimate for all types of hay is 51.562 million acres, 2% less than 2023, but still considerably more than 2022. Hay supply and…… read more
The USDA expects farmers to plant fewer acres of corn and more acres of soybeans in 2024. Corn planted area is projected at 90.036 million acres, at the low end of pre-report guesses and 5% less than 2023, with acreage steady to lower in 38 of the 48 states used in the estimation. That includes…… read more
Seed salesmen say there are no big shifts in planting plans. With commodity prices low and margins tight, some seed salesmen tell Brownfield most farmers are sticking to their rotation plans. Ben Puestow manages sales in Wisconsin for Beck’s Hybrids. He says, “When we really look at the seed purchase for this spring, we’re not…… read more