A cooperative leader says so far, the flow of agricultural products is going smoothly this spring. Joshua Grunnet with Alcivia Cooperative tells Brownfield they’ve been able to move fertilizer all winter. “We’ll take inbound rail and we’ll take as much as we can off the Illinois River.” Grunnet says when marketing grain, having access to…… read more
Category Archives: Ag News
Farmers, ag professionals visit Wisconsin legislators
A coalition of Wisconsin agriculture organizations brought farmers and agribusiness leaders to meet their elected officials Wednesday. Ag Day at the Capitol was a chance for farmers to tell their stories to lawmakers and lobby for what’s important for them as work on the state budget begins. Jason Mugnaini with Wisconsin Farm Bureau says along…… read more
Corn growers take tariff message to D.C.
The vice president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association says numerous Midwestern corn farmers recently took their message to Washington, D.C. “Trade and tariffs came up continuously.” Mark Bunselmeyer, who farms in Macon County, says much of the discussion centered on the lower corn demand potentially caused by tariffs. “I was with a group that…… read more
ECAP applications are coming in
A Farm Service Agency official says producers are signing up for the recently-released Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Greg Biba with Wisconsin’s Farm Service Agency tells Brownfield there are three ways to sign up. “USDA has mailed applications, and they’ll be receiving those applications in the mail. They can wait for…… read more
First Upper Mississippi River tow reaches St. Paul
Barge traffic is moving again on the Upper Mississippi River. Patrick Moes with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District tells Brownfield the Motor Vessel Neil N. Diehl locked through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, Wednesday evening, March 19th, with nine barges of cement. “We’re just really happy that we were…… read more
Family’s transition to milking robots is going well
A central Wisconsin dairy farm is finding success in the first phase of transitioning to milking with robots. Jay Heeg with Heeg Brothers Dairy near Colby, Wisconsin says they currently milk 1,050 in their parlor and 450 in the new robot milking barn, which opened in December of 2023. Heeg tells Brownfield they’re making the…… read more
New grain facility to offer marketing opportunities for Wisconsin, Minnesota farmers
A new grain facility on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border means new marketing opportunities for farmers. Shortly after a merger that formed Alcivia Cooperative, farmers told the board they needed a way to sell grain to new markets and take a smaller basis hit on grain prices. After a year of construction, President and CEO Jim Dell…… read more
Ag transportation, river infrastructure a concern for Wisconsin farmer
A Wisconsin crop farmer says transportation issues have been one of his biggest concerns this year. “Living in west-central Wisconsin, we’re blessed to have the fifth coast of the nation with the Mississippi River,” Shane Goplin said. Goplin tells Brownfield infrastructure improvements are critically needed. “It’s a huge undertaking. The locks and dams were made…… read more
Wisconsin’s technical schools help farmers keep up with technology
Farm managers and their employees are learning how to use new technologies. Layla Merrifield is the System President for the Wisconsin Technical College System. She tells Brownfield the sixteen state districts have been furiously updating technology programs to meet the needs of farmers and the ag industry, “to make sure that we’re keeping up with…… read more
Six finalists named for next Alice in Dairyland
The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection has narrowed the applicants down to Grande Cheese Company food scientist Allison Foster of Waupun; ag journalist Michelle Stangler of Watertown; farmer, educator, and cross-country coach Mikayla Flyte from Coloma; farmer and social media coordinator Natalie Roe of Monticello; livestock producer and ag educator for the Viroqua…… read more