COW97 Ag News from Brownfield

Harvesting continues in Wisconsin. Joe Amberg has farmland near Hillsdale that he rents to a neighbor, and says his combines are rolling. “Corn hasn’t been touched in this area yet but beans are getting worked on, yes.” Amy Penterman and her husband Sander have a dairy farm near Thorp, and they have wrapped up corn… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin’s first 2025 case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been reported.  The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says a five-month old colt contracted the disease in Marathon County.  Both Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile Virus are carried by mosquitoes and cannot pass directly between horses and humans.  The ag department says EEE… ... Continue Reading

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau is concerned that a patchwork of local regulations could severely impact the state’s agriculture industry. Farm Bureau’s Director of Local Government Nate Zimdars tells Brownfield a proposed ordinance Portage County board members are fast-tracking would be more restrictive than existing state law. “Extra restrictions that would regulate things such as air quality, emissions,… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin officials say a foreign plant disease has been found at a Washington County nursery. The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says Cypress Mortality is a disease caused by the pathogen Phytophthora austrocedri, and affects common nursery plants like Juniper, Arborvitae, and False Cypress.  The Washington County infection caused severe damage to a… ... Continue Reading

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the state’s dairy checkoff for promoting dairy products has launched a new promotion called Born to Dairy. Katrena Hoesley with the checkoff discusses the new marketing effort with Brownfield’s Larry Lee at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The post Interview: Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin launch “Born to Dairy” campaign appeared… ... Continue Reading

A central Wisconsin farmer is pleased with the 2025 crops.  T.J. Draeger operates a dairy farm near Marathon City, Wisconsin.  Brownfield caught up with Draeger while he was chopping snaplage or earlage. “I’m in some really nice corn. A little dry. It got away on us a little bit but you know, we had a… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin has three new cases of avian influenza in the past three weeks. The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says the newest case is a backyard flock in Racine County involving eight birds confirmed October 9th. DATCP officials tell Brownfield the flock consisted of chickens, ducks, and a goose. Wisconsin has two other… ... Continue Reading

A central Wisconsin deer farm has a newly confirmed case of chronic wasting disease. The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection does not name the farm, but says it is in Portage County where there are two licensed deer farms.  The positive test came from a three-year-old buck. DATCP officials say the premises is… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin agriculture officials have suspended poultry exhibitions in four counties because of recent highly pathogenic avian influenza cases. The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection suspended all poultry shows, exhibitions, swap meets, and movement of poultry to other events in Jefferson, Waukesha, Walworth, and Rock counties through December 31, 2025.  The ban applies to… ... Continue Reading

Wisconsin’s Agricultural Road Improvement Program is now open for new grant applications.  Farmer and State Representative Travis Tranel is one of the program’s original authors.  He tells Brownfield the 150 million dollars in each of the last two state budget cycles is going to be extremely valuable for moving ag products on and off the… ... Continue Reading

Some Wisconsin farmers are done harvesting corn silage, and others aren’t far behind. Ben Augustine operates a dairy farm near Sheldon, and tells Brownfield he’s in the home stretch. “I’ve got 65 acres left and I think I’ve got about 800 done.” Augustine says some of his northern Wisconsin neighbors are combining soybeans and yields… ... Continue Reading

A Wisconsin farmer is grateful for this year’s nearly-perfect growing conditions and surprisingly good soybean yields. Steve Duwe farms near Johnson Creek, and tells Brownfield this has been an exceptional year for soybeans. “My longterm soybean average is usually is up to 55 (bushels per acre) or a little better over all of the past… ... Continue Reading

A Wisconsin farmers’ market is ranked tenth-best in the nation.  The West Bend farmers’ market was recognized by the American Farmland Trust, which has held the contest for seventeen years.  The top farmers’ markets get a share of $15,000 for use in marketing and promotion efforts, and the winners are determined by national public voting.… ... Continue Reading

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a commercial poultry flock in southwest Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says the facility in Jefferson County has been quarantined and birds on the property will be depopulated. Last week a separate commercial poultry flock in Jefferson County tested positive for the… ... Continue Reading

Tough economic times have more U.S. farmers reaching out for help.  Karen Endress with the Wisconsin Farm Center tells Brownfield more farmers are reaching out for mental health assistance. She says, “We’re busier than ever.” Endres says she was recently at a meeting with her counterparts from other states, and they are also dealing with… ... Continue Reading

Photo: Brad Olson and Jason Mugnaini from Wisconsin Farm Bureau testify at the Capitol in favor of Farm Bureau Health Plans during a 2024 hearing. Wisconsin Farm Bureau is reviving its efforts to bring another health care option to its members. Farm Bureau Health Plans are an option families can use instead of traditional health… ... Continue Reading

A dry week and above average temperatures led to a lot of harvesting in Wisconsin last week.  USDA reporters say corn silage, apples, and vegetables were leaving the fields and orchards in the week ending Sunday. Just north of the Wisconsin-Illinois line, Doug Rebout says corn silage is about done in his neighborhood, and he’s… ... Continue Reading

A Wisconsin State Senator has introduced legislation that would help family farmers, rural communities, and consumers. Brad Pfaff says his Ag Purchase Program, Senate Bill 408 is a win-win proposal. “The Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade, and Consumer Protection would work with food pantries and other food non-profit distribution facilities in order to make sure… ... Continue Reading

A University of Wisconsin farm safety specialist says educating farmers and the general public about rural safety requires good data that’s not always easy to get. John Shutske with the University of Wisconsin tells Brownfield not every state is the same when it comes to reporting road crash data, and much of the information they… ... Continue Reading

U.S. soybean farmers are asking why the Trump administration is assisting foreign competitors.  The American Soybean Association and many of their state soybean organizations are critical of the aid.  Doug Rebout is with the Wisconsin Soybean Association.  “The federal government goes and gives twenty billion dollars to our soybean competitor down in Argentina to help… ... Continue Reading