WISCONSIN DELLS — With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill almost a year ago now, hemp became legal to grow and process in all 50 states as it was removed from the Controlled Substances Act. Wisconsin was already one step ahead, enacting Act 100 in 2017 to allow for a pilot hemp program for research purposes within the state, to be administered by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. ... Read more
LANCASTER — Those who made the snowy trek to Vesperman Farms Nov. 6 were also treated to apple cider donuts, made fresh that morning on site, and were able to marvel at the most recent addition to Vesperman Farms — a large barn venue open for weddings, private events and more. The building a…
GILMANTON — It may have been by accident that Tony DiMaggio got into farming, but it was no mistake.
MADISON — When Valentin Picasso, an assistant professor in UW-Madison’s agronomy department; Julie Olmstead, a program officer at The McKnight Foundation; and Fred Iutzi, president of The Land Institute, were all working in the lab together at Iowa State University many years ago, they often…
VERONA — Sprawling across about 570 acres, the West Madison Agricultural Research Station is unique among Wisconsin’s agricultural research stations. It’s surrounded by development and is home to the University Display Gardens; it is also the site where most of the feed and bedding for UW-Ma…
RIDGEWAY — Last Sunday, June 30, promised to be an interesting one as visitors arrived at Meadowlark Organics to looming dark clouds off in the distance. As more than 100 people enjoyed coffee and breakfast treats made with organic grains, the clouds moved closer, opening up their gates just…
RICHLAND CENTER — When Claudia and Jerry Berres moved to their rural Richland Center farm in 1994, they were fortunate to follow in the footsteps of an area agriculture education teacher who had previously owned the property.
Steve Acheson grew up near Campbellsport in Fond du Lac County, spending time with family on their farms around the area as a youth. He was a senior in high school when the nation was rocked by an act of terror on Sept. 11, 2001, which sparked his involvement in the military.
Nine local food projects have been selected to receive grants through the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program, a competitive grant program designed to strengthen Wisconsin’s food industries by reducing marketing, distribution and processing hurdles that impede the access of Wisconsin food produ…
In upstate New York, Lexie Hain and Lewis Fox are growing an interesting business, capitalizing on the state’s push for the use of renewable energies.
Produce farmers, large and small, can take advantage of expert financial consulting for their farms through a new effort from University of Minnesota Extension.
Many farmers have been asking questions about installations of large-scale solar and wind energy developments on their land. The contracts and materials presented to them by developers contain several legal provisions to navigate.
Growers seeking to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act's Produce Safety Rule have a new educational resource with the Farmers Union Produce Safety Podcast, an educational series for fruit and vegetable farmers that takes the Produce Safety Alliance classroom learning into the field.
The Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and Grampa G’s Farm will host a public field day to demonstrate the production process of deep winter greenhouses and discuss ongoing horticultural and economic research results.
GRANTSBURG — Ben and Nicki Peterson didn't really have a plan when they bought the old creamery in downtown Grantsburg in fall 2017; perhaps it could serve as office space for Nicki's marketing business.
Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary will host a Maple Syrup Tour from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at Acer Acres near Shell Lake.
MOUNT HOREB — It was the early 1960s, and Wausau native Eugene Woller had just graduated from high school, receiving a scholarship to attend the Farm and Industry Short Course at UW-Madison. He and a friend had signed up for the five-week course, with Eugene showing a special interest in the…
LONE ROCK — Three years ago this January, the Poad family of Lone Rock suffered a fire at their farm that destroyed their barn and a shop used for their trucking business. However, the family was able to recover, erecting a hoop building for their calves and moving the trucking business into…
Farmers and businesses involved in Wisconsin’s food industry who are seeking to grow their local markets are encouraged to apply for 2019 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin producer and processor grants.
WISCONSIN DELLS — This past summer, John Wentz had the opportunity to help a neighbor on his grazing operation after he had a knee replaced. Tasked with moving 50 head of Black Angus cattle, Wentz had the challenge of doing it without the help of stock dogs, which he has used successfully on…
LENA — If there’s an ideal book for the Lena Public Library, it’s “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
The concept is simple: Take a book, share a book.
Editor’s note: For this installment of “Country Matters,” The Country Today reporters take a look at the state of several small-town libraries and what libraries mean to their communities.
HOLLANDALE — On Main Street in the village of Hollandale there sits a cream-colored, triangular-shaped brick building adorned with large, arched windows and the words “bank” and “library” printed on its front face — clues to the building’s past and present uses. Once inside, patrons to the H…
Building a new house, shed or garage can be stressful. Carpenter Mike Babcock said his first advice for those thinking of starting one of these projects is to hire a contractor they trust.
School Name and Chapter Name: Monticello FFA Chapter, Granton High School.
The Wisconsin Cut Flower Growers School, a two-day workshop designed to help new and beginning growers learn the ins and outs of producing and marketing cut flowers, will be held on the UW-Madison campus Feb. 16-17.
A seven-session beginning beekeeping class will be held at the People's Food Co-op in La Crosse starting in February.
Chippewa Valley Technical College will host a beginning beekeeper class meeting once a week starting Feb. 9 and running through Oct. 19. Classes will be from 9 a.m. to noon, with meeting flexibility from June to September.
Service is at the core of Camp Luther, a more than 200-acre camp located on Range Line Lake in Three Lakes. That was one of the elements that drew Abbotsford native Casey Sprotte to the camp three years ago as a summer counselor.
FFA members and staff joined President Donald Trump Dec. 20 at the White House as he signed the $867 billion farm bill. Among the bill’s provisions is an agricultural youth organization coordinator that National FFA members and other student members of agricultural youth organizations have a…
Wisconsin FFA Alumni will host their annual state convention Feb. 8-9 at the Stevens Point Holiday Inn and Convention Center. This year’s convention is hosted by sections 1, 2, 3 and 7 with the theme of “Working as a team in 2019.”
SINSINAWA — Since 1847, people of the Catholic faith have been farming at Sinsinawa Mound in southwest Wisconsin. The tradition continues today through the lease of land to an organic dairy farmer, the cultivation of food from the sisters’ kitchen garden and a relatively new program at the M…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is conducting the Commercial Floriculture Survey in Wisconsin and 16 other major floriculture states through Feb. 28.
Trempealeau County UW-Extension will host a six-part educational series for people interested in starting either a new farm business using direct marketing or adding a direct marketing component to an existing farm business. These sessions will provide information on creating business plans,…
The spirit of the Christmas holiday is often best experienced through the eyes of a child. One Pennsylvania family is teaching their young sons the best way to experience the magic of Christmas is by sharing gifts and giving to others.
Welcoming families to the farm and supporting a community cause are two of the reasons Jackson County Farm Bureau Ag and Promotion Chair Savannah Brown said they planned the inaugural Christmas on the Farm. The event will be held Dec. 9 from 12 to 4 p.m. at Garden Valley Farmstead, N9958 N. …
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, in partnership with the UW-Extension, is hosting several food safety trainings required for Wisconsin fresh produce growers who must meet federal produce safety rules. The trainings provide science-based, minimum standar…
School Name and Chapter Name: Tomah FFA Chapter, Tomah Middle School and Tomah High School.
Compeer Financial has pledged $7,500 in matching gift support on #GivingTuesday to the FFA Foundations in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Each state will be eligible for up to $2,500 in funds, based on the amount raised on #GivingTuesday, Nov. 27.
STEVENS POINT — Winter farmers’ markets such as the one in Stevens Point provide a means for area farmers to generate income during the off-season. Consumers also appreciate the opportunity to access locally grown foods directly from those who produced it.
GREEN BAY — Wisconsin aquaculture is languishing, said Ken Webb, a research associate at UW-Green Bay.
BLANCHARDVILLE — Aronia berries may not be a widely known fruit yet, but Kim and Roberta Barham of Barham Gardens hope ongoing education about the berry’s health benefits will boost market interest.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Two years ago, Pamela Walker had a vision to start growing vegetables year-round, but she had no intention of owning any ordinary greenhouse.
RICHLAND CENTER — From an early age, Mariel Kepler had a love of history and a respect for the men and women who served in the U.S. military.
APPLETON — In this case, the sky truly was the limit for Allan Vander Bloomen.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS — The struggle for small family farming operations to keep the doors open continues, not only for small dairy farms but also for other agricultural businesses.
WISCONSIN RAPIDS — What once was just a hobby for speech therapist Colleen Sazama, who works in the Wisconsin Rapids Public School System, has now grown into its own side hustle.
EDGAR — Hosting events has allowed a central Wisconsin apple orchard to develop an additional revenue stream by providing an elegant, country venue for weddings, corporate socials, reunions, school tours and other gatherings.
“Wildly Successful Farming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land Ethic,” a book featuring innovative farmers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and across the Midwest, has been released by University of Wisconsin Press.
