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. ... Read more
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.
NEKOOSA — Bigger isn’t always better, but that certainly was the case at the 21st annual Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest held Oct. 6-7.
Because I grew up on a dairy farm in Crawford County, I thought I had a strong understanding of agriculture in our state. Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, so that may be a fair assumption, but there is more produced and processed in Wisconsin than milk and cheese. In fact, while we are know…
The annual 4-H Fall Forum is scheduled for Nov. 2-4 at the Green Lake Conference Center. The event will include workshops, interactive learning sessions and the 4-H Hall of Fame induction ceremony. 4-H youth, adults, and staff from all counties are encouraged to attend and participate.
AMHERST — Breanna Anderson got involved with 4-H dog training because she loved dogs. Anderson was one of the participants at this year’s State 4-H Dog Show, Sept. 28-30, when more than 230 4-H members representing 33 Wisconsin counties and dogs of all shapes and sizes converged on the Amher…
BROTHERTOWN — Former dairy farmer David Meuer continues to milk his corn maze for all it’s worth.
Rounding out its ninth year, Tractor Supply Company, in partnership with the National 4-H Council, is gearing up for its Fall Paper Clover event, a semi-annual fundraising campaign that provides millions of dollars in scholarships for 4-H youth.
Fans of Garfield, the lazy, loveable comic strip cat, have the opportunity to own an original portrait of the food-loving feline, signed by the strip’s creator, Jim Davis.
For many children, 4-H is one of the first organizations they join, and as a result, the youth organization can make a lasting impact a child’s life.
RUDOLPH — What could be better than a freshly brewed cup of coffee and a homemade bakery treat? Just about nothing, says Kay Zimmerman, owner of Mornin’ Sunshine Farm, except for enjoying those indulgences while sitting outdoors soaking up all that nature has to offer.
WISCONSIN DELLS — Born on Jan. 12, 1930, William Kalcik of Wisconsin Dells entered a world few can imagine — a world in which a loaf of bread sold for 8 cents, milk cost 45 cents a gallon and a dozen eggs could be purchased for 18 cents.
Wisconsin seamstresses are getting together for stitching bees, but the end products aren’t quilts. They’re sewing reusable feminine hygiene products for women and girls in the villages and rural areas of Guatemala.
WEST ALLIS — As the Preder family began thinking about what to do to celebrate the family’s 150 years of farm ownership, they thought they had to come up with something big to do it up right.
People from across Wisconsin, 13 other states and Canada will converge on Marshfield Aug. 9-12 for the 59th Wisconsin Square and Round Dance Convention. The annual convention, held at Marshfield Senior High School, is expected to draw more than 500 people to showcase their square dancing, co…
MERRILL — When Don Nichols retired six years ago, he was looking for a way to put fresh, locally grown foods into people’s hands. Through discussions with local U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service District Conservationist Peggy Winter, Nichols decided to app…
GLENWOOD CITY — The St. Croix County Fair in Glenwood City ended this past Sunday. It’s a safe bet that, by the end of this week, the Thompson family will already have gotten a jump on their 2019 fair projects.
The Wisconsin State Herbarium and the Botanical Club of Wisconsin will host the first Wisconsin Botanical Foray will be Aug. 9-12 at Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area near Grantsburg. The Foray is a weekend of camping, camaraderie and collecting plants.
All my life, I’ve had a sweet tooth for fruit pies. My mother and I picked two ice cream pails full of strawberries at a local orchard this June shortly before the season ended. While fresh, we used the sweet berries as my favorite pie fillings, waffle toppings and snacks between meals. Thos…
After 20 years of collecting corn picker sales literature and two years of intensive research, writing and layout, Bob and Phyllis Johnson of rural Sycamore, Ill., have compiled and published an 804-page, 6.5 pound, all-color book, “Corn Pickers and the Inventors Who Dreamed Them Up,” contai…
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Is beauty in the eye of the beholder when it comes to produce? For “ugly” produce advocates, the answer is yes.