This newsletter is co-written by your local UW-Madison Extension Ag Educators, Beth McIlquham (livestock) and Anastasia Kurth (crops and soils). 

Notes from your Regional Livestock Educator - Beth McIlquham 

-Happy New Year!: The beginning of 2026 is rich with educational opportunities for beef producers: School for Beginning Beef Producers, Beef Roundup Webinar Series, Driftless Region Beef Conference, and a Beef Quality Assurance training. 

-Cost of Raising Dairy Heifer Survey: UW-Madison Extension wants to find out how much it costs you to raise dairy heifers! The first step is simple. Just submit your contact information and a dairy educator will reach out to you. You have valuable feedback and we want it! Your insights will help us tailor our services to better meet the needs of Wisconsin dairy farmers. 

-Disease Digest: A dairy herd in Dodge County tested positive for HPAI in December. To see HPAI updates in dairy herds in Wisconsin, check out the Extension Dairy webpage. To see HPAI updates in poultry flocks, visit the Extension Livestock webpage. There have been no cases of New World Screwworm in the U.S. in livestock, but more information can be found here. For information on Asian Longhorned Ticks, tune in to the Beef Roundup Webinar Series. For animal owners of all kinds, please evalutate your biosecurity protocols, including pest management.

Notes from your Regional Crops and Soils Educator - Anastasia Kurth

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season, and I wish you a great 2026! As January is off to a cold start, think about staying warm at an upcoming workshop or conference. There is a lot to choose from! Please share these events with friends and family who may not be on this mailing list. As always, reach out with any questions you have as you plan for the 2026 cropping season.     

If you are in need of new certification or recertification to apply restricted use pesticides, class registration is now available. Nearby classes are in Sauk County this year. See the flyer below for dates and details. Call with questions. 

As we approach nutrient management planning season, check out the new Wisconsin Nutrient Management Workbook. This is a great place to organize farm information before meeting with your planner or writing your own plan. Richland County Nutrient Management Farmer Education courses will be held in March. Contact Kori with questions: 608-647-2100

Last corn plot harvested...better late than never! 

Maybe you are new to beef production or perhaps you are a dairy producer thinking about adding or transitioning to beef production. If so, join the School for Beginning Beef Production.

Kalahari, Wisconsin Dells

The Visual Lambing Guide Series is perfect for sheep producers, shepherds, and livestock educators looking to improve lambing success and animal welfare. 

The fourteenth annual event will be held Jan. 22-23, 2026, at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque, Iowa. Past participants in this conference have said the program would increase their economic return by more than $10 per animal managed, testifying to the value of attending the conference.

The Wisconsin State Climatology Office is collaborating with the Rural Partnerships Institute and Wisconet to organize meetings in rural Wisconsin communities to better understand weather and climate information needs and learn the local impacts of extreme weather events.

Beef producers are invited to attend a series of free educational webinars this winter. The Beef Roundup Webinar Series will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension featuring Extension specialists and industry experts from across the country covering timely topics relevant to today’s beef producers.

What issues are you seeing in the field with alfalfa weevil and other pests?

Link to register for Climate and Crops: https://forms.gle/xka8sS2BKvqoDiAi9

Beth McIlquham 

Regional Livestock Educator

Email: beth.mcilquham@wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 632-0599

Anastasia Kurth

Regional Crops and Soils Educator

Email: anastasia.kurth@wisc.edu

Phone: 608-477-3018 (text or call) 

@SCWIcrops_AK

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Thank you! 

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Please make requests for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access to educational programs as early as possible preceding the scheduled program, service, or activity. For communicative accommodations in languages other than English, please contact oaic@extension.wisc.edu.  For communicative accommodations based on a disability, please contact Heather Lipinski Stelljes at: heather.stelljes@wisc.edu for the public.