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 

-Decision Tools Available: The UW-Madison Extension Livestock webpage has helpful tools for calculating costs, gestation, and yardage. These tools assist beef, small ruminant, and swine producers in making the best financial choices for your operation. From beef replacement heifer costs to freezer pig pricing, visit the Extension Livestock webpage today. 

-Small Ruminant Event Email List: Are you a small ruminant producer? Join the small ruminant email list to receive information about upcoming small ruminant events and information straight to your inbox. Join the small ruminant email list today!

-Disease Digest: The UW-Madison Extension Livestock team has created a webpage that houses resources and information on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. To see where HPAI is affecting livestock in the U.S., use this interactive map. For a tighter focus on how it is affecting Wisconsin's poultry, check out this map. If you suspect avian flu, contact your veterinarian immediately. For animal owners of all kinds, please evalutate your biosecurity protocols.

Notes from your Regional Crops and Soils Educator - Anastasia Kurth

April showers sure did make an appearance last month, and we are starting off May on a soggy note. This has made field work challenging as soil has remained wet. The Wisconsin Ag Weather Outlook (formerly Climate Outlook) provides up to date predictions on temperature and rainfall. Be sure to check it out and sign up for weekly alerts! 

As pesky insects are gearing up for the season, stay alert with insect pest text alerts from the Bick Lab at UW. Also, check out the DATCP Pest Survey for black cutworm and true armyworm moth counts. 

Make sure to tune into Badger Crop Connect for timely crop season updates and research.

Preliminary Wisconsin custom rates for 2025 are available here. Data is still being collected. If you have numbers to contribute, please take the survey at the bottom of the page.  

Richland County farmers in the news! There was a wonderful turnout for the first informational meeting regarding a producer-led watershed group in Richland County. Read the article here. Our second meeting on April 29th gave more insight to group formation. Stay tuned for upcoming educational opportunities! 

Wishing you a safe and productive planting season! 

Thanks to those who made it to Juneau County to learn about the cover crop work being done.

Reducing stress during livestock handling can increase productivity, maintain or improve meat quality, reduce sickness, and enhance animal welfare. Implementing low-stress handling techniques when working with cattle is the first step to reducing stress.  

Avian influenza is caused by a virus. It is not uncommon for wild birds (esp. waterfowl and shorebirds) to carry this virus. As these birds migrate, influenza can spread long distances quickly. 

Just as CPR teaches you how to help someone having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid instructs how to help someone experiencing a mental health challenge, including, but not limited to, depression and anxiety symptoms, panic attacks, and substance misuse, as well as someone thinking about suicide. 

To better understand the amount of meat you may expect from different types of poultry, the first step is to recognize the difference in live weight compared to carcass weight.

Please check out these surveys and contribute any information you have. Thank you! 

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

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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.