Hello and congratulations on receiving the Richland County Ag Update! 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 

-Beef Quality Assurance (BQA): Certification expires every three years. If you were certified in 2021 or 2022, it may be time to think about getting re-certfied. Online and in-person trainings are provided. Note that in-person trainings require registration. Richland Center will have an in-person training on February 10. More information can be found at https://go.wisc.edu/jmhp50. If you are unsure of your certification status, please visit www.bqa.org/contact-us or call (303) 850-3473. 

-Assessing Winter Feed Needs: After a challenging growing season, it may be a good idea to get your winter feeds tested to ensure that your animal's are getting the nutrients they need. If you have cow's, keep in mind that 75% of fetal growth happens in the third trimester. Providing adequate nutrition during that time is key. Click here to learn more about sampling your hay and/or forage. 

-Disease Digest: Vaccination can be one of the most useful tools to provide protection against diseases in your herd. Along with sound management practices, herd health can soar. To learn more about vaccinating beef calves, check out this article. 

Notes from your Regional Crops and Soils Educator - Anastasia Kurth

November brought notable rainfall helping much of the state improve upon drought conditions. Colder temperatures are setting in as we transition to December. Soil temperatures in the upper 4" have dropped to the 30s as the ground is starting to freeze. If spreading manure, be sure to review winter spreading restrictions. Take opportunities this winter to learn something new at one of the many conferences happening. Have a wonderful holiday season! 

We had a successful Nutrient Management Farmer Education course on November 5th. Farmers gathered to learn about the basics of nutrient management so they can be certified to write their own nutrient management plans. Thank you to Landon Baumgartner and Dan Smith from Extension's Nutrient Pest Management Program for teaching and Cathy Cooper and Kori Rogers of Richland County for hosting! Upcoming classes in February will cover more about plan creation and the SnapPlus program. If you are interested in attending, please contact 608-647-2100.

-Private Pesticide Applicator Training: See the flyer below for training and testing information. Please note that Richland County is not offering a date this year, but you may attend either event in Sauk or Juneau Counties. 

-Interested in doing on-farm research? Extension is always looking for farmers willing to try new things! Whether you are curious, have a recurring issue, or just want to try something different, let me know. Check out UW's Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program here to learn more. Applications are open until January 2025. There are other opportunities available as well. Let me know your interests. 

 -Producer-led watershed groups are great ways to connect, learn, and obtain funding for conservation practices. Richland County does not have a group, but it would be highly beneficial to explore the opportunity. Please reach out if you have interest! Per DATCP rules, a minimum of 5 farmers in the same watershed need to have interest. Check out the program here and discover which watershed you are in.

-Please take this quick survey to help the future of Extension programming in Richland County and surrounding areas! Take survey

Comparison of two overwintering cover crops - drone seeded winter camelina flown at 70% leaf drop in soybean (left) and drilled rye planted after soybean harvest (right). Growth differences due to planting time are notable.   

Course hosted by Extension Farm Management. Register soon to avoid being put on the waitlist! 

The "Noontime Beef Roundup" is a free series designed for beef producers and industry professionals to take a quick dive into beef industry topics over lunchtime. 

Protein is commonly overlooked in beef cow diets over winter. Feeding a complete diet can pay off in the long-run. Learn if protein supplementation may be right for your herd.

Creating beef-on-dairy calves can add additional revenue to your dairy operation, but if considering transitioning from a dairy operation to beef enterprise, there are several points to consider.

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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Thank you and enjoy! 

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