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. 

-Internal Parasite Management for Small Ruminants: On March 21, UW-Madison Division of Extension will be hosting a workshop for small ruminant producers focusing on internal parasite management in Boscobel, WI. Producers have the opportunity to bring their own fecal samples and learn how to perform fecal egg count floats. The cost is $25/person. Registration can be found here. More information and advertisement will be found in next month's newsletter as well. 

-Disease Digest: To see where H5N1 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. For animal owners of all kinds, please evalutate your biosecurity protocols. If you need help or need some biosecurity tips and tricks, please contact Beth at (608) 632-0599 or at beth.mcilquham@wisc.edu. 

Notes from your Regional Crops and Soils Educator - Anastasia Kurth

As I write on a sunny, mild winter day, I am thinking of spring. Unfortunately, it is only February, and we still have more winter to get through before we can start planning to be back in the field. That being said, it is a great time to be thinking of what spring holds for your farm and cropping systems. Check out the latest Wisconsin Ag Climate Outlook for weather trends and predictions as we lack winter precipitation thus far. As you are making elections for ARC and PLC in 2025, review these resources. This newsletter is full of educational opportunities. I challenge you to try something new in 2025!   

-Nutrient Management Farmer Education: Upcoming classes on February 12th and 21st will cover plan creation and the SnapPlus program. Classes held at 181 Seminary St., Richland Center. If you are interested in attending, please contact 608-647-2100.

-View the 2024 Wisconsin Weed Science research report here. 

-Private Pesticide Applicator Training: Registration for training in Sauk County is still open! Register today to guarantee a seat as there are only a few more spots open. 

-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. We can design a simple trial to test your ideas.  

 -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! We are looking for several interested producers in 2025 to start an informal group to see where the opportunity can take us. 

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

Locations And Dates: 2025 CAFO Update
Engineering technical sessions: 9:30-11:30am
Tuesday Jan. 28 | Green Bay | Tundra Lodge
Tuesday Feb. 11 | Mauston | Outdoors Forever 
Clubhouse
Permit holder / consultant sessions
Tuesday, Jan. 28 | Noon-4pm | Green Bay
Tundra Lodge
865 Lombardi Ave, Green Bay
Wednesday, Jan. 29 | Noon - 4 p.m. | Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac County Highway Dept. 
1820 S. Hickory, Fond du Lac
Thursday, Jan. 30 | 8 a.m. - Noon | Manitowoc
Farm Wisconsin
7001 Gass Lake Rd, Manitowoc
Tuesday, Feb. 4 | Noon - 4 p.m. | Darlington
Multipurpose Building 
11974 Ames Rd, Darlington
Wednesday, Feb. 5 | 8 am– Noon | Jefferson
Jefferson County Highway Dept. 
1425 S. Wisconsin Drive, Jefferson
Tuesday, Feb. 11 | Noon - 4 p.m. | Mauston
Outdoors Forever Clubhouse
W4890 Cty Rd N, Mautson
Wednesday, Feb. 12 | 8 a.m. - Noon | Eau Claire
29 Pines Conference Center 
5872 33rd Ave, Eau Claire

Register at this link: https://go.wisc.edu/CAFO2025

From the Wisconsin Agriculturalist.

Thinking about Farm Succession?

You know you should make plans for the future of the farm, but maybe you’re not sure where to start. 

In this workshop, Joy Kirkpatrick and Kelly Wilfert, both Extension Farm Management Outreach Specialists, will provide a framework to help farms to identify legal risks in farm succession and estate planning and to begin those first conversations around succession planning.

This workshop will be held on Thursday, March 6, 2025 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm at the Richland Campus, 1100 Highway 14 West, in Melvill Hall (administration building) the Pippin Center.

This workshop is free; however, space is limited, so we would appreciate registrations. We will accommodate walk-ins on the day of the workshop where possible. Please register online at Intro to Farm Succession & Estate Planning Workshop Registration.

If you prefer to register by phone or need assistance with the form, please contact the Richland County Extension Office at 608-647-6148.

For more information, contact joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu 608-263-3485 or kelly.wilfert@wisc.edu 608-263-5798. If you need an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Joy.kirkpatrick@wisc.edu or call 608-263-3485.

The noontime beef roundup is a monthly series of timely topics for beef producers, running January through March of 2025. This series will take place the second Thursday of each month, on Zoom, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CST and is free to attend.

The hybrid educational program designed for sheep producers by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This program will take place every Wednesday in February 2025, culminating in an in-person session on March 1, 2025, at the UW-Madison Arlington Research Station Sheep Unit.

As we begin to make our way through winter, it is important to remember that cattle with a clean open hair coat with shelter from wind are less impacted by cold stress than those with dirty, matted, and/or wet hair coats and those exposed to the wind.

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! 

An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements. 

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.