Welcome to our January 2025 Extension in the Valley Newsletter! This edition is packed with valuable insights and updates, including tips from our Green Thumb Gardening Vegetable Series, plant disease management talks, and information on Beef Quality Assurance Certification meetings. We also cover farm succession planning, quality beef workshops, and upcoming pesticide applicator training. Let's make this winter season productive and successful together. Happy New Year!

It’s winter – from now through spring, if you are a gardener, expect garden seed catalogs. If you plan to place an order or two, here are a few tips and ideas that you might find helpful.

First, do an inventory of what seeds you already have. Many seed packets have more seeds than we use in one season. If stored properly, many are fine to use the next season or beyond (see How to Store Leftover Garden Seed). Then compare the list of seeds that you have with the list of seeds you plan to order.

Be mindful of the available space you have to plant. I plant both a patio container garden and a garden plot at a local community garden. One of my favorite winter activities is making sketches of possible garden layouts. This helps me figure out how much space I actually have to plant. It’s not unheard of to have great expectations and order many wonderful selections only to run out of room to plant them.

If you keep a garden journal, review how last year’s season went and give some thought to whether it makes sense to expand or reduce your efforts. Are there plant varieties that worked really well and deserve another spot in the garden or some that need not apply for the 2025 season.

If you don’t keep a garden journal, think about starting one. It’s a great way to keep your garden life organized (gardener’s confession: this is advice I often give but am not so great at following but I do start a journal every year…). There are many ways to keep a journal from good old paper and pencil to computer spreadsheets or Smart device apps.

When making an order, pick a packet of something new. Trying something new, whether a vegetable, flower or herb can be exciting as well as help widen your garden repertoire, if the new item is a success (I do this with recipes too. Every month, I try a new recipe and if it works, I add it to the list of meals I like to make).

Lastly, if you garden with children, let them make some selections, particularly with vegetables. If they plant vegetables, help them grow and harvest them, kids are more likely to try them at the dinner table.

For gardening questions, please feel free to contact me at margaret.murphy@wisc.edu or at 715-726-7957.

Remember, it’s never too early to think about gardening!

Registration is now open for the winter 2025 Green Thumb Gardening – Vegetable Series

The series covers many aspects of vegetable gardening for a robust background in vegetable production. UW-Madison Extension educators and UW specialists will provide in-depth, practical information for the novice to the experienced gardener. Classes are recorded (except Vegetable Diseases) and handouts are provided for your further review after each session.

The winter 2025 classes are on Zoom January 9 – March 27 from 5:30-7:30pm (every Thursday except February 6).

Register for the complete live online class series at a discounted price, or for individual classes. In cases of financial need, a limited number of scholarships are available. Contact Lisa Johnson for questions.

2025 Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic Plant Disease Talks

Each month in 2025, the UW Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic (PDDC) will sponsor a Zoom presentation on a plant disease-related topic.  The presentations are free, but registration is needed. For descriptions and to register, go to PDDC Plant Disease Talks.

Winter Salt Injury and Salt-tolerant Landscape Plants

Analysis of Dormant Shade Trees

For more gardening information, view archives of Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension Free online Programs at https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/free-online-programs/

Looking for more gardening information? Or want to ask a gardening question?

Visit Wisconsin Horticulture – Division of Extension website at https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/ or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinGarden.

The UW-Madison’s Division of Extension and the Wisconsin Beef Council will be hosting in-person Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification meetings over the coming months. To register for an in-person session, go to https://tinyurl.com/2hr5karf, call your local County Extension Office, or call the Wisconsin Beef Council at 1-800-728-2333.

- Jan. 13, 2025 | 6 pm: UW-River Falls Mann Valley Farm, 129 S Glover Rd, River Falls

-Jan. 29, 2025 | 1 pm: Equity Coop Altoona, 5150 Hwy 53 South, Eau Claire. 715-748-1413

Farmers needing to get recertified can also achieve that through two additional options:

Online by going to https://www.bqa.org/beef-quality-assurance-certification/online-certifications. At this site, you will logon and choose either the Cow/Calf, Stocker/Backgrounder or Feedyard courses. Once you’ve selected a course, you can work through each lesson at your own pace. The website will keep track of your progress, so you don’t need to complete the entire course at one time.

Continuing Education (CE) Credits: The BQA program is also offering new educational courses that will provide you with credit towards renewing your certification – this option is only available to farmers who hold a current BQA certification. By completing three (3) continuing education credits from the options found on the website, your BQA expiration date will be extended by an additional three years. Available courses include BQA Transportation (2 credits), Biosecurity (1 credit), Foundations of Herd Health (1 credit), Principles of Stockmanship (1 credit), and Herd Health Management Practices (1 credit.) The Division of Extension also offers meetings throughout the year which offer CE credits.

BQA does more than just help beef producers capture more value from their cattle: BQA also reflects a positive public image and instills consumer confidence in the beef industry. When producers implement the best management practices of a BQA program, they assure the cattle they sell are the best they can be. Consumer research, conducted by the Beef Checkoff, showed that learning about BQA made consumers more confident in beef safety and animal welfare and improved positive consumer perceptions of how cattle are raised for food.

An introductory workshop for farmers who have just started thinking or want to start thinking about farm succession.

Presenters: Kelly Wilfert and Joy Kirkpatrick

Date: January 17th

Location: Room 101, 3001 US Hwy 12 E, Suite 216, Menomonie, WI

More details will be released at a later date.

Training manuals are only available for purchase through the University of Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training state office in Madison. Local county extension offices do not have manuals for sale for any training category. You need to purchase your training manual from the state office https://patstore.wisc.edu/secure/collection/private/17 and scroll down to the Private Applicator Training section and then “General Farming”, “Fruit Crops”, or “Greenhouse and Nursery. If you need to order via a paper form to order your manual, please contact the Extension Office.

Cost is $43.00 for the training manual. When you receive your training manual, you will also be provided more information about training options. These training options are also listed below. You must purchase the manual before taking any training or testing options.

1. Live Training / Review Sessions. These one-day sessions are meant to be a general review of material in your manual and DO NOT cover everything that might appear on the certification exam. At the end of the review session, the certification exam will be given. You can sign up for sessions in the online store. Space is limited. All start times are 9:00am. You need to register to attend these locations at https://patstore.wisc.edu/secure/collection/private/45 cost is $10.00

January 22 - Dunn County Government Center, 3001 US Hwy 12 E, Menomonie

January 30 – CDR Farms, 19769 85th St, Bloomer

February 21  – Augusta-Bridge Creek Fire Department, 745 Industrial Dr., Augusta

February 25 - Chippewa Valley Dairy Supply, 6055 County Rd G, Stanley

2. Online Video Training. These online videos can take the place of in-person or ZOOM training for the General Farm category. They will cover the same material as the in-person sessions. You will need to have a computer, a good internet connection, email, and audio capabilities. You will be sent a link to the training. Once started you have 14 days to complete the training. You will receive one completion certificate that must be shown to the test proctor to be graded at 50%. You will need to take the Exam in person at a participating County Extension Office or online with Pearson VUE (see item 4.). You can register at here and need to have purchased the manual https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4DVfjmVBmP1ZRA You have 14 days to complete the training once you start the training.

3. A self-study option, is also available. For this option, you need to order the manual and when ready to take the test, contact a county extension office to set up an appointment to take the certification test. This option requires a passing score of 70%.

4. If interested in taking the test online, an option exists with a private company. Pearson Vue provides your results immediately and you get your credentials within 3 business days. Tests with Pearson Vue are $45.00 per test. https://patstore.wisc.edu/secure/collection/private/17

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.