With winter landscapes often taking a turn toward the bleak, I am grateful to the little, feathered critters that remain behind to brave our cold winters. They add color, interest and animation to an otherwise static and, usually, white backdrop.

I hold birds in very high esteem. I am in awe of how they manage to survive unpredictable and often rather harsh environments. This strong appreciation began during a previous job where I spent a lot of time on the Atlantic Ocean. I had the opportunity to observe numerous marine birds. Many of them spent months, if not years, out at sea returning to land only to breed. I couldn’t imagine weathering a nor’easter out at sea and not being able to take shelter on land.

Well, my admiration is no less for the little songbirds that stay through a Wisconsin winter.

One of my favorite birds to see in the yard is the black-capped chickadee. Described in Cherokee folklore as a ‘bringer of news’, this chatty bird is more often heard before it is seen. Its familiar call “chick-a-dee-dee” can indicate alarm (the more “dee” notes attached to the call, the stronger the alarm). Black-capped chickadees are easy to spot. Both the male and female sport a black cap, a black bib, white cheeks, and light, ocher- colored sides.

Roses

Margaret Murphy

Horticulture Educator

Chippewa, Dunn & Eau Claire

UW-Madison Extension

It’s February and that means Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Florists across the country are preparing for one of the busiest times of the year. According to the Society of American Florists, in 2022, 22% of Americans bought fresh flowers or plants as gifts for Valentine’s Day. Roses accounted for 83% of those gifts. With almost 120 varieties available, roses are a classic favorite.

You may be familiar with the concept of the language of flowers. Every flower carries its own special meaning or symbolism, which is influenced by its variety and color. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, the following list includes some of the most common meanings for roses.

pink—perfect happiness

red—love

white—you’re heavenly

thornless—love at first sight

bouquet of mature blooms—gratitude

Excerpted from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/flowers-and-their-meanings-language-flowers

Garden for Wildlife

Margaret Murphy

Horticulture Educator

Chippewa, Dunn & Eau Claire

UW-Madison Extension

Why garden for wildlife?

It can help restore natural habitat.

It offers an opportunity to plant native species that, when established, may reduce your time working in the yard and increase your time relaxing in the yard.

It’s fun to watch birds, butterflies, dragonflies, toads, and frogs in the yard.

The basics for a wildlife friendly yard:

Food (a variety of options is best). Keep in mind food requirements vary by species and change as animals’ age as well as by season.

Water is as important as food for survival. Think about adding a water feature to your yard. It can be something simple as a birdbath.

Cover is important for protection from the weather or predators. It’s also important for nesting and resting.

Space is needed for wildlife to raise young. Most species also need space to establish territory.

Air exchanges refer to the number of times the entire air inside a building is replaced with fresh outside air per hour. According to the Midwest Plan Service guidelines, barns need to be ventilated at a rate of around 4 air changes per hour to achieve good air quality in the winter. This means that the entire volume of air in the barn should be replaced every 15 minutes.

Ventilation Efficiency Ratio (VER) is a measure of the efficiency of a ventilation system, which is defined as the ratio of the volume of air moved per unit of time (measured in cubic feet per minute or CFM) to the energy consumed by the ventilation system (measured in watts). Static pressure is the force that opposes air flow in a ventilation system. High static pressure can reduce airflow and increase energy consumption. Stalls, baffles, and anything inside the barn affect the static pressure. Inlets that are too small make it hard to move air, increase static pressure, and may restrict the fans from achieving their targeted exchange rates. It is desirable to keep static pressure low to ensure optimal airflow rates. A commonly accepted static pressure level is less than 0.15 inches H2O, with levels above 0.20 inches H2O being undesirable.

Upcoming Badger Dairy Insight will discuss:

Balancing diets for energy and amino acids to maximize milk components

Sebastian I Arriola Apelo, Assistant Professor of Metabolism at UW-Madison in the Animal & Dairy Sciences Department, will discuss amino acid balancing when feeding different energy sources to maximize milk protein and fat. Discussion will include various scenarios, including consideration of an induced milk fat depression. Amino acid balancing strategies will be focused on commercially available rumen protected amino acids and bypass proteins. There is no charge to participate, however pre-registration is required to allow access to the session.

Listen to the last post below!

UW-Extension Dairy Program "Reproduction Roadshow"

To help Wisconsin Dairy Farmers get the most current and up-to-date research information, the UW-Extension Dairy program has developed the “Reproduction Roadshow.” This roadshow is an update on UW-Madison dairy reproduction research, covering heifer reproduction, sexed semen, the high fertility cycle, and more. The roadshow features Dr. Paul Fricke, Professor and Extension Specialist in Dairy Cattle Reproduction, and Dr. JP Martins, DVM, Ph.D. from the Department of Medical Sciences – School of Veterinary Medicine UW-Madison.

February 20, 2024, 10:00 am UW-River Falls Dairy Learning Center (129 South Glover Rd. River Falls)

February 20, 2024, 1:30 pm Barron Electric Cooperative (1434 WI – 25 North Barron)

February 21, 2024, 10:00 am Edgar Family Restaurant (127590 Opportunity Ln. Edgar)

For more information and to register for the meeting, visit https://go.wisc.edu/repro.

Robotics & TMR Survey

The UW-Madison Division of Extension Dairy program is seeking participants for two nutrition surveys they are conducting. 

-The first survey is aiming to gain a better understanding of what the most common feeding practices of Wisconsin high production Holstein herds are.

-The second survey focuses on robotic milking herds nutritional management.

The results of these surveys will be used for educational purposes. If you would like a local dairy educator to reach out to you and help fill out the survey, please email us.

Participate in the TMR Survey:  https://bit.ly/24TMR

Participate in the Robotic Survey: https://bit.ly/24Robotic

Pesticide Applicator Trainings 

Jerry Clark

Crops & Soils Educator

Chippewa, Dunn & Eau Claire 

UW-Madison Extension

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.

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.

February 15 - Dunn County Government Center, 3001 US Hwy 12 E, Menomonie

February 27 - Dunn County Government Center, 3001 US Hwy 12 E, Menomonie

March 12 - Chippewa Valley Dairy Supply, 6055 County Rd G, Stanley

Manure Applicator Trainings

Small Ruminant Producer Survey

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/kw74FHbm1Y9aBSbLA

Farm Pulse

Your Garden in a Pot Class

Farm Technology Days 2024

Chippewa County Extension Office

(715) 726-7950

Dunn County Extension Office

(715) 232-1636

Eau Claire County Extension Office

(715) 839-4712

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.