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Spring Green-Up, Don't Let Grazing Get Ahead of YouLyssa Seefeldt
Dairy Educator for Chippewa, Dunn, & Eau Claire Counties
UW-Madison Extension
As we start to see the robins flying, frogs starting to chirp at night, and the grass starting to green up, we need to think about acclimatizing our animals to pasture again. The microbes in the gut of ruminant animals (and also horses) need time to adjust to the fresh feed of the pasture. This is a process that should be done over a period of time to allow the microbes and the animal to adjust. You especially don’t want hungry animals going out on legume-rich pastures in the spring.
One challenge with lush spring pastures is that the dilution effect alters the protein to carbohydrate ratio which can lead to a whole host of problems for cattle or other ruminants if you are not prepared to balance out the diet with energy supplementation. Rumen fill capacity can occur before energy needs get met, setting up an animal for dietary imbalances that lead to decreased production and health challenges. Spring pastures tend to be higher in highly soluble protein which passes through the digestive tract quickly and supplementing with a dry, higher fiber forage helps slow down the passage rate. Click here to continue reading.
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Estimating the value of ManureJerry Clark
Crops & Soils Educator for Chippewa, Dunn, & Eau Claire Counties
UW-Madison Extension
Manure is the oldest, natural fertilizer source known to agriculture. Manure has value since it contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients, organic matter, and microorganisms. Putting a dollar value on manure can be challenging when selling or purchasing. With synthetic and commercial fertilizer, many options exist today to meet soil and crop nutrient needs and we can use these commercial fertilizer values to determine the cost of fertilizer manure is replacing to determine a base value on manure, read more here.
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Custom Rate GuideInquiries about the cost of an operation performed for-hire is a common question we receive at Extension offices. The Wisconsin Custom Rate guide is referred to as a “guide” for costs of specific operations. If you need a quick reference for an estimate to a cost for a specific operation, click here.
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Rain GardensMargaret Murphy
Horticulture Educator for Chippewa, Dunn, & Eau Claire Counties
UW-Madison Extension
A rain garden is a shallow depression that can be filled with a variety of flowers, sedges, and shrubs, and is designed to capture runoff from rain that lands on roofs, driveways or roads. Basically, it’s not much different from a perennial garden except that the purpose is to intercept rainwater, temporarily hold it, and release it slowly with the added benefit of removing some pollutants in the process.
As communities grow, we increase the number of impervious surfaces such as roads, parking lots, and rooftops. Impervious surfaces create barriers so that less water is able to filter through the ground. This inability of water to infiltrate the soil results in increased surface runoff both in terms of speed and volume. Stormwater runoff from these impervious surfaces carries with it chemical pollutants that can be carried directly into nearby rivers, streams and ponds. A rain garden, by soaking up rain where it falls, can slow runoff and lessen the amount ending up in our water resources. Continue reading here.
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Department of Agriculture Trade & Consumer Protection's Field Notes NewsletterWith the growing season closely approaching, we thought it arrived a few weeks ago, a useful bulletin to subscribe to is the Wisconsin DATCP Field Notes Newsletter. Inside Field Notes, readers will find the same pest monitoring data and maps once provided in the Wisconsin Pest Bulletin, along with current articles on economically important plant pests affecting Wisconsin's field crops, fruits, vegetables, nurseries, and forests. To subscribe, click here.
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Wisconsin Crop ManagerSubscribe to the Wisconsin Crop Manager Newsletter for the latest in Wisconsin crop development issues and educational opportunities.
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Badger Crop Connect Spring 2023
The UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Ag Institute and the UW-Madison Nutrient and Pest Management Program will be hosting the fourth annual Badger Crop Connect webinar series for the 2023 growing season.
The purpose of this series is to provide agronomists, crop consultants, and farmers with timely crop updates for Wisconsin.
These free webinars will be offered, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 12:30 PM, with the spring webinars beginning in April. Registration is required. You must register for each webinar separately. The entire series is split into three sets of webinars: spring, summer, and fall. Find a list of upcoming webinars and more information on the Badger Crop Connect Webpage.
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Tractor SafetyTractor Safety will be offered by Bloomer, Cornell and Cadott Schools this June. Please click on the button for a link to the brochure and registration information.
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This newsletter is a contributional effort from the following UW-Madison Extension Educators:
- Lyssa Seefeldt,Dairy Educator: Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn Counties
- Jerry Clark,Crops & Soils Educator: Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn Counties
- Lauren Larsen,Natural Resources Educator: Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn Counties
- Margaret Murphy,Horticulture Educator: Chippewa, Eau Claire, Dunn Counties
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Contact us!
- Chippewa County Extension Office
- Dunn County Extension Office
- Eau Claire County Extension Office
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