AG LINK - January/February 2009

PPA Has New Home

It is with great excitement that we share with you that the Partnership for Progressive Agriculture (PPA) has found a new home with Northcentral Technical College (NTC). This new collaboration is being supported by NTC, Marathon County Government, and UW-Extension Marathon County.

Past accomplishments of this group have been the Dairyland State Academy initiative, Grow Wisconsin grant, Economic Development seminars, June Dairy Breakfast, Farm/City Dinner, and Ag Adventure Tent. This new collaborative effort will offer more opportunities for agriculture producers in addition to past activities. Seminars and workshops will be held in marketing, animal husbandry, employee management, farm transition, and more. The Farm City Dinner, Ag Adventure Tent, and June Dairy Breakfast will still be the main events of the PPA.

We are looking for people to serve on committees, to serve as volunteers for programs and helping develop seminars. The committees of PPA are: PPA Board (elected position), Education/Promotions Sub-Committee, and Economic Development/ Advocacy.

To become a member, serve on a committee and make your commitment to the future of agriculture please contact Melissa Klein, Agriculture Coordinator at 715-803-1671 or by e-mail at klein@ntc.edu. There is a $45.00 membership fee that helps support agriculture programs and gets you in to workshops and seminars at a discounted rate. We want to thank all those who have helped PPA be successful in the past and welcome those as well as new volunteers to step forward as we chart our new course.

Tractor Safety Courses

Northcentral Technical College will be offering Tractor Safety Courses at the Antigo, Medford and Wausau NTC campuses. Read more >>>

Seehafer Acres, Inc. to Host Farm Technology Days, July 12-14, 2011

It is with great excitement that we share with you that the Partnership for Progressive Agriculture (PPA) has found a new home with Northcentral Technical College (NTC). This new collaboration is being supported by NTC, Marathon County Government, and UW-Extension Marathon County.

Past accomplishments of this group have been the Dairyland State Academy initiative, Grow Wisconsin grant, Economic Development seminars, June Dairy Breakfast, Farm/City Dinner, and Ag Adventure Tent. This new collaborative effort will offer more opportunities for agriculture producers in addition to past activities. Seminars and workshops will be held in marketing, animal husbandry, employee management, farm transition, and more. The Farm City Dinner, Ag Adventure Tent, and June Dairy Breakfast will still be the main events of the PPA.

We are looking for people to serve on committees, to serve as volunteers for programs and helping develop seminars. The committees of PPA are: PPA Board (elected position), Education/Promotions Sub-Committee, and Economic Development/ Advocacy.

To become a member, serve on a committee and make your commitment to the future of agriculture please contact Melissa Klein, Agriculture Coordinator at 715-803-1671 or by e-mail at klein@ntc.edu. There is a $45.00 membership fee that helps support agriculture programs and gets you in to workshops and seminars at a discounted rate. We want to thank all those who have helped PPA be successful in the past and welcome those as well as new volunteers to step forward as we chart our new course.

Milk Program?

The new farm bill continued the MILC program. This program for dairy producers is intended to pay when the “basic formula” milk price (based on the Boston Class I price) falls below a targeted level. Under the new farm bill, feed costs will enter into the formula. When national average feed costs go up, the target level for the milk will also go up. Washington D.C. will process the payment formula every month and determine whether a MILC rate will be paid. Farm Service Agency computers will then calculate the payment on each individual’s milk production. The beginning of the MILC signup is yet to be announced.

Private Pesticide Applicator Training

Two group training sessions will be available to agricultural producers in Marathon County who use pesticides on property owned or rented them. The sessions are set for February 14 in Stratford and March 17 in Wausau. Learn more >>>

Referendum for Pork Checkoff

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that it will conduct a Request for Referendum among eligible pork producers to determine if they want a referendum on the Pork Checkoff Program. Participation is voluntary, and only individuals who desire a referendum on the Pork Checkoff Program should participate.

The USDA will conduct a referendum only if at least 15 percent of the total number of eligible pork producers requests a referendum. (Eligible pork producers will need to provide purchase receipts or sales receipts to verify pork production activity). Producers need to have been active between Jan. 1, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007, and at least 18 years of age.

The Request for Referendum will be held Dec. 8, 2008 through Jan. 2, 2009. For voting forms and more information you may call the Marathon County Farm Service Agency at 715-848-2330.

Increase winter milk production with the effects of Long Day Lighting

With big swings in energy costs and weakening milk prices, now may be the time to consider more energy efficient lights. Not only will they make your barn brighter, they have proven to make bigger milk checks when coupled with the effects of long day lighting. Dairy cows in northern regions like Wisconsin, give more milk if they get extra lighting during the winter months, when days are short. According to Scott Sanford, an outreach specialist in Biological Systems Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison, the increase in production is, on average, 4 pounds a day for each cow.

Farmers who are considering leaving the lights on should provide lighting so cows get about 15 to 20 foot-candles of light for 16 to 18 hours each day. Sanford said cows getting extra light during the winter eat, on average, 4 percent more.

In a tie stall barn, you can use one continuous row of single bulb T-8 fluorescent lamps or two bulb T-8 fluorescent lamps every 8 feet in water resistant fixtures on the ceiling over the cows’ heads. In a freestall barn, Pulse Start metal halide or high pressure sodium lamps are recommended but one should consult a lighting contractor about proper placement.

“It is very important to turn the lights on and off at the same time each day,” Sanford said. “It’s best to use an automatic timer.” Sanford also reminds that “It is a biological function and you will not be able to shortcut anything, it’s pretty much all or nothing.”

According to Sam Zimmermann, Extension’s Northern WI Dairy Educator, the payback can be less than 1 year on some dairies and may be worth checking out on your farm. The beauty of long day lighting is that once it is installed, it becomes no additional work to manage, just a little more feed and more milk into the bulk tank. But, the cows need to have 6-8 hours of continuous darkness for the effects of long day lighting to be seen. This can be a challenge with those that are milking 3x and may require some creativity. Cows also need their dry period to have a rest from long day lighting to take advantage of the effects in their next lactation.

Sanford recommends using high efficiency lamps and said that “Focus on Energy” has grants that could help farmers pay for them. Information is available at 1-800-762-7077 or go to http://www.focusonenergy.com .

For more information on long day lighting, contact Sam Zimmermann at UWEX at (715) 261-1250. There is also good background information on long day lighting and decision making tools available on the web at http://www.uwex.edu/energy/dairy_LD.html

« Ag Link Newsletter Index | Top