AG LINK - November/December 2008

Farm Awards Recognize Business Excellence and Longevity

Outstanding Young Farmer:
This award recognizes farmers who reside in Marathon County and have done a superior job in agricultural production, soil conservation practices, and involvement in community affairs. To be eligible for the Outstanding Young Farmer Award, applicants need to be age 37 or younger and receive at least 2/3 of their income from farming. Farmers either can be nominated by others or can self-nominate. (Applications will be available later this year for a January deadline. Check the next issue of AgLink for more information.)

Century Farm:
The Marathon County Century Farm Award marks a real milestone in business ownership. Eligible farm owners must show evidence of farm ownership by family members for 100 continuous years. (Applications will be available later this year for a January deadline. Check the next issue of AgLink for more information.)

1. ONLY ONE CERTIFICATE WILL BE ISSUED PER PROPERTY: For example, a descendant may not receive another certificate if a former owner or relative has already received a certificate for the same property.

2. CONTINUOUS FAMILY OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY FOR 100 YEARS: The farm must have been in continuous family ownership. Title of the Century property today must reside in a blood relative of the original owner, or a legally adopted child of a descendant.

3. RECOGNITION: Farms with 100 years or more of continuous ownership through the year 2009, will be recognized at the Annual Farm City Dinner in March 2009. Farms also have the opportunity to be recognized at a special program during the Wisconsin State Fair if they so desire.

Modernizing for Dairy Heifers—Envisioning Profits Workshop

Dairy heifers are costing more than ever to raise, especially due to increasing feed prices. Many producers are thinking about improving heifer housing to increase feed and labor efficiency and contain overall costs. Marathon, Clark and Taylor County UW Extension will be hosting a Dairy Heifer Program on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 from 10:00am- 3:00pm in the Community Room at the new Abbotsford City Hall and Library. (From intersection of Hwy 13 and Bus. 29 in downtown Abbotsford, go West about 1 block and go north on North 1st Street)

Topics will include:

• Truths and Myths Associated With Heifer Rearing, Pat Hoffman, Marshfield Agricultural Research Station
• Diagnosing Sick Calves and Heifers and Having a Plan For Treating Them, Sandy Stuttgen, Taylor County Agriculture Agent
• Controlling Heifer Raising Costs, Maria Bendixon, Clark County Dairy & Livestock Agent
• Heifer Facility Features and Necessities, Brian Holmes, Agriculture Engineer, UW-Madison
• Tube Ventilation in Calf Barns, Sam Zimmermann, Northern WI Dairy Educator
• A “Virtual Tour” of Ostrowski Farms Calf Barn, a new but proven calf barn in Eastern Marathon County.

Register prior to Tuesday, December 2nd by sending a check for $15/ person to: Clark County UWEX, 517 Court St.-Room 104, Neillsville, WI 54456 (include names of those attending and memo: Heifer Program. If you wish to register at the door the cost will increase to $20/person. Lunch is included in the program fee. Visit our Ag Calendar for more details and registration information, or call the Marathon County UWEX office at (715) 261-1230 to have a brochure mailed to you.

Agriculture Instructor Joins Technical College Staff

Tracy Anderson began working as the only full time agriculture instructor at Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in August 2008. She is working diligently to provide the inaugural dairy science students with the most comprehensive and rewarding education possible in the field of dairy.

Ms Anderson has a strong background in the fields of agriculture and education. She received her bachelor's degree in agriculture education from one of the nation's top ranked agriculture programs, Texas A&M University. She has been teaching agriculture in Texas for the past five years, however she is not new to the Wisconsin area.

Tracy grew up in southern Wisconsin in an agricultural family. Her father is originally from Abbotsford where his family milked a small herd of Guernsey cows. He also was the agriculture instructor in Sun Prairie for over 30 years. His passion for teaching passed directly to her. Her mother was born and raised in Wausau so this area became almost a second home to Tracy growing up, and she's glad to be back!

Ms Anderson has been involved in agriculture her entire life with a strong background in 4-H and FFA. She is a lifetime member of the Wisconsin FFA Alumni Association, as well as an active member of the National Association of Agriculture Educators and the local agricultural associations.

Tracy is looking forward to building the Dairy Science program at NTC into the most advanced, hands on educational experience for dairy students in the state. With the completion of Dairyland State Academy, this program will be a model for progressive teaching techniques, as well as a resource to help current people in the industry to modernize and remain successful and profitable.

School For Beginning Dairy & Livestock Farmers

For those who want to learn how to start a dairy or livestock business but do not have the time or resources to attend class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers (WSBDF) also simulcasts its program to classrooms in Wausau, Frederic, Independence, Thorp, Chilton, Reedsburg, and Platteville.

The sites offer much more than a video feed to Madison. Joining the students at each site will be an on-site instructor, grazing specialists, farm lenders, and mentor farmers from the area. The curriculum ranges from farm selection, design and remodeling to animal and grass management to business planning.

Many former students say that the live, local component site is the richest part of the distance education program, says Dick Cates, the school's director. "What they find the most valuable is getting to meet others with their same passion for farming,"
Cates says.

“Students particularly like talking to successful local farmers, many of them graduates of the program,” says Tom Cadwallader, a UW-Extension agent who coordinates the Wausau classroom. “Students tell us that learning from people who actually farm in the real world was very important,” Cadwallader says. “When farmers spoke from our site, students would stick around after class to learn more.”

Students at each site can also take farm tours, attend conferences and have opportunities for internships. More than 80 percent of those who graduated from WSBDF since 1995 are currently dairy or livestock farming. Of those, about half have started their own farm businesses.

The school is offered through the UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course. The 15-week course begins Nov 13 and meets every Thursday from 11 a.m.-1:15 p.m. through March 26 (the class switches to Tuesday during Thanksgiving week and takes a four-week break in late December and January).

Tuition and fees vary by site, number of credits earned, and how the student enrolls. At the Wausau site the basic enrollment fee is $240; but students can take the course for 1-3 credits through either UW-Madison or several Wisconsin Technical Colleges. The per-credit fee charged is different for each institution.

Space is limited, so applying early is recommended. Some scholarships are available. Those interested in taking the course at the Wausau location should contact Tom Cadwallader, UW-Extension, Lincoln & Marathon Counties, (715) 539-1078 or (715) 261-1240; or via email at thomas.cadwallader@ces.uwex.edu

More Information about the WSBDF is available online at www.cias.wisc.edu/dairysch.html.

Gaining the Competitive Edge: A Dairy Seminar Series 2009

With presentations on milk marketing, business management, milk quality, and calf health, the University of Wisconsin-Extension Dairy Team’s 2009 Road Show has topics of interest to almost everyone in the dairy business. This year’s Road Show, pulls out from UW-Madison for 8 dates and 14 locations around the state. Seminars in the Marathon County area include; January 8 in Owen, January 9 in Antigo, January 15 in Plover and January 15 (same day) in Stratford. The program will be the same in each location.

Topics include: -- “Farm Business Management Strategies for Uncertain Times” Greg Hadley, Ag Economist, UW-River Falls, -- “Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy” Victor Cabrera, Dairy Management Extension Specialist, UW-Madison, --“Myth Busting Milk Routines” Pam Ruegg, Milk Quality Specialist, UW-Madison, -- “Calf Barn Ventilation—A Breath of Fresh Air” Brian Holmes, Ag Engineer, UW-Madison.

Each presentation will include time for questions from participants. Meetings will run from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm. The registration fee, which includes lunch, is $25 per person. Registrations should be directed to the host county UWExtension Office. For additional information, and to register for the Stratford location, please contact Mike Wildeck at (715) 261-1239, or by email, michael.wildeck@ces.uwex.edu.

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