Green Thumb Gardening – Winter Vegetable Series 2023: Seed Starting
2023-01-09 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | WI
If you are a new gardener, or just looking for some tips on starting seeds, this lecture will cover it. You will get an electronic copy of a handout on optimal soil temperatures for the germination of many crops.
Info here.

Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic
2023-01-11 - 2023-01-12
The Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic is Wisconsin’s premier agribusiness industry event drawing interest and participation from all confluences of the industry from throughout the Midwestern states.
The program is held at the Alliant Energy Center each January and boasts an attendance of nearly 1,200 attendees. The conference and tradeshow is a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin Agri-Business Association and the University of Wisconsin.
The depth of coverage and exhibits provided through the conference and tradeshow makes it clear why the Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic is Wisconsin’s premier industry event.
Info here.

New and Emerging Cover Crops Winter Series
2023-01-11 09:00 - 10:00
Illinois Sustainable Agriculture Partnership is hosting a four-part winter series focused on New and Emerging Cover Crops.

Winter G-Team Meeting-Introduction to the Heifer Grazing Compass Tool "Making the Economic Case for Raising Dairy Heifers on Pasture"
2023-01-12 10:00 - 11:00
The goal of this training is to provide service providers the knowledge and skills to utilize this tool and engage the farmers they work in conversations regarding the economics of raising livestock on pasture.
Join other agency staff and grazing advocates for this engaging training.
Agenda:
– Introductions
– Farmer Panel:
Mike Redetzke – Peaceful Creek Acres, Colby
Jacob Brey – Brey Cycle Farm, Sturgeon Bay
Ron Schoepp – Schoepp Farms, Lodi
– Introduction of the Heifer Grazing Compass Tool: John Hendrickson, Jim Munsch
– Lunch (provided)
– Hands on working through scenarios (bring your laptop)
Info here.

Integrating Wetlands in Agricultural Landscapes
2023-01-12 12:00 - 14:00
This session is part of the 2022-2023 Chesapeake Bay Agriculture Network Forum and Listening Sessions. Join National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to address the question: What will it take to accelerate wetlands restoration, creation, and enhancement in the region’s varied agricultural landscapes?
Info here.

Advancing Regenerative and Climate-Smart Agriculture Forum Session
2023-01-12 13:00 - 14:00
This session is part of the 2022-2023 Chesapeake Bay Agriculture Network Forum and Listening Sessions. Join National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to address the question: How can we leverage our collective knowledge and experience supporting agricultural water quality improvement towards achieving a more holistic approach to regenerative and climate-smart agriculture, farm-scale greenhouse gas reduction, and agricultural carbon sequestration?
Info here.

Great Plains Growers Conference
2023-01-13 - 2023-01-14
Great Plains Growers Conference is for commercial fruit and vegetable producers from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and other midwest states. It provides research-based information, from both vegetable research specialists and local growers, to help your farms grow and thrive. This conference will be held in St. Joseph, Missouri. Tracks include vegetable production, small fruit and tree fruit production, organic production, high tunnels, cut flower production, and more.
Info here.

Restoring wetland amphipods to revive wetland habitats
2023-01-13 10:30 - 11:30
Amphipods are important wetland invertebrates that indicate water quality and healthy aquatic plant habitats and are a key food for waterfowl. Our research will describe new findings relating amphipods to plant diversity, nuisance wetland fishes, insecticide contamination, and waterfowl wetland use. We also share our experimental attempts to ‘stock’ or do ‘conservation translocation’ of amphipods as a wetland restoration tool. Dr. Danelle Larson is a federal research ecologist and the aquatic vegetation monitoring lead for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program. She documents how aquatic plant communities are structured and why as well as the influences of plants on other aspects of the ecosystem. Her research has spanned a variety of aquatic ecosystems to provide the best available science to inform the management and restoration of wildlife habitats.
Info here.

Stream crossing workshop
2023-01-17 09:00 - 11:00
The Oneida County Land & Water Conservation Department has announced its final stream crossing workshop to be held on January 17, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. This workshop is the culminating event for our 3-year stream crossing project, which collected data on fish passability, culvert condition, stream crossing erosion, and native mussels. Staff will highlight stream inventory work done in the Towns of Cassian, Newbold, Nokomis, Pine Lake, Stella, Sugar Camp, Three Lakes, and Woodboro, but also summarize data collected in all 20 Towns. Please join us to find what we discovered!
Town officials, road crews, natural resource managers, lake group members, and all who care about Oneida County rivers and streams are encouraged to attend this FREE workshop. Registration is required.
Info here.

Federal Funding Opportunities for Livestock Farmers
2023-01-17 15:00 - 16:00
Join FACT and Margaret Krome, an experienced grant writer with the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, to learn how to succeed at using federal programs to support your farm or sustainable agriculture initiatives, including loans, grants and cost share programs.
Info here.

Midwest Cover Crop Council & South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Conference
2023-01-23 - 2023-01-25
The Midwest Cover Crops Council seeks to significantly increase the amount of continuous living cover on the Upper Midwestern agricultural landscape. From cities to the countryside, this transition in landscape design will produce numerous ecological benefits, including improvements in water, air and soil quality. As the public grows increasingly aware of our collective ecological footprint and its relationship to climate change and water quality, the effort to add living cover to our landscape can generate new sources of renewable energy, mitigate greenhouse gases, reduce the use of agricultural chemicals, and provide novel income streams for rural communities. In an era where the Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes watershed suffer from serious environmental degradation, this shift in agricultural systems can play a significant and positive role in revitalizing and restoring our lakes, rivers, fields, and communities. To effectively achieve our aim of broad adoption of cover crops by farmers, we will build a vital and effective regional collaboration of agencies, individuals and the general public.
Info here.

WI Salt Awareness Week
2023-01-23 - 2023-01-27
JoinYouTube livestreams of area experts diving into #thetruecostofsalt on our drinking water, freshwater ecosystems, and how you can be a freshwater advocate in your community.
Livestreams run from 12:30-1pm CT. After the event, they will remain available on our YouTube channel.
MONDAY – Freshwater Salinization: An Emerging Global Issue
Speaker: Sujay Kaushal, University of Maryland
TUESDAY – Tracking Salt: From Winter Roads to Summer Streams
Speaker: Charlie Paradis, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
WEDNESDAY – Salty Drinking Water and Human Health
Speaker: Allison Couture, DO, MPA
THURSDAY – The Wisconsin DNR Tackles a Salty Problem
Speaker: Shannon Haydin, WI DNR
FRIDAY – Be a Salt Wise Champion in your Community
Speaker: Allison Madison, WI Salt Wise
Info here.

Rotational Grazing 101
2023-01-23 14:00 - 15:00
When planning a regenerative grazing system, the rest and recovery pastures receive is as important as the time animals spend in a paddock. During this session, we will cover the basics of rotational grazing, the math you can use to determine carrying capacity of your pastures, and cost-effective steps you can take to improve your grazing systems. Facilitated by FACT and Steve Gabriel, farmer and consultant with Wellspring Forest Farm and author of SILVOPASTURE.
Info here.

Driftless Region Beef Conference
2023-01-26 - 2023-01-27
Extension specialists in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin are again cooperating to present the annual Driftless Region Beef Conference at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque, Iowa on January 26 and 27, 2023. This conference brings together beef producers for an educational program that focuses on the needs of this unique production region. Select from 8 different workshop topics to develop a customized program. Visit with the many conference sponsors in the display area and learn about products and services they offer. Visit with fellow beef producers from the region. This is an informative and enjoyable event you won’t want to miss.
Info here.

2023 Organic Vegetable Production Conference
2023-01-26 - 2023-01-27
This producer-initiated conference is designed for advanced growers and attracts participants from throughout the Midwest and beyond. Participants who register by January 6 will receive a conference packet with handouts and swag through the mail BEFORE the conference. Those who register after January 6 may receive the packet before or AFTER the conference. All sessions will be over Zoom.
Info here.

Renew Wisconsin Energy Summit
2023-01-26
The enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) opens a new chapter in the transition to a clean energy future. Departing from its own history of advancing incremental, bite-sized initiatives to advance clean energy at the margins, Congress stepped up and delivered sweeping legislation commensurate with the climate challenge at hand. The IRA provides a systematic and interwoven tapestry of policies for accelerating and sustaining private investments in clean energy deployment, manufacturing, and workforce development over the next ten years. The intention of this law is to build an entire economy out of the clean energy transformation that will occur in all 50 states. Our 2023 summit, titled “Sizing up the Clean Energy Transformation,” will take a close look at the forces unleashed by this landmark law and assess their impact on Wisconsin’s energy landscape.
Info here.

Managing Midwestern Ecosystem Restorations in the Face of Changing Climate
2023-01-26 12:00 - 13:00
A panel of experts and practitioners in the field of Ecological Restoration will discuss the planning and management of midwestern ecosystems (woodlands, savannas, prairies, and wetlands) in light of the reality of climate change. The panelists will give short presentations on the different ecosystems. We will take both questions and comments from the audience to enhance the discussion.
Info here.

2023 OGRAIN Conference
2023-01-27 - 2023-01-28
The seventh annual conference for those interested in organic grain production in the Upper Midwest will feature expert farmers, researchers and industry representatives sharing their knowledge, along with ample opportunity for networking and discussion. Speakers, panelists, and round table discussions will highlight issues important to organic grain farmers. New this year, there will be a track that focuses on culinary grain production, in addition to the extensive information for row-crop producers. Businesses will also be represented to provide educational tables and conversation about products and services useful for organic grain operations.
Info here.

Toward Harmony With Nature Conference
2023-01-28
Join us In-Person or Virtually for an exciting all-day program with six expert speakers, exhibitors and vendors, and network with like-minded natural landscaping enthusiasts.
Info here.

2023 Virtual Nutrient Management Training for Farmers
2023-01-28 10:00 - 15:30
The Nutrient and Pest Management Program (University of Wisconsin-Madison) is offering a virtual training for farmers interested in writing their own nutrient management plans. This training provides both the basics of nutrient management and an introduction to SnapPlus. The same training will be offered on 5 different dates: Jan. 9, Feb. 7, Feb. 28, Mar. 7, Mar. 28.
See the flyer for more details.

The Wisconsin Chapter of the Wildlife Society
2023-01-31 - 2023-02-02
Bridging the Gap: Blending Research and Management
The overall conference theme is Bridging the Gap: Blending Research and Management, and we will also be celebrating over fifty years as an organization! This is a meeting you will not want to miss! We will also be kicking the meeting off with two concurrent Symposia: one on the use of prescribed fire and the second is Climate Change Adaptation in Wisconsin: Strategies for Wildlife Managers and Case Studies.
Info here.

Ag Water Quality Webinar Series
2023-01-31 11:00 - 12:00
The UW-Madison Division of Extension’s Agriculture Water Quality Program is hosting a biweekly webinar series in early 2023 on important factors impacting ground and surface water quality. The winter webinar series is supported by Wisconsin Farmers Union. Each webinar will be an hour, starting at 11:00am, and will have one continuing education credit for certified crop advisors. Registration is free but required. Please contact Guolong Liang with questions, gliang6@wisc.edu.
January 31, 2023 : Manure and water quality: why looking at the calendar matters
Laura Paletta and Dr. Francisco Arriaga will take a closer look at the best and worst times to spread manure, how water quality is impacted, and ways to reduce nutrient losses.
February 14, 2023- Soil Test Phosphorus: An important risk factor when considering water quality
Soil test phosphorus level is one of a field’s biggest risk factors when considering surface water quality impact. Learn how and why STP plays such an important role in phosphorus loss and how to agronomically manage STP with Chelsea Zegler and Dr. Jamie Patton.
February 28, 2023- Nitrogen Leaching in Central Sands: Regional and Field-based Estimation
Agricultural practices affect Nitrogen dynamics and water quality. Using a mass balance method, Guolong Liang and Emily Heinmann will explain how to estimate leachable nitrogen on a field scale and a regional scale, with the example of Central Sands.

Toxins Associated with Fresh Water Harmful Algal Blooms and Their Mammalian Health Effects
2023-02-01 11:00 - 12:00
The Algal Bloom Action Team is hosting its first webinar of 2023 on Wednesday, February 1st. This webinar will feature Donna Hill with the Office of Research and Development with the US EPA. Hill will provide an overview of health effects seen in humans and animals from freshwater cyanotoxin blooms. Completed and planned cyanotoxin research in our EPA lab will also be outlined.
Info here.

Planning for New Profitability in 2023: Carbon Farming Connection
2023-02-01 11:00 - 12:00
At the heart of farming is stewardship – stewardship of the land and the future of the farm. If you’re looking for new ways to grow your profitability in 2023, join us for the Carbon Farming Connection on February 1.
You’ll have a chance to hear from experienced farmers, soil scientists, agronomists, and agribusinesses about weather trends, risk management strategies, and revenue opportunities for the upcoming year and beyond.
In this virtual event comprised of three sessions, you’ll gain insights on:

Why now is the time to enroll in a carbon program, and the benefits farmers are seeing from it
Choosing the qualifying practices that will fit your farm’s operation
How farmers are using sustainable farming practices to reduce risk in their operations, today and for the future
How to leverage your farm data to create new revenue streams through sustainability
Plus, a team of experts will be answering your questions LIVE

Info here.

Cover Crop Workshop Series
2023-02-01 12:00 - 14:00
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE), will host cover crop workshops on February 1, 14, 21 and 22 from 12:00-2:00 p.m each day. We welcome farmers and landowners to attend the free event, which includes a complimentary meal.
Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners, including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, increased organic matter in the soil and forage potential for livestock. When paired with no-tillage or strip-tillage, additional benefits include increased water infiltration to further reduce erosion during heavy rain events. Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about these opportunities, ask questions, and share their experiences.
The discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Jacqueline Comito, Iowa Learning Farms program director, Dr. Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center director, and Mark Licht, associate professor and extension cropping systems specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Liz Ripley, Iowa Learning Farms conservation and cover crop outreach specialist.
Info here.

Focus on Forage Webinar Series
2023-02-01 12:30 - 14:00
Join the University of Wisconsin–Madison Nutrient and Pest Management Program and Division of Extension on February 1st and 15th, and March 1st and 15th for the 2022 Focus on Forage webinar series. Webinars are free and run from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.
Pre-registration is required at http://go.wisc.edu/FarmReadyResearch. Certified Crop Advisor CEUs will be available for each webinar.
February 1: Optimizing Corn Silage Production in WI
February 15: Optimizing Alfalfa Production in WI
March 1: Optimizing Alternative Forage Production in WI
March 15: Forage Storage Management

Webinar: The Use of Cover Crops in No-Till Organic Production in the US Midwest—A Case Study with Dry Beans in Iowa
2023-02-01 13:00 - 14:00
Farmer’s reliance on frequent tillage for effective weed control remains a major concern for organic grain production. Conventional tillage practices severely disrupt soil structure, reduce soil organic matter, and increase soil erosion. In this webinar, Dr. Contina will discuss the benefits of using cover crops in organic no-till production as well as the challenges and opportunities for farmers and the public in general.
Info here.

GrassWorks Grazing Conference
2023-02-02 - 2023-02-04
GrassWorks is a grassroots membership organization that provides leadership and education to farmers and consumers for the advancement of managed grass-based agriculture to benefit present and future generations. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, GrassWorks links farmers with the resources they need to be successful graziers.
The Annual GrassWorks Grazing Conference will include two full days of workshops and sessions spread over 3 days and will take place Thursday, February 2nd through Saturday, February 4th, 2023 at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI. See this flyer to learn more.
Info here.

The Stewardship Network Conference
2023-02-02 - 2023-02-03
Now in its 16th year, The Stewardship Network Conference is the moment where theory meets practice and curiosity leads to solutions. Each annual convening unifies hundreds of professionals, students, and volunteers from a dazzling array of environmental fields. Here they share their setbacks and successes, compare advancements and techniques, and revel in diverse perspectives and creative expressions — all in support of our shared mission to care for the natural world.
Info here.

Wisconsin Corn Soy Expo
2023-02-02 - 2023-02-03
The Wisconsin Corn•Soy Expo is Wisconsin’s premier grower event where the Wisconsin Soybean Programs, Wisconsin Corn Programs, and the Wisconsin Pork Association bring together over 1,200 corn and soybean growers and pork producers. It is held each year in January or February at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The trade show hosts over 120 companies in 155 booths. A two-day educational program is filled with informative sessions led by University and industry specialists.
Info here.
