Pesticide Applicator Training Program
2022-01-25 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago)
The UW Pesticide Applicator Training Program has created multiple formats for private applicator trainings to address increased training demand.
A private applicator is someone that applies restricted use pesticides to produce an agricultural commodity on their own property or the property owned or rented by an employer. Examples of agricultural commodities are grain and forage crops, fruit crops or horticulture products. A restricted use pesticide can be identified by checking the label of the product you wish to use.
A Private Applicator Certification is valid for 5 years. There are three steps toward certification: purchasing the training manual, training and taking the test.
Info here.

2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum
2022-01-25 10:00 - 16:00
2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum Presentations
Paul Mitchell – Farm Income Situation & Outlook – PDF – Video
John Heinberg – Grain Situation & Outlook – PDF – Video
Tamas Houlihan – Specialty Crops Situation & Outlook – PDF – Video
Mark Stephenson – Dairy Situation & Outlook – PDF – Video
Brenda Boetel – Livestock and Meat Situation & Outlook – PDF – Video
Chris Kucharik – Agriculture, Nitrogen, and Water Quality in Wisconsin – PDF – Video
Matt Ruark – Water Quality Lessons Learned from Discovery Farms – PDF – Video
John Exo – Extension’s Contributions to Improving Water Quality – PDF – Video
Mike Tiboris – Water Quality Efforts: River Alliance of Wisconsin – PDF – Video
Jeff Endres – Water Quality Efforts: Endres Berryridge Farms and Yahara Pride Farms – PDF – Video
Jeremie Pavelski – Water Quality Efforts: Heartland Farms – PDF – Video
Info here.

Basics of Timber Basis: Re(setting) the Table
2022-01-25 12:00 - 13:00
Join this webinar to learn more about one of the most important financial aspects of timber management that often goes unnoticed or underappreciated. Timber basis is how much you have invested in the timber, and it is used to determine net taxable income. It can be applied to reduce taxable income, financial losses after a storm and more.
Info here.

Evaluating Air Quality Resource Concerns
2022-01-25 13:00 - 14:00
Join us as we discuss how to identify air quality resource concerns and effective mitigation strategies to address observed air quality resource concerns.
During this webinar, air quality resource concerns and resource concern components will be highlighted. The NRCS air quality resource concerns can be broadly categorized as particulate matter (such as dust or smoke) and gases that create particles in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases, odors, airborne reactive nitrogen, and ozone precursors (gases that form smog). These emissions can be produced by common agricultural sources, such as livestock and their activity; tillage, harvesting, and other field operations; irrigation engines and other combustion devices; nitrogen fertilizer use; and others. There will be an overview of the air quality resource concerns and their components, discussion of how to evaluate each component to determine if a resource concern exists, identification of the conservation practices available for addressing each resource concern component, and strategies for ensuring that air quality resource concerns are adequately addressed.
Info here.

The Monarch Migrating Mural Project
2022-01-25 13:00 - 14:00
Jane will discuss her ongoing Monarch Migrating Mural campaign, a series of public installations that highlight monarchs along their migration corridors, and the habitat conservation actions the campaign has inspired.
Info here.

Diving Into Dairy Data Projects
2022-01-25 13:00 - 14:30
Brief overview of the Dairy Brain project-a software being developed to provide status of their operation and herd health; Dairy Farm Data Ecosystems- a description of the value of data on farms and the Data Money Extension project past experiences. Some examples of applications and demonstrations will be included.
Info here.

Social Media Training for Farmers
2022-01-25 15:00 - 17:00
Using social media can be a valuable and cost effective way to drive business for your farm—join this workshop to pick up some communications tips and have an opportunity to ask questions regarding your farm’s online presence. During this workshop, Bilal Sarwari will invite you to consider general guidelines when building out your farm’s social media presence while prioritizing your time and emotional health. Bilal is an advocate for farmers and ranchers who believes in centering human health in agriculture. He has worked as a therapeutic gardener at a psychiatric health clinic, an organic vegetable farmer in the Deep South, and a communications manager for an agricultural nonprofit.
Info here.

Northern Soil Compaction Conference
2022-01-26 - 2022-01-27
Every operation on agricultural fields has the risk to cause compaction and drag down your yields and profit. Making each pass work for you is essential for maximizing your crop productivity year after year.
Join us at the Northern Soil Compaction Conference on January 26-27, 2022 for the latest in technical advice for alleviating your current compaction, building proven strategies to minimize your risk in the future, and the benefits you can expect.
A total of 5.5 CEUs will be available for Certified Crop Advisors (4.5 SW and 1 NM).
Info here.

Focus on Forage
2022-01-26 12:30 - 13:30
This three-webinar series begins January 26th with presentations running from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. All webinars are free and registrations are collected on Extension’s Farm Ready Research site.
Flyer here.
Info here.

Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Webinar Series
2022-02-01 12:00 - 14:30
You are invited to attend the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Webinar Series – a five-part webinar series on assessing and enhancing coastal wetland resilience between February 1 and March 2, 2022. The webinars will be held virtually via Zoom.
Please register for each session separately by clicking the registration links to secure a spot or send a quick note to Sharon.Lam@trca.ca to register for all five webinars.

Session 1: Climate Change in the Great Lakes Basin and Coastal Wetland Response Modelling
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 (1:00-3:30 EST) Registration Link
Session 2: Assessing Coastal Wetland Sensitivity, Adaptive Capacity, and Climate Change Vulnerability
Thursday, February 3, 2022 (1:00-3:30 EST) Registration Link
Session 3: Solutions to Enhance Coastal Wetland Resilience (Pt. 1) – Reducing Non-climatic Stressors, Enhancing Adaptive Capacity, and Protecting Littoral Cell Geodiversity and Barrier Landforms
Tuesday, February 15, 2022 (1:00-3:30 EST) Registration Link
Session 4: Solutions to Enhance Coastal Wetland Resilience (Pt. 2) – Coping with Lake Level Extremes, Managing Diked Wetlands, and Restoring Biodiversity
Thursday, February 17, 2022 (1:00-3:30 EST) Registration Link
Session 5: Solutions to Enhance Coastal Wetland Resilience (Pt. 3) – Identifying Climate Refugia, Advancing Wetland Conservation and Protection, and Climate Adaptation Funding Opportunities
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 (1:00-3:30 EST) Registration Link

2022 Organic Vegetable Production Conference
2022-02-03
This producer-initiated conference is designed for advanced growers and attracts participants from throughout the Midwest and beyond. Participants who register by January 3 will receive a conference packet with handouts and swag through the mail BEFORE the conference. Those who register after January 3 may receive the packet before or AFTER the conference. All sessions will be over Zoom.
View the conference video trailer.
More info here.

Public Meetings on the Proposed Changes to Agricultural Water Requirements in the Produce Safety Rule
2022-02-07
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be holding two virtual public meetings on the recently released proposed rule “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water.” The purpose of the public meetings is to discuss the proposed rule, which was issued under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. These public meetings are intended to facilitate and support the public’s evaluation and commenting process on the proposed rule.
The public meetings will be held according to the schedule below. The times for each meeting have been adjusted to provide persons in different regions of the country an opportunity to comment.
Info here.

Manure Management & Greenhouse Gases: Focus on reducing manure emissions with "Cover+Flare"
2022-02-08 08:00 - 10:00
LEARN: how farms can help reduce methane (CH4) in livestock manure systems– by installing a cover and flare on liquid manure storage systems (and destroying the methane – a potent GHG).
Info here.

Keeping More of Your Timber Income Following a Timber Sale
2022-02-08 12:00 - 13:00
Learn about one of the top ways forest landowners save taxes—receiving capital gain treatment on timber sales. A landowner may only sell their timber a few times in their life but understanding how to maximize profit and minimize taxes when harvesting takes some thought. Join this presentation for a detailed discussion of how to qualify for capital gain treatment under IRC 631(a) & (b), recordkeeping tips, and proper tax reporting. Tax treatments of cost-sharing payments will also be covered briefly.
Info here.

Silage Quality--From Pricing to Feeding Behavior
2022-02-08 13:00 - 14:30
When corn silage sells, the grower and dairy producer each assign values based on different goals. Both like the agreement to be simple and understandable. Have we based these agreements too much on the grain value in the past? Where does fiber digestibility fit into value calculations?
Forage quality goes beyond intake and production, and also modulates feeding behavior patterns. The rest of the presentation will share recent research updates on this topic and connect forage, feedbunk management and animal response.
Info here.

Why Soil Health Matters
2022-02-08 18:00 - 19:30
Join NCAT’s Felicia Bell and Mississippi farmer Jody Reyer for this virtual workshop. Jody will share ways he has improved the health of his soil through livestock management. Jody raises Piney Woods Cattle and utilizes rotational grazing to build soil health profitably. Hear from Jody why soil health is so important to his operation, and learn the wisdom he has gained from years of on-the-ground experience.
Info here.

Conversations About Conservation: Purple loosestrife bio-control
2022-02-08 18:30 - 19:30
The Upper Sugar River Watershed Association is involved in purple loosestrife control efforts. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has developed a program to engage citizens in this work, especially through rearing and releasing biological control insects. Conservationists have found this project to be a practical undertaking for communities and the basis for more effective teaching about plants, insects, invasive species, and wetland ecology. The project supplies a crucial step in turning the tide of an invasive while engaging environmentally active citizens.
Info here.

The Botany of Beverages
2022-02-08 18:30 - 2022-02-09 19:30
Plants and plant products are the basis for most of the beverages we drink. In “The Botany of Beverages,” Dr. Christopher Tyrrell (Milwaukee Public Museum) will share with us some of the ups and downs of why we wet our whistles with this plant gunk. So come imbibe some knowledge of familiar and not-so-familiar drinks and the botany within them.
Info here.

SRW - Strategic and cost-effective mineral nutrition in sheep
2022-02-08 19:30 - 20:30
Dr. Whit Stewart, Assistant Professor and Extension Sheep Specialist for the University of Wyoming, will discuss the factors that help producers achieve more returns from their mineral nutrition program. Accounting for seasonal changes in mineral content of basal diets, changes in requirements across stages of production (maintenance to lactation), and breed differences in mineral requirements can help us fine-tune the money spent on a mineral program. Additional management factors such as reducing variable consumption and using soil geochemistry in your region to help overcome deficiencies will also be discussed. Time for questions and answers will be provided.
Info here.

Organic Grain Conference
2022-02-09 - 2022-02-10
Shifting markets… Changing consumer preferences… Increased input prices… Unpredictable weather… What’s next?
Every hurdle encountered offers an opportunity. Join us as we explore challenges and opportunities across the organic grain value chain.
Info here.

NASECA Annual Conference & Trade Show
2022-02-09 - 2022-02-10
Each year, NASECA-WI hosts the state’s largest event focused solely on erosion control and stormwater management. NASECA-WI strives to offer topics that enhance attendees professional development including a mix of regulatory topics, best management practices, project reviews, and other industry information.
Info here.

2022 INDUSTRIAL HEMP FORUM
2022-02-09 09:00 - 12:00
Forum topics include updates on the MDA’s hemp licensing requirements, the new inspection requirements for those processing hemp into other products, and opportunities in fiber production.
Info here.

Soil Health Expo
2022-02-09 10:00 - 11:00
Registration for the Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil – Healthy Water Group’s 6th Annual Soil Health Expo is open! Please see the attached flyer for more information on the event. We will have Gabe Brown, soil health guru and farmer from North Dakota along with Dr. Rodrigo Werle from UW-Extension discussing how to make soil health practices a success on your farm. That along with some testimonies from local farmers and the successes they have had with cover crops and reduced tillage. Topics will include the benefits of soil health, using cover crops as a way to suppress weeds, as well as hearing how local farmers have found success with soil health on their farms.
Info here.

Winter Manure Application and Water Quality
2022-02-09 14:00 - 15:00
While winter manure application can be beneficial for producers from a logistical, financial, and soil compaction standpoint, it has traditionally been discouraged due to concerns over runoff during spring thaws. Are there ways to spread manure in the winter months without jeopardizing water quality? Tune into the next edition of The Current Webinar Series as experts from across the region dive into the topic and discuss their research on the water quality impacts and winter manure application.
Info here.

Growth Stages of Mid-Atlantic Grain Crops
2022-02-09 16:30 - 17:30
Grain crops in the Mid-Atlantic include corn, small grains, sorghum, and soybeans. The correct identification of their growth stages is important when scouting for disease, insect, and fertility issues. There is enough overlap in terminology and growth to quickly become an expert.
Info here.

Organic Confluences Conference: Equity and Access in AgTech
2022-02-10
The conferences will examine potential opportunities for technology to support the organic sector, pitfalls when it comes to access and equity in AgTech, historical and current examples of AgTech exacerbating the pre-existing structures of racism in the food system, and methods for analyzing AgTech’s fit within organic ideals.
Info here.

Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants Annual Workshop
2022-02-10
The Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grants Annual Workshop is for Producer-Led grant recipients throughout the state to network, brainstorm, share success stories and learn from each other on what works and hasn’t in their watershed projects. This year, we will highlight topics including the financials of soil health systems and examples of conservation partnerships, in addition to an organized brainstorming and listening session.
Info here.

Smart Salting for WI Roads Workshop
2022-02-10 07:30 - 12:30
Free training for winter maintenance professionals who remove snow, apply road salt or maintain snow removal equipment used on roads.
Learn how using the right amount of salt can save time, budget and our waters.
The training will include: best management practices to keep paved areas safe, benefits of using a liquid salt system, guidance on how to determine the right amount of salt to use, and case studies from local applicators.
Info here.

Hedging Your Biochar Bet: Pairing Biochar Properties with Soil Deficiencies to Improve Agronomic Outcomes
2022-02-10 10:00 - 11:00
The US Forest Service in partnership with the US Biochar Initiative and the Southern Regional Extension Forestry will be presenting its next monthly Biochar Webinar titled: “Hedging Your Biochar Bet: Pairing Biochar Properties with Soil Deficiencies to Improve Agronomic Outcomes”.
Info here.

Top 10 Lessons about Soil Fertility
2022-02-10 10:00 - 11:00
One of the major challenges for the 2022 crop season is the higher cost and limited availability of commercial fertilizers. Many producers are looking at new and different ways to feed their crops while managing input costs, including the role of soil biology in managing fertility.
To learn more about the practical links between soil fertility and biology, join No-Till Farmer along with Midwest Bio-Tech’s Doug Miller for a free webinar.
Some of the most common questions Miller will answer regarding fertility efficiency and the role soil biology plays include:

How much nutrients can my soil microbes convert for use by my crop?
What if 2022 is a wet or dry year?
How quickly can I improve my soil health to enhance fertility?
What is the role of residue decay and organic matter?

Info here
