Wisconsin's runoff risk advisory forecast shows what parts of the state are at high risk over the next three to 10 days for runoff based on rainfall, snowmelt, soil conditions, temperatures and weather forecasts. The forecasts are updated three times a day by the National Weather Service.

"With our new runoff risk advisory forecast, farmers don’t have to guess how risky it is to spread manure,” says Jim VandenBrook, water quality section chief for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The forecast is part of the Wisconsin Manure Management Advisory System that state and federal agricultural and natural resource agencies and the University of Wisconsin have put in place to help Wisconsin farmers know when conditions are right to spread manure on their land. The advisory available on the web at http://www.manureadvisorysystem.wi.gov and also can be easily reached by searching online for "manure advisory system." 

“By checking the forecast, farmers will know when conditions are right to spread manure so that it stays on the fields and fertilizes the soil instead of risking pollution of streams and groundwater," VandenBrook says.

Public service announcements promote runoff risk advisory forecast

Public service announcements promoting the runoff risk advisory are being sent to radio stations across the state this week, and will be aired on agricultural programming on several stations starting next week, according to Tom Bauman, Department of Natural Resources agricultural runoff coordinator.

"We think this is a valuable tool to help farmers protect their bottom line and Wisconsin waters," Bauman says. "This ensures that runoff warnings are based on the latest information about conditions on the ground, not what the calendar says they might be."

The risk advisory also contains recommendations if farmers cannot avoid spreading manure on days when the risk of runoff is high, and links to a DNR video showing precautions farmers can take if they must spread, including finding lower-risk fields, and how to respond if a manure spill or runoff does occur. 

The runoff risk advisory joins the nutrient application restriction maps featured on the Wisconsin Manure Management Advisory System for several years. The restriction maps help farmers develop nutrient management plans that guide where, when and how much manure can be spread. Following such plans can avoid long-term phosphorus build-up in soils, reduce the chances of nitrogen leaching into groundwater, and cut the risk of winter spreading on fields where it should be avoided, VandenBrook says.

The mapping website is a joint project of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Weather Service River Forecasting Center; U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service; University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Soil Science Department; Discovery Farms; UW-Platteville and its Pioneer Farm; and U.S. Geological Survey.

At a time when more and more farmers are turning to grazing, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has announced the availability of competitive grants to support grazing technical assistance and education to farmers. According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, 22% of all dairy farmers and 42% of all beef farmers use management intensive grazing on their operations.

“The education and technical assistance provided by these grants will strengthen Wisconsin’s grazing industry by helping famers to be more profitable,” said Mike Powers, Administrator of the Agricultural Development Division. “When using management intensive grazing effectively, farmers can feed high-quality forages to their livestock while reducing today’s high input costs.”

Grazing grants are provided through the Wisconsin Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, which aims to expand the use of profitable, grazing-based livestock production systems that foster environmental stewardship. Eligible applicants for these grants include county, state and federal agriculture and natural resources agencies; colleges and universities; non-profit organizations; grazing networks; and farmers.

Education grants support the activities of networks, organizations and agencies to educate farmers and consumers about the economic, environmental and social benefits of grazing. Technical assistance grants provide funds for grazing specialists to work one-one-one with farmers to develop their grazing systems.

“Previous recipients of education project grants directly served an estimated 42,430 farmers by hosting 181 pasture walks and holding 174 meetings, conferences or workshops. Our technical service providers wrote and revised 427 grazing plans for individual farmers, managing 25,270 acres of high-quality acreage.” said Laura Paine, DATCP’s Organic and Grazing Specialist. “I encourage applicants to review the grazing grant materials to create strong proposals that will build on these successes.”

Applications for the technical assistance and education grazing grants must be postmarked by April 23, 2012. Projects will be selected through a competitive process dependent on final state and federal funding levels.

Grant application materials can be found at http://datcp.wi.gov/Farms/Grazing/Grazing_Grants. For more information, contact Paine at 608-224-5120 or laura.paine@wi.gov. You can also connect with DATCP on Twitter at twitter.com/widatcp or Facebook at facebook.com/widatcp.

SB 410 helps improve the efficiently of applying manure. Specifically, it allows vehicles or vehicle combinations transporting manure to or from a farm to exceed weight limits by not more than 15 percent from September 1 to December 31 annually. This exemption is similar to the agricultural crop exemption that allows vehicles to exceed weight limits by not more than 15 percent for harvesting purposes during the same time frame.

“During the fall of 2011 there was increased enforcement of road weight limits in certain parts of the state,” explained Paul Zimmerman, WFBF’s Executive Director of Governmental Relations. “Several farmers and custom manure haulers were cited for being overweight when transporting manure from the farm to the fields for application.” 

“The Wisconsin Farm Bureau understands that there are still issues to be resolved regarding road weight limits and modern farm equipment, but this legislation is a step in the right direction,” Zimmerman added. “Farm Bureau is committed to working with local highway departments and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to resolve such issues regarding farm equipment.”

The Wisconsin Farm Bureau, along with the Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association and Wisconsin Pork Producers Association, encourage Governor Walker to sign SB 410 into law.

SB 410 passed both the State Senate and State Assembly on voice votes on Tuesday, February 21.

My Little Ag Me is a fun, scenario-based game that introduces young learners to careers in agriculture. The enhanced version offers users the chance to choose from more avatars for game play, as well as new careers for exploration.

Students select from 10 diverse career areas, as they discover what it might be like to be in an agriculturally related field such as farming, cattle ranching, or being an agricultural marketing designer. After answering enough questions, learners “Meet an Expert” as they click to listen to a fictional interview with a career leader. Students are then rewarded with a new stamp to add to their Passport for Sustainability – the tool that helps youth keep track of their journey through the various My American Farm online games.

The My American Farm educational gaming resource is a special project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. The site and resources are made possible through the generous support of title sponsor, Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business. To take advantage of the free My American Farm resources, games, and activities, visit www.myamericanfarm.org. 

The program proposes to aerially treat selected areas totaling approximately 203,000 acres in 22 counties that have been identified as having elevated or reproducing populations of gypsy moth, an invasive and destructive insect with an appetite for about 500 different species of trees and shrubs. Treatment will be conducted in the spring and summer to help control the insect’s spread.

“The gypsy moth is a serious pest that threatens our forests and urban trees, and it can have a negative impact on Wisconsin’s timber, paper, nursery and tourism industries,” said Randy Sthokal, the coordinator of the Slow the Spread Program.

The counties slated to receive some treatment are Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, Trempealeau and Vernon.

Attendees also will have the opportunity to speak with program staff, learn more about the program and the pest, and view maps of treatment areas.

The public meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Mineral Point: Monday, March 5, at the Mineral Point Fire Department, 214 Doty St., 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Altoona: Tuesday, March 6, at the Eau Claire County UW-Extension, 227 First St. W., Room 103, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Rice Lake: Wednesday, March 7, at the Rice Lake Public Library, 2 E. Marshall St., Friendship Room, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Superior: Thursday, March 8, at the Superior Public Library, 1530 Tower Ave., Meeting Room, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For more information, please e-mail gypsymoth@wisconsin.gov or call the toll-free gypsy moth informational hotline at 1-800-642-6684.

Russia jumped to the top of the list of importers in December, with 3,909 head, for a 2011 total of 8,993 head, the third-leading foreign customer for U.S. female dairy cattle last year.

The leading 2011 importer, Turkey, imported 2,192 U.S. dairy females in December, for a 2011 total of 49,998 head (68% of the U.S. total).

Mexico, the second-leading market for U.S. heifers, imported 574 head in December, for a 2011 total of 11,102 head,  Canada imported 272 head in December, for a 2011 total of 3,130, good for fourth on the annual list.

Source: Dairy Profit Weekly ]]> http://wfbf.com/ag-newswire/more-dairy-cow-exports-in-december/feed/ 0 http://wfbf.com/ag-newswire/amendment-to-transportation-bill-cuts-red-tape-for-farmers/ http://wfbf.com/ag-newswire/amendment-to-transportation-bill-cuts-red-tape-for-farmers/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:05:00 +0000 clangan http://wfbf.com/?p=8031 U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced a bipartisan amendment to the transportation bill on the Senate floor last week that would cut red tape for farmers and ranchers transporting their products. The amendment, co-sponsored by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), would allow farmers and ranchers who live near state borders to transport their products to the closest processing facility even if it may be in a neighboring state.

If current law is not changed, farmers crossing state borders would be subject to burdensome regulations such as vehicle inspections for every trip a farm vehicle takes, even if it is simply driving from the field to the barn; adhering to reporting requirements like hours of service rules, even though the farmer is driving an hour down the road to a mill; and obtaining medical certifications meant for commercial truck drivers.

American Farm Bureau Federation supports the amendment and is working to ensure its passage.

For more information, see the Merkley news release

The meeting will run 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Best Western Park Oasis Inn, W5641 Hwy. 82 East, Mauston. The meeting is free and there is no need to preregister. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration organized the meeting.

Beginning in July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens to take steps to prevent contamination by Salmonella enteritidis, or SE, which can cause human illness. This is the second phase of the new regulations; producers with 50,000 or more birds came under inspection in July 2011.

The requirements include biosecurity measures to prevent introduction of pathogens, as well as requirements for pest control, cleaning and disinfection, refrigeration, and overall SE prevention plans. Egg laying facilities have not previously been inspected, although egg packing facilities are inspected.

Gerardo Ramirez, representing the FDA, will discuss:

• Contents of the new rule
• Guidance documents
• What happens during an inspection
• What constitutes a "significant deviation"
• Potential outcomes of inspections
• Special requirements for organic producers

For more information about the meeting, producers can contact Terri Wenger, chief of grading, labeling and evaluation in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's Food Safety Division, 608.224.4714.