Milk markets may look a bit bleak this year, but that doesn”t seem to have dampened interest in the Wisconsin for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, says Dick Cates, the program”s director. The class will be offered at several new locations around the state this year.

“Students are full of optimism,” says Cates, who also raises and direct-markets grass-fed beef on his farm near Spring Green. “They don”t decide to farm based on prices of the moment. They know that prices go up and down. We didn”t see a spike in interest when milk was up to $20, and we don”t see a drop in interest now.”

Last year the 15-week course was held at six sites around the state as well as on the UW-Madison campus. This year it could be offered at up to 17 sites if there”s enough interest. While there may not be sufficient enrollment at every site (generally, three students per site is the minimum) Cates says that potential students should be able find a site within reasonable driving distance.

One reason that enrollment will likely climb this year is the WSBDF”s new contract to provide the business training required of participants in the Farm Services Agency”s beginning farmer loan programs. Such training has been available in the past through the Wisconsin Technical College System, but this is the first time it has been offered through the UW System.

The off-campus classrooms are designed for students who want start farming but aren”t able to attend class in Madison. Cates describes these classrooms as “high tech and high touch.” Each will have video and audio hookups so that students can participate in the weekly seminar based in Madison, but will also have on-site instructor and feature guest lectures by area grazing specialists, farm lenders and experienced farmers. Students also tour local farms and have opportunities for conferences and internships.

The curriculum will cover all aspects of business planning, from farm selection, design and remodeling to animal and pasture management. More than 80 percent of those who graduated from WSBDF since 1996 are now farming. Of those, about half started their own farm businesses.

The school is offered through the UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course. The 15-week course begins Nov. 12 and meets every Thursday from 11 a.m.-1:15 p.m. through March 18 (the class meets 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. Typically, a student taking the class at one of the off-campus sites pays between $200 and $300. Students can take the course for a certificate of completion, or for 1-3 credits through either UW-Madison or several Wisconsin Technical Colleges, paying the per-credit fee charged by that institution.

The deadline for applications for the distance sites is Nov. 5. Some scholarships are available. Those interested should contact the facilitator at one of these sites:

Antigo: Alex Crockford, UW-Extension, Langlade County, 715-627-6236, alex.crockford@ces.uwex.edu

Balsam Lake: Ryan Sterry, UW-Extension, Polk County, 715-485-8600; ryan.sterry@ces.uwex.edu

Chilton: Jeremy Hanson, Fox Valley Technical College @ Chilton Regional Center, 920- 849-4416; hanson@fvtc.edu or Greg Booher, Lakeshore Technical College, 920-693-1241; greg.booher@gotoltc.edu

Hayward: Otto Wiegand, UW-Extension, Washburn, Sawyer & Burnett Counties, 715- 635-3506; otto.wiegand@ces.uwex.edu

Independence: Mary Anderson, River Country RC&D, 715-538-4396 ext 33; mary.anderson@rcdnet.net

Jefferson: Peter Pitts, Town and Country RC&D, 920-541-3208, petergpitts@townandcountryrcd.org

Lancaster: Arin Crooks, Agricultural Research Station, 608-723-2580; aecrooks@wisc.edu

Neillsville: Maria Bendixen, UW-Extension, Clark County, 715-743-5121; maria.bendixen@ces.uwex.edu

Medford: Sandy Stuttgen, UW-Extension, Taylor County, 715-748-3327; sandy.stuttgen@ces.uwex.edu
Menomonie: Mark Denk, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 715-577-3036; mdenk1@cvtc.edu

Phillips: Mark Kopecky, UW-Extension Price County, 715-339-2555;
mark.kopecky@ces.uwex.edu

Prairie du Chien: Vance Haugen, UW Extension, Crawford County, 608-326-0223; vance.haugen@ces.uwex.edu

Reedsburg: Doug Marshall, MATC-Reedsburg, 608-524-7727; dmarshall@matcmadison.edu

Thorp: Brad Sirianni, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 715-579-5834;
bsirianni@cvtc.edu

Viroqua: Jean Stramel, Grazing Specialist, 608-647-8874 ext110; jean.stramel.wi.usda.gov

Waupaca: Lynn Jerrett, Fox Valley Technical College, 920-831-4387; jerrett@fvtc.edu

Wausau: Melissa Klein, Northcentral Technical College, 715-803-1671; klein@ntc.edu

To get application materials to attend the WSBDF on the Madison campus, or to get more information about any aspect of the program, go online to www.cias.wisc.edu/dairysch.html or call 608-265-6437.