The Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service reported that there were 28 percent fewer dairy farms in the state last year compared with just five years ago. Wisconsin 4-H dairy youth project participant numbers declined by almost 38 percent over that period. 4-H project leaders have identified managerial or leased animal projects as one way to increase youth involvement in the 4-H dairy project. To encourage managerial dairy projects, Wisconsin 4-H has released an updated Dairy Managerial Project Agreement, which spells out the responsibilities of those involved in the lease and manages the liability issues related to the agreement.

The Discovery Farms Program is pleased to announce a new addition to its Pigeon Falls staff. Kevan Klingberg has been hired to coordinate the Discovery Farms Agricultural Training Program.

The UW-Madison dairy judging team was second high team overall, with 2,443 points, at the 81st National Collegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held Oct. 2 at World Dairy Expo in Madison.

Agricultural lands do more than produce crops – they help to raise families, provide wildlife habitat, create small-business opportunities and jobs, support rural economies, and provide natural beauty that draws visitors to Wisconsin.

Even if industrial hemp production became legal, few U.S. farmers would find the crop profitable, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

If you’d like to enroll in the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy Farmers but can’t make it to Madison, consider attending over the internet through the school’s distance education option.

A team of dairy cattle judges from the University of Wisconsin-Madison took first place at the Accelerated Genetics 8th Annual Midwest Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, Sept. 16 at Viroqua, Wis. The Badger judges, all students at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, won the contest and had the high individual scorer for the second year in a row.

Craig Grau, a plant pathologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducts research on managing soybean diseases. He said he wasn’t looking for any relationships between soil pH and soybean cyst nematode or brown stem rot.

Herbert F. Behnke of Shawano, Roger and Bill Borgwardt of Valders, Guy Gottschalk of Wisconsin Rapids, and Lloyd A. Holterman of Watertown will receive Honorary Recognition awards Nov. 1 from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Members of the Agriculture Task Force are to be congratulated for identifying many of the challenges facing Wisconsin agriculture, and for suggesting practical ways to address those challenges.