COMING EVENTS!!
Current Issue of Iowa County Ag Newsletter Spring 2009
Current Pasture Walk Schedule Schedule 2009
2009 Scissor Clip Results
Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy & Livestock Farmers Distance Ed Site At UW Platteville (brochure)
Interested in getting started in the dairy or livestock business? A great place to get started is in the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers (http://www.cias.wisc.edu/dairysch.html). The School is offered through the Farm and Industry Short Course of the UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences. Since the School began in 1995, over 80% of its graduates are currently dairy or livestock farming. Since not everyone can spend 15 weeks on the UW-Madison campus, the course is also offered around the state using distance education technologies. This year UW Platteville and UW Extension will join six other Wisconsin sites as local hosts to the School. The Platteville class will be held at the Pioneer Farm Cooper Living & Learning Center, 29510 College Farm Rd.
Real-time speaker PowerPoint presentations and live audio connections join the off-campus students with the classroom in Madison. Each distance site will also have local instructors and guest speakers: successful farmers, grazing specialists, farm business lenders, and area graduates of the School. The 15 week course begins on November 13, and will meet once a week on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. (except for Thanksgiving week when class is on Tuesday, November 25) through December 18. Following a holiday break, the course continues on Thursdays from January 22 and through March 26, 2009.
The curriculum covers a variety of topics from farm selection, design and remodeling to animal and grass management to business planning. Tuition and fees will vary by site and enrollment option. Students taking all 15 weeks will receive a certificate of completion; in addition, the course may be taken for 1–3 credits through either UW-Madison or the local host educational institution. Those who choose to do so also pay the per-credit fee charged by that institution. Application deadline is November 1st. Space is limited, so please apply early. For those interested in taking the course in Platteville, please contact Gretchen Kamps at 608-342-1371; email: kampsg@uwplatt.edu for more information.
Organic Farming Workshop to be Held in Platteville
An organic farming workshop will be conducted by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) on Monday, November 10 in Platteville, Wisconsin. The workshop will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Mound City Bank and will focus on organic production practices, organic certification and various new government programs funded in the 2008 farm bill. The workshop is free.
MOSES works in partnership with organizations, businesses and government agencies to help host its organic trainings and workshops. These sessions run from 1:00 to 4:00 pm and are for all farmers who are interested in organic and sustainable farming practices. Free organic resources and materials will be available and snacks will be provided. Attendance is free.
To pre-register and for directions to the AmericInn of Wabasha or the Mound City Bank, call or email Jessica Tupa in the MOSES office at 715-772-3153 or jessica@mosesorganic.org. For more information, you can also go to the MOSES web site at www.mosesorganic.org and click on the calendar of events.
Silo Filling Season: Be Safe! (fact sheet)
As the busy fall harvest season begins to gear up, now is a good time to be reminded of safety concerns relating to silage gases. Check out this factsheet that summarizes the concerns and provides safety tips.
Farmer to Farmer Website Links Buyers and Sellers (Brochure)
Livestock producers may find themselves with extra corn, corn silage, or hay for sale; while others may be looking to purchase additional feed. To facilitate the local marketing of feed commodities, UW-Extension has developed a website where growers facing shortages can find growers who have excess feed to sell. The website is http://farmertofarmer.uwex.edu .
The Farmer to Farmer Corn and Forage List is free of charge for both buyers and sellers. Users can search for high moisture corn, corn grain, corn silage, haylage or hay. Buyers and sellers can search in just one county or in any number of counties at once.
New in 2008 is a separate link for horse owners looking to buy and sell hay. Click on the “Want Horse Feed” link. This site provides a market for hay producers that grow hay for horses. Horse hay buyers and sellers can search for hay in small squares, big round bales, or big square bales. They can also search for alfalfa/grass mix, all grass, or all alfalfa, depending on the needs of the buyer. Hay marketed at this site is for horse owners wishing to emphasis quality, color, and bale type.
CURRENT TOPICS!!
 Click on this "Extension Responds" logo to find more information related to this year's weather/flood disaster topics of interest to farmers across Wisconsin. Here are a few samples of information available on the "Extension Responds" website:
Dealing with Crop Insurance Issues Related to Weather Disasters
UW Grains Agriculture Economist Paul Mitchell has a number of fact sheets on various topics relating to crop insurance and current weather related issues for vegetables and field crops.
Pricing Standing Forage and Corn Silage--Use These Spreadsheet Tools!
Questions come up every year about how to price forages in the field. Check out these two new tools to help you make decisions on buying or selling standing forages and corn silage:
New Custom Rate Guide is Available (2007 guide)
The latest edition of the WI Custom Rates Guide is available and provides estimate for custom rates for various farming equipment and operations.
National Ag Library English/Spanish Thesaurus & Glossary (website)
Did you know that USDA has an agricultural thesaurus and glossary presented in English and Spanish as part of the National Agricultural Library? You can download these materials too. Check out their website!
Farmers' Health Cooperative of WI (brochure)
Farmers and businesses primarily serving agriculture are also invited to contact the Farmers Health Insurance Cooperative of WI for more information by calling (800) 539-9370 or visiting their website at www.farmershealthcooperative.com .
PROGRAM AREAS
Crop and Livestock
Production Practices
Environmental Stewardship and Land Use
Information for
Rural Landowners
- Rural Landowners Resources page
 The Iowa County Landowner's Reference Guide is a quick guide
to federal, state and county agencies that serve Iowa County.
(2 pages, 130 KB)- Partners in Rural Wisconsin Guide provides information to rural landowners on what its like to live in the country!
Rural land ownership has its own unique responsibilities that require the partnership of adjoining landowners and farmers. This guide is intended to help build positive relationships between farmers and non-farm neighbors by providing information about the realities of agriculture and issues related to rural landownership.
RELATED AREAS OF INTEREST
MISSION
To provide research-based information and educational programs to assist farmers in pursuit of: business, production, quality of life, and stewardship goals.
STAFF
If you have
any questions regarding Agriculture in Iowa County, please contact:
Gene Schriefer
Iowa County - UW Extension
222 N Iowa St, Ste 1
Dodgeville, WI 53533
Phone: 608-935-0391
Fax: 608-930-1220
Email: Gene Schriefer@ces.uwex.edu
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