Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We refer producers and homeowners to this page that they may quickly find the information they need without having to come into the office.

How much to charge or pay for custom harvesting?

Iowa Custom Rate Survey 2007. Go to that publication

Wisconsin's Farm Equipment Custom Rate Guide 2007. Go to that publication

These publications summarize rates paid by farmers for custom work. The figures are based on reports by: farmers who hire custom work, custom operators who perform work, and machinery dealers who rent out equipment. Available in pdf format.

How much does my silo hold?

One of the most common dairy farmer questions I get during harvest time is, what are the capacities of upright silos? U of MN Extension has a comprehensive bulletin that answers these capacity questions and more. Go to that publication.

Wisconsin hay prices vary greatly from year to year based on supply and demand. Years with wide spread drought cause hay prices to escalate dramatically. Regardless of what a bale of average quality hay goes for, as the quality goes up so does what livestock producers are willing to pay for it. In general, for every point in Relative Feed Value (RFV) above 100 the prices goes up around $0.95. In other words, if an RFV of 100 hay is going for $70 per ton, an RFV of 140 hay would likely command a price of $110 per ton. A paper written by Extension Dairy Specialist Roger Palmer explains this and other things to consider in establishing a price for forages. For Dr Palmer's paper>>>

Anyone who keeps, houses, or co-mingles livestock must register their premise by January 1, 2006, for facilities not licensed by DATCP or by your license renewal date in 2006 for livestock and related  facilities licensed by DATCP. This is one of the first steps in developing a livestock identification system that will allow for the tracing of all animals and premises potentially exposed to a foreign animal disease within 48 hours to ensure rapid containment of the disease and protect U.S. animal health. The Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) is a multi-species effort led by Wisconsin’s livestock and industry organizations in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, the Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Wisconsin (UW) Extension. DATCP is implementing the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in Wisconsin . The System incorporates the USAIP and its three major steps: Premises Registration, Animal Identification, and Animal Tracking. DATCP Premises Registration

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