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VEGETABLE CROP UPDATES

Extension Implements Regional Agriculture Staffing Strategy

The University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension Agriculture Institute is moving to a structure of having regional educators across the state. Northeast Wisconsin is one of the first regions to implement this staffing strategy. Counties involved in this transition include Brown, Door and Kewaunee Counties. Regional educators will provide research-based education to dairy, and crop producers by assessing the needs of farmers across their region and designing and delivering educational programming and services to meet these needs.

Dairy and crop production are the largest agricultural industries in the state and Regional Educators in Brown, Door and Kewaunee Counties will offer specific expertise that can serve those industries across several counties. Regional Educators will:

Design and deliver educational meetings and field days in the counties they represent
Provide consultation on production challenges to farmers and agricultural consultants
Contribute to digital outreach opportunities on agricultural topics through email, websites, and social media
Collaborate with other educators and specialists across the state
Engage with Extension Committees on progress and planning

Door, Kewaunee, and Brown Counties will be served by a Regional Dairy Educator and Regional Crops Educator.

The Regional Dairy Educator is Aerica Bjurstrom who joined Extension in 2007. Bjurstrom has a lifetime of experience with dairy. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from UW-Madison with a major in Animal Science and a Master’s Degree from UW-La Crosse. Before joining Extension, Aerica held positions in the allied agriculture industry in sales and marketing. In her current role, she develops agriculture programming focusing on dairy herd health management. Contact information for Bjurstrom is Aerica.Bjurstrom@wisc.edu or 920.388.7138.

Krishna Bhandari is the Regional Crops Educator. He recently joined UW-Madison Division of Extension. He has a PhD in Plant and Soil Science from Texas Tech University, Master’s Degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management from the University of Georgia, and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Tribhunan University in Nepal. He recently served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and prior to this role, Bhandari was a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at Texas Tech University. His research focuses on alfalfa, cover crops, soil health, and pest management. Bhandari can be contacted at kbhandari3@wisc.edu or 608.381.2216.

Regional Educators Press Release

Extension Farm Management Friday webinars

Join University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension’s Farm Management Fridays webinars to learn about tools and strategies to build your farm business, and how to develop skills that cultivate a sense of peace and well-being.

Farm Management Fridays webinars are a part of Extension’s Farm Ready Research winter programming for farmers and ag professionals to improve business profitability and lifestyles through informed decision-making. There is no charge to participate in the sessions, but pre-registration is required to allow access to the session. Register online at go.wisc.edu/FarmReadyResearch.

PRIVATE PESTICIDE APPLICATOR CERTIFICATION

Intended for persons requiring certification or re-certification in order to apply restricted-use pesticides. A private applicator is a person applying pesticides to produce an agricultural product (including forestry, nursery or greenhouse) on land owned or rented by the person or the person’s employer. Required for private applicators who apply restricted use pesticides. Examples of private applicators include a farmer applying pesticides to his crops on his owned or rented land or an employee of that farmer doing the same; greenhouse or nursery workers making pesticide applications on the land or in the greenhouses of their employer.

Manuals may be purchased online at the UW PAT Store: https://patstore.wisc.edu/secure/default.asp Under Private Applicator, select “General Farming 100/101”. The Door County office is out of manuals.

Pesticide Applicator Training Options:

COMPUTER TRAINING COURSE (approx. 4-hour training): Purchase a manual from the Door County Office or the UW PAT store. https://patstore.wisc.edu/secure/default.asp … under Private Applicator, select “General Farming 100/101”. Participants only need a 50% passing grade. This training is free of charge for those that have purchased the PAT manual from either the UW PAT store or from the Door County Extension office. (Please note: this is for online training only, it does not include the exam. Please contact the Extension office to schedule an exam time after attending the on-line training. You will need to print your Completion Receipt and bring it to your exam.) NOTE: You will have 7 days from the start of this training course to complete the training once you start.
SELF-STUDY: Purchase a manual on-line at the UW PAT Store. Each person being trained must purchase a manual. You then study the manual; when you are ready, contact the Extension office to schedule a date and time to take the test. You must get a 70% passing grade with this option. The Door County office is out of manuals.

Remember … After completing the on-line training or self-study, you must TEST IN-PERSON at the Door County Extension office. You must call ahead to schedule a time to take the test! With a passing grade, you will receive a 5-year certification.

What to bring on test day:

Wisconsin requires that any person taking a certification exam must provide positive identification (a driver’s license) and know their social security number. Other acceptable forms of ID are: a photo ID, a Birth Certificate plus another form of ID, and your Social Security Number.
Your manual (8^th edition) with the registration form in the front of the book (will be collected on the day of your test). If you have a “Completion Receipt” from the on-line training, bring that, also.
A pocket calculator for the exam, if you think you will need one. Cell phones are not allowed during testing!
If you have questions, please call the Extension Door County office at 920-746-2260.

RENTING FARM ASSETS

FREE fillable rental arrangement forms for your farm. Written, reviewed, and edited by members of the North Central Farm Management Extension Committee (NCFMEC).

2020 Door-Kewaunee Land Rent Survey Fact Sheet

Custom Rate Guide

PROGRAMS / EVENTS:

Five Minute Farm Focus videos

The Five Minute Farm Focus series is a collection of videos recorded at local farms in northeast Wisconsin. Dairy farms are a complex network of management decisions that involve multiple people, tools, and practices. The videos focus on one management aspect of a farm that improves the health and well-being of the dairy herd. Each video is approximately five to six minutes long, but they vary in length. The inaugural video features socially stable calving pens at Junion Homestead Farm near Casco. Click the link below to watch the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq1SBKDx_EQ

Link to other videos on the Kewaunee Extension Agriculture website

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WINTER VENTILATION FOR CALVES

Take a look at calf housing to determine what calves need to stay healthy during cold weather months. Read more.

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Mastitis Management: Don’t Forget Your Heifers!

Dairy heifers represent a major investment in a dairy herd’s future genetics, production, and financial welfare. Prevention and treatment of mastitis in all ages of heifers is crucial to your farm’s future profitability. Many times, heifers are forgotten on the farm. They live away from the main farm where they are not cleaned and bedded as often as the milking herd. This can cause huge mastitis issues when they become a productive member of the milking string. Read more.

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Agriculture Works Hard for Door County Read more …

Publications — The Learning Store website

SMALL FARM FACT SHEETS more information …

Farming News from Around Wisconsin

STAFF

If you have any questions regarding Agriculture, Dairy, Soils and Crops in Door County, please contact:

Aerica Bjurstrom
Dairy Educator – Regional (Brown, Door, Kewaunee)
Office located in Kewaunee County – (920) 388-7138
aerica.bjurstrom@wisc.edu

Krishna Bhandari
Crops & Soils Educator – Regional (Brown, Door, Kewaunee)
Office located in Brown County – (920) 391-4610 / (608) 381-2216
kbhandari3@wisc.edu