Wisconsin
A U.S.-Mexico cultural exchange of sorts for Wisconsin farmer and his workers
For dairy farmer John Rosenow, diversity in his hometown of Cochrane, Wis., near the Mississippi River "was whether you were Polish or Norwegian." Rosenow resisted hiring foreign workers but eventually ran out of options and began hiring workers from Mexico, says Marketplace. The story describes how Rosenow ended up making nine trips to coastal Veracuz "to better understand the language and culture of his workers."
Race for DNC chair runs through rural Wisconsin
Former labor secretary Tom Perez went to Hayward, a community of 2,300 people in northern Wisconsin, for a listening session as part of his campaign to become Democratic national chairman. "One of the reasons we lost in places like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania is we're not speaking to rural voters," Perez told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, naming three states that were key to election of President Trump.
Organic sales surge by 13 percent; number of organic farms rises modestly
Certified organic farms sold $6.2 billion worth of organic products in 2015, a 13 percent increase from the previous year, according to a USDA report on the small yet burgeoning industry. The survey found 12,818 certified organic farms, a modest increase from 12,595 farms in 2014.
In dairy, it’s a race for No. 3
Wisconsin is "America's Dairyland" — it says so on the state license plates, although California became the largest milk-producing state years ago. And now, Idaho and New York State are vying for third place, says Ag Day TV.
Drug tests for food stamps? Not fair, says Vilsack
Two days after President Obama requested $1.1 billion to combat heroin and prescription drug abuse, a senior House appropriator suggested USDA should allow drug testing of food stamp recipients.
Rice, normally tropical, gets a field trial in Wisconsin
Michael Schläppi, a molecular biologist at Marquette University, "is experimenting with growing rice in the Midwest," says the NPR blog The Salt.
Dairy farmers fret as milk prices fall
Wisconsin dairy farmer Charlie Jones says milk prices have fallen by 30 percent this year, putting farmers like him in a bind.
Plan for biggest hog farm in Wisconsin draws criticism
An Iowa company wants to build the largest hog farm in Wisconsin, which also would be the first megafarm in the Lake Superior basin, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Minnesota declares emergency due to bird-flu outbreaks
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton declared a state of emergency because of avian influenza that has hit nearly four dozen poultry farms in the state and resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of turkeys, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "It also has hit the first Minnesota chicken farm," J&A Farms, near Detroit Lakes, which has 300,000 egg-laying hens. Owner Amon Baer said federal compensation for the loss of the flock will not cover the expense of cleaning and disinfecting the laying houses.
U.S. bird flu losses leap to 8 million birds with Iowa outbreak
Highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in an egg farm with 5.3 million laying hens in northwestern Iowa, said the USDA. It was the largest outbreak yet in the United States and tripled the number of birds killed by the disease or destroyed to prevent its spread. Until the Iowa case, the USDA listed total losses from 53 other cases at 2.7 million birds, mostly turkeys. The Iowa Agriculture Department said state officials quarantined the farm in Osceola County, "and birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease."
Corn and soybean harvests enter final stages
Only a fraction of the corn and soybean crops are still in the field, says the weekly Crop Progress report. It says 89 percent of corn and 94 percent of soybeans have been harvested.