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Field Notes

Field Notes

By: UW-Madison Extension
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Two regional crops educators with UW-Madison Extension in Wisconsin combining our skills, knowledge, and experience to help farmers and agronomists develop research-based solutions to issues facing agriculture in Wisconsin.



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UW-Madison Extension Art Cooking Food & Wine Science
Episodes
  • Sunflower Production in Wisconsin

    Sunflower Production in Wisconsin
    Jun 26 2025
    In years of low commodity prices, most farmers think about where they might be able to cut costs. Some might begin to think about alternative crops can fit into row crop production. Enter the sunflower. From birdseed, to oilseed, and just looking dang pretty, sunflower production in the state remains miniscule compared to corn, soy, and wheat, but new crops like it can help farmers diversify income streams and reduce risk. So how do we grow them anyways? To find out, we talk with two farmers who also happen to be researchers/educators, Sam Bibby, farmer in Trempeleau County and Regional Crops Educator with UW Madison Extension in La Crosse, Vernon, and Crawford counties and Ben Brockmueller, farmer in South Dakota and Research Technician with Dr. Erin Silva's lab at UW Madison.

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    33 mins
  • Avoiding Dockages and Pushing Yield with Wheat

    Avoiding Dockages and Pushing Yield with Wheat
    May 1 2025

    Before dairy, wheat was king in Wisconsin. Between 1840 and 1880, the state was largest wheat producer in United States, providing a full sixth of the nation's supply. Today, wheat is 5% of total grain crop (corn, soy, wheat) acres in the state. While there are benefits to having wheat in the rotation and a healthy local market for straw, a higher potential for dockages due to quality standards than corn or soy can be a deterrent for farmers. We talk with Charlie Hammer a farmer near Beaver Dam and independent crop consultant Bill Stangel of Soil Solutions Consulting about how they manage their significant wheat acreage in Dodge County to keep DON levels low and test weight high to meet grade and push yields.


    Photo taken by Richard Hurd and under creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

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    34 mins
  • Good Bugs and Planting Naked Seed

    Good Bugs and Planting Naked Seed
    Apr 4 2025
    Treated seed is the default for planted soybean (60-80%) and especially corn (close to 100%) acres across the US. While there are certainly advantages to some seed treatments, especially fungicidal treatments for early planted soybeans, others like insecticidal seed treatments can have a negative effect on the beneficial insects--aka good bugs--that prey on major pests in agricultural fields. Some farmers in a bid to save some money and help out the beneficials have gone back to planting naked seed. To break it all down with chat with Dane Elmquist, a conservation cropping specialist with UW-Madison Extension and big fan of arthropods, and Tom Ripp, a no-till and cover cropping grain farmer just outside of Black Earth, who plants naked soybeans.

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    37 mins
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