Wisconsin farms feature a lot of different crops and animals, but despite our diversity - it doesn't normally include reindeer. Reindeer, otherwise known as caribou, take center stage for a lot of stories during the holiday season. Ben Jarboe takes a fun adventure to find out more about what reindeer eat and need before their grand flight. He gets the details from Jeff Phillips, owner of Reindeer Games in Erin, Wisconsin. Phillips explains how the animals nutritional needs change from winter to summer, and how adapt they are to fit their conditions.

Winds have started to pick up around Wisconsin and that will be the story today. Stu Muck says wind chills will be part of the conversation today with improving temperatures into next week.

There's a lot of conversations happening about buy local and knowing your farmer. The Wisconsin Farmers Union committed to incorporating locally produced ingredients in their convention menu this year. Not an easy feat! Stephanie Hoff talks to Layne Cozzolino, director of special projects with the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

The organization chose to "put their money where their mouth is" by reinvesting their convention budget directly into the hands of the family farmers they represent. For its 95th annual convention, one Wisconsin organization decided to transform the standard hotel meal into a direct investment in its own membership. They fed 280 attendees seven meals each. The event successfully sourced 70 local ingredients from 40 farmer members. Rather than asking the hotel to change its entire menu, organizers worked with Chula Vista’s chefs to swap local ingredients—like beef, eggs, and cheese—into the resort’s existing recipes to make the transition easier for the kitchen staff. By using "procurement partners" (such as Organic Valley and the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative), the organization was able to aggregate products from many small farms into fewer deliveries, making large-scale local sourcing more efficient. Despite the convention taking place in December, the meals featured a wide variety of local products, including storage crops (potatoes and garlic), frozen roasted vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, and diverse dairy products. Seeing their farm names and logos on event signage and knowing their products were being served significantly boosted member morale.

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"The number one issue that whenever I talk to farmers has always been labor," says Tyler Wenzlaff, director of national affairs with Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. "We're not going to be able to survive if we do not have labor needs met."

Wenzlaff explains that the traditional model of family-run operations has been upended via economic pressure or lack of interest from younger generations. This has forced the industry to look toward comprehensive federal reform as the only path forward.

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The Wisconsin Farmers Union concluded its 95th annual convention, celebrating a year defined by both legislative hurdles and significant internal growth.

Executive Director Danielle Endvick, who took the helm in May, tells Mid-West Farm Report that despite a volatile federal and state landscape, the organization is "busting at the seams" with new energy.

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