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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For its 95th annual convention, one Wisconsin organization decided to transform the standard hotel meal into a direct investment in its own membership.

By partnering with Chula Vista Resort and several regional food hubs, the event successfully sourced 70 local ingredients, ranging from storage crops like garlic and potatoes to proteins and dairy, from 40 farmer members. With the products, staff fed 280 attendees seven meals each.

The initiative wasn’t just about the menu. It was about honoring the farmers in the room, says Layne Cozzolino, director of special projects.

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Unlike previous highly pathogenic strains seen in other regions, the specific variant at a Dodge County dairy farm appears to have a minimal impact on cattle health, according to a local veterinarian.

Dr. Monty Belmer is one of the partners at Waupun Veterinary Service. Being in Dodge County, where Wisconsin detected its first bird flu case in dairy cattle, they’re on alert. He explains to Mid-West Farm Report how day-to-day operations change for veterinary staff when there's a disease outbreak in proximity.

"Anytime there's a disease outbreak in the area, we go back and talk to our clients and make sure that their biosecurity protocols and procedures are enhanced," he says. "All of our clients do a really good job with biosecurity on their dairies anyway, but we just kind of step it up a notch to make sure that we are following all our procedures."

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It's a big day in Washington D.C for wolves. The House of Representatives will vote on the Pet and Livestock Protection Act. Ultimately, the decision will determine if the gray wolf will stay on the endangered species list. Fabulous Farm Babe Pam Jahnke and Wisconsin DNR Large Carnivore Specialist, Randy Johnson, discuss Wisconsin's wolf population data and movement patterns.

Ag meteorologist Stu Muck and Kiley Allan talk about the warmer temperatures we have been seeing. Temperatures will continue to swing in the upcoming week.

No two days as a veterinarian look the same. Dr. Monty Belmer, a local veterinarian explains the standard practices and the heightened precautions veterinarians take when a disease outbreak occurs to Stephanie Hoff.

Dr. Arden Anderson, a Physician and Agricultural Consultant, tells Ben Jarboe that farmers are a high-risk group for several health concerns including cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. He tells us one reason why the group is considered high risk.
Dairy market analyst, Cody Koster, breaks down the suspected market effects of Avian Influenza. He looks into his crystal ball and forecasts the GDT trends we can expect going into the new year.

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Think of your cheese going through TSA before it gets to you -- metal detectors, X-rays... and the careful eyes of the farmer, processor, and the dairy sanitation specialists with the state of Wisconsin. But sometimes, issues still happen. We’re getting a look at the recall process today with Elsie Lundquist. She’s one of 20 dairy sanitarians with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

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On Thursday, the full House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. is expected to consider removing the wolf from the endangered species list. This is a conversation Wisconsin has been watching unfold. With more and more deprivation reports coming from south of highway 29 in Wisconsin - what don't we know about Wisconsin wolves?

Randy Johnson is the Large Carnivore Specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He talks with Pam Jahnke about what people may not know about wolves today. How do they move? How big are the average packs in Wisconsin, and why are they seemingly moving south?

Johnson says they're currently involved in their winter tracking efforts. That's a cooperative activity involving state and federal employees, as well as the general public, looking for tracks wherever they are. Johnson says they're also currently monitoring some 40 Wisconsin wolves that have been fitted with GPS collars.

The Pet and Livestock Protection Act will be voted on by the full U.S. House on Thursday., 12/18. H.R. 845 directs the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the Department of the Interior’s 2020 final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 states from the Endangered Species Act and ensures this decision is not subject to judicial review.

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