Farming
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Poopspotting: How AI and satellites can detect illegal manure spreading in Wisconsin
Imagery collected by inexpensive satellites is ushering in an era of real-time monitoring of manure-spreading practices at big farms. Some environmental advocates want the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to utilize the technology.
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Maple tapping season begins earlier than usual
With unseasonably warm temperatures in the 40s, farmers and enthusiasts across the state have started tapping maple trees earlier than usual.
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Chickens could be kept in every Wisconsin community under new bill
Wisconsin legislators are looking to supersede a patchwork of local laws around owning backyard chickens. Right now, municipalities decide their own rules. Madison allows flocks of up to eight hens, Appleton allows up to six. Residents of Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine can have up to four. But some jurisdictions ban the birds outright, while…
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Dairy-focused Farm and Industry Short Course launches first year at UW-River Falls
Since high school, Taylor Kolls wanted to be a dairy farmer. But that dream was put on hold for about 15 years as life happened. Kolls, 34, joined the Marines after high school. Since then, he has spent time working various white-collar jobs. “Getting into farming was so expensive that I kind of just put…
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GOP bill would pull farmland tax credits from farmers hosting solar power installations
Farm fields with solar power installations would no longer qualify for state tax credits under a new Republican bill. One GOP lawmaker claims it’s about protecting farmland from being used for “nonsense” renewable energy projects. The legislation, introduced by state Rep. Ellen Schutt, R-Clinton, and state Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, is brief. With two sentences,…
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Thanksgiving food prices are down slightly from 2022
A Thanksgiving meal will cost Wisconsinites slightly less this year than it did in 2022, thanks to lower turkey prices. An annual survey of grocery store prices by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau found a typical holiday meal for 10 people cost $58.81 this year. That’s 80 cents, or around 1 percent, less than last year’s…
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Wisconsin Democrats unveil legislative package aimed at climate change
Wisconsin Democrats are proposing a package of bills aimed at addressing climate change, but the plans don’t have buy-in from Republicans who run the state Legislature. The 20 bills focus on infrastructure and jobs, with programs also aimed at bringing in farmers and supporting income communities that research shows are disproportionately affected by extreme weather…
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Northwoods Republican responds to issues facing residents like water quality, wolf management
Amid leadership turnover at Wisconsin’s environmental agency and distrust in drinking water, a Northwoods legislator says the state should take incremental policy steps to address concerns like toxic PFAS chemicals. State Rep. Jeff Mursau, R-Crivitz, leads the state Assembly’s Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation. During a recent appearance on WPR’s “The Morning Show,”…
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EPA leader says agency is committed to finalizing PFAS standards for drinking water this year
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said federal regulators are committed to finalizing national drinking water standards for PFAS by the end of the year. In March, the federal agency proposed regulations for six PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The EPA is planning to set individual limits for the two most widely studied…
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Head of the EPA tours horseradish farm to tout investments in climate-smart practices
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency visited a family-run farm in Eau Claire on Wednesday to promote the Biden administration’s investments in rural America. Last week, President Joe Biden announced more than $5 billion included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act will be used to help farms adapt to climate change,…
