Ag Briefs

Conversion Fees in Working Lands Initiative Bring Calls For Clarity

Conversion Fees in Working Lands Initiative Bring Calls For Clarity
Two phone calls on Friday, both about changes to the Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) as it becomes part of the Working Lands Initiative (WLI), were a pretty good indication there is confusion in the countryside about WLI.

DNR Board Tables NR 151 Issue n For Now
The Natural Resources Board, at its Oct. 21 meeting, decided to table action on revisions to NR 151, NR 153, and NR 155 dealing with nonpoint runoff issues. (NR 153 and NR 155 are grant programs associated with runoff standards.)

Trapping Not Allowed in GHA
There were 11 public appearances before the Natural Resources board on Oct. 21 to present their views on the newly established Glacial Heritage Area (GHA).

PACE Council Meets, Discusses Program Criteria
The Purchase of Agriculture Conservation Easement (PACE) Council met Oct. 21.

Wisconsin Well-Represented at National FFA Convention
The following Wisconsin FFA members received recognition at the National FFA convention last weekend in Indianapolis, Ind.:

Wisconsin Student Named Star in Agribusiness
When you mention business to Benjamin R. Alsum of Randolph, be sure to be specific.

Wisconsin Student Named Star in Agricultural Placement
So what do peppermint, onions and carrots all have in common?

Goldman Named CALS Interim Dean
Irwin Goldman, vice dean and associate dean for research in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, has been named the college's interim dean by Chancellor Biddy Martin.

Working Lands Initiative Workshops Scheduled This Fall
Farmers, town officials, planning commission members and other interested parties are invited to participate in one of six working lands workshops scheduled for the last week of October and the first week of November to learn more about Wisconsin's new tools to preserve agricultural land.

Blackhawk Technical College; A Great Place to Start a Career in Agribusiness and Farm Management
Fall is here. The sights, sounds, and smells of the agricultural harvest are among us.

Ag Briefs

FSA Increases Lending Limit For Guaranteed Farm Loans
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) lending limit for guaranteed farm loans has been increased to $1,112,000, up from $1,094,000 in the previous fiscal year. This maximum represents the combined total guaranteed indebtedness a borrower may have with FSA for operating and farm ownership loans.

Wisconsin FSA Recognizes Its Top Lenders in 2009
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) Wisconsin State Executive Director, Brad Pfaff, recognizes the following lenders for their service to Wisconsin farmers. In 2009, these lenders were the leading participants of the FSA Loan Guarantee Program, providing financial tools to their rural customers.

Groundwater Models Shed Light on Wisconsin’s ‘Buried Treasure’
Teachers interested in expanding or improving their science education programs have an opportunity to receive a free groundwater model for their school.

‘Deal or No Deal’ Farm Financial Workshop
The “Deal or No Deal” workshop on managing farm profit margin will be held Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in room 214 of the Walworth County Government Center in Elkhorn. This program is offered by UW-Extension’s FARM (Farm and Risk Management) Team and the Center for Dairy Profitability.

Students’ Invention Turns a Skid Loader Into a Mobile Crane
An attachment that turns a skid-steer loader into a crane that can lift 3,500 pounds 40 feet in the air won top prize in a national design contest for its inventors, a team of undergrads in the UW-Madison biological systems engineering department.