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Damaged corn plants after a tornado in Marquette County August 2018.

Farmer to Farmer – Hay, Forage and Corn List

Flooding and storms damaged your crops but you still have the need for feed over the winter months ahead. Or you’ve had a good growing season and find yourself with some extra hay, forages or corn that you’d like to sell.  Making the connections between these two situations is the purpose behind the Farmer to […]

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A color photo of a female using a calculator with dollar bills in her hand.

Managing Household Finances after a Flood

As you start to clean up after being hit by floodwaters and storm damage, you also start to add up the cost of these damages.  Stress also adds up as individuals try to keep track of additional expenses and perhaps lost wages for time away from work due to flooding and clean up. A few […]

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A color photo of mature corn plants laying flat on ground after heavy rains.

Handling Flooded and Down Corn at Silage and Grain Harvest

Rain events during August produced localized flooding affecting numerous corn fields. Recent high winds combined with saturated soils have resulted in lodged corn. All this is occurring at the dent growth stage (R5) as we head into corn silage harvest season. Heavy silage harvest equipment can further damage soils by causing compaction which could influence […]

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A color photo of a corn leaf with Tar Spot.

Holy Tar Spot Batman!

The phone has been ringing off the hook over the past week. In fact, this morning I had to dump my voicemail as it wouldn’t take any more messages. Why is that? For those of you who have been traveling the southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois countryside, you know why. Holy tar spot, Batman! Tar […]

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Managing Soil Compaction at Planting and Harvest

PDF Version Key Facts Whenever possible, wait for drier soil conditions before entering fields. Reduce axles loads and lower equipment tire pressures. Keep axle widths similar when purchasing equipment. Manage equipment traffic patterns to minimize tire tracks. Rutting may not indicate that deep tillage or subsoiling is needed. Surface tillage alone may be sufficient to […]

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A photo of a can good with label reading Food Safety After a Flood

Food Safety in Flooding Emergencies

The Flood’s Over – Now What? When flooding has occurred, food safety begins.  Never take a chance with food that may have been contaminated.  Food-borne bacteria often cannot be detected by taste, smell or appearance.  If in doubt – throw it out! Flood water often contains sewage from municipal systems, septic tanks, lagoons and pastures. […]

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A color photo of the reflection of a tree in flood water.

Effects of Flooding on Woody Landscape Plants

Plant roots, like people, need oxygen for respiration. That’s why a flood can stress a plant and even, if roots are submerged long enough, kill it. “Effects of Flooding on Woody Landscape Plants” by Laura Jull, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, UW Department of Horticulture, provides information on  immediate and long-term care of trees and […]

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A color graphic of the human brain.

Help Yourself (or Others) during Stressful Periods

Because of the high stress levels in farm communities, people who work in agriculture experience higher reported rates of depression and suicide. The following checklist provided by the National Institute of Mental Health lists some common symptoms depression. To help decide whether you or people you care about need support and treatment for depression, please […]

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The green and blue USDA Farm Service Agency or FSA logo.

Farm Service Agency Flooding Resources

The website www.farmers.gov/recover is a great resource for producers who have internet access.  Producers can work through a few questions about their losses and be informed of the programs they may qualify for.  In addition, the website tells them what they need to bring to their local FSA office and what forms they will have […]

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A color photo of mature soybean plants in floodwater.

Assessing Flood Damage to Soybean

Severe flooding over the weekend has many low-lying soybean fields underwater. As the water dissipates yield potential and replant questions will arise. Flooding can be divided into either water-logging, where only the roots are flooded, or complete submergence where the entire plants are under water (VanToai et al., 2001). Water-logging is more common than complete […]

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Damaged corn plants after a tornado in Marquette County August 2018.

Flooding Effects on Corn

Recent rains have caused flooding and ponding in many cornfields. Growers are concerned about corn growth and development and any yield effects that might occur from short periods of flooding. Many crop fields were completely destroyed, while others were left with varying degrees of damage. Before making any decisions about your fields, you should document […]

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a closeup photo of yellow corn used for livestock feed.

Protecting Lung Health Around Moldy Grain, Hay & Other Products

Dusty conditions are common on farms when working with grain, hay, silage and other products. Recent wet conditions from excess rain and flooding often makes these issues worse especially as products begin to grow mold and deteriorate. In addition, even during normal times, in the fall, Wisconsin producers work feverishly to get crops harvested before […]

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