Renk Agribusiness Institute

01/06/2025

New year, new administration. Join the conversation at this year's Agricultural Outlook Forum on January 21, "Wisconsin Agriculture During a Second Trump Administration". In addition to reviewing projected farm income and major commodities for the year, we'll discuss shifts in ag policies and programs under the new administration and how ag stakeholders can best prepare.

Learn more: https://renk.aae.wisc.edu/2025-wisconsin-agricultural-outlook-forum/

02/01/2023

Videos from our 2023 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum are available now! https://renk.aae.wisc.edu/2023-agricultural-outlook-forum/

01/25/2023

Thanks to everyone who participated yesterday in our 2023 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum!

01/21/2022

Final Reminder to register for the 2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum!

The 2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum, which has the theme “Agriculture, Nitrogen and Water Quality in Wisconsin,” is set for Tuesday, Jan. 25 on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The in-person event runs from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Varsity Hall in Union South, located at 1308 West Dayton Street, Madison. A reception will be held following the forum.
The forum will begin with presentations on the status of Wisconsin’s farm economy. Experts from the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and industry professionals will discuss the current situation and outlook for dairy, corn and soybeans, livestock and meat, and specialty crops, as well as farm income.

The afternoon session will cover various efforts related to understanding and mitigating the impacts of agriculture – specifically nitrogen – on water quality in Wisconsin. To start, a group of UW–Madison researchers will provide an overview of current and future campus-led work. Next, a group of stakeholders from around the state – representing farming and broader interests – will discuss their efforts and perspectives on improving water quality in Wisconsin. A panel discussion will follow each section, and there will be time for audience questions. A reception will follow the forum in order to provide time to continue valuable discussions.

Forum registration is open now through Jan. 21. The $50 registration fee covers the forum, lunch, snacks, and reception. A reserved parking spot for the day of the forum can be purchased during registration for $20 and must be done prior to Jan. 4 to allow for processing. To register, visit: https://renk.aae.wisc.edu/2022-agricultural-outlook-forum/.

Interested individuals who are unable to attend the forum in-person will have the option to watch a livestream of the event on the Renk Agribusiness Institute’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiagfZwekHZBdHWAW4XGrtA No registration is required for this free, virtual option.

For more information, contact Jeremy Beach at [email protected] or (608) 262-9485.

The Renk Agribusiness Institute manages and coordinates agribusiness teaching, research, and extension/outreach and serves as a focal point for scholarly act...

01/14/2022

Reminder that registration is now open for the 2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum!

The 2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum, which has the theme “Agriculture, Nitrogen and Water Quality in Wisconsin,” is set for Tuesday, Jan. 25 on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The in-person event runs from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Varsity Hall in Union South, located at 1308 West Dayton Street, Madison. A reception will be held following the forum.
The forum will begin with presentations on the status of Wisconsin’s farm economy. Experts from the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and industry professionals will discuss the current situation and outlook for dairy, corn and soybeans, livestock and meat, and specialty crops, as well as farm income.
The afternoon session will cover various efforts related to understanding and mitigating the impacts of agriculture – specifically nitrogen – on water quality in Wisconsin. To start, a group of UW–Madison researchers will provide an overview of current and future campus-led work. Next, a group of stakeholders from around the state – representing farming and broader interests – will discuss their efforts and perspectives on improving water quality in Wisconsin. A panel discussion will follow each section, and there will be time for audience questions. A reception will follow the forum in order to provide time to continue valuable discussions.

Forum registration is open now through Jan. 21. The $50 registration fee covers the forum, lunch, snacks, and reception. A reserved parking spot for the day of the forum can be purchased during registration for $20 and must be done prior to Jan. 4 to allow for processing. To register, visit: https://renk.aae.wisc.edu/2022-agricultural-outlook-forum/.

Interested individuals who are unable to attend the forum in-person will have the option to watch a livestream of the event on the Renk Agribusiness Institute’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiagfZwekHZBdHWAW4XGrtA No registration is required for this free, virtual option.

For more information, contact Jeremy Beach at [email protected] or (608) 262-9485.

Agriculture, Nitrogen, and Water Quality in Wisconsin *To comply with the current UW-Madison Campus and Dane County mask orders, a face mask is required for all in-person attendees at all times during the Forum except when eating or drinking. Register Now! Click here to register Final Agenda: Click....

01/08/2022

With organic soybean prices reaching $30 per-bushel, organic production continues to provide a strong opportunity for farmers of all scales to capture the higher prices associated with organic products and build financial resiliency along with expanded sales. A conference offered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Organic Grain Resources and Information Network (OGRAIN) will provide farmers with the knowledge and networks necessary to succeed in growing and marketing organic grains in the Upper Midwest.

The 2022 OGRAIN Organic Grain Winter Conference will be held Jan. 28-29 on the UW–Madison campus. Participants will benefit from two full days of organic expert presentations, engaging panels, productive discussions, and opportunities to meet other farmers interested in organic grain production in the Upper Midwest.

The conference will cover all aspects of organic grain production, including w**d, fertility, and disease management; state-of-the-art equipment for organic farmers; marketing and financial planning; organic certification; variety selection; and cover crops, rotations, and soil health. The workshop will include engaging presentations, panels, and discussions led by experienced organic farmers, researchers, agency personnel and industry representatives. Organic farmer Rick Clark, recipient of the 2022 No-Till Innovator award, will discuss his experiences with organic production in a presentation titled “Organic with No-Tillage.”

The event will provide valuable information for many individuals, including conventional producers interested in exploring the transition to organic grain production, livestock farmers interested in growing their own feed, produce growers curious about adding grain to their system, and anyone considering or currently growing organic grain.

Ahead of the conference, there will be a Thursday evening roundtable event to facilitate farmer-to-farmer dialogue on experiences with organic no-till production. This special session requires an additional registration and fee. Exhibitors will be available throughout the event to highlight products and resources available to organic producers.

For more information and to register, visit https://ograin.cals.wisc.edu/events/2022-ograin-winter-conference/. Registration costs $60/day for a single day (Friday or Saturday) or $100 for the full conference, with registration closing on January 20. Masking will be required throughout the event, per local guidelines. The event will move to a virtual format in the case of changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Questions? Email to [email protected].

2022 OGRAIN Winter Conference Join fellow farmers, researchers, and food supply chain partners at the 2022 OGRAIN Annual Winter Conference! Thursday, January 27th thru Saturday, January 29th at the Gordon Commons Conference Center on the UW–Madison campus See conference schedule and speaker bios R...

12/31/2021

Join the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation for Ag Day at the Capitol! The event will be held Jan. 26 at the Monona Terrace in Madison. This event is the largest gathering of farmers from across the state representing a variety of farm groups to learn more about issues impacting Wisconsin agriculture and meet with their state legislators.

Registration will begin at 11 a.m. with the program starting at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be served followed by issue briefings and time for attendees to visit their legislators in the Capitol. It is important that attendees call the offices of their legislators in advance to schedule an appointment between 3 and 5 p.m. for Wednesday, January 26.

Register for Ag Day at the Capitol by visiting https://bit.ly/2022AgDayRegistration. The cost is $30 per person before Jan. 19. Registrations on or after Jan. 20 and at-the-door attendees will cost $60.

12/24/2021

Take a look at a new online workshop which addresses farm labor questions!

The new online workshop, hosted by the UVM Extension New Farmer Project, in collaboration with UNH Extension and the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems will begin January 11.

The workshops are geared to produce and diversified livestock producers who are new to managing employees and to farmers who are considering changes to how they arrange for, and manage, labor on their farms.

The fee for each two-part workshop in the 2022 Farm Labor Dashboard Workshop Series is $35. Scholarships and discounts if registering for multiple workshops are available but must be requested and approved in advance of registration and payment to receive a voucher code. Decisions are typically made within three business days although individuals are encouraged to apply early.
Advance registration is required for each workshop. For details about the sessions, financial assistance or to register, go to https://go.uvm.edu/farmlabor-wrkshp.

All workshops will be held from 1-2 p.m. with the exception of the February 1 session, which will run from 1-2:30 p.m. Dates and topics are as follows:

January 11 and 18: Planning Your Payroll: Estimating employee costs and trade-offs with mechanization. Participants will learn how to estimate the complete cost of their employees, including payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and any benefits beyond regular hourly wages, as well as explore how investments in mechanization can affect labor needs and costs.

January 19 and 26: Building Your Human Resources Toolbox, Part 1: Practical Communication Tools for Employee Management. This workshop will introduce common and effective tools and practices to improve communication and employee performance with an opportunity to use an online personnel policy generator to develop a customized farm policy manual.

February 1: Getting the Best from Yourself and Your Employees. This session focuses on strategies for farmers to be better communicators and better managers of employees, customers and family members. By using the DiSC Workplace Profile, they will identify communication and management preferences and how these impact recruitment, hiring and retention of employees.

February 9 and 16: Building Your Human Resources Toolbox, Part 2: Hiring and Retaining Employees on Your Farm. Participants will learn effective strategies for hiring and keeping employees and ways to help them optimize their talents. They will learn how to use an online job description generator to develop job descriptions for their operation with feedback from educators.

March 8 and 15: The Art of Negotiation: Getting What You Need. This workshop will delve into what negotiation is, including preparation and ex*****on of a successful negotiation and how to preserve a relationship when the negotiation is unsuccessful. Participants will role play negotiation approaches relevant to common labor management situations and develop a written plan for a negotiation.

April 5 and 12: Cultivating a Safe, Healthy and Productive Crew workshop. The discussion will focus on training employees to safely use tools and personal protective equipment and ergonomic approaches to farm tasks that will support season-long productivity and prevent injuries and lost work time.

This series of six online workshops is designed to help farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills.  The workshops are geared to produce and diversified livestock producers who are new to managing employees, and to farmers who are considering changes to how they arrange for and m...

12/17/2021

Learn more about One Good Idea, a new online platform and campaign to help farmers get started and have success with soil health and regenerative practices. Created by a multi-state team of university Extension professionals and farmers, One Good Idea was designed to facilitate farmer-to-farmer learning about practices that can improve soil, land and bottom lines, such as cover crops, conservation tillage, rotational grazing and nutrient management.

As a clearinghouse of videos and podcasts that feature farmers’ ideas and experiences with these practices, One Good Idea creates a centralized location for farmers to learn from their peers about what has worked or hasn’t, the benefits and precautions, and other nuts and bolts of using conservation practices on their operations. This content is crowdsourced and has been contributed by university Extension, nonprofits, government agencies, farmer-led groups and individual farmers from across the Midwest and Mid-south.

One Good Idea accepts video or idea submissions from farmers who are willing to share how they are implementing soil health and regenerative practices on their operations to help other farmers who are considering such practices. The platform also welcomes content submissions from organizations or individuals who work with farmers to implement these practices.

One Good Idea is the product of a collaboration between Mississippi State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Kentucky, University of Arkansas, and University of Illinois, and it will operate under the auspices of SERA-46, a committee that includes these land grant universities and others in the Mississippi River Basin and is focused on research and extension to improve water quality in the Basin and shrink the Hypoxic Zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made One Good Idea possible.

To learn more about One Good Idea: https://www.morningagclips.com/one-good-idea-to-help-farmers-share-ideas/

To visit the One Good Idea website: https://goodideafarm.org

One Good Idea is a multimedia clearinghouse where farmers can learn from other farmers about how to be successful and profitable with soil health and other stewardship practices.

12/10/2021

Registration is now open for 2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum!

The 2022 Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum, which has the theme “Agriculture, Nitrogen and Water Quality in Wisconsin,” is set for Tuesday, Jan. 25 on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The in-person event runs from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Varsity Hall in Union South, located at 1308 West Dayton Street, Madison. A reception will be held following the forum.

The forum will begin with presentations on the status of Wisconsin’s farm economy. Experts from the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and industry professionals will discuss the current situation and outlook for dairy, corn and soybeans, livestock and meat, and specialty crops, as well as farm income.

The afternoon session will cover various efforts related to understanding and mitigating the impacts of agriculture – specifically nitrogen – on water quality in Wisconsin. To start, a group of UW–Madison researchers will provide an overview of current and future campus-led work. Next, a group of stakeholders from around the state – representing farming and broader interests – will discuss their efforts and perspectives on improving water quality in Wisconsin. A panel discussion will follow each section, and there will be time for audience questions.

A reception will follow the forum in order to provide time to continue valuable discussions.

Forum registration is open now through Jan. 21. The $50 registration fee covers the forum, lunch, snacks, and reception. A reserved parking spot for the day of the forum can be purchased during registration for $20 and must be done prior to Jan. 4 to allow for processing. To register, visit: https://renk.aae.wisc.edu/2022-agricultural-outlook-forum/.

Interested individuals who are unable to attend the forum in-person will have the option to watch a livestream of the event on the Renk Agribusiness Institute’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiagfZwekHZBdHWAW4XGrtA No registration is required for this free, virtual option.

For more information, contact Jeremy Beach at [email protected] or (608) 262-9485.

Agriculture, Nitrogen, and Water Quality in Wisconsin Register Now! Click here to register Final Agenda: Click here More Information: Click here

12/03/2021

A new program from University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension educators in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Center staff will help Wisconsin farmers make decisions and plan for their future. An introductory web meeting will be held on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, from 11 am – noon.
The program, Cultivating Your Farm’s Financial Future, is being piloted with a select group of farmers in early 2022.

By the end of the program, participants will gain a sense of financial decision-making control and make key decisions about their farm and its future.

The program will also help farmers reduce stress. Planning for the future has been shown to be an effective way for farmers to increase peace of mind, improve relationships and communication on the farm, and assist with business resiliency. The program will also give farmers tools to help cope with stress.

Farms interested in participating in this free and confidential opportunity are encouraged to attend an introductory Zoom on Dec. 10, 2021 from 11 a.m. -12 p.m. to learn more about the program and to meet other participants and program organizers. Register for the Zoom: https://go.wisc.edu/09jly3

For more information about the December 10th Zoom or about the entire program, contact Joy Kirkpatrick at [email protected] or 608-263-3485.

11/26/2021

Take a look at this page from our director, Paul Mitchell, which assembles resources to help farmers (and those working with farmers) make their sign-up decisions for the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) commodity support programs for the 2021 crop year. The materials have a Wisconsin focus, but are not exclusively for Wisconsin, as the programs are national in scope. Access the full page here:

Watch: Read: Listen: