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Guard unit mobilized

October 10, 2009 By

Approximately 400 Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers received notification Friday that they are headed to Iraq for a 10-month tour. The confirmation came just days after the soldiers, from the 724th Engineer Battalion, were alerted to the upcoming deployment.

The  724th  will report to Fort McCoy in March for several weeks of training before departing to Iraq. The entire mobilization will last one year.

Affected units include Company A in Hayward, the 273rd Engineer Company in Medford, the 950th Engineer Company in Superior and Spooner and Headquarters Company in Chippewa Falls. Major Jackie Guthrie with the Wisconsin National Guard said this week that the unit won’t engage in combat action, but their mission could include “detonating explosive devices.”

The soldiers will join the 3,700 Wisconsin Guard members on active duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations.

Filed Under: Military

Rallying to hold Obama to his word

October 10, 2009 By

Immigrant rights activists are hoping to put President Obama back on track. That’s after dialogue surrounding the undocumented was derailed during health care reform talks, says Christine Neumann-Ortiz of Voces de La Frontera.

The suggestion that undocumented migrants will receive free health care has been a hot topic in recent months. She says vocal opponents of health care reform were able to “hijack” the debate.

The Milwaukee-based Voces is joining other groups nationwide today in rallying within their communities to remind Obama of his campaign promises. These include pushing immigration reform during his first year and ending enforcement only policies such as raids.

Neumann-Ortiz says the President, with the Democratic leadership, has not been bold enough in dealing with critics of reform but emphasizes immigrant advocates have become complacent during Obama’s term.

AUDIO: Brian Moon report (MP3 :63)

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Farmers may be sitting on manure

October 10, 2009 By

State agriculture and natural resource officials are worried about a potential ‘perfect storm’ that could prevent farmers from properly managing manure in coming months.

Jim VandenBrook is a water quality specialist with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. He says cool weather prevented farmers from getting crops off the fields as fast as usual. A lot of fields are still not ready for manure applications. “A lot of the crops didn’t mature as quickly as we hoped they would, so a lot of them are still standing out in the field,” said VandenBrook. “That means you’ve got a lot of land that’s not available to spread manure on. It’s just sitting in storage.”

VandenBrook thinks some financially stressed farmers may be delaying emptying their storage structures as a cost saving measure. “It’s not a good time,” he said. “The costs of moving manure are just as important to the bottom line as any other cost on the farm. They are real costs, you can’t just ignore them.” Nearly half of Wisconsin’s dairy producers use storage and liquid manure spreading systems to efficiently handle and manage manure. Costs of such systems range from $100 to $250 per cow per year. 

VandenBrook warns the potential consequences of putting off proper handling of manure can be far more devastating to the bottom line. Manure spills aren’t cheap to clean up, and there could be other costs associated. There are resources to help through county land conservation departments.

WCCN’s Paul Knoff submitted this report

AUDIO: Paul Knoff reports (1:08 MP3)

Filed Under: Agriculture, Environment & Conservation