May 18, 2013

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Alfalfa crop took hit over winter

May 17, 2013 By

Winter may finally be over, but its effects are lingering for a key agricultural sector in Wisconsin. “This is probably the worst year for winterkill we have had in over 20 years.” That’s how University of Wisconsin Extension forage agronomist Dan Undersander describes the alfalfa crop, not only in Wisconsin but across the upper Midwest.

Undersander said the southern edge of the damage area is in southern Wisconsin, where 20 to 30 percent of the fields are showing damage, up to 80 percent loss in Central Wisconsin. The area extends from Ontario to the Dakotas.

A combination of factors have contributed to the loss, according to Undersander. A lot of the crop went dormant last fall without storing up nutrients, and then the late spring was just too much to withstand. There is also a lot of evidence of winterkill especially in low spots in fields.

The situation has created a “worst-case” scenario for dairy farmers who are already running out of forage and facing a hay shortage across the upper Midwest. In response, the UW Extension has established a website of multiple materials addressing all aspects of the situation.

Bob Meyer, Brownfield

Filed Under: Agriculture, News, Weather

Crews containing massive Northwest Wisconsin blaze (AUDIO)

May 15, 2013 By

Fire on Tues (PHOTO: WI DNR)

Officials with the DNR say they have contained about 90 percent of a huge wildfire that broke out Tuesday in far Northwest Wisconsin. Katherine Koele, a wildfire prevention specialist with the agency, warns that number could change with today’s windy conditions that could reignite the fires in some places.

The blaze has scorched about 8,700 acres east and southeast of Solon Springs in Douglas and Bayfield counties. No injuries have been reported. About 50 structures have been destroyed including some homes and cabins.

AUDIO: KDAL early morning interview with DNR’s Katherine Koele (3:00)

Officials said power and phone lines are also down in some places, after several utility poles burned to the ground. People have been evacuated in the Bayfield County town of Barnes and along several lakes.

Federal, local, and state firefighters from both Wisconsin and Minnesota have been working to control the fire. Meanwhile, its cause is still under investigation.

All burning permits in Wisconsin have been suspended for today. The DNR is asking that no campfires be made, and that people avoid smoking in wooded and grassy areas.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News, Weather

Unusual opener up north

May 3, 2013 By
PHOTO: Leif Ringstad.

PHOTO: Leif Ringstad.

Bring your boat, but bring your ice auger, too. Wisconsin’s fishing opener is Saturday, and anglers will have some challenges. That’s because many of the lakes across northern Wisconsin still have significant ice cover, up to ten inches or more. “The places that do have some open water are flowage-type lakes with a lot of inflowing water, a lot of warm runoff coming in, but even those lakes have some ice on them in many instances,” said Max Wolter, Fisheries Biologist with the Department of Natural Resources in Hayward.

AUDIO: Max Wolter (:25)

Wolter said that finding a boat ramp with an open water path to where you want to fish will be the big challenge. “Access is just going to be the biggest thing,” he said. “When you find open water, I think the fishing’s going to be just fine. It might even be great.”

For many people, the opener is going to mean more of what they’re been doing all winter. “They’ll be able to ice fish for things like pike and walleye, and they’ll probably do pretty well if they’re able to find safe ice,” said Wolter. “I think the ice fishing’s been good, and it will continue to be pretty good.”

A word of caution though, make sure the ice is safe to venture out on. Wolter said while some people may still be driving on the ice, that’s definitely not recommended.

Wolter said a lot of people have wondered whether fish will spawn under the ice. They won’t. “They’re going to wait, and when the water heats up and the ice goes out, that’s when they’re going to start dropping those eggs,” he said. One thing is clear – once spawning starts, it will happen fast. “Usually we have a nice progression where things like pike, perch, walleye go early. This year, when the ice goes out and the water starts to heat up, things are going to be going very quickly.”

That was borne out in Winnebago County, where the slow-to-arrive spring had lake sturgeon on stall mode for the highly anticipated spawning season. Conservation Warden April Dombrowski activated members of the all-volunteer Sturgeon Guard earlier this week. The big fish took off with a flurry of activity along the Wolf River, and it was pretty much over by Friday. “This has gone down as one of the fastest runs completed in a short period of time,” said Dombrowski, who canceled the Sturgeon Guard’s following the end of the day’s shifts. “On average, the run takes place for approximately seven to 10 days.”

Just what the long-term impacts of the cold spring and delayed spawning will be is tough to say. “Some species are going to respond better to this than others,” said Wolter. “It’s really going to take us a few months until we know exactly how this is all going to shake out.”

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation, News, Recreation & Entertainment, Weather

Warm weekend temps will start clearing snow

May 3, 2013 By

Northwest Wisconsin has been battered with a spring snowstorm with a near foot-and-a-half of snowfall in parts. Meteorologist Kevin Kraujalis with the National Weather Service in Duluth says, this afternoon, the region will receive snow and rain then beginning warming this weekend.

Saturday is forecast for highs in the lower 40s while Sunday will be “a fairly nice day with temperatures in the mid-50s.”

Rain will continue into this weekend but with the warming temperatures, it will help melt the snow.

“It looks like a lot of this snow will melt pretty fast early next week,” adds Kraujalis, referring to a forecast that calls for highs in the 60s on Monday and highs approaching 70 on Tuesday.

Filed Under: News, Weather

May snow shocks northwest Wisconsin

May 2, 2013 By

Initial forecasts predicting four to eight inches of snow to fall on May 1 and 2 are proving to be on the low side. Forecasters now say up to 18 inches of snow could fall in some parts of northwest Wisconsin.

Ellsworth, in Pierce County, had already received 14 inches by early this morning, while close to 11 inches fell near Hayward and 12 inches in Rice Lake. The National Weather Service predicts the heaviest snow will end up in areas of Ashland, Bayfield, Washburn, and Sawyer counties. Locations to the south could get more than expected.  Buffalo County, northwest of La Crosse, could get up to 11 inches by the time the storm ends Thursday night.

This is a heavy, wet snow in many places, which is conducive to power outages. X-cel Energy had around 3,000 customers without power in northwest Wisconsin. A number of schools closed their doors, including Menomonie, Rice Lake, and River Falls.

The  Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating whether a fatal traffic crash near Menomonie was weather related. Two semi-trucks collided in the same direction and one of the drivers died.

 

Filed Under: News, Weather
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