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Turn your deer into tasty venison with tips from the DNR and UW-Extension

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Once you’ve got your deer on the ground this season, now comes the time to turn that deer into tasty food.

DNR wildlife management director Eric Loebner says adding deer meat to your diet is a great way to get lean, healthy protein. 

“Making that homegrown sustainable organic meat protein source, you know really it’s unique to the experience and it certainly adds to the experience and as well.”

There’s more and more interest these days in processing and butchering deer at home, rather than taking it to a meat processor according to Loebner.

“There’s even videos out there now about the whole nuances of making your own meat at home, whether you’re making sausage or whether you’re making bacon.”

The UW-Extension offers tips and classes on handling your own deer, as well as canning and preservation processes.

Loebner says it’s important to be ready to field dress your deer by yourself while COVID-19 continues.

Temperatures are getting cool enough to properly hang a deer, but won’t freeze it outside, so be sure to get your deer to a processor or cut it up yourself before too long. 

Consider changing up how you eat to stay healthy during the winter, says UW expert

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As we move into the colder months and the days get shorter, experts say to need to switch up what sorts of things you’re eating to stay healthy during the pandemic.

UW-Extension nutritional sciences professor Beth Olson says that with less sunlight on the way, you need to keep up your intake of Vitamin D. 

“You need to look at the labels on your Foods. It’s fortified in dairy products, grains, cereals, and take a look and make sure you’re getting enough.”

Olson says you shouldn’t be afraid of moving to canned and frozen veggies over fresh as well, since that gives you plenty of options on making meals. 

“Using Frozen and canned gives you the option of a lot of variety. Maybe you can get some fruits and vegetables that you wouldn’t be getting in the winter if you were only using fresh.”

You should consider swapping out some carbs in your diet for proteins, says Olson

“Get enough, lean protein especially depending on your preference. You might be a meat eater, you might prefer plant proteins. Recently we’ve really been promoting to people to try to eat a wide variety of plant proteins because that’s not something we’ve done in the past.”

She says that could mean tofu or soy, or nuts and legumes and even oats. 

Slow down and take it easy around farm equipment during the harvest, says Farm Bureau

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More farm equipment is going to be out on county roads as the fall harvest continues, and farmers are asking people to slow down and take it easy.

Farm Bureau member Shane Goplin says that there’s never a good reason to pass a vehicle in a no passing zone, even if it’s a slow moving vehicle. 

“I’ve had instances where I was even making a right-hand turn and somebody passed me on the left over a blind Hill and it just sent cringes down my neck. You don’t know what’s coming around that corner, or over that hill and it could be dangerous, no doubt!”

Goplin says that if there is an issue, that farmers will try to make space for someone so that they can be properly passed but that drivers just need to have patience. 

“I’m constantly looking for a place where I can get off on a road or where I can get myself off a hundred percent off the road so they can pass.”

State law makes it illegal to pass a farm tractor or hauler in a no passing zone, but Goplin says that ought to just be good common sense in the first place. 

Bad seeds: DATCP issues warning about unsolicited packets

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Unsolicited seed packages have been arriving in mailboxes across the country, including Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer protection says they should not be planted, or even opened.

DATCP Spokeswoman Grace Atherton said the source of the seeds is unknown, but are likely from China. “We don’t have definitive evidence that they are all from China but that’s what appears to be happening so far.”

Those seeds could introduce invasive species to areas where they’re planted, and that could damage existing crops or livestock. Atherton said planting any unknown seeds from an unknown source could have devastating effects.

If you have received a package of seeds, keep it sealed or seal it back up, don’t plant them, and contact DATCP for proper disposal.

DATCP creates new training program to help people identify farmers in crisis

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The state ag department wants to help people in the ag industry catch people heading into a mental health crisis before it happens.

Wisconsin Farm Center director Jayne Krull says they’re offering special training called Q P R or Question, Persuade, Refer.

“Our training is for farmers to help their fellow farmers or for the agricultural service providers who go to those farms like the milk haulers and the veterinarians and those types of people to get training so they can identify a potential person in crisis.”

“They will be virtual training sessions, and there will be six offered in the months of July through October. We’re offering them at different times and days of the week to accommodate everyone.”

Krull says the QPR classes are just one part of a larger effort to assist farmers going through hard time. “We’ve definitely noticed an increase in calls to the Farm Center. We’ve also opened up a 24/7 hotline recently for them to speak to a mental health counselor.”

For more info or to sign up for a course, go to the Farm Center website.

Coronavirus pandemic forces cancellation of World Dairy Expo

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Another major Wisconsin event is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic — World Dairy Expo in Madison. Dairy Expo General Manager Scott Bentley, in an announcement posted to YouTube Thursday afternoon

“We had every intention of adhering to our initial communication timeline of July 1st. But an abundance of clarity has been obtained through the public health order Forward Dane, released on May 22, and we have been left with no viable options.”

The announcement said World Dairy Expo “remains committed to issuing full refunds for all payments made for the 2020 show.”

Dairy Expo Board President Bill Hageman said the decision was not what they had hoped to announce.

“However, unwaveringly we recognize our responsibility is to maintain the health of our community, and the safety of all of you as exhibitors, attendees, volunteers and staff, and to adhere to the orders dictated by Dane County through the Forward Dane public health plan, and Emergency Order Number Three.”

World Dairy Expo was scheduled for September 30 through October 3, at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center. The expo annually brings upwards of 50,000 people to the Madison metro area, with an economic impact for the region in the tens of millions of dollars.

Evers taps Romanski to lead DATCP

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Wisconsin’s acting agriculture secretary got a vote of confidence from the governor on Monday. Governor TGony Evers  removed the “interim” tag from Randy Romanski’s title.

He’s been in charge of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection since November, when the state Senate fired Brad Pfaff.

Evers said Romanski “has done an outstanding job.” Romanski is a career public servant, having led various Wisconsin state agencies on and off for 30 years. He was agriculture secretary once before, during the Jim Doyle administration.

Pfaff, who’s now a candidate for state Senate, could eventually vote on Romanski’s appointment if he wins.
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No cream puffs: 2020 Wisconsin State Fair cancelled

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Cream puff (PHOTO: Wisconsin State Fair)

The Wisconsin State Fair has been officially called off due to COVID-19.  This is the first time in 75 years that the fair will not be happening.

The decision was made on Thursday by Fair Board chairman John Yingling. In a statement, Yingling says the decision was not made lightly, and that he’s got everyone’s safety in mind.

The Fair attracts over a million visitors every year and organizers said it would be impossible to enforce social distancing on the grounds. The other issue would be putting on the fair only for no one to show up due to fears over COVID-19.

Tourism officials say this will be another $200 million loss to Milwaukee and the suburbs, but that they’re hoping more summer events will be happening to help ease the financial impact.

Is a Bratwurst a Sandwich? A UW expert weighs in

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We’ve all seen the debate over ‘is a hot dog a sandwich?’.

Well, a recent survey released by Food Insider named the Bratwurst as Wisconsin’s favorite sandwich. Not so fast, says UW-Extension Meat Specialist Jeffrey Sindelar.

He says, strictly speaking, a bratwurst in a brat bun is not a sandwich. “A sandwich is typically something that’s flat, everything about it is something flat. So bread is flat, meat is flat, cheese is flat.”

Other sorts of bratwurst applications WOULD apply, like fried brats or the Sheboygan Double Brat. “In that type of application I think it’s perfectly acceptable to consider that a sandwich.”

Sindelar says, however, Wisconsinites are free to disagree, because after all it is the state’s favorite sausage.

If you’re asking for good bratwurst recipes, Sindelar says a plain grilled brat with good mustard, sauerkraut and diced onions is his favorite.

Decision on Wisconsin State Fair at end of month as Minnesota fair is cancelled

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Organizers with the Wisconsin State Fair are waiting until the end of May, to make a decision on whether or not to move ahead with August’s fair. That’s according to an email obtained by the Milwaukee Business Journal.

“As the State Fair Park Board of Directors continue to work with staff and government officials on the safety of mass gatherings related to COVID-19, we have decided to put a hold on sending agreements until a decision has been made regarding the 2020 Wisconsin State Fair,” the email said.

John Yingling of the fair board said earlier this month that the sticking point is crowd size. The fair can draw 140-thousand people on a good weekend, which would make social distancing impossible.

On Friday, officials in St. Paul announced that this year’s Minnesota State Fair, which is popular with many residents from western Wisconsin, has been cancelled.