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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.

Efforts being made to keep surplus livestock in the food supply after disruption of the meat packing industry

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Steps are being taken to try and lessen the impact of the disruption of the meat processing supply chain in the state. (

UW-Extension Meat Specialist Jeffrey Sindelar says business groups and farm agencies have been working around the clock to try and get more animals to market. 

“Across the state of Wisconsin nearly all the small meat processors have been contacted to say, ‘hey, could you do you harvest a few more head?'”

He says the problem is one of scale, and that there’s thousands of thousands of surplus livestock that need to be harvested before they’re culled for other purposes.

“There’s lots of interest. It’s just that the ability to do a lot and really make a difference in the total number of animals that really need to be processed, that’s the greater challenge.”

“Every animal that is born and raised for food production, if it’s not being utilized for food production it’s a waste,” says Sindelar. “And that waste is something that is really driving all the people that are trying to find ways to not waste those animals.”

He says that the UW is even stepping up at its own processing facilities to try and handle the surplus. 

Wisconsin announces assistance for farmers, renters and landlords

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Wisconsin farmers and processors will be eligible for a direct payment program from the state, for coronavirus relief.

Governor Tony Evers confirmed Wednesday he will take $50-million from the $1.9 billion given to the state in the CARES Act to use for the direct payments, plus another $15 million dollars to assist food security efforts.

Eligible farmers will be asked to apply for the aid through the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, which is working in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

Farm support payments could begin arriving as early as June. The $50-million is exactly what eight Wisconsin farm organizations requested from Evers in an April 21st letter.

Also on Wednesday, Evers announced a $25 million Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program for residents who are struggling to pay rent and landlords struggling to collect amid the pandemic.

Brownfield

Senator Baldwin introduces new bill to offer more pandemic relief to farmers

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Senator Tammy Baldwin is looking to increase relief funding to farmers being harmed by disruptions in the nation’s food supply chains.

Baldwin says her new Farming Support to States Act would directly help farmers whose main sources of sales are cut off during the pandemic response. She cites the examples of dairy farmers who usually sell to outfits that supply large food service partners.

“And these large-scale buyers, because of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders, their orders have dropped off at least like a cliff.”

Since dairy farms are always producing milk, being unable to sell that product has lead to milk dumping, among other issues. 

“Many farmers in Wisconsin are finding they have to dump milk and there’s nothing more heartbreaking than that for somebody who worked hard to produce a high-quality nutritious product.”)

Baldwin says that even the smallest bump in the supply chain can cause massive disruptions, when the food industry is tooled to be as streamlined as possible.

 

First falcons of the season hatch at We Energies power plant

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There’s two new additions to the family at a power plant near Milwaukee.

We Energies says the first two peregrine falcons of the season have hatched at Valley Power Plant. Spokeswoman Allison Trouy says it’s a fresh piece of good news. 

“The rest of us are kind of dealing with some crazy times, but nature is going on just as it normally does so it’s really nice and refreshing I think to be able to watch these birds live out their lives.”

Since the nesting program started in the mid nineties, more than 400 falcons have been born, raised and banded at power plants in Wisconsin. 

“You know we want to make the communities where we live and serve a better place, and this is one way of doing that by helping to restore an endangered species in Wisconsin,” says Trouy. 

Those nest boxes make the perfect habitat for the endangered birds, because they live and hunt in high places along rivers where many of the state’s power plants are located.

You can help name the birds this year by voting online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SquawktheVote. 

Agriculture groups asking state for direct to farmer payments

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Citing the “crushing economic destruction” that the COVID-pandemic has inflicted on the industry, a coalition of Wisconsin agriculture groups have asked the administration of Governor Tony Evers to direct $50 million federal dollars to direct farmer payments.

Those industry groups are Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin Soybean Association, Wisconsin Pork Association, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association and Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association.

Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Joe Bragger said they’ve provided numbers from each agriculture sector, to show the need.

“What we’ve pledged to do is to work with the governor, work with our Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection, and really provide some numbers to spell out how bad it is for the farmers out here, and the economic losses that we’ve experienced,” Bragger told Brownfield Ag News on Wednesday.

The Journal Sentinel reported that the governor’s office could not immediately be reached for comment on the request.

The federal coronavirus relief package known as the CARES Act designated $1.9 billion to help Wisconsin’s economy.

Bragger said it’s critical “to show the losses that agriculture is experiencing. And we don’t want agriculture left, and our farmers left out of this.”

He added that those direct payments are needed now. This is the most expensive time of year for farmers, as they get into planting, so we’ve got to make sure that they’re able to do that.”

That urgency echoes comments made by U.S. Representative Ron Kind, who has introduced legislation to address the impact of the pandemic on small and medium sized farms in Wisconsin.  “Once these family farmers go, we’re not getting then back,” the La Crosse Democrat said.