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Watch for noxious seeds in wildflower plantings

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Farmers and landowners looking to plant ‘conservation plants’ on their properties need to be on the lookout for a noxious weed that’s been working its way into these seed mixes.

The plant is called Palmer amaranth. It’s a very tall, fast growing plant native to the arid southwest United States. The plant grows on average from six to eight feet tall, but can reach 10 feet. It can also produce 500,000 seeds per plant, making it extremely prolific.

That wide dispersion of seeds is the problem, says state ag spokeswoman Donna Gilson. “You can see how it could spread very very quickly, and it can just decimate a soybean or corn field.”

The amaranth and its seeds are also resistant to traditional forms of pesticide or weed killers, which makes removing the plants from a field an uphill battle. “Those seeds can remain dormant for several years too,” says Gilson, “so if you have to fight it it’s going to be a long expensive battle.”

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says the Palmer amaranth was being distributed in specially packed ‘conservation mixes’ for farmers looking to attract pollinators and other beneficial wildlife to their properties, but that the plant could grow wildly out of sync and start overtaking native plants. New emergency rules have classified the amaranth as a noxious seed, making it illegal for growers and distributors to bring the seed into the state.

Anyone planting a pollinator or conservation seed mix should:

  • Be aware of what Palmer amaranth looks like. You can find many clear photos in an online image search.
  • Buy local seed mixes if possible, with no pigweed or amaranth listed on the label.
  • Thoroughly clean equipment after seeding, especially if your seed mix came from out of state.
  • Call your University of Wisconsin-Extension office if you suspect you have found Palmer amaranth.

You can find out more about the plant or get help finding local mixes by contacting your local ag office or DATCP at their website.

Schimel clarifies memo on CBD oil

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Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel is clarifying a memo on CBD oil and industrial hemp. The oil can be used to treat seizures. Schimel said there are products being sold in Wisconsin that are not FDA approved.

“There have been parents who have purchased this if their kids have seizure disorders, and their kids have ended up getting high because of the CBD oil.”

A recent DOJ memo caused some confusion, but Schimel says farmers who are in compliance should be able to sell their hemp, and any products made from it will be legal.

“The only way to produce industrial hemp in American legally, and market its products, is to follow the rule set forth in the 2014 farm bill.”

Hundreds of Wisconsin farmers have applied for new state licenses that would allow them to grow industrial hemp, from which CBD can be processed.

“What’s out there right now, it’s kind of a buyer beware market,” said Schimel. He said Wisconsin CBD oil products will be safe if the new law’s rules are followed. It’s good news for farmers.

Testin believes CBD issue will be resolved

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A Wisconsin legislator is confident farmers and processors will be able to go forward with their first industrial hemp crop since 1937.

State Senator Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) met with Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, state agriculture officials, and Rob Richard from Farm Bureau on Wednesday.  They discussed an enforcement memo from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which states that anyone possessing the hemp-derived CBD oil could be prosecuted.

Testin said they made their case as to why the production of CBD oil would be allowed under both the state’s industrial hemp law, and the 2014 federal Farm Bill.  He left the meeting confident that anyone who participates in the industrial hemp pilot program and produces CBD oil will be able to produce, market, and consume the extract.

“We have assurances from the Attorney General himself that this is going to be an issue that is addressed within the next day or so,” he said.

Brownfield 

 

DOJ memo puts Wisconsin hemp growers in limbo

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A hurdle for industrial hemp in Wisconsin. State Senator Pat Testin (R-Stevens Point), who wrote legislation enabling a pilot program for farmers in Wisconsin to plant hemp, said the response from farmers has been enthusiastic, with more that 350 applications filed.

That’s the good news. “The bad news is that a couple of days before the filing deadline, the state Department of Justice released a memo, stating that all CBD oil and all CBD products are illegal in the state of Wisconsin, even if those products are made from plants in the industrial hemp pilot program,” Testin said.

“This was a kick in the gut” for farmers, said Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation lobbyist Rob Richard. “This document has ramifications, both legal and financial, for a lot of people.”

Governor Scott Walker signed a legislation last year that allowed a pilot program for growing industrial hemp, and has said he’d like to see the issue resolved. “From the time this bill was introduced, we have been very transparent, and have had an open door policy with anyone who had any concerns with this,” said Testin, who has requested a face to face meeting with state Attorney General Brad Schimel.

Democrats in legislature say Farm Bill SNAP changes will hurt kids

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Democrats in the Wisconsin legislature say changes to food stamps in the House Farm Bill will hurt Wisconsin children. Wisconsin Democrats in Washington don’t like the changes to SNAP, and neither do Democrats and advocates in Madison.

Hunger Task Force executive director Sherrie Tussler said the work requirements in the GOP Farm Bill will hurt kids. “Children should never lose. Children should always have three meals a day,” Tussler said.

State Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling said a Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo shows that about 23,000 kids could lose free or reduced lunches by losing FoodShare eligibility. “You can’t concentrate and do well, when you don’t know where your next meal is going to come from,” she said.

Shilling said if the Farm Bill passes without changes, Wisconsin lawmakers need to step up, to keep kids from going hungry.

Wisconsin Dems slam House Farm Bill’s SNAP cuts

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Wisconsin Democrats oppose a House Farm Bill provision that makes massive cuts to food stamps. First Disctrict Congressman Mark Pocan said “no ones getting rich” off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — commonly known as food stamps. “You make about $100 a month per person on SNAP,” Pocan said. “And yet it’s the biggest program that keep’s kids out of poverty in the country.”

Pocan said in Wisconsin, 60 percent of households on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are families with children.

Third District Congressman Ron Kind doesn’t object to a work requirement for working age adults to get SNAP — but said the block grants being offered states won’t be enough to cover costs. “That to me sounds like a recipe for failure,” Kind said. “Just kicking people off of the food nutrition programs that they need.”

The House Farm Bill that contains the cuts to SNAP is expected to be debated on the floor later this month. The bill was drafted with zero input from Democrats, and passed out of the House Ag Committee with only GOP votes.

Baldwin: FDA needs to enforce dairy standards of identity

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Dairy farm operation (Photo: WSAU)

The FDA promises a “close look” at nondairy products labeled “milk.” Wisconsin Democrat, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, said dairy farmers have a lot to contend with right now. “And then to have the dairy case filled with these other items that claim to be milk but aren’t, that’s another injury.”

Baldwin said federal standards define milk as a product sourced from animals. But Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told her the issue needs further study.

“When he said they were going to undertake further study, I’m like ‘what further study do you need.?'” Baldwin said the FDA needs to act, and to issue guidance on enforcement of its existing dairy standards of identity.

Johnson defends U.S. participation in Trans-Pacific Partnership

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U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (Photo: Andrew Beckett)

President Donald Trump is apparently changing his mind again, on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trump tweeted this week that TPP has “too many contingencies and no way to get out if it doesn’t work.” Trump made U.S. exit from the trade pact one of the first items on his to-do list after taking office, but last week, lawmakers who attended a White House meeting on trade reported he was reconsidering.

Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is a supporter of TPP, and U.S. participation. “We don’t want to be on the outside looking in, as other countries engage in freer and fairer and more reciprocal trade,” the Republican said in an interview with WRDN.

The president tweeted that “bilateral deals are far more efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers.” Johnson thinks multilateral trade is better. “TPP represents about 13 and-a-half percent of the world’s economy without the U.S. With the U.S. it represents about 40 percent,” Johnson said. “It should be really ‘win-win,’ and that’s what trade does, if its done properly.

Johnson said Wisconsin manufacturing and agriculture would benefit from TPP, which Trump withdrew the U.S. from last year.

Applications still open for industrial hemp program

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Farmers looking to add industrial hemp to their fields need to start doing their homework and talk with the state before they try to plant crops.

Wisconsin has started a program that allows for farmers to grow industrial hemp on a limited, pilot basis. Melody Walker with the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says there’s a lot of planning that needs to be done first, and a lot of communication that needs to happen with state officials.

Farmers will need to take part in a application process with DATCP that includes a background check. “Farmers can’t have any drug-related convictions if they’re going to plant hemp,” says Walker. part of that registration will require telling the state exactly how much acreage they plan to grow.

Farmers also need to be sure they’ll have a buyer for their product that is inside state lines. Walker says that transport to producers outside of Wisconsin is still illegal. “Because it’s such a new crop to Wisconsin, we don’t have a lot of processing plants ready to take crops from people, so that is really an important piece if they plan to market the crop.”

Seeds for any hemp fields have to come from a list of certified vendors to ensure that the hemp that’s being grown isn’t going to be chemically active and classified as marijuana.

When it comes time to harvest, producers will need to get in touch with the state again so that experts can come out and test their crops to ensure that they have low enough levels of THC, the active chemical in hemp, to qualify as industrial hemp and not marijuana.

Farmers have until May 1 to sign up for the pilot program. You can find out more online at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/IndustrialHemp.aspx.

 

Senator Baldwin seeks help for Wisconsin farmers in case of trade war

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Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin is looking for answers on how the federal government is going to help Wisconsin farmers as the chances of a trade war with China grow.

“I’ve been hearing a lot from dairy farmers about anxieties and concerns over the President’s threats of tariffs and the prospect of Chinese retaliation,” says Baldwin.

Baldwin questioned Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Wednesday in committee about how the USDA is going to help not only dairy farmers, but also other crop farmers as well. “There’s very strong concerns about the impact on dairy, but also on some of our specialty crops like cranberries and ginseng which the Chinese have specifically called out as prospects for retaliation.”

“I urged Secretary Purdue to take more steps to provide support for farmers targeted by China’s retaliatory tariffs, address Canada’s unfair dairy pricing scheme and ensure Wisconsin farmers have the tools they need to be successful and boost our agriculture economy,” says Baldwin.

Secretary Perdue agreed with Senator Baldwin about the importance of responding to these unfair trade practices, and acknowledged Senator Baldwin’s important work advocating to include provisions in the 2018 government spending measure that gives USDA the authority to support farmers impacted by trade disputes.

Baldwin says an updated Milk Margin Protection Program included in the new Farm Bill can offer support to Wisconsin farmers as they sort out how Chinese tariffs will affect them.

“There’s a new open enrollment period that’s retroactive to the first of the year, and people have an opportunity to visit their FSA and see if the improved MPP is right for them.”

You can find out more online at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/Dairy-MPP/index