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The first part of 2026 has flown by! The annual Bankers Meeting provided the opportunity to hear what extension specialists have learned from the past growing season, along with their predictions for next year. Cranberry growers gathered in Stevens Point for their Cranberry School. And the Corn/Soy Expo in Wisconsin Dells had information flowing between producers, suppliers and purchasers of the various commodities. Security Financial Bank hosted their annual conference where farmers, businesses and educators come together to compare notes on what is going on in agriculture.

The highlight so far this year has been my visits with the 78th Alice in Dairyland, Sarah Hagenow. She has come to the studio twice – once in January to promote potatoes and once in February to promote cheese. Beyond our discussions about Wisconsin products, we chat about her experiences during this year of service to our state. It has been a true joy to get to know Sarah and all the connections we have in common in support of Wisconsin agriculture.

Agriculture connections in January and February have included the weekly recordings of the “WAXX FFA on the Air” and “4-H on the Air” programs. I also had the honor to serve as a judge in District Leadership Development events – FFA’s speaking contests – in Cadott, Neillsville, Bloomer and Elk Mound. The growth of FFA members from their freshman year to their senior year in high school is amazing! It is truly an honor to be asked to help shape these young students as they prepare themselves for the future.

Moving one day closer to spring –
Jill Welke, WAXX Farm Department Team Member

Mother Nature is at it again—bitterly cold weather in January followed by 60 degree temps in February. Hopefully it didn’t encourage the alfalfa to start growing and put those tender shoots in harms way as we don’t need winter kill or winter injury to set back the first crop.

We returned recently from our annual winter getaway to Hawaii. For the first time while there I took a closer look at their land and couldn’t help but notice how drastically our 50th state has changed since sugar cane and pineapple growing have left the islands. There are literally thousands and thousands of acres of fallow land left behind even as they try to use that land to grow replacement crops like citrus, coffee and other products that can used consumed in Hawaii.

That departure of sugar cane and pineapple, I found out, was also a big reason for the wildfire that destroyed the ancient capitol and tourist town of Lahaina along the Maui coast. Taking a tour of the burned out city last month a local official told me that fire never would have happened if crops were still being gown on the hillsides above the town. But since those crops left about 20 years ago the land has been left idol to grow nothing but wild grasses that dry out. Once those grasses caught fire and got pushed by the ocean winds down toward the town, disaster happened. Even though they saved the world’s second largest Banyon tree in the town square it’s less than half as big as it once was.

Closer to home we’re hoping to get a new Farm Bill passed soon, even though it’s just being called a skinny farm bill since many provisions normally included in a farm bill were part of the One, Big Beautiful Bill passed earlier. We also continue to keep an eye on trade issues, the farm work force and so many other issues. I’m ready for spring!