Two farmers recap the growing season

Dairy Stream

The 2023 growing season started off with headaches due to new challenges farmers haven’t experienced and thankfully mother nature gave most farmers a break for harvest. Two Wisconsin dairy farmers, Greg and John, dive into the growing season covering conservation practices, challenges, maximizing fertilizer, plans for 2024, go-to resources and what they would do with an unlimited budget and time. Dairy Stream host Joanna Guza dives into the topics below with Greg and John:

• 2:33: Conservation practices in place from the fall 2022
• 3:36: Challenges this spring
• 6:46: Had to plant corn deeper than normal
• 9:07: Maximizing nutrients in the field
• 13:00: Conservation practices in the summer
• 13:34: Canadian wildfire smoke impact on crops
• 16:55: What little conservation items make a big impact
• 19:46: Reflecting on the fall and harvest
• 23:31: Conservation plans for 2024
• 27:37: What conservation practices would you try with an unlimited budget
• 29:25: Go-to resource for learning something new

Special thanks to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin for sponsoring this episode.

About the guests

• Greg Friendshuh owns and operates Friendshuh Farms with his brother, Brian and son Nathan in Clear Lake, Wisconsin. The farm consists of 1250 cows, their young stock, and 3,500 acres of cropland. They implement no till, cover crops, augmented manure, low disturbance manure injection, variable rate fertilizer application and they love to plant green.
• John VandenBoom is part of the agronomy team for Holsum Dairies, which consist of 2 dairies and each dairy milks roughly 4,000 The farm operates around 5,000 acres of cropland consisting mostly of corn silage and alfalfa. It has become a major focus of the farm to implement low disturbance manure applications, manure applications on growing crops, and cover crops.

Learn more about the farmer-led watershed groups:

• Calumet County Ag Stewardship Alliance
• Western Wisconsin Conservation Council

This podcast is co-produced by the Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, sister organizations that fight for effective dairy policy in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Become a sponsor, share an idea or feedback by emailing [e-mail].

Attend Dairy Strong on Jan. 16-18 in Green Bay, Wisconsin to gain firsthand inspiration and discover the challenges and solutions experienced by other farmers when implementing sustainable practices. Gain practical knowledge and motivation to implement practices that will make a positive impact on the environment and farms. Learn more and register at dairystrong.org.