Ag Briefs: Semi strikes cow on I-94
TOMAH, WI
Semi strikes cow on I-94
Multiple agencies, including Wisconsin State Troopers and Monroe County Sheriff Deputies, responded to a vehicle accident near Tomah that occurred late Saturday on Sept. 3, after a semi-tractor trailer struck a cow on I-94 going eastbound.
According to State Patrol, the semi struck a cow on the roadway near the I-90 interchange, causing the vehicle to flip and come to a stop in the median.
WMTV reported that the crash involved one injury, police said.
A secondary crash occurred while traffic was backed up, officials said, and this caused a full lane blockage on I-94. There are no additional details on the secondary crash.
OTTUMWA, IA
Thieves steal $100,000 of pork from JBS Plant
Three semi-trailers worth of pork product were stolen from an Ottumwa plant Thursday, Sept. 1, totaling over $100,000 in stolen meat.
Ottumwa police responded to a call regarding a stolen semi at JBS, a meat packing plant in Ottumwa, Thursday at 7 a.m., according to Lt. Jason Bell, a spokesperson for the Ottumwa Police Department. Police believe the semi was used to steal three semi-trailers that were filled with over $100,000 in pork product ready to be distributed, the DesMoines Register reported.
Authorities recovered two of the stolen trailers at the Blackhawk River Access in Ottumwa, Bell said. The last trailer was found in Wapello County near the intersection of 87th Street and 170th Avenue. All of the pork product had been removed, according to Bell.
RIDGEWAY, WI
Man killed in farm accident identified
A 69-year-old man died in a farming accident near Ridgeway on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 23, the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office said.
In a news release, the agency said first responders were called to the 7000 block of Rock Road in the town of Ridgeway just after 5:15 p.m. for a report of an accident. When crews got to the scene, they found the victim, Paul Bickford, dead.
According to his obituary, Bickford was a tireless advocate for organic farming and fostering the next generation of farmers, serving on Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection’s Organic Advisory Council and on the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers.
The release did not provide further details about the nature of the accident.
PLATTEVILLE, WI
Nollen part of U.S. soil judging team taking first at world contest
University of Wisconsin-Platteville senior Isaac Nollen was on the four-person American soil judging team that took first place at last month’s International Soil Judging Competition, hosted by the 20th World Congress of Soil Science in Glasgow, Scotland.
Nollen, a soil and crop science major, became involved in the soil judging team on a college visit before even starting at UW-Platteville. He qualified for the international team by placing third in the individual contest at the national soils contest last spring, UW Platteville reported.
The event consisted of three days of classroom and field-based training before the two-day competition began.
RIVER FALLS, WI
UW-RF ag engineering program receives accreditation
The bachelor’s degree program in agricultural engineering at the UW-River Falls has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology.
ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.
MADISON, WI
Lawmakers presented with FB Award
Elected Wisconsin federal officials noted for their advocacy of agriculture have been recognized with Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s ‘Friend of Farm Bureau’ Award.
According to Farm Bureau, the award criteria is based on 12 House bills representing the top priorities of American Farm Bureau and Wisconsin Farm Bureau. In the Senate, nine of the organization’s top legislative priorities were considered.
WFBF President Kevin Krentz says the voting records of the following lawmakers demonstrate their understanding of the importance of the state's ag industry: U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, and U.S. Representatives Bryan Steil, Ron Kind, Glenn Grothman, Tom Tiffany and Mike Gallagher.
MADISON, WI
Cedar Wedge recalls bacon product
The Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection announced that Cedar Wedge Farm in Bonduel is issuing a voluntary recall of bacon produced for individuals and sold from its retail store. The recall includes Smoked bacon, vacuum sealed in approximately 1-lb. packages.
According to the news release, the product is marked with a packaging date between Aug. 5-29, 2022, and includes a mark of inspection with plant No. 593.
DATCP says the product was produced with on site inspection. No illnesses have been reported as a result of consuming this product.
TOLEDO, OH
Bird flu forces egg farm to euthanize 3 million chickens
An outbreak of bird flu that has led to the deaths of 43 million chickens and turkeys this year across the U.S. has been found at a giant egg-laying operation in Ohio, Associated Press reported.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the case confirmed over the weekend in Ohio's Defiance County has affected roughly 3 million chickens. The state’s veterinarian says the farm has started euthanizing all of its flock.
The highly pathogenic disease has returned to the Midwest earlier than authorities expected after a lull of several months. Cases have been found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana and North Dakota within the past week.
RALEIGH, N.C.
Soil temperature predict pest spread
A new study from North Carolina State University shows soil temperature can be used to effectively monitor and predict the spread of the corn earworm, an important pest that ravages corn, cotton, soybeans, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetable crops.
The ability to better monitor the pest and make predictions about where it will appear could help farmers control the pest more effectively, which would reduce the financial and environmental impacts of pesticide use.
The researchers combined historical soil temperature data with long-term corn earworm monitoring data and information on how the pest survives cold conditions in a lab setting to better understand “overwintering success,” or how well the pest can survive underground during the colder winter months.
Minnesota, with its harsh winters, saw no corn earworm overwintering success from 1950 through 2021, the data show. By the end of the century, however, the predictive models show the entire state firmly in the Transitional Zone.