Farmers Urged to Attend Public Hearings on NR 151 Runoff Rules
Farm Bureau members need to weigh in during upcoming public hearings by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on proposed changes to the Nonpoint source pollution regulations (officially known as NR-151). The proposed rules will have many significant consequences and ramifications to farms of every size, commodity and management style. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau is reviewing the extensive set of proposed modifications and is developing responses for farmers to communicate at the six public hearings scheduled around the state. Farm Bureau will host pre-meetings before each hearing to further explain the proposal before the 1 p.m. start of each public hearing scheduled for Appleton, Eau Claire, Waukesha, Madison, Wausau and Platteville in late January and February.
Click here to learn more about the dates and times of the public hearings and pre-meetings.
Click here to view the Farm Bureau's backgrounder and map pertaining to NR 151.
TAKE ACTION NOW-CLICK HERE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER

Farm Bureau Members Set Policy for 2010
WFBF members set policy for 2010. Release
WFBF 2010 Policy

Wisconsin Ag Women's Summit Set for March 5-7
A renowned advocate on speaking out for agriculture will be the keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Ag Women’s Summit, March 5-7 at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva.
[release]
Click here to download brochure and application form

Conversations on Animal Care
We are America's farmers and ranchers and we care about the health of our animals. We care because we wouldn't feed anything less than the safest food to our family and to yours. We care because without healthy and content animals, farmers and ranchers wouldn't be in business. Simply put, we care because healthy animals mean healthy food for you and your family.

That's why we created ConversationsOnCare.com, to show you why healthy animals are so important to us and help us learn what's most important to you.

Please take a look around our site and learn more about the steps every American farmer and rancher takes to ensure that our animals receive the best possible care, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
Visit the Conversation on Animal Care Site


Supporting the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation
Supporting the Foundation is easy. You can buy these items and part of the proceeds will go to the Foundation. To learn more about the Foundation, visit the Foundation homepage.

Corn Farmers Demonstrate Sustainable Ag in Video
A new National Corn Growers Association video on the subject of increasing sustainability in agriculture made its debut last weekend on the television program This Week in Agribusiness. The short video features family farmers telling the story of how better management and modern technology spells good news for both consumers and the environment. "The only thing as important as growing a crop and getting a fair price is doing so in a way that is socially responsible and assures opportunities for the next generation of farmers and consumers," said Darrin Ihnen, NCGA president and South Dakota corn grower. The video notes that every day on planet Earth we grow by over 200,000 people. That is 150 new people every minute. In the next 40 years our global population will exceed 9 billion people, up from 6.7 billion people today. "Luckily, family farmers are making rapid progress toward meeting the needs of a growing world and doing it with the environment in mind. Sustainability isn't some buzz word or novelty for a corn grower. We are living this every day and trying to do a better job with each crop we grow," Ihnen said.

Commodity and Futures Markets Information
This link takes you to the fbcountry, a web site from the American Farm Bureau Federation. From this site you can monitor futures markets including currencies, energies, financials, grains, indices, meats, metals, and softs.fbcountry futures information

Children's Books - Series of Agriculture Books For Elementary School Kids
The WFB Foundation has a serious of Children's Agriculture Books for sale as part of the ongoing effort by Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom to promote books for elementary-age children that accurately portray modern agriculture.The books are appropriate for grades K-6 and have been selected for their accuracy, readability, and overall appeal to kids.
2010 Order Form

Planning on Your Farm - Useful Resources for Farmers
Download the following complimentary forms for use on your farm. the forms include a farm emergency template for emergency preparation, an employee handbook you can tailor to your farm and give to your employees and a farm safety handbook to help avoid injuries and losses. All three documents are available below in Word format.
EMERGENCY PLAN TEMPLATE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK FARM SAFETY HANDBOOK

UW Center for Ag Safety & Health Resources
The UW-Madison/Cooperative Extension Center for Agricultural Safety and Health has launched a new website that contains answers to commonly asked questions about state laws related to farm equipment, as well as other lighting and marking suggestions to keep both farmers and motorists safe this busy harvest season.[visit their site]