Many Wisconsin farms and agribusinesses are caught between a rock and a hard spot managing their labor needs.  With increased presence of immigration officials in the Twin Cities, more farms are asking questions about how to protect their employees. Sam Moheban, Immigration specialist with Wausau firm, Ruder Ware.  Pam Jahnke visits with him about the unique challenges dairy farms face managing employees.  He says he’s keeping an eye on any legislative or policy changes at the federal level that might give farms, especially dairies, a clear path to managing the workforce.  Unfortunately, Moheban says right now farms must work with either the H2A or H2B programs – neither of which allow for foreign born workers to be in the country year round.  Of course dairy farms require employees taking care of animals and milking cows year round – and that’s the rub. He advises farms to double check their 1-9 documentation for all employees, and post "private property" signs, perhaps with barriers, to keep agents from entering property without notice.  Moheban says farms should create a system and protocols on how to deal with officials if that visit occurs.  He also says communicating with employees about what’s being done to protect them is a critical piece of the plan to make sure that employees are showing up for work every day.

Get outdoor tasks done today if you can, because there's a drastic weather change on the horizon for tomorrow.  Stu Muck says sub-zero temperatures will make being outdoors Friday and into Saturday dangerous.

Weather didn't stop more than 300 farmers from across the state from gathering for Ag Day at the Capitol. Stephanie Hoff was there and says the theme was about bringing stability to farming.  Topics included expanding affordable health care, improved market access, bringing more ag professionals into the state like veterinarians and tax credits for domestically produced fuels.  Jason Mugnaini, executive director for the WI Farm Bureau, explains why each is critical for stability.

Dairy has seen a glimmer of good news over the past few days.  Mike North, dairy analyst with EverAg, joins Pam Jahnke to discuss what's driving the increase in prices for block cheese and butter. North questions whether this is true demand, or just a short-term blip on the trade screen.  Meanwhile the European Union milk production keeps rolling on.