The Wisconsin State FFA Convention is just around the corner, and the state officer team is pulling together the final details.  Jill Welke finds out about theme's and projects from Amanda Draxler.  Draxler is the current President of the WI FFA State Officer team.  She says there day of service this year will involve around 1,000 members from across the state the come to Madison early to help others.  Draxler says a couple components include packaging meals for those in need and helping with community projects around Wisconsin.

Hot and sticky - in May!  The weather gyrations in Wisconsin continue.  Stu Muck says the heat will break a bit tomorrow, but overall we'll stay dry and warm.

That heat has helped the state's corn crop advance pretty quickly.  In this week's Wyffels Wednesday, Kiley Allan chats with Brant Smith, District Sales Manager @ Wyffels about plant development and any issues growers should monitor.  Paid for by Wyffels Hybrids.

Getting the general public to recognize those efforts isn't always easy.  Stephanie Hoff finds out what some of the deans from our state's colleges of agriculture are doing to highlight these researchers.  They note that the Dairy Innovation Hub has acted as a collaborative "nexus," uniting the unique strengths of UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls to benefit Wisconsin's broader agricultural and education landscape. UW-Platteville faculty members from the chemistry and mechanical engineering departments successfully patented a method to turn spoiled milk into 3D printing material. Researchers at UW-River Falls developed a more affordable lactose-free ice cream, which is currently being sold to the public at the campus’s Freddy’s Dairy Bar. UW-Madison is utilizing high-level science, such as SNAP plus modeling, to create new nutrient strategies that help farmers contain phosphorus and nitrogen. Despite the rising "cost of doing business," state funding for the Hub has not been adjusted for inflation since it was established around 2019 or 2020. The initiative has proven to be a massive financial win for the state; last year, Hub researchers brought in more external grant dollars than the total amount of funding provided by the state. To ensure the Hub’s value is understood during budget cycles, the universities host major public events—ranging from Lafayette County Dairy Breakfasts to field days at Madison’s 12 regional ag research stations—where lawmakers can see the impact firsthand.