Farms encourage striking up relationships with your local farms and the goods they can provide you with.  Unfortunately, once those relationships are cemented, getting the finished products to customers can become the battle.  Kiley Allan finds out about it firsthand from Haly Schultz, farmer at Marth Homestead Farm & Beef Store.  She says roughly 36% of Wisconsin counties (26 out of 72) lack inspected red meat slaughter facilities, creating processing "deserts" that force farmers like Hallie Schultz to drive hours round-trip to process their livestock. Older mom-and-pop processing facilities closed due to retirement and high upgrade costs, and while post-COVID funding briefly helped new processors open, several have since shut down or shifted away from local slaughter to wholesale and retail sales. She explains the demand for state- or federally-inspected mobile slaughter units, which would allow farmers to handle cattle on-site, reduce animal stress, eliminate transportation logistics, and keep local processing options accessible. Local meat markets face persistent hurdles including a shortage of skilled, detail-oriented butchers, strict inspection standards, and a need for improved consumer education regarding regional meat production. 

Another picture perfect day in Wisconsin weather on the way.  Stu Muck says we'll stay pretty dry today and tomorrow with only slight chances of showers.  Temperatures will stay in comfortable upper 70's for the rest of the week.

It will be "back to work" for representatives and senators beginning next week.  That includes U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin.  She's got a full agenda she'd like to see discussed, as she shared with Teri Barr.  The two caught up recently at the Crave Brothers Farmstead in Waterloo during celebration of new Burrata cheese for the holidays. The Crave Brothers increase in new cheese production is supported through a grant from the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative program, Baldwin supported the creation of the program. She wants more funding to continue support. The program is currently out of money.Although there was celebrating at Crave's event, Baldwin says she's concerned about the future for other farmers.  The senator explains her priorities as she goes back to the nation's capitol - including the Farm Bill and beef imports.

International negotiations have been part of daily headlines for months.  That means they sometimes become a dull noise in the background.  Matt Tranel, dairy analyst with EverAg says that Wisconsin dairy operators and dairy processors need to stay vigilant on monitoring those discussions.  Tranel says in July, for example, Mexico purchased 35% of all U.S. cheese exported.  That's a big number!  It's more than South Korea, Japan and Australian sales put together for the same time period.  Tranel says keeping that relationship healthy is a major directive from the nations dairy operators.