News and Events

By John Osterhaus

What a difference this fall has been compared to the spring. After much of the region dealt with extremely wet conditions this spring, we had a very dry fall. We had less than two days that we were shut down due to rain here in Northwestern Illinois this corn silage season. 

Unusually warm and dry weather caused the corn to dry down faster than normal. So instead of dealing with mud, we spent our time chasing corn as it was getting too dry. Personally, I’ll take the warm, dry conditions over rain and mud.

I hope everyone progressed with fall harvest and manure application in a safe and timely manner.

It doesn’t seem possible but it’s time to start thinking about attending our annual Symposium in Wisconsin Dells, February 17-19 at Chula Vista. Not only would I encourage you to attend but also invite a few non-members that you think could benefit from becoming a member. 

A personal invitation to an event like this is a great way to reach out to potential member prospects. If you know of someone, feel free to contact either myself or Maria and we will have membership or Symposium info sent to that person. 

In addition to fellow operators as new members, please think about the companies you do business with. Are they at the Symposium? Should they be? Our sponsors and trade show participants help fund our association activities for the year, and we need their support. Give Maria a call or email with names she should reach out to. 

As we are getting our speakers and discussion topics finalized for this year, I ask that if you have any suggestions for future topics and or speakers, please share them with a board member. Many of our speakers have been selected because someone heard them speak at a previous event. We are always looking for new ideas. As is the case with the Symposium every year, our topics come directly from member feedback, either from the paper surveys or from someone contacting a board member directly.

Speaking of a new, but yet old idea, the board has been talking about doing another silage event. We are interested in hearing your ideas and needs for this type of safety day. Please reach out to me or a board member with your ideas or requests. We are planning on holding it at the University of Wisconsin Arlington Ag Research Station which is about 20 minutes from Madison. A date in the early spring of 2026 is being discussed as well. Please give us your feedback so that we can make this a successful event.

We hope to see you at the Forage Symposium in Wisconsin Dells in February. If we have not met before, please feel free to stop me and say hi.

I hope you have a great holiday season and that 2024 was a safe and successful year.