News and Events

By Maria Woldt for WCO

As we head into the winter meeting season, WCO is gearing up for two major events that you won’t want to miss — the Forage Symposium and the WCO Safety Training and Certification event, April 9 in Arlington. Both events promise valuable networking and practical information you can take home to your business.

Forage Symposium: Feb. 16–18,
Chula Vista, Wisconsin Dells

The 2026 Forage Symposium will feature a wide range of sessions including topics on building your social media presence, insurance, growing the ag workforce and more. On Tuesday, members will enjoy a keynote presentation from Avery and Emily Elsing of New Age Custom Farming in Prairie du Sac, Wis. This duo will share their experience growing their custom farming business alongside multiple other businesses and a growing online presence. The Elsings have built a loyal following through their engaging YouTube channel, documenting real-life moments from the field, and offering an authentic look at what it takes to run a modern farm. 

On Wednesday, we’ll continue our popular “Forage harvesting around the country and world” theme with Matthias Siegrist of Siegrist Harvesting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Born in Europe, Matthias will share his unique journey of moving across the world, starting a thriving business, and keeping his business running strong. He’ll compare trends between U.S. and Canadian agriculture, touching on both the similarities and differences. 

Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask Matthias about his extensive equipment fleet and learn how he manages logistics and efficiency.

This year marks the first Forage Symposium since WCO’s affiliation with PNAAW. With WCO now coordinating the manure track, attendees can look forward to expanded content that includes manure management, key regulatory updates, and safety topics that benefit all members. 

Highlights from this track include two engaging panels: one featuring operators sharing “lessons learned” from manure hauling experiences to help others avoid costly mistakes, and another focused on building strong partnerships with town boards and community members while navigating manure hauling and application.

Whether you attend the Symposium every year or it’s been a while, this is the perfect year to join us—there’s truly something for everyone. More details on sessions, registration, and lodging will be released in the coming weeks. Registration opens in December, so keep an eye on your mail and email for updates.

WCO Safety training & certification session
UW Agricultural Research Station, Arlington

Following the Symposium, WCO and USCHI will host a stand-alone safety training and certification event on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the UW Agricultural Research Station in Arlington. This hands-on event will feature safety walk-arounds, breakout sessions focused on manure and forage equipment, and practical emergency response training. Registration is now open on the WCO website, and sponsor support has been outstanding. A special thank you to Agri-King, our “presenting” sponsor. The full speaker lineup will be announced soon.

This event is designed for your entire crew—a great opportunity to come together for a safety refresher before the 2026 season gets underway. 

We look forward to seeing everyone in February — and again in April — as we come together to learn, connect, and strengthen Wisconsin’s custom farming community.