For many years, one of the stiffest competitions at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days was who
could bring the biggest weed to the show! It’s Back!
U.W. Madison Extension Crops and Soils Educator Richard Halopka says at the Education
Station, “We are going to focus on the theme; traditional agriculture and the highlights of the
new technology.” They will have animals on site to demonstrate the use of beef semen on dairy
cows. On the crop side they will have demo plots which showcase alternative forages should
the alfalfa crop fail. They will also feature alternatives to corn and soybeans. Cover crops will be
on display.
Halopka says in bygone years, Extension had a “Weed Doctor”, a “Bug Doctor” and a “Disease
Doctor” with the idea that people could bring in some example of a problem they faced and
talk to an expert about it. That resulted in the annual Biggest Weed Contest. That tradition
returns; Halopka invites folks to bring that problem bug or weed in, “We will have people there
to identify it and make recommendations. Who knows, you may have the biggest weed. The
grand prize is bragging rights: someday you can tell your grandchildren; “I got the tallest weed
at Farm Tech Days!”
The Extension Education Station is on the east side of Tent City on Swiderski Equipment Avenue
between the two 6 th Streets.
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