Boxelder Bug

Boxelder bugs(Boisea trivittatus, Family Rhopalidae, scentless plant bugs) are common insects from mid-summer through fall, and sometimes in spring. The gray and red adults are about ½ inch long. Nymphs (immatures) are bright red with darker heads and look like the adults, but without developed wings. They tend to be most abundant after summers when […]

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Hempcrete

What is Hempcrete? Hempcrete is a bio-composite made of the inner woody core of the hemp plant mixed with a lime-based binder. The hemp core or “Shiv” has a high silica content which allows it to bind well with lime. This property is unique to hemp among all natural fibers. The result is a lightweight […]

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Rain Barrels

What is a rain barrel? A rain barrel can be any large container designed to collect rain water. Typically, rain barrels are placed at the bottom of downspouts in order to collect rain as it runs off of a roof. For every inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof, about 600 […]

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Be Ready to Reduce Heat Stress in Cattle this Summer

Be Ready to Reduce Heat Stress in Cattle this Summer There is no question that heat stress can negatively impact animal performance.  Heat stress reduces milk production and has a negative impact on reproduction in dairy cattle.  Dairy cattle will also show heat stress at slightly lower temperatures than beef cattle will.  For feedlot cattle […]

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Responding to the Avian Influenza Outbreak

The current avian influenza outbreak is not thought to pose a risk to human health or to food safety but it is highly toxic to birds, including backyard poultry flocks.  As of April 2, 2022 the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced a confirmed case of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPIA) in a […]

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Soil Testing

Lawn & Garden Soil Testing La Crosse County UW-Extension offers soil testing Why, when and how: Sampling Lawn and Garden Soils for analysis What you get: Analysis of current nutrient content of your soil including: organic matter, lime requirement, potassium, phosphorous. . Current soil pH. Recommendation of type and amount of fertilizer to add. Allow […]

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