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Articles by Brian Luck
Wisconsin custom rate survey provides early look at 2025 field operation costs Original
Silva Gaku, Paul Mitchell, Brian Luck and Guang Tian UW-Madison Division of Extension May 11, 2026, 5:07 a.m. CT The 2026 planting season in Wisconsin is underway, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension has released its preliminary findings from the 2025 Wisconsin Custom Rate Survey. This early release highlights rates for tillage and field preparation, planting activities, and the application of fertilizers and chemicals.
Don’t bail on maintenance Original
As forage harvest season gets into full swing, it is easy to overlook some machinery basics such as maintenance. The machines we use to harvest hay and silage range from being relatively simple to vastly complex, mechanically speaking. There are a multitude of rotating shafts, bearings, belts, and other components that require seasonal maintenance, at minimum, with others needing regular maintenance during the harvest season.
Crushing yields with machine traffic
The author is an associate professor and machinery systems and precision agriculture extension specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When it’s time to harvest alfalfa for silage or hay, we are usually concerned about getting the crop cut at the right time, hitting weather windows for good drying conditions, and removing the crop from the field while maintaining the correct moisture and quality.
Row unit down force and coulter effects vary by environmental conditions in organic no‐till soybeans
AARS Arlington Agricultural Research Station MARS Marshfield Agricultural Research Station 1 INTRODUCTION Tillage and cultivation remain the primary weed control methods in organic management systems (Carr, 2017; Mirsky et al., 2013). Tillage-induced soil erosion has driven substantial soil losses in the US Corn Belt (Thaler et al., 2021).
Thoughts on Spray Drones for Wisconsin Farmers
Authors: Carl Duley, Brian Luck, John Gaska, Jeff Nelson, Shawn Conley, and Damon Smith Date: August 15, 2023 Large Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, drones) that are capable of low volume liquid applications in production agriculture settings are a very exciting topic this year. These machines provide producers and crop consultants an opportunity to complete late-season applications of inputs with minimal to no disturbance of the growing crop.
Low alfalfa yields can be tiring
The author is an associate professor and extension agricultural engineer with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Have you ever driven past an alfalfa field a few days after harvest and noticed distinct tracks where the equipment traveled? Visually, it looks like the plants where the tires ran might have been damaged. They often appear stunted compared to the remainder of the field. Alfalfa harvest, either for hay or silage, requires an array of machines to complete.
Wheel traffic reduces alfalfa yield
The author is an extension agricultural engineer and assistant professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In late 2018, the University of Wisconsin-Madison received a grant from the USDA-NIFA Alfalfa and Forages Research Program to investigate the effects of wheel traffic on alfalfa regrowth, yield, and quality.
Minimize soybean losses in adverse conditions
Harvesting soybeans later than intended can present many challenges for minimizing harvest losses. Those challenges are amplified when snow is on the ground and impacting harvest. Minimization of losses starts at the header. Checking that the sickle-bar knives are sharp and the guards are adjusted properly will ensure stems are being cut rather than broken or leaned over by the header.
Minimize soybean losses in adverse conditions
Harvesting soybeans later than intended can present many challenges for minimizing harvest losses. Those challenges are amplified when snow is on the ground and impacting harvest. Minimization of losses starts at the header. Checking that the sickle-bar knives are sharp and the guards are adjusted properly will ensure stems are being cut rather than broken or leaned over by the header.
Choose your mixer wisely
Size it right Two important considerations when choosing a new TMR mixer are the capacity and power requirements. Choosing a TMR mixer with too little capacity will result in mixing multiple batches per feeding, elevating the time required to feed the herd. Sometimes, using a TMR mixer with insufficient batch capacity is unavoidable due to restrictions on mixer dimensions, door clearance and feed traffic lane width.
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