Wisconsin Farmers Navigate Wet Fields and Political Crosswinds

It’s a soggy start to the summer across much of Wisconsin. And farmers are scrambling to navigate wet fields while making the most of the rare dry day. Remember when farmers would comment ‘knee high by the 4th of July’ when referring to their corn crop? According to the latest crop report, farmers statewide had just 3.5 days of workable field conditions last week, though in some areas, it was even less.

Still, when the rain lets up, the work has to get done.

“We’ve had a couple dry days, so we’re going to start chopping our second crop (of hay),” Hans Breitenmoser says. “That second crop already got chopped in the field across the street yesterday.”

The longtime Merrill area farmer joined Pat Kreitlow, host of Mornings with Pat Kreitlow, to discuss how it’s not just the timing of the harvest that’s changing. So is the speed. 

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Listen to the complete discussion here:

“I swear that machine was moving 30, maybe 35 miles per hour,” Breitenmoser explains. “It used to be that you baled hay slowly, steadily. Now, it’s like we’ve got something out of Transformers running through the field.”

But as technology accelerates, so does the pressure – ranging from policy uncertainty to labor shortages and even long-term decisions that shape rural life far beyond the farm gate.

One issue Breitenmoser continues to watch closely is the debate over tariffs, particularly those in effect through the Trump-era trade wars. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has suggested exempting items like coffee and cocoa. But those are commodities that can’t be grown in the U.S. 

“Congratulations to the Trump White House for discovering we don’t grow bananas or cocoa beans here,” he says. “That only took five and a half months. Meanwhile, our farmers are still stuck waiting for answers and relief.”

The bigger picture, Breitenmoser explains, is confusion. 

“We’ve seen 90 promises, 90 reversals, and more than five months of chaos,” he says. “It’s leaving farmers, markets, and even the USDA unsure of what’s next.”

And those ripple effects often extend into other rural priorities as well. With many communities debating how to support aging populations and local infrastructure. Breitenmoser shared his frustration over the proposed sale of Lincoln County’s publicly run Pine Crest Nursing Home. It’s a facility he believes exemplifies rural values and local stewardship.

“When farmers talk about sustainability, we’re not just talking about crops,” he says. “We’re talking about the communities we’re trying to keep alive.”