MONROE - Green County Forage Council is no more.
Members voted unanimously to discontinue the council at their 24th annual Forage Seminar and annual meeting Tuesday at the Monticello House.
Forage councils are nonprofit organizations of forage producers, educators and industry, designed to distribute information, encourage research and help livestock owners maintain pasture and grazing land.
One of the considerations for disbanding that members discussed is another increase in fees for Midwest Forage Association (MFA), an organization begun in 2004 when the Wisconsin Forage Council merged with forage councils in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Another reason that might have swayed members to cut from the MFA is what some see as the regional organization's leaning more toward political activism and less toward its original mission of education and research. David Fischer, UW Extension crops and soils agent for Dane County, spoke about some MFA Board members who see the MFA as becoming a greater political force.
Individuals can still join the MFA; they do not need a local forage council to qualify.
For their $50 MFA membership fee, members received from the local Green County Forage Council a newsletter and entry into two activities: the Forage Seminar and the Forage Testing Contest.
The Forage Testing Contest was begun years ago when testing was encouraged, Green County Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said. But with most everyone testing now, the contest is rather unnecessary, he noted.
A forage test supplies information about the nutritive value of the hay or grasses in a pasture. Crude protein, fiber, fat and macrominerals (calcium, phosphorus, zinc, cobalt, etc.) are usually noted. With the information, farmers and ranchers can supplement their herds' diet, if necessary.
Dr. Bruce Jones, an agricultural economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented Tuesday's seminar program. Jones discussed buying verses renting land, and compared land prices in Wisconsin with neighboring states.
Educational programs, such as Jones', may continue despite the demise of the forage council.
"We do not need the Forage Council to put on these programs," Mayer said. He said his office could still set up educational programs; all he needed was suggestions and input from the farmers as to what they wanted to learn more about.
Mayer said he has seen the approximate 40 forage councils in the state drop by three-fourths in the past 20 years.
The remaining funds in the forage council's treasury, approximately $250, was donated to the Green County Fair Board.
Members voted unanimously to discontinue the council at their 24th annual Forage Seminar and annual meeting Tuesday at the Monticello House.
Forage councils are nonprofit organizations of forage producers, educators and industry, designed to distribute information, encourage research and help livestock owners maintain pasture and grazing land.
One of the considerations for disbanding that members discussed is another increase in fees for Midwest Forage Association (MFA), an organization begun in 2004 when the Wisconsin Forage Council merged with forage councils in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Another reason that might have swayed members to cut from the MFA is what some see as the regional organization's leaning more toward political activism and less toward its original mission of education and research. David Fischer, UW Extension crops and soils agent for Dane County, spoke about some MFA Board members who see the MFA as becoming a greater political force.
Individuals can still join the MFA; they do not need a local forage council to qualify.
For their $50 MFA membership fee, members received from the local Green County Forage Council a newsletter and entry into two activities: the Forage Seminar and the Forage Testing Contest.
The Forage Testing Contest was begun years ago when testing was encouraged, Green County Agriculture Agent Mark Mayer said. But with most everyone testing now, the contest is rather unnecessary, he noted.
A forage test supplies information about the nutritive value of the hay or grasses in a pasture. Crude protein, fiber, fat and macrominerals (calcium, phosphorus, zinc, cobalt, etc.) are usually noted. With the information, farmers and ranchers can supplement their herds' diet, if necessary.
Dr. Bruce Jones, an agricultural economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented Tuesday's seminar program. Jones discussed buying verses renting land, and compared land prices in Wisconsin with neighboring states.
Educational programs, such as Jones', may continue despite the demise of the forage council.
"We do not need the Forage Council to put on these programs," Mayer said. He said his office could still set up educational programs; all he needed was suggestions and input from the farmers as to what they wanted to learn more about.
Mayer said he has seen the approximate 40 forage councils in the state drop by three-fourths in the past 20 years.
The remaining funds in the forage council's treasury, approximately $250, was donated to the Green County Fair Board.