Katie Wantoch: This is UW Extension’s Farm Management AgriVision podcast. I am Katie Wantoch, Agriculture Agent with UW-Madison Division of Extension. I will be chatting with fellow Extension educators as we answer questions from farmers and share our knowledge and expertise on how you can improve your farm management skills.

Today I would like to share with you about why I started this podcast and a little about my background. Prior to 2020, I would occasionally listen to an audiobook while commuting to work. I knew a little about podcasts but definitely not how to record or share them! Audio has been around Extension and education a long time but finding a way to publish and share these recordings has only become popular in recent years.

So, why would a farmer want a podcast? Great question, right! People, especially farmers, have less time to read materials. Much of Extension’s instruction has traditionally been done through print materials like factsheets, articles in newspapers or magazines, and available on websites. However, educators have been seeing an increase in farmers listening to podcasts while working or traveling. Audio allows them to listen in their tractors, while milking cows, or harvesting their vegetables.

How did the AgriVision podcast come about, you might ask? Well, I have been co-writing a monthly column for the Wisconsin Agriculturist magazine since 2013. Each month I, along with two other panelists, receive two questions that have been submitted by farmers. The submitted questions vary around farm management related issues. Each panelist provides a short response that is compiled by the editor and published in the AgriVision column.

As 2020 evolved and our ability to meet in person became more difficult, I looked for opportunities to share the information and many resources that I was writing about in the column. Extension has a plethora of materials that are available on various topics. Educators strive to reach a broader audience where and when they need it.  The idea to record the questions and answers with fellow University of Wisconsin Extension educators really appealed to me. Not only do we educators miss interacting with farmers due to the pandemic, but we also miss chatting with our fellow colleagues. This podcast has been a wonderful opportunity for me to collaborate with them to share our knowledge and expertise with you along with embracing new technology and ways to communicate with our audience.

Now a little about me. I have been with Extension for 10 years as an Associate Professor and Agriculture Extension Agent, in Dunn County, Wisconsin. My research and outreach efforts focus on improving farmer skills and knowledge in farm financial and business management, farm estate and succession planning, and agricultural economic and business development.

Prior to joining Extension in 2010, I completed a two year training program and served as an agricultural loan officer for a regional bank. I received my Master of Business Administration degree, with an emphasis in Finance, from Lakeland University while working for that bank. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Business Management from UW-Madison.

My husband and I have three wonderful and energetic children. We also own a 40 acre farm and are raising Charolais beef cattle for cow-calf and finishing a few steers each year. I was raised on a dairy farm in central Wisconsin and love that our kids will be fourth generation farmers, if they choose it!

I joined Extension to assist farmers with their farm business and management skills. I am excited to share this podcast series! I hope you will find it informative and useful for your farm business. Again, I am Katie Wantoch, Agriculture Agent with Extension in Dunn County.