Portage County

A Master Composter Training Workshop in Stevens Point will provide training for anyone wanting to teach others about home composting, including backyard composting and vermicomposting with earthworms.  The training will take place over two days:  Wed., March 28 from 6-9pm and Sat., March 31 from 8:30am-12:30pm.  Attendees are expected to attend both sessions.  Registration Form “The [...]

The host farms for the 2014 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, being held in Portage County, were announced January 9, 2012. Ken Schroeder, Farm Technology Days Executive Committee Secretary introduced Blue Top Farms and Feltz Family Farms as the joint host farms for the statewide event in 2014. Blue Top Farms and Feltz Family Farms are [...]

February 10 & March 16, 2012 Portage County UW-Extension is offering training sessions on February 10 and March 16, 2012. Sessions will be presented by Portage County UW-Extension agriculture agent Ken Schroeder and run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Courthouse Annex Building, 1462 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point Conference Rooms 1 and 2. [...]

During the chill of a Wisconsin winter, there are few things more satisfying than a warm fire. Heating your home with wood can be less expensive than other sources of home heating energy, and firewood is a renewable resource. Prices of heating fuels vary considerably, but non-renewable fossil fuels and electricity are commonly 2 to [...]

Looking for help with a lawn or garden question? Need help identifying an insect or plant disease? The Garden Line provides horticulture-related advice for Portage County residents. The Garden Line can answer questions related to: Trees & Shrubs, Vegetables, Flowers, Houseplants, Insect Pests, and Fertilizers. Available by Phone — 715-346-1589. Please leave message with support staff or on voice mail. [...]

Portage County UW-Extension is offering soil testing for lawns and gardens. What you get: Analysis of current nutrient content of your soil (P,K). Current soil pH. Recommendation of type and amount of fertilizer to add. Allow 2 – 3 weeks for return of results. What we need: A total of 2 cups of air dry [...]

USDA Fact Sheet:  Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40 °F and frozen food at or below 0 °F. This may be difficult when the power is out. Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.  [...]

Barns in Wisconsin are “an endangered species,” the causes readily listed; decay, abundant size, snow load, economic displacement. Yet nothing symbolizes our historic connection to the land with the same authority, bravery and family bond as a barn. The Barn Project The goal of this project is to inventory and photograph every barn in Wisconsin; every county, every barn. This project cannot save barns but [...]