News of the Day

Wisconsin lost 47 dairy farms in August, putting the state on pace for its worst year since 2013.

The latest data from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection shows there were 8,372 licensed dairy producers at the beginning of September. That’s 429 fewer than were licensed at the start of the year.

Mike North, president of the Dairy Business Association, said it’s not surprising given the current market and long-term trend toward consolidation in the industry. “There’s lots of motivating factors in this but it’s a trend that’s been going on for my entire lifetime,” North said

But Shelly Mayer, executive director of Professional Dairy Producers, said low milk prices for more than three years just became too much for some farms. “For some of these farm families, that they just can’t continue on with the businesses and that’s what we always find difficult and devastating, to lose the farm numbers in that way,” Mayer said.

But both Mayer and North say retirement and the absence of a successor to take over the farm are also part of the reasons Wisconsin has fewer dairy farms.

Unlike the popular home-renting service Airbnb, which returned hundreds of thousands of dollars to Madison and the state of Wisconsin in the first year of a tax collection agreement, similar companies leave tax payment up to individual property owners.

Under voluntary agreements with Madison, Airbnb returned $324,000 in room tax revenue in the first year of payments. The company returned $2.5 million to the state of Wisconsin over the first year of its agreement.

However, other major players in the home rental business, like Homeaway and VRBO (both owned by Expedia), do not charge the required local taxes up front. Hosts who use these platforms are responsible for collecting and returning local taxes to the municipality.

Wisconsin’s dairy industry and a group of rural banks are asking the state Supreme Court to uphold a jury’s decision to award more than $13 million to a Trempealeau County farmer in what would be the state’s largest stray voltage settlement.

In August 2017, a jury found that Northern States Power Co., or NSP, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, was negligent and failed to follow state regulations, causing more than $4 million in losses for Paul Halderson and his wife, Lyn, who operate a nearly 1,000-cow dairy farm near Galesville.

The Haldersons claimed their herd suffered from illness and decreased milk production for more than a decade because of improperly grounded power lines.

The jury awarded the Haldersons about $4.5 million, finding deliberate violation of statute, which would entitle the Haldersons to triple damages. But Judge Scott Horne later overruled the “wanton and willful” finding on the grounds that Xcel conducted multiple tests on the Halderson farm but failed to find unacceptable levels of stray voltage.

A higher court denied the Haldersons’ appeal, upholding Horne’s decision, saying “the evidence at trial was insufficient for a reasonable jury to find, by clear and convincing evidence, that NSP’s conduct was willful, wanton, or reckless.” The appeals court also denied Xcel’s request for a new trial.

The Haldersons are now asking the Supreme Court to review the case, which they say hinges on an issue “of compelling statewide importance.”

Stray voltage refers to current that leaks from neutral wires into the earth. Animals that come into contact with a grounded object — such as a watering trough — can receive small shocks. This can cause dairy cattle to avoid eating, become stressed and generally produce less milk, according to research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The week of hearings on Kavanaugh’s nomination began with a sense of inevitability that the 53-year-old appellate judge eventually will be confirmed, perhaps in time for the first day of the new term, Oct. 1, and little more than a month before congressional elections.

However, the first of at least four days of hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee began with partisan quarreling over the nomination and persistent protests from members of the audience, followed by their arrests.

In Kavanaugh’s own statement at the end of more than seven hours of arguing, the federal appeals judge spoke repeatedly about the importance of an independent judiciary and the need to keep the court above partisan politics, common refrains among Supreme Court nominees that had added salience in the fraught political atmosphere of the moment.

“A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret statutes as written. A judge must interpret the Constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent,” he said.

Kavanaugh also promised to be “a team player on the Team of Nine.”

The Supreme Court is often thought of as nine separate judges, rather than a team. And on the most contentious cases, the court tends to split into conservative and liberal sides. But justices often do say they seek consensus, and they like to focus on how frequently they reach unanimous decisions.

The Department of Workforce Development is encouraging the public to submit comments  about the state’s Unemployment Insurance program to the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council.

The Council is taking public comments on suggested changes to the state’s UI laws through November 16, 2018. The comments will help form the Council’s legislative agenda during the following year.

Comments may be submitted by email to UILawChange@dwd.wisconsin.gov or by mail to:

Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council
Attn: Janell Knutson, Chair
P.O Box 8942
Madison, WI 53708

The Council comprises employer and employee representatives who meet monthly to recommend law changes and analyze legislative proposals that affect the state’s UI program.

For more information on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council visit: https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uibola/uiac/.

Steady oil prices and the end of strong summer demand should start pushing gasoline prices down.

The auto club AAA predicts that the national average will drop 14 cents to $2.70 a gallon this fall.

The current average of $2.84 is up 46 cents from a year ago, but down from the peak national average of $2.96 a gallon in May. AAA says motorists in the West and in Pennsylvania and Connecticut pay even more – over $3.

Relief could be coming. Benchmark U.S. crude is around $69 a barrel – that’s up sharply from a year ago but down $5 a barrel since early July.

Also, refineries are expected to switch in mid-September to winter-blend gasolines, which are cheaper to produce than summer blends.

Recovery efforts continue in communities across Wisconsin, following recent storms that have caused widespread flooding in many parts of the state and generated at least two tornadoes on Tuesday evening. The tornadoes, which touched down in southwest Fond du Lac County near Brandon and north of Kiel near the Calumet and Manitowoc County lines, downed trees and power lines, while also damaging multiple buildings. No injuries were reported.

Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday declared a State of Emergency for all of Wisconsin, which directs state agencies to assist local governments in their response to the flooding and allows the Wisconsin National Guard to be called to active duty by the adjutant general if requested.

Several parts of the state have experienced torrential rainfalls in the past two weeks with some areas receiving more than 14 inches of rain. This has caused lake levels to rise in Dane County and pushed portions of the Kickapoo and Baraboo rivers to record levels. An additional half inch of rain could fall on parts of the state late Thursday night.

Private property owners should report flood and storm damage by calling 2-1-1 or 877-947-2211. Make sure to document damage by taking pictures and speak with your insurance agent.

Several roads throughout the state remain closed due to standing water or because of damage caused by flooding. Drivers are urged to check 511wi.gov for current road closure information.