Whether it’s devastating tornadoes, frequent thunderstorms, destructive flooding or searing heat waves, it’s clear Wisconsin’s climate ain’t what it used to be.
Hands on Wisconsin archive
A Wisconsin-based farmer cooperative is the newest dairy producer to be criticized for a way their producers look after calves.
PETA, an animal welfare activist group, filed a lawsuit in California this week in opposition to Natural Valley, which relies in La Farge. The criticism alleges that Natural Valley’s claims of manufacturing milk with humane animal practices are deceptive as a result of their farmers separate calves from their moms shortly after start, a typical observe in dairy farming.
“These practices are usually not ‘humane’ and don’t comport with established ‘highest requirements’ of animal care ‘above and past different requirements’—together with provision of ‘social’ settings—that (Natural Valley) touts on its labels,” the lawsuit stated.
A spokesperson for Natural Valley didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the lawsuit.
PETA will not be the one group that claims cow-calf separation is merciless. In 2020, actor Joaquin Phoenix used a part of his acceptance speech on the Academy Awards to criticize the dairy trade for artificially inseminating cows and selecting to “steal her child” after it’s born.
Jennifer Van Os researches animal welfare on dairy farms for the College of Wisconsin-Madison. She stated cow-calf separation is normal for dairy farms throughout the U.S. and the world. She stated the observe began as a solution to forestall new child calves from contracting ailments from different cows in a herd.
“New child dairy cows are weak to illness as a result of their immune system continues to be growing,” Van Os stated. “Their immune system develops in a means that is a bit bit totally different from that of people. So it got here from good intentions, and it was accomplished for the sake of the animal.”
She stated older analysis has additionally discovered that eradicating a calf virtually instantly from their dam, or mom, brought about much less stress for each animals. In order that grew to become the usual observe for a lot of farms.
Van Os stated there are other ways to deal with calves, however many farms use calf hutches. These are partially-enclosed, outdoors shelters that have been developed to permit for good air flow and for farmers to extra simply monitor the younger animals.
She stated dairy cows are precocial animals, that means they’re able to impartial exercise very shortly after start and aren’t as depending on their moms. However analysis has proven that they do profit from social interplay with different calves their age, like studying methods to get together with others within the herd and getting an opportunity to play.
“There is a technique that has been gaining traction and it is known as social housing, the place you retain calves with others of the identical age with out grownup cows. So that they might be housed in just a few as a pair, or in small teams or bigger teams,” Van Os stated.
She stated a few quarter of U.S. farms are already housing calves in teams, and he or she’s had a big variety of Wisconsin producers attain out to learn the way they will undertake the observe on their very own farm.
All through her work learning cow welfare and educating farmers on methods to enhance, Van Os stated she has typically been requested whether or not retaining a calf with their mom can be a greater choice.
“Quite a lot of these questions come from individuals throughout the dairy trade — dairy farmers themselves and different individuals in type of the meals provide chain — as a result of it is truly not a brand new idea, retaining cows and calves collectively. It simply is not the usual observe,” she stated.
Van Os stated some dairy farms in Wisconsin already maintain calves with their moms. She’s collaborating with one other animal welfare scientist, Kate Creutzinger from UW-River Falls, on a brand new undertaking to look at the pure conduct of cows and calves residing collectively on pasture at these farms, with the hope of making a mannequin for different farms excited about adopting the observe.
Whether it’s devastating tornadoes, frequent thunderstorms, destructive flooding or searing heat waves, it’s clear Wisconsin’s climate ain’t what it used to be.
Hands on Wisconsin archive
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A 31-year-old Wisconsin Dells man was arrested following an internet crime investigation, Adams County Wisconsin Sheriff’s Office reported on Tuesday.
According to a sheriff’s office Facebook post, the investigation started after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent in a cybertip. The tip reported about 65 suspected child pornography images being shared or uploaded with other users.
Investigators also learned that the suspect was also being investigated by the El Paso Police Department in Illinois for allegedly sending child pornography videos or images along with communicating with who the suspect believed was a 15-year-old girl.
On June 21, the Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigations executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence on the 3600 block of STH 13 in Wisconsin Dells.
The man was taken into custody on active warrant through the state of Illinois for ten counts of distributing child pornography, one count of indecent solicitation of a minor and one count of grooming.
Wisconsin Department of Justice was among several agencies that helped the Adams County Sheriff’s Office with this investigation.
Authorities are continuing to investigate this case.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new constitutional amendment restricting who can work on Wisconsin elections should have little practical effect, according to a legal opinion issued by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul on Tuesday.
Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment in April that says only lawfully designated election officials can perform any work on primaries, elections and referendums.
It’s unclear how the amendment might change current practices beyond placing definitions about election officials, which are already in state law, into the constitution.
Dane County Corporation Counsel Carlos Pabellon asked Kaul weeks after the amendment was approved for a legal opinion on the definition of a lawful election official. Pabellon pointed out that parts of state law define them as special deputies who help nursing home residents vote, election inspectors and tabulators while other sections say they’re anyone charged with any duties relating to an election.
He questioned whether county and municipal clerks and their staffs remain election officials under the amendment. He also asked whether third-party vendors such as ballot printers could work with election officials since the amendment states only lawfully-designated election officials can do any election work.
Kaul wrote that the amendment doesn’t change the definition of a lawfully designated election official so the multiple definitions in state law remain viable. The amendment also doesn’t negate state laws empowering clerks and other election officials to run elections, he said.
What to know about the 2024 Election
The attorney general went on to say that the amendment doesn’t require election work to be performed only by election officials. Essentially, the amendment mandates that only lawfully designated election officials can control election administration, he wrote.
Kaul noted that Republican lawmakers drafted the amendment in reaction to grant money that came into Wisconsin in 2020 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a liberal group that promotes voter access. That year the group received a $300 million donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to help election officials buy supplies and run elections at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic
Wisconsin’s five largest cities, which President Joe Biden went on to win, received $8.8 million, sparking outrage from Republicans. They accused Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich of ceding authority for running the election to a paid consultant who had worked on Democratic campaigns in the past. Green Bay city attorneys said the claims lacked merit.
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