Wisconsin
‘Rain, rain, go away’: NE Wisconsin farmers asking for a break from Mother Nature
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (WBAY) – Northeast Wisconsin farmers are asking for the rain to stop, as it’s hurting their chances of planting and harvesting their crops.
This comes after a drought was declared last year due to the dry conditions farmers were facing.
Last year, farmers were concerned that it was too dry for their crops hoping for more precipitation. This year the amount of rain we’ve gotten might be too much of a good thing.
Mark Petersen of Petersen Dairy Farm says he hasn’t been able to consistently get out onto his fields because of the weather. Many of the crops he has planted are under too much moisture, while crops waiting to get put into the ground may not make it in time. He says he’s heard multiple farmers complain about this year’s season as they remain at the mercy of round after round of rain.
“We’ve still got some dry hay to harvest yet and that’s a nightmare,” says Petersen. “We can’t do it because of the weather forecast. It should’ve been harvested optimum the last week of May so we’re getting a month late and it’s getting overly ripe and feed quality is not worth a darn at this point.”
Last year, farmers were dealing with the effects of a flash drought in late May that turned into a full drought in late June and lasted until about March of this year. Around April, heavy showers started to help farmers, but now it has become too much rain for them to plant and harvest their crops.
Regional crops and soil educator Kevin Jarek says that soil typically has 25% pore space and 25% moisture. When he was gathering soil samples in March, the percentage of moisture was between 16 and 23%, which Jarek says is unheard of for that time of year.
“For that number to be down at 16, 20, 23% during a time when the soil should have been the wettest, we were sincerely worried about ‘Are we going to have moisture to grow our crops if we plant them in the ground’,” says Jarek.
Jarek says farmers can plant cover crops, which will help benefit soil health and control erosion, but it may not be enough.
“It’s going to be too late to try and plant corn and soybeans and have those crops reach maturity, so we do the best we can,” says Jarek.
Jarek says farmers do have insurance and preventative planning payments that are available during times like this, but says it doesn’t come close to replacing what a farmer has lost.
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Wisconsin
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Wisconsin
Vote: Who is Wisconsin High School Boys Basketball’s Top Guard of 2025-26?
With the action-packed Wisconsin high school boys basketball regular season completed and March Madness beginning, it’s time to take a look at some of the outstanding players and cast your vote for the best.
We began by looking at the most prolific individual scoring threats, talented 3-point shooters,strong rebounders, and top free-throw shooters so now it’s time to take a look at the high-caliber guards from throughout the state.
There are hundreds of high-caliber boys basketball players in Wisconsin, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive.
Voting remains open until March 9 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
(Players are listed in alphabetical order and all nominees are leaders from the 2025-26 season as compiled by Bound.com, and WIAA; the poll is below the list of athletes)
Castillo is averaging 25.4 points per game with 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals for Greendale (18-6 overall record).
Collien is averaging 15 points per game with 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Oakfield (21-3 overall record).
Edwards is averaging 14.1 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists for D.C. Everest (21-3 overall record).
Gray Jr. was averaging 24.3 points per game with 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals prior for West Allis Central (22-2 overall record).
Hereford is averaging 36.4 points per game with 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 4.1 steals for Beloit Memorial (22-2 overall record).
Johnson is averaging 27.3 points per game with 8.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 steals for Milwaukee Juneau (22-1 overall record).
Jones is averaging 23.3 points per game with 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.6 steals for Germantown (15-9 overall record).
Kern is averaging 16 points per game with 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists for New Berlin West (21-3 overall record).
Kilgore is averaging 14.6 points per game with 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.0 steals for Kewaunee (24-0 overall record).
Kohnen is averaging 16.3 points per game with 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals for Slinger (20-4 overall record).
Knueppel is averaging 17.4 points per game with 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.4 steals for Wisconsin Lutheran (24-0 overall record).
Loose is averaging 18.2 points per game with 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals for Port Washington (23-1 overall).
Manchester is averaging 35.8 points per game for Mount Horeb (19-5 overall record).
Platz is averaging 19.5 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals for Brookfield East (19-5 overall record).
Prochnow is averaging 21.3 points per game with 11.1 assists, 4.8 assists, and 3.2 steals for Reedsville (21-3 overall record).
Resch is averaging 21.3 points per game with 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals for Arrowhead (18-6 overall record).
Schultz is averaging 27.4 points per game with 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals for Plymouth (17-7 overall record).
Schwalbach is averaging 15 points per game with 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals for Kaukauna (21-3 overall).
Sweeney is averaging 15.5 points per game for Appleton North (20-4 overall record).
Vandenberg is averaging 13 points per game with 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds for Freedom (23-1 overall).
About Our Player Poll Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
— Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com
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