Check Out WLIC’s 2023 Annual Recap

If I were to describe the past year with a single word, it would be growth. Growth can take many forms, and for WLIC, that includes growing the talents of our team, growing our network, and growing our capacity to serve the state of Wisconsin, its livestock producers, and industry leaders by expanding our services.

First and foremost, WLIC is incredibly fortunate to have a talented team that gives great attention to detail for premises registrations and renewals while ensuring their work is done efficiently and accurately. Additionally, WLIC works to fulfill tag orders, answer livestock premises questions and improve the database’s functionality. Special thanks to our office manager, Hannah Isabell, and database manager, Christina Lorino, for all their hard work on behalf of WLIC!

Expanding our network has also been a part of this year’s growth. WLIC continued to participate in several Wisconsin agribusiness tradeshows, and will attend a few additional conferences in 2024 such as the Wisconsin Association of Fairs. Tradeshows are a great opportunity for us to connect with members, and to raise awareness of premises registration and livestock traceability in Wisconsin. We look forward to visiting with you at an upcoming conference!

WI Pork Recognizes Award Winners

The Wisconsin Pork Association (WPA) recognized individuals that were selected as their outstanding pork industry leaders during the organization’s annual meeting held on February 1st in conjunction with the Corn/Soy Expo in Wisconsin Dells.

Distinguished Service Producer Honoree- Brian Klubertanz

Each year, the Wisconsin Pork Association presents a Distinguished Service Award to a fellow pork producer whose contributions to the Wisconsin swine industry merit special recognition.

Brian is from Waterloo, Wisconsin, where he resides with his family on their farrow-to-finish operation. Brian has served two terms on the WPA Board of Directors and held the Treasurer position. His passion for raising pigs, commitment to protecting the swine industry, and willingness to step up in time of need are what makes him a great role model and member of our organization.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Heather, and supporting his kids at their various activities.

Surviving the

Pork Market

In 2023, pork producers did a better job of managing risk and that’s made a big difference. Steve Meyer, chief economist – livestock for Ever.Ag, says this is one of the reasons he hasn’t heard of many wholesale bankruptcies this year despite negative profit margins.

“I think producers have paid more mind to risk management issues,” Meyer said at the Ohio Pork Congress. “The problem is the year after the crash is the one that you never really get a chance to manage risk to some degree. I think everybody's still in a crisis mode of trying to make sure that their equity stance lasts long enough that they can stay in this business.”

Meyer says the outlook isn’t “rosy,” but it’s certainly better so far in 2024 and herd health around the country is in better shape than it was two years ago. The challenge for producers is managing their businesses to survive this downturn.

Wings Soar on Superbowl Sunday

What do 49ers fans, Chiefs fans, and Swifties all have in common? They’ll likely be eating chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday! According to the National Chicken Council’s 2024 Wing Report, Americans will devour 1.45 billion wings while watching Kansas City and San Francisco battle for the championship trophy.

“Football is great. Wings are great. But they’re even better together,” says council spokesman Tom Super. “Sure, you can have your chips, your guacamole, your pizza. But when it comes to menus next Sunday, wings rule the roost. So, grab a wet nap and enjoy America’s favorite party food for the Big Game.”

To help visualize just how many wings that is:

1.45 billion wings is enough for every man, woman, and child in the United States to eat four wings each.

ENJOY 10% OFF!

Become a WLIC Individual Member and receive a 10% discount on all eartags purchases through the WLIC Online Store. Use code "wlicmem23" at checkout.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

WLIC online offers, tags, readers, taggers, and more to help you fit your production needs.

Upcoming Events:

February 15 - FFA Farm Forum Conference

February 20 - Producing Quality Beef Workshop - Monroe Equity Livestock Sale Barn

February 20 - 2024 Annual Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Workshop

February 29 - Producing Quality Beef Workshop - Sparta Equity Livestock Sale Barn

March 14 - Producing Quality Beef Workshop - Stratford Equity Livestock Sale Barn

WLIC Members

Being a small non-profit, WLIC relies on memberships and sponsorships to further academic programs and events to educate on livestock traceability, identification, and premises ID. We sincerely thank our Industry and Individual partners for their continuous support of WLIC.

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