Emergency service providers in Wisconsin are warning that rural communities might not have the fire response they need.
“What we found was that just under half the departments lack the personnel to make a fire response that involves four people and an engine. So, the way that’s being dealt with is that most of the departments are using mutual aid to fill that gap, and as there’s less and less volunteers available, and about 80 percent of our fire departments in Wisconsin are staffed by volunteers, or near volunteers who are paid a small amount to be part of the department. It’s put a pretty significant strain on the emergency response infrastructure,” said James Small, the EMS Outreach Program Manager for the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health.
Small warns that more than 60 percent of rural fire departments have expressed concerns about staffing and budget levels. A big problem, he says, is that more and more folks are taking jobs outside their local communities.
Secretary Rollins also met with specialty crop producers at a local strawberry farm to discuss workforce needs and the Trump Administration’s recent wins related to significantly cutting the cost of H-2A labor for California farmers.
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China’s beef policy risk stems from domestic volatility, making export demand inherently unstable. Jake Charleston with Specialty Risk Insurance offers his perspective on cattle markets, risk management, and producer sentiment.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said permanent access to the higher ethanol blend would provide farmers with much-needed certainty while supporting domestic crop demand.
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Record corn and sorghum crops boost feed grain supplies, while reduced soybean and cotton production tighten outlooks for oilseeds and fiber markets.
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Food prices increased in December, but not as much as expected, according to the latest Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
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Structural efficiency supports cattle prices and resilience — breaking it risks higher costs and greater volatility.
January 13, 2026 08:00 AM
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