Her title may have changed, but you will still see Aerica Bjurstom at area dairy farms in the future.

The University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension Agriculture Institute announced late last month it would be changing how its educators would be placed throughout the state. Instead of educators being assigned to a specific county, they would be placed in regions. In this case, two regional educators covering dairy and crops will provide assistance and programming for farmers in Brown, Door, and Kewaunee counties. Bjurstom was named as the Regional Dairy Educator while her colleague Krishna Bhandari will serve as Regional Crops Educator.  It is a return to a comfort zone for Bjurstom who grew up in the industry and had to serve as a know-it-all for the region after Door County lost its agriculture educator a few years ago. It meant tapping into the Extension’s resources to answer some of the questions farmers would ask because it was not in her expertise. She is looking forward to having a renewed focus on dairy and working with farmers in Brown, Door, and Kewaunee counties.

Bjurstrom has also been busy as the Wisconsin Dairy and Beef Well-Being Conference co-chair at the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center in Manitowoc that is scheduled for February 22nd. The conference will tackle issues dealing with animal health and how improving it on area farms can lead to improved production, profitability, and consumer confidence.