Tag Agriculture
Lands We Share project about six state farms wraps up with Madison exhibit
Focusing on the intersection of farming, land, race, and ethnicity in the state, this initiative of the Wisconsin Farms Oral History Project set out with a goal of bringing people from diverse backgrounds together; people often separated despite living and working in the same towns or regions.
UW Changes Lives: New apprenticeship program creates a pathway to ag careers
“Apprenticeship is an excellent fit for vegetable farming because so much of how we learn to grow food – is by growing food.”
New mechanism of action found for agricultural pesticide fludioxonil
The fungicide was originally devised to protect seeds during storage but was so effective at limiting mold damage that it is now widely used to treat produce after harvest to extend its shelf life.
UW Changes Lives: Dairy industry support for grad students pays off
“This benefits the industry in two ways,” says the chair of the Department of Dairy Science. “Students conduct research that leads to new products and protocols and technologies. And they graduate as highly trained potential employees.”
Barley experiment reveals plant science to fifth-graders
A big part of 5th grade science project is the emphasis on using controls and variables in scientific experiment. How much water did you use? How often did you water? Did using hot or cold water make a difference?
To expand exports, Wisconsin ginseng industry relies on UW–Madison expert
The Wisconsin Ginseng Board came to Professor Ann McGuidwin to explore ways to assure Taiwan that the fresh roots would contain none of the R. similis nematode.
As climate heats up, rising rainfall averages hide crop-killing droughts
Research performed in the Ethiopian highlands shows that even in years with above average rainfall, crops can be severely reduced by drought early in the growing season, when seeds must sprout and get established.
UW course helps dairy farmer find small-farm success in a brutal market
The Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy & Livestock Farmers, one of several “Short Courses” at CALS, helps beginning farmers like Andy Jaworski of the Green Bay area to get started.
‘Lands We Share’ exhibit helps give farmers a voice
A collaboration of faculty and students at four UW campuses, the traveling exhibition and public dialogue tour focuses on the intersection of farming, land, ethnic culture and history in Wisconsin.
Food processors, UW collaborate to remove guesswork from wastewater disposal
The results of a three-year study offer some support for the belief that much of the nitrogen in the wastewater from cheese-making and vegetable processing leaves the soil and harmlessly enters the atmosphere.
CALS professor uses diagnostic imaging to enhance understanding of muscles
Former college wrestler develops imaging techniques to more accurately evaluate muscle as it responds to aging and disease and how to best treat muscle wasting.
Extraction innovation could cut energy, streamline Wisconsin mint production
A UW–Madison professor is honing a more efficient way to remove mint oil from tons of mint plants. Mint oil is an essential flavoring for gum, toothpaste, mouthwash and tea.
Field days in Columbia County showcase agricultural science at UW–Madison
The field-day audience at UW–Madison’s agricultural stations has expanded beyond farmers to many throughout the ag industry who want to hear about the latest in farm research and education.
Corn that acquires its own nitrogen identified, reducing need for fertilizer
The corn secretes copious globs of mucus-like gel harboring bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form, answering a longtime quest of scientists.
Combining on and off switches, one protein can control flowering in plants
With Wisconsin's short growing seasons, reducing a plant’s life cycle and completing the season earlier "could be very important for many crops.”
UW triumph in Dairy Challenge prepared dairy science grads for careers
Four UW–Madison dairy science majors were at the 2,500-cow California farm in April to participate in the 2018 North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, and their plan was the winning one.
UW project asks: What happens to irrigation water in Wisconsin’s Central Sands?
“You can't grow much here without irrigation," says farmer Justin Isherwood, "but we’re not sure how much is enough, and how to leave the same groundwater resource for the next generation."
Fine-tuning a new crop that saves soil, produces grain and forage for cows
A perennial crop called kernza is being tested at the Arlington Agricultural Experimental Station. It's part of an envisioned shift from farming annuals toward toward a one-time tilling and planting of perennials, followed by harvesting forage and grain for years or decades.
UW–Madison archaeologist elected to National Academy of Sciences
T. Douglas Price is an emeritus professor of anthropology, an expert on prehistoric agriculture in Europe, and a pioneer in the use of chemical isotopes to assess mobility in ancient peoples.
More homes built near wild lands leading to greater wildfire risk
New research out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison shows that a flurry of homebuilding near wild areas since 1990 has greatly increased the number of homes at risk from wildfires while increasing the costs associated with fighting those fires in increasingly dense developments.