Tag College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
For the love of bats
Amy Wray doesn’t expect everyone to love bats like she does, but the doctoral candidate in wildlife ecology hopes to help people understand how essential they are to our ecosystem. And what better time than Halloween?
Maps showing potential for soil contamination issued for Wisconsin’s lead-zinc mining district
The digitized Digital Atlas of Historic Mining Features in Southwestern Wisconsin, developed in the department of soil science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shows areas where contamination may be found.
Randy Shaver honored for boosting farm productivity
Emeritus Professor Randy Shaver, who was selected as the World Dairy Expo's 2019 Person of the Year, helped Wisconsin dairy farmers learn to make great corn silage, improving returns per cow and per acre of forage.
UW students develop skills, networks at wildlife summer camp
Students work in small groups as they get intensive hands-on field experience identifying and handling Wisconsin wildlife, including small mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles in the course..
Freshman seminar helps put CALS students on path to success
To help new students navigate the challenges they face, CALS offers Inter Ag 155, a freshmen seminar course designed to introduce new students to the various options they have.
“Breakthrough” grants awarded to two agriculture researchers at UW–Madison
The competition asked scientists and engineers to build new, dramatic solutions to improve crop systems by harnessing all available technologies.
Wood products mitigate less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions
"It's not just about lowering our emissions but pursuing strategies that might have storage potential, and harvested wood products are one of those options,” says researcher Craig Johnston.
Organic-grain field day offers ‘tremendous opportunity’ to farmers
A UW–Madison-sponsored field day and series of talks offered expert advice and encouragement for organic farmers and those who are thinking about going organic, where prices remain strong.
Canada firm expands in Wisconsin to hire more farm-raised engineers
MacDon set up shop in Madison in 2015 for a simple reason: Because of the abundance of engineers with farm experience, mostly educated at UW–Madison.
New professor brings precision data to the dairy barn
The same technology that alerts a self-driving car that there’s a pedestrian in the crosswalk could also warn a dairy farmer that a calf is getting sick — even if that calf is mingled among dozens of healthy ones.
New UW–Madison project to support Wisconsin hemp growers
CALS and Extension leaders partnered together to fund a one-year research and outreach project at four trial sites to support the growing number of industrial hemp growers.
UW Changes Lives: Experts advance new crops for long-term profitability
UW-Madison’s Division of Extension experts are helping Wisconsin farmers learn how to better grow crops like grapes, hops and hazelnuts, to support the bottom line in a state battered by low prices for corn, soybean and milk.
Touring Dairy Science
Prospective students and their parents toured UW–Madison’s Department of Dairy Science on Friday during an open house, as they got a firsthand look at one of the world’s leading dairy science departments.
UW Changes Lives: Professor pushes the humble beet in new directions
“If you go to the store and buy a beet, or you order a beet dish in a restaurant, it’s almost certain to have its origin here in our program, which is cool,” says Irwin Goldman.
UW Changes Lives: Let your phone do the farming
UW-Madison have developed agricultural apps that record and process data in the barn or on the tractor. The apps help farmers make diagnoses and decisions on the fly.
Bucky’s Tuition Promise could help families in depressed farm economy
A new UW–Madison program that provides free tuition for students from low- and moderate-income households comes at a good time for families struggling with the consequences of a depressed farm economy.
He professes protein: Srinivasan Damodaran has thoughts for food
If you have a protein that needs a bit of self-improvement, Damodaran may be your guru. An expert in soy and milk protein, he’s invented soy-based glues and plant-based absorbents for industrial cleanups and diapers.
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.
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.
Study: “Post-normal” science requires unorthodox communication strategies
Proposals to fight malaria by “driving” genes that slow its spread through mosquitoes is a high-risk, high-reward technology that presents a challenge to science journalists, according to a new report.