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Category: Agriculture

Here’s what last year’s dry summer and a mild winter mean for this year’s Japanese beetles invasion in Wisconsin

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Green Bay Press-Gazette

PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, began seeing reports of Japanese beetle activity the last week of June, which is typical. Numbers will increase during their prime feeding months of July and August when they damage (but usually don’t kill) roses, grape vines, basil, raspberries, crabapples, birches and ornamentals, among others, by skeletonizing the leaves.

Don’t order ladybugs through the mail. Here’s how Wisconsin gardeners can attract helpful predators

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Wisconsin State Farmer

With a population explosion going on in the flowerbeds, what is a gardener to do? UW-Madison entomologist PJ Liesch says gardeners have several options in combating the hungry horde.

“If the population of aphids is not harming the plants or competing with the monarchs, you can just tolerate them. However, if it’s getting out of hand, blast them off with a jet of water (which causes the aphid’s mouthpiece to break off and eventually starve), or you can squish them and wipe them off the plant,” he said.

Fourth of July cookout costs in US rise by 5% this year, survey finds

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Reuters

Still, the overall increase of food prices in the United States in 2024 is expected to be about 2%, down from an average of 3% annually, Andrew Stevens, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Reuters.

“Yes, food prices are increasing, but they’re not increasing as much as they have in recent years, and they’re even a little below the long-run average,” Stevens said.

A UW-Madison study mapped millions of acres of abandoned U.S. farmland. Here’s why it matters.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A team of scientists from the UW-led Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center mapped millions of acres of abandoned farmland across the U.S. over several decades in a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Knowing where this abandoned land is could help people evaluate it for different uses, including climate solutions, the team theorized.

Expert insights on crossbred cattle nutrition

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Wisconsin Ag Connection

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, in collaboration with the UW-Madison Animal and Dairy Science Department, is set to host a series of four in-person workshops focused on Beef X Dairy crossbred cattle from July 29 to August 1, 2024.

Eradication of insect pests and invasive plants

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Wisconsin Public Radio

UW-Madison entomologist PJ Liesch is back. We talk with him about what’s hampering  the spread of spongy moths in Wisconsin. We also talk about how climate change is aiding the spread of joro spiders to northern regions. Then, two WDNR invasive species specialists share success stories from across the state.

UW-Madison researcher develops ice cream that doesn’t melt

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Wisconsin State Journal

In the UW-Madison basement-level lab, the answer was largely predestined. One scoop was regular ice cream, not unlike what visitors could buy upstairs at the Babcock Dairy store. The other was a concoction of UW-Madison Ph.D. researcher Cameron Wicks, in which an addition of polyphenols — compounds naturally occurring in plants such as blueberries and green tea leaves — helps ice cream keep its shape by counteracting melting ice crystals.

Groups claim manure digesters contribute to pollution in Kewaunee County

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WPR

Researchers, including Brian Langolf of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, say digesters cut greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane from manure in open lagoons. Around 36 percent of methane emissions from human activities are tied to livestock or agricultural practices, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Wisconsin scientist: Plants respond to biting insects faster than you might think

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Simon Gilroy, a University of Wisconsin-Madison botany professor, is among a handful of scientists uncovering how plants respond to the world. But Gilroy hesitates to use the word “intelligence” when talking about them.

“One of the things that we do as humans is we anthropomorphize all the time. Inanimate objects, we attribute them human characteristics. And it’s just built into our DNA of how we interact with the world … so that must be how everything else operates,” Gilroy told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” recently. “That can sometimes totally get in the way.”

Cicada records help scientists study long-term health impact of pesticide exposure

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Jason Fletcher, professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said during the early 20th century, producers of tree crops like apples commonly used the chemicals when preparing for an emergence.

“Because cicadas are known, when they’re coming and where they’re going to be in general terms, certainly in the past, farmers tried to protect their crops by dousing everything with pesticide,” he said.

Dairy cows cut the cheese, UW-Madison researchers cut the emissions

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The Capital Times

There’s a farm in the little town of Arlington, 20 miles north of Madison, that looks and smells like any other Wisconsin dairy operation. Its 550 cows are milked twice daily, once before dawn and again in the afternoon, like they are at thousands of dairy farms across the state. 

But at this farm — the University of Wisconsin’s Agricultural Research Station — when a cow eats, gets milked and burps, a data point is created. That data collection is helping researchers at UW-Madison adapt Wisconsin’s herd to the challenges of climate change. 

Rainfall leads to improvement in Wisconsin drought conditions

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Less than 1 percent of the state is considered to be experiencing drought, according to the latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

It’s made for a quick end to a long period of drought, state climatologist Steve Vavrus said.

“Drought has virtually disappeared from Wisconsin finally, after 12 solid months,” he said.

Farm safety experts say Wisconsin law may let youth operate tractors too early

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Wisconsin Public Radio

John Shutske, professor and agricultural safety & health specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said from the beginning, Wisconsin’s age minimum has been much younger than other farm states who have similar requirements. National best practices for farm safety recommend youth be at least 14 years old before being allowed to operate equipment.

Bird flu, raw milk debate converge

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The Hill

“These claims — I’m a chemist by trade — just make no sense whatsoever on any kind of science or chemistry basis,” University of Wisconsin–Madison food science professor John Lucey told The Hill. “I’ve been doing research on dairy products and milk for 20-plus years,” Lucey added. “In my field, nobody gives credence to these fantastic claims.”

‘Climate Trackers: Superpowered by Ecometeorology’ shows the power of combinations and collaborations

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PBS Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences professor Ankur Desai and his lab conduct ecometeorological research, a cross-pollination of meteorology and ecology. At Seven Seeds Farm, they investigate how cattle farming on silvopastures impacts climate.

Fear over avian flu has died down for Wisconsin dairy farms. But experts warn of continued threat.

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Jackie McCarville is a regional dairy educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension in southwestern Wisconsin. She also feels like concern around avian flu has died down, especially as many farms begin work in their fields this spring.

“But I think it’s still in the back of a lot of minds: what happens if it does get into Wisconsin?” McCarville said. “What considerations should we be looking at? It’s a great time to look at your biosecurity plan to see what you can do to protect your farm.”

Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, said much of the national dairy industry has been opposed to doing more testing for the virus on farms. He said the number of avian flu tests in cattle across the country has actually declined since the federal order requiring them went into place.

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Peter Hart-Brinson, Eileen Newcomer, Dr. Keith Poulsen

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PBS Wisconsin

Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the UW-Madison Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, has been monitoring a strain of avian influenza called H5N1 that has so far been identified in dairy cows in nine states. It has not been found in Wisconsin, but Poulsen said researchers are testing cows that are transported across state lines.

Does ‘No Mow May’ actually help pollinators? How can you participate? Here’s what to know

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Do pollinators actually benefit from an unmowed lawn? Sometimes. It depends on the lawn, according to experts from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Lawns with turfgrass don’t provide as many resources for pollinators compared with a yard containing an abundance of low-growing flowering plants. Adding more flowering plants, shrubs and trees to your yard can increase benefits to pollinators.

New scarecrows: Lasers aim to deter wild birds and reduce disease on Wisconsin farms

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Avian flu remains prevalent in Wisconsin’s wild bird populations and the risk to farms this year is about the same as recent years, said Ron Kean, a poultry specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Kean said lasers are a great option to reduce spread of the disease.

“Keeping the wild birds away from our domestic birds seems to be a big part of biosecurity,” he said.

How sheep could be a key to Wisconsin’s solar energy future

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The Capital Times

This spring Alliant Energy and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will break ground on a 2.25 megawatt, roughly 15-acre solar array that will be used to study agrivoltaics at the university’s Kegonsa Research Campus 10 miles southeast of Madison.

Researchers will study the soil and water quality of the solar site, its effect on wildlife, and the feasibility of grazing animals and growing crops among the array, said Josh Arnold, UW-Madison campus energy adviser.

Wisconsin dairy farms closely watching avian flu cases in cattle

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, said the case highlights the importance of immediate action by dairy farmers if they see disease symptoms in their animals, which can include decreased lactation and low appetite. He said the people working on a farm with sick animals should be monitored closely.

“We don’t think that it’s a significant public health threat at this point,” Poulsen said. “But just like in our farms with poultry (highly pathogenic) avian influenza, they’re getting a large challenge, so we need to watch them very closely, and make sure that everyone is provided with the best public health care that we have available.”

Innovative research into cover crops is helping Oneida white corn co-op restore depleted soil

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

For the members of Ohe·láku, a co-op of Oneida Nation families growing their traditional white corn together, what started as an experiment has become a success story.

A few years ago, they partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to test different cover crop mixes to restore soil they grow on, which had been depleted under prior ownership. Cover crops are left in the soil after the primary crop is harvested. The idea is to make sure the fields are never bare, increasing soil fertility, limiting runoff and keeping the soil moist.

With maple syrup season coming early, Wisconsin specialist wants to tap into state’s full potential

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Wisconsin Public Radio

During a strangely warm winter that made maple trees ready to share their sap earlier than usual, a Wisconsin forestry outreach specialist found a constant: The state still has a lot of trees ripe for tapping.

While Wisconsin trails Vermont, New York and Massachusetts for maple syrup production, Wisconsin has more untapped maple trees than any other state, according to Tony Johnson, a natural resources educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

“There is a lot of room for growth,” Johnson said recently on WPR’s “Central Time.”

Wisconsin plants ‘confused’ by mild winter, now freezing temps

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Spectrum News

“For the staff here, it’s tracking these events over time, and seeing how they differ between different years,” said UW-Madison Arboretum ecologist Brad Herrick.

He’s worked there for 17 years, so he’s able to compare each season. He said this year is a weird one.

“We’ve had really sharp temperature swings from February on,” he said.

Fresh. Buttery. Soapy. Astringent. Enter the world of professional cheese tasting.

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Green Bay Press Gazette

It’s quiet as a group of eight people stand bent at the waist, intently staring at a pizza sitting on a gleaming stainless-steel counter.

It’s an early March Wednesday morning, and they are in the Hilmar Cheese Dairy Applications Lab of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research.

Inside the world of championship cheese judging: supertasters, palate cleansers and puns

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Arnoldo Lopez-Hernandez grew up in Mexico and has a chemical engineering background. He became involved in cheese after he started teaching food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He started judging at the world championships a decade ago.

Also from UW-Madison is John Jaeggi, whose grandfather immigrated from Switzerland in the 1920s and started a Swiss cheese plant in Monroe County. Jeaggi remembers sitting under a table as a 7-year-old “mesmerized” by the process and sneaking samples.

Wisconsin lost 10% of farms, 30% of dairies in 5 years, U.S. agriculture census shows

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Slightly more Wisconsin farmers reported taking steps to protect soil and water quality in 2022. They planted nearly 754,000 acres of cover crops — plants that protect the soil and keep it in place during the offseason — about a 23% increase from 2017. The number of acres that were not tilled also increased, from about 2.2 million in 2017 to about 2.4 million in 2022. No-till practices reduce soil disturbance.

Those acres are still just a small portion of Wisconsin’s total farmed acres. “I would have hoped to see that pick up a bit faster,” said Erin Silva, a professor of organic and sustainable agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

UW professor is on a mission to grow a better-tasting beet

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Whether you love beets or hate them, you probably haven’t given them as much thought as Irwin Goldman.

A professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goldman is also former chair of the department of horticulture. The Goldman Lab there is even named after him. He and colleague Nick Breitbach spent decades trying to breed a better beet. Now the Badger Flame Beet is getting attention nationwide from growers and chefs as it becomes increasingly available.

Waves of grain: How Wisconsin’s sustainable grain movement is growing

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The Capital Times

What happened? Lauren Asprooth is a research scientist with the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at UW-Madison. As corn and soybeans shot up, she said, “every other row crop has gone down or stayed stagnant.”

“We have decoupled livestock production and crop production, so there’s not as much of a need for small grains in terms of forage,” Asprooth said. “We put a lot of funding into the markets for byproducts and R&D for corn, and therefore made other crops relatively less easy to grow.

After a rough chapter in 2023, the dairy industry storyline is looking better in 2024

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Wisconsin State Farmer

Dairy’s storyline for 2023 in Wisconsin and across the United States “was not the best storyline we could imagine,” said Chuck Nicholson, associate professor of economics, however he is seeing signs that point to milk price improvement in the coming year.

Nicholson, an associate professor of dairy economics at the UW-Madison spoke about dairy’s economics at the Renk Agribusiness Agricultural Outlook Forum in late January on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

J. Henry & Sons is the only distillery in the world to use rare corn to make whiskey and bourbon

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1939, a corn known as W335A sat overlooked in a seed bank for decades. Today, that red heirloom corn is what sets apart J. Henry & Sons whiskey and bourbon. They’re the only ones in the world using it.

Grown for three generations at the Henry family farm in Dane County, W335A fell out of favor in the 1970s when higher-producing options became more available. It sat untouched at UW-Madison until 2006, when the Henry family began propagating the seed again. They began turning it into whiskey in 2009, and in 2015 J. Henry & Sons sold its first bottles.

Rural Wisconsinites see farm pollution, PFAS as big threats to clean drinking water, UW survey finds

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“If we’re thinking about how we want to manage or protect groundwater resources in the future, we really need to be thinking about what’s happening on the land surface. And if you look at Wisconsin, greater than 90% of the land is, really, rural land,” said Michael Cardiff, a professor in the department of geoscience at UW-Madison. “Rural water users are probably most connected to the largest area of land in Wisconsin, and could probably tell us about what sort of concerns they’re seeing.”

What robotics means for the future of Wisconsin dairy farms

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PBS Wisconsin

No longer tied to milking cows herself twice a day, Hinchley says both she and her dairy cows are happier with the robotic milkers operating 24 hours a day.

“It’s not necessarily something that you would have to do in order to stay in the dairy business,” said Chuck Nicholson, a UW-Madison professor of animal and dairy sciences. He noted only about 8% of Wisconsin’s dairy farmers have implemented the new technology, typically family farms that want to save on labor costs. “The labor shortage is definitely a key motivating factor.”

Could lab-grown meat compete with factory farms?

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the first lab-grown chicken meat for commercial sale. It’s the first cell-cultivated meat to be approved in the country, and it’s grown from stem cells in a bioreactor—no slaughter required. We talk to Jeff Sindelar, a professor and extension meat specialist in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about whether lab-grown meat could eventually compete with the factory-farmed meat that dominates the industry.

‘Plant hardiness’ can help map Wisconsin’s changing climate. Here’s how.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The map is meant for horticulture, not agriculture, said Chris Kucharik, a plant and agrosystem sciences professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, because farmers in the Midwest have largely been planting the same crops for decades.

Since the last map was released in 2012, all of Wisconsin’s hardiness zones have shifted about half a zone warmer, said Laura Jull, associate professor in the plant and agrosystem sciences department at UW-Madison.