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Category: Extension

Wisconsin Weed Management Workshop Set on September 2

Posted on
Wisconsin Ag Connection

Farmers, agronomists, and agricultural professionals will gather in Arlington, Wisconsin, on September 2, 2026, for the third annual Wisconsin Extension Weed Management Workshop.

Hosted by UW-Madison Extension and the WiscWeeds team, the full-day event will focus on practical approaches to controlling weeds as herbicide resistance becomes an increasing challenge for growers.

The workshop, scheduled from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature field plot tours, educational presentations, networking opportunities, and a farmer panel highlighting successful weed-management experiences from across Wisconsin.

Should you mow your lawn during a drought? What Wisconsin experts recommend

Posted on
NBC 13 Eau Claire

Western Wisconsin desperately needs rain, but if you’re looking at your lawn this weekend and wondering whether firing up the mower will help or hurt, experts say the answer may be as simple as taking a walk.

If your footprints remain visible in the grass for more than about 10 minutes, UW-Madison Division of Extension says your lawn is showing signs of drought stress.

And you probably shouldn’t mow it.

That’s one of several recommendations from Wisconsin lawn experts as drought conditions expand across the state and rainfall remains well below normal in Eau Claire.

Wisconsin Farm Fatalities Report Urges Importance Of Safety

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Q106

Recent Wisconsin Farm Related Fatalities reports indicate that injuries and deaths remain a persistent issue.

“This is incredibly unfortunate, given the many other challenges farm families and farm workers are facing here in this day and age,” said one of the reports’ co-authors, John Shutske, University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor and Agricultural Safety & Health Specialist. “We saw a high of 41 deaths in 2017. And, then a low of 28 in 2020, but climbing back in these last three years, we looked at around 30-35 deaths.”

Parasite Patrol Tour Coming to Wisconsin

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Q106

If you are a sheep or goat producer, you’ll want to save-the-date for this year’s Parasite Patrol Tour when it stops in Wisconsin. It’s your opportunity to sharpen your parasite management skills through this multi-state educational program.

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is working in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and will be in Outagamie County on Friday, Sept. 25.

Sheep and Goat Producers Can Learn Parasite Control Skills

Posted on
Wisconsin Ag Connection

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, has launched the 2026-2027 Parasite Patrol Tour, a multi-state educational program designed to help sheep and goat producers improve parasite management.

The tour began on August 4 and will stop in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, on Friday, September 25.

The workshop addresses one of the biggest challenges facing small ruminant producers parasite resistance to traditional deworming treatments.

Madison schools invest in parents with new Family University

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The district is partnering with the YWCA and UW-Extension on some programming for Family University, starting with the Extension’s Fathers in Focus conference in October, which the district will encourage families to attend. Additional Family University sessions will begin rolling out after that conference.

Discovery Farms gives Wisconsin farmers a voice in research and policy

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Wisconsin State Journal

For 25 years, Discovery Farms has bridged the gap between science and practice by putting data collection directly into the hands of farmers, creating a legacy of water stewardship that is both data-driven and practitioner-led.

A part of UW–Madison Extension, Discovery Farms is a farmer-led research program that conducts studies on farms across Wisconsin to better understand the complex relationships between agricultural practices and water quality.

UW-Madison Extension to Host Nitrogen and Soil Management Field Day in Menomonie

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WHBL

Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, the field day will provide attendees with practical information on soil conservation, nitrogen management, and strategies to improve soil health and farm profitability. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from Extension specialists and conservation professionals who are working directly with Wisconsin farmers and agricultural landscapes.

UW-Madison Extension hosting beef cow-calf workshop

Posted on
Winona Daily News

UW-Madison Extension will host a beef cow-calf workshop Tuesday, July 28, at 6 p.m. at Starck Century Farm near Cadott.

This program is designed for cow-calf producers seeking to improve pasture and herd management practices while increasing profitability. Topics will include managing pastures for long-term production, breeding decisions for cow longevity, and marketing the fall calf crop. The Starck family will also discuss their transition to rotational grazing and efforts to improve herd genetics.

Insider look at how dairies battle heat stress

Posted on
Farm Progress

In many regions of the country, dairy farmers experience all four seasons, and that includes hot, humid summers that can leave dairy cattle — and the farm’s profits — struggling to cope.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension has a one-stop website with science-based resources for dealing with heat stress.

Wisconsin Originals: Kathryn Clarenbach co-founded National Organization for Women

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Wisconsin State Journal

Born Kathryn Dorothy Frederick, Clarenbach was raised in Sparta. After graduating from Sparta High School as valedictorian at age 16, Clarenbach went directly to UW-Madison to study political science. By 1946, the 22-year-old had earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D.

She began her women’s rights career while devising a continuing education program for women through the University of Wisconsin-Extension. While she saw success with the program, her husband, a real estate agent, was able to rework his schedule to stay home with their kids.

Closures Contributed to Deep Cuts in April

Posted on
Inside HigherEd

Officials at the public flagship said in a recent court filing that the university may have to lay off up to 160 employees if it doesn’t get clarity on federal funding in the near future, The Cap Times reported.

At issue is an effort by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose conditions on financial disbursements. USDA has asked states to agree to conditions to continue receiving funding, including ensuring federal money won’t be used to “promote gender ideology” or diversity, equity and inclusion practices. In March, 21 states sued the USDA over the preconditions; though UW Madison is not a plaintiff, the state of Wisconsin is.

No Mow May, is letting your grass grow in May worth it to help pollinators?

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mid-May is the perfect time to start a pollinator garden in Wisconsin. But could someone just not mow their lawn for an entire month and reap similar benefits? That depends.

No Mow May is pitched as a way to let yards grow out and help pollinators. Manicured lawns provide little food or resting spots for bees, butterflies and other insects. These pollinators need vegetation to feed on and find a safe spot to nest.

UW-Madison warns in court filing that 160 employees may be laid off

Posted on
The Cap Times

If University of Wisconsin-Madison administrators don’t get more clarity on new federal funding rules soon, the university’s Division of Extension may lay off up to 160 employees.

Vice Chancellor Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, who oversees UW-Madison’s $1.93 billion research operation, recently outlined that concern in a court declaration filed as part of a broader lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Ag leaders: Trade could make or break Wisconsin farms in 2026

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Leaders in Wisconsin agriculture are warning the state’s farmers to brace for another tough year for trade and market conditions.

The discussion at the annual Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison focused both on the economic hardships weighing on farmers and what some producers are doing to try to get ahead.

Around 100K gallons of manure spilled from large farm in central Wisconsin

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Wisconsin Public Radio

From 2020 to 2024, preliminary figures show the state has seen reports of 495 manure spills and incidents, according to Kevin Erb. He’s the manager of the Conservation Professional Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, which trains manure applicators. Erb did not have figures on the amount of manure spilled, saying releases are often estimated.

How to handle tension before it becomes conflict

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Dairy Herd Management

While conflict can feel messy, it’s not a sign something is broken. According to Hernando Duarte, farm labor outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it’s a reality of farm work.

“In labor-intensive environments like farms and other agricultural operations, conflict between employees [and family] can happen,” Duarte explains. And on farms, that friction is hard to avoid.

“Conflict doesn’t have to be a negative thing,” Duarte says. “When handled properly, it can lead to stronger communication, better teamwork and long-term improvements and innovation.”

Jerry Apps, chronicler of Wisconsin history and rural life, dies at 91

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Wisconsin State Journal

The “Old Timer” is gone.

Jerry Apps told the Wisconsin stories of barns, cheese, one-room school houses and circuses. He encouraged children to eat rutabagas, made regular appearances on Wisconsin Public Television and Radio and, when he was not writing from his home in Madison or teaching at UW-Madison, could be found on his farm property in Waushara County, where deer roamed and he grew potatoes in his garden.

Apps, an award-winning author and one of the most prolific storytellers in Wisconsin history, died Tuesday at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg. He was 91.

What to know about Wisconsin Democrats’ climate change agenda

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A proposed bill in the package would create and fund two agriculture and climate change research positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

According to the co-sponsorship memo, the two new positions would be dedicated to studying climate change and agriculture, as well as learning about how the changing climate impacts the state’s landscape and economy.

Local educator discusses Trump Administration’s $12 billion in aid for American farmers

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WXOW, Ch. 19 -- La Crosse

“It will help a lot—especially with cash flow issues—because by then, they will be finishing up paying for a lot of the inputs for the ’26 crops,” said Paul Mitchell, University of Wisconsin-Madison Agricultural and Applied Economics Professor. “It will be nice to get some cash flow in from not selling your crop from the payments.”

Wisconsin reviews registration of EPA-approved pesticides that are said to contain PFAS

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Supporters of isocycloseram said it could help with a pest that’s long shown resistance to insecticides. Russ Groves, an entomology professor and Extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the insecticide has been evaluated in Wisconsin to gauge its effectiveness at controlling the Colorado potato beetle. The pest eats the leaves off potato plants, resulting in serious yield losses.

“We’ve evaluated this tool alongside others, and we see that it’s a very good fit,” Groves said. “It performs well in controlling the insect.”

Americans drank more milk in 2024, reversing a decade-long decline

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Leonard Polzin, dairy markets and policy outreach specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension, said whole milk has benefited from the diet craze around protein, driven in large part by health and fitness influencers online.

“The more protein, the better. Consumers are all about that,” he said. “The other portion is kind of a shift towards healthy fats too. So for example, cottage cheese is having a real moment right now.”

Matchmaking website could connect retiring farmers with younger farmers

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

“If we want land to be available to new or beginning farmers, figuring out ways that the land can be affordable for them and still provide the income that the owner generation needs is key,” said Joy Kirkpatrick, a farm succession outreach specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

Honda invests in soil carbon removal credit scheme to offset emissions

Posted on
Newsweek

University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension’s Crops and Soils program defines a carbon credit as, “a certified, tradable carbon offset that is exchanged under a cap and trade system of emissions regulation.” Under that system, companies are allotted a certain number of credits to offset their emissions impact. Farmers who have generated their own credits may sell them to companies who, in turn, may release more harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

A big corn crop in 2025 creates a tricky price situation for Wisconsin corn growers

Posted on
PBS Wisconsin

“Corn is one of the biggest contributors to the dairy industry, both in corn silage crop and a corn grain crop, which is also used for foraging,” said Harkirat Kaur, a corn agronomist with UW-Madison Division of Extension Crops and Soils program. Harvesting grain differs from producing silage because it focuses on using the corn plant’s kernels for human food and animal feed, as well as the basis for ethanol biofuel.

Wisconsin’s successful cranberry industry won’t be immune from Trump’ tariffs, growers say

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin’s cranberry industry generates nearly $1 billion annually and supports over 4,000 jobs in the state, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension. While 2025’s production of the fruit saw a slight decrease from the 6.01 million barrels harvested in 2024, the forecasted 5.3 million barrels will make up roughly 65% of the total U.S. supply.

Report warns Trump administration policies are undercutting economy and Wisconsin workers

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Wisconsin Examiner

Laura Dresser, a co-author of the report and High Road Strategy Center associate director, said in a statement that the 2025 data shows “some real strengths for working Wisconsin owing to the strong recovery from pandemic shutdowns.”

“Long-standing inequalities are still with us, and federal policy puts substantial clouds on the horizon,” Dresser said. “I’m especially concerned about the administration’s attacks on the integrity of federal economic data.”

How to divide perennials in fall for bigger blooms next year

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Parade Home & Garden

Johanna Oosterwyk, manager of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s instructional D.C. Smith Greenhouse, says that in general, fall is a great time for planting divided perennials, since the weather is cooler and there is usually plenty of rain to help plants establish. “This applies to digging up and dividing existing plants as well as planting new ones,” she adds.

Hungry Japanese beetles are a formidable foe for Wisconsin vineyard owners

Posted on
Wisconsin State Farmer

Christelle Guédot, a fruit crop entomologist and extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, says that Japanese beetles were once the bane of gardeners and farmers in the southern half of the state, but their range has since spread northwards.

“Over the past 10 years, they have been detected by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection up in Bayfield. We also trap many hundreds in Spooner and we see them now in Door County,” Guédot said. The beetles have also been wreaking havoc in the northeastern counties, including Oneida and Vilas.

Wisconsin dairy farm count keeps falling amid hard times. Here are some farmers who persevere

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin lost thousands of dairy farms in the ‘90s. At one point, farmers received inflation-adjusted milk prices that were 20% lower than in 1960 and about half of the peak price in 1979, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension.

Rent Smart training helps tenants navigate Wisconsin’s housing crunch

Posted on
Wisconsin Watch

In an increasingly tough housing market, a University of Wisconsin program seeks to give renters a leg up in their search for safe, affordable housing by educating them about the process and improving their standing with landlords.

Rent Smart, a free, six-module course developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, covers the essentials of renting — everything from what’s affordable, what to look for during an apartment inspection and what to ask a landlord while applying.

Aquatic invasive species endanger Wisconsin waterways. Controlling them takes center stage Aug. 9

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The goal of AIS Snapshot Day is to help the public learn to identify, report and control harmful species in state waters, said Emily Heald, rivers educator with the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension.

The events are free and hosted by local experts on or near lakes, ponds, rivers and wetlands.

UW-Madison Extension to wind down FoodWIse programming after federal funding cuts

Posted on
Channel 3000

UW-Madison Extension will wind down its FoodWIse programming following federal funding cuts, administrators announced Friday.

The move comes after the passage of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which eliminated funding for the National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program (SNAP-Ed). The funding cuts go into effect on Sept. 30.

Wisconsin nutrition education program, jobs in jeopardy after Congress cuts funding

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Most of the money goes to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, which offers programming in 70 of the state’s 72 counties. While UW Extension is exploring ways to sustain some SNAP-Ed capacity through alternative funding sources, it has already begun winding down operations. Layoff notices went out to 92 SNAP-Ed educators, UW Extension director Karl Martin said.

State wildlife regulators investigating black bear attack in northern Wisconsin

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Jamie Nack is a senior wildlife outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension. If people encounter a bear outdoors, she said they should talk to the bear or shout at the animal and raise their arms over their heads to look bigger.

“You really don’t want to be turning and running, but just kind of backing away slowly and again just giving them an escape route for them to just go ahead and leave,” Nack said.

Beetles and weevils and moths, oh my! How to fight Wisconsin’s invasive insect

Posted on
The Cap Times

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, created in 1978, supports the public and local county extension offices by receiving and analyzing several thousand insect samples each year. Every year, about two or three non-native insect species are discovered in Wisconsin. Some are only annoyances; others bring serious trouble. The latter is the case with the viburnum leaf beetle.

In Wisconsin, the beetle was first discovered in 2014 in counties west of Milwaukee. In 2019, UW-Madison entomologist P.J. Liesch, on a walk with his family, found an infested shrub. This spring, Liesch fielded dozens of questions from gardeners asking about it, as did Lisa Johnson, a Dane County Extension horticulture educator.

Federal budget bill could raise Wisconsin energy costs, threaten renewable energy jobs

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Tim Baye, a professor of business development and a state energy and energy finance specialist with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, said developers have been rushing since November to get planned projects moving in time to qualify for tax credits.

While there may be an initial rush to meet requirements for tax credits in the short term, Baye said he expects the bill will cause a slowdown in renewable development once those incentives sunset.

“We’re going to see a real slowdown,” he said. “It’s going to have a chilling effect.”

Cool spring has given way to a warm, wet growing season for Wisconsin crops

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

During a recent training session for crops and soils specialists, plant pathologist Damon Smith with the University of Wisconsin says growers are experiencing weather that is ideal for corn tar spot infection.

“It’s too early to see symptoms now,” he told them, “but it is likely that infections are occurring and that growers need to be vigilant in their scouting of susceptible fields in coming weeks.”

Here’s how a $200,000 USDA grant aims to boost central Wisconsin farmers’ markets

Posted on
Stevens Point Journal

The grant-funded research will also send University of Wisconsin students to farmers’ markets in Marathon, Portage, Wood, Waupaca and Adams counties this summer through summer 2027 to collect data on things like where are people visiting from, how much money do they intend to spend at the market and other area businesses, and what they love about farmers’ markets, Haack said.

 

Dairy cows tested for avian flu ahead of WI fairs

Posted on
WEAU 13 -- Eau Claire

“With county fairs, there’s always a lot of movement of cattle whether it’s within the county or if there are open shows,” Jerry Clark, a crops and soils educator with UW-Madison’s Division of Extension, said. “These cattle are moving across county lines and so it’s just another way that fairs are doing their part.”

Story of agriculture is best told by those who live it says Alice in Dairyland Halei Heinzel

Posted on
Wisconsin State Farmer

One of the greatest privileges of serving as Alice was working with the Dairy Innovation Hub, a collaboration between UW–Madison, UW–Platteville, and UW–River Falls. This partnership allowed me to highlight the incredible research being done in dairy science, from improving sustainability and animal health to advancing food safety and agricultural technology. These researchers and students are writing the next chapter of our state’s agricultural legacy, one data set at a time.