Protecting Water Quality through Agricultural Practices

Water is a shared resource and is depended on by Wisconsinites for a variety of daily needs including drinking, power generation, growing food, and more. However, agriculture is the dominant land use in Wisconsin, and current farming practices have a significant impact on soil and nutrients loss to surface and groundwater. The majority of water […]

Practical Strategies to Protect Pollinators

Pollinators play a critical role in the world’s ecosystems, facilitating the reproduction of flowering plants and ensuring the production of fruits and vegetables. In North America, insect pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, beetles, and wasps are essential contributors to this process. These pollinators are essential for the proper functioning of the natural systems […]

Business Planning for Profitable, Safe Farms

Record high farm income in 2022 drove Wisconsin farm businesses’ interest in new revenue streams, markets and technology. However, in 2023 producers encountered increased interest expense, increasing debt and reduction in working capital due to lower than expected prices, increase in overall production costs, and a decline in USDA assistance. As a result, producers must […]

Livestock Biosecurity to Prevent Disease

Biosecurity affects the economic sustainability and viability of livestock producers as disease outbreaks can be exceedingly expensive for producers. Disease outbreaks can cause catastrophic livestock losses including the depopulation of whole herds or loss of newborn animals. For example, a recent US disease outbreak, the 2013 porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv), spread across 13 states […]

Responding to Drought

While early 2023 Wisconsin weather was characterized by typical average temperatures and precipitation, wide variability and erratic weather created cool, wet early spring field conditions. In May, much of the state experienced a rapid shift to hot, dry weather. The speed with which the drought came on led to the designation of “flash drought” for […]

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