Wisconsin’s beef cattle and calves represent the state’s second- largest agricultural commodity with $1.7 billion in cash receipts. Even though the industry is large and remains viable, market volatility has increased the need for management decisions that increase animal efficiencies, improve production, and allow beef producers to remain economically viable. Breeding decisions are the first […]
Extension helps older people build social connections by creating opportunities for people to learn, share and grow together. Allowing space for participants to share meaningful conversation and life experience with one another builds relationships, individual confidence and encourages social connection. When older people are socially connected to others and their community, they have a better […]
It should come as no surprise that Wisconsin’s largest agricultural commodity is milk totaling $5.7 billion in cash receipts, after all, Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State. Wisconsin’s dairy industry encompasses over 6,500 farms across the state. These farms are continually searching for new management strategies that will help them be both innovative and […]
It has been estimated that each acre of Wisconsin cropland is losing approximately 4.5 tons per acre per year of soil to erosion. At the current soil erosion rate, we are losing the thickness of a dime of soil per year. Over 20 years, that equates to about an inch of topsoil lost. It is […]
Private landowners are uniquely positioned to shape the future of Wisconsin’s forests — they own nearly 60% of the state’s forestland. However, relatively few landowners seek management assistance, leaving many acres unmanaged. UW–Madison Extension’s Wisconsin Coverts Project is a free woodland management program for private landowners, which provides landowners with training and resources to manage […]
Critical minerals are an important research topic given their use in the development of batteries and electric vehicles. As a result, it is vital that researchers can examine geological samples easily and without having to repeatedly travel to and from an onsite repository. Part of UW–Madison Extension, the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) […]
One of the goals of Extension’s Health and Well-Being Institute is to improve the health and well-being of communities through education, policy, systems, and environmental approaches by mobilizing collective action. One way to mobilize collective action is to work with local health coalitions, which are groups of community members and organizations that come together to […]
Two of the largest barriers people using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, called “FoodShare” in Wisconsin, face at farmers’ markets are the lack of availability of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) systems and the lack of awareness that EBT programs exist. In 2022, farmers’ markets redeemed only 0.02% of all FoodShare benefits distributed in Wisconsin. To […]
Managing money on a low or fixed income is difficult. When housing, utility, transportation, grocery, and credit expenses are due, it can be overwhelming to plan for emergencies, analyze spending habits, and set long-term financial goals. However, financial skills are important at all stages of life, and Extension Financial Capability programming empowers low-income Wisconsinites through […]
Young people are the next generation of leaders, and Wisconsin 4-H is engaging them in meaningful learning activities in order to thrive as adults. “4-H has impacted my children for a lifetime of self-discovery and growth. It has helped them to see challenges as a good opportunity,” a parent of 4-H members in Menominee County […]
Wisconsin’s communities face complex challenges such as access to broadband and child care, which require effective leadership at the organizational level. However, communities face a leadership void. UW–Madison Extension’s Organizational and Leadership Development Program fosters leadership that is rooted in inclusive processes and drives purposeful action to benefit Wisconsin’s communities. Extension delivers leadership development programs […]
An increasingly polarized political environment has inspired new candidates to seek elected office — over 20 percent of municipal and county officials on average are newly elected during any particular two-year period. Newly elected officials need a trustworthy source of information in order to understand their duties and responsibilities. UW–Madison Extension’s Local Government Education Program […]
