During the 2025 growing season, members of the agriculture community in Wisconsin will once again have access to a weekly climate outlook. The Wisconsin Ag Climate Outlook (WACO) includes things like historical and current weather patterns, soil moisture, precipitation, and crop progress. Combining data from national and local sources, including the National Weather Service, regional […]
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Wisconsin’s agricultural production and food processing sectors represent 14.3% of the state’s total economic impact, contributing $116.3 billion in industrial revenues – an increase of 10.9% from 2017. Agricultural businesses in Wisconsin constitute 353,900 jobs (9.5% of jobs in the state) and $21.2 billion to labor income. Additionally, the dairy sector and its significant dedication […]
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Coalitions in five counties are partnering up with UW–Madison Extension on a new effort to engage rural entrepreneurs and strengthen community connection. As part of a grant-funded program from Compeer Financial, Extension is providing coaching and guidance for local groups to spur sustained entrepreneurship. The groups selected for this program recently moved into a phase […]
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After a 25-year career working for the Milwaukee Police Department, Jim MacGillis was planning to retire and try something new. Then the position of police chief opened in Wauwatosa, his hometown. “I’ve got family here, and I had seen the good human beings in this department have a front-row seat during the worst of times…and […]
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UW–Madison Extension is partnering with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and its Center for Climatic Research (CCR) as well as the College of Letters and Science’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) by providing funding to support the Wisconsin State Climatology Office (SCO) into the future. Specifically, the Division of Extension will provide […]
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The U.S. Department of Energy awarded UW–Madison Extension a grant for $1 million to support a coordinated, inclusive, and transparent process that engages communities in siting large-scale renewable energy projects across Wisconsin. The grant is part of $22 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to improve planning, siting, and permitting processes for large-scale […]
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While running elections is an important role for municipal and county clerks, that’s not the only thing they do. Ann Hempel, elected to serve as the part-time Municipal Clerk for the Town of Unity in 2023, estimates that running elections for the 513 people who live in her township is only 5% of her clerk […]
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In recent years Wisconsin has seen massive spikes in business ownership among nonwhite entrepreneurs yet the state continues to have an overall low number of businesses owned by people of color. Wisconsin ranks 50th for the rate of business ownership among minorities. Businesses owned by people of color represent 10.9% of total businesses despite people […]
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Communities in Wisconsin that lack needed high-speed internet services also happen to be the same communities that lack the resources to take advantage of funding to expand broadband. UW-Madison Extension is committing special funding for three new broadband specialists to solve this problem and bring communities closer to billions of federal funding.
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Extension awarded grant funding to seven projects that bring innovation to the division’s outreach mission. Extension annually solicits proposals for new projects around engagement and research. Innovation is a core part of Extension’s programming, which ensures that the division is addressing emerging issues in Wisconsin’s communities.
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