Update on FoodWIse and Extension’s service to Wisconsin communities

For over 30 years UW–Madison Extension has been providing local nutrition education funded by the federal SNAP-Ed grant program. Our FoodWIse educators have been a cornerstone of Extension’s mission to improve the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents. FoodWIse reaches over 133,000 people with nutrition education and community-based strategies to support healthy eating and active […]

Update on AmeriCorps and Extension 4-H

Extension’s 4-H program has had AmeriCorps members working across the state to boost programming for youth and was planning for summer work for more than 30 AmeriCorps members in 23 counties. Due to immediate cuts in federal funding this past spring, our work with AmeriCorps became uncertain before UW–Madison offered limited bridge funding to support […]

FoodWIse: Educating families, strengthening communities

Many Wisconsin families struggle to make healthy choices on a limited budget. FoodWIse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension’s nutrition education program funded by SNAP-Ed, helps tens of thousands of our state’s residents every year to stretch limited food dollars, address chronic disease, and start healthy living at an early age. “My child came home willing to […]

A father listens with other conference attendees to a keynote speaker during lunch.

Spaces for dads: How research and practice are shaping fatherhood support

Fatherhood was not something that Erik Binnie imagined for himself. “Growing up, I never saw myself as somebody who was going to be a father,” said Binnie. “I intentionally just ignored things, thinking I’m not going to need this information.” Now raising his 6-year-old son in Jefferson County, he is trying to learn as much […]

“Pathways to Prosperity” article examines new ways to measure community well-being

Extension events key to a successful Money Smart Wisconsin Week

This article is a guest post from the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions: Since 2006, the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability, in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), has organized the Money Smart Wisconsin campaign. This year, Governor Tony Evers proclaimed April 5 – 12, 2025, as Money Smart Wisconsin Week. UW-Madison Division of Extension Educators from […]

Farmers install practices to protect local waterways and make videos to help other farmers do the same through Good Idea Mini-grants

Six teams of farmers and farm advisors in the Midwest are demonstrating their leadership in conservation agriculture with the completion of their Good Idea Mini-grant projects, a program run by a multi-state collaboration of Land Grant University Extension staff. Each grantee team installed an edge-of-field conservation practice on the farmer’s land to reduce nutrient and […]

Wisconsin Rapids Water tower and treeline

Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference: Hands-on learning for spurring economic development

UW-Madison Extension’s Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference, a hands-on, immersive conference aimed at strengthening rural Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, will be held June 16-18 in Wisconsin Rapids. Unlike other entrepreneurial conferences, CEC focuses on what works in small towns and addresses the distinct challenges and opportunities that these communities face in bolstering entrepreneurship. Designed for economic […]

Baldwin, Hurley, Medary, and White Lake join Extension program to ‘REV’ up small town economies

Four rural Wisconsin communities are joining the second cohort of Wisconsin Rural Entrepreneurial Venture (REV), an entrepreneurial development program designed to advance small town economies through a targeted business approach. Baldwin-Woodville, Hurley, Medary, and White Lake-Wolf River were selected as part of a program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Extension of Division. REV is a […]

Extension student named UW-Madison Student Employee of the Year

Each year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison recognizes the outstanding contributions of its student employees through the Student Employee of the Year award. With nearly 10,000 students working in thousands of roles across campus, this honor highlights the invaluable work completed by students each day, impacting the entire campus community. This year, we are proud to […]