As part of UW–Madison’s 175th Anniversary, Extension held a special forum in Lac du Flambeau on May 7, 2024, to bring campus and communities closer in dialog on issues affecting Northern Wisconsin. Fittingly for the anniversary theme, Extension brought together 175 elected officials, government administrators, non-profit leaders, and others from northern Wisconsin. The Extension Northwoods […]
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Lisa Sprangers, a 4-H volunteer in Outagamie County, first met 4-H member Lily Schwartz when they served together on the Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Council. Sprangers remembers when they were initiated as co-presidents of the Council, “We were going up on stage and Lily looked at me and said, ‘I don’t know what am I doing.’ […]
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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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Christine Bender remembers the moment 10 years ago when she told her parents she wanted to come back and farm long-term. “My mom started to cry because she was so happy,” Bender said. In the decade since Bender and her family created a succession plan, they’ve had many discussions about working together. Now she serves […]
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Farm to school programs provide kids access to nutritious, high-quality, local food while creating market development opportunities for local farmers. Yet, a new study by UW–Madison Extension and the UW–Madison School of Human Ecology shows that not all local farmers have equal access to this economic opportunity. This is especially true of historically underserved farmers, […]
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UW–Madison Extension’s Community Economic Development Program is equipping entrepreneurs with the business skills and sector-specific information necessary to succeed in new entrepreneurial ventures. The Rural Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Initiative provides UW research and education to entrepreneurs and economic development practitioners who are interested in supporting entrepreneurial activity in rural communities. This initiative is a partnership with […]
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Frederic “Rick” Braun’s love of woodlands came early, tracking tree growth on his family’s 4,000 acres in Langlade County with paint markings and experimenting with native plantings. He inherited not only a large estate used for logging and hunting, he also inherited an affection for the outdoors and what it takes to manage the land. […]
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For Eugene Crisler, an Employment Specialist and Fatherhood Program Facilitator at the Urban League of Greater Madison, shining a spotlight on fatherhood is a welcome wake-up call for Wisconsin. When Extension’s Fatherhood Needs Assessment report was released earlier this year, he and Extension educators started to discuss what fathers across the state were asking for […]
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Desiree Torres understands the value of being part of a supportive environment that encourages young people to be involved in their communities, something she witnessed firsthand with Youth Advocates for Community Health (YACH), a program of UW–Madison Extension. Christa Van Treeck, associate professor and youth development educator in Marquette County, is working with a group […]
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Each year, the USDA’s National Institute on Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recognizes visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming. The Growing Together Multi-State Collaborative – which includes UW–Madison Extension, Iowa State University Cooperative Extension, Purdue University Extension, Michigan State University, Montana State University, South Dakota State University, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska, and the […]
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