2009 School for Beginning Market Growers
Aspiring fresh market vegetable growers can learn fundamentals of the business from veteran growers and other experts at the 2009 Wisconsin School for Beginning Market Growers, Jan. 16-18 on the UW-Madison campus. [...more]
Forage Fescues in the Northern USA
Tall fescue, meadow fescue and festulolium have potential value as forages for grazing operations in the northern USA. Meadow fescue is the most cold tolerant of these grasses, with excellent forage quality and palatability, and relatively high drought tolerance. Tall fescue has the highest yield potential, good palatability for soft-leaf varieties and excellent heat and [...more]
Does pasture-finished beef make the grade? (Research Brief #77)
Finishing beef animals on pasture can potentially reduce the overhead costs of facilities and equipment compared to confinement finishing. Researchers at UW-Madison set out to learn if beef animals finished on pasture can make the Select and Choice quality grades for conventional meat markets. [...more]
Tall fescue and Kura clover for dairy and beef stockers (Research Brief #76)
Do orchardgrass, fescue or legume/grass combinations produce more meat on growing, pastured beef animals? Do beef steers, beef heifers or dairy steers show the most gain on pastures? Researchers in the departments of Animal Sciences and Agronomy at UW-Madison recently finished a three-year study to answer these questions. [...more]
How does Managed Grazing Affect Wisconsin’s Environment?
In Wisconsin, the prevalence of livestock and dairy farming has led to questions about how animal agriculture affects the environment. Many farmers who practice managed grazing have observed environmental benefits resulting from this management system. What have scientific studies shown about the effects of managed grazing on the environment?
This report presents results from papers which [...more]
The Organic Apple Grower Hour
On 18 Thursday mornings from April 24 through August 28, a group of apple growers came together over the phone to discuss holistic orchard management. Leading the calls was Michael Phillips, organic orchardist and author of The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist. The breadth and depth of information covered on the calls [...more]
Custom Raising Dairy Heifers: Expectations and Perspectives of Wisconsin Dairy Producers
This survey explored the views, opinions and perceptions of Wisconsin dairy producers about custom grazing heifers. Findings included:
All types of Wisconsin dairy producers perceive that grazing has positive implications for the health and productivity of dairy heifers.
In order to appeal to Wisconsin dairy producers, potential custom grazing heifer operations must be cost competitive.
Confinement operations are [...more]
Grass Clippings: August 2008
Grass Clippings features grazing research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. In this issue:
Orchardgrass, tall fescue, and meadow fescue response to nitrogen rate
Meadow fescue in the Driftless Region, part two
Influence of fertility on pasture species diversity, yield and quality, part two
From the files of yesteryear: Making reed canarygrass seed more available in Wisconsin
Read this [...more]
Food and the Mid-Level Farm
CIAS staff member Steve Stevenson is co-author of a new book on the crisis faced by mid-scale farms and ranches, and strategies for reviving these operations. Food and the Mid-Level Farm makes it clear that the demise of midsize farms and ranches is not a foregone conclusion and that the renewal of an agriculture of [...more]
Bicyclists Pedal for Pledges to Support Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers
Friends of the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers will be pedaling for pledges when they roll out Friday, June 13 in the 5th Annual Ride to Farm.
A group of determined cyclists will make a three-day trip from a farm near Nichols in Outagamie County to a farm at Elkhorn in Walworth County. [...more]