Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

Beginning in 2003, Wisconsin apple and cherry growers and the University of Wisconsin worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to address orchard pest management resource concerns through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). As a result, in... Read More

Wisconsin is well positioned to reap the benefits sown by our organic farmers, processors and other businesses. With continued support for and investment in organics, Wisconsin will remain a leader in organic agriculture. With a focus on organic dairy, this... Read More

This publication provides an introduction to the biological control of pest insects and mites. It includes basic biological information on insects and how they become pests. A major part of the publication is dedicated to a survey of natural enemies.... Read More

Since 2003, Carandale Farm has been evaluating 42 unusual fruits for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The goal is to find nutrient-rich fruits that can be grown easily, without a lot of labor or chemicals. The fruits must provide economic... Read More

Participatory research brings professional researchers together with citizen stakeholders to define problems or questions, collect information, and use it to promote change. This publication addresses on-farm participatory research in sustainable agricultural systems, and draws on experiences using this approach for... Read More

The organic food market continues to expand in the United States, consistently growing at a rate of 15 to 21 percent per year and reaching nearly $17 billion in consumer sales in 2006. Organic products are increasingly present in traditional... Read More

Wisconsin continues to be a national leader in organic food production, despite the fact that certified organic farms, acreage and production represent only a small fraction of agriculture in the state. This report provides a snapshot of the current status... Read More

Carandale farm in Oregon, Wisconsin tested 99 cultivars of 34 unique fruit crop species during the 2003-2004 growing seasons. These fruit varieties are being evaluated for horticultural suitability and marketing potential. Several fruit crops are emerging as having high potential... Read More

Organic cranberries are produced across the continent, with over 100 acres grown in Wisconsin. The major problems facing organic cranberry growers include weeds, insect pests, fruit rot and other fruit quality issues; but most significant is a 50% or more... Read More

CIAS and Wisconsin Public Television have produced a series of educational videos on sustainable agriculture and IPM for potatoes, apples, and fresh market vegetables. These videos can be viewed online at the Research Channel: Healthy Grown Potatoes Fresh Market Fruit... Read More

Printer-friendly version (PDF)Apple orchards attract many kinds of insects that damage vegetation and fruit. But these orchard pests have insect enemies of their own. Growers can provide habitat for these natural enemies, also known as beneficial insects, as part of... Read More

Printer-friendly version (PDF)Grain farmers can help the environment by expanding their corn-soybean rotations to include additional crops. Research has shown that expanded rotations can reduce the need for pesticide and herbicide applications by breaking the life cycles of insects, weeds... Read More

The Wisconsin Soil Health Scorecard assesses soil health as a function of soil, plant, animal and water properties identified by farmers. The scorecard is a field tool to monitor and improve soil health based on field experience and a working... Read More

The cornerstone of any Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is regular scouting of the crop at hand. It’s important that the scouting or monitoring practices are done systematically and at regular intervals. In order for a scouting program to be... Read More

Organic food sales in the US have grown 20% or more annually throughout the last decade and remain strong. Organic products are now available in 73% of supermarkets nationwide, particularly in urban and suburban regions. While organic sales currently account... Read More

Crops that are grown solely to provide soil cover or for the purposes of increasing soil fertility are referred to as cover crops or green manures. Due their ability to protect and enhance soils, cover crops are considered a fundamental... Read More

Canada thistle is a big headache for livestock producers managing pastures. Animals won’t eat this spiny, tough plant, reducing productivity of pastures and livestock. Despite being on Wisconsin’s noxious weed list and a target for serious control for many years, it is still a significant, widespread problem.

The Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction (PURR) Project was initiated in 1998 to help farmers anticipate the effects of more restrictive federal pesticide regulation. Fourteen agricultural organizations participated in this project. The project built new, lasting partnerships between the participating... Read More

Researchers at UW-Madison found that exposure to low levels of a common lawn herbicide mixture led to reduced litter sizes in laboratory mice. This research builds on other studies showing possible links between pesticide exposure and reproductive and/or developmental problems in animals and humans. Read More

Chemicals are not the only, or often the best, option for controlling pest problems. Integrated Pest Management is an alternative that uses all appropriate pest management methods instead of focusing on a single method. This will often prevent some pest... Read More

In fruit and vegetable production, more labor is often spent on weed management than any other task. Understanding where a weed grows, why it grows in a particular place, and what actions will limit its growth are important parts of... Read More

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines monitoring practices with cultural, physical, and biological control strategies to manage pests with a minimum of pesticides. With support from the Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction Project at CIAS, UW-Madison rural sociologist Pete Nowak and Extension IPM specialist Karen Delahaut surveyed Wisconsin fresh market vegetable and berry growers in 2001. They found that many fresh market vegetable and berry growers in Wisconsin use IPM practices. Read More

A new resource CD from the University of Wisconsin provides a wealth of production and marketing information for fresh market vegetable growers. The “Fresh Market Vegetable Resource CD” includes fact sheets, reports, power point presentations and marketing materials on a... Read More

If you follow practices that build and maintain soil organic matter, especially through the addition of organic amendments, you will improve the quality of your soil, reducing compaction and crusting, and increasing drainage and water holding capacity. Plants will be... Read More

Composting is controlled decomposition, the natural breakdown process of organic residues. Composting transforms raw organic waste materials into biologically stable, humic substances that make excellent soil amendments. Compost is easier to handle than manure and other raw organic materials, stores... Read More

Sooty blotch and flyspeck are fungal diseases that can reduce the economic value of fresh market apples. While these diseases don’t affect yield or quality below the surface, they can badly discolor apple skin. These diseases are especially serious for growers using integrated pest management (IPM) and organic practices. Read More

Dairy farmers can reduce their purchased inputs without cutting into their profits. An ongoing twelve-year study of two forage rotations similar to those found on Wisconsin dairy farms compared a diversified, low-input system with a less diverse rotation requiring high... Read More

Orchardist Dale Secher speaks for many of Wisconsin’s fruit growers when he says that he cares about his customers as much as his bottom line. Most Wisconsin fruit growers sell their produce locally, either through grocery stores or direct sales... Read More

Grazing networks have played an important role in the adoption of grass farming in Wisconsin. A grazing network is a group of people, usually within the same county or region, which meets regularly to discuss grass-based farming. Wisconsin's grazing networks... Read More

Many Wisconsin tobacco farmers are looking for alternative crops following the ongoing reductions in tobacco allotments and tobacco markets. Allotment reductions mean lower production levels and lower incomes for tobacco farmers. One crop proposed as an alternative to tobacco is... Read More

Late maturing varieties of annual (Italian) ryegrass hold some potential for pastures in a management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG) system. However, in a 1997-98 on-farm study in southern Wisconsin, annual ryegrass did not make a contribution to pasture yield. In... Read More

Tobacco farmers in Wisconsin have been losing base acreage and income in recent years. Because Echinacea and tobacco production share many similarities, Echinacea has been suggested as an alternative crop for tobacco farmers. Making $3,766 per acre with Angustifolia Echinacea... Read More

Composted manures offer promise as beneficial soil amendments for vegetable growers. New research results show that composted manures can increase vegetable yield, influence crop diseases, and bring about changes in soil microbial life.... Read More

Cash grain farmers can improve their bottom line by diversifying crops and reducing chemical inputs, according to a cropping systems trial now in its eighth year of economic analysis. Diversified grain systems at two sites have shown better financial returns... Read More

Can environmentally beneficial crop rotations also improve farm profitability? A long-term study underway in southern Wisconsin aims to find out. It blends systems research with strong farmer guidance to measure profitability, productivity, and environmental impacts of six cropping systems.... Read More

Recent federal legislation will reduce the number and amounts of pesticides available to farmers. But producers can start planning now for these changes by reducing their reliance on pesticides with the greatest potential for harm to human health and the... Read More

Farmers using the community supported agriculture (CSA) model can expect both rewards and challenges in this intense, diversified, community-oriented approach. A solid understanding of CSA and effective management will help CSA farmers overcome challenges in production, labor, and conserving and... Read More

What makes a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm successful? Good management and know-how and networking and outreach. Formal research and support for CSA have not been established, but networks of CSA farms can help fill these gaps by sharing their... Read More

We need a lot more protection of erosion-prone land than we have. Windbreaks are an important component of this effort to control wind erosion. -- Clive David, forestry researcher, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Strong winds can stir up trouble for... Read More

One of the things we were interested in was how to implement a composting system without changing a farmer's existing setup. -- Bill Connolly, UW-River Falls Windrow composting can help farmers manage dairy wastes economically, according to a study sponsored... Read More

It's important that we farm organically. That's the whole reason we're in farming. We have ethical reasons we feel it's important to treat the soil biodynamically. -- Altfrid Krusenbaum The importance of farming organically and biodynamically has motivated the land... Read More

Wisconsin cash grain and dairy livestock cropping systems have gone on trial. The goal is to identify and evaluate trade-offs of various production strategies. An interdisciplinary team of UW-Madison and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) researchers, farmers, and two county... Read More

An easy-to-use trap may allow Wisconsin Christmas tree growers in the future to market healthy trees with less insecticide. Developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologists, the traps currently are enabling researchers to monitor the pine root weevil. The insect can... Read More

Organic potatoes can be grown on a large-scale without commercial pesticides and standard fertilizers. However, production costs for organic potatoes are higher and their yields are lower than for conventionally produced potatoes. Whether prices for organic potatoes can be high... Read More

Growers, processors and consumers alike may reap the benefits from a recent study that has identified several potato varieties with improved resistance to early blight. Castile, a relatively high-yielding variety (cultivar) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture breeding program, shows... Read More

The preplant soil nitrate test can save farmers money while reducing the risk of groundwater contamination... Read More