Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

Grass Clippings is a newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The April issue features: Pure live seed Meadow fescue Different dairy farm systems yield similar satisfaction Fertility and pastures Wisconsin's beef industry Custom heifers... Read More

While Wisconsin is known as America’s Dairyland, the state’s beef industry is also thriving. Beef cows, beef heifers over 500 pounds, steers and other heifers (excluding dairy heifers) account for nearly 23% of the total cattle population in the state.... 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

The number of dairy farms in Wisconsin has been declining steadily for years. This decline has inportant implications for the economic, ecological and social sustainability of communities, families and individuals in Wisconsin. Life satisfaction is one important social consideration in... Read More

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The August issue features: Invasive weeds on the move in Wisconsin: Hill mustard and perennial pepperweed Stockpiling pastures Cheese from the pasture strikes... Read More

This report describes managed grazing projects funded by the Wisconsin Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative from 2002-2003. Seventeen education projects supported a variety of networking activities, as well as programs for beginning and transitioning farmers. Five research projects looked at ground... 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

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The May issue features: Interseeding legumes vs. applying nitrogen fertilizer Performance of birdsfoot trefoil in northern Wisconsin How much grass seed do we... Read More

What makes specialty cheese special? More specifically, what taste characteristics make cheese from pastured cows unique? These are important questions for farmers and milk processors wanting to create specialty dairy products from the milk of pastured cows. Preliminary research from UW-Madison shows that cheese from the milk of pastured cows tastes significantly different from other cheese. This study was not able to identify the chemical compounds causing the flavor differences. A consumer panel preferred the cheese made from the milk of cows fed pasture and grain, similar to the milk produced on most Wisconsin grazing dairy farms.

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The February issue features: Persistence of grazed red clover varieties Carbon crediting for agricultural soil management practices Upcoming events Soil quality and the... Read More

This worksheet, which is geared toward older elementary school children and their teachers, presents basic information about grazing dairy cows. It presents grazing as a feeding alternative that mimics natural systems, protects erodible land, and saves money for farmers. It... Read More

The market for specialty cheese, including pastured cheese, is growing rapidly. Graziers, cheesemakers and marketers need to know how pastured cheese is unique. This report describes research comparing the taste, texture and color of cheese made from the milk of... Read More

How satisfied are graziers with their lives? According to a recent survey, graziers are more satisfied with all quality of life measures than farmers who use pasture less intensively and operators of small confinement dairies. Dairy graziers and operators of... Read More

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The November issue features: Sire selection strategies for graziers Soil testing pastures The grazing research town hall meeting at the agronomy/soils field day... Read More

Managed grazing keeps dairy and other livestock farmers profitable, promotes good land stewardship, and can save taxpayers money. A new report by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, The Future of Managed Grazing: Barriers to managed grazing in Wisconsin and how... Read More

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter linking Wisconsin graziers with University of Wisconsin researchers, extension, and US Dairy Forage Research Center personnel working in grazing and pasture management. This inaugural issue includes articles on outwintering, grazing dairy economics, soil quality... Read More

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has announced the availability of more than $900,000 in grants for research and education related to managed grazing. Agriculture and natural resource agencies, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, grazing networks, and... Read More

Beginning dairy farmers as well as seasoned producers have a new resource available from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and partner organizations including CIAS. Dairy Your Way is a free, 100-page book that profiles a variety of dairy housing... 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

This report summarizes statewide information about Wisconsin dairy producers who use pasture and managed grazing as feeding and farm management tools. Surveys from random samples of Wisconsin dairy farmers conducted over the last decade by the Program on Agricultural Technology... Read More

Farmers who are considering starting or modifying poultry operations have a new resource available. Poultry Your Way is a free, 124-page book that profiles a variety of poultry systems suitable for the Upper Midwest. Producers and poultry experts from Minnesota,... Read More

Management Intensive Rotational Grazing represents an increasingly attractive option for dairy farmers looking to cut costs and boost profits. The number of Wisconsin dairy farms practicing grazing has tripled in less than a decade. Academic literature on grazing has... Read More

Farms using managed grazing typically produce less milk per cow than confinement farms. However, a series of economic studies in Wisconsin and elsewhere show that, for many dairy farmers, the savings they realize using managed grazing more than offsets... Read More

This publication has been moved. To view it, click here.... Read More

Farmers Tony and Dela Ends want their farm to sustain the land and their family. They began selling subscriptions to their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in 1994. They also wanted to successfully integrate livestock production into their farm through a value-added, direct marketing enterprise. Their goal was to do this in ways that respect the scale of a small family farm, satisfy their commitments to stewardship, and eliminate the need for off-farm income.

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

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.

Can you make a living raising pastured poultry on a large scale? “Yes, but talk to farmers who’ll give you their whole story, including their failures, before you begin,” one producer participating in a 2000 Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) survey advises. Read More

To take maximum advantage of pasture growth, dairy farmers using rotational grazing often have a short (less than 3 month) spring calving window as a goal. But this is difficult to achieve. CIAS-supported research on a Wisconsin grazing farm shows that the Ovsynch breeding program, while successful on confinement dairy farms, can be problematic on grazing dairy farms. Read More

Is kura clover a good legume choice in rotationally grazed pastures? A study conducted at the UW Lancaster Agricultural Research Station says yes, with excellent beef production on kura clover/grass pastures. Kura's persistence and leafy growth led to higher Holstein steer growth rates on kura/grass pastures than red clover/grass pastures. Read More

Despite volatile milk prices, hundreds of new farmers get started in dairying each year. Compared to other types of livestock farming, dairying can provide a higher income per animal, monthly paychecks, and, in many areas, more markets. Read More

New dairy farmers often face high start-up costs for land, equipment and facilities. Volatile milk prices, long hours and hard work reduce the appeal of a career in dairy farming. To better understand the start-up strategies used by beginning dairy... Read More

A common way to raise pastured poultry involves putting 75 to 100 three- to four-week old meat chickens in movable pens during the growing season. These floorless 10’ by 12’ by 2’ pens are moved daily by sliding them along the ground, providing fresh pasture. Chickens also receive a grain-based ration. At 8-14 weeks, the chickens are butchered and sold to consumers or restaurants. Read More

You don’t need to take over a family farm, or even grow up on a farm, to be a successful dairy farmer in Wisconsin. You can milk 50 or 150 cows, and you can own or rent land. But you... 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

Switchgrass offers a wide range of environmental benefits as an alternative energy crop. Switchgrass can reduce soil erosion and provide warm season pasture for most ruminants. Harvesting this crop in August can improve habitat for grassland birds. Burning switchgrass together... Read More

An ongoing financial study of farms that use management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG) shows that generation of income is the main factor separating the farms with the best financial performance from those with the worst financial performance. The graziers with... 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

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

Farmers wishing to capitalize on the trend of increased consumption of white meat can consider raising chickens. But for many, a conventional commercial chicken operation’s high capital investment, large scale, and limited market access are unsuitable. Enter the pastured poultry... Read More

Purchasing calves (stockers) in spring and selling them in the fall as feeder cattle may be a way to convert pasture to profit for those with a surplus of grass but not a lot of facilities. But managing pasture, animals,... Read More

Farmers who wish to outwinter their cattle to decrease facility and labor costs can do so in environmentally sound ways. In a study conducted during the winter of 1997-98, manure from outwintered cattle on three Wisconsin dairy farms retained... Read More

In a sharemilking agreement, a young farmer operates a farm on behalf of the farm owner for an agreed share of farm income and expenses. The arrangement offers young farmers a way to build assets and dairy management skills without... Read More

Dairy farming is a solid career choice, offering good status and pay, a high quality of life, and well-defined training and career paths. That’s the message to New Zealand high school students from technical schools, the national dairy apprentice program,... Read More

All farm types examined here, particularly the low and medium investment farms with high levels of debt, may find an expansion involving sweat equity to be the best option for them.—Rick Klemme Grazing-based dairy farmers considering expanding their herds and... Read More

What predicts ag professionals’ knowledge of and willingness to make recommendations on management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG)? A UW-Madison survey of agricultural professionals throughout Wisconsin concludes that it is both what they know and who they know. The breadth of... Read More

Many successful graziers, confident in their grazing and management skills, are now asking: Will an expansion pay for a labor-saving parlor within a modified seasonal calving system to allow me and my family a better of quality of life? Probably,... Read More

Farmers are finding that dairy cattle are a lot tougher and more resourceful than they have been given credit for.—Ed Brick Can dairy cattle stay healthy and comfortable outside during a Wisconsin winter? The answer appears to be yes, with... Read More

If you want to know how important women are to running a dairy farm in Wisconsin, just ask farm couples. Six hundred farm couples were surveyed about their roles on dairy farms as part of a University of Wisconsin study.... Read More

The experiences of New Zealand’s dairy farmers may help their colleagues in Wisconsin boost the state’s dairy industry. That’s the conclusion of a study on dairy farmer career paths sponsored by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS).... Read More

The sparkling, frozen world of Wisconsin in winter presents several challenges to its dairy farmers. One of these challenges is how to manage dairy cattle wastes so that nutrients and organic matter are added to fields and pastures instead of... Read More

What features make New Zealand-style swing-over parlors so attractive to some dairy farmers? What decisions might a farm family face in adding one of these parlors to their operation? How is it possible to build a New Zealand-style parlor from... Read More

News from the Grazing Dairy Systems Network December 15, 1996 Contributed by Laura Paine University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Agronomy One important way to control nonpoint source pollution on farms has been to manage riparian areas carefully. The traditional way... Read More

Solving complex agricultural problems like how to improve manure management systems requires strong disciplinary research combined with farmers and scientists coming together to apply adaptive, collaborative approaches to problem-solving. And existing institutional and reward structures need to be explored and... Read More

This report is based on observations of dairy farmer career structures in New Zealand gathered during a field trip to that country in the spring of 1995. These observations are evaluated for their relevance to Wisconsin's declining rates of farm... Read More

What we're seeing is a little extra money from grazing while putting in a little less labor. -- Gary Frank How can dairy farmers make their time worth more? A study sponsored by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS)... Read More

In 1994 and 1995, CIAS conducted case studies with six Wisconsin dairy farming families who've adopted management intensive rotational grazing practices. One topic these farmers discussed was how they made the transition to grazing and the effects of that: their... 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 With the market for organic milk offering potential niches, some Wisconsin... 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

The report tells the story, from the perspective of the 16 Wisconsin and Minnesota farm families involved, of their involvement in an innovative research, education, and outreach project about management-intensive rotational grazing. The project was funded by the Sustainable Agriculture... Read More

Wisconsin dairy farmers are once again finding the value of pasture-based farming by intensively grazing their pastures.... Read More

Pastured Holstein cows are as productive as their haylage-fed counterparts in an Arlington Agricultural Research Station study.... Read More

Video and satellite auctions provide a number of marketing advantages to cattle producers who live long distances from markets or feeding areas.... Read More

More than one million acres of forages are grown within 75 miles of Hayward in northwestern Wisconsin. The area relies heavily on growing forages and converting them into higher-value products such as milk, meat, and wool. A project at the... 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

A livestock and forage production project at the Hayward Agricultural Research Station provided researchers with some valuable lessons at lambing time.... Read More

There are ways to manage a 300-ewe flock without a lot of hired help or expensive choring equipment.... Read More

"Edible" bunker silos may enable Wisconsin livestock farmers to save labor and money when storing and feeding forages.... Read More

A livestock operation in northern Wisconsin won't make you rich, but it can provide a source of supplemental income.... Read More