Is there a legume that establishes and yields well, persists and is cost effective? Through on-farm research, Wisconsin beef grazier Jim Munsch set out to answer this important question on his Deer Run Farm. [...more]

Raw milk for human consumption that has not been pasteurized is a controversial product. Unpasteurized milk may contain pathogens that can lead to serious illness. Nonetheless, a study led by researchers Özlem Altıok and Michael Bell of the UW-Madison Department of Community and Environmental Sociology found that customers cite improving their health among the top reasons for drinking raw milk. A growing number of consumers feel that pasteurization robs milk of some of its nutritional and health benefits. [...more]

While growth in the organic industry has slowed, U.S. consumers are not giving up on organic food. Organic sales, which expanded at a rate of 20 percent per year from the early 1990s through 2007, likely experienced negative growth in 2009. But 31 percent of U.S. families bought more organic food in 2009 than in 2008. [...more]

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]

For most fresh market vegetable growers, earning a reasonable living from their farms is a bigger challenge than growing produce. While growers often share production information freely, they may be reluctant to share financial information. Many growers are looking for ways to collect this information and share it with others without divulging confidential business details. From [...] [...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 the loss in milk revenues due to lower production. These studies show that grazing farms are [...] [...more]

Printer-friendly version (PDF) One critical goal of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement is to sustain farm families economically. CSA farms offer memberships to consumers, who receive shares of the farms’ produce during the growing season. Researchers from CIAS and other partner institutions listed below conducted the 1999 National CSA Farm Survey. Overall, they found that [...] [...more]

The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement in the United States has grown to include over 1,000 farms that are linking growers and customers in unique ways. The 1999 National CSA Farm Survey provided the first comprehensive portrait of the CSA movement in the U.S. This work was updated in a second national CSA survey done [...] [...more]

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. [...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. [...more]