CIAS in the community

Food, Farms and Our Future

CIAS advisory council members and staff talked about organic farming, sustainable agriculture and locally grown food as part of the 4th Street Forum at Milwaukee Turner Hall on November 20th. The forum aired on Milwaukee Public Television the following weekend. CIAS participants included former advisory council member Will Allen from Growing Power, who [...] [...more]

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Cultivating Sustainable Agriculture Conference

On October 31st and November 1st, 64 people met at UW-Madison to discuss sustainable agriculture programs and initiatives on college campuses. Fifteen institutions including tech colleges, two and four year colleges, and postgraduate programs were represented at this conference. Highlights included workshops that provided an abundance of networking opportunities, engaged and excited students, and great [...] [...more]

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Soil Fertility Field Days

Soil Fertility Field Days

Fresh market vegetable farmers and University specialists examined soil fertility management strategies and practices at two October field days. The first event was held on the farm of Henry Brockman near Congerville, Illinois on October 20 and attracted 30 people. Henry detailed his four-year rotation that features two years of perennial [...] [...more]

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Institutional Food Market Coalition

Doug Wubben and Michelle Miller attended the Institutional Food Market coalition meeting at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). 38 participants heard from institutional food service buyers about their experiences purchasing from the Badgerland Produce Auction and the other three local food auctions around the state. Local food purchasing among the [...] [...more]

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Cover Crops Workshop

Cover Crops Workshop

On October 1, about 50 Extension agents, soil conservationists, and county soil and water department staff packed the meeting room at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station to learn about using cover crops in Wisconsin. The morning was devoted to presentations on a variety of cover crop applications, including a talk by [...] [...more]

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Voluntary standards for sustainable agriculture

CIAS observed the inaugural meeting of the Leonardo Academy’s effort to develop ANSI standards on sustainable agriculture. The two-day meeting brought together farmers, processors, retailers, environmental groups, labor and other organizations to begin a two-year process to create a voluntary national standard for sustainability. The process is controversial, both for the sustainable agriculture community and [...] [...more]

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Food for Thought

Food for Thought

CIAS was at the Food for Thought festival in Madison this weekend. Food for Thought, which is organized by REAP Food Group, celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. The CIAS exhibit included a game where visitors could test their knowledge of sustainable agriculture. Many thanks to everyone who stopped by our table to chat and [...] [...more]

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Badgerland Produce Auction tour

Badgerland Produce Auction tour

Institutional and retail food buyers from around Wisconsin joined CIAS Associate Director Michelle Miller for a visit to the the Badgerland Produce Auction in Montello on August 18. More than 200 farmers pool their produce for sale at this auction, which runs 2-3 times weekly, depending on the season. Miller learned that the auction offers [...] [...more]

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Urban horticulture

Urban horticulture

CIAS staff member John Hendrickson was at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station Urban Horticulture Field Day on Saturday, August 16th. He encouraged home gardeners to use cover crops to build soil organic matter, add nutrients, and improve soil tilth. A small plot of sample cover crops was available for gardeners to see crops such [...] [...more]

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CIAS at the Wisconsin State Fair

CIAS at the Wisconsin State Fair

CIAS participated in UW-Madison Day at the Wisconsin State Fair. Our exhibit, “Cows turn Grass into Milk” gave people a chance to experience managed grazing through a miniature pasture, “electric” fencing and toy cows. Visitors also played a cheese-tasting game where they experienced the differences between conventional Cheddar cheese and Cheddar made from the milk [...] [...more]

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Next Entries »
Vegetable Storage Crops Workshop

Learn how to extend your marketing season by growing and selling winter storage crops like carrots, beets, winter squash, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and more. This workshop will be held on December 4 in Hudson and December 11 in Madison. For details, see the workshop flyer. Hope to see you there!

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CIAS in the community

CIAS Hosts Annual Meeting of Eco-Apple Growers

On Thursday, November 12, CIAS hosted its annual meeting of apple growers engaged in its Eco-Apple pesticide reduction program. Notably, the group of 48 growers celebrated the successful completion of a six-year effort designed to reduce the use of pesticides on orchards throughout Wisconsin. During the course of the program, all reporting orchards demonstrated a reduced reliance on pesticides in favor of a diversity of IPM strategies, and some realized a near-total elimination of organophosphate applications. CIAS thanks its team of growers for their enthusiastic and committed participation. In particular, CIAS wishes to thank Dave Flannery, Wendy Schafer, Bill Stone and Anna Maenner for their fortitude in seeing this phase of the project through to a successful conclusion. UW rsearchers Dan Mahr, Patty McManus, Matt Stasiak and Teryl Roper have been critical to the project’s success. Thanks also to EPA-V and the USDA for their support and encouragement.

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