Tag Agriculture
Collaboration yields new organic sweet corn variety
When the time comes for Wisconsin’s organic farmers to decide which crops to plant next year, they’ll have a tasty new variety of sweet corn — with a particularly sweet name — among their choices. The new variety, called “Who Gets Kissed?,” is the first in a series of organic, open-pollinated sweet corns being developed through a plant-breeding project led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA). Farmers and professional breeders are also involved.
Crops play a major role in the annual CO2 cycle increase
In a study published Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Nature, scientists at Boston University, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and McGill University show that a steep rise in the productivity of crops grown for food accounts for as much as 25 percent of the increase in this carbon dioxide (CO2) seasonality.
When the isthmus is an island: Madison’s hottest, and coldest, spots
In a new study published this month in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers highlight the urban heat island effect in Madison: The city’s concentrated asphalt, brick and concrete lead to higher temperatures than its nonurban surroundings.
Dwindling wind may tip predator-prey balance
Bent and tossed by the wind, a field of soybean plants presents a challenge for an Asian lady beetle on the hunt for aphids. But what if the air - and the soybeans - were still?
A touching story: The ancient conversation between plants, fungi and bacteria
The mechanical force that a single fungal cell or bacterial colony exerts on a plant cell may seem vanishingly small, but it plays a heavy role in setting up some of the most fundamental symbiotic relationships in biology. In fact, it may not be too much of a stretch to say that plants may have never moved onto land without the ability to respond to the touch of beneficial fungi, according to a new study led by Jean-Michel Ané, a professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
UW field days will focus on the flavor of organic vegetables
University of Wisconsin–Madison plant scientists intend to employ some highly sophisticated instruments to evaluate new varieties of organic vegetables: the palates of the people who produce or prepare them for discerning customers.
Project to evaluate how farmers markets benefit communities
A new project in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Farmer's Market Coalition will analyze the impact of farmers markets in communities.
Winning teams address global food system challenges, from food spoilage to hunger
The national Agricultural Innovation Prize: Powered by 40 Chances announced winning student teams during a two-day competition held at the University of Wisconsin–Madison on April 25-26, where students, competition judges, experts from a range of backgrounds and the public explored finalists' projects and larger ideas in business, science and society.
New report profiles UW–Madison organic agriculture research
University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists are engaged in a wide range of research related to organic agricultural production practices, according to a new report released on Feb. 28 at the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse.
A fifth year of record milk production helped Wisconsin farmers generate near-record income
Wisconsin farmers didn't have their best year ever in 2013, but they didn't miss it by much.
Perennial energy crops could provide environmental benefits
Rows of corn and soybeans cover rolling hills, stitched together by creeks and woodlands that compose southwest Wisconsin's agricultural patchwork. These complex landscapes provide clean water, wildlife habitat and climate benefits, yet, historically their value has been measured in just one way: bushels per acre.
Water systems research fills in the details for Africa’s largest dam
When the government of Ethiopia finishes building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2017 or 2018, it will not only have built the largest hydroelectric power-generation plant in Africa, but also stirred up tensions among African nations, and indelibly altered a river that itself has guided millennia of human history in the region.
Hancock ag station partners with industry to boost vegetable growers
The research advances at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Hancock Agricultural Research Station are keeping vegetable growers on the cutting edge of the industry, producers told Chancellor Rebecca Blank during a tour of the facility Tuesday.
New technology could help food crops thrive in crowded fields
With the global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the world's farmers are going to need to produce a lot more food - but without using much more farmland, as the vast majority of the world's arable land is already being used for agriculture.
Eco-farming strategies benefit growers, consumers and the environment
Apple growers wanted to find the best way to grow apples. Agricultural scientists wanted to reduce pesticide use on Wisconsin farms. These groups, starting with different objectives, found one solution that benefited them both: eco-fruit farming.
Study puts freshwater biodiversity on the map
When it comes to economic growth and environmental impacts, it can seem like Newton's third law of motion is the rule - for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - and that in most cases, the economy prospers and the environment suffers.
Growth industry: New faculty member supports local produce
When Julie Dawson starts making farm visits, she may face a problem many of her fellow University of Wisconsin–Madison agricultural extension specialists don’t: battling city traffic and finding a place to park.
UW-Madison launches national Agricultural Innovation Prize
As the world's population continues to increase, so does the need for sustainable and secure food systems. A new student contest run by the University of Wisconsin–Madison advances the idea that long-term solutions in agriculture cannot draw on innovations from only one discipline.