Check out the latest news and articles.
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2010 Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas
Posted on April 29, 2010When it comes to local food, Southern Wisconsin is considered a national leader. With farmers’ markets every day of the week, pick-your-own farms, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, grocery stores and restaurants that offer local fare, the only challenge is deciding where to shop. And that’s really no challenge, thanks to the newly released ninth edition of the Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas.
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Economic Potential of Increased Fruit and Vegetable Production in the Upper Midwest
Posted onExpanding the fruit and vegetable industry in the Upper Midwest could have a huge economic impact in the region. A new analysis from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, in collaboration with CIAS and other regional partners, estimated potential state and regional economic values associated with increased production of fresh fruit and vegetables in a six-state area.
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Americorps Farm to School Program
Posted on March 10, 2010In September 2008, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) launched the AmeriCorps Farm to School Program. Citizens participating in AmeriCorps programs […]
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Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2009 Status Report
Posted on February 24, 2010While 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.
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Midwest School for Beginning Apple Growers
Posted on February 10, 2010CIAS held the inaugural Midwest School for Beginning Apple Growers on February 5-7, 2010 in Madison. Over 40 students learned how to minimize risk in […]
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Scaling Up: Meeting the Demand for Local Food
Posted on January 5, 2010Robust local and regional food systems offer social, environmental and economic benefits. Increasingly, wholesale buyers are demanding locally grown food and growers are looking for new regional markets. To develop informed business development strategies for Wisconsin farmers and other supply chain start-ups, the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) and UW-Extension Agricultural Innovation Center studied and documented eleven models of regional food aggregation and distribution.
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CIAS Provides IPM Expertise to Apple Growers through Conference Calls and Blogging
Posted on December 28, 2009Due to the limited number of apple IPM consultants in Wisconsin and the high cost of hiring consultants, few Wisconsin apple growers have been able to take advantage of professional consultant expertise in implementing IPM on their orchards. To address this need, the Eco-Apple Project launched a blog in 2006 and free weekly conference calls with an apple IPM consultant in 2007.
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CIAS Hosts Annual Meeting of Eco-Apple Growers
Posted on November 19, 2009On 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 […]
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Grass-Based Dairy Products: Challenges and Opportunities
Posted on September 30, 2009There is growing consumer interest in dairy products from grass-fed cows. Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental, health and taste benefits of eating dairy and other animal products from livestock fed using managed grazing. If this interest translates into demand, it may open new value-added markets for farmers who use managed grazing.
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Cover Crops on the Intensive Market Farm
Posted on July 1, 2009Crops 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 aspect of any sustainable cropping system.