Research, tools, and information on how farmers can build and maintain an economically viable farm business.
Compass tools
Compass Tools help farmers with data-driven decision-making to become more profitable and sustainable. The CIAS Compass Toolbox contains a suite of whole farm profit management spreadsheet tools to help farmers understand their costs of production, identify what products and markets are best for them, and identify ways to improve profitability. Compass Workshops help train farmers and service providers to use these tools.
Veggie Compass
Livestock Compass
Fruit & Nut Compass
Pasture-Based Beef Enterprise Calculator
OGRAIN Compass – NEW 2023 VERSION
Hemp Compass
Grassland 2.0 Grazing Compass Tools
These tools, built in collaboration with the Grassland 2.0 Program, evaluate a transition from a confinement to a pasture-based system of raising animals. They analyze the financials of the grazing season to estimate cost and labor savings. They help estimate the amount of land needed, paddock establishment and operating costs, and also include an evaluation of the nutritional composition of a feeding plan focused on grazing.
Heifer Grazing Compass
Beef Grazing Compass
PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER RESOURCES
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University of Wisconsin and Farmers Market Coalition Awarded USDA AFRI Grant to Grow Customer Base at Farmers Markets
The Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been awarded a grant from the USDA Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to enhance the ability of farmers markets to attract new customers. With a focus on bolstering rural economies and supporting small and mid-sized farms, AFRI grantees like FMC aim…
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CIAS Staff in the News: Lauren Asprooth
A recent article published in The Cap Times, “Waves of grain: How Wisconsin’s sustainable grain movement is growing“, discusses the burgeoning sustainable grain movement in Wisconsin, particularly focusing on efforts to incorporate locally grown grains into baked goods. Lauren Asprooth, a CIAS research scientist, highlights the decline of small grains in the region due to…
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Now Hiring: Education Director, Farm Director, and Programming Director for The People’s Farm
Positions: Education Director, Farm Director, Programming Director Salary: $15/hour Apply by: February 16th, 2024 at 11:55pm The People’s Farm for Sustainable Agriculture strives to educate the UW community about the relationship between people, land, and food. Through our garden workshops, educational events, and outreach programming, we aim to bring critical awareness about food systems, land…
CIAS PARTNERS
Organic Grain Resource and Information Network (OGRAIN)
Ellen Polishuk, Plant to Profit
Jim Munsch, Deer Run Farm
NEWS
These tools, built in collaboration with the Grassland 2.0 Program, evaluate a transition from a confinement to a pasture-based system of raising animals. They analyze the financials of the grazing season to estimate cost and labor savings. They help estimate the amount of land needed, paddock establishment and operating costs, and also include an evaluation of the nutritional composition of a feeding plan focused on grazing.
- AI tools for democratizing food networks: scaling national, regional and localwith Dr. Song Gao, Michelle Miller and Dr. Alfonso Morales,University of Wisconsin Madison, May 21, 2026 The University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted a collaborative web presentation detailingthe development of artificial intelligence (AI) and cyberinfrastructure tools designed todemocratize food networks. Led by Alfonso Morales, a Vilas Distinguished AchievementProfessor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, the… Read more: AI tools for democratizing food networks: scaling national, regional and local
- Food Flows and Digital Twins: Making Food Network Information Actionable (Summary)Food flows and digital twins: making food network information actionable with Dr. Kushank Bajaj, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Dr. Bajaj presented a comprehensive overview of his research on mapping global and domestic food supply chains to identify systemic vulnerabilities and climate-related risks. The webinar, the third in the “Food Systems and AI” series,… Read more: Food Flows and Digital Twins: Making Food Network Information Actionable (Summary)
- “Open knowledge on U.S. food systems to support decision-making”Dr. Karakoç presented a data-driven effort to better understand how food moves through the United States—and why that matters for resilience, efficiency, and food security. Thirty-three participants attended the webinar, hosted by CIAS, campus partners, and the NSF AI Institute ICICLE. At its core, her work addresses a simple but consequential gap: while the U.S.… Read more: “Open knowledge on U.S. food systems to support decision-making”
- Webinar Summary: Dr. Marco Formentini, University of TrentoDr. Formentini presented his work on how digitalization can transform agri-food supply chains to improve sustainability, reduce food loss and waste, and enable fairer redistribution of value among supply chain actors. More than seventy participants attended the webinar, hosted by CIAS, campus partners, and the National Science Foundation’s AI Institute ICICLE. He began by situating… Read more: Webinar Summary: Dr. Marco Formentini, University of Trento
- Food Supply Networks and AI: A Four-Webinar SeriesThis webinar series is made possible by the ICICLE – Intelligent CI with Computational Learning in the Environment -U.S. National Science Foundation AI Center under OAC-2112606 and organized by the UW-CALS Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, with support from several UW partners: the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management, theKaufman Lab, Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), Organic Collaborative, Center… Read more: Food Supply Networks and AI: A Four-Webinar Series