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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How does Managed Grazing Affect Wisconsin’s Environment?
In Wisconsin, the prevalence of livestock and dairy farming has led to questions about how animal agriculture affects the environment. Many farmers who practice managed grazing have observed environmental benefits resulting from this management system. What have scientific studies shown about the effects of managed grazing on the environment? This report presents results from papers…
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Custom Raising Dairy Heifers: Expectations and Perspectives of Wisconsin Dairy Producers
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.…
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Grass Clippings: April 2008
Grass Clippings is a newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The April issue features: Pure live seed Meadow fescue Different dairy farm systems yield similar satisfaction Fertility and pastures Wisconsin’s beef industry Custom heifers on pasture
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.
- Do Farmers Markets Build Community? New Research Says YesUW–Madison Extension Specialist, LSC Professor, and CIAS Faculty Associate Bret Shaw shares recent research highlighting how farmers markets strengthen community well-being. Read the entire article on Project for Public Spaces by clicking the below link:
- 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
- Who Shops at Farmers Markets in the US?Who shops at farmers markets? In a new article in The Conversation U.S., CIAS Faculty Associate and Professor Bret Shaw (Life Sciences Communication and Division of Extension), summarizes who shops at farmers markets based on a larger national survey of U.S. residents in a USDA-funded study with implications for marketing and outreach. Read the article here:… Read more: Who Shops at Farmers Markets in the US?
- 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)
- Earth Fest: Tiny Gardens Everywhere: The Past, Present and Future of the Self-Provisioning CityMonday, April 20th, 5pm @ Conrad A. Elvehjem Building, Room L140, 800 University Ave, Madison, WI Register for a chance to receive a free copy of Tiny Gardens Everywhere! Tiny Gardens Everywhere: The Past, Present and Future of the Self-Provisioning City From the eighteenth century to the twenty–first, the surprising history and inspiring contemporary panorama of… Read more: Earth Fest: Tiny Gardens Everywhere: The Past, Present and Future of the Self-Provisioning City