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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Helene Murray retires and MISA moves to Extension
Our sister center at the University of Minnesota is about to transform. The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) closed under UMN and is moving to the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships at Extension. MISA 2.0 is currently a work in progress with many dedicated partners around the table committed to creating a new chapter continuing…
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New AI podcast on growing the adoption of small grains!
Check out our new AI voiced podcast “The Heartland Shift: Small Grains, Big Impact”! CIAS Food Systems Scientist Dr. Lauren Asprooth uses AI podcasting to highlight the results of a recent publication in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation titled “Our daily bread in the Heartland: Understanding and leveraging diversification to small grains in…
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Intertribal Manoomin (Wild Rice) Camp Registration Now Open
What: Intertribal Manoomin Camp When: August 29th- September 1st, 2025 Where: 14006 Discovery Ln, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545 Join GLIFWC, UW-Trout Lake Limnology Research Station and Tribal Nations for an Intertribal, Intergenerational Manoomin (wild rice) camp at North Lakeland Discovery Center in Manitowish Waters, WI from August 29th to September 1st. We will have Manoomin related…
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
- 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
- INVITE: Introducing the Super Transport CoopThursday, April 30, 5-9pm, 2026 @the Eight10, 810 Churchill Street, Waupaca WI This event formally introduces the STC vision, its intended impact and opportunities for collaboration as WFHC works toward a more resilient and equitable food system in Wisconsin. The evening will feature thoughtfully prepared cuisine catered by J’s BBQ, highlighting locally sourced ingredients, along… Read more: INVITE: Introducing the Super Transport Coop