Information Sources for Wisconsin Flooding Articles

• What is the impact on crops? Joe Lauer (608-263-7438, jglauer@wisc.edu) is a professor of agronomy and an expert on the state’s corn crop. Shawn Conley (608-262-7975, spconley@wisc.edu) is an assistant professor of agronomy who studies soybeans and wheat. Both have followed the flooding situation closely and are advising farmers in affected regions of their options in the face of crop losses. A.J. Bussan (608-262-3519, ajbussan@wisc.edu), an associate professor of horticulture, is an expert on the state’s vegetable crops and can address impacts for this sector.
• How will producers adjust? Dan Undersander 608 263-5070, djunders@facstaff.wisc.edu) is an agronomist with a forage crop specialty who can provide advice on the use of alternative crops and how to work with rain damaged hay. Carrie Laboski ((608) 263-2795, laboski@wisc.edu) Laboski is a soil scientist who can provide information about the affects of floods and rain on soil nutrients and soil erosion.
• What about buildings? Brian Holmes 608 262-0096, bjholmes@wisc.edu) is a Biological Systems Engineer who can speak to the affects of flood water on structures. David Bohnhoff ((608) 262-0604, bohnhoff@wisc.edu) is a structural engineer with Biological Systems Engineering with a specialty in stress loads on pole/frame construction common to agriculture and industry.
• What about drinking water and wells? Sharon Long (608 224-3803, longsc@mail.slh.wisc.edu) professor of Soil Sciences works with microbial source tracking and the potential contamination of groundwater by microbes and has a joint appointment with Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.
• Can affected fields be replanted? Chris Boerboom (608-262-1392, boerboom@facstaff.wisc.edu), a weed scientist for UW-Madison and UW-Extension, has looked at the effect of rain and flooding on herbicide applications and farmers” options for replanting.
• Will flooding affect food prices? Brian Gould (608-263-3212, bwgould@wisc.edu) and Randy Fortenbery (608-262-4908, trforten@wisc.edu), both professors of agricultural and applied economics, study trends in food prices and demand. Gould’s specialty is dairy, and Fortenbery looks at grain markets.
• Is food that has been in contact with floodwaters safe to eat? UW-Madison food extension specialist Barb Ingham (bhingham@wisc.edu) developed and maintains a web site for consumers on food safety-www.wisc.edu/foodsafety/ – which includes information about what to do with flood-affected foods.
• Where will farmers without crop insurance turn for aid? Paul Mitchell (608-265-6514, pdmitchell@wisc.edu), an assistant professor and extension specialist in agricultural and applied economics, has written a document for UW-Extension about disaster assistance for farmers, available here: <a href="http://www.uwex.edu/ces/ag/issues/documents/Disaster2008.pdf"www.uwex.edu/ces/ag/issues/documents/Disaster2008.pdf.