Since receiving his bachelors degree 40 years ago from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Steve Slinger has been a link between Wisconsin muck farmers and UW-Madison”s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. As an onion and mint grower from Randolph, Wis., Slinger has worked closely with CALS researchers and the Wisconsin Muck Farmers Association to raise research money and develop research projects.

In appreciation of his outstanding service Slinger will receive the college”s Honorary Recognition award at a banquet Oct. 24 at the Memorial Union on the UW-Madison campus. (For information on attending the banquet, please call Lee Gottschalk at the CALS conference office, (608) 263-2421.)

To grow a variety of produce, such as onions, mint, and carrots, muck farmers rely on one of Wisconsin most vulnerable resources, the wetlands. The WMFA recognizes the precariousness of farming on muck soil and through Slinger”s efforts established a check-off to fund research in crop and pest management. This research has provided growers with valuable information and has helped maintain programs in Entomology, Plant Pathology, Soil Science, and Horticulture.

In addition to his responsibilities as President of Slinger Farms, Inc., Slinger has served as Secretary and Treasurer of WMFA since 1964 and provides leadership to the WMFA for education and outreach. WMFA annual field days, tours, educational meetings, and farm demonstrations are attended by growers and researchers throughout the Midwest.

Slinger has also served as Director of the State Bank of Fox Lake for 17 years, Vice President of Double S. Fertilizer, Inc., for 15 years, and has held positions on the boards of both the Dodge County Farmers Home Administration and the Wisconsin Carrot Growers Association. He is a life member of the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association, and his other affiliations include the Alpha Zeta Fraternity, the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, the National Onion Association, the Wisconsin Agribusiness Council, and the Bascom Hill Society.

Honorary Recognition, the highest honor bestowed by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, recognizes people who have made outstanding contributions toward the development of agriculture, protection of natural resources, and improvement of rural living. Since 1909, the college has honored more than 400 people with these awards.