Outstanding producing ability was recognized in each of the six dairy breed shows at last week’s Wisconsin Junior State Fair. AgSource/CRI awarded an engraved glass milk pitcher to the exhibitor of the cow with the highest actual 305-day combined butterfat and protein production record. Cows in the three-year-old, four-year-old, five-year-old, aged cow and dry cow classes competed for recognition certificates and consideration for the overall breed production championship. To be eligible for these awards, cows needed to place in the blue or red ribbon groups.

Wisconsin dairy youth provided an up-close look at the state’s dairy industry for urban fairgoers at last week’s Wisconsin Junior State Fair. County exhibits featuring top-notch cattle and dairy promotional themes were judged as a part of the herdsmanship competition. Dairy youth exhibitors from 46 Wisconsin counties competed for the title of champion herdsmen.

Dodge County won the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held Aug. 11 at the Wisconsin State Fair and earned a trip to compete at the National 4-H Contest in Madison during World Dairy Expo. Dane County finished second in the contest and Grant County placed third. Grant County also earned the opportunity to compete at the Pennsylvania All-American Youth Dairy Judging Contest in Harrisburg, Pa.

Fifteen Wisconsin dairy youth received James W. Crowley Leadership Awards at the 2004 Wisconsin State Fair. These youth were rewarded for their outstanding dairy project work. Each award winner received a plaque provided by the James W. Crowley Dairy Management and Extension Fund.

The UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course Dairy Judging team placed third in both the traditional and practical post-secondary two year college contests held Sept. 27 at World Dairy Expo. Members of the traditional team were Cynthia Voeltz of Tilleda, Evan Brinkmeier of Dakota, Ill., Ryan Ullom of Shell Lake, and Danielle Bucholtz of Westfield.

Ten senior dairy judging teams and twenty-one individuals from across the state will travel to the Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 11, 2004, to compete for the State 4-H Champion title and the opportunity to move on to national-level competition. The teams and individuals are selected from four statewide district judging contests as part of the 4-H Area Animal Science Days program. Youth judge eight classes of dairy cows and heifers at each contest; in addition, seniors give reasons and juniors answer conformation-related questions.

Wisconsin’s share of government jobs is not out of proportion to other states, challenging the idea that the state is a high tax-and-spend state, a new study by researchers at the UW-Madison and UW-Oshkosh reveals.

Maps are tools to show you where you are going, but they can also show you where you came from. That principle drives the work of Roberto Rodriguez and Patrisia Gonzales, who study ancient maps, oral traditions and the movement of domesticated crops to learn more about the origins of native people in the Americas.

To help federal agencies and local authorities manage fire risk, a team of College and USDA Forest Service researchers has analyzed census and vegetation data to gain a new understanding of wildland/urban interfaces across the country, and a map that reflects congressional policymakers’ definitions of at-risk communities

The Center for Cooperatives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is co-sponsoring a pre-conference on