It’s probably more effective to get vitamins and nutrients by eating fruits and vegetables than by taking dietary supplements, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher. And what’s more, your vegetable options may soon expand as lines of specialty red, yellow and purple carrots begin appearing in stores.

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites prospective students, including high school juniors and seniors, and their parents to preview what the Farm and Industry Short Course has to offer.

The annual Short Course Alumni Reunion is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 22 at the Coliseum Bar (formerly Jingles) on Olin Avenue in Madison. The day will begin with a 10:30 a.m. seminar on estate planning by professor Phil Harris, followed by an 11:30 a.m. social hour. Phil Harris teaches farm law in Short Course and CALS degree programs. A turkey and ham buffet lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m. followed by a short program. As usual there will be ample door prizes donated by many agri-business companies.

There’s a new plant fungus among us in the United States and it’s not afraid to cross the Mason-Dixon line. Asian soybean rust, an aggressive fungus of legumes, was first detected in Louisiana in November, and in eight other states since then. Severe infestations can devastate soybean fields. But Craig Grau and Brian Hudelson, plant pathologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are poised and ready for it, should it enter Wisconsin during the 2005 soybean growing season.

Just as people clean up after dinner by running food scraps down the garbage disposal, cells get rid of proteins they no longer need by breaking them down with a special chemical pathway. Although it’s a simple concept a cell’s ability to clean house is very important, and it may hold the key to problems ranging from rotten tomatoes to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Keeping down costs is a key to making biologically based fuels an economical alternative to fossil fuels and a profitable enterprise for farmers,

Dairy Judging Made Easy, a new interactive CD-ROM produced at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, demystifies oral reasons and explains linear evaluation, setting beginning judges on the road to successful dairy cattle judging.

Interim Farm and Industry Short Courses will be offered the weeks of Jan. 3-7 and Jan. 10-14 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The application deadline is Dec. 20. Course fees include registration and instructional materials; lodging and meals are not included. For registration forms or information on parking and lodging, call CALS Conference Services, (608) 263-1672. For more information on course content, call Rick Daluge, (608) 262-3127.

On Wednesday, Nov. 24, Madison elementary school students will enjoy a fresh, healthy lunch prepared by the Madison Metropolitan School District Food Service using locally grown produce.

Elton D. Aberle, dean of the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences since 1998, announced Nov. 8 that he will retire Sept. 1, 2005.