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.

When it comes to onions, most of us want it both ways-we want to have our onion and eat it, too. We want the health benefits that onions provide without the pungency, which can cause halitosis, heartburn and hyperactive tear ducts. University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Michael Havey and his colleagues in Argentina and Turkey are interested in developing a sweet, less pungent onion that does a body good.

By installing headlocks in four-row freestall barns, farmers can reduce the risk to workers and increase their profits by as much as $43 per cow each year, say University of Wisconsin-Madison farm safety experts.

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.