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.

A series of questions and answers on managing soybeans after May’s monsoons.

Visitors to the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station’s June 30 field day will open the day with an update on the station’s building project from station superintendent Tom Drendel and assistant superintendent Mike Bertram. During the morning program, Mike Casler of the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center will discuss new grass varieties. Joe Lauer, an agronomist at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, will review corn response to row spacing and plant population, and CALS agronomist Ken Albrecht will look at new opportunities with clover/grass mixtures.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will use its share of a three-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HS) to investigate ways to detect intentional contamination of the nation’s food supply.

What is the solution to urban sprawl? Some say, tongue in cheek, it’s moving to the city. But others, like Gary Green, a rural sociology researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are evaluating the effectiveness of exclusive agricultural zoning laws and smart growth initiatives, balancing the aesthetic of open space with the practicality of denser, more orderly development.

Organizers of this year’s Badger Dairy Camp, June 10 to June 12 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, say that camp is full and no more registrations can be accepted this year.

If the family farm in America is thought of as a threatened species, representing a way of life that is slowly dying out, then the black family farm can be regarded as an endangered species, teetering on the edge of extinction.

From fad diets to herbal supplements, healthy eating can seem like a complicated chore these days. But eating well doesn’t require a degree in biochemistry. Fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, cheese and other foods grown by farmers across southern Wisconsin are simple ingredients in a healthy diet.

Hybridization-or breeding for certain desirable traits in a plant-is relatively new to corn silage development. While hybrid silage can produce highly digestible feed for dairy cows, farmers must take additional measures and make planting decisions early in the season to capture the economic benefits of new hybrids. To help farmers evaluate their options, crop scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conduct ongoing research on corn silage hybrids.

Scholarships worth $80,000 will be awarded to students attending the Farm and Industry Short Course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences this year.