Prospective students have until Oct. 1 to register for the 2002-2003 Farm and Industry Short Course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

In 1999, jobs on dairy farms and in dairy processing plants produced about $1.9 billion in income for 80,500 jobholders in Wisconsin. Total industry sales came to $11.7 billion, or 1.3 percent of the state’s total industrial sales. That’s a pile of money, but it’s only a partial measure of the dairy industry’s contribution to Wisconsin’s economy, according to a researcher at the UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Door County won the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held Aug. 7 at the Wisconsin State Fair and earned a trip to compete at the National 4-H Contest in Madison held during World Dairy Expo.

Wisconsin has long been a leading producer of cows’ milk in the nation. Now a new niche dairy industry is continuing the tradition: Wisconsin is the country’s top producer of sheep milk for cheese. The state’s sheep dairy industry, although small, is growing. And a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert predicts that, with continued research and outreach support, the state will remain a leader.

The 9th annual Fruits, Flowers & Vegetables Twilight Tour will be held Monday, Aug. 12 at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station. Activities begin at 5 p.m. and end at dusk.

Spooner Sheep Day, the longest-running field day among the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s several agricultural field days, will hold its 50th event Saturday, August 10 at the Spooner Agricultural Research Station. The first Spooner Sheep Day was held in 1953, and it has been an annual event for sheep producers ever since.

Whether your interests run to heirloom varieties or the latest cultivars, you’ll find plants and techniques to improve your garden at Horticultural Field Day, Saturday, Aug. 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station.

Bob and Karen Breneman, Rio, are the latest agricultural producers to join the Discovery Farms Program. The Brenemans milk 70 cows and have been rotationally grazing their cattle since 1993.

4-H Dairy Judging Contest Winners-click on hyperlink for photo

Six students interested in grass-based dairy farming will receive scholarships and attend on-farm internships through the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems’ Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy Farmers this year. These students are or will be attending the UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course Program with the WSBDF option, which includes two to six months of internships.