The red carpet will be out for Urban Horticulture Field Day Aug. 19, but wanderers are welcome all summer long at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station’s gardens. The gardens are open to the public from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week. Self-guided tour booklets are available at the mailbox near the entrance to the Trial Gardens or in the station headquarters office. Station staff are usually available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to answer questions regarding the plants.

Now more than ever, farmers are looking for new markets and customers who will pay a fair price for their products. Dining services at four colleges in Wisconsin are buying directly from farmers and paying premium prices for a wide variety of meats, vegetables, and fruit.

Dairy Industry Needs: Wisconsin dairying is in the midst of major restructuring, brought on by changes in national and international competition, new federal marketing and pricing programs, and challenges of mature production and processing infrastructures. If the state’s dairy industry is to prosper and expand, it must find new ways to produce milk at prices competitive with other regions of the country and the world, and do that while protecting environmental quality and enhancing agriculture’s natural-resource base.

The Land O’Lakes Foundation recently presented a $75,000 check to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the first installment in a three-year $225,000 grant to help finance a major expansion of the University’s integrated dairy research and teaching programs.

Fifty percent or more of Wisconsin farmers now own computers, receive most of their household income from off-farm jobs, and favor restricting development on agricultural lands, according to a recent University of Wisconsin-Madison study.

Orchardist Dale Secher speaks for many Wisconsin fruit growers when he says that he cares about his customers as much as his bottom line.

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has selected its new ambassadors. Twenty-two CALS undergraduates will represent the college in many capacities during the 2000-2001 academic year. They represent a variety of majors in the college. Applicants were selected based on academics, school and community activities, work experience and a personal interview.

Stocker production can help farmers convert pastures to profits, particularly if they have a surplus of grass but not a lot of facilities. Managing pasture, animals, costs, and markets plays a key role in determining the level of profit that farmers can expect, however.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison team took fifth place at the third annual ASAE Quarter-Scale Tractor National Student Design Competition, held May 19-21 in Moline, Illinois. Kansas State University captured top honors, followed by Texas A & M, Colorado State, and Michigan State.

The Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni Association recently awarded 10 scholarships to sophomore students currently enrolled at the UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Each student will receive a $750 scholarship for use during the 2000-2001 school year. Applicants received the award based upon academics, school and community activities, work experience, and a personal interview.