Deer eat a lot! As they feed, they can affect plants, animals and even insects. Deer like some plants more than others, which can lead to fewer plant species in your woods.

Both public and private spending on agricultural research pay off in similar large increases in farm productivity, according to two University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers. But the payback from private spending accumulates quickly and then fades, while public research investments take longer to yield their full return.

The Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni Association has elected a new Board of Directors for 1998-99. WALSAA is a dues membership organization, founded in 1972 as the official alumni group of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The group annually raises and awards $10,000 in student scholarships, sponsors an outstanding faculty advisor award and recognizes graduating students and alumni.

A truckload of pumpkins from the gardens of the West Madison Agricultural Research Station had patients at UW Children’s Hospital grinning like jack o’lanterns.

Visitors to the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station’s Dairy Day on Dec. 3 will pick up some tips on heifer management, along with an update on the station’s expansion project and a demonstration of silage storage in a bunker.

Kenneth H. Parsons, a life-long student of institutional economics and a pioneer in the study of economic development, died in Madison, Wis. Wednesday, Oct. 21, after a short illness at the age of 95. The University of Wisconsin-Madison economist was an international expert on land tenure and agrarian reform.

A University of Wisconsin-Madison dairy cattle judging team took first at the Mid-South Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest, Oct. 3 in Memphis, Tenn. The team was first in Oral Reasons, Jerseys and Guernseys; second in Ayrshires and Brown Swiss; and fourth in Holsteins.

Students from the Department of Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison won several honors at the 77th Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest held Oct. 6 in Toronto, Canada. Three undergraduates and one graduate student competed in evaluating six categories of dairy products: ice cream, butter, milk, yogurt, Cheddar cheese and cottage cheese.

Bill Reese of Madison has contributed $10,000 to the University of Wisconsin Foundation to establish the Bill Reese Dairy, Deli, and Bakery Study Grant Fund.

The third CALS Issues Forum will look at future research directions for the UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and options for funding needed research projects and programs. The audience is invited to participate in panel discussions on the future of research at CALS.