At the turn of the century, Edward Kemp bought 900 acres of forest and wetlands near Minocqua, Wis. His aim was to extract raw materials for his forest products business and to establish a summer home in the northwoods for his family. Struck by the beauty of the place, he chose the tip of a Tomahawk Lake peninsula for the site of his estate. This land was never logged, remaining virtually unchanged since the days of European settlement. In 1960, Kemp’s granddaughters, Sally Greenleaf and Susan Spencer Small, bequeathed the buildings and 135 acres to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for research and teaching about the conservation, preservation and stewardship of natural resources. First called the Kemp Biological Station, the site was renamed the Kemp Natural Resources Station to better reflect this focus.

Most dairy producers did a good job of chopping haylage and corn silage to the recommended particle length, but forages often lost their “tickle factor” by spending too much time in the total mixed ration mixer, according to a survey by Irv Possin, Fond Du Lac County dairy/livestock agent.

Not surprisingly, farmers in America’s Dairyland grow more corn for silage than any other state in the nation. Wisconsin’s annual silage crop is worth about $150 million. Surprisingly, there hasn’t been much research on the feeding value of corn for silage, until recently.

Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison indicates that it takes high levels of alcohol to produce the facial changes associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Doctors currently prescribe vitamin D compounds for the bone loss people experience because of several human diseases. It’s also used to treat the skin disease psoriasis. Recent studies have suggested that the sunshine vitamin may have an unappreciated role in regulating the immune system.

University of Wisconsin-Madison agronomist Joe Lauer and entomologist John Wedberg are finding that new corn hybrids that make their own insecticide are protected from European corn borers — corn’s major insect pest. But the scientists stop short of giving the hybrids a blanket endorsement.

If your lawn is looking a little rough around the edges, or if you aspire to have the sleekest turf on the block, you’ll want to attend the Homeowners Field Day at the University of Wisconsin-Madison O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research Facility near Verona.

Whether you’re interested in vegetables, fruit or flowers, there will be something for you at the annual Horticulture Field Day, Thursday, Aug. 22, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Precision farming isn’t just for the big guys. A field day at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Marshfield Agricultural Research Station will explore current and future management techniques for grains and forages, with a focus on central Wisconsin operations.

When Hollywood needs a creature for a film, directors often look to nature for ideas. Take, for example, the giant alien that chased Sigourney Weaver through three Aliens flicks. According to University of Wisconsin entomologist Michael Strand, that huge creature was modeled after a tiny insect.