Marion L. Jackson, emeritus professor of soil science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002. He was 88 years old.

On Oct. 1, Wisconsin’s new non-point pollution rules took effect. Polluted runoff is a leading cause of surface and groundwater quality problems in the state. The rules, aimed in part at controlling phosphorus and soil erosion from farm fields, will affect thousands of Wisconsin farmers.

This year’s Agronomy Field Day has a new feature – a tillage equipment demonstration – in addition to exhibits and four tours that highlight current crops and soils research. The event is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 5 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Arlington Agricultural Research Station.

Despite the trend toward higher soil fertility levels, starter fertilizers remain a good investment for many Wisconsin corn growers. The potassium in starter fertilizers can be especially helpful in reduced-tillage systems, says a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher.

Farmers who don’t want to combat potato early dying disease with pesticides may soon have another way to protect their crops, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher. However, she cautions that it will be difficult to find alternative practices that are as effective as fumigation.

When potato growers treat the soil in their fields for early dying disease, the pesticide they use doesn’t doesn’t always perform consistently. Now, a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist has found that the soil temperature, soil moisture and depth of the application don’t explain those inconsistent results. Instead, the solution to pesticide efficiency may be to find a way to seal the top layer of soil, preventing the chemicals from escaping into the atmosphere, according to Doug Rouse, a plant pathologist with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Farmers may be able to suppress certain types of foliar diseases of snap beans and cucumbers by using composted paper mill residuals, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Farmers in Wisconsin may soon have a powerful new tool to help them make decisions about fertilizer that increase their yields and control runoff, thanks to University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers who are studying how to maximize information from agricultural modeling systems.

UW-Extension county faculty and crop advisors have a new tool to help dairy producers decide about manure management and address potential environmental effects of herd expansion, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences researchers announced on Wednesday.

What goes in must come out, and in the case of phosphorus, too much has been going into cows and coming out on farmlands. New state and federal rules aimed at curbing runoff pollution are going to affect many Wisconsin farms.