Division of Extension
Extension specialists and educators provide timely resources and information to help Wisconsin crop producers and their agricultural consultants manage crops efficiently and profitably.
Dr. Jingyi Huang explores emerging sensor technologies that measure soil nitrate, moisture, and temperature to help farmers better understand nitrogen availability, nutrient losses, and crop needs throughout the growing season.
Dr. Natasha Rayne shares UW–Madison research exploring manure nitrogen availability, soil nitrate testing, crop sensing technologies, and environmental factors that influence in‑season nitrogen decisions.
Manure is valuable but applying it accurately is tricky because it does not have a guaranteed analysis like commercial fertilizers. Sampling and testing will maximize the economic value of your manure. But, when is the best time to sample manure?
This video covers simple in‑field observations to assess soil structure, compaction, water movement, and soil life, along with practical management practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops, mulches, and soil cover to improve soil function over time.
In April 2026, commercial nitrogen fertilizer prices increased approximately 30% since fall 2025. Fortunately, there are nutrient management choices farmers can make to minimize financial impacts of this sudden price increase.
Article Contents Introduction Agronomic Implications of Stratification Research About Stratification Key Takeaways References Introduction Stratification, or the unequal distribution of nutrients within the soil profile, has been well documented across Wisconsin, with the most concentrated nutrients existing within the upper 2” of soil in all fields. Having reduced or eliminated tillage on more acreage across […]
Farmers across Wisconsin and Minnesota have long known that healthy soil grows better crops. Now, data collected directly from working farms helps back that up with numbers. A study using fields from the UW-Madison Extension Discovery Farms program and Discovery Farms Minnesota found a clear connection between higher soil organic matter and higher corn yields, and the results come from real farms, not just research plots.
Learn how to predict manure runoff in four easy steps with the Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast.
DOI Citation: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/96980 Biomass Thresholds for Cereal Rye Cover Crop Goals Biomass Thresholds for Cover Crop Goals What Affects Cereal Rye Biomass Accumulation? Termination Timing Tradeoffs Conclusion What benefits do cover crops provide? Cover crops can provide a wide range of benefits in dairy and grain production systems, but no single cover crop species or management approach […]
The fourth Focus on Forage webinar in the 2026 series, Focus on Managed Grazing, features research updates on forage cover crop species and varieties, cover crop forage quality, and factors affecting the success of diverse forage mixes.
The third Focus on Forage webinar in the 2026 series, Focus on Managed Grazing, features research updates on pasture and confinement economics, pasture species ID and selection, and soil carbon and soil health in pastures.
The first Focus on Forage webinar in the 2026 series, Focus on Forage Management, features research-based resources and management strategies to keep forage systems productive over time.
