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Online Tool for Determining a Guideline Timing for Pruning Oaks

The pruning season for many woody plants has been especially difficult to determine this year as the temperatures have swung wildly between frigid and too warm for pruning certain species. Temperature is critical in determining when it is safe to prune oak trees. This is due to the activity of the beetles that carry oak […]

Healthy Choices Healthy Lives

The FoodWIse program in Dane County is federally funded by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). With local strengths, we support healthy eating habits, active lifestyles and healthy community environments for Wisconsin residents experiencing limited incomes through nutrition education at the individual, community and systems levels. […]

Engaging Community to Inform Housing Strategies

Dane County has experienced rapid growth in jobs and residents, but housing construction has not kept pace. Demand for all kinds of housing – from affordable rentals to high-end family homes – is surging. Limited availability of workforce and senior housing is leading many households to pay more in rent or mortgage than is feasible […]

2025 Private Pesticide Applicator Training

Private Pesticide Applicator testing and certification will be similar to last year. General InformationPlease be aware that County Extension Offices will no longer be sending out notification letters to individuals when their certification is expiring.  Certification is good for 5 years; to check on the status of your certification click here. If your certification has […]

Black Lace™ elderberry: A landscape standout

Black Lace™ elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’) is a great black-leaved shrub for full sun. The plant was bred Ken Tobutt and Jacqui Prevette of East Malling Research Station in Kent, England from European elderberry cultivars.  Black Lace™ elderberry is marketed under the Proven Winners® brand. Our plant at the Dane County Extension Teaching Garden is […]

Pilot Project Brings Farmers Markets to Seniors: Improving Access to Fresh Produce

Situation: Low-income seniors who participate in the food access program known as the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) may face barriers in accessing traditional farmers markets. While Dane County distributes all their senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers annually, redemption of vouchers has been historically low in Dane County as compared to other counties across […]

When Large-Scale Solar Comes to Town: Building community capacity to address economic, environmental, and social change

Situation: The U.S. is undergoing a rapid energy transformation to clean renewable energy as a major strategy to mitigate climate change. Rural communities in Wisconsin, which are well suited for large-scale solar or wind development, may experience major economic, environment, and social transitions when a large-scale electric power facility comes to town.  With any major […]

Advancing Racial & Social Equity in Wisconsin Farm to School: Strategies for Investing in Historically Underserved Producers

Situation: Farm to school programs provide kids access to nutritious, high-quality, local food while creating market development opportunities for local farmers. Yet, not all local farmers have equal access to this economic opportunity. This is especially true of historically underserved farmers, a federal designation that includes Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); women; beginning […]

Leaving the Leaves

This year, I am trying something new. I am following the advice of Xerces, (the national pollinator protection non-profit) and well-known author Doug Tallamy, Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, and not doing the scrupulous fall garden cleanup I have been practicing […]

Tomato Late Blight

Tomato late blight was confirmed this week on foliar and fruit tissues from a plant sample submitted from the western edge of Dane County. This is the first confirmation of late blight on tomato or potato in Wisconsin for 2024.  Originally the late blight was thought to be a possible sunscald as the symptoms on tomato […]

Elevando, Wisconsin: Reaching new audiences to develop community leaders

Jorge Islas-Martinez immigrated to the United States more than 25 years ago. Today, he is well-known in the Whitewater community where he works as a bilingual liaison for the school district and volunteers with several organizations. One of his most recognized contributions, he started teaching English as a second language and is still running that […]

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