Latest News

Retirement Planning Today Fall 2026 Workshops

Discover the keys to a successful retirement and gain valuable insights from experts in the field. Whether you’re just starting to plan or looking to refine your strategy, this class can help. You will learn about maximizing Social Security benefits, investment strategies, healthcare considerations, and much more. You’ve worked hard to provide for your family and […]

Green Thumb Gardening Fall 2026 Series

The 10-session live, online Green Thumb Gardening class series will help you bring color to your fall garden and prepare you for a successful spring. Classes cover a wide range of autumn-themed and other topics from ornamental grasses, to bulbs, to getting the garden ready for winter. All gardeners from the novice to the experienced […]

Supporting Incarcerated Parents and Caregivers

In Wisconsin, conservative estimates suggest that nearly 90,000 children have experienced the incarceration of a parent with whom they live. Parental incarceration is associated with increased risk of negative outcomes for children, including impacts on behavior, academic success, and health. To date, few strategies exist to support relationship maintenance among incarcerated parents and their children. […]

Balancing Cover Crops and Crop Yields

In early spring, green patches in farm fields are often cover crops, which help prevent soil erosion and keep nutrients from washing away. One common cover crop, winter cereal rye, survives through winter and is very effective at holding nutrients in the soil. However, it can also use a lot of nitrogen, which may reduce […]

Breaking Barriers to Bring Native Plants to Urban Landscapes

Our Natural Resources Educator, Wade Moder, partnered with Dane County Land and Water to host 90-minute Native Garden Design Workshops for neighborhood associations, gardening clubs, first-time home buyers, and the general public. Participants use 3D-printed plant tokens that show plant size, bloom time, and color to design native pollinator gardens, making planning more approachable and […]

Winter Sowing Native Wildflower Seed

Winter sowing is a way to provide a cold, moist period for native plant seeds that require it for germination, something akin to what they’d experience outside in winter. This is called stratification. Some native plant seeds don’t require a cold moist period at all and will germinate in a warm moist situation inside the […]

New Room Use Policy for 2026

New policy beginning January 2026. Rooms are available for meetings and events associated with municipal, county, and state government, including UW Extension-related groups. Rooms are for government-related business only. Rooms are not available for rent to the public or outside groups.

Expansion of a Senior-Focused Food Access Program

Dane County is fortunate to have dozens of local farm stands and farmers markets. However, income, transportation, and mobility barriers can render them inaccessible, especially for low-income seniors. The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) supports low-income seniors in accessing fresh produce by providing seasonal vouchers they can redeem at participating markets and farm stands. […]