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. […]
Hired managers play a crucial role on vegetable farms. They provide leadership to the farm crew, share responsibilities with the farm employer, and ultimately can strengthen the health of the farm business. However, conversations with farmworkers showed that their limited access to formal training opportunities in leadership and employee management was making them second guess […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our local (and national/global) food system, it revealed and amplified weaknesses and inequities in our food system. It was clear that there was a critical need to strengthen our local and regional food system against future disruptions. In 2021, the Dane County Food Council with Dane County Extension’s Community Food […]
Since 2005, Dane County UW Extension has been involved in the free tax preparation initiative known as the Richard Dilley Tax Center. This collaborative effort is possible through a partnership with many incredible volunteers, the UW Madison South Madison Partnership, and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue with funding support from the Internal Revenue Services through […]
With 84 percent of youth around the world reporting that they are worried about the threat that climate change poses to people and the planet, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announced in March of 2024 that Madison would join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ new Youth Climate Action Fund, which provided technical assistance and funding for 100 Mayors to activate […]
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. […]
This year, unlike last year, we have certainly not had to worry about watering! Everything is huge and luxuriant (unfortunately, this includes mosquitoes in the evening). So many things are flowering that I had trouble choosing what to cover. I decided that I would focus on ‘daisies’ since we have several cultivars (this word is […]
Having a strong relationship with your romantic partner can be hard and finding trustworthy support can be difficult. The Strong Couples Program is six self-paced modules and five brief video calls about communication, commitment, and problem-solving. Learn more here. The Strong Couples Program is: The Strong Couples Program is free! You can start any time. […]
Seed starting time is coming! Do you know if your seeds are viable? Here are some tips to keep in mind. Fresh seed germinates best. Seed packets are labeled with the date they are best used by. Though seeds are usually viable longer than that date, some species lose viability faster, and germination decreases for […]
By Michelle Probst, former Natural Resources Educator I attended a workshop where participants in the room were asked to silently pick two random people in the room and, without those people knowing, you had to stay equally distanced from the two people. People moved throughout the room, slowly, carefully, to make sure they stayed in […]
StrongBodies™ is a national evidence-based strength training program developed at Tufts University and is aimed at mid-life and older women and men. The benefits of strength training have been studied extensively and include: increased muscle mass, strength and improved bone density as well as many more benefits physically and emotionally. The StrongBodies™ program includes progressive […]
There are new challenges for individuals who historically have had low access to food. There are also emerging challenges for the broader community as citizens grapple with changes to the way they previously visited the grocery store and purchased food. This document serves to collect information related to food access for Dane County Households. Emergency […]
