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Seed To Kitchen Collaborative Seeks More Flavors For Local Produce

WisContext

While local food can be viewed as both an eternal and contemporary concept, a basic way-of-life present throughout humanity's history and a fashionable type of grocery purchase, the science behind what it is and means is still taking shape.

Series: Local Food Science

For Wisconsin's Consumers, 'Local' Food Means Produced Within The State

Bret Shaw

UW-Madison

Laura Witzling

UW-Madison

David Trechter

UW-Extension

Wisconsin consumers widely agree that "local" food means food grown within the state. However, most Wisconsin shoppers do not consider food grown in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota to be "local," a new statewide survey shows.

A New Wisconsin Prairie Takes Shape At Badger Ammo

Scott Gordon

WisContext

The Badger Army Ammunition Plant, located just south of Devil's Lake State Park in Sauk County, produced smokeless powder, rocket propellant and other explosive materials used in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Now, the site is in the midst of a gradual transition into its next chapter.

From The Medicine Cabinet To Lake Michigan

Scott Gordon

WisContext

As medications and personal care products pile up in people's medicine cabinets, they are also increasingly making their way into water supplies, accumulating over time in tiny increments.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Series: CAFOs, Manure And Water

Why Kewaunee County Is A Flashpoint For CAFOs And Water Quality

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Kewaunee County, home to about 20,000 people on the lower half of the Door Peninsula, is hardly the only place in Wisconsin that's seen a rapid growth of concentrated animal feeding operations, but it has become central to a debate over how to regulate manure irrigation.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Rural Wisconsin Counties Continue To Lose Population

Karen Faster

WisContext

Since the Great Recession, more people have been migrating out of Wisconsin than moving into the state — a pattern contrary to Minnesota and Iowa.

Series: Drinking Water Quality

Series: Waukesha And Lake Michigan Water

Waukesha Water Decision Puts Regional Spotlight On Wisconsin's Environmental Enforcement

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Waukesha scored a victory with the historic June 21, 2016 agreement to let the Milwaukee suburb draw 8.2 million gallons per day of drinking water from Lake Michigan. But following a years-long negotiation, both the state of Wisconsin and city of Waukesha had to make some concessions.

Tackling Agriculture's Plastic Waste Problem

Mark Mayer

UW-Extension

Wisconsin dairy and livestock farms are using silo bags, bunkers and wrapped bales at a dramatically increased rate over the last decade. Each of these tools relies on low-density polyethylene, a plastic film that provides a low-cost method for storing high-quality forages.

Series: Wisconsin's Wolves

Frequent Changes In Management Policy Escalate Wolf Debate

Scott Gordon

WisContext

For Erik Olson, an assistant professor of natural resources at Northland College in Ashland, the biggest weakness in Wisconsin's policy toward wolves hasn’t been any one particular policy decision.

Series: Literacy In Wisconsin

Turning Off The Budget Autopilot To Ease Household Finances

Peggy Olive

UW-Extension

People who feel their paychecks are not keeping up with everyday expenses may be right — median household income is down for many families across Wisconsin.