Organic broad acre crops (corn, soybeans, small grains, forages) are an integral part of Wisconsin agriculture – Our regional dairy and livestock industries depend on them as do an increasing number of local millers, distillers, and chefs.

• Organic no-till production
• Managing for Soil biology in row crop rotations
• Cover crop management
• Organic input trials

UW-Madison has become a national leader in organic plant breeding, developing varieties for performance under organic management and working with breeders, chefs, and farmers to bring flavor and beauty back to the food that we eat.

• Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC)
• Organic sweet corn, tomato, potato, beet, carrot, barley, oat and wheat projects, many in collaboration with partners around the country
• On-farm variety trials
• Participatory breeding projects

60 acres and 30+ years of data

WICST looks at the productivity, profitability, and environmental impact of organic and conventional agricultural practices in the Upper Midwest. At its core WICST is an embodiment of the Wisconsin Idea, engaging farmers, citizens, and scientists to work together in addressing the challenges facing agriculture in Wisconsin and beyond. With systems spanning conventional, organic, cash grain, dairy forage, perennial bioenergy, and livestock grazing enterprises, WICST is one of the most diverse long-term cropping systems experiments in the world and includes some of the longest running organic research in the U.S.

Learn more…

Organic agriculture, like all production strategies, is best looked at through a systems lens. A perfect variety or a silver bullet tool are only impactful if they make financial sense for growers, if there’s a market to motivate adoption, and if there’s social receptivity across the supply chain. The ‘culture’ in ‘agriculture’ means that people will always be just as important as agronomics to a functioning, resilient Agroecosystem.

• Agricultural economics
• Consumer research