Master Gardener Volunteers bring expertise and the joy of growing to diverse people and projects around the state.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In honor of the occasion, we present an admittedly arbitrary list—no ranking intended here—of a dozen paradigm shifts, great discoveries and shining moments at CALS since we marked our centennial 25 years ago.

The pie’s ever-growing popularity has made mozzarella the big cheese in Wisconsin. CALS researchers are helping state cheesemakers feed and grow that demand by developing new varieties for specialized and international markets.

Bees, so crucial to our food supply, are dying off at alarming rates. CALS researchers are taking a close look at everything from the microbes in their hives to the landscapes they live in to identify in what conditions bees thrive.

CALS is partnering with businesses, the state and other stakeholders to develop a Wisconsin meats brand that could emulate the success of the state’s artisan cheese.

It’s the “miracle vitamin” that was discovered by a CALS-trained researcher—-and our scientists have been prominent in exploring it ever since. What have we learned about the true benefits of vitamin D and its promise?

What makes Babcock ice cream so good to eat—and so good for science, students and industry?

A booming population means more mouths to feed—and more farmers needed to feed them. A number of CALS programs focus on bringing new farmers into the field.

How do we get biomass from the land while preserving—or even benefiting—its living communities? Whichever course we take, researchers at the CALS-led Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center are determined to put all pros and cons on the table.

“The boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state,” proclaims the Wisconsin Idea. But that concept has expanded. The boundaries of the university […]

Waves of undergrads in Uganda with CALS have taken the African proverb as a call to action. Their engagement has included founding a nonprofit and choosing careers in which they serve communities at home and abroad.

Wisconsin’s artisan cheese renaissance may be a miracle, but it’s no accident. Government, academia and nonprofits all have had a hand in the market’s delectable bloom.