Horticulture
On December 6, 2011, a motion of the Lincoln County Personnel Committee to extend funding for interim agriculture staffing failed. Therefore, as of January 1, 2012, Lincoln County Cooperative Extension no longer has the capacity to provide agricultural educational services to our residents. Agricultural educator (ANRE) staff help families operating agriculture and horticulture enterprises achieve their personal and business goals. They provide technical/management related information based on university research and address many public policy or public works areas including:
- Economic development: work with individuals and local groups and networks to promote agricultural economic development including new enterprise planning, new or different business structures, developing new marketing channels and organizational development.
- Environmental quality: Nutrient management programming leads to whole farm nutrient plans that reduce the threat to water quality and improve farm profitability.
- Food quality: Food safety programs for processors reduce the threat of e coli contamination of the food supply.
- Public policy: Educational programming on foot & mouth disease resulted in improved awareness of the potential impacts on the livestock industry and farm biosecurity.
The ANRE program draws its strength from the technological expertise of its faculty and staff and from its strong partnerships with applied research programs on the UW campuses. These assets help Wisconsin’s agriculture and horticulture enterprises keep pace with the rapid changes in technology and the marketplace. They help keep Wisconsin agriculture strong and profitable.
