UW Organic

10/13/2026

Organic. Local. Balanced.✨🥬

These are the three pillars that underlie Vitruvian Farms, an organic vegetable and mushroom farm in McFarland, WI. This past week, our Seminar in Organic Agriculture class had the opportunity to take a tour of the farm led by Vitruvian Farms co-founder, Tommy Stauffer. 🌱

Vitruvian Farms was founded in 2010 by Tommy, Shawn Kuhn, and Craig Merten. Over the past 16 years, it has blossomed into a robust farming operation with a physical and online farm store, a CSA program, and a strong connection to their local community. Stewardship of the land is paramount for Vitruvian; even before they became certified organic in 2016, they had always been using organic practices that nourish the soil and work in tandem with the local ecosystem. 🌈

During their tour, our students saw salad greens growing in greenhouses, fields with thriving “green manure” crops, inoculated mushroom blocks, the produce pack room, and the farm store. They learned about organic recordkeeping, soil fertility, communication systems, the range of careers in the organic sector, and more! 🍄‍🟫

A huge thank you to Tommy and the team at Vitruvian Farms for sharing their knowledge and beautiful farm with our students! 👏

10/09/2026

Do you love local food, supporting students who are passionate about sustainable agriculture, and fun?

If so, mark your calendars for a jam-packed day at Harvest Fest with The People's Farm!

📅When?: This Sunday, October 11th, from 1-6 pm! (show up at 11 am to volunteer with TPF!)
📍Where?: Eagle Heights Community Garden!
🎃What will you do?: Carve pumpkins, make crafts, munch on free Ian's Pizza and pumpkin cake, listen to live music, go on a bird walk, learn about other cool student orgs, and more!

10/05/2026

We’re excited to share that our very own Erin Silva was a guest speaker in Climate Week NYC’s “The Roots of Organic — From Soil to Shelf” program! 🌎

As part of the “Organic Future: Moving Forward Collectively with Commitment, Innovation, and Inspiration” panel, presented by Food Tank, Erin and her co-panelists discussed the rich history of science that underlies organic agriculture and reemphasized the key role organic research plays in the movement. 🌱

Thank you to the Climate Group and Food Tank for creating the space for this important conversation to be held, and thank you to Erin for sharing your expertise and representing our community!

📸 Photo Credits: Ryan Rose Photography (Ryan Rose Evanousky)

10/01/2026

A field trip to an apple orchard? Sign us up! 🍎🧺

Last week, our Seminar in Organic Agriculture course traveled to Cottage Grove, WI, where they visited Door Creek Orchard, a sustainable heirloom apple orchard owned by the Griffith family. Nestled within a woodland, marsh, and prairie ecosystem, apples at Door Creek Orchard grow in harmony alongside native flora and fauna in the landscape. The Griffith family takes great pride in producing delicious apples while upholding their responsibility to their land.

Students embarked on a tour of the orchard with owner Liz Griffith, and learned about how Liz employs Integrated Pest Management in her operation. Through IPM–a pest control strategy that minimizes the use of pesticides by prioritizing preventative strategies informed by pests’ life cycles and environmental conditions– Liz can keep pest populations (such as voles) at bay without overloading the environment with potentially harmful chemicals.

Thank you to Liz at Door Creek Orchard for sharing her expertise and showing our students an example of sustainable farming in practice!👏

09/28/2026

We are so proud of our very own Katie Peterman for representing and speaking about the UW Organic Collaborative at the Organic Trade Association's (OTA's) Organic Week! We also want to recognize one of our UW-Madison Organic Program students, Hallie Haim, who attended Organic Week as an intern with Organic Valley! 🙌

Organic Week, an opportunity for stakeholders to convene and advance the organic movement, took place in Washington D.C. from September 14th-16th. Attendants celebrated the gains made in organic, shared their knowledge and experiences, and discussed strategies to overcome challenges 🌱

With bipartisan support from members of Congress like Representative Riley and Representative Wied, the organic movement continues to build strength and remain visible in policy discussions as a key component of our sustainable food futures 🤝

Thank you again to OTA for organizing this meaningful event. We can’t wait for next year! 🎉

09/24/2026

We’re excited to announce that the student application for the Fall 2026 Organic Valley Innovation Case Competition is now open!

Why should students participate? You’ll have the opportunity to…
🐄 Practice Presentation Skills
🐂 Problem Solve
🐄 Build Your Resume
🐂 Network with Industry Professionals
🐄 Work as a Team

All undergraduate students at UW-Madison are eligible to participate. The application is open now through Tuesday, October 6th.

Thank you to the Renk Agribusiness Institute, UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, and Organic Valley for organizing this Case Competition!

Interested? Learn more here:
https://renk.aae.wisc.edu/cals-case-study-competition/

09/23/2026

Monroe Durand didn't plan on ending up in agricultural pest management. He started at UW-Madison in Political Science, switched majors a few times, and eventually landed on Wildlife Ecology–mostly because he wanted to be outside and pursue something hands-on.

He found his way into the Organic Certificate Program looking for real agricultural experience without committing to a full agronomy degree. That decision ended up leading him somewhere he didn't expect: an independent study project centered on voles at Door Creek Orchard.

Read more about Monroe's internship here:
https://uworganic.wisc.edu/monroe-durand/

09/16/2026

Kelli Ann Molter retired from the Air Force in 2021 as a colonel–the top two percent of military ranks–after a career built on leadership, administration and near-constant movement. Fourteen assignments, more relocations than she can easily count, and decades of putting her own interests on hold.

Now, she's an intern at Winter Spring Farm in West Bend, Wisconsin, learning what day-to-day on an organic farm looks like.

Read more about Kelli Ann's internship at:
https://uworganic.wisc.edu/kelli-ann-molter/

06/18/2026

Are you growing small grains? If so, it may be a good time to scout for signs of Fusarium head blight, the cause of DON mycotoxin contamination.

Check out OGRAIN’s latest video with Professor Damon Smith, Extension Field Crops Pathologist at UW–Madison, to learn how to scout for this disease and how to optimize harvest in high disease pressure areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsdOflKtFIU

Fusarium Head Blight Management and Harvesting in Organic Wheat wi...

06/03/2026

Bill Tracy, one of UW Organic Collaborative’s leaders, is featured in The Guardian for his 40 years of pioneering sweetcorn breeding.

One variety was so remarkable that the first 100 people who tried it all had the same reaction: “Wow.” Yet it never reached grocery stores. Why? Because in today’s agricultural system, durability, yield, and transportability often outweigh taste.

Tracy’s story highlights a bigger question: What have we sacrificed in the pursuit of efficiency–and what does it take to bring flavor back to our food?

Read his Guardian at https://www.theguardian.com/food/ng-interactive/2026/may/28/death-of-flavor-farming-crops.