Researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are participating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a cooperative […]

The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) is part of a UW-Madison team awarded a USDA multi-region, multi-institution research and outreach project to assess the […]

The goal of the Apples to Apples Project was to help hard cider growers—and makers—select apple varieties for a high-quality, artisanal product. To accomplish this, researchers compared the results of laboratory analysis and tastings of single-varietal ciders to identify desirable flavor characteristics.

Milk with Dignity is a worker-centered social responsibility campaign. The first of its kind in the dairy industry, Milk with Dignity defines and enacts a system of fair labor standards for milk produced for Ben & Jerry’s.

In February 2018, CIAS co-hosted a Madison Area Local Food Buyer & Distributor Meeting in collaboration with the City of Madison. Since then, CIAS, the […]

CIAS co-hosted a meeting with the City of Madison to convene Madison-area food buyers, including restaurant groups, institutions, grocery retailers, area distributors, and allied professionals.

A growing hard apple cider industry in the U.S. has the potential to contribute to local, sustainable food systems. In order to better understand this resurgent industry, CIAS surveyed hard apple cider businesses across 12 states in the North Central Region.

The Midwest is home to some successful nut businesses, and expanding tree nut production in this region can potentially increase the sustainability of agriculture and food systems.

Fresh market vegetable growers with multiple crops and markets make numerous, complex production and marketing decisions. The Veggie Compass farm management tool was developed to help farmers make these decisions, based on data gleaned from their farm operations.

The World Economic Forum rates food crises, extreme weather and failure of infrastructure as top global risks in 2015. Around the world, regions are contending with extreme weather, including drought, flooding and changes in growing seasons.