Join Extension, DATCP, and the SnapPlus Team to walk through new features in SnapPlus Version 3. This latest release of the software includes new maps, and easier ways to add crops and grazing schedules.  SnapPlus (Soil Nutrient Application Planner) is Wisconsin’s nutrient management planning software that helps farmers make the best use of their on-farm nutrients and make informed decisions about commercial fertilizer purchases.  Information and Registration

Hop (Humulus lupulus) is a vine plant in the Cannabinaceae family producing harvested cones primarily used for aroma and flavoring or bittering in the brewing industry. Hop is often described as producing annual shoots (known as bines) on perennial crowns. Hop is indigenous to much of the Northern Hemisphere with origins in Europe as documented being planted in 736 A.D. in Bavaria. The first record of hop production in America dates to 1648 in Massachusetts to supply to the first commercial brewery. Read more...

Eric Burkhart, Pennsylvania State University professor, botanist, ethnobotanist, and agroforester, joins the Maple Hour to talk about non-timber forest products that can be grown and harvested in an active sugarbush. We’ll look at understory plants like ramps and ginseng, and other forest farming crops worthy of consideration.  Zoom - Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 6 – 7pm.  Information and registration!

Join UW-Madison Division of Extension as they search for new crops for Wisconsin growers, processors, and consumers.  The strength of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy is its diversity…something that doesn’t just happen by chance.  It is a product of the relentless drive of researchers and farmers to innovate, explore, and experiment.  Join us for a glimpse into the exciting new research and development bringing new crops and diversity to Wisconsin.  Find out more...

If you garden for yourself, consider planting an extra row of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce or peas to donate. The Plant a Row project simply means planting extra of whatever you already grow with the plan to donate it to a food pantry. You can find resources for yourself or your club at Doing Good Together.

The Lucida Project seeks to understand how gut microbial communities interact with their human hosts to influence mental health, particularly depression, one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Learn more...

A seasonal kitchen clean-out helps reduce food waste and prevent pests.  Check expiration dates, discard swollen or damaged cans, and wipe shelves with warm, soapy water before restocking. If you’re unsure whether a food item is still safe, AnswerLine can help: go.wisc.edu/answerline or 1-866-540-4636. 

A team of UW–Madison computer scientists is pioneering a new approach to health monitoring: using radar to measure breathing and heart rate without physical contact. Their multi-view sensing system could pave the way for safer, more comfortable patient care in settings ranging from neonatal units to in-home recovery.  Complete Article

Saturday, April 18 9-1:00 pm. Do you need help sewing on a button, hemming slacks, mending linens, or patching? The HarborEttes Members and their sewing machines will be ready to help with those repairs (no zippers, please). Bring your clean items to the Jacksonport Town Hall, adjacent to the Fire Station on County V. There is no charge for items being mended; donations are appreciated and help fund service projects. While we tend to your mending, you may purchase a delicious homemade treat at our Bake Sale or purchase a handcrafted item. The HarborEttes are one of six county-wide clubs that are part of Door County Home and Community Education (HCE) under UW Madison Division of Extension-Family Living. Contact Char Mueller at (920) 421-5152 or email cmueller6959@gmail.com

Tuesday, April 21 4:00pm – The Hispanic Club members are hosting Taste of Mexico, a cooking demonstration and sampling delights. The program will be held at the Peninsula Room of the Door County Government Center, 4th Avenue Entrance, in Sturgeon Bay. A free will donation will be taken to cover food expenses. For reservations, call or text Cheryl Bevins (715) 210-8941.

Tuesday, May 12 11:00am – Spring Luncheon and Recognition Banquet. Meet HCE members, learn about our programs, and see our Arts and Crafts displays. Ben Larsen, acoustic singer and songwriter, will provide the entertainment. The luncheon will be held at the Log Den, 6626 Highway 42, Egg Harbor and the fee $26. For reservations contact Teri Madden at (920) 421-1619.

Torching Tent Caterpillars:  Should you actually burn those big webs of caterpillars found in trees during spring and fall? In this episode of Garden Myths and Home Remedies, we uncover the truth about tent caterpillars. Learn which species make these webs in Wisconsin and discover effective, research-based strategies to manage them.  Video

This multi-part article series offers guidance on sketching plans, choosing a landscape style, understanding design principles, selecting plants, incorporating garden structures and more. Whether you're starting from scratch or revamping an existing yard, follow these steps to craft a cohesive landscape. Read more...

The Door County Seed Library offers FREE open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds that you can check out to plant and grow at home. Best of all, there’s no due date and no late fees!  Libraries participating:  Baileys Harbor, Egg Harbor, Forestville, Sister Bay-Liberty Grove, and Sturgeon Bay. Find out more!

Growing vegetables from seed is a common practice for many home gardeners.  Unfortunately, vegetable seed (even though it appears perfectly healthy) can sometimes be contaminated with disease-causing organisms, particularly disease-causing bacteria.  Bacterial speck, bacterial spot, and stem canker of tomato, as well as bacterial spot of pepper and black rot of crucifers such as cabbage and broccoli are common bacterial diseases where pathogens can be introduced into a garden via contaminated seed.  Making sure your vegetable seed is pathogen free is an important first step in preventing these diseases from being a problem.  Full Article

Spring is an important time for growth and development of cool season lawn grasses. Springtime weather conditions vary considerably each year across Wisconsin from south to north. Spring lawn care, especially early spring, is dictated by the type of winter that occurred and how quickly conditions transition into the growing season. Pay close attention to soils thawing out and how lawns break dormancy and resume growth when making spring lawn care decisions. Avoid the temptation to start lawn work too early.  Lawn Care Calendar

Raising a Thinking Child is a 6-session program for parents, caregivers, and early childhood educators. Raising a Thinking Child helps adults build critical thinking, impulse control, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills in young children aged 4 to 7 years. Raising a Thinking Child trains adults to teach their children how – not what – to think.

Learn more...

The Strong Couples program is a combination of educational classes and coaching designed to strengthen your romantic relationship by boosting your communication and problem-solving skills. It includes 6 self-paced modules and 5 brief coaching sessions. Free and backed by research.  Get Started...

Planning AHEAD is a 7-session course (one hour each) that guides participants through getting started, handling financial changes, advance medical and legal directives, estate planning, choices in end-of-life care, final wishes and understanding grief.  This course features a free workbook to help people with the tasks and decisions associated with end-of-life. Two in-person sessions are available at NWTC and the ADRC.  Registration

NWTC Learning and Innovation Center
2438 South Bayshore Drive, Sister Bay
May 4th to June 15th, 11:00am - 12:00pm

ADRC of Door County
914 North 14th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay
May 5th to June 16th, 1:00pm- 2:00pm

Northern Door County is a place of unsurpassed beauty and strong community!  However, living in a rural and isolated area can also be a source of great mental, emotional and financial anxiety.  Please join us as we explore ways we can get through the tough times together!  WeCOPE is a 7-week class that empowers adults with effective, evidence-based strategies to manage stress, build resilience, and enhance their overall well-being.  Location:  NWTC Learning and Innovation Center, Sister Bay, Mondays at 1:00 pm.  Classes will be held May 4th through June 15, 2026.  Registration

A new UW study of nearly 800 barred owls on the West Coast shows the invasive predator feeds on 29 species given special conservation status by federal and state governments. “We are talking about barred owls affecting a whole ecosystem and all sorts of species,” says UW researcher Daniela Arenas-Viveros, a lead author.  Read more...

The Center for Watershed Science and Education conducts water quality research, trains students to become future water quality professionals, and analyzes water samples for a wide range of contaminants, including metals, nutrients, and pesticides. Private well owners should have their water tested annually. Use this online form to request a water test.  Water Test Information

The Wisconsin DNR and Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are on the lookout for hemlock woolly adelgid. The tiny, aphid-like insects are just millimeters long, and they’re usually identified by their woolly egg sacs on the underside of branches.  State regulators say the invasive insect is “knocking at our door.” In nearby Michigan, the pest has become established in 11 counties primarily along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Full Article and Audio

Registration is now open for Brown County 4-H Summer Day Camps!  Registration closes June 1st!  Check it out:  Global Grub Camp, Archery Amped Up Camp, Next Level Leadership Camp, and Inventors' Adventure Camp.  Open to both 4-H members and non-members.  For more information and registration.

The Door County 4-H Small Animal Sale and Swap will take place on Saturday, May 2, at the Door County Fairgrounds at 812 N 14th Ave., Sturgeon Bay.  Sale begins at 8:00 am.  Admission is $2 per person those 10 years old and under are free.  Open to the public.

Join us for a fun morning learning how to make a variety of Lunch themed foods at the Door County 4-H Foods Workshop! No cooking experience needed - this is a great opportunity to learn!  

Saturday, April 18th, 2026, 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Location: Door County Government Center, Peninsula Room, 421 Nebraska St., Sturgeon Bay (enter through doors on 4th Ave. across from the library)

Open to all Door County 4-H Youth (including Cloverbud Project Members)

Registration is due Friday, April 10th. Register using this link: https://go.wisc.edu/5k839p

Please complete a separate form for each child. If you are not able to complete online, please reach out to the Extension Office at (920)746-2260 or email candis.dart@wisc.edu.  Parents/Guardians are encouraged to stay and assist their younger members!  

Join Door County 4-H and the Door County Historical Society for a special event on Saturday, April 11th at the Door County Government Center's Peninsula Room from 9 am until 11 am.   Come learn about Door County history and create a project based on Door County history for the Door County Fair!  Open to all 4-H members and Door County students!  Reach out to Candis at candis.dart@wisc.edu or (920)746-2260 with any questions.  

April 18 - 9:00-10:00 am, Marchant's Group B Meeting at Marchant's Foods, Brussels

May 2 - 8:00-10:00 am, Lamb & Meat Goat Weigh-in, Hog Weigh-in, at Door County Fairgrounds

Check out our website for the latest 4-H newsletter, events and opportunities.  

The Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast helps farmers make smarter manure application decisions by combining weather, soil conditions, and forecasts to predict runoff risk. With easy-to-read, color-coded maps updated regularly, it highlights the safest times to apply manure while protecting water quality. Article

Raising replacement heifers costs money. When done correctly, the payoff is an improvement in your herd’s productivity and longevity. Post-breeding management is crucial but often overlooked in a heifer development program.  Learn more...

Register for the 2026 Badger Crop Connect webinar series to get free, real-time management updates for Wisconsin corn, soybean, small grain, and forage crops from UW–Madison experts.  The series begins on April 9 with economic and weather outlooks for the 2026 season from Dr. Paul Mitchell, UW–Madison professor of agricultural economics, and Josh Bendorf, UW–Madison Extension climate outreach specialist.

Webinars are held at 12:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from April through October.  To register for the series, sign up for email reminders, or watch prior webinar recordings, visit go.wisc.edu/BadgerCropConnect.

The Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and the Dairy Innovation Hub are hosting Badger Dairy Camp on the UW-Madison campus from Thursday, July 9th, through Sunday, July 12th.  The tentative schedule includes hands-on workshops, tours, and recreational activities across the UW-Madison CALS campus. Hands-on workshops will be led by dairy industry leaders in land and water resources, animal health and welfare, human health and nutrition, farm business and community, and linear evaluations and dairy judging. Camp Information

As the dairy industry looks to improve both profitability and environmental impact, feed efficiency continues to move to the forefront of management discussions. For dairy farms, feed is the largest operating expense, therefore how efficiently cows convert feed into milk generates a lot of attention. Article

Partnering with the UW-Madison Extension Local Government Education Program, the Wisconsin Towns Association proudly offers workshops on a variety of topics, including elected officials’ local duties and responsibilities, town official ethics, public records law, open meetings law, adopting the levy, adopting a budget, as well as a variety of other offerings.  Locations and Dates

May 13 - 15, 2026 held in Green Lake, WI.  Join us for a hands-on, immersive conference designed to strengthen rural Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Bringing together local leaders, business owners, and innovators, this event explores new ways to grow and sustain thriving local economies. Attendees will experience engaging presentations, practical insights, and technical programming, all focused on helping rural communities build strong foundations where entrepreneurs and small businesses can thrive. CEC Conference Information

Microbes are key to turning plants into liquid fuels. Yeasts and bacteria eat plant sugars, such as glucose, and turn them into alcohols, a process known as fermentation. But, when it comes to making biofuel from non-food plants, there’s a problem: most chemical treatments used to break down the plant fiber generate toxic by-products.  Exciting discovery!

The Badger women’s hockey team continued its dynastic run with a 3-2 NCAA national championship win against Ohio State, outlasting the Buckeyes in an evenly matched title game that came down to the final frantic seconds. The back-to-back national title feat is a fitting endnote for a legendary senior class, which includes Caroline Harvey, Claire Enright, Lacey Eden, Vivian Jungels, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards.  Article

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