Crops and Soils

The Extension Crops and Soils Program provides timely resources and information to help Wisconsin crop producers and their agricultural consultants manage crops efficiently and profitably.
Rows of Corn

You can find information on:

  • Crop Production and cropping systems for corn, soybeans, forages, nutrient management, soil science, commercial vegetable, and cover crops. Badger Crop Network offers timely blog posts and website articles.
  • Badger Crop Connect webinars April 10 – October 23. Join industry experts, UW-Madison researchers, and Extension specialists and educators every second and fourth Thursdays from April to October at 12:30 p.m. on Zoom for discussions on timely topics selected by educators based throughout Wisconsin. Dates are June 12 & 26, July 10 & 24, Aug. 14 & 28, Sept. 11 & 25, Oct. 9 & 23. Certified Crop Advisor CEUs will be available for webinars. Registration is required. Recordings of webinars will be available online for on-demand viewing. If you have questions or are in need of accommodations, please contact Chris Bandura at bandura@wisc.edu.
  • Pest Management: Information on the management of weeds, insects, and disease in Wisconsin cropping systems.
  • Ask Extension: Your opportunity to talk directly with Extension specialists and staff

Discovery Farms

Discovery Farms, a program of UW-Madison Division of Extension, is a farmer-led research and outreach program focused on the relationship between agriculture and water quality. The program is unique in that it conducts research on privately-owned farms throughout Wisconsin. Discovery Farms works with the U.S. Geological Survey to gather credible and unbiased water quality information from monitored sites.

Discovery Farms logo

Discovery Farms develops on-farm and related research to determine the economic and environmental effects of agricultural practices on a diverse group of Wisconsin farms; and educates and improves communications among the agricultural community, consumers, researchers, and policymakers to better identify and implement effective environmental management practices that are compatible with profitable agriculture.

Juneau & Sauk Counties Crops Update Newsletters – news from your local Extension crops educator

2026 Pesticide Private Applicator Training and Testing

A private applicator is a person who applies restricted-use (pesticide label identifies) pesticide to produce an agricultural commodity AND pesticides are applied on property that you own, rent or your employer owns or rents. If an applicator does not meet BOTH parts of the definition, they are considered a commercial applicator. Example of a commercial applicator is working for a lawn care company or county Highway employee.

General Farm in-person group training events will be announced soon for 2026.

Private applicator General Farming Manuals are only available at the WI Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) Online Store. Cost is $43/each. County Extension offices do not have them for sale. You may purchase a book for self study and take your test at the County Extension office by appointment (Juneau County 608-847-9329). When taking the test at the County Extension office you will need to provide your certification form (inside the front cover of the manual with the PAT number on it) to the test proctor (i.e. Extension office) to have your certification processed. If you purchased a PDF or online course, then you will receive it via mail.

Those wishing to be certified in Fruit Crops or Greenhouse and Nursery can take the General Farming training, but then take the exam for those specialized categories.

Private Applicator Training 2026 Guidelines

Soil Testing

The UW Soil and Forage Analysis Lab is working diligently on processing a large amount of soil samples. In order to give them time to catch up and ensure that results are accurate, we are currently recommending other Wisconsin certified labs. Customers can continue to borrow soil probes from the Juneau County Extension office to assist in taking samples. This will be done with the Extension office check-out process.

Wisconsin Certified Soil & Manure Testing Labs. Review this list for additional options.

Letter from UW Madison Division of Extension on soil sampling includes:

  • List of DATCP certified laboratories
  • UW Division of Extension soil sampling instructions
  • A video on collecting soil samples

Learn how soil sampling affects lab results.

Soil Health Lab, Sampling, and Test Selection Considerations

Judging Agriculture Crops

Research, articles and publications

  • 2025 Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program (NOPP) grant applications open in October but farmers are encouraged to start thinking about projects. See the flyer for contact information. This program is administered by DATCP and facilitated by University of Wisconsin. It provides grants to producers that will conduct on-farm nitrogen research trials in order to use nitrogen fertilizer more efficiently while reducing nitrogen leaching. See DATCP’s Press Release, the grant application, request for proposals, and other application materials available on DATCP’s website.
  • 2024 Wisconsin Weed Science Research Report – The purpose of this report is to share annual research results with crop production clientele of Wisconsin. Information herein does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any particular product or practice. Information herein also does not replace any information presented on pesticide labels.
  • 2024 Wisconsin Corn Herbicide Survey – The objective of this survey is to document herbicide programs used in different Wisconsin corn production systems (e.g., tillage scenarios, atrazine prohibition areas, and silage vs grain). This survey is being conducted by Daniel Zhu, a graduate student in Dr. Rodrigo Werle’s WiscWeeds Lab. Results will be published as a part of Daniel’s MS thesis at UW-Madison. Your participation is critical for informing our research decisions, assisting us with making better recommendations, and allowing us to better provide dta for our stakeholders. Please fill out this survey and send it to fellow corn growers or consultants as well. Please mail the survey addressed to Daniel Zhu at 1575 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706 or scan it and send it via email to dqzhu@wisc.edu. Thank you for your time and support.
  • The Wisconsin Cover Crop Citizen Science Project – Wisconsin Cover Crop Citizen Science Network — Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
  • DATCP Issues Reminder after Federal Cancellation of Dicamba Herbicides Cancellation of dicamba over the top of Xtend soybean
  • Using Atrazine in Wisconsin
  • 2024 A Successful No-Till Workshop-Summary

For more information please contact:
Anastasia Kurth, Regional Crops & Soils Educator

Extension Juneau County
Courthouse
220 E. State Street, Room 104, Mauston, WI 53948
Phone: (608) 847-9329 / business cell (608) 477-3018