U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center and Cereal Crops Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin

• Scope of work under Recovery Act

Amount: $650,000

Repairing critical deferred maintenance at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center including repair of exterior masonry and seal windows to prevent water infiltration and replacing heating system coils and heat exchangers. Replace research greenhouse control systems at Cereal Crops Laboratory and the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center.

Milestones - To be updated as milestones are completed.

Construction Photos

Research at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center

Madison researchers develop knowledge and tools to enhance the environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness of dairy forage systems from how to grow it more productively to how cows get nutrition from it . For example, the Center has developed better methods for forage production that reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous that need be applied, leading to healthier soils and protecting the water supply.

In the Cereal Crops Research Unit at Madison, scientists work to improve important grain crops such as oats and barley for a variety of purposes. The Unit is the country’s only public research facility that evaluates malting barley cultivars for their quality and usefulness. In 2004, Unit scientists assessed more than 5,000 different malting barley breeding lines for traits such as resistance to diseases such as Fusarium head blight. This data helps breeders develop new, higher quality cultivars for U.S. farmers.

Unit scientists are also studying the unique, health-promoting compounds found in oats, which they plan to enhance to make the grain an even more significant heart-healthy food.

Research at the Cereal Crops Research Unit

The mission of the Cereal Crops Research Unit is to

• Conduct basic research to identify and understand the biological processes affecting the growth, development, and properties of cereal grains
• Evaluate these findings for potential applications to improved cereal quality through germplasm development or altered production practices
• Provide support for barley and oat breeding and applied research programs within ARS and at State Agricultural Experiment Stations.

Project Photographs Before Construction