Organic Plant Breeding Gets A Boost At UW-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is getting an endowed faculty chair to oversee plant breeding for organic crops.

Conventional farming methods still dominate in Wisconsin, but organic is gaining ground. A 2011 report showed there were more than 1,200 certified organic farms in the state in 2007 — a 285 percent increase from 2002.

Richard Straub is senior associate dean in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison.

“It’s small but it is growing, and Wisconsin is one of the leading states in organic production and organic sales,” Straub said.

One indication of future growth may be an endowment UW-Madison received recently for organic crop research. The endowed chair is funded entirely from outside sources: $1 million comes from a combined gift from Organic Valley and Clif Bar, while another $1 million comes from John and Tashia Morgridge, Badger alums.

Straub said as many as 20 faculty programs involve organic agriculture to some extent and another four faculty work in organic breeding.