Wisconsin Ag Connection - UW Ag Research Stations Welcomes New Faces

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UW Ag Research Stations Welcomes New Faces
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 07/08/2013

The University of Wisconsin-Madison says you may see a few new faces next time you visit the ag research stations at Hancock, Marshfield, West Madison and Lancaster. In the past six months the university has hired or promoted five individuals to leadership roles at those facilities to fill vacancies created by retirements and transfers.

Felix Navarro has been serving as the Hancock Ag Research Station superintendent since June 9. Navarro oversees personnel, financial and facility management, capital planning, and coordination of field research and outreach activities at the Hancock station, which supports over 150 research projects. Navarro knows the territory. For the past eight years, he has worked as a potato breeder and geneticist in the UW-Madison Department of Horticulture's. During that time he served as interim superintendent at the Rhinelander Station for a year and worked extensively at both the Hancock and Rhinelander stations.

Jason Cavadini, the new Marshfield station assistant superintendent, started in May. His main responsibilities are to coordinate crop research and manage the production of forage and grain to supply the station's dairy herds. A native of the LaCrosse area, Cavadini earned a B.S. in crop and soil science at the UW-River Falls.

The new West Madison Ag Research Station assistant superintendent is Janet Hedtcke. Since February, she oversees the station's organic crop research and fruit research and the horticultural gardens. She also works with superintendent Tom Wright to coordinate the field and vegetable crop research. Hedtcke grew up on a dairy farm near Milton and earned a B.S. in natural resources and M.S. in agronomy and dairy science at UW-Madison.

Ron Skoyen is the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center dairy herd manager. In that position, Skoyen works with USDA and UW-Madison scientists to coordinate and carry out research involving the 320 milking cows and 350 replacement heifers at the DFRC field station at Prairie du Sac. He also oversees personnel management, budgets and facilities, is responsible for maintaining the health and welfare of the dairy herd.

And Arin Crooks, Lancaster Ag Research Station superintendent since March, has served for 14 years as the assistant superintendent overseeing activities involving the station's 120 spring calving Angus and 50-60 feeder cattle. As superintendent, he'll continue that work, but also be in charge of the station's administration, finances and facilities. The beef cattle research focuses on genetics, weaning management and rotational grazing.

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