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Field Day to Focus on Organic Vegetables
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 08/14/2014

University of Wisconsin-Madison plant scientists intend to employ some highly sophisticated instruments to evaluate new varieties of organic vegetables: the palates of the people who produce or prepare them for discerning customers.

"We think there is a great opportunity to improve collaboration between researchers working to improve the quality of fresh-market vegetables, farmers who are interested in experimenting with new and potentially higher-value crops, and chefs who are committed to serving fresh local produce," says Julie Dawson, a UW-Madison assistant professor whose work focuses on direct-market farms that serve urban and regional markets.

The school has scheduled three field days over the next 10 weeks where farmers, local chefs and anyone else can sample the flavors of a variety of organic vegetable crops. The events will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. on August 27, September 22 and October 24 at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station. The events are free and open to the public.

"We have planted trials of several species of vegetables with a particular focus on flavor, selected by UW-Madison plant breeders and seed companies that produce organic seeds for fresh-market growers," Dawson says. "We have beets, carrots, onion, lettuce, hot and sweet peppers, melons, winter squash, cabbage, tomato, potatoes and sweet corn."

Each field day will include a tour of a breeding nursery or major field trial at the station, a look at all of the crops at the West Madison station's demonstration gardens, and a taste test.


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