UW–Madison researchers rely on accurate forage and cover crop biomass measurements to evaluate crop productivity, nutrient management, soil health, and conservation practices that support Wisconsin’s dairy industry. However, the forage harvesters currently used by the Forage Systems Agroecology and Precision Agriculture programs were outdated, increasingly expensive to repair, less reliable, and unable to provide the accuracy and efficiency needed for modern research. These limitations created challenges for collecting high-quality data across hundreds of forage and cover crop research plots and reduced the ability of researchers to generate timely recommendations for producers.

Through Dairy Innovation Hub funding, UW–Madison acquired a modern biomass harvester that significantly improves the accuracy, precision, efficiency, and safety of forage and cover crop data collection. The equipment strengthens research supporting forage productivity, nutrient use efficiency, soil health, water quality protection, and sustainable dairy production systems. In addition to benefiting multiple CALS research and Extension programs, the investment expands UW’s capacity to deliver science-based recommendations to producers and advances the Dairy Innovation Hub’s mission of stewarding Wisconsin’s land and water resources.