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Growing the Future
The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is an engine of scientific discovery, with researchers working across the spectrum of agricultural and life sciences. Academically, the college offers research-based, hands-on teaching of undergraduates; world-class graduate programs rich in research and project assistantships; and short courses, workshops and other programs. Our outreach activities bring the work of the college to Wisconsin businesses, organizations and communities throughout the state. Learn more about CALS.
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When we look at these biopesticides, we want to know if it can be profitable. Can it actually help our producers? I want to see it being applied.
Inna Popova
CALS Faces
Inna Popova
Inna Popova is a chemist who came to love soil. During her training in analytical and physical chemistry, she found herself increasingly drawn to questions about soil contamination and health. When she joined the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences as an assistant professor in 2022, she found a community of like-minded colleagues. Popova’s research program looks at both sides of the sustainability coin. On one side, she wants to learn how to prevent contamination of the soil by using biopesticides instead of synthetic chemicals. On the other, she hopes to uncover methods for using biochar to remove contamination already in the soil. She wants solutions to be affordable, accessible, and applicable for producers and homeowners.
$1.1M
Scholarships awarded in 2023-24
4,082
CALS students in 2023-24
CALS Social
On May 9th, we celebrated our Spring 2026 graduates at the CALS Graduation Celebration! Congratulations again to all of our graduates — we are so proud to call you alumni! ❤️🤍 #UWGrad
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The Spring 2026 issue of Grow magazine is out now! The cover story, “High-Tech Eyes on Fields and Skies,” highlights Wisconet – UW’s statewide network of hyper-local weather stations that give Wisconsin farmers a powerful tool to reduce costs and improve yields. 🌾 Other stories cover plants that can be digested more easily by cattle, a sustainable agribusiness started by two CALS alums, Wisconsin honey facts, an advocacy program at the Center for Patient Partnerships, and more.
CALS Social
Commissioner Anna Gomez and a team from the Federal Communications Commission recently toured the Arlington Agricultural Research Station with researchers and experts from the University of Wisconsin–Extension and CALS. Presentations and demonstrations explained RFID (radio-frequency identification) monitoring of cows, use of drones in field operations, real-time kinematic (RTK) tractor maneuvering, Wisconet’s weather stations, farm safety, and legal issues related to connectivity in agricultural production.
CALS Social
Animal and veterinary sciences major Lauren wasn’t sure if research would be the right fit for her — she was nervous that research meant sitting in the lab for long hours and writing essays. But in Professor Rostoll-Cangiano’s lab in @uwanimaldairysciences, Lauren gets to do both hands-on research and benchwork. “It’s even better than I expected,” says Lauren. “I can go to the farm, get a blood sample, and then isolate immune cells from the sample in the lab. It joins these two aspects to get a whole picture of how animal care and research can work together.”
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In collaboration with the Dairy Soil & Water Regeneration project, PhD student Josh Mirabella developed a research project with the goal of understanding whether novel manure products could improve the retention of nitrogen fertilizer when both were applied to corn silage. If retention could be improved, less nitrogen fertilizer would be needed in fields, which is beneficial to both farmers’ pockets and the environment.
