Articles by Karen Faster

Farmers around the United States are contending with the collapse of honeybee colonies they depend on to pollinate numerous crops, including many fruits, vegetables, legumes and nut trees. But growers in southern Wisconsin look to be in better shape because the Badger State is home to about 500 species of native wild bees that are excellent pollinators.
Cattle can often be seen grazing in meadows around Wisconsin, but they may also be finding their meals in wooded areas.
Mentoring entrepreneurs and incubating small businesses are two ways a nonprofit organization is working to boost economic development in Vilas County.
Connections are the key to stopping bullying: Teens are less likely to bully others in person or online if they have adults in their lives whom they don't want to disappoint.
Farmers who follow food safety best practices produce better quality produce that last longer on the market and in consumers' kitchens. The harvest, storage and handling processes intended to minimize pathogens that cause illness in humans also target the organisms that cause produce to decay.
Although sand has been mined across Wisconsin for over a century, the large-scale mines and associated processing and transportation facilities are relatively new.
Farmers' use of transgenic corn over the past 20-plus years is putting pressure on ecosystems, in part by making some weeds more resistant to herbicides.
Farms that raise animals — be they poultry, pigs, cows or other livestock — are growing. But whether smaller farms are simply updated with modern technologies or are concentrated animal feeding operations with hundreds or thousands of animals, they enable farmers to reduce costs and increase output.
From loon-watchers to fighters of invasive species, Wisconsin is home to many groups engaged in citizen science. One example of a citizen science effort of this type in the state is the Wisconsin Bat Monitoring Project.
Since the Great Recession, more people have been migrating out of Wisconsin than moving into the state — a pattern contrary to Minnesota and Iowa.