ZAC SCHULTZ:

IN OTHER NEWS THIS WEEK, THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE IS GETTING INTO THE SCIENCE OF FARM TO TABLE LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT. WITH THE BURGEONING INTEREST IN EATING LOCALLY-GROWN FOOD, EACH YEAR NEW FOODS ARE APPEARING AT FARMERS MARKETS ACROSS THE STATE. REPORTER ANDY SOTH HAS THE STORY.

ANDY SOTH:

IN A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN IN MADISON, A UW AG SCHOOL PROJECT IS HOLDING A TASTE TEST OF LOCAL PRODUCE ORGANIZED BY JULIE DAWSON.

JULIE DAWSON:

I DECIDED I WANTED TO BE A FARMER WHEN I WAS ABOUT EIGHT. THIS IS AS CLOSE AS I’VE GOTTEN.

ANDY SOTH:

DAWSON IS NOT A FRAMER. SHE’S AN AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIST DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING AND STRENGTHENING LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS. SHE’S INTRODUCING SOME INFLUENTIAL LOCAL CHEFS TO NEW WISCONSIN-GROWN PLANT VARIETIES. AND THEIR EXPERTISE IN FLAVOR PERCEPTION HELPS DAWSON’S RESEARCH.

JULIE DAWSON:

FLAVOR IS A VERY COMPLEX TRAIT. IT’S OBVIOUSLY SUBJECTIVE BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING EVERY PERSON EXPERIENCES A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.

ANDY SOTH:

THE CHEFS ARE ALREADY COMMITTED TO FEATURING LOCALLY-GROWN PRODUCE. THE PROJECT HELPS EXPAND THEIR REPERTOIRE.

DANIEL BANANNO:

BY TASTING DIFFERENT TYPE OF THESE TOMATOES OR PEPPERS, JULIE IS HELPING ME TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT TOMATOES AND VEGETABLES IN GENERAL. WHATEVER I’M LOOKING FOR FOR A DISH, I CAN GET THAT PERFECT TOMATO TO MATCH THAT DISH.

JULIE DAWSON:

THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS REALLY TO EXPERIMENT WITH INTERESTING VEGETABLES THAT CAN BE GROWN FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LOCAL FOOD MARKETS IN WISCONSIN.

ANDY SOTH:

THE PRODUCE IS GROWN AT A UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AG RESEARCH STATION.

GROWER:

THIS IS BRANDYWINE OVER HERE.

ANDY SOTH:

DAWSON’S TEAM IS EXPERIMENTALLY BREEDING A VARIETY OF CROP SPECIES UNDER A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GROWING CONDITIONS.

KITT HEALY:

BASICALLY WE’RE DOING A COMPARATIVE VARIETY TRIAL OF 38 DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF TOMATOES.

JULIE DAWSON:

I REALLY LIKE THE GENETICS AND THE STATISTICS TOO, BUT THE UNDERLYING MOTIVATION IS MORE BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE THESE FARMERS SUCCEED.

ANDY SOTH:

THE FARMERS DAWSON IS TALKING ABOUT ARE ON SMALL-SCALE FARMS SELLING LOCALLY TO RESTAURANTS, GROCERIES AND CONSUMERS, A MODEL DAWSON SAYS HAS GREAT BENEFITS.

JULIE DAWSON:

IF YOU’RE GETTING VEGETABLES FROM A LOCAL FARMER, OFTEN THOSE HAVE THE BEST FLAVOR AND SO YOU’LL WANT TO EAT MORE. THAT IN ITSELF WILL IMPROVE PEOPLE’S HEALTH.

ANDY SOTH:

BREEDING THOSE VEGETABLES TO HAVE THE BEST FLAVOR IS A BIG PART OF WHAT DAWSON AND HER TEAM DO. BY CROSS-BREEDING DIFFERENT PLANTS WITH DIFFERENT GENETICS, THE RESEARCHERS MAY FIND FAVORABLE TRAITS. TRAITS THAT MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE DESIRABLE IN LARGE-SCALE AGRICULTURE.

JULIE DAWSON:

FOR SOME OF THE LARGER GROWING REGIONS THAT SHIP ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE PRIMARY TRAITS ARE YIELDS, SHELF LIFE, SHIPPING, THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO GET THE VEGETABLE FROM THE FIELD TO SOMEBODY’S TABLE WHEN THAT’S 4,000 MILES APART.

ANDY SOTH:

UNIVERSITY RESEARCH HELPED DEVELOP THOSE COMMODITY CROPS. DAWSON’S PROGRAM IS WISCONSIN’S FIRST TO DEVELOP CROPS SPECIFICALLY FOR A LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM.

JULIE DAWSON:

LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS AND FARMS THAT ARE GROWING FOR THE LOCAL MARKET CAN MANAGE FOR THE BEST FLAVOR, CHOOSE VARIETIES THAT HAVE THE BEST FLAVOR AND GET IT TO YOUR TABLE WITHIN HOURS OR A FEW DAYS SO THAT THAT FLAVOR IS STILL THERE.

ANDY SOTH:

FINDING FLAVORS THE PUBLIC LIKES GOES BEYOND CROSS-BREEDING AND EXPERT TESTING. THE DAWSON TEAM GETS A VARIETY OF PUBLIC INPUT AS WELL AT EVENTS LIKE FIESTA HISPANA.

MAN:

HEY, I LOVE IT.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THE EFFORT IS NOT JUST ABOUT GROWING FOOD, BUT GROWING COMMUNITY AROUND FOOD THAT’S HEALTHY AS WELL AS TASTY.

DANIEL BANANNO:

SO SHE’S GATHERED ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE CHEFS AND THE COMMUNITY AND GOING TO THE FARMERS AND GIVING THEM THE BOOK, BASICALLY, THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO GROW WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR.

JULIE DAWSON:

AND SO PEOPLE ARE REALLY INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING AND ALSO THEY’RE GLAD THAT THE UNIVERSITY IS WORKING ON THIS KIND OF PROJECT BECAUSE IT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR EVERYBODY.