Cooperative Extension

Bringing university research to the people of Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls campus is one of seven UW-campuses that houses Cooperative Extension faculty. Campus-based Cooperative Extension faculty teach, conduct applied research, and develop practical educational programs - based on university knowledge and research - to respond to state and local needs.

UW-River Falls has specialists in the Agriculture and Natural Resources program and in the Community, Natural Resources and Economics Development program with a broad range of expertise:

Agricultural Marketing

Brenda Boetel
Dr. Boetel is an Extension Agricultural Marketing Specialist focusing on the areas of livestock marketing and price analysis. She joined UW-Extension in the fall of 2002. In addition to her background in agricultural and applied economics, she also has an interest in international development.

Animal Health

Larry Baumann
Dr. Baumann is an Extension Animal Health Specialist with a particular interest in dairy cattle. His focus is on preventing disease and managing conditions that influence the productivity and profitability of dairy herds.

Cooperatives, Survey Research Center

David Trechter
Dr. Trechter is an Extension Economist working on issues related to cooperatives and community development. He also directs the Survey Research Center (SRC) at UWRF and, in this role, he oversees various survey projects to assist communities with determining needs assessments, gathering residents' opinions on various issues, quantifying the impact of tourism, etc. You can browse some of the surveys the SRC has conducted by clicking on Publications on the Survey Research Center web site.

Small Fruit Production

Brian Smith
Dr. Smith is an Extension Commercial Fruit Specialist who helps growers make improvements in cultural efficiency to remain competitive, improve their profitability, diversify their operations, and respond to changing government regulation of pesticide usage. He also maintains an active research program focused on developing winter hardy fruits - strawberries, raspberries, and plums - of high quality, good yield, and superior pest and disease resistance for Midwest commercial growers.

Land Use and Community Development

Todd Johnson
Todd Johnson is an extension specialist with the Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development program at Cooperative Extension. He specializes in land use and community development. More information will be available soon.