Outreach and Tours
Tours of Pioneer Farm
Hundreds of visitors tour the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneer Farm each year, from prospective students to local community members and visiting professionals.
Pioneer Farm is open to the public and encourages visitors to stop by and learn how Pioneer Farm is helping Wisconsin agriculture. We welcome you to take a self-guided tour at any time. Self-guided tour booklets and shoe covers are available in the Ag Technology Center and Ag Education Pavilion.
Discovery Farms
Discovery Farms are real working farms throughout Wisconsin's diverse agricultural landscape that are facing different environmental challenges.
The Discovery Farms program is an effort by UW Extension and UW Madison to use real farms to find the most economical solutions to those challenges. UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm is a participating member of Discovery Farms.
Composting at the Farm
Pioneer Farm has a liquid manure system for the dairy free-stall barn and uses composting for manure generated from the swine center, beef center, and outside dairy lots.
All manure applied to Pioneer Farm fields is carefully monitored as part of our nutrient management plan, which is updated annually. Solid manure is composted in windrows and turned on a regular basis using a pull-type compost turner.
Manure samples are taken prior to application to determine the nutrient contents of the manure, and to determine proper application rates. In many cases the composted manure is sold to local farmers and community members for use on fields and gardens.
Our Agronomy Club sells the compost in the fall each year.
