The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension has recently hired three positions that will focus on the growing need for outreach and education about the science of agricultural production’s impacts on water quality.

Members of Wisconsin’s agriculture community are seeking practical solutions driven by research to apply on the landscape to that will have a positive impact on current and future surface and groundwater quality. Read below the latest Division of Extension hires in the water quality space that will perform research and outreach. 

Lindsey Hartfiel, Discovery Farms Research Manager

Lindsey is joining us the as the Discovery Farms Research Manager.  Lindsey just finished her PhD at Iowa State University in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.  Her research has been focused on addressing nonpoint source water quality concerns, specifically nitrate leaching. She completed her undergrad at UW River Falls in Agricultural Engineering.  Lindsey is originally from a dairy farm near Marshfield, WI and she is excited to get back to Wisconsin to work on the important issue of water quality. Contact Lindsey: lindsey.hartfiel@wisc.edu 

Lindsey Rushford, On-Farm Nitrogen Optimization Program Coordinator

Lindsey Rushford will support DATCP’s Nitrogen Optimization Pilot Program by working closely with participants and serving as a connection point to University of WI resources. Prior to joining UW-Madison, Division of Extension in 2023, Lindsey worked for 8 years in private-sector alfalfa breeding. Lindsey has a MS in Crop Science from the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign, a BS in Soil Science and BA in Environmental Studies, both from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Contact Lindsey: lindsey.rushford@wisc.edu 

Kelsey Hyland, Agriculture Water Quality Outreach Specialist

Kelsey is an Agriculture Water Quality Program Outreach Specialist. Kelsey is located in Burnett County and will serve the western part of the state. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and spent the last three years working for the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota. Prior to this, Kelsey also worked for the natural resources team on the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and helped conduct research on public grazing laws in the Big Horn Mountains. She will develop and deliver research-based materials for farmers, crop advisors and conservation professionals that communicate the relationship between farming practices and nutrient and sediment losses to surface and groundwater. Contact Kelsey: kelsey.hyland@wisc.edu 

Learn more about Extension’s Agriculture Water Quality Program: https://agwater.extension.wisc.edu/