Amanda Gevens, Dept. Chair, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, UW-Madison Plant Pathology, gevens@wisc.edu, Cell: 608-575-3029
Happy National Ag Day from our potato and vegetable extension team to all of our grower and allied industry partners and stakeholders. We greatly value your important work and are honored to contribute. We wish you and yours well through this unusual and trying time.
A few UW services will be adjusted due to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.
Our UW-Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic (director: Brian Hudelson) https://pddc.wisc.edu/2020/03/15/march-2020-plant-disease-diagnostics-in-the-time-of-covid-19/ and the UW-Insect Diagnostic Lab (director: Mr. PJ Leisch) https://insectlab.russell.wisc.edu/2020/03/20/insect-diagnostics-in-the-age-of-covid-19/ will not be offering face-to-face consultations or sample drop off on campus in Madison. However, they remain open and functional in processing samples that arrive by mail. Our building, Russell Laboratories at 1630 Linden Drive (across from the Dairy Store), is no longer accessible to the general public. Essential personnel can enter for critical work. Samples that are left at the UW-Hancock ARS may be able to make their way to campus by our essential personnel, but these visits are very few these days. Please contact me, or clinics directly with specific sample questions/concerns. I am glad to help via digital diagnostics, or physical samples as possible. Symptom pictures by email or text are a great way to get diagnostics initiated.
- Research (laboratory and field) will likely proceed, as far as we know at this time, with limitations. Because we may be limited in staffing and capacity to travel (and our travel in vehicles has to be one person per vehicle), the scale of our projects will likely be reduced. Our agricultural research is highly valued and considered essential by our College leadership. We will do our best to provide continuity of work and service within guidelines of best safety for the health of personnel and clientele in the foreseeable
- In extension, we are to work remotely to limit risk of spread of COVID-19 to personnel and clientele, and all of those that we might interact with in process of travel and in-person delivery. However, please know that we, as integrated specialists, continue to be accessible to you by phone or email. We will do our best to serve you in all ways other than in-person. We are considering the idea of remote grower meetings to discuss current production