Breakfast enthusiasts understand the importance of a quality maple syrup. But the real stuff often isn't in the big bottles that line grocery store shelves — no, genuine maple syrup is a product resulting from a meticulous practice of tapping trees and cooking sap. And even though it's produced in the spring, maple syrup is a year-round household staple.

Wisconsin environmental regulators announced in August 2018 that they will take new steps to track and try to curb the spread of chronic wasting disease among the state's deer population.

As many Wisconsinites know, not all farmers' markets are the same, but they are found in all types of communities – cities, small towns, suburbs and rural areas. With differences in size, rules and management styles, many of these markets offer unique features and face diverse challenges in providing localized access to fresh foods and other products.

In a highly connected age of smartphone shopping and new automated grocery delivery services, a trip to a local farmers' market can seem like an anachronistic journey to the past. The streets and parking lots where markets are often held find neighbors greeting each other amid fresh produce and baked goods as live music fills the air, creating a different atmosphere than supermarkets, much less a glowing screen at home.