Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced today that USDA will develop a new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability in the United States, and undertake several other actions to further strengthen its disease prevention and response capabilities.

Following is a list of the vendors scheduled for this week's market as of Wednesday, February 3. Product availability and other considerations may prevent a specific vendor's attendance.

We strive to keep this list as accurate as possible. We probably missed an item or two that is at the market or listed an item as available when it is not. Chances are not all items mentioned or listed below will be at each market. If you'd like to check with your favorite vendor about product availability, go to www.dcfm.org, then do a search for contact information.

The Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission announces its 2010 Call for Art and its theme, Our Dane County Home. Artists are invited to submit art for consideration and inclusion in the Commission’s signature 2012 art calendar and 2011 art poster and companion bookmark. The 2012 calendar will be the 13th edition and 2011 poster the 33nd in an annual series. Each year, thousands of calendars, posters, and bookmarks are distributed throughout Dane County and beyond. They have become beloved icons that highlight the vitality of Dane County’s artistic and cultural landscape.

The Dane County Clean Air Coalition (CAC) announced the first Clean Air Action Day of 2010 for Thursday, February 4th. The Clean Air Action Day was triggered by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issuance this afternoon of an Air Quality Watch for most Wisconsin counties, including Dane County.

Connecting Children to Fresh, Affordable Food and Healthy Eating Education

What: Whole Foods Market is helping Madison schools grow a bit greener this spring.

The store’s School Garden Project will award two plant-savvy schools each $500 to go towards an existing school garden program or the establishment of a new garden. Priority will be given to programs that focus on healthy eating and hands-on garden-to-food education, sustainable agriculture and environmental awareness/education, and the incorporation of produce into school lunch or snack programming.

Sustainability in building practices will be the subject of a free seminar hosted by Wisconsin-based Tri-North Builders, February 10th, 2010. Featured speakers will be international sustainabilty expert Melissa Vernon and Steve Jende of InterfaceFLOR. Those unable to attend in person may take part live via the internet.

Recreational bicycling is among Wisconsin’s top outdoor activities in terms of economic impact, and increasing bicycling has the potential to deliver impressive health benefits and savings, according to a new report.

We are looking for 3 volunteers to train to become Eco-Volunteer Leaders at Holy Wisdom Monastery. The monastery is located just outside Middleton on 130 acres of restored prairie, woodlands, and wetlands. You would be training with our restoration ecologist/groundskeeper and facilities supervisor to become familiar with environmental activities on the land and learn about the care and maintenance of the new LEED certified monastery building. This hands-on training will give you the skills and knowledge to supervise other volunteers who help at Holy Wisdom Monastery.

Community GroundWorks (CGW) at Troy Gardens has recently become a member of Community Shares of Wisconsin. Founded in 2001, CGW is a nonprofit organization responsible for the development, management, and stewardship of 26 acres known as Troy Gardens on the north side of Madison.

Many anglers in Wisconsin are not aware of laws designed to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and protect the state’s lakes and rivers, according to a recent statewide poll. Anglers had the most confusion about laws designed to stop the fish disease Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) from spreading between lakes and other bodies of water in the state. VHS, which was first detected in Wisconsin waters in 2007, can infect up to 45 different fish species and cause large-scale fish kills. It is transmitted through the body fluids of fish, including urine and blood.