UW System Budget, “The Triumph Of Seeds,” Wisconsin Summer Festivals

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The UW System Regents vote on the annual operating budget today and in a surprise did not publicly disclose the details ahead of the vote. We’ll find out why from a reporter covering the news. Summer is right around the corner, which means music festivals, county fairs, and more. Our guest shares her list of best summer festivals here in Wisconsin. We also look at the important role seeds play in our everyday lives.

Featured in this Show

  • New Book Explores How Seeds Shaped Life On Earth

    Most gardens are in full bloom this time of year and the seeds used to help put fresh fruits and vegetables on the plates of gardens around the world are the direct consequence of a plant kingdom transformation hundreds of millions of years ago, according to a prominent conservation biologist

    “We’re encountering seeds in our daily lives all day from the pajamas we wear at night to the coffee that wakes us up in the morning to the cup of cocoa before bed and everything from pharmaceuticals to biofuels and all sorts of things in between,” said Thor Hanson.

    Hanson dug deep into the past, present and future of seed-bearing plants for his latest book, “The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History.

    He said the seed is a remarkable evolutionary invention that came from the spore plants, like ferns and mosses that were the dominant plants before seeds. Seeds evolved from them and developed key traits that gave them a bigger advantage in reproducing and colonizing new habitats, he said.

    Some of those traits evolved for its defense, dispersal and ability to remain dormant in the soil, which gave them a tremendous advantage over spore plants.

    “One of those traits that we’re so familiar with is the fact that seed contain nutrition for the baby plants so that when the seed germinates all of the energy for the initial burst of growth comes from the seed itself,” said Hanson.

    Hanson wrote about his visits to a number of seed vaults around the world that are in place to ensure the preservation of seed diversity. He said many of the crops grown at the beginning of agriculture have been lost to years of reducing varieties for modern farming.

    “There is a great effort underway to preserve as many of those crop varieties and the wild ancestors of crops so that we have all this genetic diversity that we’re going to need for the future, which is particularly important in a changing world where climates are changing — growing conditions are changing and we’re going to need to adapt to that,” he said.

    Hanson explains that seeds aren’t only important in our past, but also in our modern culture. As an example, he pointed out the fact that the coffee bean, a seed from a shrubby little African tree, is now the second-most traded commodity and only oil futures generate more annual revenue than the trade in coffee beans.

  • UW System Withholds Budget Details Ahead of Regents' Vote

    The UW System will not be publicizing its budget ahead of the Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, we’ll look at the details today with a reporter covering the meeting.

  • A Guide To Summer Festivals Around Wisconsin

    Summer means it is officially festival season. From local fairs to 11-day musical festivals like Summerfest, there will be plenty of places to spend time with family and friends. Our guest gives us a guide of the best festivals to go to over the next few months.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Rob Ferrett Producer
  • KP Whaley Producer
  • Haleema Shah Producer
  • Thor Hanson Guest
  • Karen Herzog Guest
  • Chelsey Lewis Guest

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