Jackie McCarville, Extension Regional Dairy Educator
The UW-Madison Division of Extension provides regionally based educators who bring research-based solutions to local communities.
Jackie McCarville ↗️ is a great example of that boots-on-the-ground education.
Serving as a Regional Dairy Educator across Grant, Green, Iowa, and Lafayette counties, Jackie works closely with dairy producers and agricultural professionals on a wide range of topics, including dairy nutrition, animal welfare, genetics, and emerging technologies. Her work centers on helping dairy operations succeed today while planning for the future.
Jackie’s approach is supported by both experience and education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a dairy emphasis from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville and has worked in the private sector in animal nutrition as well as on dairy farms. In addition to her dairy-focused role, she has also served as an interim Youth Development educator in Iowa County, further strengthening her connection to the communities she serves.
Jackie plays an important role in connecting producers with university research and resources, ensuring the latest information reaches farms in a practical and accessible way. Her commitment to unbiased education is at the core of Extension’s mission.
“The ways in which we help dairy producers is unique,” Jackie explains. “We’re non-biased in the dairy industry—we aren’t trying to promote a specific product. We provide research-based education and tools so producers can make the best decision for their operation.”
A key part of Jackie’s work is helping farmers navigate complex decisions—from improving day-to-day operations to planning for farm succession. In recent years, she has partnered with dairy producers to explore automation technologies, helping them evaluate options and determine what makes the most financial sense for their individual operations. Several producers she has worked with have gone on to successfully adopt new automation systems.
“We did a case study with a local producer on their experience with automation and asked them questions other producers would like to know the answers to”, described Jackie, “this has been valuable to share with other producers who are deciding if moving to automation is going to make the best sense for their dairy farm.”
Through her dedication, expertise, and strong connections within the dairy community, Jackie exemplifies the value of Extension’s local presence and statewide impact.
Jackie also leads a monthly webinar series, Badger Dairy Insight. It provides timely dairy information for producers, dairy workers and managers, ag professionals, and educators., Explore the Badger Dairy Insight webinar series at: go.wisc.edu/BDI ↗️
To contact Jackie or an Extension agriculture expert or ask a question, visit:
go.wisc.edu/ContactExtensionAgriculture ↗️
