Leadership
Nancy Esser
Nancy Esser serves as superintendent of UW-Madison’s Marshfield Agricultural Research Station (MARS), which is home to the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences’ replacement heifer program as well as the USDA’s Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management Research Unit. Esser is responsible for management of the 650 dairy animal and agronomic research facility, overseeing a staff of over 24 employees.
Esser coordinates animal research trials and conducts station outreach and tours. She manages employee training and compliance with all federal, state, and university protocols, laws, and regulations. Esser manages station certification with UW Occupational Health Program, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee standards and protocols, Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) certification, and state and federal dairy inspections.
Ashley Blackburn
Ashley Blackburn is the assistant superintendent and station agronomist for UW-Madison’s Marshfield Agricultural Research Station (MARS). She manages field research trials and forage production for the dairy herd on approximately 857 acres of cropland and pastures annually. Blackburn started her position with the station in June 2023. Future interest goals are to integrate precision ag tools to benefit the farm. Specifically looking at the utilization of drones in crop production.
Ashley most recently was an agronomist and forage specialist with Vita Plus and has roots in the university system as an outreach specialist with the Nutrient and Pest Management Program covering the North Central part of Wisconsin. She has an undergraduate degree in Agronomy- Consulting & Production, a minor in Plant Pathology, and a master’s degree in Agronomy – Precision Agricultural from Kansas State University.