How safe is the personal information of millions of Americans while the computer systems of federal agencies are accessed by an outside team looking for waste and fraud? Then, we ask if personal devices purporting to track our fitness actually work.

Larry Meiller takes "Garden Talk" on the road to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison for a live show from the 2025 Garden & Green Living Expo. Larry is joined by Amanda Balistreri, Lisa Johnson, and Brian Hudelson.

Michelle Reinen and Michael Domke of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection join us again to talk about the most common complaints their department received last year. Then, we talk about how to maintain your septic system with Matthew Janzen of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.

Birds, bats, deer and other wildlife discussed by UW-Extension wildlife specialist David Drake and Jamie Nash. Then, we hear how a state-of-the-art boat will aid research on Lake Superior.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we talk about three fixtures of the holiday: chocolate, jewelry and flowers. First, we talk to Spooner chocolatier Daniel Herskovic. Then, we are joined by Katherine Bodoh and Wade Abel of the American Gem Society. Finally, Brillion florist Tami Gasch rounds out the program.

The search for shipwrecks in the Great Lakes will bring interested parties to Manitowoc this month. Them we talk to a labor and employment attorney about DEI programs and the “deferred resignations” offered to federal workers.

We have a wide variety of topics on this episode of Garden Talk. First we take a look at the 2025 Green Thumb award winning plants, then we talk to the father of straw bale gardening, Joel Karsten, and finally a close up look at growing ferns.

We cover taking care of your lungs and breathing healthy air. We talk about reducing the amount of allergens in your home through design with Robin Wilson. Then, we cover radon testing with Michelle Schwoch. Finally, Dr. Jonathan Temte of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health talks about avoiding serious respiratory illness.

We talk to Olivia Campbell, author of “Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History.” Then, Dean Klinkenberg shares insights from his book, “The Wild Mississippi: A State-by-State Guide to the River’s Natural Wonders.”

Veterinarian and regular guest Dr. Bill Stork returns to cover what to do if your dog catches a cold. Then, we talk about taking care of small exotic mammals like rabbits, hedgehogs and ferrets with Dr. Jennifer Boonstra, a veterinarian from Cambridge.