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This season, sweeten your holiday with local Wisconsin gifts. Support one of Wisconsin’s many beekeepers with the gift of locally sourced honey. In 2017, beekeepers in Wisconsin harvested 2.9 million pounds of honey. Honey is a completely natural sweetener; if the label on the bottle says “Pure Honey” you can be guaranteed that the only ingredient is what the bees have provided straight from the honeycomb. Interestingly, the color and flavor of honey differs depending on the bees’ nectar source (the blossoms) and can vary with the season. The most common flavors of honey in Wisconsin are buckwheat, clover, basswood, and wildflower. Pick up your next jar of wildflower honey from Dancing Bear Apiary Honey. Their hives are located in woodland areas, so the bees collect nectar from naturally growing wildflowers. Their beekeeper, Kent Pegorsch, began caring for bees and collecting honey in 1976. Since then, they have been harvesting and bottling raw honey. At Dancing Bear Apiary, they handle their honey from hive to bottle, keeping a rich, fulfilling taste. Find the perfect jar at dancingbearhoney.com. Handmade confections are sure to put a smile on faces of friends and family this holiday season. Shop for toffees, candies, fudge, and more at local sweet shops across our state. When you support local businesses, your dollars stay in our state and return to our communities. Gifts from Cream City Caramels & Confections are perfect for friends and family with a sweet tooth. Their caramels are produced in small batches using plenty of local Wisconsin dairy products. Both sweet and salty, their caramels are available in a variety of flavors; and with a soft and creamy texture, they are sure to melt in your mouth! Look for unique varieties flavored with Berres Brothers Highlander Grogg coffee or Oasis Bee Company honey. Select a few bags of different varieties, or order a holiday box of salted vanilla caramels at creamcitycaramels.com. Homemade cookies and brownies from Beans n Cream Bakehouse are sure to sweeten your holiday. Located in Sun Prairie, their bakery crafts all of their sweet treats from scratch. Plenty of Wisconsin butter and dairy are used in the process, supporting local farmers and processors here in our state. Stop by one of their stores to pick up a gingersnap, scone, muffin, or chocolate brownie for everyone on your list. And for the coffee-lover? Grab a bag of their locally-roasted coffee, available in holiday flavors like White Christmas and Silent Night. Find more local sweets and treats produced by Wisconsin businesses at somethingspecialwi.com.

For decades, cheesemakers across Wisconsin have been crafting and perfecting cheese recipes. Whether the recipe has been passed down from generation to generation, or is an innovative original, the story of these cheeses are truly woven in to the fabric of our history. Certified Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook knows this well, as he has spent a lifetime in the cheese business. Sid is the fourth generation in his family to make cheese. Combined, there is over 1,000 years of cheesemaking experience in the Cook family. Sid fondly recalls growing up in a cheese plant, learning the family business. At the young age of 16, Sid received his cheesemaking license, and has since spent a lifetime crafting high-quality Wisconsin cheese. Today, Sid Cook owns and operates Carr Valley Cheese. As a company, Carr Valley Cheese began in 1902, and today is best known for producing high-quality, artisanal aged Cheddars. Carr Valley operates four cheese plants, all in southwestern Wisconsin. Between the plants, they produce over 100 different dairy products. Their line-up includes classics like pepper jack, medium cheddar, and brick, but also a long list of original cheeses. Today, Carr Valley produces more than 50 original varieties of artisan and specialty cheeses. These varieties are made with cow, goat, and even sheep milk. Several varieties combine two or all three of the milks to create unique flavors. Cheese at Carr Valley is made the old-fashioned way, by hand, with a goal of producing high-quality cheese with outstanding flavor. These techniques, combined with a lifetime of experience have garnered more than 800 national and international awards for Sid’s Carr Valley cheeses. To date, Sid Cook has won more top national and international awards than any other cheesemaker in North America. He is proud of these accolades, but is humble sharing, “It takes a lifetime.” Shop their award-winning cheeses, and learn more about Carr Valley Cheese at: carrvalleycheese.com. *Photo of Sid Cook courtesy of Carr Valley Cheese Facebook page.

Ghostly greetings, and happy Halloween! Today is one of my favorite days of the year! I love crafting costumes and enjoying Halloween candy each year. Often, the day is filled with ghoulish feasts and spooky sweets (which I thoroughly enjoy). This, however, can make it hard to find a treat that is also part of a healthy diet. How can you give your friends and a family a nutrition boost this Halloween? Enjoy a refreshing glass of chocolate milk! As the Official Beverage of Halloween, fuel up with a glass of chocolate milk today. Bring a gallon to your neighborhood party or enjoy as a post-trick-or-treating refreshment. Chocolate milk is the perfect beverage for Halloween because it is nutrition in disguise! With the same nine essential nutrients as white milk, you can feel good about drinking a glass. Each serving of chocolate milk includes calcium for strong bones, protein for muscle growth, potassium for a healthy heart, and more! Experts agree that low-fat chocolate milk is a tasty way to build strong bones that no one will find frightening. According to the American Dairy Association, research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association confirms that chocolate milk is a healthy beverage for both kids and adults. They found kids who drink chocolate milk tend to drink fewer sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks, which are the number one source of calories and added sugars in their diet. They also found children who drink flavored milk or chocolate milk have higher calcium intakes and actually ingest less fat and sugar in their overall diet. This holiday, keep skeletons growing with a glass of chocolate milk. Celebrate the official drink of Halloween, and feel good about your choice! You can even dress up your chocolate milk for more spooky fun! Check out this quick and easy mummy milk craft for inspiration below. MUMMY MILK Materials: Bubble chewing gum tape or adhesive gauze tape Self-adhesive craft “googly eyes” Tall clear glass Decorative paper straw Directions: Remove backing from google eyes and adhere them to the side of the glass. Take a long strip of bubble gum or gauze and wrap the glass with the bandage. Make sure the eyes peek out from behind the “dressing”. Pour chocolate milk in the glass and add a decorative straw.

Orange, white, green, and every color in between, pumpkins are the quintessential symbol of Wisconsin fall. Whether you prefer to carve a jack-o-lantern, eat a pumpkin pie, or decorate your front porch with colorful gourds, there is a Wisconsin pumpkin variety for you. There are over 20 different varieties of pumpkins grown throughout the state, differentiated by shape, size, color, and flesh quality. Personally, my favorite variety of pumpkins are the knucklehead pumpkins, which are covered in warts! These pumpkins are perfectly unique, and are a great decoration for my front porch. Earlier this season, I visited Wallendal Farms to learn more about growing and harvesting pumpkins in Wisconsin. The Wallendal family began farming in 1956, and has since been committed to cultivating a safe, wholesome food supply for their customers. Today, the third generation of the family is involved in the operation, helping to grow everything from carrots and cabbage to soybeans and squash. Five years ago, they added pumpkins to their mixture of produce. This year, the Wallendals will harvest 200 acres of pumpkins, with the majority designated for wholesale. Pumpkins begin their lives as a seed, and are planted in rows across the field in the spring. The seeds are spaced far enough apart to allow for four to six pumpkins to grow per plant. To help prevent disease, the Wallendal family rotates their pumpkin fields, meaning that they will not grow pumpkins in the same field back to back years. Ideally, their goal is to have a five year rotation before they return to a field with pumpkin plants again. This is a natural, and sustainable practice to help prevent disease in the plants. Early pumpkin varieties are ready for harvest between late summer and the first days of fall. To accommodate early customer orders, Wallendal Farms will begin harvesting their pumpkins as early as Labor Day. When it is time for harvest, a pumpkin’s skin should be hard enough that a fingernail cannot poke a hole in the skin. Pumpkins at Wallendal Farms are all harvested by hand. First, employees will walk through the field and cut the pumpkins from the vine. They aim for a two inch stem, one that is not too short, but still allows for easy packing for transport. After they are cut, employees will again walk through the field and load pumpkins on to wagons or into old school busses to be transported back to the packing shed. There, pumpkins will be washed, sorted, and packed into bins for transport. While in the field, employees must pay special attention to the white-skinned pumpkins, as these varieties are sensitive to the sun, and can easily become sunburned. They will also evaluate scarring on the pumpkins. If a pumpkin has too much visual scarring, it cannot be sold to a retailer. However, I was excited to learn that these pumpkins do not go to waste. These ‘less-desirable’ pumpkins are instead sold to a dehydration plant and are often included in pet foods. Each year, when October rolls around, I am grateful for our Wisconsin pumpkin growers. The fruits of their labor are intertwined so closely with traditions of carving jack-o-lanterns, decorating for fall, and eating pumpkin pie with my family. No matter your family traditions, or which pumpkin variety you are looking for this season, be sure to choose a Wisconsin pumpkin in support of our local family farms.

Though Wisconsin’s cucumber harvest season is over for 2019, pickle season is here! At least, it is for the Martin family. Earlier this year, my mom and I made and canned pickles from fresh Wisconsin cucumbers, thanks to a neighbor’s plentiful garden. After the pickles were canned, the pickling process required that they sit for four to six weeks before eating. Now, six weeks later, our pickles are ready to eat! I first began making pickles with the help from 4-H leaders and my mom as a project for the Rock County 4-H Fair several years ago. The initial decision to make pickles was actually not mine, but stemmed from a family request. (Growing up, I was NOT a pickle fan.) Mom, dad, and my brothers (all pickle fans) made the suggestion for a pickle entry, and I am sure glad they did. Fast forward to today, and though I still do not consider myself a pickle lover, I am fond of the bread and butter pickles I make. My homemade pickles were a big hit with family and friends after they received a blue ribbon that first year at the fair. I continued to make pickles the rest of my 4-H career, and my mom and I have since carried on the annual tradition years after I graduated from exhibiting at the fair. Each time, we start our pickles with locally-grown cucumbers. Cucumbers are a member of the gourd family, originating in South Asia. Today, cucumbers can be found in many Wisconsin gardens. There are three main varieties of cucumber: slicing, pickling, and seedless. The pickling cucumbers, as their name implies, are best for pickling. Wisconsin may not be known as the ‘cucumber state’, but we do rank among the top ten states for production. In 2017, we ranked eighth, with a harvest on 5,500 acres. Cucumbers are great to eat fresh in the summer, and are popular as a crisp addition to a salad or sandwich. Though cucumbers contain mostly water, they do have a small amount of lutein which is essential in eye health.* After we have selected our pickling cucumbers, we slice them up, add onions and salt, and cover the mixture with crushed ice cubes. This mixture will sit in the fridge for three to four hours before we add the pickling solution. Our recipe makes bread and butter pickles, so the pickling solution is nice and sweet! Once chilled, the cucumbers and onions are drained, placed on the stove, and the pickling solution is added. They are boiled, and placed into jars. The final step is to process the jars in boiling water, so they will be sealed until ready to eat. Pickling cucumbers has now become quite a tradition at the Martin household. Next cucumber season, I encourage you to try your hand at making pickles! Start with Wisconsin cucumbers, grab a few family members or friends, and end up with delicious pickles and cherished memories. *According to the Wisconsin Farmers Market Association: http://www.wifarmersmarkets.org/foodfacts-cucumbers.aspx

Each year, autumn brings a cool breeze, color-changing leaves, and for many, a much-anticipated apple harvest. Due to an ideal growing climate, unique varieties and high quality standards, Wisconsin apples are second to none. This week, I stopped by Helene’s Hilltop Orchard, LLC in Merrill to learn about caring for apple trees, harvesting apples, and making farm-fresh apple cider. Following in the footsteps of her parents, Olivia, along with her husband Mark, own and operate Helene’s Hilltop Orchard. Their orchard is home to 33 varieties of apple trees, as well as a pumpkin patch, an adventure barnyard, and a farm store filled with the scent of countless apple bakery items. Around every corner, Olivia and Mark’s passion for Wisconsin agriculture shines bright. Out in the orchard, Olivia shared how they care for their trees all year-round. Recently, their farm has embraced a new method for planting and growing apple trees. The new method utilizes a trellis, similar to a grape vine, to stabilize the baby trees after transplant. They planted several new, smaller varieties on the trellises, allowing the trees to be spaced closer together. Additionally, they have cut back on mowing the natural grass between the rows of their trees. Leaving the grass long prevents detrimental insects from laying their eggs, as they prefer short, manicured grass to reproduce in. This natural barrier reduces insect damage on the trees. Harvesting their apples begins in late August, and typically runs through October. Of all their trees, about 60% are dedicated for visiting apple pickers. The remaining 40% are hand-picked by farm employees, and are sold in the store in various forms. Their farm store offers four varieties of fresh pre-picked apples: Red Cortland, Red McIntosh, Honeycrisp, and RiverBelle. The RiverBelle apple is a relatively new variety, developed in Holmen, Wisconsin. This apple is similar to Honeycrisp, but has a more intense flavor. Of all four apples above, I enjoyed the RiverBelle the best! The farm bakery at Helene’s Hilltop Orchard began with only apple pies. Today, they make three versions of apple pie, applesauce, apple cinnamon bread, apple cider doughnuts, and many more apple treats. But what intrigued me most was their fresh, homemade apple cider. Each Tuesday, fresh apple cider is made for the farm store. To make their apple cider, they first chop up the apples. Chopping the apples releases tannins from the fruit, adding more flavor to the final product. An average of five varieties of apples are chopped and used to make one batch of cider. This mixture of apple varieties differentiates a cider from an apple juice. Often, apple juice is made using just one variety of apple. Once chopped, the apples will be squeezed in a press, creating the cider. You can stop by their store for just a cup of cider, or for a half-gallon or gallon to take home and share. My advice? Pour a glass of cider in a mug, heat it up in the microwave for two minutes, and enjoy. Mmmmm! The next time you are in Merrill, or passing by on your way up north, stop by and visit Mark and Olivia. Their orchard truly highlights the best of Wisconsin agriculture and the Wisconsin apple community.

All across the sandy soils of our state, potato growers are headed to their fields to harvest the vegetables of their labor. What does it take to get a potato from field to fork? I made a visit to Alsum Farms & Produce, inc. to learn more. Alsum Farms & Produce is a family-grown company, located near the lower Wisconsin River Valley. They recently celebrated 45 years in business, and have been a family company since the beginning. As an elite grower, packer, and shipper of fresh produce, they supply local, regional, and national communities with over 300 different fruits and vegetables for their table. The backbone of their business though? Wisconsin-grown potatoes! This year, the Alsum team will harvest more than 2,700 acres of russet, red, gold, and fingerling potatoes. I started my tour with a trip to the field, to experience the potato harvest first-hand. To harvest potatoes, growers must first kill the above-ground vine. Killing the vine causes the potatoes’ skins to harden in preparation for harvest. If a potato were harvested while the vines were still green, the potato’s skin would rub off as the spud was dug from the ground. 17-28 days after the vines are killed, the potatoes are ready. On the Alsum’s farm, a mechanical harvester is used to dig the potatoes up from the ground. A blade runs underground and pulls up all of the dirt and potatoes in its path. The spuds then travel across a series of conveyor belts which allow the dirt to fall through. Once the potatoes are separated out, they are gently placed into a truck driving next door. Gently is a key word, as potatoes bruise easily when they fall from a tall heights. Sides of the neighboring trucks drop down to allow the arm of the harvester as close to the bottom of the truck as possible. The farm’s goal is to only drop the spuds 5-6 inches. Once they are loaded in to the truck, they will leave the field and head to the farm for initial sorting. Part two of my spud tour took me to the Alsum packing facility near Friesland. Here, the potatoes are washed, washed again, and washed once more. Once they are squeaky clean, they are sorted electronically by weight. The potatoes travel in a single file line on a conveyor belt that kicks them off one by one into the correct group for their size. Next, potatoes are packed into bags of various sizes. Here, temperatures are kept cool, between 45-54 degrees Fahrenheit, and lights are kept low to keep the potatoes fresh. Packaging ranges from 20 pound bags to individually wrapped potatoes. These potatoes will be packed and shipped within two days, again ensuring freshness. The consumer is consistently top of mind throughout the growing, harvesting, and packing process at Alsum Farms & Produce. With integrity from field to fork, the Alsum family and staff are consistently looking for ways their process can deliver fresher produce, with higher traceability, using more sustainable practices. A true Wisconsin family company, they are proud to be a part of Wisconsin’s robust agriculture community.

Milk, cheese, and yogurt – oh my! These all sound like tasty dairy products from a cow, but did you know that all of these products can be made from goat’s milk too? I headed out to the Adamson Family goat farm, outside of Milton, Wisconsin, to learn a little more about the Wisconsin goat industry. While I was there, I visited with Sarah Adamson and took a walking tour of their farm. Sarah represents the one in nine people working in Wisconsin who hold a job related to agriculture. Wisconsin Goats The Adamson family raises 400 goats on their land. In total, Wisconsin is home to 72,000* milk goats. That’s more than any other state! Their herd is made up of three breeds of goats: Alpine, Saanen, and LaMancha. Each breed has unique characteristics and personalities that they bring to the farm. “The Alpine goats are sassy,” shared Sarah, “and the LaMancha goats are more laid back and friendly.” Both breeds, as well as the Saanen goats are known for high milk production. The ears of their goat breeds are also worth noting. Alpines and Saanens both have medium-length, erect ears, while the LaManchas appear to have no ears. According to the American Dairy Goat Association, LaMancha goats can have one of two types of ears. A “gopher ear” will reach a maximum length of one inch, and an “elf ear” will have a maximum length of two inches. Sarah also shared that on average, their goats produce eight pounds of milk per day. That’s equal to about one gallon per day! This milk is then sent to a plant, where it is processed into goat cheese. Goat Products to Enjoy Goat’s milk and products made from their milk are nutritious. According to the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom program, “Goat milk has fats and proteins that are easier to digest than cow milk. Therefore, goat milk can be better for infants who have weaker stomachs.” Their website also shared that, “Goat milk can also replace cow milk in the diets of people who are allergic to cow milk.” These are great benefits for goat products. Local grocery stores around the state carry goat’s milk, cheese and yogurt for you to choose from. Next time you are in the grocery store, be sure to check the dairy aisle for goat milk products. You can learn more by visiting the Wisconsin Dairy Goat Association website: https://www.wdga.org/. *Number updated 9/13/19 to align with 2019 National Agricultural Statistics Service.

For Wisconsin Christmas tree growers, Christmastime comes year-round. Wisconsin Christmas tree growers spend an entire year preparing the perfect tree for you and your family. Care is given to the tree at planting, around weeding, and during pruning and shearing. I joined in on several demonstrations held at the Midwest Christmas Tree Growers Association annual convention to learn more. This year’s host was the Feltham family at Country Side Trees, located in Walworth. Glen, Becky, Ruth, and Holly graciously opened up their doors to fellow tree growers from across the Midwest. The demonstrations started out at their home farm, where Ruth demonstrated how they hand create over 1,000 wreaths each season. Ruth’s award-winning wreaths start with greenery grown on their farm. Most of the greenery comes from Fraser fir and Balsam fir trees, though many others are used for contrast. Here’s the process Ruth shared for making the perfect wreath: Cut the greenery fresh each morning for the day’s wreaths. Measure your first bough to the appropriate length for your form. (14” is the perfect length for a medium-sized form) Lay the first bough upside-down in your hand, and add more boughs until you have an ‘okay-amount’. This was Ruth’s clever way to describe the amount of boughs she could hold in her hand while making the ‘okay’ sign. Be sure to line the tops of the boughs up. Then trim any excess length from the boughs to match the first measured bough. Place the group into the form, and close the metal clasps. Country Side Trees has a machine to help with this, though a hammer would work well too! Continue making groups of boughs, and adding them to the next consecutive clasp. Be sure to add the boughs at a slight outward-facing angle so the wreath looks big and full when complete. Add a homemade bow to complete the look! Store in a dark, cool place until you are ready to hang up. Ruth and her team will begin making wreaths for this holiday season around October 20 to prepare for the Thanksgiving rush. Next up, we headed up to the retail farm and store, where Glen talked about their tree business. Their family grows 75 acres, comprised of a variety of trees such as Blue Spruce, White Pine, Concolor (White) Fir and many more. The trees are planted eight feet apart from one another, to allow for easy maintenance and easy walking in the middle of the winter. This time of year, many tree growers just finished up shearing their trees. The shearing demonstrator shared that trees should be sheared no later than August 1. His goal when shearing the trees is to create a straight line for every angle of the tree. When shearing, he made nice long strokes around the tree to create these lines. Different types of trees are sheared slightly different, though the general process and timeline is still the same. Though many of us may not be thinking about Christmas in August, our Wisconsin Christmas tree growers are hard at work perfecting our trees. It truly takes year-round work to prepare beautiful trees, wreaths, and garland for our living rooms.

Today wrapped up the final day of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. The previous three days have showcased some of Wisconsin agriculture’s finest technologies. Together, farmers and industry members from across the state gathered to learn and share about new opportunities to increase speed, precision, and efficiency on their operations. Field demonstrations occurred all three days of the show, and were a favorite stop for many attendees. These demonstrations showcased the latest in tillage, harvesting, and other field equipment. This morning, I ventured out to learn a little more. The first field I visited was demonstrating field drainage tiling. This technique helps farmers manage their water table, and helps to prevent standing water in their field. Field drainage tiling, or tiling for short, is a growing practice in Wisconsin, as farmers continually look to improve. So how does it work? Drainage tubes with small holes are laid underground to collect excess water. These tubes lay approximately 30 inches under the ground, and have a small slope to one main draining tile at the end of a field. Tiled fields not only have better water management, but also tend to have higher yields. The demonstration had a local connection, as the drainage tile used was produced in Jefferson County. I also stopped by demonstrations of wheat combining and hay cutting. These demonstrations are done with machinery from multiple companies, allowing farmers to see competitive equipment operate side by side. The sessions concluded with opportunities for attendees to ask questions and get up close and personal with the machines. Many learning opportunities were packed in to the past three days at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. Together, Wisconsin agriculturalists came together to gain knowledge and connect with fellow industry members. This show truly highlighted Wisconsin farmers’ dedication to continually improve, as they work hard to provide safe, wholesome food for our communities to enjoy.

Each year, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days offers attendees new opportunities to experience Wisconsin agriculture. The show brings together diverse agriculture businesses from throughout the state, and even beyond, to showcase a variety of agriculture industries. The location for the event changes each year, allowing different regions of Wisconsin to be highlighted. This year’s host is Jefferson County and the Walter family. Throughout the week, the Rural Event Center stage provides educational entertainment. I stopped by two presentations today, both focused on popular Wisconsin food products! The first was led by Wisconsin’s Honey Queen, Sydnie Paulsrud. Sydnie hails from Eau Claire, and spends her time promoting the beekeeping industry in Wisconsin. Our state is home to 53,000 colonies of bees that produce local honey for each of our communities to enjoy. In her presentation, Sydnie demonstrated how to make the following honey berry smoothie. The trick to make it taste so good? Choose Wisconsin honey! Honey Berry Smoothie 1 ½ C. milk 1 ½ C. sliced strawberries or other berries 1 C. vanilla yogurt ¼ C. Honey 5 ice cubes Combine all ingredients, except ice cubes, in a blender. Blend until thick and creamy. Add ice cubes, one at time, and blend until smooth. Next up, Chef Shaun Edwards from Jones Dairy Farm shared a delicious recipe for chocolate, candy-covered bacon. Jones Dairy Farm is local to the show this year, located in Fort Atkinson. Their company is a premium meat product manufacturer, most known for pork products, especially sausage. As consumer preferences are changing, they have added chicken and turkey sausage to their product lines. Just as all of Wisconsin agriculture is global, so is Jones Dairy Farm. They currently ship product to 26 countries around the world, proudly representing our Wisconsin meat industry. Today was also the debut of the show’s first-ever extended hours through 7 p.m. With the extra hours, Jefferson County hosted a ‘Taste of Jefferson County BLOCK PARTY’! The event featured samples of local food entrepreneurs, breweries, wineries. This meant more Wisconsin product sampling! I first visited with Rushing Waters Fisheries, LLC to sample their smoked trout. My review? Delicious! Did you know more trout are raised in Wisconsin than any other food fish? I also sampled cheese from Hoard’s Dairyman Farm Creamery and Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese. Thanks to dedicated cheesemakers at each of these businesses, Wisconsin continues to remain America’s Dairyland, and our stomachs continue to be filled with high-quality Wisconsin cheese.

Generations of agriculture careers are on display all week at the Wisconsin Farm Technology Days in Jefferson County. The annual event kicked off this morning with opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. where we met the 2019 hosts, the Walter family. Four generations of the Walter family were present to welcome visitors from across the state to their grain farm. Currently, the Walter family raises 6000 acres of crops and runs a custom land tiling business. New to the show this year was the Ag Career Day. Today, students in grades seven through 12 were invited to participate in an interactive career scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt highlighted different career options within the Wisconsin agriculture community. One in nine jobs in the state of Wisconsin are related to agriculture, and that truly was on display at the show. Of course, I joined in on the scavenger hunt fun to explore the highlighted careers! The first stop I made was at the Culver’s booth. At their station, scavenger hunt members wrote thank you notes to farmers. What a great way to start the hunt! Farmers are the backbone of not only Farm Technology Days, but all of Wisconsin agriculture. I am so glad I had the chance to write a note in appreciation for all they do. My next stops highlighted agriculture machinery. Participants learned about different pieces of equipment, and what careers are available at agriculture equipment manufactures. Assemblers, fabricators, welders and design engineers are all necessary for companies like Kuhn North America to run. Drones and cell phone apps are also part of agriculture! Next, the scavenger hunt led me to DroneDeploy, a drone company that is working with farmers to map their fields. Data analytics jobs are essential to this agriculture business. The University of Wisconsin Extension booth showcased a commodity price calculation app for farmers to use when making purchasing and selling decisions. App development and computer programming careers help farmers make more informed decisions for their business. I wrapped up my hunt at the beef tent. Equity shared great insights on careers in the Wisconsin beef industry. More than 16,000 farms in our state have more than one beef animal, and as a whole, the beef industry employs 35,100 people. From farmers, to processors, to marketers, the job opportunities are plenty with Wisconsin beef. Wisconsin Farm Technology Days truly highlights the diversity of agriculture careers available in our state. Whether you are interested in plant gene editing, animal handling, or financial services, there is a place for everyone who wants to work in Wisconsin agriculture.