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.

Fair season in Wisconsin has officially arrived! Local county fairs rolls around each year, somehow always during the hottest week of the season, and brings with them food, friends and fun. As a child, and still to this day, I look forward each year to my home fair, the Rock County 4-H Fair. I look forward to meeting up with old show-ring pals, watching the selection of our master showmanship competition, and enjoying fair food that only comes around once a year. This season, as you head out to your county or district fair, be on the lookout for local Wisconsin food products when you choose your fair meals. First, start your day off with a Wisconsin breakfast. Choose a food stand that is selling farm-fresh scrambled eggs. In 2017, Wisconsin produced over 1.7 billion eggs to feed our families. Top your eggs off with some shredded Wisconsin cheese. Classics like cheddar and Monterey jack complement scrambled eggs perfectly. Then, pair your cheesy eggs with fresh apple juice or apple cider from a local orchard. For lunch, check out the baked potato stand! Wisconsin spuds are both delicious and nutritious. Choose a baked potato as a perfect energizer for the middle of your fair day. Wisconsin potatoes have complex carbohydrates to satisfy your body’s energy needs. They are also high in vitamin C, containing nearly half the daily recommended value. Top your potato off with Wisconsin sour cream and bacon crumbles from a Wisconsin hog. Choose a white or chocolate milk to rinse it all down. When snack time rolls around, it will be hard to resist those deep-fried Wisconsin cheese curds. Fair food stands across the state connect with their local cheesemakers to bring you fresh curds for deep frying. Though these aren’t the healthiest option, deep-fried cheese curds can be a special treat for a day at the fair. Choosing Wisconsin cheese curds also supports local economies, and keeps your dollars in our state. Another great snack option is a caramel apple on a stick. Look for a local orchard food stand selling the ‘fruits’ of their labor. In 2017, apples contributed 26.3 billion dollars to Wisconsin’s economy. Commercial apple orchards can be found in 57 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, with the most concentrated regions being Southwest Wisconsin, the Door County peninsula, and Bayfield County. Pulled pork sandwiches are one of my favorite fair-time meals, and are a perfect way to end your fair food journey. Visit your county pork producers’ food stand for local pulled pork sandwiches. At the Wisconsin State Fair, you can even try a pork chop on-a-stick! According to the Wisconsin Pork Association, today’s pork is 16 percent leaner and 27 percent lower in saturated fat compared to 26 years ago. Top off your dinner with a classic chocolate shake. The perfect end to your Wisconsin-inspired fair meal, a chocolate shake is also a great way to celebrate National Ice Cream month this July. As we celebrate this month-long holiday, we show our appreciation to Wisconsin farmers and processors who work hard to provide safe, wholesome food to feed our families at the county fair and all year round.

Wisconsin cheese is all about quality. Whether you prefer squeaky fresh cheese curds, or 10-year old aged cheddar, you can bet that if it was made in Wisconsin, it will be top notch. The standards for making cheese in our state are high, ensuring Wisconsin cheese remains the best of the best. Wisconsin is the only state in the nation that requires a license to make cheese. All across the globe, Wisconsin is recognized for producing consistent, high quality cheese. At the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest, Wisconsin earned 47 gold medals out of a field of 3,402 global entries. Five entries from Wisconsin were also selected as finalists for the best cheese. Earlier this week, the best of the best Wisconsin cheeses were sent in to Milwaukee to compete in the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest. Each year, this contest is held for dairy manufacturers looking to earn the coveted title of Grand Master Cheesemaker. Entries must be made by a Wisconsin licensed cheesemaker in a Wisconsin licensed dairy facility. 2019 was a record year, with more cheese entries than any previous contest. I had the opportunity to attend the dairy products judging event this year to learn more about how our Wisconsin cheese is evaluated. All of the cheese entries were submitted in 27 different classes. These classes represent different styles, types and varieties of cheese made in Wisconsin. Examples include blue veined cheeses, flavored semi-soft cheeses, and natural goat milk cheeses. Cheeses were evaluated on a 100-point scale for each of the following: flavor, body and texture, make up and appearance, color, and rind development. The first step in the judging process is to evaluate the outside packaging of the cheese. Is the seal tight? Is the wheel an even shape? Does the rind look consistent? Next, the professional cheese judges will core the cheese. This allows the judges to pull a sample of the cheese from the center, without cutting it open. The judges will smell, taste and feel this sample of cheese. Is there an off smell? Is the flavor uneven? Does the cheese crumble too much? Two judges evaluated each cheese, and then averaged their scores together. Once all of the classes were scored, the top cheeses were brought back out for a further evaluation to determine the Grand Master Cheese. The winning cheese has been selected for 2019, but will not be announced until the Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction on Thursday, August 8 at Wisconsin State Fair Park. To find high-quality Wisconsin cheese in the store, look for the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese badge. This badge can be found in stores nationwide, and represents consistent, quality Wisconsin cheese.

I believe in the future of agriculture. These seven powerful words are the guiding direction for many of Wisconsin’s future agriculturists, and members of the National FFA Organization. Rooted in rich history, the FFA organization has been preparing young leaders for careers in agriculture for over 90 years. This week, I had the opportunity to spend a day at the Wisconsin State FFA Convention. The convention, a four day event, takes place in Madison each year. FFA members from across the state gather to participate in service projects, compete in leadership development events, and celebrate their accomplishments from the year. As I wandered through the FFA Hall of Stars, I inspired by the passion and dedication of our state’s FFA members. Noah, a Star Farmer Finalist and recent high school graduate, has already begun the process of taking over his family’s dairy farm. He shared with me his future plans for the dairy, and what he was looking forward to most. Through FFA, he was able to grow and develop skills he will be able to use every day on the farm. Brooke, also selected as a Star Farmer Finalist, grew up on a dairy farm, but at an early age found a love for dairy goats. Thanks to the FFA organization, she had the opportunity to learn and grow her knowledge about both dairy cows and dairy goats. It is energizing to hear students share their life’s passion, and excitement for their future in the agriculture community. With one in nine jobs in the state of Wisconsin related to agriculture, the possibilities for students interested in an agriculture career are endless. Organizations such as the National FFA Organization provide students opportunities to learn about the diversity of Wisconsin agriculture careers, as well as to dive deep into subject areas that spark their interest. As a past FFA member myself, I was excited to speak at the luncheon honoring students who earned their state FFA degree. The state FFA degree is the highest level of recognition members can receive on the state level. To earn a state degree, students must show commitment and dedication to the FFA organization and to their agriculture education. This year, Wisconsin awarded over 300 State FFA degrees. The National FFA Organization is an impressive organization that truly holds a special place in my heart. I am a proud American FFA Degree recipient and proud alumni of the Milton FFA chapter, where my love for the blue and gold began. I joined the Milton FFA chapter as early as I could, which in Milton meant seventh grade. Throughout my time in the organization, I developed leadership, public speaking, and communication skills. I also had the opportunity to travel to Louisville, KY, Indianapolis, IN, and Washington D.C., all in my blue FFA corduroy jacket. The experiences I had and friendships I gained through my time in FFA are invaluable. This week, the Wisconsin FFA Convention showcased a bright future for our state’s agriculture community. The passion in the convention hall was contagious, and reignited my excitement for the year ahead. Stay tuned all year long as I share the adventures along my agriculture journey as your 72nd Alice in Dairyland.