Search Results

Growing up on one of the 96 percent of Wisconsin dairy farms that are family owned, our gravel driveway showcased several jobs in Wisconsin agriculture. Our veterinarian would visit at least once a month for heard health. The milkman came every other day to haul our milk to one of Wisconsin’s nearly 150 cheese manufacturing plants. The local feed store delivered rations for our livestock and discussed animal nutritional needs. It is not surprising to see so many careers pull into one driveway. About one in nine jobs in Wisconsin is related to agriculture. Each of those jobs supports a nearly additional 1.5 elsewhere in the state. Of the nearly 413,500 agricultural jobs in the state of Wisconsin, on-farm production contributes 153,900, and processing contributes 259,600 jobs. In the past month, I have been increasingly asked what my plans are once my adventures as Alice concludes in June. I had hoped this year of traveling and networking with industry leaders across the nation would create a clear career path. Instead, I have been intrigued in all directions by the opportunities available in agriculture. Earlier in October, I had the chance to speak with several businesses at World Dairy Expo. Their contributions to agriculture ranged from designing livestock facilities to creating the latest technology for farmers. What impressed me the most was their staff included individuals with no prior farming backgrounds. They were drawn to the cause of providing food, fuel and fiber and found careers that fit their passions. The diversity of Wisconsin’s agriculture industry is its greatest strength. As farmers and processors continue to become more productive, the diversity of jobs in Wisconsin agriculture will also continue to grow. The industry needs engineers, software developers, technicians and more who can adapt to and help create more effective ways of producing food, fuel and fiber for the world. Agriculture careers support many industries that include farm production, agriculture management and marketing, food science, urban planning, and energy. Wisconsin colleges are rising to the challenge by offering new, innovative programs. For instance, Wisconsin Technical Colleges offer more than 50 programs in agriculture-related fields. With less than 2 percent of the nation actively involved in agriculture, the number of youth who see career opportunities pull into their driveway is dwindling. However, the demand for agricultural products rises as the world’s population continues to grow. Agriculture is looking for the next generation to come forward and be part of the almost endless careers available. As members of the agriculture community, it is our responsibility to showcase the opportunities in agriculture for those who have not witnessed the industry firsthand. Fewer people are being raised on Wisconsin farms like I was, but there are more chances for them to join our efforts and keep Wisconsin agriculture moving forward.

It is not uncommon to drive past Wisconsin corn fields, but how many of us stop to think about how the common crop can keep us moving in our everyday lives? Traveling the state in style, my car, Maizey, definitely attracts a lot of attention. She is wrapped in ears of corn because Maizey is a flex-fuel vehicle powered by E85 or ethanol. Impact of Ethanol While fueling up with E85 this June, I had a gentleman ask me at the gas pump why I use ethanol. “Isn’t that precious food stuff?” he asked. The type of corn used to make ethanol is “No. 2 Yellow.” It is not the sweet corn or the canned corn found in grocery stores. Only 3 percent of this corn goes directly into food products as corn meal, oil, syrup or starch. In fact, ethanol may help lower the cost of all food items in the grocery store as one of the largest factor in food prices is transportation and ethanol reduces the cost of fuel. Wisconsin’s agriculture industry thrives because it is so diverse, and ethanol is a key part of that diversity. Wisconsin’s nine ethanol plants make more than 500 million gallons a year, putting Wisconsin among the top 10 ethanol-producing states in the country. Our ethanol plants use about 37 percent of the state’s corn crops, generate $4.2 billion in economic activity and impact 19,000 in the state, according to the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association. Recently, I had the chance to visit United Wisconsin Grain Producers (UWGP) to learn more about the biofuel and how it is made. Producing corn power Corn-based ethanol has a positive net energy balance which mean sit takes less energy to make than we get from the product. To compare, the USDA said for every unit of energy used to make gasoline, there are 0.8 units of energy returned. Constantly improving their output, UWGP currently produces 63 million gallons of ethanol a year. Purchasing their corn within a 60-mile radius, UWGP grinds nearly 58,000 bushels a day making 175,000 gallons. Dan Wegner, UWGP commodity manager, said it is a similar process to brewing beer, but they strive for volume, not taste. Using starch from corn, UWGP converts the starch into sugar with enzymes. They ferment it with yeast that feeds on the sugars. In total, it only takes about 72 hours to turn the starch into ethanol. Because it is such a biological process, UWGP has lab staff on hand to test the product for quality and look for ways to improve their methods. Everything left after fermentation is reused. For example, UWGP said it is one of three ethanol plants in the world providing A+ Pro Yeast. It is a 48 percent protein yeast ingredient that can be used as a palatable protein source for dairy, swine, poultry, aqua-culture, and increasingly pet food markets. The operation ships 28,000 tons of A+ Pro Yeast each year. Nearly 113,000 tons of distillers grain also leaves the plant annually mostly going to local livestock operations. Distillers grains are a principal co-product of ethanol. The grain is a high protein, high-energy animal feed supplement. Lastly, UWGP ships about 2.5 million gallons of crude corn oil annually. Corn oil can be a key component in making biodiesel, or it can be utilized as a renewable fat source in animal nutrition. Fueling adventures with ethanol Now that there is an understanding of how ethanol is made, how can the product be used? Ethanol is now found in all regular gasoline in Wisconsin because of its clean air benefit. Almost all modern vehicles can use E10 or 10 percent ethanol. Using higher blends of ethanol like E85 will require flex-fuel vehicles. Ethanol can be good for your car. Ethanol-blended fuel helps keep engines clean. It can also help prevent wintertime problems by acting as a gas-line antifreeze. There is little difference in gas mileage using ethanol. While riding in Maizey, I save money at the pump by fueling with ethanol, which offsets the costs of any gas mileage lost. In addition, using corn-based ethanol lowers greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 60 percent compared to gasoline, according to the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association. The next time you need to make a pit stop in Americas Dairyland, consider the power of corn. Apps make it easy to find E85 pumps near you to help fuel your adventure in agriculture.

Agriculture and the dairy industry have driven the state’s economy for over 175 years, but there is and will also be new, uncharted territory to discover. For more than 50 years, the first week of October has been designated to celebrating where the industry has been and what the next frontier is for agriculture’s future. That celebration is known across the globe as World Dairy Expo. When I was younger, going to World Dairy Expo seemed a lot like going to a theater. There were lights and cameras everywhere. Cows were constantly primped and pampered for their time on the colored shavings. Snacks (including many cheese varieties) were sold around every corner. One year, I even met a celebrity, Elsie the cow. I had no idea how quickly the wheels of industry were turning beyond those spectacles that caught my eye. As I grew older, my view of World Dairy Expo changed. I had the chance to walk across the colored shavings with two of my beloved Jersey cows. I was humbled by the quality of the show and amazed by how quickly dairy cattle improved in each passing year with the help of advanced bovine genetics. Once I entered the professional world in agricultural communications, the Expo grounds became an unending source of content and stories to share. Although the focus was on dairy, Expo brought together several industries in agriculture that work together for the common goal of feeding the world. Once called the World Food and Agricultural Foundation in 1967, World Dairy Expo’s mission is to serve “as a forum for dairy producers, companies, organizations and other dairy enthusiasts to come together to compete, and to exchange ideas, knowledge, technology and commerce.” Crowds of nearly 70,000 people from 100 countries visit Madison. A nearly 900-company trade show gives producers the chance to see the latest in technology and dairy equipment. It is truly an honor to have such a display of achievement take place in America’s Dairyland. The opportunity to network with leaders in agriculture across the world is one that cannot be taken for granted. Farmers and processors are continuously becoming more efficient in providing a safe, wholesome food supply for families. New domestic and international markets are constantly sought for Wisconsin’s high-quality products. In 2017, Wisconsin exported $3.5 billion of agriculture products, a 3.6 percent increase compared to the year before. Top agricultural export products include bovine semen and other dairy-related goods. Showcasing the finest cows in North America and the latest in dairy innovation is a chance to find our next frontier in potential markets across the globe while learning from leading researchers and technical experts. The future of Wisconsin agriculture quickly becomes our past. As my life continues in the industry, I look forward to seeing what uncharted territory we can uncover with partners around the world.

No matter how far we travel in life, we all carry traditions with us to keep the memories of where we came from alive. This is certainly true for Marieke and Rolf Penterman who brought their traditions across land and sea to share in Wisconsin. I had the honor of seeing the life they built in our state while visiting Thorp this September. Marieke Penterman was born and raised in the Netherlands where she grew up on her parents' 60-cow dairy farm. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Business, Marieke stayed in the agriculture industry as a farm inspector. Her future husband, Rolf Penterman, emigrated to Thorp, Wisc. and started a dairy farm in May 2002. Marieke followed a year later, but she did not leave her Dutch roots behind. One of Marieke’s life goals was to start a business before she turned 30. Hard work and a craving for cheese helped make that happen. Missing the cheese from her home, Marieke did some research and decided to become a licensed cheesemaker in Wisconsin. She worked with a local cheesemaker and traveled back to her home country to learn how to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese. They opened the doors of the farm retail store to sell cheese 10 days before Marieke turned 30. Like a true Wisconsin cheesemaker, Marieke poured quality into her craft. Four months after releasing her first batch of Gouda, Marieke earned a gold award at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in 2007. She held the United States Grand Champion cheese in 2013 and continues adding to her collection of more than 100 national and international awards. Marieke credits the quality milk from Penterman Farm for making exceptional cheese. Their dairy herd is housed in a freestall barn which gives cattle the opportunity to walk and lie down whenever they please. The barn has sand bedding, rotating back-scratcher brushes, sprinkler systems and fans to keep them cool in warm months. Start to finish, the milk from the cow can be made into cheese within four hours. An agri-tourism spot in Wisconsin, Marieke and Rolf Penterman let guests view everything from the farm to cheesemaking up close in an open and educational environment. Making each of her 13 flavors of Gouda is a special process. Milk is piped directly from the cows into the cheese processing vat. Once curd forms, it is hand-packed into 18-pound molds before going under a press. After being pressed for nearly 2 hours, each 20-pound wheel is placed in a salt brine for 60 hours. The wheels of cheese then go to an aging room where they are aged on Dutch pine planks. The planks absorb liquid as the cheese ages. The cheese is turned daily for the first two weeks to make sure butterfat is even throughout the wheel. After that, the cheese is turned twice weekly for as long as it is in the facility. In Wisconsin, we are fortunate to have choices among 600 varieties, types and styles of cheeses including specialty cheeses that win awards around the world. Marieke is among nearly 1,200 licensed cheesemakers in the state of Wisconsin who improve their craft with each batch. Every cheesemaker has his or her own recipe for success. The tradition that we carry forth in Wisconsin is producing cheese that stacks above the rest.

“What is agriculture?” I often ask youth to define the term for me. Many focus on the second half of the word, culture. They speak of customs that have taken place in Wisconsin’s history that make Wisconsin the dairy state. One bright young man inspired me by saying agriculture is our past and our future. Certainly, our society would not be what it is today without agriculture and the ability to produce food for a continually growing population. While Wisconsin was once a wheat state, special moments in our state’s history helped shape the dynamic dairy industry and create a cheese culture. The decades of Wisconsin’s cheesemaking history have been carefully outlined by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Pioneering Wisconsin farm wives made “kitchen” cheese as early as the 1830s. By 1841, Anne Pickett of Lake Mills made the first official Wisconsin cheese by adding milk from her neighbor’s cows to that of her own small herd. Wisconsin produced 400,283 pounds of cheese in 1850, according to census records. Wisconsin residents soon began crafting their own creations. A Wisconsin-original brick cheese was invented in 1877 followed by Colby, named after Colby Wisc., in 1885. While cheeses are flavorful and fun, producing a high-quality product was something early cheesemakers took seriously. Wisconsin became the first state to grade its cheese for quality in 1921. The state’s central location and high cheese standards helped the industry grow rapidly. Today, Wisconsin is home to nearly 150 cheese plants that craft almost 3.4 billion pounds of cheese each year. That is 27 percent of the United States’ total. Almost half of all specialty cheeses made in the nation come from Wisconsin, which is no surprise considering our state makes more than 600 varieties, types and styles. Some are not found elsewhere in the country. For example, Green County is home to 12 cheese manufacturers that craft more than 60 varieties of specialty cheeses. Part of Green County’s heritage is hosting the historic Cheese Days festival every other September. I was honored to have the biannual celebration occur during my year as Alice. During Cheese Days, I had the chance to witness Old World tradition and Swiss heritage in Wisconsin. Cheese is an important slice of Wisconsin agriculture as 90 percent of the milk produced in Wisconsin is made into cheese, and 90 percent of that cheese is sold outside Wisconsin’s borders. Markets all across the globe seek products from America’s Dairyland, bringing millions of dollars back into the economy. Markets are tough for dairy farmers, but wheels are still turning in the industry. There have been 45 million pounds of increased annual Wisconsin cheese sales since 2013, according to Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Specialty cheese accounted for 62 percent of that increase. In fact, total milk usage for dairy products such as cheese has increased by almost 80 percent in the past 35 years. As farmers continue to be more efficient and productive, new domestic and international markets are sought for Wisconsin’s quality agricultural products. Rather than asking what agriculture is, I now ask what we can do for Wisconsin agriculture to maintain its strength in the future. When you see cheese with the Proudly Wisconsin logo, you are a witness to a quality product perfected throughout the history that made America’s Dairyland. The history gave farmers like my parents an opportunity to pursue their passion in the dairy industry. While flavorful and fun, Wisconsin cheese has a serious impact on the state and can open career opportunities in unexpected ways for the next generation of farmers, livestock nutritionists, cheesemakers, software developers and more. Purchasing Wisconsin cheese is a way of showing support for Wisconsin’s dairy culture and the many faces that defined it in our past and will create new standards in the future.

Weeks after storms left a path of destruction across Wisconsin, their evidence is still present in local communities. Fields are filled with flooded crops. Debris is visible from roadways. Sandbags sit idly where water was once rising. In my travels as Alice, many people have kindly asked how my family’s farm fared in the storms. Fortunately, the position of our dairy on a large hill prevented flood damage, but the same was not true for our neighbors in Southwest Wisconsin. Word quickly spread about friends who were forced to sleep in their hay mow to avoid dangerous water. Several lost livestock, animal feed, and crops. Those working in agriculture understand the storms did not just cause thunderous damage to finances. It was a blow to buildings built with passion, livestock loved by farmers, and crops carefully planted for fall harvest. Mother Nature can test the will of even the strongest individual, but Wisconsin farmers show persistence in the darkest of times. Agriculture is a community of neighbors helping neighbors for a common goal of providing food, fuel and fiber for the world. That community stood together in the recent string of storms and gave helping hands, offered hot meals, and helped recover what was lost. My parents, not being able to stand the thought of cows going hungry, loaded a trailer with hay and donated it to an impacted farm. Constant calls and messages were exchanged providing updates on who was taken care of and who still needed help. As recovery efforts continue, there are programs available for farmers impacted by the flood and heavy rains. The Wisconsin Farm Service Agency offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs. Available programs include Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), Tree Assistance Program (TAP), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Emergency Loan Program, Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), and HayNet. When strength is tested, passion is inspired. Storms may affect individuals, but a true impact is made when communities come together for a common cause. Thank you for the workers, volunteers and friends who continue moving Wisconsin agriculture forward.

Can you imagine a truckload of Wisconsin cheese curds? That sounds like a dream, but it is not too far from coming true. Wisconsin’s dairy industry is part of our state’s economy, society, and future. We dedicate the entire month of June to celebrate the delicious and nutritious products our farmers and processors provide. Every other year in September, we extend that dairy celebration with Green County’s famous Cheese Days. The event has to be a biannual festival because of its size and scale attracting more than 100,000 visitors who eat cheese by the truckload. The Monroe Optimist Club, a local community partner, said it has sold nearly 176,000 pounds of deep-fried cheese curds at the festival to date to serve the needs of youth in the community. Each year, the club donates nearly $40,000 to projects and organizations. The organization hopes to hit the $2 million mark at this year’s Cheese Days help Sept. 14-16 in Monroe. Green County Cheese Days started in 1914. After seeing a little town in Illinois throw a festival for sauerkraut, the original organizers thought Wisconsin could have a more grand cheese celebration. A group of local businessmen planned the festivities and drove a roadster through the city of Monroe to publicize the event. According to the festival’s history, a handmade sign attached to the vehicle read, “First cheese Day Committee 1914-We Started Something!” More than 100 years later, the festival pairs Old World tradition and Swiss heritage with new entertainment that includes contests, music, a parade, and, of course, cheese. Green County has 31 dairy processing plants including 12 cheese manufacturers, according to the Green County Development Corporation. In fact, the county has more Master Cheesemakers and cheese manufacturing plants than any other in the state. Wisconsin crafts more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese. Over 60 varieties of specialty, award-winning cheeses are made right in Green County, and some of those are not made anywhere else in the country! In addition to Wisconsin’s irresistible fried cheese curds and unique artisan cheeses, the festival perfectly blends entertainment and education with dairy farm and barn quilt tours, Swiss heritage displays, old-time cheese making demonstrations, antique tractors and more. I am fortunate to not only have this festival take place during my year as Alice but also have such a strong community host the 72nd Alice in Dairyland Finals. The young women selected as Alice in Dairyland Top Candidates will have the chance to go behind the scenes of Green County, network with agribusinesses and likely eat a lot of cheese from May 9-11. Anyone can see the finals for themselves! If you’re dreaming of a cheesy September, make a visit to Monroe for Cheese Days. The celebration can cure any cheese cravings! Will you be there?

In today’s digital world, it is easier than ever to stay connected. Facebook and Instagram show us what family and friends are doing and, often times, what they are eating. My mom uses Snapchat to send me quick, fun photos of the farm while I am on the road. Emails help me communicate with my co-workers when I am not in the office. With such disconnect between our farmers and processors and those with backgrounds outside of agriculture, it’s time to create a link. Of course, one of the most fun ways to educate about agriculture is by inviting everyone to the farm. When time is short and the distance is long, online resources help create the first contact. Several family farms, farm businesses and agriculture organizations are often active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They use the platforms to not only connect with their members but also to share their stories. Social media is a perpetual mailman that can send a message to audiences we have not yet met. While we may never meet in real life, a digital conversation can make real changes in how someone on the other side of the screen views agriculture. Websites can offer experiences to virtually tour a farm. Videos may showcase how cheese is made, introduce you to a mink breeder, or explain how an ear of corn can fuel a car. When people have the opportunity to ask their questions, it opens doors that lead to educated decisions in the grocery store, at the pump, or in the shopping mall. For those who live and work in Wisconsin’s agriculture industry, I challenge you to share your story online. A few minutes spent on a Facebook post could change a stranger’s perspective for a lifetime. To anyone with backgrounds outside of agriculture looking to learn more, see what resources are available and do not be afraid to ask questions. I am deeply rooted in agriculture being born and raised on a dairy farm, but I too have a lot to learn when it comes to Wisconsin’s diverse agriculture industry. As we eat, dress or drive, our common connection is agriculture. It’s time to check in and see what agriculture is doing in Wisconsin.

Medals, plaques and trophies are often marks of greatness. They celebrate quality, reward dedication and inspire persistence to succeed. In Wisconsin, our awards case is quite full with the accomplishments of our farmers and processors. Wisconsin is America’s Dairyland, so it is no surprise Wisconsin ranks first in the nation for the production of cheese, including specialty cheeses that win awards around the world. Dairy isn’t the only cream of the crop for Wisconsin. The diversity of our state’s agriculture industry is its greatest strength. Wisconsin is the top producer of commodities such as cranberries, ginseng and more. While our cheese, ginseng and cranberry producers have put in the work to succeed, we as Wisconsin residents have the chance to reap part of the rewards by taking part in agri-tourism. Cheese Days in Monroe brings together the Old World tradition with a new age of entertainment. The concept of Cheese Days originated in 1914 from the notion that if a town in Illinois could have a festival featuring sauerkraut, Wisconsin could have an even more grand cheese celebration. More information about the history of Cheese Days and this year’s celebration held Sept. 14-16 can be found online. The 2nd Annual International Wisconsin Ginseng Festival is sinking its roots in Marathon County Sept. 14-16 as well. The event showcases agriculture, culinary skills, education, history, art and entertainment. Ginseng cultivation started in the late 1800’s in Marathon County which is now the capital of the United States’ ginseng industry. Wisconsin ginseng is known as the premier cultivation in the world as 95 percent of the ginseng root exported from the United States comes from Central Wisconsin. After tasting award-winning cheese and digging into Wisconsin’s top ginseng crop, our state’s official fruit will be ripe for its moment of glory. The 46th Warrens Cranberry Festival is Sept. 28-30. Cranberry marsh tours show highlights of how the fruit is grown, harvested and used locally for wine and other products. Wisconsin produced 64 percent of the nation’s total cranberry count in 2017, more than twice of the second state, Massachusetts. Anyone can learn new uses for the tart, tasty berry at the festival. Our medal may be a golden wheel of cheese. The plaque will be a framed memory with family and friends. The shining trophy is the wealth of knowledge earned from taking tours, asking questions and learning how our farmers and processors provide a safe, wholesome and secure food supply for families. How will you earn your awards?

Some things in life were meant to be together. Peanut butter and Wisconsin jam make a sweet, filling sandwich. Warm cookies with a cool glass of milk are a delicious dessert. Agriculture and tourism come together for the perfect blend of education and entertainment. Agri-tourism is the combination of two of Wisconsin’s key industries. It represents a chance for people of all backgrounds to visit a local fair, farm or orchard and learn how food travels from the farm gate to our plates. The opportunity to learn about Wisconsin agriculture is open to people of all ages and backgrounds. I was raised deeply rooted in agriculture, but I learn something new almost every day as Alice. That is because Wisconsin earns its success from farms of different types, sizes and production methods. Although the air is becoming crisper in the mornings and evenings, there are still fairs taking place across the state. Fairs bring together the farm, food and entertainment. Fairgoers can chat with crop and livestock exhibitors to learn how they provide a safe, wholesome and secure food supply for families. Personally, I enjoy getting new craft or DIY ideas by walking through the exhibition halls that showcase the talents of area residents. As fall creeps around the corner, Wisconsin’s more than 300 commercial apple orchards will be ripe with entertainment. Pick your own bushels with family and friends, and test new varieties to pack in the lunchbox this fall. Orchard owners can also explain how they manage hundreds if not thousands of trees to produce the perfect crop. Anyone looking for an adventure can test their skills in a classic corn maze. Halloween enthusiasts may find the freshest decorations at a local pumpkin patch. Visiting area farms and buying Wisconsin products helps support local farmers, producers, communities and economies. Start planning now by checking out visitdairyland.com. The website has destinations, ag-venture, festivals, as well as tastes and tours that vary from visiting one of Wisconsin’s nearly 100 wineries to watching our famous cheese crafted at a local store. The only missing piece for this perfect partnership in Wisconsin is your participation!

Wisconsin summer nights are often filled with dazzling displays of color. Carnival lights from local fairs and festivals scream of celebration as they illuminate the sky. Like the circling fun of a carousel ride, Wisconsin fairs revolve around opportunity. The Crawford County Fair was always the highlight of my summer. My brother, Justin, and I practiced walking our heifers and cows for months. With help from mom and dad, we gathered our supplies, picked the finest crops from the field, and trailered our exhibits and animals to the fairgrounds. Not everyone could walk away with a blue ribbon or a tall trophy, but that was okay. The fair was a time to reconnect with friends, eat as many shakes at the 4-H Food Stand as possible and enjoy one last stretch of summer before the school year started. Because my friends and I loved showing cattle, we joined the Crawford County State Fair Dairy Team. Our parents kindly volunteered to chaperone or drive kids and cattle to the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Local businesses generously pitched in by donating supplies and funds for our display. Going from the small fairgrounds in Gays Mills to the nearly 200-acre State Fair Park was quite the culture shock. We knew we were not in rural Crawford County anymore as curious fairgoers stopped to ask thoughtful questions about dairy farming in Wisconsin. In all of my years of showing, I thought we were just having fun with carousels and cows. I had no idea the fair was crafting my career in communications. The Wisconsin State Fair gave me an opportunity to explain how farmers provide a safe, wholesome and secure food supply for families. I was never a great public speaker. Truthfully, I was very shy. However each day at the fair, I had fresh practice sharing pride for my family’s dairy farm. I became an active listener, an effective storyteller and a passionate communicator. If not for my experiences with Wisconsin fairs, I would have never found my love for agricultural communications. As Alice, I was fortunate to spend all 11 days at the Wisconsin State Fair delivering demonstrations and speeches this year. My goal with every interaction was to let career opportunities shine for young exhibitors and fairgoers alike. Regardless of anyone’s background, there are numerous opportunities to work in Wisconsin agriculture. In fact, one in nine people working in Wisconsin has a job related to agriculture. Each of those jobs supports a nearly additional 1.5 jobs elsewhere in the state. My family’s dairy farm alone works with feed mills, dairy equipment manufacturers, veterinarians and more. Wisconsin needs technicians, genetics experts, dairy software developers and more to help our farmers and processors become more efficient and provide the best quality care for livestock and land. Are you drawn to fairs by shimmering carnival lights, or has exhibiting also been a part of your family’s tradition? Whatever your reason to enjoy the fair season, there is still plenty of time to explore options in Wisconsin agriculture. I am excited to once again visit the Crawford County Fair Aug. 22-26, but if you can’t make it to my home corner of the state, there is a full list of fairs online. I challenge you to enjoy the ride, explore your options, and take in the opportunity to see Wisconsin agriculture in action at our county and district fairs.

​For generations, the Seaquist family has grown apple and cherry trees north of Sister Bay in Door County. While in the middle of the family’s busy cherry harvest, Dale Seaquist took time to give a tour of their orchards and processing facility. In our time together, Dale shared a bit of his family’s history. His ancestor, Andres Seaquist, was the first generation to come to the United States from Sweden where he was a carpenter. He worked in Wisconsin’s timber industry until, as Dale says, “he followed Johnny Appleseed” and realized the Door County peninsula was an ideal region for growing fruit trees. Dale laughed when he said his grandfather bought 700 fruit trees for six cents per tree. Today, Seaquist buys their trees for about $6 a piece. Using a fishing boat, Andres hauled the fruit to various markets. Not falling far from the tree, Dale and his wife, Kristin, are the fourth generation to run the family orchard. Today, they grow nearly 1,000 acres of tart cherries and more than 50 acres of apples and sweet cherries. Dale said the family has about 30 varieties of experimental sweet cherries, each with their own stories. Managing an orchard requires a lot of precision planning. A cherry tree will grow for about five years before it can be harvested. Seaquist Orchards said they can get about 20 years of production out of a cherry tree. Once an orchard reaches its age limit, the trees are removed and chopped into mulch to be used in the next planting. Throughout the decades of their family business, technology helped the orchard stay fruitful. Dale said he built a machine to encircle cherry trees and mechanize harvest nearly 50 years ago. They can completely harvest four cherry trees a minute, but it only takes about seven seconds for the machine to shake the cherries off a tree. Each tree has nearly 7,000 cherries, enough to make 28 pies! Dale also engineered much of the technology available in their processing facility. Despite advancements from his designs, Dale said he is most proud to have a new crop of family coming into the business with their own children and grandchildren continuing the family legacy in Door County. “We have about 15 family members in the business,” Dale said. “You can’t engineer that.” Dale said last year, the orchard harvested 9 million pounds of cherries. Wisconsin’s total tart cherry production totaled 11.3 million pounds in 2017, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The value of Wisconsin’s utilized tart cherry crop totaled $2.11 million. Once the cherries are harvested, the fruit travels to a processing plant centrally located among all of the family’s orchards in Door County. The plant de-stems, sorts, pits and packs the cherries into different sizes. Throughout the process, there are several inspections that take place to ensure the fruit that leaves the plant are safe and wholesome for all consumers. You can watch a video of the entire process here! Now that we know the story of Wisconsin’s famous Door County cherries, I want to know, do you take your cherries tart, sweet, or baked in pies and pastries?