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Alice in Dairyland Travel Journal Archive |
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World Dairy Expo: Day 2
Sep. 30, 2009
On a very chilly morning, I was all bundled up in some warm Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board apparel. I spent the day working with Angie, Sue, Mary, and Michelle of WMMB to teach more than 800 area elementary students about milk as they visited World Dairy Expo. I started off the day by welcoming the students to the expo and told them about what I do as Alice. Then I passed the microphone on to one of the other ladies. The next part of the program was to talk to the kids about the nine essential vitamins and nutrients that milk gives us every time we have a glass of it: calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, potassium, riboflavin, protein, vitamin B-12, phosphorus, and niacin. I’ll tell you about the rest of the program tomorrow.
After a busy day with the students, I was off to the Dinner with the Stars. This dinner is a time to honor four people who have really done some amazing things to advance the dairy industry. I welcomed the crowd to the dinner before learning about all their amazing accomplishments. Dr. Jan Philipsson from Uppsala, Sweden, was honored as the International Person of the Year. He spent time in the 1960’s learning about the dairy industry here in Wisconsin through a 4-H exchange program. David Hileman from Tyrone, Pennsylvania, was selected as the Dairyman of the Year. Maurice Core, from Columbus, Ohio, was selected as the Industry Person of the Year. An amazing Wisconsin woman, Daphne Holterman, from Watertown, was selected as the Dairy Woman of the Year. Daphne has been a great advocate for agriculture as a dairy farmer at Rosy-Lane Holsteins near Watertown. Off the farm, she has been a role model for many young farmers and has devoted time to the Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer Program. She has also been very active in working with UW-Madison and the Association of Women in Agriculture. It was so great to meet Daphne after the dinner. She is truly an inspiration for all young dairy enthusiasts!
World Dairy Expo: Day 1
Sep. 29, 2009
I was so excited for the first day of World Dairy Expo! But before I went to the grounds, I stopped at the Lowell Center near the UW-Madison campus for the National 4-H Dairy Conference. There were youth representatives from many different states and even Canadian provinces. These youth are the future of agriculture. With a clear passion for the dairy industry, these youth have the opportunity to make more advances in the business of agriculture. Just like any other business, agriculture needs to modernize and be innovative to remain profitable and competitive. I got to address the group and talk to them about how great it was they were here to learn more about the dairy industry so they could help advance the industry.
After breakfast with the 4-Hers, I headed over to World Dairy Expo. I started my day visiting with Courtney Booth. Courtney, a former Alice, was recording interviews to air during the various cattle shows in the coliseum. The setting for the interview was really neat. We were on the stairs over looking the entry way to the Exhibition Hall where there are hundreds of booths from exhibitors from all across the country. There were so many people already walking around, looking at the exhibits to learn about new products and equipment for the dairy industry. It was very good to see such a good turnout on opening morning! After that, I had an opportunity to walk around all the different exhibits to learn myself and to visit with people from all across the country, even the world. I met a gentleman from Ireland who was interested to learn about my Irish, farming heritage here in the United States. It was really fun to meet so many different people and tell them all about Alice. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the days have in store!
Getting Ready for a Legendary Event
Sep. 28, 2009
After my monthly radio interview with Amber Gonske at WJMC in Rice Lake, I headed just a couple miles down to the road to the Alliant Energy Center where many people were preparing for World Dairy Expo. This event brings together dairy enthusiasts from around the world to celebrate the dairy industry. The slogan for Expo this year is “Legendary,” and it truly is. I’ll tell you more about World Dairy Expo as the week goes on.
Today, I got to do something really fun. I got to be a part of the announcement of the Wisconsin Cow of the Year for 2009. This is a great program to recognize dairy breeders here in Wisconsin for the advancements they make every day in advancing the dairy breed. The award rotates among all the dairy breeds. This year, Kamps-Hollow Altitude, a Red & White Holstein, owned by Ryan Kamps and Ryan Weigel was selected. I got to read the proclamation, interview Ryan and Ryan about the honor and the cow, and interview Mark Gilbertson from the Wisconsin Holstein Association and Laura Elliot, the Wisconsin Holstein Princess. It was so much fun! If you are coming to World Dairy Expo, look for that video to air during the Grand International Red & White Show and the International Holstein Show in the Coliseum. If you can’t make it to Expo, be sure to check back here for video.
Eat Local Challenge
Sep. 27, 2009
Today starts the beginning of the Eat Local Challenge in Wisconsin! This challenge encourages all Wisconsin residents to spend 10% of their food budget this week on Wisconsin products. Take a couple extra minutes in your grocery to look for those Wisconsin products or ask your grocer where they are located. Visit a local farmers market. Order some products online from Wisconsin companies. Go to a restaurant that uses Wisconsin products. There are so many ways to participate! Then by the end of the week, you’ll see how easy it is to spend money locally and do it all year round! Buying Wisconsin grown helps support our local farmers, producers, communities, economies, and all Wisconsin agriculture. If all Wisconsin residents spend 10% of their food budget on Wisconsin products all year, that will keep nearly $2 billion here in Wisconsin. Visit www.eatlocalwisconsin.com to learn more and to sign up! Then visit www.savorwisconsin.com to look for Wisconsin products!
Potatoes and Beef
Sep. 26, 2009
I spent my morning at the Two Rivers Farmers Market celebrating the Wisconsin potato. The Two Rivers Farmers Market takes on a different theme periodically over the year. For Potato Festival, I got to hand out free potatoes to the people who came to the farmers market. Even though rainy, cool weather hindered turn-out, I still got to talk to lots of people about Wisconsin potatoes. I gave away over 200 pounds of potatoes! Even though I was giving away potatoes, there was a stand at the farmers market where people could buy potatoes too. Going to a farmers market is such a great way to buy local. Buying Wisconsin products helps support our local farmers, producers, communities, economies, and all Wisconsin agriculture.
After the farmers market, I traveled down the lake shore to the Milwaukee metro-area. I headed to World Beef Expo at Wisconsin State Fair Park. World Beef Expo is one of the Midwest’s largest cattle shows featuring many different beef breeds. The shows are competition, but the expo is so much more. It is a time for breeders and producers from all across the nation to come together and share ideas about their industry. I got to share ideas about agriculture promotion with various ambassadors, princesses and queens of the beef breeds. I talked with them about ways that we can all work with each other to support each other – to be an advocate for agriculture. There were some very bright young ladies in the crowd; I think some future Alices. After the seminar with the beef ambassadors, I spent some time visiting with the beef exhibitors as I walked through the barns. I talked with farmers from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, and more. Then it was time to head to the show ring for the Supreme Drive – the selection of supreme champions. They turned off the lights in the coliseum and used spot lights to highlight the champion animals from the respective breeds. It was an amazing show, and I was happy to be a part of it!
Warrens Cranberry Festival!
Sep. 25, 2009
Warrens, Wisconsin is located about 20 miles north of Tomah just off Interstate 94. This tiny town of just a couple hundred people grows to nearly 100,000 over the three days of Warrens Cranberry Festival! Today was my first time visiting CranFest. Even though the weather was not ideal, the streets of this little town were filled with people. Along the streets were booths of arts, crafts, and lots and lots of food including cranberries. Over the course of the day, I had cranberry juice, a cranberry cream puff, deep fried cranberries, and cranberries jubilee which I helped make. I got to spend some time with Bob Williams, DATCP co-worker, making this yummy treat. We worked over a big pan and stirred water, sugar, and the fresh cranberries. Cranberries pop when you cook them, and they release natural pectin. After about 10 minutes of constant stirring, the cooked berries are served over ice cream. While stirring, I got to meet the new cranberry royalty who were just selected the week before. I’ll look forward to seeing them periodically throughout the year. I also got to see the outgoing royalty at their last event. Outgoing Cranberry Queen Rachel Reeck was my tour guide for the day around the town. During the day I got to meet a lot of people on the grounds, and I got to speak to an audience while the judges were tallying the scores from the cranberry recipe contest. I talked about all the different foods that come from Wisconsin and how many of them can be used with cranberries. That is the fruit CranFest is celebrating!
Learning About Our Official State Fruit
Sep. 24, 2009
Over the summer, I drove through central Wisconsin a few different times. And each time I would pass by a cranberry marsh, it made me more and more excited about the day I got to go tour one. Today was that day, and it was incredible! I traveled to Glacial Lake Cranberries near Wisconsin Rapids to learn more about our official state fruit: the cranberry. Cranberries are a native fruit to North America, and now Wisconsin grows nearly 60% of all the nation’s cranberries. Glacial Lake Cranberries has 330 acres of cranberry beds and about 3,000 acres of wet lands and reservoirs because cranberries need a lot of water during harvest. Mary Brown of GLC and I crisscrossed the farm many times as she showed me everything on the land and to see the harvest in action.
Today was the first day of harvest which will run through the end of October. Seeing the harvest was amazing. By using gravity, water is run into the bed. Cranberries have air pockets on the inside, so they float. But first, they need to be beaten off the vine. Crew members will drive “beaters” through the beds. A big, long wheel rotates and knocks the cranberries off the vines. The berries float to the top as more and more water fills in the bed. I got to ride on one of the tractors. Then, the corralling begins. They use a big yellow ribbon to help pull all the berries to one side of the bed. It is also helpful if there is a little wind to help push the berries along too. It is a beautiful sight to see all the berries floating in the corral. Then they move a conveyor at the edge of the bed to load the berries in a truck to take for processing. A tractor keeps pulling the yellow ribbon tighter bringing the berries in closer to the elevator, but people are still needed to help push the berries near the belt takes them up the conveyor. I got to help with this part too. Of course, before I stepped in the marsh I had to put on my hip boots. It was so amazing to stand out in the middle of the corral of cranberries, too look all around and only see these gorgeous berries.
Once the truck is full (Glacial Lakes’ trucks carry 18,000 pounds of cranberries), the berries are taken to be processed. First, the berries all cross a belt that blows away any leaves or twigs from the vines. Then the berries go on a couple of different conveyor belts before being scanned by an optical camera that kicks out any berries it deems aren’t good. Then the berries are loaded into huge 1,000+ pound crates. One crate is filled every minute! They use some pretty amazing equipment to process the berries before a buyer takes them from there. How berries are harvested and processed certainly isn’t how it has always been done. Agriculture is a business, and just like any other business, it needs to be innovative and modernize to remain competitive and profitable. Cranberries used to be harvested using hand rakes. They were also sorted by hand after going through a bounce test. Good cranberries bounce; see for yourself when you buy your next bag of fresh berries.
It was such an amazing day in the marsh. Thank you Mary and everyone at Glacial Lake Cranberries!
The Great Wisconsin Bag-Off
Sep. 23, 2009
I went to Milwaukee today where the Wisconsin Grocers Association Innovation Expo was being held. Their expo is a great time for different stores, distributors, and producers to meet and share ideas. They also share in a very exciting event: The Great Wisconsin Bag-Off, a grocery bagging competition. Many of the competitors won bagging competitions at their store to advance to the state contest at the expo. The baggers are scored on the time it takes to bag the groceries, the bagging technique, how equal in weight the bags are, as well as the personality of the bagger. The person who wins the state competition advances to the national competition in Las Vegas. I served as the hostess of the competition. I got to interview each of the contestants while the judges were examining and weighing the bags. I also had some trivia questions for the audience about Wisconsin agriculture. I asked the audience what the economic impact of Wisconsin agriculture was and I had to keep telling the crowd to guess higher. It took the crowd a little while before they got anywhere near $60 billion dollars. There were a lot of people who looked pretty surprised to learn that Wisconsin agriculture is a $59.16 billion business. It was so much fun!
Learning about Dark Red Kidney Beans
Sep. 22, 2009
This morning, I met up with Cindy Brown. Cindy is a member of the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and marketing director at Chippewa Valley Bean. I got to spend the day with her and learn all about Wisconsin’s dark red kidney bean production. We started at the finished product and ended in the field.
Cindy first took me to the Bush Brother’s bean factory in Augusta, the birthplace of the Bush’s Best Baked Beans. Bush’s is a very recognizable company because of their advertising with Jay Bush and his dog Duke. While their most popular product is the baked bean, Bush’s also cans a variety of different beans. All of Bush’s dark red kidney beans come from Wisconsin. This is an example of how you can still get local products even though they are packaged by a national company. We toured the factory even though the lines were down for maintenance (they are down for one week every year, torn apart, and rebuilt to help keep everything working smoothly). Joe, a long time Bush’s employee, took Cindy and me around explaining the canning process. When the dark red kidney beans come in, they are dry, so moisture has to be added back in. Once the beans are back to 55% moisture, they are put in cans. The seam on the cans has to be perfect to keep the beans preserved. Once the beans are in cans, they have to be retorted – steam cooked at 242 degrees Fahrenheit to kill any bacteria. The cans are placed in huge tanks that hold 12,000-15,000 cans! After retorting, the cans are labeled at a rate of 800 cans per minute. Then the cans are organized in cases to be shipped across the country. When thinking about buying local, it’s easier to think of local just being fresh. These canned kidney beans are a great example of how you can still get a local product in a can and it will still be a great product. Beans are harvested at their peak, and the can helps keep them “fresh.”
After seeing the finished cans, Cindy took me to her family’s kidney bean farm, Chippewa Valley Bean. Dark red kidney beans are a very nutritious vegetable. They are high in fiber, protein, potassium, and iron. An important thing in bean production is consistency. When you open a can or a bag, you want to see that the beans all look about the same size, same color, and no breaks in the skin. Chippewa Valley Bean takes great pride in studying their beans to see what they can do to continually increase the value and consistency of their beans. They are also looking for ways to keep diseases like white mold away from their beans. CVB works with students and staff at both UW-Madison and UW-River Falls to develop better beans by crossbreeding, not genetically engineering them. Cindy took me all around the processing plant where the beans are sorted and packed. The beans are brought in from the field in a gravity box and sent through a variety of different machines to sort them. The beans are run across a vibrating table that separates the beans by weight. Then the beans go through a rotating cylinder that is full of needles that grab any broken beans. Then the good beans pass by an electronic eye that scans the beans again, sorting them by color. This machine scans 45,000 beans per minute! Once the beans are sorted appropriately, they are packaged. Most the beans will be loaded in super-totes that hold 2,500 pounds of beans. Those beans are then stored in a warehouse until they are needed at Bush Brother’s to be canned.
Cindy also took me out to the fields to see the harvesting in action. Even though it rained this morning, there was still working being done in the field. The bean fields are straight rows of beans. Shortly before harvest, a compound is sprayed on the plants to kill the leaves. They use a compound to speed up the aging process of the plants. If they waited until the first frost, they wouldn’t be able to get everything harvested before winter. The first step in harvesting is cutting the plants. Then three rows of cut plants are gathered together; that step is called windrowing. I got to ride on one of the tractors for this step. The driver must watch out the back of the tractor to see that the plants are being put together evenly. With the help of GPS technology, this step is much easier that it used to be. The tractor now pretty much drives itself allowing the operator to focus on the plants coming out and be able to go a little faster since they don’t have to keep looking front and back. Then the beans can be harvested. The harvesters have been modified to fit the beans meaning they are altered to be gentle because the beans are delicate.
It was so neat getting to see the whole process of bean harvesting. Going in to today, all I knew about Wisconsin’s bean industry was that we rank second in the nation in dark red kidney bean production. I learned so much today. Thanks Cindy for setting up my tours today, and thank you to everyone at CVB and Bush Brother’s. Remember, you can get Wisconsin products fresh from the garden or fresh from the can. Which ever way you go, just remember to buy Wisconsin grown to support our state’s farmers, producers, communities, economies, and all Wisconsin agriculture.
Wausau Kiwanis and Elk Training
Sep. 21, 2009
This morning, I started off heading to Wausau to be the guest speaker at the Wausau Kiwanis Golden Key Club Meeting. Arnie Lang, the club’s president-elect, invited me to speak and answer any questions they club members had. I told the group all about how I grew up on a farm, dreamed of being Alice some day, studied journalism at UW-Milwaukee, and the different activities I’ve done since becoming Alice. I also talked with the group about the impact agriculture makes every day here in Wisconsin as well as some of the innovations that are advancing agriculture. Agriculture is a business like any other and needs to modernize and be innovative to remain profitable and competitive. The gentlemen in the audience had a lot of questions about agriculture, especially about the health of the dairy industry. The price dairy farmers are being paid right now for milk is very low, and the dairy farmers are hurting. I told the group that I was doing my best to support our dairy farmers by promoting all the great dairy products that come from Wisconsin as well as all food, fuel, and fiber products. I told them how I encourage consumers, just as I encouraged the Kiwanis club, to help support our Wisconsin farmers by purchasing Wisconsin products in stores. There was a lot of concern for the farmers from the crowd, and only a few of them were from farm backgrounds. It’s good to see that people all across Wisconsin are concerned for the farmers; I hope they all buy Wisconsin dairy products to help them through this tough time.
After the meeting, I headed to Neillsville to visit a local elk farm. The father and son pair of Richard and Rick Jensen have 60 head of elk on their farm. As soon as I pulled up to the farm, I could hear the elk bugle, a noise that bull elks make during their rut or mating season. For some people, hearing the sounds of the bull elk is the true sign of fall. Richard and Rick started their elk farm about three years ago. They operate their farm more for the breeding stock, to sell live elk to other farmers. The Jensens are very proud of the genetics they have in the elk, but they do sell some for meat. Elk meat is a heart healthy meat because it is low in cholesterol and calories. Richard said that two local stores that sell the meat can’t keep it in stock. Full grown bulls weigh about 1,100-1,200 pounds; cows are about 600-800 pounds. The bulls though are most recognizable because of their antlers. Each year, elk grow new antlers. The old ones fall off in March, and then begin to grow again. They grow throughout the spring and early summer, and then shed the velvet from the antlers. The antlers grow in size each year, just as the growing bull does. Richard showed me the antlers from one of the bulls, Boss Hog. They were huge! When standing up, the top of the antler was up to my shoulder. And the current antlers on the bulls are even bigger. Richard took me in the pen for a closer look. We didn’t go all the way in though, just inside one layer of the double layer fence. The two layers aren’t to keep the elk in, but to keep other animals like wild deer out to help keep chronic wasting disease (CWD) away from the elk. One other thing that Richard showed me was really neat. Elk have two ivory teeth in their mouth. It was really neat to see these very large, regal animals.
Fallapalooza
Sep. 20, 2009
I headed back to Sheboygan County and the Plymouth area today to Camp Anokijig for Fallapalooza. When I arrived, I met Mary Krahn, a camp employee. The Fallapalooza event is to help introduce people to the camp who may not know about it, although families who are regular to the camp are also welcome. Just like Mary said that many area families don’t know the camp is there, many Wisconsin residents don’t know about the diversity of Wisconsin agriculture near them. I had the opportunity to greet the guests as they entered the camp. There were so many different activities for everyone like an arrowhead dig, archery, games, horse-back rides, and fishing! As the crowd entering the camp began to die down, I went to the lake to visit the people fishing. It was fun talking to them about fishing being a part of agriculture. I even saw a girl catch a little blue gill! Thanks to all the staff at Camp Anokijig for inviting me to this great event!
Kids Day in Portage
Sep. 19, 2009
Today was a perfect day for Kids Day. The 12th annual event is sponsored by Blau Family Chiropractic and other community sponsors. The event is geared to be a fun day of arts, crafts, and games, but also to help kids stay healthy and safe through health screenings, free toothbrushes, and ID cards. It was an open house environment outside the Culvers in Portage. At my table, I was helping kids learn about all the healthy food that is grown on our Wisconsin farms. Using the Taste Wisconsin board, I would give the kids clues on a product, and when they got it right, they got a prize of a cup to drink that healthy milk out of. There were some kids walking around in soccer uniforms, so I also took the time to talk to them about chocolate milk being the ultimate sports recovery drink to have after a game. Chocolate milk has the perfect blend of carbohydrates and proteins to replenish tired muscles. I had so much fun at Kids Day, but it ended too quickly. Thanks to the staff at Blau Family Chiropractic for putting on such a great event!
Teaching Kids About Agriculture
Sep. 18, 2009
I had a really fun day working with kids and teaching them about agriculture. I spent most of my day in Prairie du Sac for the “Beyond the Barnyard” Career Day for the 7th graders at Sauk Prairie Middle School. This event is hosted by the Sauk Prairie FFA Alumni. They brought in a variety of different people who work in agriculture in all sorts of different fields. The students got to extract DNA from wheat germ, weld, learn about working with food, and much more. My station was to help show the students how vast the opportunities in agriculture are. With over 300 careers in agriculture, there is the potential that anyone can work in agriculture. Some of the students already had ideas about going into careers in agriculture like to be an ag teacher, a veterinarian, a farmer, a welder, and florist. Other students had never thought about working in agriculture and were surprised by some of the possibilities. I remember one boy who became very interested in maybe being a game warden. Another kid really liked about how working in graphic design could also work with agriculture. It was great to see them all thinking about agriculture being a part of their lives.
After teaching eight groups of 7th graders, I went to Madison to work with some kids of all ages. I went to LearningRx, a reading and learning center. They were having a President’s Club party. To be in the club, the students learn to say all the presidents in order from memory forwards and backwards. And each President’s Club party honors one of the presidents. This party was in honor of the fourth president James Madison. Since Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin, the theme of the party was all about Wisconsin. I brought my Taste Wisconsin board to help teach the kids about all the different food that comes from Wisconsin farms. We talked about dairy products too, like ice cream. In fact, James Madison’s wife, Dolley, served ice cream at his inauguration celebration. So, they brought in Sassy Cow ice cream for this President’s Club party. It was a lot of fun.
Three Stops Today
Sep. 17, 2009
I had three very different stops today. The first stop was at Cherokee Bison Farms, Ltd near Colby. There I met with Leroy and Cindy Fricke who I first met back at the Festival of Flavors in Eagle River. Leroy and Cindy have been working in agriculture for years, but not always raising bison. The Frickes had a dairy farm, but a barn fire killed their milking herd back in 1988. They knew they wanted to stay in ag, but weren’t exactly sure what direction to do in. On a trip out west, they met with a bison farmer and thought it would be the perfect fit for them. When calves are born, they are just 40-50 pounds and are light or reddish-brown in color. In a couple months, they will start to turn a darker brown. Males can grow to 1,500-2,000 pounds. Females grow to about 1,000 pounds, usually have their first calf at three years old, and will have one calf every year (twins in bison are very rare). Bison are herd animals which means they like to stick together as a group. They are also grazers, and the Frickes like to keep them that way. They will feed the herd a little corn silage, but otherwise, they are raised naturally on pastures. Leroy and Cindy took me out to the pasture so I could see and hear the bison. Since their bison aren’t domesticated, they aren’t used to people being close. But Leroy and Cindy had a treat for them – sunflower seeds, so they stayed pretty close to the tray the seeds were put in. Bison make some neat noises; they grunt. We also heard a bull courting a cow with long, low grunts. Bison meat is very healthy being low in fat, calories, and cholesterol. It is also high in iron and vitamin B-12. As a whole, Wisconsin ranks tenth in the nation in bison meat production. I got to try some of the meat too as Cindy fried up some of the bison bacon and summer sausage. Cherokee Bison Farms also has a cranberry summer sausage and snack sticks. Check those out at Warrens Cranberry Festival!
After the great tour, I traveled to Pittsville for my first school visit as the 62nd Alice in Dairyland. This year, I will visit more than 100 schools. Today, I met with all the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders of Pittsville Middle School. I talked with them about all the possibilities there are in agriculture for careers. There are more than 300 careers in agriculture, and it’s not too early for middle schoolers to think about what they want to do in the future. Thanks Pittsville Middle School for being my first school visit!
The school visit was arranged by the Wood County Farm Bureau whose meeting I spoke at tonight for my third and final stop of the day. Farm Bureau is an organization that helps represent farmers that dates back to 1920 here in Wisconsin. Their mission statement is to “Lead the farm and rural community through legislative representation, education, public relations, and leadership development.” I first greeted all the members as they arrived to the meeting and dinner. After the meal, I was the guest speaker. I talked with the crowd about the impact that agriculture continues to make here in Wisconsin. I told them about the new impact numbers regarding agriculture. Even though I was a journalism major, I do like numbers and breaking them down. As a whole, Wisconsin agriculture is a $59.16 billion industry. If we break that down, that means agriculture contributes $5 billion every month, more than $1 billion every week, close to $160 million every day, more than $6.5 million every hour, over $110,000 every minute, and $1,875 every second in economic activity here in Wisconsin.
Sunrise Orchards and Burnstad’s Market
Sep. 16, 2009
Today, I traveled some curvy roads that I have traveled many times before. Growing up not too far from Gays Mills, my family would make the trip there every year to get apples from one of the many orchards on the hills of the Kickapoo River valley. I have been to Sunrise Orchards many times, but today, I got to learn more about the orchard and the apple industry. Sunrise Orchards is currently in its third generation as a family orchard. The orchard started back in 1913 when the Kickapoo Development Company started a 40 acre orchard. The Teach family started in the business when they moved to the area in 1934. Ellery and Grace Teach worked on the orchard and finally purchased it in 1956. The orchard currently stands on 225 acres. When I arrived at the orchard, I met Lynne Teach, one of the third generation family members. Lynne showed me around the main building where the apples are sorted and packed. Sunrise grows more than 30 varieties of apples totaling more than 130,000 bushels. Today, the crews were harvesting and processing the McIntosh apples; they are the most common variety because they are so versatile. When the apples are brought in from the orchard, they are washed, sorted by size, and packed in a variety of bags and boxes. Sunrise does have a retail area in their warehouse, but also work with a distributor so you can find their apples in the grocery store as well. While still in the main building, I got to see where they make apple cider. Apple cider is simply the juice pressed from the apple, and that’s it; nothing is added to the cider. After the cider is pressed, the liquid is sent to a processor where it is pasteurized before returning to the orchard just a couple days later and available for sale. Apple cider is a key ingredient in Sunrise Orchards famous apple cider donuts. I visited the bakery at Sunrise where they are made. The bakery makes eight dozen donuts at a time. Each batch contains two quarts of apple cider. On any given day, the crew turns out 1,682 donuts an hour.
After spending some time with Lynne, I met her husband, Allen, who talked with me more about the orchard. Allen told me about how the orchard has changed since his grandparents started the orchard. Early on, not very many apple trees were planted per acre. When Allen’s dad started caring for the orchard, there were about 70 trees per acre. That has grown to anywhere from 500 to 1,000 trees planted per acre. Apple trees last about 40 years. Allen said this year was practically ideal for apple growing, so they are expecting a great harvest. There were only two blemishes on the year. The warmer temperatures this fall haven’t allowed the apples to get as bright red in color as a cooler fall normally would. That doesn’t hurt the apple in flavor at all, just in appearance. However, the area was hit by a hail storm this summer which did damage a couple of acres. Hail is one thing apple trees can’t handle. The delicate fruit damages easily, but Sunrise was able to make cider from the damaged apples.
To be harvested, the delicate apples have to be picked by hand, to minimize bruising. I visited with some of the pickers as they were hard at work. Each picker has a harness with a basket attached. The baskets have a cloth bottom that allows the apples to gently leave the basket when they are placed in a larger container to be taken back to be processed. Pickers usually work in teams on a tree, but one hard working picker can pick as many as 100 bushels of apples in a day! (A bushel is about the same size as a small laundry basket.) As a whole, Wisconsin’s apple industry grows nearly 1.5 million bushels (59 million pounds) of apples, and generates nearly $10 million in economic activity each year.
After touring the orchard, I started on the road for an evening event. I made a quick pit-stop at Mt. Sterling Co-op Creamery to say hi to my dad and the whole crew working at the cheese factory. They have all been big supporters of me and my travels around the state as Alice. Thanks everyone!
I headed up to Tomah for the night to attend the re-grand opening of Burnstad’s Market. I met Kent Burnstad last month at the Wisconsin Grocer’s Association Board meeting. He was very excited about the remodel job because they have done some things to highlight Wisconsin products. For example, they only slice Wisconsin cheese in their deli, and they have a whole case featuring specialty cheeses. When I arrived at the store, I was greeted by two of the Klement’s Racing Sausages. Klement’s and Sartori Foods were just a couple Wisconsin companies who were sampling products at the event. The Tomah High School Pep Band was playing some music, so it was a really exciting atmosphere. Kent brought me up on the platform for the ribbon cutting. Right after that, I got to say a few words to the crowd about the importance of buying Wisconsin products. Buying Wisconsin grown helps support the state’s farmers, producers, communities, economies, and all Wisconsin agriculture. Proudly displayed on one of the walls in the store is a sign that reads “Proudly supporting Wisconsin farmers.” I reminded the audience about the Eat Local Challenge coming up at the end of the month. After the ceremony, I mingled with the crowd and talked with many people about local foods.
Wollersheim Winery Tour
Sep. 15, 2009
This afternoon, I headed to hills of the Wisconsin River valley to Prairie du Sac. I stopped at Wollersheim Winery to learn about Wisconsin’s wine industry. I took one of the guided tours which are offered daily. The tour starts off with a short video about the history of the winery which is one of the oldest wineries in the United States. The main building is made of lime stone that was quarried in the area and pine trees from northern Wisconsin. The winery was first started by a Hungarian man, Agoston Haraszthy, who later followed the gold rush to California and was instrumental in the start of the wine industry there. A German man, Peter Kehl, then bought the land. The Kehl family operated the winery for nearly 50 years before stopping. In 1972, Robert and JoAnn Wollersheim bought the winery, planted new vines, and began making wine. Vines don’t bear fruit for the first few years, so the Wollersheims bought grapes to begin making wine from. In 1984, Philippe Coquard moved to the US from France after studying winemaking. Philippe married Julie, Robert and JoAnn’s daughter, and they now run the winery.
The grapes grown at Wollersheim are French-American hybrids that grow well in our climate. The Wisconsin River that flows nearby helps create a climactic dome around the area, so the air temperatures are a couple degrees warmer than other areas. They also have many south facing slopes, so the vines get lots of sun. Like other fruit bearing plants, grape vines don’t produce fruit until about four years of age. The grape vines can last 80-100 years and reach their maturity at 20-26 years. The Wollersheim grapes grow on 25 acres of land, and there are some different varieties of grapes for the different kinds of wine. The main variety is the Marechal Foch which is very reliable. I found the St. Pepin grapes to be very interesting; those grapes aren’t harvested until December when they are picked and crushed frozen to make Wollersheim’s Ice Wine. The Ice Wine is very sweet. Grapes that grow the longest on the vine have the highest sugar content and lowest acidity to make sweet wines.
The clusters of grapes are cut from the vine and placed into crates. When the small crates are full, they are dumped into a larger crate that holds more than 1,000 pounds of grapes. The large containers are brought to the winery where they are raked into the de-stemer and crusher. The crushed grapes are then pumped into big stainless steel tanks where yeast is added, and the fermentation process begins. For red wines, the grapes are fermented with their skins on. The skin of the grape gives the wine its color. The longer the skin is left with the juice, the deeper the color is going to be. For blush wines, the skin isn’t left in very long at all so it gives the wine just a little hint of color. After the wine ferments in the stainless steel tank, it goes through a second fermentation process and aging when it is placed into oak barrels and kept in the cellar of the winery. Each oak barrel holds 60 gallons or 300 bottles of wine. There are about 250 oak barrels in the cellar. The whole fermentation process is very closely monitored to ensure the wine is developing how the winemaker wants it to. After the wine has aged the appropriate time, it’s ready for bottling. The bottling machines can fill, cork, and label 2,500 bottles per hour.
The most popular of all the Wollersheim wines is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Prairie Fume, which has won numerous awards, continues to be a popular semi-dry variety. To date, Wollersheim has bottled nearly four million bottles of the Prairie Fume.
After the tour, former Alice in Dairyland and employee at Wollersheim Winery, Sheri Hicken took me out to a vineyard where grapes were being harvested. Sheri handed me a pair of vine cutters, and I jumped right in cutting the clusters from the vines. It was neat to see how the clusters had grown together and around leaves. The vineyard was so beautiful. I’ll be back at Wollersheim for their Vintage Event in late November. You can find more information about Wollersheim Winery, the tours, wines and events at http://www.wollersheim.com.
Family Farm Weekend at the Zoo
Sep. 13, 2009
This morning, I headed to the Milwaukee County Zoo for Family Farm Weekend. This weekend highlights the Family Farm area of the zoo complete with a milking dairy herd. I spent a lot of time near the dairy complex as zoo visitors were entering. I had a whole box of milk cups to hand out to the kids from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. So, while I was handing the cups out I made sure to ask the kids where milk comes from and find out what other dairy products they like to eat. It was also great time to talk with the parents about how important the dairy industry is to the state. The dairy industry contributes $26.5 billion to Wisconsin’s entire $59.16 billion agriculture industry. I also encouraged parents to make sure they were buying Wisconsin dairy products to support our dairy farmers. At the zoo, they also had stations where kids could participate in a pedal tractor pull, visit a farmer’s market with all kinds of great vegetables, and churn ice cream. It felt more like summer at the zoo, but by looking at the crowd, many of them were ready for fall and ready for some football. With the Packers playing that night, there were lots of people dressed in their Green Bay apparel.
WALSAA Fire-Up and Garden Festival
Sep. 12, 2009
I was up bright and early this morning to get ready for the Wisconsin Agriculture & Life Sciences Alumni Association (WALSAA) Fire-Up. The Fire-Up is a tailgate party to help the group raise money for the scholarships and other activities they do to support the UW-Madison College of Agriculture & Life Sciences (CALS) students. There were many CALS students and WALSAA members (and a handful of past Alice in Dairylands) on hand for the event which started at 8:30am in the Fieldhouse. Since it was a tailgate, there were brats and steak sandwiches for everyone to eat before the Badger football game. To get everyone excited for the game, members from the UW Marching Band, Badger cheerleaders, and Bucky Badger himself stopped by! I even got to polka with Bucky! I also welcomed the crowd and thanked the WALSAA members for all they do to support the future of Wisconsin agriculture.
After the Fire-Up, I headed down to Janesville for the 4th Annual Garden Festival at the Rotary Gardens. The event, which is put on by the Rock County Master Gardeners, was a great way for people to learn about different things they can plant in their own gardens. There were heirloom beans, peppers and a whole spread of different tomatoes on display and for tasting. I think I found my new favorite little tomato - the white currant tomato; it looks like a large white currant, but it has a smooth, creamy, light tomato flavor. There were also other tables to show different ways to prepare those vegetables like fried green tomatoes and fresh salsa. I did two presentations at the event. Both were about some of the most common vegetables that are grown commercially across Wisconsin, but that can also be grown in home gardens. I think even some of the master gardeners were surprised to find out how many different vegetables Wisconsin ranks in the top 10 in production of like sweet corn, potatoes, green beans, and green peas. It was a gorgeous day, so I also got to take a little stroll through the Rotary Gardens to see all the beautiful flowers there.
Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival
Sep. 11, 2009
Today, I got to spend time around an important fiber of Wisconsin agriculture: wool. I went to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Jefferson. The festival, which runs September 11-13, showcases primarily wool, but also highlights all the value added products that come from sheep. When I arrived, I met with Leah Dickson, a sheep enthusiast from Portage. Leah took me all around the grounds. We started by stopping in a building where many people were taking classes on things to do with wool. We spent the most time at the class that was making felted bags. They used the wet felting technique which uses soap and water to make the wool fibers stick together. It was really neat seeing this process in action. You can use stitches for detail, but you can make a bag without any stitches at all. We also saw people spinning fine wool. Then we went “Sheep 101,” a series of different classes for beginning shepherds. It was great to see a good number of people who were just starting out or interested in starting out in the sheep industry. I spoke to this group and thanked them for continuing to grow agriculture here in Wisconsin. After the class, Leah and I stopped for lunch at one of the food stands. We both had delicious shredded lamb sandwiches. After lunch, we walked over to the Country Store where lots of vendors were on hand with wool, finished wool products, and tools for making wool items. It was so neat to see all the possibilities you can make with sheep wool! Each different breed of sheep has a different kind of wool. Not only that, but there were also displays for llama wool, alpaca wool, and even Angora rabbit fur. We stopped to visit with the Wisconsin Dairy Sheep Co-op who also had a display in the Country Store. I met Larry, a member of the co-op; he milks about 90 sheep at his farm in Northern Wisconsin. Larry said they are just about done milking for the year because they practice seasonal dairying; the sheep will be dry for a few months, and then give milk again early next year when they give birth to their young. There are two common breeds of dairy sheep: Friesian and Lacaune. We sampled their delicious sheep cheeses. After walking through the Country Store, Leah and I stopped by a barn of sheep. There were displays on the different sheep breeds as well as a birthing pen. I met an adorable two day old lamb who liked to suck on the tip of my finger. To finish up the day, we stopped at a very exciting event: The Crook & Whistle Stock Dog Trails. It was so interesting to watch how the sheepdogs worked to keep the sheep corralled and got them through the course. They had to maneuver through gates and into a pen. The best dogs kept the sheep calm while herding them around the course. It was really fun to watch. I had a great time and learned a lot at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival!
Daughters of Demeter Corn Roast
Sep. 09, 2009
After spending part of the day in the office, I headed to Lakeview Community Park in Middleton for the Daughters of Demeter Corn Roast. Upon arriving at the park, I met Judy Barth, the president of the group this year. Daughters of Demeter is a group that supports college students who are studying an agriculture related field. This year, the group gave out more than $20,000 in scholarships to students at UW-Madison. At the corn roast tonight, I got to meet many of the members of Daughters of Demeter as well as the students who received scholarships. The future of agriculture needs groups like Daughters of Demeter to support the youth, the future of agriculture. I spoke to the group about how Wisconsin agriculture continues to grow and how it will continue to grow because of groups like theirs. I was very honored to be a part of the corn roast to say thank you to those in Daughters of Demeter and to say thank you and best of luck to the students who received scholarships.
A Day with the Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders
Sep. 08, 2009
For the fourth time in two weeks, I headed in the Flex Fuel Tahoe for a location in Sheboygan County. I spent my time today with the Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders. Today was their annual golf outing and banquet. I met up with the group at Town & Country Club near Sheboygan. I was placed with three other members of the association, Ellie, Marshall and Connie. We set off on the course on a beautiful day. We started off well, hitting all the holes for par in the best ball style tournament. I’m not much of a golfer, but I certainly had fun on the hole where we used my drive from the tee and my putt to get our first birdie of the day!
After the round of golf, we all met at the restaurant at the course for a banquet dinner. I gave a brief speech telling all the members about myself and all the things I will do over the year to promote the mink industry and all of Wisconsin’s $59.16 billion agriculture industry. When I finished my speech, member John Pagel presented me with the mink coat that the group gives to Alice each year to help promote the industry. The pelts this year came from Pagel’s mink ranch. The coat is beautiful, and I am so honored to receive it. Normally, I’m not a big fan of cold weather, but I think this is the first year that I’m actually looking forward to it being cold so I can wear the wonderful mink coat to keep me warm. I again want to say THANK YOU to the Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders for their generosity in presenting me with this coat!
Sheboygan County Fair
Sep. 06, 2009
I headed back up to Sheboygan County today for their fair. I met up with Marlene Kammann at the Milk House to spend some time at their Dairy Educational Display. They had a great display complete with Addie the cow so anyone could try their hand at milking her, a dairy trivia game, a scale to show how many pounds of milk are used to make one pound of cheese (the answer is 10), and a display of many different Wisconsin dairy products available in grocery stores. I spent time at the display visiting with fair go-ers and handing out my postcards. I also spent a little time there with the Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair Laura Rortvedt and Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs Melissa Ploecklemann who stopped by the display.
After a quick lunch, I had to quickly change and get ready for the 10th Annual Sheboygan County Holstein Futurity. Like the other futurities I’ve been to this year, this is a special show where the exhibitors dress in formal attire for the show, and that always draws a big crowd. Ag reporter Mike Austin and 61st Alice in Dairyland Ashley Huibregtse were the emcees for the show. They interviewed me during the show about all the things I did over the summer. The show had a great turnout of both exhibitors and people in the stands. After the show, I stopped back by the Dairy Educational Display before heading home for the day. Thanks again everyone in Sheboygan County for another great day!
A Day in Central Wisconsin
Sep. 03, 2009
I started on the road in the Flex Fuel Tahoe heading right up the middle of the state on I-39. I headed to Marathon to visit the Ginseng & Herb Co-op to learn about Wisconsin’s nation leading ginseng production. I visited the co-op before heading out to a farm. At the co-op, I visited with Joe and Eddie who taught me about ginseng. Right now is planting season for ginseng farmers. They are planting the seeds for plants that will be harvested 3 or 4 years from now, that’s how long the roots need to mature. Before the seeds are planted, the farmer has to prepare the field. Direct sunlight kills ginseng plants, so they need to be covered with a canopy. The farmer has to mark out the area and put up stakes for the canopy before the seeds are planted. Over the years, the farmer will care for the plants by weeding the fields, checking for any problems, spraying pesticides, etc. The ginseng roots are harvested in October in a similar fashion as potatoes – the plants that grow above ground have to die first, so the farmer will mow the plants down, and then the roots are dug with a harvester. The roots are processed by being washed and dried at the co-op. They are also sorted by size and placed in drums to be shipped across the world. The average acre of ginseng plants can produce about 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of ginseng root. Ginseng grows well in Wisconsin because of the climate and soil conditions. One challenge that ginseng farmers have though is that ginseng can’t be planted in the same field twice; each year ginseng farmers have to find new land to plant their crop. I visited a local ginseng field so I could see the plants growing. One field that we stopped by was of “seedlings” or one year old plants. The other field was of three year old plants. There were a couple of the plants that still had the red berries on them, but most of the plants had already been harvested of the berries. The berries contain the seeds to plant future plants. The seeds are harvested in August.
After learning about ginseng, I made the short trip to Marshfield to spend some time at the Central Wisconsin State Fair. I met with Ron Meyer, a former fair board president. I spent the day with him, and he showed me everything at the fair. We first stopped by the dairy show ring for the junior dairy show. Ron told me that their entry numbers were up this year, and the fair was looking at the possibility of some renovations for some new livestock buildings to hold all the animals! One building that probably won’t change is the round barn. It’s not just any round barn either. The Central Wisconsin State Fair is home to the World’s Largest Round Barn. The barn has a diameter of 150 feet and is 70 feet tall. The barn today is still used to house dairy animals during the fair. I visited many other events at the fair too including a performance by Howie Sturtz Orchestra and the Starcade Idol competition where I got to introduce both shows. I had a great day at the fair, and the weather was perfect for spending the afternoon there!
Eat Local Challenge Preview
Sep. 01, 2009
Mark your calendars for September 27 – October 4 for the Wisconsin Eat Local Challenge! The Eat Local Challenge is a challenge to all Wisconsin residents to pay more attention to the foods they buy. If you were to look at your food receipts from the past week, how much food did you buy from Wisconsin? If the statistics are right, it’s probably only about 1%. During the Eat Local Challenge, we are asking you to just take an extra second to look for a Wisconsin label on the foods you buy. Buying Wisconsin grown products helps support our local farmers, producers, communities, economies, and all Wisconsin agriculture. There are a number of ways you can buy more local products:
-If shopping in a grocery store, look for a Wisconsin label, or ask your grocer for help.
-Visit a local farmers market.
-Buy items from Wisconsin companies online and have them shipped right to your door.
By the end of the challenge, hopefully you will see how easy it is to buy Wisconsin products all year. If all Wisconsin residents will spend 10% of their food budget on Wisconsin products during the year that will keep nearly $2 billion in Wisconsin’s economy. That money will do a lot of good to help our farmers, communities, and the whole state of Wisconsin.
Tonight, I had my first chance to really talk about the Eat Local Challenge while visiting the Woodlake Market in Kohler. Woodlake is one of many grocery stores around Wisconsin that carries a wide variety of Wisconsin grown and made products.
For more information on the Wisconsin Eat Local Challenge, visit www.eatlocalwisconsin.com. You can also visit www.savorwisconsin.com to find farmers markets and local producers where you live.
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Contact the Alice In Dairyland Program at:
2811 Agriculture Dr. PO Box 8911
Madison WI 53708-8911
Phone (608) 224-5127
