This week I headed down to Madison for a Board of Directors Meeting for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. I was honored to be appointed by Governor Walker for a six-year term on the board, and so far it’s been a great experience. The board is made up of farmers from around the state, including cranberry growers, grain growers, hog farmers, potato farmers and more. Our job is to represent the people of Wisconsin as we weigh in on potential legislation and regulations that affect our industry and keep our state’s land and water clean and safe.
I’m proud to be helping Wisconsin feed the world
Being part of this group has really driven home how much agriculture contributes to our state. In particular, it’s been amazing to learn how exports are becoming more and more important to Wisconsin. In the first six months of this year, Wisconsin exported 1.9 billion dollars in food to 128 countries, a 17 percent increase over that same period last year.
Recently, the board toured a cold storage facility in Madison where we saw thousands of pounds of cheese that were headed to consumers around the world. I’m proud to be part of the dairy industry that leads the nation in cheese production and saw a 30 percent growth in our exports so far this year. But dairy is just a part of our state’s incredible agricultural tradition. Did you know that in addition to cheese, Wisconsin also ranks first in production of ginseng, whey, and beets for processing?
I’m proud to be part of Wisconsin’s ability to feed the world.