Wisconsin Idea Seminar
Learning about the state we serve

Stories of the Wisconsin Idea

Milwaukee Nonprofit Still Providing Services and Support to Latino Community

by Bethany Prochnow
Al Castro, the health research program director at Milwaukee’s United Community Center, helped the 2016 and 2018 Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants learn about elder and memory care services tailored to Latino communities in the Milwaukee area and the importance of supporting pipelines that prepares young bilingual and bicultural students for careers in the health sciences. (Image by Catherine Reiland/UW-Madison)

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Al Castro of the United Community Center  Al Castro is the Director of Health Research Programs at the United Community Center, a nonprofit Latino community organization in Milwaukee.  With an extensive …

WIS’19 Collaborator Bakes Cookies for Essential Workers

by Bethany Prochnow
Each box contains three types of cookies and messages of positivity. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)

Adija Greer-Smith, owner of Confectionately Yours at the Sherman Phoenix in Milwaukee, has been making 500 to 600 cookies a week since March to give away to hospitals, dialysis centers, testing labs, funeral homes, and fire departments …

Green Bay’s NEW Water Highlights Essential Services

by Bethany Prochnow
Pre-pandemic community outreach! Tricia Garrison and colleague Sharon Thieszen (not pictured) gave a presentation on NEW Water to the club earlier this year - and members took the pledge to become #FlushFighters and only flush the 3Ps. You can take the pledge with them: www.newwater.us/3ps. (Image courtesy of Tricia Garrison/NEW Water).

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Tricia Garrison of NEW Water  Tricia Garrison is the public affairs and education manager for NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, that serves Northeast Wisconsin …

WIS’18 Host Discusses Potato Oversupply

by Bethany Prochnow
With a mountain of red seed potatoes serving as a backdrop, Steve Diercks introduces Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants to Coloma Farms. (Photo by Catherine Reiland / UW-Madison)

Andy Diercks, a fourth-generation farmer and part-owner of Coloma Farms, helps grow 800 acres of potatoes in Central Wisconsin, among other vegetables. In 2018, the Wisconsin Idea Seminar visited Coloma Farms and learned about the …

Bayfield Science Teacher Meets the Same Student Challenges, Only Now on a New Platform

by Bethany Prochnow
Bayfield High School students and a cultural liaison teach elementary school students about the maple sap boiling process. The traditional longhouse-style shelter was built by the high school students. (Image courtesy of Rick Erickson/Bayfield High School)

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Rick Erickson of Bayfield High School Rick Erickson is an award-winning high school teacher at the Bayfield School District where he teaches high school chemistry, physics, and alternative education.  Among his …

Bad River Band Encourages Family Time, Food Independence

by Bethany Prochnow
Following a boat ride on the Kakagon Sloughs, Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants visit the fish hatchery managed by the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The hatchery annually produces 15 million walleye to stock reservation rivers and other waterways. (Photo by Michael P. King/UW-Madison CALS)

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Dylan Jennings of Bad River Band Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings, an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013. He is …

Roxbury Farm Emphasizes Adaptability of Dairy Products

by Bethany Prochnow
Third-generation farmer Mitch Breunig and UW-Madison alumnus leads a group of Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants through Mystic Valley Dairy, his family’s farm in rural Roxbury. Over the years he has nurtured a tremendous partnership with the UW-Madison, collaborating on new ideas and research to improve Wisconsin's dairy Industry. (Photo by Catherine Reiland/UW-Madison)

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Mitch Breunig of Mystic Valley Dairy Mitch Breunig, owner of Mystic Valley Dairy, LLC, in rural Roxbury, near Sauk City, manages eight employees, oversees the breeding and healthcare of the herd, …

Seminar Collaborator Wins U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award

by Bethany Prochnow
Daphne with her husband Lloyd at their farm, Rosy-Lane Holsteins

Rosy-Lane Holsteins, a 900-cow dairy farm in Watertown, is owned by UW alumni Lloyd and Daphne Holterman and their partners Tim Strobel and Jordan Matthews. They have hosted the Wisconsin Idea Seminar twice since 1993, …