Wisconsin Idea Seminar
Learning about the state we serve

Stories of the Wisconsin Idea

Viroqua Restaurant Keeps Positive Attitude About Food, Quality Ingredients

by Bethany Prochnow
After preparing and serving a family-style meal featuring local produce, Dani Lind, chef and owner of the Rooted Spoon Culinary/Kitchen Table, sits on a stool to tell the story of her food journey from Minneapolis to Viroqua, echoing in some ways experience of the the back-to-the-landers who came to the Vernon County in the 1970s. Each year the Wisconsin Idea Seminar showcases a number of entrepreneurs who are leveraging unique aspects of their community to create local, place-based products and services. (Photo by Catherine Reiland/UW-Madison)

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Dani Lind of Rooted Spoon Dani Lind, owner and head chef of Rooted Spoon, leverages her local agricultural connections to bring quality ingredients to the small town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. …

De Soto Teacher’s Agriscience Students Support Local Dairies and Food Pantries

by Bethany Prochnow
The 2019 Wisconsin Idea Seminar cohort stands with De Soto High School teachers and administration following a tour and a panel discussion with students.

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Hillary Bark of De Soto Area School District Hillary Bark is an agriculture teacher and FFA (Future Farmers of America) advisor at De Soto Area School District, a rural school …

WIS’15 Alumna Offers Book Weaving Tutorial Videos

by CATHERINE A REILAND
An image from Marianne Fairbanks's "book weaving" video tutorial.

Marianne Fairbanks, textile artist and assistant professor of Design Studies at UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology, has been sharing her book weaving tutorial videos with not only her students but with the general public. What …

Door County Dairy Farm Continues Relationship-Driven Business Despite Supply Chain Challenges

by Bethany Prochnow
Image of the Brey family: Jacob & Lauren Brey, Moriah & Tony Brey, children Alexa and Evan.

Dispatches from Our Own Wisconsin: Brey Cycle Farms Lauren Brey, along with her husband Jacob, his brother Tony, and sister-in-law Moriah, own and manage a 600-cow farm in Sturgeon Bay. All four graduated from UW-Madison: …

WIS’19 Collaborator Utilizes 3D Printers to Produce Medical Equipment

by Bethany Prochnow
Two Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants play air hockey at the IDEA Center in Stevens Point during the 2019 River Tour.

CREATE Portage County has converted its IDEA Center in Stevens Point, which the Wisconsin Idea Seminar visited in 2019, into a 3D printing facility in order to create high-need medical equipment for local healthcare organizations, …

Seminar Alumni Receive Distinguished Teaching Awards

by CATHERINE A REILAND
Andrea Hicks is pictured in her office in Engineering Hall. PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER

Four Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants have received Distinguished Teaching Awards this year, an honor that recognizes their teaching and celebrates their hard work. William Brockliss, WIS’13, is an associate professor of classical and ancient near …

Seminar Collaborators Discuss the Future of Farming

by Bethany Prochnow
Third-generation farmer Mitch Breunig and UW-Madison assistant professor of dairy science Heather White lead a group of Wisconsin Idea Seminar participants through Mystic Valley Dairy in 2018. Over the years, Breunig has nurtured a tremendous partnership with UW-Madison, collaborating on new ideas and research to improve Wisconsin's dairy industry. (Photo by Michael P. King/UW-Madison CALS)

Mitch Breunig, third-generation farmer at Mystic Valley Dairy in Sauk City, and Kent Weigel, livestock geneticist and chair of UW-Madison’s dairy science department, passionately explained some current struggles associated with dairy farming in a recent …