Counties of Wisconsin; 14; Dane County

In one of the counties of Wisconsin is the seat of state government some coordinates in this county are 43 degrees 10 minutes north latitude and eighty nine degrees 27 minutes west longitude. This county of course is Dane. During this program we'll hear from County residents and University of Wisconsin Extension staff who will discuss the history and heritage of the county and extension programs in the area. First some information on dairy farming from Lima McKee and agricultural agent B.J. Connors. I thought we'd talk a little bit about the future and dairy and. Specifically about Mary. It's a few years ago we developed a role. We had a committee that worked for us in the future I'll be the chairman of that particular committee. And

before we start our program in the morning and the CEO. Right. It lamina. You were a former manager of the Madison up it was his which was one of the outstanding markets in the nation and you lived in a district manager for a guy. And why don't you tell us just a little bit if you can recall back in. Well the number of adult we had here in our milk production and things have changed. At the present time. For Bernie we've gone through some tremendous changes and being Khalidi here and I sometimes wonder if I saw the report that I wrote back several years ago and we you know they worked on the blueprint for Dane County probably didn't believe everything that I wrote would happen but I believe it has been happening. I can recall back in the early days and I because President of Medicine our producer back in 143 at our annual meeting I dug out some of my reports and our average producer was producing around. Oh three hundred three hundred fifty pounds of milk a

day. Course it was in cans then. We've made tremendous strides forward since then we have lesser numbers of producers but their volume per producer is picked up we now have probably in Dane County about a third as many producers as we have them but our volume instead of being three hundred fifty pounds a day is probably about fifteen hundred and actually is continuing to increase we've got some producers in the market now that up to 10 to 15. We've got some and I believe up to 16000 pounds a day to begin with. As we look at that I think we're impressed by the fact that the dairy industry is becoming like any other industry one in which we become specialists. Rather than the collars sell him philosophy that we had some years ago and a tremendous investment in this machinery and equipment to run a dairy herd means that you pretty much have to be a top flight Berryman and you have to utilise that he Quitman as many hours a day or at its maximum point of use in order to get the efficiency out of the tremendous

investment. Another one of the changes that we've seen along and then Gary and all types of farming is farms you've got bigger and. Machinery is much more expansive and he listened and said When I visited a few minutes ago about a young fellow getting started and this is very true for me move on of that I'd like to point out Well one other point I should've brought along with me Bernie but I have a I have a certificate from RV verli which was issued on the first of. I think it was for the year of 1934 that were 33 That was our first year that our farm was on the dairy Road Improvement Association RV had come out and convinced us we should belong to one. I was a year or two after my brother and I started fireman. Would you believe it out of the four herds that were in that the age 8 testing group at that time we were the fourth highest and we've got a certificate commending us because we had a three hundred four pound bird in which I should be ashamed of it now in view of what's being done but that gives you some idea of the

progress we've made. To move on and your second question it is. It's true that the tremendous investment that is necessary now for a young man to get involved in farming is almost enough to stagger the imagination. I know of a couple instances in Dane County where we've got some good solid young farmers who have started up and Bernie would you believe that their investment to get started approaches a quarter of a million dollars exceeds a quarter of a million dollars. This bothers me a little bit because I am very much afraid that with the tremendous investment we are driving away from agriculture some of the capable people and we're going to need those people because these are the very kind of people that are interested they know how they've got the desire to do the job. But yet the. They get scared or they could very well get scared away by the government just investment obligation that they have to take on the next extension agent Ron Johnson and Sherman guy.

Well Sherman or deny number of. Changes that have taken place especially in your area of expertise in the area that you work in and in the real estate area especially in the real estate area. One of the questions that I'd like to ask you is. What has happened to the value of farmland here in dink County. Actually Iran is going to cost an increase in values. Over the last five years. And what type of factors may come about in this next year or less factors have come about in the last few months. That may temper the rate of increase in land values over the next half a year to a year. I believe commodity prices particularly as we look into corn today which has been dropping to some degree. And also of course looking at to milk prices these are the two areas that seem to have the most important to either increase or decrease in fact in terms of what people will or won't do and so far as I said for farms and also

of course their interest in acquiring available arms. I know in my area of work the subject of real estate taxes comes up quite often in my farm management work and real estate taxes have been going up do you feel that. But the real estate taxes have been going up faster on a percentage basis than many other army input costs. Well it's difficult to answer on some of the other input costs but essentially real estate taxes yes have been going up and they're reaching a point percentage wise. Of either gross income or the value of the property in that they become a little disproportionate in terms of the ability to pay. I think this is perhaps the most concern. Many farm operators have as it becomes difficult to pay 20 30 40 dollars an acre taxes in relationship to net income. When you speak of the ability to repay the number of farmers have asked me What are some of the other solutions that we might explore or consider

with regards to the rising farm taxes. Well currently in the legislature there is bound several bills where there is particularly a singular build now called 10 82. Which is the use value approach in terms of taxation. It's my own observation. While this perhaps is difficult to have a curb in real estate taxes generally are regressive they live they don't have a fair share of input to governmental operational costs that I would assume that the best approach to taxation so far is use value is desirable but the converse to that is that you must also have some type of land Ione maybe zoning which is not palatable to many people. We must look at overall land planning for agricultural districts in areas that may have some urbanization to them before we can really talk in terms of lessening taxes. After discussion on the expanded food and nutrition program with Joanne Deering and jungle wacky Marion Barlow strain the conversation to other areas.

Well for one thing I know you were. Breadmaking you know you and what I'm really excited about is working with the in these refugees. Ok I'm really excited about because they are coming to an entirely different culture they are not acquainted with any time Kitchen Utensil kitchen or shopping in their stores. The type of food that we sell of the stores are just warm and very excited. So that's a new project that we've just started. When how long week we have been trying to organize it for two weeks but we are going to start this Wednesday. I can anyway from your first project is going to be you know oatmeal cookies because they do want to learn how to be how to use an album in a simple way to teach them. And we found out through our contact with them that they're especially interested in American food. Yes they want to use American cuisine do not want to revert to their foods. Well for one they're harder to empty.

And we know that they also. Want to learn how to shop in American supermarkets. And it is a necessity to teach them. We will teach them sharing we will teach him the use of American utensils for instance they have never seen a measuring you're used to and you know use the type of measuring spoons they have never they don't have problems and you know they don't know how to use Evans and many low cost inexpensive nutritious meals it seems that we teach people on meals because you can put you into an oven. Or on top of the stove but they are not even acquainted with the type of meal that we can have and knowing of them don't know how to use American kitchen equipment not going wrong or right not just cooking utensils but they don't know how to operate them. When it was a food for instance corn is not is not in their diet and many types of tomatoes Turly changed.

There are about two hundred and fifty guineas families in counties that Rice would understand we have not been able to contact all of them or haven't received a response from some of those but I'm sure is just a matter that they feel that they do not want to. Burden us they're very very polite people you know that this may be something that they're asking us to that's out of the scope of our work it is not we want to help them during this meeting or next week is with all the Vietnamese families in the county is many has come to the meeting and then hopefully you'll be able to organize some smaller groups from that group and we will be meeting perhaps an individual is a smaller group and it's easier for them to learn in smaller groups because they have a chance to actually handle the material or the equipment. But you germs were another thing about these Vietnamese families is that we find some of them have been extremely poor in Vietnam and

some were very wealthy when they were in there. And. Maybe never did any kind of food preparation and all were totally dependent on other people to do their work for them and so they. Not only don't know American styles but they don't even know Vietnamese and its currency. But they do want to learn if you can convince them that you do want to teach and they do want their very one of the things that you're maybe going to be teaching is using American currency. When Lee takes him to the supermarket we will be taking them either individually or in very small groups. They will be learning to use their currency. Some of them have had contact with it but most of them it's been a very small amount and they could always resort back to their what if it was a question. Here they have no other resource but to use a mirror for each activities are examined by Bob Barlow and Harry Potter. I mean members do we have a thing for you. We get over 30 100 to bring past

here and moving into what we hope is then a year we can save on them. Organize 1956. We have quite a few urban clubs and all manner of a leader on the scene for me that I just because one of the largest. Come from membership right in the Madison area until this freak thing he has over 600 foreach members all of which are urban and then additionally I guess I would classify the membership that we have in middle and membership in Sun Prairie and worship in the cities Dalton being also a rural urban kind of membership. And so we really do have a large number of our members in our program. I think we've had several programs in the last few years to appeal to the state. Remember to. Go along with kitchen project or interest.

I would even say that looking at the interest that we've added I remember back in 1957 we had horses and dogs and currently the horse project is the largest animal project going on over 500 in gold and in the horse and pony program and over 200 in the program. And so horses has usurped areas the top animal project the county look at in some of these other areas. Certainly a few years ago we had photography this is become a high interest project. Work has been popular rural and urban like to study electronics. And then we've added I think some very unique ones particularly hoping that attack ads in pigs have tropical fish. We have you know a number of projects modelling a craft program there's another one

that has grown and grown and grown to the point that we started out with the usual kind of graphic for you as an instancing member now link. And then along came a branded design and arts and crafts and you could select your own media. This is just lead into Mac and the kinds of other media in the past present and just used leadership project is also another one that's been redefined the last couple of years and I think it's grown quite well and give younger members a chance to learn leadership at a younger age and the county program or the senior counsel gives the members several opportunities in this area. OK. Yeah I think just getting the youngsters enroll involved a small amount of leadership 11 12 years of age.

Maintains their interest and gets them thinking more about what they can do to make the whole organization tick and so I think it has been important to bring your being in the leadership at a young age and begin to get them into the principle of leadership really upcoming plans for Dane County homemakers Isabel Bowman and John Slater this afternoon Isabel Bowman is here and we were talking about heritage days as one of the marching bands is going to be happening in the county in March thanking 76. And there are many different areas of activities that we plan to have with Heritage days and we're just in the formation stages of this and one of the year is the sort of. It is interesting I think the bill has to do with drama and plays and things like that and I can remember you know years and years ago and years ago. More than we'd like to think about but what fun. The people of Dane County

had participating in a county wide drama tournaments and not only on the county level but then the winners are going to the district and state tournaments you know in all my the excitement of university during a famine home week when the winners would come in you know and compete. It's just magnificent. The amount of working together that a group can do putting on a play. And as a part of this heritage I hope they do. This is Elton is a member of our extension homemakers I believe in Dane County and she wrote several prize winning plays and wouldn't it be fun. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun. I think this is a very thing we're trying to capitalize you know here to go back and find out what were some of the things that people really enjoy from the past and revive them and bring them to this day. Don't you think the program that you have scheduled or homemakers this year called it on a shoestring may very well tie in with that very same thing. One of the things that we are thinking about including there too is leisure time of long ago.

What do people do. What kind of leisure time long ago was their leisure time long ago. There was but. We will be having a committee we're exploring just what we did do long ago and provide an opportunity to participate in some of these lesions. You know Janet just amazes me at the present time I'm not only involved in some heritage things for the homemakers. But I'm involved in trying to recapture the history of our women and very a club that will be celebrating 75 years in January 1976. And when I read back through the history and I think about those women having to do everything you know themselves their washing by hand there you know and their cooking and everything without the conveniences we have how in heaven's name did those women have time when we seem to have so little time today. For all those things and one of the things that you constantly hear from women. Oh I just love to do that.

One of the things again we're hoping as we've heard here is to take a look at some of the things that people did in their everyday life. I like how they wash clothes. So proud he made this and that and I guess we will. It will be reinforced in ways they will how did they. Yeah I'm trying to do a deal. How did they find time. I would really wish that there was some way we could find a solution to how they did it. Our final conversation is with Harold porter of the Soil Conservation Service. Clarence Nielsen recently retired from state government service and office manager Tom O'Connell mentioned that he's on the county board for 18 years that I have you seen some changes in the county board and in counties in last year's average. Now yes there have been a lot of changes and you know I served on the county board. There were a lot of changes during that time to the city county building and new thinking oh man the

Coliseum. So there's many changes that continually be made in Dane County. I don't remember but Harold and one time Dane County have had one of the largest in the county boards in the country was it. Yes there were 90 members and there was a very Democratic board. I. Feel that I am very fortunate to serve or size a very democratic principles and of course the smaller board. It was. 47 members when I finally left the board. Well you've been here for a couple of years too in Dane County so you you've seen some changes in Cali. I know one of the things that we've seen that rule changes in our cropping patterns and you know yes we certainly have seen a change in our cropping pattern we've seen things and I think it's I think what current Sadly the new building up here which is now an older building with city county building that we brought together the

city government the county government here in the city county government. I think at the time I think it was back in 1957 it was quite a unique experience on the board that Clarence talked about made it possible and I think it was bringing together two different types of government. I think it was quite a team. And you mentioned going into the crafting system yes there certainly has been a change. We're certainly still a leading county enduring and so forth but my cash crop is becoming very very important in recent years the current crop of very very important thing and we're seeing a big marketing of our new president was a member of the ag an extension Education Committee which also serves the same role as the soda water district supervisors. I mean the same people serve in both capacities different responsibilities and this is this area of conservation is all of the interest in the area that you've been interested in as the first.

Yes that's always been intensely interesting. I know the first year that I got on the water conservation district. Supervisor group on the course the Agricultural Committee. I find out that I was really a most interesting group. Also there were a lot of things I didn't realize was going on. Well you mentioned that one of the accomplishments when I first was on the committee was a soil survey produced yes the social survey was up and we need to support when his county support in order to get this thing going we thought it was going to be a great achievement for the county. And Clarence and I want to give him credit right now he has met before he went on that word and convinced that large board that it was very important for the developer in the county to have the saw survey which was really an MRI of the county I mean spending the

resources of course that you know now they are within a day goes by but what that sells for me is being used everything from septic tanks to buildings and everything else and we are certainly using it and it's become a really a part of the county and it's a very important amatory on of course land is one of the valuable resources. And so it's been very much use and I think getting that thing through was very important and we were in one of the first counties to get to have the matching funds available to anybody to make this thing possible. Clarence was a city supervisor and even editor and that's a role and so they had to come as they were the ones he did and he did a masterful job he said. And and it's I think it's been a lot of use to see people recognizing and we're changing times that they had something like that very well. Well you can chalk one up for their plight or However perhaps there are other things that during that time I served on the most interesting committee we re-engaged you know the road name and numbering

system which we. Then occurs we also were acting school it is we took steps to make the area white just about the time that the state started them and finish the job. We got started you know also the county library system is another thing we have handy and so you see that there are a lot of activities and so supervisors and then there's their own extinction. My predecessor Earl if you were you were much more close with Bill Clark and he need hardly any introduction of Dingaan he was a well-known figure as you know yesterday and I think Johnny I guess maybe we should rank first in income we were a Dane County was the first

county in 1973 in Wisconsin to have over a 100 million dollars in Girl sales and they reached 106 million dollars in Girl sale that was all sales before expenses of course. And now three years later they're up in the hundred thirty two hundred forty million dollars. We think that the county has been a good AG County it ranks burthen Gatland Gav earth and corn person tobacco. Second dairy products and eggs. Third in Hay OG's and eggs. Third in sheep and lambs and sweet corn These are men so I guess when we say that we're proud of the egg and every culture in Dane County way we've got figures to back it up has been a Great Dane County over the years. Lance has been also active in the Historical Society and then going back. Maybe you and I know Bill Park was very active in your planning some bicentennial activities to explore.

Yes we are at the present time. We're hoping to update. I have a County Historical Society records section over in the city library put into order we hope to have an archivist art time so the dean and he will be able to document and update everything that we come up with during the year of 1970. I should mention a County Historical Society you know it was the city farmer's organization that we have really got the Dane County Historical Society

in motion and organize a big accomplishment. And of course we've had that one advantage I guess we've had here in Dade County was really has been an advantage. We've had the university and the Capitol and all the legislature we've got a lot of talented people around here that we've used a resource people over the years. Yes we've failed ourselves of many times and we always do always will x. Well when you use them well or so they are handy but certainly better than I think I will ask for in county to have those kind of stories at our beck and call I guess or at least be able to us and although we know that. So conservation is a new emphasis to we're been talking about earlier this conversion from some of our land to corn land and I know you've got a little project that you also talk

about whatever so I like to think of a project that anybody is going to think that killing and will help a lot. Only going to we're going to read more on this. I would is that we are I think we have to do measures that will prevent it or smile and I think one of the easiest ways is encourage M. tellings or no deal as some people call it has a lot of names but it does a good job and we have some farmers here some of the top armories in there and I think it's we hope that it's going to. Carry on to many other areas. And I don't know what everybody knows but no delivery. But if you don't have the you the cloud and they can throw away the power and they go right out in the cornfield or the alfalfa field and the corn there's a few other things they have to do on with herbicide. That's good stuff. What a program but it does work. We have a lot of arm around here we will. Dean. One of the counties of Wisconsin. The series has produced a WHCA

service of the University of Wisconsin Extension.