Counties of Wisconsin; 24; Sheboygan County

One of the counties of Wisconsin has several lakes such as Lake Ellen Crooked Lake like Southern Crystal Lake and several others. Some coordinates in this county are 43 degrees 47 minutes north latitude and 87 degrees 50 minutes west longitude. Today's County issued Boyden. During this half hour. Area residents and University of Wisconsin Extension staff discuss their county and extension programs. I'm home with Slayer and a continuing education agent for Sheboygan County. I'm talking to Glen Thompson the county agricultural agent and I'd like to ask him a couple of questions. Klim What are some of the unique features of Sheboygan County in the area of agricultural culture and industry.

Well first of all I'd like to point out historically in addition Whiting County is located on the western shores of Lake Michigan approximately one hour from both Green Bay and Milwaukee. The county has a diversified manufacturing industry and a very solid ever culture base with a major ever culture enterprise being daring whereby it ranks 23rd in the state in total milk production. Now the major crops him include two cash crops peas and sweetcorn ranking third and six respectively in the state of Wisconsin. In the area of crops for both livestock feed any cash crop. The County ranks 24th in foreach acres twenty eight for small. Grains and green corn and one thousandth pork corn Sally. She. Also like to point out it ranks ninth for small green such as oats wheat and barley at the present time the county has slightly under 100000 people. And approx me 50000 people are in the metropolitan

area of the city of Sheboygan. The population is served very well by rail water here and highway transportation. The county birth date is December 17th 1838 and the City of Sheboygan has always been the county seat of Sheboygan County. The first pioneers were of English ancestry and they were followed by PEOPLE FROM. Germany and the Dutch and the Irish who all came directly from Europe. His farm is a early industry is concerned it doesn't include the woodworking products area kitchen utensils and bathroom pictures also coming out of the early history of Sheboygan County. Was the ever popular sausage called route worst. Not today's major industries still include the kitchen utensils the woodworking areas the bathroom fixtures as well as such a manufacturing here as is the plastics and garden equipment and of course the dairy industry with a large

amount of that segment being in the cheese industry. As far as the farming industry specifically is concerned. At the present time we have thirteen hundred and eighty firearms. The average size of those. Farms. Would be about one hundred fifty five acres. We like to point out that again the major. Farm commodity is the dairy products and then we do have some swine we have around 13000 head of swine which ranks 23rd in the state. We are ranked 18th in the poultry industry twenty third to and as I've indicated already in the dairy industry and I'm only forty three in the area of beef production. So those are some of the unique features of Sheboygan County Lodhi thank you very much for the brief and concise history of the Sheboygan area. I have another question though for you what you couldn't quite consider your

contribution to the Sheboygan area. Well a lot in the past few years of course you realize that we have reorganized our staff to become more specialized in my particular area of expertise has centered around the area of water called here and agronomy and of course also serving as the office chairman of the Sheboygan County Extension office in the area of horticulture I work very closely with the homeowner areas and specifically getting into the. Lawn and landscape plant area. And also we've been emphasizing such change as vegetable gardening. And I. Initiated three years ago a tele garden TIP program which is an automatic telephone answering service and like to say that this has been a very successful program because in this past year and 19 75 during a six month period we had over 32000 calls on this system. So this is a way we have been reaching the

homeowners through the horticulture program. We have the group meetings to tell the guard to program as well as the office telephone and home. Individual calls then of course we've also programmed in every heart of culture for ground maintenance personnel giving them educational information as it relates. To their work whether it's in a cemetery a golf course and at Wakefield Hori a public building situation. We also have initiated programs for the garden center operators and pesticide dealers whereby we have given them. Programming to help them to identify some of the problems that they may encounter through their businesses to help the. Clientele as they come to that to ask them about horticultural problems and of course give them some of the answers as it relates to products in the pesticide lines. Also we have been working with

a number of fruit growers and we have initiated bean area food go over school for the commercial fruit goer. And this is basically what we have been doing in the horticultural area now in their granny area have been very active specifically in two areas one is in the area of forage production where I worked with the University of Wisconsin agronomy department in any number of research trials for example fertility. Trials also going to get into fertility we have emphasized the research trial which centered around the calcium magnesium ratios. We have also worked with the next extension agronomy Department as far as alfalfa varieties in the area of corn production. I negotiated a program that dealt with the minimum wage approach to corn production and here we work not only with the agronomy department at the University of Wisconsin but also with industry and many of the local

farmers who wanted to initiate this type of corn production procedure. Well thank you Glenn. Mario and I to get into your program Mary and ask you what is your specific responsibilities as the overall University Extension Program in Sheboygan County and also why don't you relate to the listening audience some of the significant changes that have occurred in your program during the past years. Well Glenn the position of the continuing education agent is a relatively new one as far as the University of Wisconsin Extension is concerned. The responsibility of a continual UK education agent will vary from county to county. But to be specific in regards to Sheboygan County I program mostly for the professionals for the teachers for the attorneys for nurses for the engineers the pharmacists and then any other group that would need some information to update their position. But as

far as continued to cation agents are concerned or continue education is concerned continued to cation has been in existence for many many years but years ago people in the professions used to look at continued continuing education as just another way of possibly going back to school to update their knowledge. But finding out that many people did not feel that they wanted to go back to school. The state statutes our legislators have felt a need through using their own bacon through state statutes to force certain professions to go back to school for instance to lawyers starting as the as of January 1st will have to go back and accumulate a certain number of continued education units. The nurses in order to be relicensed have to go back to school and receive a certain number of educational units. So through law we

have seen a big change is far as as continuing education is concerned. Another way I have I observe that continuing education has changes were associations of the professionals have demanded that their members go back to school or go back to the classroom and to update themselves in specific areas. This is not only true of the pharmacists it's also true of the engineers in order for them to be relicensed. Besides I working in the continuing education area for the professions. I also have been doing some work in Sheboygan County in the area of recreation. As you probably know one of our best resources in the state of Wisconsin in recreation area has been Lake Michigan and a few years ago they introduced salmon or Cole and they have just multiplied by the millions. The fishermen have followed them and this had brought many

many fishermen and tourists to our area. Now at the University of Wisconsin Extension has been using its resources to try to identify some of the problems along the coast of Lake Michigan. One of the problems we have found out through a survey was the problem of the needs of the fisherman fishermen would come over here with their boats. Sometimes it would cost to 3000 up to fifteen twenty thousand dollars but they had no place to launch them. And the survey pointed out that we had to have excellent launching facilities in order to have them come into our area and go fishing here and of course when they came over here they not only fish but also spent money. Marty and I also like to ask you another question. He reviewed the continuing education program. He pointed out that you can draw on the resources of the University of Wisconsin. This takes of course a great deal of expertise to get this

information to the people. What is your specific role in getting these expertise to the people in the community. My role is more of a facilitator. I try to find out what the needs of these people are regardless of which profession or what group it might be. We do this by means of questionnaires and surveys. Sometimes personal contacts but we find out there is a specific need. Then it's my job to contact the university that has the expertise in that area. I work with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and work with the universe Wisconsin-Milwaukee Whitewater and he's the reason I work with those universities because they are the closest to our area. After I have contacted the university then they decide if it's possible for them to fulfill our request and a majority of the cases it's possible for them to do this for each programs are an important part of the lives of many people in this county.

I'm Donna Johnson Jr. for Sheboygan County and with me as right camera technician Roy What are some of your it's outside involvements in the community. Why am I an actor with the forage program. I'm also a Polish Marine force or fire department and I kind of keep it limited to that because of my my evening meetings and so forth I have quite a few already so I'm not involved too much in other activities right now. I was a very active for each member in this county and I would like to ask you right did you feel that help that you received from voice leaders in this county might have given you some type of desire to work with other people. Well I'm sure you did Donna. Excuse me there was a lot of programs that I thought were were beneficial for my working with people right now such as the speaking contest the demonstration contest and just being able to communicate with different leaders and different people in the county

because you always find you know your ideas and my ideas not going to be the same. And there's much question and change of ideas here. And this is one thing that we I feel as has helped me now because. In my present job I have on a lot of occasions to get in in discussions with people and this is something that I have learned to really respect other people's ideas and. Needs along with my own one last thing that I would like to ask you Roy is I think a lot of time people think that they don't have ability to be a foreach leader and they're not specially trained in something like you did just mention a little bit about the eco group and maybe how that's a take off from the kind of work that you do and things that you're interested in personally. List this eco group that Donna just mention is. Is an ecology minded bunch bunch of for 8 years from the colony and I do work with the department natural resources for the Bureau of the management. Now this is

something that I can relate to quite easily I have background and I have an interest in it so I feel really at ease going out and working with these kids in that particular part of it like if I was would go out and lead aerospace or I would go on the dairy cattle sub and I just would be it would be strange to me and I'm sure I would feel like I would be walking on ice. But if an individual person has a background in something whatever he knows is always you know the youth of tomorrow are always listening and willing to learn from someone and has done it or that has experience in it. So for him to become a leader if you've got any interest I feel that you can relate to to a youngster about it because they're they're willing to learn because I came through the ranks and I know what it was I I knew nothing I still know very little. But it's always something that we can. Past signer. Below create of it. As in most Wisconsin counties agriculture is a firm part of the economy.

This is going Thompson Sheboygan County of acculturation I have with me today and I'm a big very local dairy farmer of Sheboygan County. I mean he has been very active in the county community and has been involved in university extension programs and I'd like to ask Loni if you question as relates to his farming enterprise I mean just what type of a farming enterprise do you have and what are some of the community activities that you are involved in. Well first of all we have both hogs and dairy mean about 7000 salads result feed to pigs and we have 16 cows and this is basically our livestock and we also have about 250 acres of land. OK I know all the money that you use University Extension extensively over the past several U.S. years since you started your farming enterprise and I'd like to ask you just how heavy use you do have extension in your farming

program. Well two big areas within the last couple years have been need not least cost ration or computerized ration and also a minimum till we've done a lot of work in both these areas. OK just what results have you had from using these programs that's first of all a take a quick look at the computerized ration program for your dairy herd. Well the results of this was really fantastic. Hurt average after we got on this thing from out the wood six months to a year the rolling heard average increase 2000 pounds and we save the proximately $200 a month on a mill feed mill. OK also if we can move in that area and get into the minimum till age at. Current production area and just what kind of varied results have you had in that program. And why did you initiate this

approach to current production on your farm. Well I think it's a big labor saving device minimum TELEGIN In addition seen a heck of a few of his fires running the tractors is concerned and we started with Lee just about 11:00 a.m. until in this last year we went about 70 and I think that back about one hundred and fifteen men were killed. Do you feel that this is a approach to current production that that has a future in Sheboygan County and in the state of Wisconsin. Do you have a different evaluation of it at this point. Why I believe that we're going to see a heck of a lot more of it in the future. But we're going to need more help from our extension people and university and doing more research on this we're also going to need I feel better machines to put this seed into the ground. And this sort of thing we need a lot of help yet but I believe it's a thing which I just mind the reason you're saying it.

You need a lot of help in any areas because in she Wake County we basically have the heavy red clay soils and this has been somewhat of a stumbling block as far as minimum tillage is concerned it has proven itself say in Western Sheboygan County without any problems in our later. So I was with getting more into the area where you are. East of Highway 57 we have more red plays of course this does create a few more problems when we talk about this approach to corn production. Manny also with your 60 County jury heard I know that you have built a program around quality for ages and what has been your program as far as getting quality forages for your dairy herd. Well soil testing was the big start and then following those recommendations also ending in the neighborhood of 5 to 600 pounds an acre. Well 14 42 following that type of program I've also gone to about 20 30 acres of straight alfalfa. And this protein wise really was good this year something like 22 percent.

OK also right along with that for each program I think you can be classified as an innovator. As far as the farming program in should wake county and I know I contacted you this fall for the possibility of putting out some plaques using some of the new herbicide specifically this herbicide called Kurban also Princip. Did you apply these and how do you look at these in the future. Well I'm looking forward to seeing the results of both of these both of them were put on a couple strips on my hear alfalfa stands and I hand the few weed problem then I'm waiting anxiously to see what's going to happen and. I'll probably go inside using the one is going to give me the best results. OK name one of those weed problems I'm sure has been quite grass and you as you indicated you wanted to have pierced end of alfalfa and of course use a courier will help you get to that particular goal. Loni one final question that you have you have been very involved especially in the last few months with the Farm Bureau

being elected the County Farm Bill Press. Just what is your role in this particular organization. Well it's it's getting bigger every day I guess. But basically it's to take care of the problems of the farmers here in Sheboygan County this is one of the big roads and of course organization here in the county and with the state and the national organization we now find beyond the policy to find there was developed in the township and in the counties and in turning these pass on up to the state and the national level. Sheboygan County homemakers serve a varied clientele. I'm Janet Cohen extension home economist in Sheboygan County and I'm talking with the infant a woman who is the extension homemaker president Interbike and co.. Oh man. Hi Janet. I thought today maybe we talk a little bit about some of the kinds of things that we do in extension homemakers in this county and perhaps some of the.

Things that you have learned by being an active member of extensional makers. Being one maker I have learned there. You can get your information through homemakers. Not in a classroom situation in it is done in many club type. Area and we in this county have three different areas that we. Can get our information from one would be our type program that would gather information from a leader trainee in an open meeting and a special interest. I think it has been within the last oh maybe two or three years that we have gone to identifying the kind of meeting that we have for different people. Perhaps we should talk a little bit about that because I think traditionally an awful lot of homemakers think extension homemakers is Leader Training a man.

What are some of the differences that you see in the kinds of meetings we have. While the leader training would be two people going to the meeting and they would. Bring back the material to the club and they would present it to the club and the whole club would. Benefit from this. Then there is the open meeting which anybody can go to. Generally there is not too much information to bring back but there is abundant supply of information given at this meeting. I think an example of an open meeting might be one that we had just I think in October. And it was on safety. We tend to think of safety as being something that's of general interest to everyone and it affects everyone in certain ways and so this is why we would call this I think open. You agree with this principle. I do. Then there is a special interest meeting like.

Anybody who would be deeply interested in one subject. Like sewing. Those people could go to the special interests and they would not have to bring these things back to the club it would be just the members from the club who are interested in these particular parts that would go to the special interest. I think something else that you know we work on a good deal and. Homemakers is that almost everyone that you know lives under a roof is a home maker to a certain extent. But also you know we have some home makers who are mothers of young children some are mothers of teenagers. How does this fit your lifestyle. Well I have teenagers and I have young folks. It has helped me communicate with these people. I guess we go back to. Our premise of saying that we believe expansion and extension homemakers

offers education to women throughout their lives and I guess would you like to make a comment and what are the ages the makers are in this particular. Wheel from eight to 80 really ages some of the Year Old come to mean to and are exposed to it. We think that these are the maker. I think it you know a really interesting time discussing some of these things and I'm really happy that you could come to be with us this afternoon ma'am. Thank you. Sheboygan County publishes an official directory which contains a brief history of the county. We'll quote from it in part. It's believed that in 16 35 the French explorer was the first recorded white man to have visited this locality as he skirted the shores of Lake Michigan heading south from Green Bay Indians following their trail from Milwaukee to Green Bay. I could always tell where they were when they reached the mouth of the Sheboygan river.

They called the spot Indian terminology for great noise underground. The theory is that the rushing sounds of the falls upstream prompted this description and this is a more generally accepted version of how Sheboygan got its name. When the white man first came they were probably about one thousand Indians living in the county composed mainly of Pottawattamie whose chip was on who was one of those. And the nominees in their villages and camps were clustered on the bank who were sure of practically every lake or stream with the largest villages situated along the shore of Lake Michigan. After this territory began to interest the pioneers treaties were made with the Indians on September 26 that 1833 and the treaty made at Chicago. The Indians relinquished all claim to the lands on the west shore of Lake Michigan including what is now Sheboygan County. There are many Indians remained here for many years. Sheboygan County had three birthdays on December 7th 1836

an act of the Territorial Legislature detached the area from Brown County. This was less than a year after Wisconsin became a territory and nearly twelve years before it became a state. It was not until two years later. December 17th of 1838 that the legislature passed a law organizing the county government and providing for the first election of officers which was held March 4th 1830 9 December 17th 1830 8 should properly be considered the county's birthday. Sheboygan county's boundaries have never changed from its original organization. The first town was the town of Sheboygan organized March 8th 1839 with its boundaries extending to those of the county. As new towns were formed they were set off from the town of Sheboygan. In early times Sheboygan County had a commission form of government. The governing body was a board of three commissioners elected by the people of the county at large. In 1848. The supervisor system was made compulsory but Sheboygan County had voluntarily accepted it some years before.

So rapid was settlement but the county had all of its present number of 15 towns by 1855. By 1870 the County Board consisted of Supervisors chosen from each town incorporated village and each ward in the cities. In 1965 the county was divided into thirty nine supervisory districts based on population with one supervisor elected for two year term in each district. The city of Sheboygan has always been the county seat. This program in the series the counties of Wisconsin was produced at WHCA a service of

the University of Wisconsin Extension.