Counties of Wisconsin; 5; Taylor County

At 45 degrees 8 minutes north latitude and 90 degrees 20 minutes west longitude you would be near the largest city in one of the counties of Wisconsin. This Wisconsin county is Taylor. And the conversations you'll hear were recorded in the agricultural center in Medford. During the program we'll hear from residents of Taylor County and from three of the university extension staff in this county. It's basically an agricultural area. With dairying counting for about 90 percent of the farm income. In farming operations soil and water are critical factors. Robert plus ski district conservationist for the Soil Conservation Service talked with the office chairman Tom Cruise Arik by farming in Taylor County is one of the more important aspects of this county. It produces a lot of income. I believe we have had something like twenty four million dollars worth of

milk sold last year and it dition all three million dollars of other products sold. What type of soil Do we have in this county will they support various crops. Well their county is basically is the silt loam type of soil. Combination which is underlaid by a clay layer and also contacted sands and gravels. This player usually is impervious to water which makes him feel it lacked longer in the springtime. Before the farmers can get on to him and usually after a heavy rain the water builds up on the surface of the soil because of the lack of the impervious layer for it to absorb the moisture properly. Therefore there is basically a need for a certain type of practice which you called a surface field which is to convey this water off the land.

You mention that we have very poor shall we call it internal drainage here in the soil so you need surface drainage. How many how much how many feet for example of drainage ditches or other areas. What type of work have you done in this county. Well a fence about nineteen fifty to the south Conservation Service and the water conservation district here in Taylor County. The CSA is installed approximately four million two hundred thirty thousand feet of surface field ditches. Now this is mainly just to get rid of the water in the fields itself where drainage presents a problem. And we have provided the technical assistance the supervision and installation of these surface trains so that they will function properly and be able to give the farmer the desired drainage which he needs on this land. Bob who pays for the service of the farmer government in the past the federal

government has cost shared with the farmer and construction of the drainage field ditches. Now they have paid their size from 30 to 80 percent of the cost of installing these practices. However recently in the past years now the drainage ditches have been mainly funded by the farmer on his own as he cautioning program is not involved with drainage ditching anymore. How is this program received by the farmers in this area. This area is received excellent. The farmers realised the need for drainage and as you can tell by the figures which I just quoted here that we have put a lot of them on the land here in the past. Do we get results by putting in these drainage ditches. That is can the farmer grow better crops more crops with the proper crops. Very definitely you can just take for example one field that doesn't have any drainage on it compared to one that would have a system of drainage

ditches dug ditches or just surface drainage ditches on it. The production will increase about two to three times as much. I feel that has been properly ditched on the basis for this is the five I can get out on the land earlier in the spring and also it helps the farmer to. Apply his chemicals as fertilizer and other plant nutrients that the. Craps will need. He sort of Conservation Service then as you describe it now is rather an important governmental agency and it provides an important service to the farmers in this area. Do they do anything else besides work with the drainage of soil. Yes we give technical help to local units of government. Local groups interest groups conservation clubs or for that matter anyone that might be interested in or have any specific

sought water conservation problem. There is also an industrial side to Taylor County that and other factors were evident as bank president Ron Isaacson and businessman Tom key feet spoke with Tom Cruise Arik What is the basic economy of a colony or Telecom is primarily an agricultural colony. Dairy farming is a major farming enterprise. Dairy cows produce a lot. Twenty four thousand dollars worth of milk we have 30000 college in the county and this comprises about 90 percent of the agricultural income for Taylor County. We also have some main concern wasn't Paul products about two million dollars worth of mink Gulzar produce each year and about two million dollars worth of pulp and wood products are sold each year. It appears that agriculture is quite important in Tina County. How important is the manufacturing segment of this county. Well of course manufacturing is a very important part of our economy. There are

approximately 20 manufacturing firms in the county employing around 2000 people. In the past we've had six new firms move into the county and four new local manufacturing industries were formed. Taylor County now has a very substantial and diversified manufacturing industry. We've had a very substantial increase in manufacturing industries. In fact this year during a period of recession we have three firms that are making major additions to their plants this year. I'm looking out for them. Well one of the things to Macao is a good place to live we've got some real good industries with real good management sales oriented. They've been very aggressive in selling their products. Don't forget the labor market. We've got a good labor market. That's right we have a very plentiful able labor market and we have had people moving into the area that people have been eager to move to Taylor County because of many things. There are the job opportunities here. They're excellent school systems. There's next one

hospital and the clinic with excellent medical and dental facilities we have a two year university center. We have a good airport there very good shopping facilities with a good selection of merchandise available. We've got excellent recreational facilities throughout the county and the people of Taylor County are industrious hardworking people that take a great deal of pride in the county in their communities and their homes their organizations. And it's just an area that people enjoy living and working in. What relationship is there between the angry culture of this county and the industrial area and basically relationship. How does each segment of the economy influence the other. But I don't think there's any direct relationship between agriculture and manufacturing but manufacturing has filled in a void as farms were consolidated and people were looking for work and also working very well with the small farms and people who

desired to continue farming on a small time basis and didn't wish to expand into a major farming operation. The industry industrial jobs available worked very well with a small time farm the farmer the farmer could continue to keep a small farm and work in town and a part time basis. I think the fact that several of our industries are oriented to hire women has been a big asset that way too because we do have several that are probably 90 percent employing women which gives a second income to the family in any climate is great. You mentioned here earlier that there were 25 dairy cows of this county produced twenty four million dollars worth of milk. Where's the money spent. Well of course much of the money is spent right here in Taylor County. And when money is spent it does change hands several times so it makes a major impact throughout the county. Of course some of it goes out and out of the county for the purchase of farm machinery and feed purchase that is

broadly on. Track as a ghost Uncle Sam a lot of other things as it leaves the county but agricultural spending is a major part of the total spending in Taylor County. Being in the retail business myself I just might make a comment that we have been through a recessionary period and in an area such as we are in where we depend upon the farmer we depend upon many factors. This has not been as great as in other places what I'm saying is that business itself does not have the valleys the highs and the lows that perhaps more or the more industrialized areas have. We don't have those highs and lows were more of a steady pace to our retail business with observations from the agricultural viewpoint dairy farmer David crude discussed many points with Tom Dave. Farming is very important here in Taylor County. And especially dairy farming.

Why in your estimation is the dairy farm so important to the economy here in Taylor County. While certainly Taylor County depends very heavily on agriculture but daily dairy farming especially in my opinion is the main source of agricultural income. Perhaps because the area of Taylor County area is not only Taylor County but north central Wisconsin basically including Taylor County is perhaps best suited to the production of forage crops the dairy cow is basically a rough age consume assuming animal and we have the potential here of what we can grow any kind of grass almost without trying that with a little bit of careful management legume crops can be produced. And in this way we provide the needed protein refuges for these very animals.

David you suggested this is basically a roughage area we've got if we grow those type of crops we grow very few cash crop that that where. We see that all pulp is the queen of crops because the produce is protein and corn the king of crops because it produces the largest amount of nutrients a precursor can we grow these crops and kill a colony. Yes we can alfalfa especially if we have a problem of acid condition in the soil that this is very well. Note the acid is neutralized by application of lime. And if this is done and properly drained soils alfalfa little girl very well. I think comparing to some of the other counties of the state that we perhaps have an advantage without fail for because we have we can have a better snow cover in the winter thus cutting down on our winter losses of our alfalfa seedings. Now corn on the other hand it is not in the

past especially has not been very well grown as a cash crop or grain crop. Corn has basically been used in the form of signage in Taylor County as another for a source of refuge for dairy animals. It is low in protein but it is high in energy and total digestible nutrients and we can get our most. As you said total digestible nutrients per acre. But I think there is tremendous potential for corn in the future. With the introduction of our early maturing hybrids and also the use of high moisture and grain storage combining these things I think Taylor County Farmers can eventually very soon. Many of them are doing it already grow their own grain. You mentioned that it's important to grow corn to grow all these crops on your farm. Yes I do. Now you also mention that you have to get the soil ready. We're

conditioned to grow these crops alfalfa in particular lining of soil. You mention have any governmental programs here in this county help you personally in getting this job done. Yes among the government programs I think perhaps tool especially have been of great help to me and this is a line in program which has been reduced very much compared to what we knew in the past. But the other thing that we had cautionary and from government programs and this is a permanent development on my farm and this is the drainage of land alfalfa needs. Well drained soils in many areas as construction of a lot away are ditches or terraces to control erosion have been of great help to me in producing alfalfa especially the governmental programs you speak of presumably of the FCO sort of Conservation Service and theah is a right that is

right now doing is important here and penal colony. Are there any other alternatives to getting an income from farming. Yes there are of course dairy income seems to be the main source of agricultural income but I see potential in quality livestock especially in the registered livestock business. We in the dairy business are constantly raising our own replacements in the form of young stock we raise our we select our best care for calves and raise them for our herd replacements. We may just as well be raising quality registered cattle and that with accurate production records. There is a tremendous potential for for increased or added income in the form of a sale of breeding stock. Also I see a potential in the Indian hour. Our cat was from our dairy herds

which are not normally raised for for replacement animals. This is the bowl of calves and the lower the heifer kid has which we don't prefer to keep for replacement animals. I see a potential and using them for dairy beef. We can raise whole thousand steers and perhaps could. Consume have them consume some of our excess or lower quality raw feeds and realize added income in that form. At the time of our visit to Medford the home economist was out of the office. So we asked Tom because art for a brief description of homemaker activities we have a home maker that is very active in Taylor County and she works in a variety of areas. One of the areas she works in is nutrition. She provides information on cooking the traditional value of various foods to be getting a balance. Meal together for the various groups in this area. But you also works in such areas areas of budgeting.

She's instrumental in teaching various school groups such as the metric system of cooking she also works with homemaker clubs all of which is very educational. And then she does a considerable amount of work in the youth area working with you along with a foreach agent for each member and student Marie Jensen with four Asian youth agent Randy abreast. You belong to the pleasant palace 4-H Club one of the what I would say average clubs in the county would you describe some of your club meetings and some of the projects that are most popular in your club. All right. Yes I called is about average it has approximately 20 members. We hold a meeting once every month in the summer we meet usually in a park in Dorchester there. And we everybody attends. Their activities were to have. Our Sarla. We have a cleanup drive

which we hold in the springtime and clean up the highways along our areas. There are many activities available to forage members. I like to ask you know what's probably the most rewarding experience you had in foreach. Well my most rewarding experience happened is this past summer. I was selected as one of the 10 delegates to the Michigan exchange program. Which is our program there. We go over there and we learn how their forage conducts their meetings and what they do in order things like that. It was really an enjoyable experience I met very wonderful people they were very kind to me in everything. The family I stayed with was really wonderful. I couldn't believe it you know the things they do are sort of different than us. And they are service club which is like our older member organization which does things for the

county. They earn money to support different groups and their kids and things. Are going wrong. It was really a wonderful experience I enjoyed it very much. Additional thoughts on the activities of university extension from businessman Vernon brekky Vern you're the. Chairman of the extension Committee here in Taylor County. How do you view the role of extension here in this particular county. What is expense extension expected to do. While the extension in Taylor County is primarily education and coordination of various activities. When you speak of education now is it primarily an informal type of education or classroom discussion what you expect us here in Taylor County to do. Art and Taylor County I believe that you were generally right directly with the people you work in areas of you with the homemaker resource and Recreation part of

culture and home economics and you work more or less directly. When you mention something about coordination what type of coordination and what type of programs and in what areas would do would you expect this to work. When we speak of coordination we have the I mean one problem here for example very. Well yes the Army worm problem started people and started checking their field and the first thing they call us a colony agent. What can we do. What does the army worm look like. And of course they all come to the ag agent. So we're expected to coordinate certain a certain things that need to be taken care of and as you indicated the Army one problem which incidentally was very serious during the past week or so on. But we have other areas that were expected to work. For example recently two years ago as a matter of fact you hired a full time for each agent and in

your view Mr brekky hasn't been profitable to this county to hire a full time for each agent. Or yes it has been very worthwhile to Columbus. We have an increase in a number of clubs. Our membership is up about under control and 5 youth agent has been able to install some better programs. And before we had a full time a youth agent the ag agent had to double as a youth agent and of course now with the full time youth the egg agent to be able to do it and devote full time to agriculture. So I presume agriculture is a little bit better off in addition to the youth program. And agriculture hopefully is better off because you as you indicated the agricultural agent could work full time with a queer culture. What are some of the programs as you view it that we've accomplished during the past several years that may have enhanced agriculture. While since and we've found a point a magnet and put up bulletin boards throughout

the county with all of the material on there. We've run news. Articles in the paper and on radio TV print had burgled letters to farmers and tended to create many meetings that they have had throughout the county such as your coopt meetings here. Other general meetings of all makers and for each agent and of course in the entire county here the NG agent has put out three pamphlets one on growing corn and agriculture legumes in timber County and also feeding dairy cattle. Those babblers have proved so popular that they've been after by several other agents in the state. All is not work with no play. There's an unusual winter sports area in Taylor unusual because among other factors it involves the cooperation of several different agencies. The vocational agricultural instructor at Gilman high school

is Kenneth breaker who's in charge of much of the operation. He talked with resource agent Allan Lecky. Although Taylor County has a solid rural agricultural air program our recreation industry here in the county has grown tremendously in the past few years. One hundred fifty thousand acres of federal and county forest lands Plus our state purging wildlife area and other other other facilities such as our 60 Lakes do support ample hunting fishing camping and a place for family picnics. Another highlight of our county recreation program here in Taylor County is our winter recreation including snowmobile trails and the operations Operation I should say of the Perkins town water sports area. A gentleman can better tell you about the sports program in Perkins town is Ken Brecher who is a vocational agriculture teacher at Gilman high school and is manager of the winter sports area.

Ken what is the Perkins down winner for Jerry Perkins down when your sports area is a general purpose type winter recreation area located in central Taylor County. It was originally set up by the CCC and the WPA. Back in the late 30s. At the present time it is being operated by Taylor County under a limited use permit with the federal government and the work is being done by the Gilman Future Farmers of America being ag teacher there of course and the advisor to this group. We began operation in 1051 the area consists of tobogganing. We have one of the few steel toboggan shoots in the state. As snowmobiling we have a fine parking lot there and we have about 60 some miles of snowmobile trails surrounding the area. We have inner tubing which is a new craze I would say in the snow areas

of the United States and we have skiing we have an intermediate we have two intermediate ski hills. We have rope cold servicing all of the hills we have beautiful new chalet which was provided by the county and ample parking space for approximately 200 cars. It's about 10 years ago we came upon the idea of using in place of the flying saucer which was quite dangerous at that time. We substituted the use of a truck inner tube when fully inflated especially the synthetic type of rubber. It does move very fast over snow and ice and we have expanded upon this provided a special Hill special toll for the people and for this to be on line and has gone over very well. Another question first of all were is the water sports located in number two with a logo. The sun is still shining

and there is very snow on the ground. What are the dates of your operation and are days in a week that you are open. OK the area can be reached from Highway 64 It's about midway between Medford and Gelman. And we normally plan to open about Christmas time depending upon the winter of course so we'll be out there soon after school starts preparing the area for the winter use and we operate then until well the first two weeks in March. Do I have to bring my own skis or true for the hill or are these provided or I'm a rebel bases or yes we have equipment for the toboggan chute the ski hill and the inner tube hell available at a very minimal rental charge. One other question that I do have. What type of agreement do you have between the company in the US. If the county is responsible for the permanent facilities out there they contract on an annual contract with the

government future farmers for the operation of the area. Another question I have for an example there are many different organizations church groups school groups and what have you. Do you feed into these organizations for rivers of Asians or is it on the they just come and use of facilities on a few bases. We are open Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10:00 a.m. and going till 5 o'clock for the general public about our bread and butter as you might say. Our main thrust I would say is for use of church school civic groups who. Are charged a flat rate a very small rate I might add for the use of an area for a three hour period. We have last year we operated for about 100 such groups. Oh well I'd like to say can as a resource agent working very closely look at the this operation is in the county and we feel that this is one of the most ideal family type of winter recreation areas

in the north central Wisconsin. And I can say we're proud of it and we're proud of the boys and yourself as manager for the operations of the Perkins town water sports area. I say this is about the twenty sixth year now and we hope for that many more and then some. We do each winter have a foreach winter carnival day out there in which all of the foreach members come to the area and participate in various contests and. Use the area for an entire Saturday. Yes something like I just might mention too that the through the resource agency position I serve more as a liaison between the Park Commission and the physical development out there. And we do have a citizens committee where we have input into what are the needs to better serve the people that are using the facilities.

Dairy farming grazing winter sports and much more. All part of. One of the counties of Wisconsin. This program was produced a WHCA service of University of Wisconsin Extension.