Emerging Ag Markets (EAM) Team
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The Agricultural Innovation Center is an outgrowth of the Emerging Ag Markets (EAM) Team of UW Cooperative Extension. Started in 1998, the EAM Team has been at the forefront with agricultural entrepreneurs whose new product innovations and marketing strategies are changing the face of Wisconsin agriculture. The Agricultural Innovation Center has received critical funding through the EAM Team over the years and continues to work closely with the team's co-leaders and members.
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County Extension Partners |
We work with all of the 72 county extension offices to extend our reach across the state. Below we feature six county agents who have demonstrated considerable interest and abililty working with agricultural entrepreneurs: |
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Aliesha Crowe
Agricultural Agent
Rusk County - UW Extension
Courthouse
311 Miner Avenue East
Ladysmith, WI 54848-1895
Phone: 715-532-2151
Fax: 715-532-2279 |
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Andrew Dane
Community Development Agent
Barron County - UW Extension
330 E. LaSalle Avenue, Room 2206
Barron, WI 54812-1540
Phone: 715-537-6250
Fax: 715-537-6814 |
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Alan Linnebur
Agricultural Agent
Washington County - UW Extension
PO Box 2003
333 East Washington Street
Suite 1200
West Bend, WI 53095-2003
Phone: 262-335-4477
Wisconsin Toll-Free: 800-616-0046
Fax: 262-335-4863 |
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Rose Skora
Agricultural Agent
On Thursdays & Fridays
Racine County UW-Extension
County Office Building
14200 Washington Ave. (Highway 20)
Sturtevant, WI 53177-1253
Racine Co Phone: 262-886-8460
On Tuesdays & Wednesdays
Kenosha County UW-Extension
19600 - 75th Street
Bristol, WI 53104
Kenosha Co
Phone: 262-857-1945 |
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Tim Rehbein
Agricultural Agent
Vernon County - UW Extension
E7410 County Hwy BB, Suite 392
Viroqua, WI 54665-0392
Phone: 608-637-5276
Fax: 608-637-5504 |
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Keith Vander Velde
Agricultural Agent
Marquette County UW-Extension
Department Head
County Services Center
Box 338
Montello, WI 53949-0338
Phone: 608-297-3136
Fax: 608-297-9161 |
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Thrive
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Thrive is a new organization that focuses on economic development in the 8-county Madison Region, including Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferosn, Rock, and Sauk.
Take a look at You Tube video about Thrive.
Beginning January 2008, Greg Lawless will be the Director of Agricultural Initiatives for Thrive, under a Cooperative Agreement with UW Extension. For more on this major new initiative to grow agricuture in South Central Wisconsin, visit the agricultural section of Thrive's website. |
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Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network
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WEN is a statewide network of 100 organizations and service providers that exist to support entrepreneurs.
We frequently work with WEN's four Regional Directors Pat Dillon (Northwest Region), Kurt Waldhuetter (Northeast Region), David Linz (Southeast Region), and Ayla Annac (Southwest Region).
- Highlights of WEN resources (coming soon)
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DATCP
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The Wisconsin Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is another critical partner. We work most closely with their Division of Agricultural Development. Division Administrator Will Hughes has been a key partner in our shared mission to promote and support agricultural entrepreneurship and development in Wisconsin. DATCP staff who received Ag Innovation Counselor training in 2004 and continue to work closely with our program include Perry Brown, Paul Dietmann, Carl Rainey, Mike Bandli, and Jim Cisler.
We also work increasingly with DATCP staff on local and regional food system development and specialty food processing, including Lora Klenke, Amy Bruner Zimmerman, Lois Federman, Kathy Schmitt and Lisa Stout.
- Highlights of DATCP resources (coming soon)
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Center for Community Economic Development
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We have worked closely with the staff at CCED since 2005. Greg Wise served as Co-Director of the Agricultural Innovation Center from 2005-2008 and continues to provide significant support to our efforts. Bill Pinkovitz was the lead author of the Business Feasibility curriculum that has become a cornerstone of our educational program for agricultural entrepreneurs. We are currently working with Gary Green and Matt Kures to survey agricultural leaders in the Capital Region as part of our collaboration with Thrive.
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Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
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We work closely with CIAS on local & regional food system development. We currently have a grant proposal pending which, if funded, will signficantly increase our collaboration on this topic.
Anne Pfeiffer will work closely with CIAS Associate Director Michelle Miller and her colleagues as this effort unfolds. |
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The FARM Team
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While the Emerging Ag Markets (EAM) Team focuses on new markets and marketing strategies, it's essential that we also help our clients evaluate the bottom line. For that reason, we strongly urge our business counselors to take advantage of the FARM Team's programs, especially those found under their Financial and Strategic Management section. In fact, we have set aside professional development funds to support any of our business counselors' participation in these programs.
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The Bioenergy & Bioeconomy Team
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The emerging bio-economy is opening up many new opportunties for entrepreneurs, large and small. To help our clients stay abreast of developments in that arena, Greg Lawless contributes time to managing the website of the Bioenergy & Bioeconomy Team. Meanwhile, B&B Team members are engaged in a wide variety of projects that should be of great interest to agricultural entrepreneurs and their communities.
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Blue Planet Partners
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Executive Director Jim Bower has pulled together a team of partners with the "overarching goal of this project is to play a catalytic role in shifting the capacity of a region to scale up a regional food system. We use this working goal ." Quoted from the Good to Grow Project Wiki. For more information, contact Jim. |
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Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
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Ron Doetch, Margaret Krome and Jeanne Merrill at MFAI have been a long-standing partner on several fronts. We have collaborated on marketing and delivering educational programs for agricultural entrepreneurs, and MFAI has provided substantial leadership on local and regional food system development. |
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Wisconsin Local Food Network
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Led by Price County Extension Marketing Speciality Jane Hansen, WFLN is a statewide network of individuals who are creating statewide connections for learning from the experiences of Wisconsin local food initiatives. The
group foster learning for local and regional action through networking and dialogue. The network coordinated the first two Wisconsin Food Summits in 2007 and 2008. For more information, contact Jane. |
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