Rep. Tranel to lead Assembly Ag Committee

State Representative Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City) was appointed to serve as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture for the 2023-24 Legislative Session by Speaker Robin Vos. As a 6th generation dairy farmer, Rep. Tranel brings a down-to-earth, no-nonsense perspective regarding agriculture to the position.

“It’s an honor to be appointed by the speaker to serve my fellow farmers as chair of this important committee. I can’t wait to get to work. Even though less than two percent of the U.S. population currently farms, 100% of the population eats so the future of Ag is important for everyone,” said Rep. Tranel.

For six terms, Rep. Tranel has served as a member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and was its Vice-Chairman during the 2011-12 session. Along with twelve years of experience serving as a member of the Ag Committee, Rep. Tranel has exhibited tremendous leadership in advocating for Wisconsin family farms and our state’s agricultural sector.

“Family farming in Wisconsin is a way of life. It will be important that we work collaboratively with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to build a better future for Wisconsin agriculture and promote economic prosperity throughout the state,” said Rep. Tranel.

Important Information:

The World wants U.S. Meat

Promoting U.S. red meat to the rest of the world is the job of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. That work continues even during geopolitical unrest and supply chain disruption.

Dean Meyer is the new chairman of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. He’s also a farmer himself out of Iowa raising pork, beef, corn and soybeans. He says strong exports are critical regardless of how supply looks, especially since unwanted cuts here in the U.S., such as tongue, liver, and intestine, are valued in other parts of the world.

Several commodity groups are active in the USMEF: corn, soybeans, processors, packers, pork and beef, for example. Meyer explains that nine commodity groups work together, which is attractive to export markets because traders want to hear from the whole supply chain.

Attracting Generation Z to Dairy

Dairy checkoff dollars are at work to reach the next generation of consumers — shoppers in their early 20s or younger, who are standing in front of the milk cooler, making a choice on what to buy. This is Generation Z — about 55 million people born between 1997 and 2012.

Marilyn Hershey is the chair of Dairy Management Inc. She says to target this age group, DMI has to use methods never heard of in previous generations — influencers. This is because Gen Z doesn’t get their news in the same way other do. So DMI partners with Mr. Beast, one of the world’s top Minecraft gamers, to share the positive message of dairy through games.

“Nine out of 10 Gen Z-ers are gamers. They will either game or watch games,” she says. “So we work with one of the strongest gamers in the country… Mr. Beast. He has over 100 million followers. He is currently writing the dairy sustainability story into his game.”

Youth Pig Project Scholarships Available

The Wisconsin Pork Association is once again offering Youth Pig Project scholarships. These scholarships are designed to assist 4-H and FFA members in establishing swine projects that can lead to development of life skills and career opportunities in the Wisconsin pork industry.

4-H and FFA youth are eligible to apply for a $100 scholarship used to offset costs associated with their 2023 pig project. Scholarships will be awarded in three age divisions: Ages 9-12, 13-15, and 16-19 (as of January 1, 2023).

ENJOY 10% OFF!

Become a WLIC Individual Member and receive a 10% discount on all eartags purchases through the WLIC Online Store. Use code "wlicmem22" at checkout.

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP

WLIC online offers, tags, readers, taggers, and more to help you fit your production needs.

Upcoming Events:

January 24 - Wisconsin Ag Outlook Forum

January 19 - Chippewa Valley Ag Conference

February 3-4 - Corn Soy Expo

January 2023: UW Extension Agriculture Virtual Education Offerings

February 28 - Midwest Manure Summit

WLIC Members

Being a small non-profit, WLIC relies on memberships and sponsorships to further academic programs and events to educate on livestock traceability, identification, and premises ID. We sincerely thank our Industry and Individual partners for their continuous support of WLIC.

Gold