The shows are bid at least three years in advance and that means Thompson was usually working with three county committees at the same time and each one is at a different stage of the process. He enjoyed watching those committees evolve. “Every county has tremendous teamwork and great leadership that develops over the early months but they never really gel until about a year before the show, then everything seems to come together.” He says when they start to joke and kid each other, that’s when they are a team.

Thompson can’t say enough about the U.W. Extension agents in the counties he has worked with because in each case, they are the Executive Secretary of the show. They must take the lead role and provide the initial leadership. He says the best ones get things going and then let the volunteers take over, “and in most cases, that really happens.” Thompson was the Extension Agent in Sheboygan County when they hosted the show in 1975.

The host families are also a crucial part of this show. “They are very supportive people otherwise they would not have raised their hand and said I’ll do this.” He has seen a lot of changes in the show over the years but the biggest difference he sees is in the host farms. “Going from a one-or-two-person family farm to a multi-family farm and it is still a family farm. The Crave Brothers are a prime example of this.”

On a personal note, I have known Glenn from both the media standpoint and as a member of the Clark County Executive Committee for the 2005 show. From the media standpoint, I remember when he took the job 18 years ago; he has always been straightforward and readily accessible to us. He always made us feel that we are an important part of the success of each show. Glenn always had time to talk to us.

My real appreciation for Glenn came as a member of the Clark County Executive Committee. It was over that three-year period that I came to fully understand just what this guy does, how he is dealing with three different county committees, usually in opposite corners of the state at the same time. In so many ways he was like the father who knew the kids would eventually grow into what was expected of them.

I hope he has many years of enjoyable retirement and I hope to see him many more times in the future. By the way Glenn, I still haven’t seen a picture of you in a Clark County shirt!

AUDIO: Glenn Thompson talks about his years with WFTD 4:55

As expected, the Crave Brothers dairy operation was a big draw as more than 30,000 took the tram-tour of the farm over the three days.

Dodge County Executive Committee chair Dave Frohling commended the volunteers and the Craves for making the show such a success, “its obvious people take pride in agriculture and their community.”

Next year the show moves to western Wisconsin, Pierce County hosted by the Roger and Bev Peterson family near River Falls.

Bob Karl with the Wisconsin Soybean Association says the introduction of varieties suitable for growing in this state, the use of soybeans in the dairy ration and now the input cost advantage have all contributed to increased acreage in the Badger State. “Animal feed is our number-one customer,” says Karl and that is why the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board and the Wisconsin Soybean Association are focusing on the dairy, cattle and pork producers out there. “We’ve worked with the Pork Producers, with the Professional Dairy Producers and with the Dairy Business Association here in Wisconsin and it has really worked out well for us.”

AUDIO: Bob Karl talks about the soybean industry in Wisconsin 2:14

Another characteristic of the current situation is that while people are doing more cooking at home, they are still looking for those new and fresh tastes and flavors that they were seeking out in restaurants a year ago. “They want to explore taste,” says Joyce noting the more than 600 different varieties of cheese made in Wisconsin. “That’s why we have launched a micro-site on the web; a micro-site is an area that talks specifically about different food products and this one is entitled cheese and burger society.com.” It talks about a lot of the varieties we have and pairs those varieties with different recipe and menu ideas.

Dairy also continues to seek new products and uses through research and development for everything from new cheese varieties to the use of chocolate milk as a recovery drink

AUDIO: Matt Joyce talks about cheese consumption 4:46

Regarding climate change legislation, Farm Bureau is concerned about the possible increase in energy costs to farmers the bill might create and Langan says the cap-and-trade carbon credit program that came out of the House may not be enough to offset the increased cost to farmers.

AUDIO: Casey Langan talks about the dairy proposal 4:30

Dan Weiland says their products like Optigen and Sel-Plex are designed to enhance animal health and efficiency. Optigen is their newest product designed to replace some of the more expensive soybean meal as a protein source in the ruminant ration. “It has really become popular as guys are looking for ways to save costs right now.”

Along with products, Alltech looks at what services they can offer to help farmers be successful. Tom Lorenzen is an electrician by trade but joined Alltech a few years ago to work with the Dairy Workers Program, “to look at the non-nutritional things on a dairy farm.”

Lorenzen says they conduct an on-the-farm audit of a dairy operation looking at three key areas; the milking routine of the people, the milking equipment and cow comfort. He says they have been able to find different things that do not cost a lot of money to change but can make a big difference in the milk tank. For example, he says positioning of the neck rail can make a huge difference in cow comfort, are the cows moved into the milking parlor smoothly and efficiently and is there good communication among the milkers.

Weiland and Lorenzen talk about their products and services 9:30

That is a brief synopsis of what it is like to be the host farm for Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. That is what the Crave Brothers and their families are going through this week. On Wednesday morning, I had a chance to sit down and chat with Charles Crave, the eldest of the four brothers and the one the other three point at to say, “It was his idea!” “It’s been a really positive, pleasant experience for our whole family,” is his answer. In the 20-plus years that I have covered this show, I can safely say every host family I have met would agree with Charles.

Charles and George were the two initial partners in the operation, starting in Mount Horeb then purchasing this farm near Waterloo. Brothers Tom and Mark joined later to build what is a showcase for dairying in America’s Dairyland. “You have to learn to give-and-take, set common goals and work to achieve those goals.” Charles adds you need to address the things that need to be addressed and you need to celebrate the things that go right, “And Farm Technology Days is a celebration of some of the things that have gone right.”

He says one of the key elements leading to the success of Crave Brothers Dairy Farm is the attention they paid to the cows. “We started breeding for feet and leg confirmation around 1980″ in anticipation of someday having a slatted-floor barn. “So, when we built our slatted floor barn, the cows were ready to go.” Like many top dairy producers, focus on cow comfort has been at the forefront, that was taken into consideration with every improvement on the farm from curb height to organic bedding.

Two of the more recent innovations on the farm are the anaerobic digester and the cheese factory, in both instances, the brothers sought out the opinions and ideas from experts in the field before making decisions. The same can be said for the people who help with the dairy herd and the crops. “We rely on them for their best efforts because our mutual best efforts are tied together.”

Time will not stand still and neither will Crave Brothers, Charles and George already have children in their 20’s and they are becoming a part of the future of this 21st century family farm.

AUDIO: Charles Crave talks about the experience

As Alice, Cheryl will speak to high school students across the state over the next year about the job opportunities in agriculture and visiting Farm Technology Days helps build her case. “There are over 300 careers in agriculture across Wisconsin,” and beyond that she adds, “for every one job that is created by agriculture there is another 1.3 jobs generated somewhere else in the state.”

AUDIO: Cheryl O’Brien talks about the opportunities in agriculture 3:25

Invite “Alice” to your school

It has been a very busy summer already for Ploeckelman having visited numerous fairs to date “I did nine last week and eight the week before,” with many more on her schedule including the Wisconsin State Fair August 6th through the 16th. She says the current economy has more people looking to fairs as a good entertainment value for the whole family.

Given her involvement already, it is no surprise that Ploeckelman is an advocate for youth to get involved in the many opportunities available to them like the Fairest program, FFA, 4-H and others. “These are things that are great for agriculture, great for Wisconsin and we are a generation that can promote these things and keep them going strong.”

AUDIO: Melissa Ploeckelman talks about her experiences 5:30

Beekeepers have faced some very tough situations in the past few years with Colony Collapse Disorder, mites and other challenges. Roden says they are still trying to figure out the cause of CCD but, “We have no answers yet.”

When it comes to the importance of bees to pollination of agricultural crops, Roden uses a “pizza analysis.” She breaks down the ingredients in the pizza pointing out that bees pollinate the tomatoes for the sauce and they pollinate the alfalfa that feeds the cows that make the milk for the cheese.

AUDIO: Amy Roden talks about the benefits of bees 4:22