The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has hired Jayne Krull as the director of the Agriculture and Farm Center, a bureau of DATCP’s Division of Agricultural Development.

As director of the Ag and Farm Center, Krull will lead a staff of agricultural program specialists who provide support and assistance for farm issues such as business and financial planning, transition and succession planning, production concerns, starting or exiting farming, conflict resolution, and counseling services. Krull also will oversee staff who manage the Something Special from Wisconsin, Alice in Dairyland and Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin programs; agricultural marketing boards; and the cultivated ginseng program.

“I am excited to start this new challenge as the director of the Agriculture and Farm Center,” said Krull. “I look forward to working with our staff to provide and enhance Farm Center programs that help farmers identify, analyze and resolve the many challenges and opportunities that farming presents. I’m also looking forward to finding new ways to strategically advance our popular marketing and outreach programs.”

Krull spent the past 17 years with GEA Farm Technologies, formerly WestfaliaSurge, a leading dairy/milking and food processing equipment manufacturer. She served in marketing and product manager roles, including new product development and strategic market implementation. Most recently, she was GEA’s global service product manager for the dairy farming division.

Prior to her time at GEA, Krull was a senior agricultural marketing consultant with DATCP’s International Agribusiness Center. She was also an Alice in Dairyland finalist, and served on the Alice in Dairyland selection panel.

Krull was born and raised on a 500-acre registered Holstein, hog and crop operation in Lake Mills, and in recent years moved back to the family farm. She is a mother of three children.

She is a member of the Association of Women in Agriculture, National Agri-Marketing Association, National Mastitis Council Inc., National Young Dairy Leaders Institute, Wisconsin Holstein Association, and is active in her local FFA Alumni.

“Jayne Krull brings extensive project management and business development experience in agriculture to her new role with the Ag and Farm Center,” said Krista Knigge, administrator of the Division of Agricultural Development. “She has the experience, strategic vision and leadership skills to advance the team’s work of helping Wisconsin farmers address the challenges and opportunities they face, as well as help market Wisconsin agriculture to state, national and global audiences.”

Wisconsin farmers and businesses seeking to grow their local markets are encouraged to apply for 2020 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin producer and processor grants. Proposals must be received by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) by noon, February 28, 2020.

Each proposal must include a cover page, a completed budget template and project description. Applications are available online at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/BuyLocalBuyWisconsinGrants.aspx.

As a result of the budget Governor Tony Evers signed, a total of $300,000 is available in grant funding; the maximum award for each project is $50,000. Grant applicants must provide a cash or in-kind match of at least 50 percent of the total project budget. Grants may not be used to fund feasibility projects or startups. Grants will be awarded following a competitive review process. The target date for grant award notification is June 1, 2020.

Qualified applicants include individuals, groups or businesses involved in Wisconsin production agriculture, food processing, food distribution, food warehousing, retail food establishments or agricultural tourism operations. Proposals could include collaborations or partnerships.

Since its inception in 2008, the program has funded 58 projects, totaling more than $1.6 million. Administered by DATCP, the grants can help farms and business more efficiently produce, process, market and distribute food in local markets including stores, schools and institutions. Previous grant recipients have generated nearly $10 million in new local food sales, created and retained 211 jobs, and benefitted more than 2,700 producers and 2,900 markets.

Anyone with questions about the application process can contact DATCP Grants Specialist Juli Speck at juli.speck@wisconsin.gov or 608-224-5134.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) recently released its list of Wisconsin’s biggest economic development deals of 2019. In the previous calendar year, WEDC assisted 289 businesses and communities across 16 industries, totaling more than $250 million in awards.

The more than $1.2 billion in planned capital investments for the projects supported by our partners at WEDC this year are expected to create more than 3,165 jobs and retain almost 14,000 jobs across the state. Of these awardees, 31 have planned capital investment of more than $10 million.

WEDC’s 2019 awards consisted of 158 grants, 47 investor tax credit awards, 20 loans and 57 historic preservation or business tax credit awards. Of the fourteen projects highlighted on WEDC’s list, five call the Madison Region home.

“To see three of our Madison Region counties represented on a statewide list of just fourteen projects speaks to the strength and industrial diversity of our Region,” said MadREP President Paul Jadin.

2019 Top Madison Region economic development projects:

Catalent Pharma Solutions LLC

• Estimated total project cost: $74 million
• WEDC investment: $1.3 million in tax credits
• Project scope: Madison facility expansion
• Estimated job impact: 145 new jobs created and 277 jobs retained

Sub-Zero Group Inc.

• Estimated total project cost: $70 million
• WEDC investment: $1 million in tax credits
• Project scope: New research and development facility in Fitchburg
• Estimated job impact: 100 new jobs created and 1,759 jobs retained

Eurofins Food Chemistry Testing US Inc.

• Estimated total project cost: $41 million
• WEDC investment: $400,000 in tax credits
• Project scope: New lab facility and administration space
• Estimated job impact: 85 jobs created and 325 jobs to be retained

American Builders & Contractors Supply Co. Inc.

• Estimated total project cost: $25 million
• WEDC investment: $950,000 in tax credits
• Project scope: Construction of new shared service center in Beloit
• Estimated job impact: 195 jobs created and 637 jobs retained

Deere & Company

• Estimated total project cost: $24 million
• WEDC investment: $250,000 in tax credits
• Project scope: Expansion project in Horicon, Dodge County
• Estimated job impact: 12 jobs created and 768 jobs retained

“These companies and communities play a key role in strengthening our state’s economy by investing in Wisconsin and creating jobs that pay well,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s lead economic development organization. “2019 was a successful year for WEDC in carrying out our mission to advance and maximize opportunities for Wisconsin businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive environment.”

The list is based on all corporate expansion and attraction projects in which contracts between WEDC and the company were executed in 2019. The job projections, estimated project costs and the award amounts from WEDC are based on the requirements set forth in each contract. All WEDC tax credits are performance-based, and the amount of credits a company receives is contingent upon the actual numbers of jobs created and the amount of capital investment made.

Construction on Amazon’s 1 million square foot, build-to-suit fulfillment center in Beloit’s Gateway Business Park is underway. The development, which is occurring on 80-acres of certified, shovel-ready property, is affiliated with Seefried Industrial Properties and Peyton Paisley WI LLC, a division of USAA. The center is expected to open in late Q3 / early Q4 2020 and have 500 employees.

This project is Amazon’s third, large-scale logistics investment in Wisconsin. A combination of state income tax credit and/or local packages helped to facilitate these developments.

According to James Otterstein, Rock County Economic Development Manager, “The logistics-friendly land use preparation and transportation infrastructure, combined with geographic proximity to major markets, creates a strong business case for cold storage, distribution, fulfillment and warehousing investments throughout the Janesville-Beloit MSA.”

Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland sat down with the Watertown Daily Times to discuss the events of 2019, including her first year in office, as well as her hopes and goals for the city in 2020.

McFarland, who is the first female mayor in the city’s history, was elected in April at the age of 34. During her first year as mayor, McFarland has overseen numerous changes for the city of Watertown, including creating a plan to revitalize Main Street, overseeing renovations to the city’s library, passing stricter laws against who may purchase electronic smoking devices in the city and countless other city-wide events including a 9/11 moment of silence and even an ugly sweater day.

During her interview, McFarland discusses the accomplishment of bringing together all the different city departments into one complete unit, the struggle of balancing work in the city with the number of city employees and her goal to bring new aesthetic changes to the downtown and continuing progress with new city council members to be elected next year.

It was exciting and challenging, but very fulfilling. I feel really thankful to be able to have this job and to serve the community that I love and that I think is one of the best communities in the state of Wisconsin so it’s a privilege. I’m happy that I won and that I’m able to do it and I have a really great team so I’m appreciative of them.

What has been the city’s biggest accomplishment for 2019?

Internally, I’m incredibly proud of the movement we have made towards becoming one united team versus 12 separate teams. We have 11 departments, then there’s me, then there’s the airport and I am really pleased with the movement we’ve made and coming together as one and just seeing the value of doing things collectively versus divided up.

Externally, it is tough to pick one thing, but I think the positive momentum downtown is pretty powerful. In a matter of six months, the downtown is going to aesthetically look different. A lot of that footwork is behind the scenes right now. It’s inside of buildings and in designs and things people can’t see, which is probably more of why I should say that is probably our biggest accomplishment. We’ve had so many plans over the course of time, even in the time I was on the city council, so to actually have this plan that we said we are doing this, whether it is the 100 block or the library and truly mobilizing it, is a profound success.

What is a personal accomplishment you felt proud of this year?

I feel really proud of the success we’ve had inside of these walls (city hall). Public employees are something that matter a lot to me. I think if we value the people who are providing service they provide even better service and I want them to know how much I appreciate them and advocate for them. I can start to feel that momentum swing. I spent a lot of energy and time cultivating that and so I’m really proud that has come to pass.

What was your favorite moment of the year (2019)?

I have to tell you and it may be because it was early on, but one of my favorite moments that pops into my head right away was speaking at my first DARE graduation. I was a kid who was pretty straight-laced so to be able to stand in front of a room full of young children and tell them it is possible to be successful and somewhat cool, is normally what I joke about, in life and to have done it. I have never used drugs, I have never smoked, I have never chosen violence—to be able to say that in front of a bunch of kids was really fulfilling personally. Then I would say, (being able to visit) the White House, it’s kind of a tough one to top. To be able to be in the White House for work to advocate on behalf of this city was pretty profound.

What was the biggest surprise for you?

I could tell you, hands down, the largest surprise I have is the amount of work that we accomplish with the amount of staff we have. This is the first time in my career where I’ve had more issues to address than I have had staff to address them, so that’s been a challenge for me as a leader. I can’t just say, “Hey, secretaries office, I need more people” and with a few hoops to jump through we get them. I don’t have that luxury here. So I, hands down, was shocked by the volume of work we achieved with the level of staffing that we have. We reduced the staff in around 2008 and we have not returned to that level of staffing and the work has surpassed….We have more development than we had in ‘08, we have more emergency service needs. All of that is more, but our staffing level is not, so for sure the most surprising.

What was the biggest struggle of the year?

I would say (staffing) is my largest struggle. We can achieve so much more if we had more people, but that comes at a cost, so it’s really about benefiting the cost benefit of that. I am very confident in saying that investments and infusions of a person here or there would make a big impact for us….We have people working 100 hours a pay period, 90 hours a pay period, consistently, and research will tell you that is not sustainable. So that’s a tough point for me.

What are your goals as mayor in 2020?

I want to make sure we make some physical design aesthetic change in our downtown. There’s going to be a couple of larger ideas that I need us to flesh out. If I wouldn’t have said staffing, my next answer would be our limited revenue streams is a huge challenge for us. So I’m going to be asking my team and I to run down some ideas, truthfully just ideas. I don’t know if any of them are going to work, but we’ve got to run the course and see if any of these ideas can help us create additional revenue streams. I’m looking in 2020 to firm up our IT situation. I think that’s a risk for us. We’re looking at ways we can engage a different section of our citizenry. I always talk about it as reaching a new population of people. So if that’s welcoming new residents or providing some of our information in Spanish, we need to start to reach new populations of people in the city. We will be having interns more widespread….We are looking to expand, given the limited staffing I just talked about. We are looking to expand our internship representation here so we need to formalize that. I could go on and on, but I won’t.

What do you hope for or expect out of 2020?

2020 is going to be a big year because half of our council, I think, will turn over. We have three alders who are term-limited and one that has noted he won’t be running for re-election, so we’ll have four new seats. I know that we are going to need to do some education of that new council and I’m expecting continued progress. Once we get the new team in the fold with the new council, I’m expecting us to start knocking off some of these ideas. I’m expecting things to be a little more efficient. We spent a good amount standardizing stuff since April and I’m hoping we’ll be able to provide a little bit more data around some of the decisions that we make.