Sixth Wisconsin Agriculture Youth Council meets

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection held its first session Sept. 18 of the sixth Wisconsin Agriculture Youth Council. Members met virtually; they are all Wisconsin high-school seniors. They introduced themselves before welcoming three speakers.

Agriculture-department Secretary Randy Romanski congratulated the members on their selection to the Wisconsin Agriculture Youth Council and answered member questions. Members asked about the role of the Secretary and agricultural policy.

“I learned that we as members of the youth council can take what we learn in these sessions and promote it to agriculturally motivated youth to help grow the agricultural industry,” said Easton Hansen, a council member from Lake Mills.

Mike Strigel, ag-department Assistant Deputy Secretary, shared an agency overview. He highlighted the department’s mission to partner with all the citizens of Wisconsin to grow the economy by promoting quality food, healthy plants and animals, sound use of land and water resources, and a fair marketplace.

“My favorite takeaway from today’s session was that (the ag department) is extremely diverse and covers much more than what I initially considered directly related to agriculture,” said Owen Moore, a council member from Two Rivers. “Recreational regulations were the most surprising.”

Patrick Walsh, ag-department Legislative Liaison, provided a brief summary of state government for the members. His presentation discussed the interaction between different levels of government and the state-budget process.

“The most interesting takeaway was the ability to talk to other members and what (the ag department) does in general and how I can contribute to agriculture,” said Oscar Stowell, council member from Fox Lake. “So far the council has already helped me to think more about how the public and youth can get involved in ag.”