— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with returning guest Lisa Johnson, CEO of BioForward Wisconsin.
She shares her perspective on the state’s demographic workforce challenges, arguing Wisconsin should be doubling down on supporting growing industries such as biohealth.
“We have a problem — we have migration out, we need a solution,” she said. “And when you’re going after a solution it means you need to have a strategy. So what I’m asking the state of Wisconsin is, let’s start focusing again on key Wisconsin industries that will drive our long-term economic growth.”
While the state’s biohealth industry is clustered around Madison and Milwaukee, she notes these companies are “completely reliant on Wisconsin’s superb supply chain” that stretches statewide.
“Start marketing those key industries nationwide, gobally,” she said. “Other states are doing it, they recognize this is how you go about selling your state.”
She’s urging lawmakers and other state leaders to organize around such a strategy, pointing to the state’s strength in food and beverage production, advanced manufacturing and other areas.
Listen to the podcast here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-lisa-johnson-bioforward-wisconsin-3/
See the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts: https://www.wisbusiness.com/category/podcast/
— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” Rebekah Sweeney of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association discusses the “recipe for success” for dairy exports in 2022.
Sweeney, the group’s senior director of programs and policy, says last year was “an outstanding year” for U.S. dairy with more than $9.6 billion in exports.
“That represents a 25 percent increase overall, and creates a new record both in terms of volume and value,” she said. “And I always like to say — and I really believe — that dairy processors’ success is built on a firm foundation of their commitment to quality and safety.”
She also touts their efforts to build business relationships with export markets around the world. Sweeney highlights rising sales to Mexico, as well as other countries in Central America and South America, parts of Asia, Australia, Canada and elsewhere.
“It’s an unmitigated success story, though perhaps one that could have been even greater absent some global disruptions,” she said, pointing to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supply shortages and inflation limiting consumers’ purchasing power.
Sweeney also shares her perspective on economic forecasts for 2023, arguing it’s unrealistic to expect dairy exports to rise another 25 percent this year.
Watch the latest episode here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/talking-trade-with-rebekah-sweeney-wisconsin-cheesemakers-association/
“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here: https://www.wisbusiness.com/category/talking-trade/
— Wisconsin exports of food, agriculture and forestry products hit a record high last year, state officials announced.
DATCP yesterday rolled out the latest U.S. Census figures showing exports in these categories reached nearly $4.22 billion in 2022, marking a 7 percent increase over the previous record from 2021. That total includes exports sent to 142 countries, the agency’s release shows.
Dairy exports last year reached $617 million, DATCP says, which is 32 percent higher than the level from 2021. At the same time, crop products like grains, wood and vegetables rose 5 percent over the year to $2.82 billion — the highest that total has been in a decade. And meat product exports fell 2 percent to $782 million.
The state is now ranked 12th in the country for ag exports, according to DATCP.
The agency also says post-pandemic demand coupled with diminished logistics problems is driving growth in some of the state’s top export destinations.
See more details in the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/dept-of-agriculture-trade-and-consumer-protection-wisconsin-food-forestry-and-agricultural-exports-set-record-highs/
— UW System President Jay Rothman has announced plans to seek a tuition increase of 5 percent over the 2023-2024 school year — the first since 2013.
Rothman, who spoke at an Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee hearing yesterday, said the “modest” increase would generate about $38 million per year. He said the Board of Regents will take up the proposal at its next meeting, set for March 30-31.
Board of Regents President Karen Walsh did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rothman’s announcement.
The request comes on the heels of Dem Gov. Tony Evers proposing $2.6 billion in state aid for the system, about $130 million less than what the university had requested. Lawmakers lifted the state-imposed tuition freeze for in-state undergraduate residents in 2021.
Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee Chair Rep. Dave Murphy at the hearing noted he had recently introduced legislation to prohibit the Board of Regents from increasing tuition faster than the rate of inflation, which Rothman’s plan wouldn’t do.
See more coverage at WisPolitics.com: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/thu-pm-update-rothman-calls-for-5-uw-tuition-hike
— The Wisconsin Technology Council is touting the quality of the state’s health care system as an economic development asset.
“2023 Taking the Pulse: How Quality Health Care Builds a Better Economy” references findings from a variety of sources to support this notion. It includes figures from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ranking Wisconsin among the country’s top quartile states based on 2016-2021 data.
It also shows Wisconsin health care performs better than the U.S. average on metrics including mortality from potentially preventable diseases such as diabetes, Medicare readmissions and length of hospital stays.
And the Tech Council notes the state “stacks up moderately well” compared to other states for measures of health care access, citing findings from The Commonwealth Fund on adults foregoing care due to cost, dental visits, children getting care and more.
Meanwhile, the report draws on a Forbes Advisor analysis of Kaiser Family Foundation data comparing average health care costs across the country. While the national average was above $10,000 per person, Wisconsin was ranked 8th-least expensive with a per-capita rate of $9,626 per person.
Plus, the state’s health care cost increases were among the six lowest in the country based on figures from the past five years, according to the report.
“While COVID refuses to disappear, the same kind of quality that helped weather the pandemic continues to benefit the Wisconsin economy,” report authors wrote. “Health care systems are continuing to innovate, to compete for talented staff, becoming more efficient, and offering cutting-edge solutions for patients and the communities they serve.”
See the full report here: https://wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Taking-The-Pulse-2023-FINAL.pdf
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report … </b></i>
— UW-Madison has launched a new center focused on “integrative health,” which involves both conventional medicine and other kinds of care.
And the Department of Health Services is pitching Medicaid expansion as the lynch pin to increasing payments for those who treat patients on the program.
Meanwhile, the conservative Institute for Reforming Government has released a set of policy recommendations aimed at boosting health care choice and competition while overhauling aspects of Medicaid.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
Sign up here: http://forms.gle/o8FtqTLviGJPja8C9
— WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com later this month will host an event on the clean energy transition and the role of federal funding.
The discussion will be held 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. March 16 at Discovery World in Milwaukee, featuring experts in renewable energy and technology on how the state can maximize the impact of federal dollars.
The keynote speaker is Justin Worland, a Washington D.C.-based senior correspondent for TIME covering climate change and the intersection of policy, politics and society.
And “UpFront” co-host Gerron Jordan will moderate a panel featuring: Chuck McGinnis, a senior executive with Johnson Controls; Randy Satterfield, a clean energy consultant and former transmission company executive; and Maria Redmond, director of the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy.
See more event details and register here: https://www.wispolitics.com/event/wispolitics-com-wisbusiness-com-the-clean-energy-shift-is-underway-how-will-the-inflation-reduction-act-accelerate-the-transition
#TOP STORIES#
# UW System President Jay Rothman to seek in-state tuition increase
# These nine Wisconsin companies made Inc. list of fastest-growing Midwest firms
# Wisconsin ranks 12th in U.S. for agricultural exports following record year
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Dane County tops in total corn production, Marathon in corn silage
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=257&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Proposed Whitefish Bay apartment development receives mix of praise, criticism
– Bayshore shoppers, staff reunited with vehicles after parking structure partial collapse
– Here are 5 Green Bay-area projects included in Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal
# ECONOMY
– Paying more at the pump in northern Wisconsin? Here’s why
# EDUCATION
– DATCP recruiting students for next Ag Youth Council
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=259&yr=2023
– UW System president to propose 5% tuition increase
– Evers promotes $183M plan to upgrade facilities at UW-L during Thursday visit
# ENTERTAINMENT
– Marcus Corp. posts loss for Q4, full year but leaders remain optimistic
# ENVIRONMENT
– Tosa residents and animal rights activists clash over city’s coyote policy
– Since pandemic, more downtown Milwaukee workers refuse to commute if it snows
# LEGAL
– Lawsuit: Remove blockades in Wisconsin tribal land dispute
# MANAGEMENT
– Mary Ellen Stanek named Milwaukee World Festival board chair
# MANUFACTURING
– EPA announces most energy-efficient manufacturing plants
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=258&yr=2023
# POLITICS
– As budget negotiations begin, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos downplays Wisconsin’s surplus
# REAL ESTATE
– Rental townhomes proposed for former Whitefish Bay Woman’s Club property
# SPORTS
– Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers become part owners of Major League Soccer team
# TOURISM
– Evers proposes $5M for new Bronzeville Center for the Arts in Milwaukee
– Boutique hotel to open in downtown Racine this summer
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Dept. of Natural Resources: Now hiring state park seasonal staff
Wisconsin Family Council: Honors Wisconsin’s longest married couples
