— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Suzanne Fanning, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
The podcast explores how DFW markets products in Wisconsin, nationwide and further as exports become an increasingly important piece of the state’s dairy sector.
Fanning discusses how the organization reaches new markets for cheese in particular, noting “you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody in Wisconsin who doesn’t already know how fabulous our cheese is.” She notes very little is spent in-state on promoting cheese, adding most efforts are focused elsewhere.
“We follow what’s called the 90-90 rule,” she said, explaining “in Wisconsin, 90% of the milk that’s produced goes into making cheese and 90% of that cheese is sold outside of the state of Wisconsin.”
The group’s outreach has focused on “food fanatics” for whom food is a large part of their identity, as these consumers often influence the buying decisions of those around them. Many of these target customers live in major metro areas like New York City, Los Angeles and elsewhere on the coasts, Fanning said.
“They’re the ones who are kind of setting those trends, and those are the people that we’re trying to reach with this message,” she said.
Fanning touts the quality of Wisconsin’s cheese and the culture that surrounds it, noting the state wins more awards for cheese than any other state or country. It’s the only place outside of Switzerland where people can become master cheesemakers, she said, adding cheese made in Wisconsin is found in 99% of U.S. grocery stores.
“As good as your digital advertising is, it can’t replace really getting people to taste that cheese,” she said. “So a lot of the time we’re focusing on ways that we can have some experiential marketing and get people to taste cheeses at events across the country.”
Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.
— In the latest episode of “WisBusiness: the Show,” My Coverage Plan Founder and President Bobby Peterson shares insights on the health benefits startup.
The company, which connects low-income consumers to health coverage, was the winner of the Elevator Pitch Olympics segment of this year’s Early Stage Symposium. Peterson discusses the FirstCheck Wisconsin platform, highlighting the concept of “precision patient advocacy.”
“You can’t get the care, a lot of the time, until you get the benefits, and it requires information and data,” he said, adding “it’s really detailed at some points … and a little pivot point one way or the other means coverage or no coverage.”
The platform incorporates relevant information on age, income, medical status, immigration status and more, with a goal of helping consumers find “the right coverage that you need,” Peterson said.
The Wisconsin-based company is developing its platform in the state, and Peterson says early pilot findings are promising.
“We’re identifying coverage, we’re helping people avoid and prevent medical debt,” he said, pointing to the $1.4 billion in unpaid medical bills in Wisconsin alone. “That’s a lot of money, and we can do something about it.”
Peterson also weighs in on the recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
“I think that when you’re dealing with access to health care coverage, it’s very personal, it’s very emotional. You’re trying to help yourself or a family member. You’re dealing with an unforgiving bureaucracy,” he said. “It leads to a lot of built up frustration … I think that part of what we’re trying to do is to set up tools and processes to help people understand the pathways early on.”
Watch the show here.
— The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Natural Resources challenging permits for the hotly debated Line 5 pipeline relocation project.
On top of that, the tribe and environmental groups also filed petitions with the agency calling for a stay in the permit approvals and for a contested case hearing to lay out their arguments against granting them. That puts the permits on hold until either the case is concluded or an administrative law judge finds a stay isn’t necessary. DNR will have 30 days to decide whether to grant the petitions.
Enbridge is seeking to relocate a 12-mile segment of Line 5 and build a new 41-mile segment outside the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation in northern Wisconsin. The proposal came after a federal judge ruled in 2022 Enbridge had illegally trespassed on the tribe’s land.
The DNR approved permits for the pipeline relocation last month. Enbridge is also seeking permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin the project. The DNR declined comment on the lawsuit and petitions.
Business groups have argued the pipeline will create jobs and is necessary to avert propane shortages in the region and significant price increases. But tribal leaders and environmental groups have said the project is a threat to the environment — including bodies of water, animal habitat and wild rice beds.
The Bad River Band lawsuit, filed in Ashland County Circuit Court by Earthjustice on the tribe’s behalf, seeks a reversal of DNR’s decision to grant the permits and its finding that the project meets state water quality standards, among other things. It also requests a stay of Enbridge’s permits while the litigation is pending.
“If constructed, the Project will surround the Band on three sides—all directly upstream of the Reservation—and will jeopardize territory adjoining the Reservation and the Band’s rights within Lake Superior,” it says.
That includes the Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs, which contain the largest wild rice bed on the Great Lakes.
The suit also asserts Enbridge has been illegally trespassing on reservation land since several of its easements expired in 2013. It states the tribe did not provide consent for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to renew them due to concerns about oil spills, climate change and pollution.
Bad River Band Chairman Robert Blanchard in a statement noted tribal members use the land and water to harvest wild rice, hunt, fish and gather medicines.
“In my view, the DNR failed our children when it gave Enbridge the permits to build this reroute,” Blanchard said. “They failed to consider the company’s multiple disasters in Minnesota and in Michigan, which are still being cleaned up. They failed to consider our Tribe, our water quality, and the natural resources of the entire Bad River watershed. As a tribal chairman and an elder, it’s my responsibility to protect the generations still to come. That is why we are fighting this reroute in court.”
An Enbridge spokesperson told WisPolitics the challenges “will unnecessarily delay a major economic boost for northern Wisconsin communities.”
“The project will build a new segment of pipeline around the Bad River Reservation, generate millions of dollars in construction spending for local communities, create over 700 family supporting union jobs, and preserve the flow of essential energy that millions of consumers in the region rely on every day,” they wrote.
The statement also noted Enbridge has committed to spending $46 million specifically with Native-owned businesses and on training and hiring tribal members.
The Bad River Band’s petition for a contested case hearing requests a hearing in Ashland to challenge the permits and water quality certification issued by DNR. The petition emphasizes the tribe’s concerns about potential environmental damage.
The environmental groups’ petition, filed jointly by Midwest Environmental Advocates and Clean Wisconsin, also challenges the permits and water quality certification. MEA is currently representing Sierra Club, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and 350 Wisconsin.
The filing argues DNR couldn’t legally approve the project because Enbridge failed to show how it would minimize harm to impacted water bodies and wetlands. It also asserts Enbridge’s construction and restoration plans have repeatedly understated the degree of environmental damage.
— State transportation spending hasn’t kept pace with inflation for road construction costs over the past three years, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Road construction costs nationally grew 56.8% between 2020 and 2023, while state costs were up 26.6%. Over that same period, state transportation spending increased 5.3%.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s combined state and local spending averaged $821 per person over the three most recent years, 1% higher than the national average of $811. Wisconsin ranked 19th in the country for spending and third among neighboring states.
On a per-lane mile basis, the state’s spending was $20,166, below the national average of $26,203. The report notes the state faces higher costs from snowplowing and the impact of freezing and thawing on pavement.
The new report provides an overview of changes in state transportation funds since Wisconsin repealed indexing for the gas tax in 2005, including the state’s increased reliance on transfers from the general fund to cover road costs.
It also lays out three options for addressing the state’s road needs over the next four years. They range from an additional $413 million annually over that period to level spending. The $413 million option would include fully funding the expansion of I-94 east-west in Milwaukee, while bumping up local capital aid by $100 million each year and boosting highway and local aid.
On the other end of the spectrum is an option to not put any money into I-94 east-west while holding spending flat on local money and highway aids. That, though, would come with delays in multiple projects.
Read the summary report.
— The Wisconsin Bankers Association says the latest federal data shows banks in the state are in a “healthy position” in the third quarter, despite a slight dip in residential real estate lending and a rise in past-due loans.
Lending in this category was 2.34% lower over the year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation figures show. WBA notes residential real estate inventory is very limited as homeowners that refinanced at low interest rates during the pandemic “have little incentive” to move.
Meanwhile, farm lending was down 0.29% over the year and rose 4.68% over the quarter as “farmers sought to upgrade equipment, make capital improvements, or manage operational costs affected by tighter margins.”
WBA also reports deposits rose 3.53% over the year “due in part to the high interest rates” offered on certificates of deposit and money market accounts.
Still, the release also shows past-due loans rose 19.3% over the year and 6.55% over the quarter, pointing to the impact of inflation and high cost of living on borrowers. WBA notes the current level of past-due loans “remains above recessionary levels.”
Rose Oswald Poels, president and CEO of the WBA, notes banks in the state are monitoring the ripple effects of inflation but “remain well capitalized.”
“A decrease in interest rates in September helped commercial borrowers’ lending needs and allowed banks the opportunity to support those customers’ growth and financial goals,” she said in a statement on the FDIC figures.
See the release.
— Port of Green Bay officials are reporting a 4% decrease in year-to-date shipping totals in November.
The Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department yesterday released the latest cargo figures, showing the port had 152,274 tons of cargo in November, bringing the total so far for 2024 to more than 1.56 million tons. At this point last year, that total was just over 1.62 million. Still, the port only had 78,506 tons of cargo in November 2023.
“A month ago, our tonnage totals were sitting at about 9% below last year’s totals. This month, we’ve recovered some of that tonnage,” Port Director Dean Haen said in a statement. “This is a prime example of how cargo shipments can fluctuate month-to-month and year-to-year based on a myriad of factors.”
Seventeen ships entered the port in November, bringing the annual total to 165 — up from 151 at this point last year. Top cargo categories include limestone, cement, petroleum products, wood pulp and aluminum.
See the figures here.
— A new study out of the UW Carbone Cancer Center shows a “mixed dose” approach to radiation therapy improves the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs.
The study, led by then-PhD candidate Justin Jagodinksy under UW-Madison Prof. Dr. Zachary Morris, was published recently in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It focused on a method for delivering varying doses of radiation to tumors to boost the cancer-fighting power of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Using mouse models of prostate cancer and melanoma, researchers inserted a radioactive material into tumors with a catheter. This approach, called brachytherapy, results in more radiation hitting the region close to the catheter and lower doses further out.
The scientists found the higher dose kills the cancer cells in the immediate area, while medium doses lead to an immune reaction called a “type 1 interferon response” that helps fight viruses in the body, and lower doses cause changes to trigger more immune cells reaching the tumor.
The study also shows the mixed dose treatment was “most effective” at boosting tumor-specific T-cells, a form of immune cell that attacks cancer in the body. Jagodinksy, who’s now in radiation oncology residency at Stanford University, says the tumors treated this way “had much more robust immune activation” compared to treatments that use just one level of radiation.
Meanwhile, Morris notes the results “point to new approaches” for using radiation to treat patients for whom immunotherapies have stopped working. Initial treatment targets could include cancers of the skin, prostate, breast, head, neck and others. Scientists need to better understand how to best combine radiotherapy and immunotherapy, according to Morris.
“The next step could be to see if giving different doses of radiation delivered via brachytherapy can make the tumors more visible to the immune system and improve the response to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs,” he said.
See more in the release.
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TOP STORIES
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TOPICS
AGRIBUSINESS
– Agriculture boosts jobs and exports in Wisconsin
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BANKING
– More Wisconsin bank CEOs expect improving economy in 2025
CONSTRUCTION
– $440M redevelopment of South Hills Country Club moving ahead
– Carmen Schools breaks ground on new $55 million south side high school
ECONOMY
– Wisconsin gas prices remain below $3. Which counties are cheapest?
FOOD & BEVERAGE
– New restaurant and wine bar from Camino owner coming to West Allis
– Here’s how Milwaukee’s beer gardens fared in 2024
HEALTH CARE
– Children’s and UW Health partner to care for kids with heart defects
LABOR
– Madison-area screen printing boss owes more than $8K in unpaid wages
MANAGEMENT
– Waukesha-based marketing firm MorganMyers names new managing director
REGULATION
– Bad River tribe, environmental groups challenge state permits for Line 5 reroute
SPORTS
– Admirals’ president reflects on success of hockey in Milwaukee
TOURISM
– How the outdoor recreation industry markets towards our identities
COLUMNS
– Viewpoints: As 2025 draws near, Wisconsin will learn how ‘Trump 2’ tariffs touch economy
PRESS RELEASES
See these and other press releases
Wisconsin Bankers Association: Latest FDIC data highlights strong performance of Wisconsin banks
