Person of the Year: The Dairy Farmer

Person of the Year: The Dairy Farmer

The worst drought in decades brings Dane County’s rich and varied agricultural community into sharp focus. Dairy farmers in particular have been hit hard, but surviving—even thriving—in hard times is all in a day’s work.

Madison Magazine, October 2012 Cover Story

Excerpt from original source:

Jeff Endres snaps his flip phone shut and climbs out of his pickup, offering his hand in polite greeting. There’s an earnest crease on his brow tucked just beneath a red ball cap, his white T-shirt already work-stained by late morning. He’s so soft-spoken you have to lean in to hear him against the constant thrum of the dairy farm that beats like an enormous heart, a living, breathing thing. A calico kitten shoots out of the calf barn and fiercely weaves itself around his dusty brown boots. I nod toward the lush-looking crops across the road and tell him how healthy everything looks to me, how vibrant and alive, when just a month ago all the world seemed scorched, choked spikes of browns and yellows.

“Yeah, it’s kind of misleading,” Endres says, thoughtfully. “The damage has been done in a lot of it.”

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Made for Getaways: Wisconsin

Made for Getaways

Welcome to Wisconsin, home of down-home supper clubs and award-winning chefs, quaint coastal retreats and rugged Northwoods cabins.

Delta Sky Magazine, October 2012

Excerpt from original source:

With Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, the bluffs of the Mississippi River to the west and rolling prairies of the Driftless Area in the south--plus a spiderweb of fiercely independent communities and vibrant cities--Wisconsin is a lot to explore.

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Mission: Delicious

Mission: Delicious

What makes Babcock ice cream so good to eat—and so good for science, students and industry?

Grow Magazine cover story, Summer 2012

Excerpt from original source:

The Babcock Hall Dairy Store on Linden Drive is packed at noon with campus regulars and visitors alike. While offerings include tasty sandwiches and celebrated cheese, there’s no doubt about the main attraction for dessert. For Babcock ice cream devotees this is mecca, the mother lode, and they are here to get their fill.

Student servers offer bountiful scoops in crispy cones and cups—creamy hillocks of such trademark flavors as Union Utopia, a rich vanilla shot with peanut butter, caramel and fudge; Berry Alvarez, swirls of blueberry, raspberry and strawberry on a tender pink field; and Badger Blast, a dense chocolate studded with dark chocolate flakes and whorls of fudge.

It is love at first lick, bliss at first bite. Enthusiasts might not know why Babcock ice cream tastes so good; they only know it does, and that it stands apart from all the others.

Pull back the camera from the Dairy Store set, and the hustle and bustle of a backstage is revealed. This is the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant, and it’s actually the main show: a fluorescent, thrumming, brick red-and-pistachio-tiled production facility with a Willy Wonka maze of piping and vats. Here a team of staff experts and student assistants churn out milk, cheese and the famous Babcock ice cream.

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Green Bay Getaway

Green Bay Getaway

No matter your gridiron allegiance, Green Bay delivers a winning lineup of interesting places to eat, play and stay.

Midwest Living Magazine, summer 2012 (with Melanie McManus)

Excerpt from original source:

For legions of Packer fans, Green Bay, Wisconsin, stands as a pilgrimage destination. Lambeau Field is their temple, and the Packers’ owned-by-the-fans identity feeds their faith. Even opposing fans find themselves awed on stadium tours when they walk through the tunnel where the team bursts onto the field. But an off-season visit reveals a different side of this working-class city of 101,000: fantastic restaurants, appealing trails and top-notch attractions for all ages. Whether your blood runs green, gold or just plain red, you’ll come away rooting for Titletown. (888) 867-3342; greenbay.com

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Nature-Inspired Wedding Cakes

Nature-Inspired Wedding Cakes

Add a touch of whimsy to your wedding cake with nature-inspired creations by local bakers

Wisconsin Bride Magazine, Fall/Winter 2012

Excerpt from original source:

Simma’s Bakery decorator Amy Siegel adds some formality to the great outdoors with a classic off-white, four-tiered round tower cake accented with white beading. Cinnamon sticks and ferns ground the cake in nature, and handmade mushrooms, flowers and acorns are painted with luster dust to add sheen, as is the whisper-thin fondant ribbon that circles the layers.

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