July 25, 2026 8:45p
(WGTD)---A new initiative in Kenosha County that's aimed at raising interest in farming as a career is also tied into making the business more profitable while at the same time protecting the value of the land.
The Kenosha Community Foundation is helping to organize the effort and raise money to fund a position to develop curriculum, establish internships and help promote best farming practices.
Foundation Executive Director Amy Greil, Paul Maggio of the Kenosha Regenerative Producers Group and Ken Stock of Glacier Land Resource, Conservation and Development laid out the initiative and the critical need on The Morning Show.
The number of farmers who are producing edible and healthy food is shrinking as the result of various pressures, according to Maggio. "You think we're an agricultural powerhouse. We feed ourselves but in a sense we run a trade deficit in agriculture," Maggio explained. "We export corn and soybeans around the world or turn it into ethanol or whatever it is but we don't produce (enough of) edible food. We import that."
Maggio and Stock are trying to convince more farmers that by following a series of best practices they can not only protect the soil but also increase profits. Maggio and Stock hope those showcase farms will help convince others that farming can be a lifestyle worth pursuing.
Both Maggio and Stock went into farming as a second career. Maggio owns Starry Nights Farm in Kenosha County while Stock farms in Jefferson County.
Go here for the full Morning Show program.
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