The fast talking economic development guy in Wisconsin’s St. Croix Valley has some curious habits. He tracks the date, time and location of the first robin, usually sighted in mid-March. The same process is followed when the season’s first backyard fawn is spotted. He also keeps a keen eye on the first neighborhood lemonade stand of the year.

The stand was observed a couple weeks ago and coincided with the end of the school year. The fast talker is a lemonade critic. He rarely buys. With his business development background, an assessment scorecard is used and includes factors like location (mid-block or corner), catchy name, pre-stand and post-stand signage (Lemonade Just Ahead and/or Turn Around You Missed It), enthusiasm, hours, and competitive pricing.

The stand got high marks. It was named Lightning Lemonade. It appeared to be operated by three young ladies, or maybe two, and one of them may have been settling a customer’s dispute with a headlock and scissors hold. The lack of an umbrella was a minor deduction on the scorecard. At fifty cents for a very generous glass, the price point was attractive. What, no ice cubes? Another deduction.

The stand’s operators were ready for action as soon as the fast talker’s vehicle stopped. In fact, the pitcher and glass were being readied for what seemed was a sure-thing order. The fast talker urged the pourer to s-t-o-p!

Constructive comments were offered in lieu of an order. A tip jar was missing. The fast talker strongly suggested getting one and later parted with a dollar bill. He got the low-down on how business was going and where the profits would be used. He left with encouraging words, “Keep up the good work, ladies. We need more entrepreneurs.” He was not sure the sophisticated word – entrepreneur – was being processed. He clarified by saying, “We need more business people like you.”

All too soon those entrepreneurs – ahem – business people – will learn about rules and regulations, sometimes the hard way. Did they remember to apply for the necessary permits and inspections? What about the stand’s setbacks from the street? And both the county and state are expecting their own sweet taste of the action from sales tax collections.

Sometimes taxpayers wonder about commonsense action coming from Madison or Washington, D.C. But almost four years ago, Wisconsin’s governor signed a bill allowing children to legally operate lemonade stands. Anyone under the age of 18 is permitted to run them on private property without a permit and without fear of running afoul of the law. Apparently running afoul of regulations has happened in other states. No word if Lightning Lemonade was a test case. Sales in Wisconsin are limited to $2,000 per year. Oh, the law prevents kiddos from pedaling potentially hazardous foods like egg salad. Wisconsin’s bill enjoyed bipartisan support from both sides of the political aisle. Hurray!

From lemons to lifetime skills, here’s to the innocence of the neighborhood lemonade stand. Here’s to young entrepreneurs or business people if it’s more understandable. Here’s to $2,000 in summer sales. Here’s to a tip jar. Hold the egg salad.

U.S. consumers are a lot like Atlas, the character in Greek mythology. Atlas was a Titan and they ruled the universe until Zeus, a fellow Titan, joined the Olympians and defeated the Titans for control. Except for Atlas, all Titans were banished to a faraway placed called Tartarus which served as an eternal prison. Zeus enslaved Atlas and he was condemned to hold the Earth on his shoulders forever. No coffee breaks. No PTO days. No Google searches on the internet.

Consumers meanwhile are committed (condemned?) to propping up the U.S. economy. Economists say consumer spending comprises as much as 70 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Econ 101 scholars will recall GDP is defined as the measure of the monetary value of goods and services produced in a region, state, or country over a given period of time.

While the GDP information is valuable, it is neither a headache nor heartache. Even armchair economists expect the GDP to rise from quarter to quarter or year over year. Consumers will find a way to spend, even if it hurts. Meanwhile, for months, economists have forecast headwinds in the economy while searching for the iceberg named Recession. In mid-May, one news outlet reported consumer spending in March declined compared to one year earlier. This suggests consumers are more cautious, mostly due to inflation. Prices continue to rise or have not settled back to more normal numbers. Many products are must haves and consumers continue to purchase them. Translation: Tired old Atlas continues to carry the Earth with no rest in sight, but consumers may be seeking a rest area located miles away.

Headwinds aside, consumers will find a way for purchases. Case in point was holiday shopping in 2022, starting with Black Friday through December 24th. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported a record $936.3 billion was spent. Along came the so-called Big Football Game on February 12th, and another record of $16.5 billion was spent on everything from appetizers to team apparel. Football yielded to Valentine’s Day, just two days later, and $25.9 billion was spent, making it still another record for Cupid and romantics. Mothers got their day back on May 14th. Guess what? Another record. This time $35.7 billion was spent on well-deserving moms.

Consumer spending alert! Father’s Day is near – June 18th to be precise. As always, it’s the thought that counts, and youngsters through young adults and beyond will come through. A record of $20+ billion will be spent this year honoring dad, a/k/a pops, big guy, papi, and commander in chief.

What does dad want? In Wisconsin’s St. Croix Valley there are plenty of choices. Within easy driving distance there’s major league baseball plus a minor league affiliate, town ball, and rebel ball options. A four+ hour drive gets fans to Milwaukee and the Brewers. Try steak, seafood, and poultry on the deck at home, even if the big guy won’t yield the grilling utensils. Let him do the cooking, but agree the ala carte options fall to the younger generation. Golf. Driving range. Boating. Fishing. Breweries. Distilleries. Wineries. Ride a bike. Rent one. Try the loop trail from the Lift Bridge in Stillwater-Houlton to the St. Croix Crossing. Enjoy the views. First one to find the survey marker designating Wisconsin and Minnesota gets ice cream. The list goes on.

Regardless of the choices, know that resilient consumers as strong as Atlas will ensure a successful Father’s Day 2023.

At last count, Wisconsin was home to around 1.28 million dairy cows and 6,000 dairy farms, thus ensuring its place as America’s Dairyland, as noted on every ’sconnie license plate. The number of cows a/k/a brown eyed girls may surprise a few folks who reside in sustainable urban neighborhoods. Milk, cheese, and ice cream come from grocery stores and convenience stores, right?

Governor Tony Evers’ annual Dairy Month proclamation estimates dairy farmers in Wisconsin produced 32 billion (with a “b”) pounds of milk in 2022, representing 14 percent of all milk produced in the U.S.

Gov. Evers also estimates the dairy sector contributes $45.6 billion (“b”) to the state’s economy. That output is a full 22 percent of Wisconsin’s total gross domestic product (GDP) of $306.5 billion.

St. Croix County is home to an estimated 17,100 dairy cows, while Pierce has 15,000 and Polk has 14,000, all according to UW Extension. Add’em up. It equates to a major city.

The dairy stats keep getting better. With nearly 1,200 licensed cheesemakers, Wisconsin is also the nation’s top cheese producing state. Rhetorically, who doesn’t like a daily/weekly helping of Colby, Havarti, Asiago, or Muenster? Hold the Gouda, please! There’s a haunting fable about St. Croix’s fast-talking economic development guy having never sampled Wisconsin’s little-known sixth food group – cheese curds – until he made the move from Minnesota decades ago. He’s made up for lost opportunities, thanks in part to a certain statin prescription.

St. Croix and Pierce counties have been included in the federal definition of the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area for a long time. It’s the nation’s 16th most populous region with 3.7 million residents. Nearby Polk County will likely be aligned with the Twin Cities in a few years, but the decision rests with metrics used by the federal Office of Management and Budget. Regardless, there’s plenty of rural in the valley to go along with the metro designation.

Rural means room for dairies, corn and soy fields, hogs and pigs, and poultry and eggs. There’s a prohibitive wagering chance that dairies existed long before adjacent residential subdivisions. The dairy farmer, however, is less likely to call a town hall or county department to complain about noise from generators and nail guns. Don’t mess with the milking schedule for fifteen hundred brown eyed girls. They much prefer the lyrics of Santa Lucia to the steady pop-pop-pop of roofers. One cow can produce six to seven gallons of milk per day and more than 2,200 gallons per year. Pop-pop-pop messes with production. Turn up Santa Lucia, Dean the dairy farmer!

Dairy operators are deeply involved with technology. Farmer Dean’s granddaughter operates the dairy, making her the fifth generation. A 60-stall rotary milking system was recently installed. Brown eyed girls are creatures of habit, so a merry-go-round parlor came with hesitation. The ladies are more comfortable after each rotary milking. Says who? Their cud chewing is a give-away. Up the road, dairy owners Kevin and Roxann installed a sand recovery system, making it the first of its kind in the U.S. for the Danish equipment maker. A comfortable cow is a productive one and sand is considered ideal bedding. The sand is washed and separated from manure for reuse, saving the farm 750+ truckloads of sand annually. Next on the horizon is technology turning manure into renewable natural gas and fertilizer through a process called anaerobic digestion. Hint: multi-million dollar systems use bacteria to break down organic matter like manure and food waste in the absence of oxygen. Second hint: an anaerobic digester is basically a mechanical stomach. Stay tuned.

Dairies are not your father’s Oldsmobile. They are at the intersection of nature and science, driving a huge network of equipment manufacturers, processing plants, veterinarians, cooperatives, milk haulers, and genetics and software companies.

Here’s to milk, cheese, and ice cream in Wisconsin’s St. Croix Valley. Here’s to a sixth food group. Here’s to brown eyed girls on the carousel swaying to Santa Lucia.