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Chris Hardie For Agri-View
Apr 4, 2026
11 hrs ago

1 of 6

Much of the first Rural Policy Institute Summit revolves around small group discussions, including from left Beth Haskovec from the Wisconsin Office of Rural Prosperity, David Samuels from the town of Forestville in Door County, and Tina Crave from the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

More than 100 rural partners from across Wisconsin gather to engage and collaborate in small group discussions at the first Rural Policy Institute Summit, held March 17-18 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Clara Hedrick of the LaClare Creamery near Malone, Wisconsin, talks about building the business, milking dairy goats, as well as the creation of the Quality Dairy Goat Producers Cooperative of Wisconsin that serves 150 family farms.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Mike Koles, executive director of the Wisconsin Towns Association, opens the summit by using a comparison to the David vs. Goliath story in the Bible. Rural Wisconsin, he says, like David, is not an underdog.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

Paul Fowler, executive director of the UW-Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology, discusses the economic significance of forestry to the state.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

John Miller, the CEO and president of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., talks about the group’s Office of Rural Prosperity and its Thrive Rural program.

Chris Hardie/For Agri-View

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Chris Hardie For Agri-View

I grew up in a rural community and am proud of it.

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Chris Hardie and his wife, Sherry, live on his great-grandparents’ Jackson County farm. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2001, he is a former member of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and past president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. His book “Back Home: Country Tales by the Seasons” is available through Amazon.