Neither of these was true for Rod, whose colleagues thought of him as friend, whose opponents found him fair and willing to listen, and whose entire extended family depended on his caring, problem solving, faithful attention and guidance.

His devotion to the land, his dedication to creating a better future for rural Wisconsin and his exemplary service are unquestioned.  His legacy will be large and as he was fond of noting, the land remembers.  Most of all, we will miss the kindness, generosity and compassion that was Rod.

September 25, 2010

Support CRI–Join Us at a Barn Dance and Harvest Celebration

Click here to see the event flyer.

Join us for the second annual Partnering for Progress: Celebrating Our Rural Communities — an old-fashioned barn dance and harvest celebration highlighting Wisconsin farms, food and rural communities, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Klessig and Heimerl families will host the celebration at their grass-based dairy farm near the shore of Lake Michigan in Cleveland, Wis., in their 150-year-old, restored barn. Enjoy fresh-from-the-farm, locally grown food and beverages, and a lively band. Jerry Apps will read briefly from his book “Barns of Wisconsin,” and join other Wisconsin authors and artists displaying and selling their work depicting Wisconsin’s rural way of life.

The Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, the Council of Rural Initiatives, Gathering Waters Conservancy and the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership are coordinating the event to celebrate Wisconsin’s rural communities and heritage, build partnerships to improve life in rural communities and raise funds. They work together to conserve farmland and natural resources, support beginning and continuing farmers, and sustain vibrant, rural communities to improve rural life in Wisconsin.

Anyone is welcome. Tickets cost $85 for couples, $50 per person and $20 for students and are tax-deductible donations. Tickets are available in advance or at the door from Jim Kettler at 920-304-1919 or jim@lnrp.org. The farm is at 15621 South Union Road, Cleveland, Wis.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of these sponsors for the Partnering for Progress event:

Lead Sponsor * $2,500 +

Benefactor * $1,000 – $2,499

Partner *$250 – $999

Capital Brewery Cedar Grove Cheese, Inc. Cleveland State Bank Culver’s Dairyland Power Cooperative Diercks Family Coloma Farms Eisentraut Ag Services Hidden Valley Farms Inc. Dago and Aide Ibarra Kettle Lakes Cooperative Kiel Vet Clinic Koepke Farms Inc. Manitowoc Engraving Inc. (in-kind) O’Harrows Inc. Perfect Environmental Performance Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Taurus Service Inc. Tents Inc. (in-kind) Uplands Cheese Company Inc. Wisconsin Towns Association Wisconsin Farmers Union

In addition to local, regional and national media attention of all types, Duvall and Puentes repeatedly have been acknowledged with significant awards, notably:

• 2008 Wisconsin Agriculturist of the Year – awarded by UW-River Falls in April 2008
• Top Rural Development Initiative Award for 2009 – one of 4 organizations so honored by Wisconsin Rural Partners, June 2009
• Ohtli (meaning path or way) Award, in recognition of developing with UW-Extension and UW-River Falls a dairy technician certificate for Mexican workers on WI dairy farms.  It recognizes education achievement to which this working class of Mexicans rarely has access. This is the highest civilian honor that the Mexican government bestows.  Presentation made in Mexico City September 24, 2010.

This site will update you on the progress CRI is making toward our goals.   Our desire is to contribute in meaningful ways to a more viable, sustainable rural Wisconsin and the social and economic advancement of rural Wisconsin.

We are building networks of rural advocates and local leaders who can help to make the changes that rural Wisconsin requires for a healthier future.  We seek to energize rural citizens to act upon their passions and together to address the issues of greatest importance to their own communities.

We will use this space to let you know what we have done, what we are planning to do and to point you to other resources that speak to the concerns of rural communities.

Check out the site, and if you have suggestions we’d love to hear them.

Comprehensive site of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Rural Voices Interviews:  http://www.portalwisconsin.org/ruralvoices/

Listen to stories, thoughts and histories shared by Wisconsin rural residents of many backgrounds. This expanding collection of authentic and authoritative voices, collected by writer and reporter Bill Berry, is a collaborative project between Portal Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

Puentes/Bridges:  www.puentesbridges.org/

Nonprofit devoted to diversity education and immigrant integration in rural communities.

Portal Wisconsin:  http://portalwisconsin.org/

Nonprofit website created by the Wisconsin Cultural Coalition to support the state’s culture, arts, humanities and history.

Rural Reporter: http://worh.org/reporter

Newsletter from the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health with regular updates, articles, news from state and federal agencies, funding opportunities, etc., affecting rural health.  Subscribe to listserv from this site.

Wisconsin Rural Partners: http://www.wirural.org

Wisconsin’s state rural development council.