By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – The state’s top banker got to see central Wisconsin’s agriculture (ag) economy up close and personal on Feb. 7-8, as Department of Financial Institutions Secretary Jay Risch made a stop in Marshfield to tour several ag-related businesses, including a dairy farm, cheese plant, farm machinery manufacturer, and fabricator.

“The most interesting thing I have seen is just the incredible science and technology that has been in all of our stops – I mean, the laser-guided system that milks the cows – just the incredible science and technology that is going on at all of our stops. It is just really impressive space-age stuff,” Secretary Risch said.

As the regulator for state-chartered banks, Risch said ag lending is a big part of that portfolio, and he wanted to come to Marshfield because it is an area that has everything the ag economy has to offer.

“Why we are here is just because ag lending is such a big part of lending in Wisconsin,” Risch said. “We wanted to see some stuff firsthand about how the economy is doing. Statewide the economy is in wonderful shape and the governor gets a ton of credit for the decisions he has made and some of the things where some commodities prices are not as high as you wished, but we’re seeing how folks are managing that.”

Risch and Deputy Secretary Greg Reiman started their tour at the Jerry and Kay Sternweis farm west of Marshfield, then toured Nasonville Dairy, followed by H&S Manufacturing and Stainless & Repair.

On Feb. 8, they toured Nelson Jameson before holding a round-table discussion with ag industry leaders and others at the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry offices.