Free Tuesday Trends sample: Maple syrup rising, economic optimism mixed and National Envelope falling

Below is an excerpt from the most recent edition of WisBusiness Tuesday Trends.

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RISING

Maple syrup: Wisconsin produced a record maple syrup harvest during the 2013 season according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 265,000 gallons harvested between February and May was the highest level since the government began tracking syrup production in 1992. The numbers were particularly impressive since unusual weather in 2012 made for a dismal syrup season — just 50,000 gallons were harvested last year. The USDA numbers also showed prices, yields and overall tap numbers up over 2012 totals.

MIXED

Economic optimism: The newest edition of the Wisconsin Economic Scorecard poll finds that a majority of residents say Wisconsin is “headed in the right direction,” but only 28 percent view the economy as “good” and just 1 percent say it is “excellent.” The proportion of Wisconsin residents who characterize the state economy as “poor” increased to 23 percent, up from 18 percent last quarter. Overall, views on the state economy are increasingly polarized along partisan lines, with the largest differences emerging among relatively well‐off Democrats and Republicans; the views of less‐well‐off partisans have not diverged as much. Also on the jobs front, public confidence in the ability of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to fulfill its mission of bringing jobs to the state has decreased from 52 percent in November to 40 percent in June. The scorecard surveyed 560 Wisconsin residents from June 3-6; the quarterly poll was conducted by the UW-Milwaukee Center for Urban Initiatives and Research in cooperation with WisBusiness.com and Milwaukee Public Radio.

See more from the poll:
http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=299149

FALLING

National Envelope: The Texas-based company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and sounds the alarm that if it could not receive additional financing or secure a buyer by August, it would be forced to shut down its 11 plants. That briefly jeopardizes 153 positions at its facility in Grand Chute, but company officials say later in the week that they have, in fact, secured financing from Salus Capital Partners, and that they do not plan closures or layoffs as the bankruptcy proceedings continue. The company adds it will examine strategic alternatives and reorganization, which could include the sale of its assets.