FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Mike Pochowski, Wisconsin Assisted Living Association; Small and mid-sized farms getting ‘pushed out of the system,’ WFU expert says

November 14, 2025

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with returning guest Mike Pochowski, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.

The discussion centers on legislation being supported by the association, which represents about 2,000 assisted living facilities in Wisconsin. Pochowski argues the bill would improve transparency for referral agencies, which help connect families with long-term care options.

“We’ve been hearing a lot of concerns in terms of, are there ways to enhance consumer transparency with organizations such as these, just to ensure everyone is on the same page and we all know the effect of what these contracts entail, who’s paying for what,” he said.

Under SB 262 and AB 255, an agency that refers a prospective resident to an assisted living facility would be required to disclose any relationship it has with that facility and any fee the facility will pay to the referral agency. Referral agencies would also have to disclose that they only list assisted living facilities with which they have a contractual relationship, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.

The legislation includes other provisions related to residents’ ability to terminate services provided by these agencies, how fees are set and collected, as well as financial penalties for violators.

Pochowski shares insights on the contracts between assisted living facilities and referral agencies, noting some require facilities to cover part of the cost of initial rent and care, ranging up to $12,000 per referral in some cases.

“So there’s a huge fee associated with this, that the consumer probably doesn’t know because it’s being advertised as a free service,” he said.

The association is targeting this policy issue after other states have enacted similar legislation, according to Pochowski, including Arizona, Washington, Colorado and Texas.

“We’ve just been hearing a lot of this from our membership, but also from the residents and families who are moving into these facilities, just lots of confusion, lots of questions that come up from this,” he said.

Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.

— A conservation specialist with the Wisconsin Farmers Union says small and mid-sized farms are being “pushed out of the system” as the agriculture sector keeps consolidating.

Tara Greiman, director of conservation and stewardship for the WFU, this week discussed the challenges facing farmers during a Wisconsin Energy Institute online conference. She said small and mid-sized farms are struggling with a system that’s “no longer acting like what we would hope a free market would do,” making it difficult for them to compete.

“Farms are not a monolith, not every farmer agrees on everything, but we do all feel the same pressures of consolidation,” she said.

She noted 86% of the global corn seed market is controlled by four large firms, while 84% of global herbicide and pesticide providers are also owned by four companies.

“And [sometimes] those firms overlap as well, so we do have people who are providing inputs and then also buying outputs, which really puts the farm in the middle of a no-win situation where they’re buying at retail and they’re selling at wholesale to the same provider,” she said.

As a result, when farmers are getting higher prices for grains, all of their input costs are also rising at the same time, Greiman explained, leading to slim margins.

She also argued policy efforts to support the ag sector mainly benefit large-scale farmers, pointing to subsidies and conservation programs as an example. Because many of the latter are built on a per-acre standard, smaller farms that can’t devote as much land to conservation see little benefit, according to Greiman.

“So farms that don’t fit the standard model … if they’re not growing corn and soybeans or dairy or beef, it is hard to find some models for someone who’s thinking outside of the box with their farm,” she said.

This issue spans universities as well as the federal framework for supporting farms, such as the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, she added.

“We have many farmers who are now saying they can easily get a $5 million loan for corn when the price of corn is $4 a bushel,” she said. “Right now, the break-even price of corn is considered $4.19, so that corn is anticipated to sell at a loss for what it costs to grow it, and they can still get an operating loan for that.”

At the same time, farmers can’t get a $500,000 loan to “significantly enhance” their operation in a different way, Greiman said, such as changes to support more direct-market sales.

Watch the video.

— WEDC is launching a new grant program, offering up to $500,000 to projects aimed at attracting more residents to the state.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. yesterday announced the Talent Recruitment Grant Program, funded with $5 million from the 2025-27 state budget. Applications will be accepted Jan. 5-31 from cities, villages, towns and counties located in the state as well as eligible tribal groups and nonprofits.

WEDC is calling for creative proposals tailored for specific communities, and can include marketing campaigns, relocation incentives, community engagement programs or projects involving employers and educators.

The funding is meant to help municipalities and nonprofits create strategies for bringing more people into Wisconsin, to boost the workforce and economy more broadly.

See the release.

— The Greater Oshkosh Economic Development Corporation says it’s raised nearly $3.3 million through its Future in Focus campaign.

The five-year effort runs through 2029, aiming to drive economic growth, an innovative culture and a community “built for workforce,” according to the group’s website.

Tricia Rathermel, president and CEO of the GOEDC, says the fundraising success creates momentum for the greater initiative.

“The campaign may be finished, but the real work is just beginning,” she said. Thanks to this unprecedented level of support, our organization is ready to deliver lasting results for the greater Oshkosh area and Winnebago County.”

See the release.

— The WHA Foundation is helping to fund health care career programs at high schools across the state through a grant program.

The foundation, an extension of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, today announced it’s continuing the program from last year to support HOSA-Future Health Professionals chapters this school year, along with 24 local hospitals. The effort has provided $59,500 to 44 schools so far.

HOSA is meant to introduce high school students to career pathways in the health care field and connected disciplines, including medicine and nursing as well as biomedical engineering, pharmacy and others.

“Wisconsin’s hospitals provide rewarding career opportunities in communities around the state,” WHA President and CEO Kyle O’Brien said in a statement. “We are proud to support the next generation of health care workers in Wisconsin who will serve an essential role in our members’ mission to serve their communities.”

See the release.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— The latest episode of “Talking Trade” features the first segment of a recent live panel discussion, featuring an overview on international commerce and the balance of U.S. trade.

Watch part 1 here. See coverage from the event, held at Waukesha County Technical College’s School of Business, here.

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