TUE AM News: Northwoods Policy Network launches to promote state’s rural northern region; WFU leader says $12B in farm aid comes too late for some Wisconsin farmers

December 9, 2025

— A new advocacy group called the Northwoods Policy Network has formed to promote the state’s northern region, with a focus on business attraction and economic viability for rural communities.

Paul Schecklman, the nonprofit’s executive director, says the group aims to drive conversations around what’s important for northern Wisconsin and help achieve regional goals. That will include conducting “unique, thorough” research on issues of importance for the region, as well as lobbying efforts.

“It’s connected to Wisconsin and our work is going to benefit the state as a whole, but from the perspective of rural, outstate northern Wisconsin, what barriers can we remove?” he said yesterday in an interview. “How can we drive more interest? And how can we get the people in our region to tune in a little bit more, and demand some of these opportunities … [and] have a voice at the table.”

He said the region is increasingly viewed as “the summer tourism spot,” noting he has family in the area that completely rely on tourism dollars.

“You have to have a strong, vibrant economy because that’s the first thing people cut out if things turn down, they don’t go on their summer trips,” he said. “You have to be able to find labor. They have to have somewhere to live. Your labor is better if there’s other jobs in the community.”

The group’s website lists a number of focus areas that Schecklman says its research efforts will focus on, including conservation and hunting, energy, education, industry, local government and governance, national security, tax reform and reindustrialization.

“The biggest thing we’re going to try to do is … simplify the solutions or the messages,” he said. “Sometimes this stuff can be really complicated, you’re talking about a bunch of different government programs or tax policies or investment structures. For somebody that’s just trying to put food on the table and take care of their family, that’s a lot to tune into.”

Along with making policy issues more “digestible” for residents, the group will seek to leverage its findings in conversations with local community leaders, lawmakers and others. Schecklman said the group also plans to launch an internship program and various fellowships focused on research projects.

The nonprofit’s operations director, Adam Jarchow, is a former Republican state lawmaker and former candidate for state attorney general. Schecklman is a self-described “techno-industrial optimist” whose social media posts often criticize the Evers administration.

When asked about the group’s political alignment, Schecklman said “we’re going to do the most good with the most amount of people” where interests align. He said he’s more focused on finding solutions than working with one political party over the other.

“We’re going to have certain preferences, but … we’re more than willing to not really worry about what the letter behind the name is, if we’re going to be doing good work,” he said, adding “I just want to see things get done.”

See the release.

— The $12 billion federal farm aid package the White House has rolled out is coming too late for some Wisconsin farmers, who are struggling amid tariff-related disruption of global trade.

That’s according to Darin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

In an interview yesterday, he said farmers in the state won’t be turning away the federal aid, noting it’s necessary but also knocking it as “another government handout.”

“The bigger issue is, for some farmers it’s going to be a little bit too late already, as harvest season is done, crops have been sold, so farmers ended up taking less than what they should have for the commodities they produced,” he said, adding “most of the farmers I know would much rather get their income from the marketplace, which means they have to have strong trading partners.”

Von Ruden pointed to tariffs as one of the biggest factors behind these challenges for farmers, noting relationships with trading partners will take decades to rebuild.

“This is truly just a market facilitation program that the Trump administration did the first time they were in office, and doing it again, but it’s really destroyed the markets that farmers and our processors have built up,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau is applauding the Trump administration’s announcement, noting the assistance comes amid “challenging” market conditions. Jason Mugnaini, the group’s executive director of government relations, says “any assistance that helps farmers manage rising costs and uncertainty heading into the next production year” will help.

“As implementation details become available, we will be looking closely at eligibility, payment timing, and how this support will reach Wisconsin’s diverse ag sectors, especially dairy,” Mugnaini said in an emailed statement. “This assistance helps address immediate needs in agriculture, though lasting stability will come from growing markets and strong demand for Wisconsin-grown products.”

The USDA yesterday announced the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program will be available for “one time bridge payments” for U.S. farmers, pointing to “temporary” trade market disruptions and higher production costs. The agency’s announcement blames “four years of disastrous Biden Administration policies” for higher input prices and a lack of new trade deals.

Von Ruden yesterday also called for passage of a federal Farm Bill including some “market stability” elements aimed at supporting U.S. farmers, arguing that would do more to address the underlying challenges in the ag sector.

He said this would ensure “farmers can feel comfortable with being able to put crops in the ground and buy the inputs they need to grow a good crop year to year.”

Farmers that qualify for the FBA Program should receive the federal dollars by February 2026, according to the USDA release.

— Mastercraft Ventures has finished raising funds for its $11.5 million venture capital fund, and is now “actively seeking” startups seeking their first investor.

The Beloit-based investment firm yesterday announced the transition comes after it exceeded an earlier fundraising goal. It launched near the start of the year with a $2.4 million investment from the state’s Badger Fund of Funds, as its eighth recipient fund.

The announcement says it’s one of several recipient funds with a “first-in” approach to investment. Mason Cook, managing director for Mastercraft Ventures, notes many founders in the state often struggle to raise their initial rounds.

“A $500,000 lead check from an in-state venture fund — sometimes before revenue or even a prototype — can dramatically accelerate a startup’s trajectory,” Cook said in a statement. “Very few funds invest at this stage. That’s the gap we intend to fill.”

The VC firm says it’s meeting with entrepreneurs around the state though it has a focus on southern Wisconsin. Its main industries include advanced manufacturing, logistics, food technology, agriculture and health care.

Ken Johnson, a partner in the Badger Fund of Funds, says the state’s southern region was “underserved” but Mastercraft Fentures is in a good position to invest there from its Beloit vantagepoint.

“Opening the door for new entrepreneurs, especially those outside major Wisconsin metro areas, is a priority for the Badger Fund,” Johnson said in a statement. “Entrepreneurs are in all geographies and demographics.”

See the release and see an earlier story on the fund.

$821M AmFam Field development would face multiple hurdles

Mastercraft Ventures raises $11.5 million to support Wisconsin startups

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