TUE AM News: Talking Trade with Randy Romanski, DATCP; WMC spotlighting ‘egregious’ health care costs in Wisconsin

April 14, 2026

— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski highlights the state’s $3.99 billion in food, forestry and ag exports last year, the third-highest annual total in Wisconsin history.

The total for 2025 was down from $4.03 billion in 2024 and below the record-high of $4.22 billion in 2022, according to the latest export figures from the agency.

Despite the decline last year, Romanski noted agricultural and food exports from Wisconsin end up in 150 different countries around the world.

“The good news is that the diversity, quality, reliability of Wisconsin products continues to be recognized around the world,” he said.

Meanwhile, the discussion also explores how exporters are grappling with the challenge of tariffs, as Romanski points to the unpredictability and uncertainty facing these businesses. He argued Wisconsin products will win out with an even playing field, but said the tariffs are disrupting this marketplace.

When asked if the lower exports last year were due to tariffs, Romanski said that “certainly plays a factor,” noting market losses in China in particular.

“There are substantial losses in China, our exports are down about 33% to China,” he said, pointing to impacts in soybeans, ginseng and even bovine genetics. “China has historically been a very big market for bovine genetics, and Wisconsin is the number one exporter … so all these things kind of cascade on each other.”

Romanski also noted “sizable losses” in Canada, though exports to Mexico have seen some improvement over the year. Amid these changes, he stressed the importance of seeking new markets for Wisconsin exports.

“It’s really valuable that we continue to find and develop those additional markets that we’ve gotten to,” he said.

The conversation also touches on impacts from the war in Iran, state funding for export initiatives, assistance for exporters and more.

Talking Trade is sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Michael Best Strategies and Carroll University, which will host an April 22 event on tariffs. Register here.

Watch the full episode here.

“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe and find more episodes here.

— Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce is spotlighting “egregious” disparities between the cost of the same procedure done at different hospitals in the state.

The business group yesterday issued a release referencing two reports: one from the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy, a think tank at UW-Madison; and another from the Health Care Cost Institute.

The median negotiated price for the same colonoscopy procedure can range from less than $1,500 at Marshfield/Sanford to more than $4,600 at Froedtert Milwaukee, according to the CROWE findings.

While WMC says that’s “alarming on its own,” the group also notes families and employers alike usually don’t know the cost until after the service has been provided, arguing the state has failed to “enact and enforce full health care price transparency” including a price tool for consumers.

“The health care system continues to push costs onto families and employers while keeping prices hidden and unchecked,” WMC Associate Vice President of Government Relations Rachel Ver Velde said in a statement. “Full transparency isn’t optional — it’s an essential first step to rein in costs, protect workers’ paychecks, and keep Wisconsin competitive.”

Meanwhile, the Health Care Cost Institute’s report shows health care costs in Wisconsin are 55% above the national average — second highest in the country, WMC notes — while utilization is 6% below the national average.

WMC argues these figures show health care is “significantly less affordable” in the state, noting related costs make up 34% more of per-capita income than the national average.

In response, Wisconsin Hospital Association President and CEO Kyle O’Brien said policymakers in both parties are focused on improving care access and “won’t be distracted by easily refutable statements” made to grab headlines.

“The simple fact is this: Wisconsin’s hospitals are among the most transparent in the country,” he said in an emailed statement.

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.

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— Workers at B&G Foods in Stoughton have agreed to a new contract securing a 19% increase in wages, weeks after voting to strike amid negotiations with their employer.

Teamsters Local 120 yesterday announced details for the newly ratified three-year contract, noting it “maintains high quality health care” and improves working conditions for employees in the union’s 59-worker unit.

Along with the higher wages, the new contract has “strengthened” workplace protections and an “improved” vacation system for workers, according to details provided by the union. The contract also includes language that supports the Teamsters’ political action program, the announcement notes.

Traci Gosda, chief steward at B&G Foods and union member, says the new contract is “life-changing” for many of the workers at the Stoughton plant.

“We fought hard not just for better pay, but to protect the benefits our families depend on,” Gosda said in a statement. “After everything it took to get here, we now have more stability, stronger protections, and peace of mind moving forward.”

A spokesperson for the union didn’t immediately respond to requests for more detail on the agreement, such as whether it included a guarantee to keep the contract in place under a new owner of the facility, or automation protections workers were pushing for last month.

Meanwhile, Teamsters Business Agent Shaun Mullikin called the agreement a major victory and praised workers “who stood strong and stayed unified” through the negotiation process. Nearly all of the 59 workers had voted in favor of striking last month.

“This contract delivers and sets a strong foundation moving forward,” Mullikin said.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

See the release and see more in an earlier story on the strike.

— Madison and Milwaukee have been rated among the top 20 Midwest metro areas for tech workers, with Madison taking the No. 1 spot for the region.

The ranking, from the real estate analysis site CommercialCafe, notes Madison has the highest density of tech employment with 78 per 1,000 workers.

“It also widened the gap to the next-closest metro with a noteworthy 32.9% increase in tech jobs from 2019 to 2024,” authors wrote. “Granted, that increase wasn’t the highest in the Midwest. But, among the top six most-concentrated metros in the region for tech jobs, it was the highest growth rate.”

Madison also had the second-highest density of technology businesses with 32 per 1,000.

With median earnings of $100,726 — good for No. 5 in the Midwest for this measure — authors note compensation is competitive in Madison while overall quality of life ranks highly as well. The state’s capital city ranked No. 2 for education levels, unemployment and cost of living.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee rated lower at No. 17, with 40.3 tech workers per 1,000 and 17.3 tech firms per 1,000. Its median tech earnings figure was $86,929.

See the full rankings.

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