Better Late than Never - my week one introduction

My name is Lily Strehlow, and I didn’t grow up in a rural region, which might have something to do with my love of cows, undiminished through the many farms I have never labored on and the many cattle I have never cleaned up after. The hard work behind any farming operation is something I revere, and for all my pre-research studying I expectantly found I had a lot to learn from Dan Prestebak, whose small cattle operation we visited during our first week in Menominee. With John Sipple and Bob Kaner alongside him, the three farmers and government conservationists introduced us to the basics of quality soil; the hidden foundation of the local economy and one of the key factors in the Red Cedar River watershed pollution.



Other than familiarizing ourselves with local politics and environmental pressures, we have been brainstorming our summer projects. The political science and geography teams are preparing for the fieldwork required to ascertain the knowledge they believe is still missing in the LAKES portfolio. As a member of the second economics team, I plan on turning to public data on crops for analysis with the help of my partner Liz, and my mentor Chris. After four years of a strict regimen of Spotted Cow and voting in Wisconsin, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to transition from learning alongside the Chippewa River at UW Eau Claire, to giving back to my adoptive state through work on the Red Cedar River.