We invite you to catch up on the impactful work our Extension Iron County educators and staff provide to the community in the form of this monthly newsletter! Below are highlights from each of our program areas.

Summer is closer than you think!

It might be 7 months away, but the Iron County Summer Youth Camp engines are already revving! Our office has officially kicked off the planning phase to make this year the best one yet.

Sponsor letters are officially in the mail to our local businesses. Plus, a heads-up for Hurley and Mercer 8th–12th graders: Camp staff applications are coming your way very soon. Stay tuned!

Help us make 4-H camp unforgettable! Please consider a monetary donation to support our youth programs. 100% of your gift goes toward the camp experience.

Visit our website for more information. 

The Iron County 4-H Green Team hosted a successful sledding social at Mt. Zion on January 11.

With a great turnout of guests and members from multiple clubs, the afternoon featured outdoor fun and pizza. Due to the high interest, 4-H Educator Neil Klemme plans to make this an annual winter kickoff event.

The Adventurers of the North 4-H Club had another action-packed weekend! The kids stayed busy working on new projects to add to their fair entries, topping off the hard work with a well-deserved ice cream treat.

The excitement isn't slowing down, though—the group is already planning their next big adventure: Skiing! Their upcoming meeting will be held at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort for a day of downhill fun. It’s shaping up to be a winter to remember!

Ten Penokee Range Livestock Club members officially kicked off the season with steer weigh-ins (661–1,030 lbs)! Now the hard work begins as they prep for the2026 Iron County Fair!

In other news, mark your calendars for the Penokee Range Livestock Club Meat Bingo Fundraiser on Saturday, March 21 - 5:00 pm at Sharon's Coffee Company.

Join the Iron County 4-H Summer Team! 🍀 We are seeking a Summer Assistant and a Garden Program Coordinator for the 2026 season. If you love working with youth and want to lead in your community, we want to hear from you.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact 4-H Youth Development Educator Neil Klemme at 715-561-2695. 

We are incredibly proud of our team’s outstanding performance over the past few weekends! From Ironwood to Mercer, our skiers showed up, worked hard, and brought home some fantastic results.

Our athletes braved the trails at the SISU Ski Fest on Saturday, January 10 and delivered top-tier performances across the board:

A huge shoutout to our other SET members who crushed the 5K Hauska Hiihto and landed in the Top 20:

Our SET XC Ski Club coaches also got in on the action and performed remarkably well! You can check out the full race results here.

The momentum continued on Saturday, January 17, at the MECCA Trails Winterfest in Mercer.

Congratulations to all our skiers for their hard work and dedication. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for our racers!

Check out the full MECCA Trails Winterfest race results here.

SISU Endurance Team - XC Ski Club Sunday Sessions
Sundays, through March 8 - 2:00 pm
Location: ABR Ski Trails

Adventurers of the North 4-H Club - Ski Day
Sunday, February 8 - TBD
Location: Big Powder Horn Mountain Resort

Penokee Range Livestock Club Meeting
Sunday, February 15 - 9:00 am
Location: Hurley School 

Iron County Courthouse Closed - Holiday
Monday, February 16 (Presidents' Day)

Iron County Green Team Meeting
Monday,  February 16 - 5:30 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse

Iron County Leaders Meeting
Wednesday, February 18 - 5:30 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse

The 2026 UW-Extension Iron County Entrepreneur Boot Camp took place from January 5-9, 2026 and drew 8 individual participants from Iron County, WI (5 participants) and Gogebic County, MI (3 participants). Across five sessions, total participation was 25 (see breakdown below), with 3 participants attending all sessions and Friday seeing the highest total participation. Topics covered include:

Of the eight participants, 3 self-identified as female and 5 as male. Additionally, 3 participants had advanced degrees (Master’s or above), 2 had Bachelor’s degrees, 2 had Associates degrees, and 1 participant is enrolled in high school. And lastly, 4 participants had already established a business entity, either as a sole proprietorship or limited liability company (LLC).

There were 23 presenters and resources who volunteered their time and expertise for Entrepreneur Boot Camp. Emphasis was placed on local expertise and regional resource connections, including organizations as far west as Duluth, MN, as far east as Brown County, and as far south as Madison. Local experts included business leaders representing the non-profit sector, real estate industry, manufacturing, marketing and graphic design, legal services, and the financial sector. 

Regional resources included business development organizations like the Northwest Regional Planning Commission, Small Business Development Center (Superior), Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, University of Wisconsin-Superior Center for Continuing Education, Entrepreneur Fund (eFund), Extension’s Rural Entrepreneurial Venture program, and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, along with local resources such as Associated Bank, Hurley and Mercer Chambers of Commerce, RE/MAX Action Northwoods Realty, and the Iron County Miner (among others).

The biggest takeaway from the 2026 Entrepreneur Boot Camp is the need for specific topics to be given special focus throughout the year, beyond a single program. Specifically, bookkeeping and accounting for business owners, marketing and digital skill development, along with hiring and employee management are necessary skill development areas to focus on throughout 2026. Additional efforts connecting Iron County with accounting services will be extremely important as a near-term goal, as most of our local Certified Public Accountants have retired or will soon retire. This opens the door for shortcuts, such as relying on popular online tools like Chat-GPT or QuickBooks Online, which may not be as efficient or thorough as they claim. It was made apparent by nearly all presenters that establishing relationships with an accountant and attorney early in the business development lifecycle is incredibly important for a new business venture. While regional and statewide programs that provide these services for free—such as UW-Extension’s Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic—are a fantastic starting point, there is no replacement for local guidance. This feeds into the greatest value of all identified across participant evaluations: the human connection.

Join the Iron County Economic Development Committee on Wednesday, February 4th at 6:00pm in the Iron County Courthouse to welcome Bob Jacquart of Copper Peak and David Wierzba of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for a presentation on the Copper Peak project and its regional economic impact.

Copper Peak, a one-of-a-kind artificial ski jump, has been under development for some time and is now hitting major milestones on the way to becoming a four-season international ski destination. In the world of ski jumping, competitions typically occur in remote areas where the powder is fresh and roads are narrow, yet large crowds still gather to witness the spectacle. This positions northern Wisconsin well, not only as a travel corridor, but also as a potential host and site for secondary events and training facilities. We hope to see you there!

Iron County Economic Development Special Committee Meeting
Wednesday, January 28 - 6:00 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse Board Room

Iron County Economic Development Committee Meeting
Wednesday, February 4 - 6:00 pm
Location: Iron County Courthouse Board Room

Visit the Iron County website to view meeting agendas. 

UW-Madison Division of Extension provides valuable programs and resources to all Wisconsin residents, not just those in Iron County! Explore statewide opportunities that can support your family, business, farm, or community, no matter where you are in the Badger State. This month, we are highlighting:

Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener Onboarding is an online course for individuals wishing to become a Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener. Joining the program requires you to take a series of two courses. Course #1 is participating in an approved learning opportunity from the Wisconsin Extension Horticulture Program. Course #2 is registering and completing Onboarding (this course). 

For more information, visit the Master Gardener Program website. 

Mark your calendars for our upcoming distributions:

To learn more about the Iron County Mobile Food Pantry program or other food security resources available to our community members, visit our website! 

Follow Extension Iron County on social media or by visiting our website linked below!

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming in compliance with state and federal law.