Between 2001 and 2020, U.S consumption of wine grew from 550 million gallons of table wine to 870 million gallons in 2020. On a per-capita basis, that equals an increase of 2.16 gallons (in 2001) to 3.09 gallons (in 2020), regardless of age. During this same period, the U.S. saw a steady increase in the number of wineries and jobs in the wine industry. Wineries grew five-fold from 1,006 in 2001 to 5,024 in 2020. And the total number of jobs increased from 23,363 (in 2001) to 63,820 (in 2020) - the peak number of jobs was in 2019 at 70,596. 

Wisconsin kept up with the national trend, increasing the number of wineries from 16 in the early 2000s to 66 in 2020. The number of winery jobs in the state also increased from 212 in 2006 to a peak of 670 in 2019.  Wisconsin’s wine industry was not isolated from the impacts of COVID-19. Despite a significant increase in the number of jobs from 2001-2019, there was still a decline from 2019 to 2020. 

  
How many people were employed in Wisconsin wineries in 2020? 

A. 226
B. 427
C. 540
D. 584

Access to broadband is critical for Wisconsin communities in the 21st century - connected to better business performance, entrepreneurship, higher home values, better educational outcomes, improved health outcomes, and higher worker productivity. Despite these benefits, access to high-quality broadband is limited in many communities throughout Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Broadband Summit is organized to help Wisconsin communities enhance broadband access by:

Join us for a Virtual Wisconsin Broadband Summit as we explore how communities can increase broadband access and move closer towards digital equity.

Join us as we discuss the successful development of high-quality, affordable multi-family housing that integrates cutting-edge clean, renewable energy with Peter Kilde, Executive Director of West CAP.

Across the nation in downtowns large and small, leaders and stakeholders are beginning to ask questions such as: Where will retail be in downtowns like ours as we recover from this very stressful crisis? What are the best opportunities for regaining, and possibly increasing, the strength of our downtown’s retailing? What strategies, projects, and programs can help us achieve those potentials? To address these critical questions, The American Downtown Revitalization Review (The ADRR) partnering with the University of Wisconsin Madison – hosted an online panel discussion with three nationally known experts with many years of retail development experience. Watch Michael J. Berne, President, MJB Consulting, Kristen Fish-Peterson, Partner, Redevelopment Resources, and N. David Milder, President, DANTH, Inc., and Founding Editor of The ADRR, discuss bringing back downtown retail after COVID-19.

In a joint effort among the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA), the nine Wisconsin Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Agencies, and Extension, the Wisconsin Child Care Business Initiative successfully delivered a program aimed at improving or grow existing child care business operations and helping new owners chart their course to success. By the end of September, 619 people from 63 counties participated in the project.

Over a three-day period in October of 2018, Extension's Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort along with a group of planning and design professionals found their way to Ellsworth, Wisconsin to engage local residents and community leaders in Design Ellsworth. Design Wisconsin is a community design program that helps provide a glimpse of a community’s shared vision for the future. As part of this effort, several drawings are produced that represent ideas that emerge from community conversations. Because of the fast-paced nature of the process, only the strongest and most important ideas are expressed - one of which was expanding Ellsworth Trails. On October 7th, and nearly three years later, the community held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening event at Cairns Woods. This effort was inspired by Design Ellsworth and made a reality by the hard work of Ellsworth Trails and community volunteers.

Remote Workers Can Live Anywhere. These Cities (and Small Towns) Are Luring Them With Perks

(Wall Street Journal - 10/9/2021)

(Wisconsin Public Radio - 9/10/2021)