Investing In our Future Workforce
When it comes to making a quality product, the importance of a skilled workforce can’t be overstated. That’s one reason the relationships we’ve fostered with our regional education partners are so important to our organization.
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is one of those valued partners. Many UW-RF graduates fill critical and valued roles within our organization. One UW-RF project that is particularly important to us as a producer of dairy products is their Dairy Pilot Plant, which is currently undergoing a major renovation and set to reopen next spring.
We value our great working relationship with UW-River Falls, and their commitment to careers in agriculture. Pictured here (from left to right), Maria Gallo, Chancellor, UW-River Falls; Paul Bauer, General Manager, Ellsworth Creamery; John Freyholtz, Director of Operations, Ellsworth Creamery; Michelle Farner, UW-River Falls Dairy Pilot Plant Manager.
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery has been a big supporter of the project. In total, our board of directors has committed $150,000 to the renovation. The Dairy Pilot Plant offers students the opportunity for hands-on learning using state-of-the-art technology and processes for unmatched teaching, learning, and research opportunities–all extremely important in an evolving industry such as ours.
Continued growth and success of our cooperative rely on a passionate and skilled workforce. We’re confident our investment into this project will pay dividends as we look ahead to our future workforce needs.
WisBusiness spoke with Michell Farner, manager of the Dairy Pilot Plant, to learn more about the project. You can find the article here.
