So you're happy to see your business in a rural community expanding, BUT, where will your new employees live?  For many rural communities it's not just about the cost or quality, it's about availability at all.  Stephanie Hoff finds out about how some communities are approaching the challenge.  John W. Miller, president and CEO, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. says they're rethinking rural housing.  Miller says  Wisconsin is facing significant demographic shifts and a labor shortage that hits rural areas particularly hard. Workforce development fails without a three-legged stool: a willing business, a trained employee, and a place for that employee to live. Affordable housing is identified as the single biggest hurdle to attracting and retaining residents in rural Wisconsin. Private developers struggle to get commercial loans for small-scale, low-margin projects, making state support a necessary vessel. Communities have a strong emotional attachment to old schools, banks, and libraries, making them prime targets for redevelopment and a source of pride for the town. WEDC promotes "second-story housing" to keep downtowns vital and businesses supported by nearby foot traffic. Building downtown is often more efficient because the water, sewer, and road systems are already in place, but older buildings often have "hidden surprises" and code compliance issues that make them more expensive to renovate than building new. WEDC grants provide that final push to get the projects moving. Moving seniors into smaller, accessible downtown dwellings frees up larger family homes for the incoming workforce.

Winter weather advisories are back in our forecast.  Stu Muck says there is a good chance we'll see an accumulation of snow by the time we get midway through the weekend.

The third annual "Wisconsin Best Burger" contest is underway.  Tammy Vaassen, executive director of the WI Beef Council tells Pam Jahnke that she's already been fielding calls from people ready to offer up their favorites.  Meanwhile her staff's organizing 4 regional direct marketing workshops for producers that want to work directly with consumers.  All of the details on both events are found at beeftips.com.  Paid for by Equity Cooperative Livestock.

A Wisconsin farm equipment manufacturer is sharing mini versions of their real thing.  Troy Meyer, from Meyer Manufacturing, said they started making toy versions of their livestock equipment in 3-D printing.  Now they've moved to die-cast and he explains why they did it.

Friday is the next USDA milk production report and the market is ready for some big numbers.  Cody Koster, dairy analyst with EverAg, joins Pam Jahnke to discuss.  While there's been a little uptick in cheese prices, it's been largely driven by this week's global dairy trade.  Koster says with the USDA report slated to be released on Friday after the close, Monday's open could be bloody red.