Less than two years after its initial opening, the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is closed in what was promised to be a peak season.

Executive Director Patty Lehn said their goal from the start has been to create an experience for visitors.

“Engage them in fun activities, and the end result is they learn a lot about the diversity of Wisconsin agriculture,” Lehn said. “It is really a place for people to learn about where their food comes from.”

With 10,000 square feet of exhibits, they can cover everything from alfalfa to zucchini. Production, environmental sustainability, nutrition, technology, agricultural careers and more fill the floors of the new building easily spotted along I-43. Guests can even hop on a bus to visit a local dairy farm, the same farm that provides animals for their birthing barn.

Today, the once-bustling center is sitting empty rather than crowded with school field trips and families taking advantage of agri-tourism.

“It’s been pretty devastating for us from an economic standpoint,” Lehn said. “This would be our busiest time right now.”

That does not mean staff members are sitting idle. Four core team members who maintained their positions through this transition are still working on programming for the future.

“We’re trying to see the silver lining and the opportunity that it provides us to refine some of the offerings that we have been planning,” Lehn said. “I feel like we were just gaining our momentum now, so it’s easy to wallow in that, but we’re so grateful that we haven’t been hit as hard as some of the communities around the country with this pandemic.”

Lehn added the closure is helping them look beyond their physical walls to find new forms for educating about Wisconsin agriculture through online content, videos, and blogs.

“We hope to be able to provide a lot more content for those families who are home and the teachers who are trying to convey the best possible experience to educate the students,” Lehn said.

As more people becoming conscious of food security, the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is also looking to create calls to action.

“Actually teach people how to do specific things that they can have an impact,” Lehn said. “Teach people about pollinators and ways we can all have an impact on our environment around us and be more educated about food sources.”

Until their doors can open again, Lehn said the community can support the center by purchasing memberships online. The clock on memberships would not start until the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center can open again.

“We are maintaining our optimism about all of the things we can do and celebrate once we are reopen,” Lehn said.

Less than two years after its initial opening, the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is closed in what was promised to be a peak season.
Executive Director Patty Lehn said their goal from the start has been to create an experience for visitors.
&ldquo;Engage them in fun activities, and the end result is they learn a lot about the diversity of Wisconsin agriculture,&rdquo; Lehn said. &ldquo;It is really a place for people to learn about where their food comes from.&rdquo;
With 10,000 square feet of exhibits, they can cover everything from alfalfa to zucchini. Production, environmental sustainability, nutrition, technology, agricultural careers and more fill the floors of the new building easily spotted along I-43. Guests can even hop on a bus to visit a local dairy farm, the same farm that provides animals for their birthing barn.
Today, the once-bustling center is sitting empty rather than crowded with school field trips and families taking advantage of agri-tourism.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been pretty devastating for us from an economic standpoint,&rdquo; Lehn said. &ldquo;This would be our busiest time right now.&rdquo;
That does not mean staff members are sitting idle. Four core team members who maintained their positions through this transition are still working on programming for the future. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to see the silver lining and the opportunity that it provides us to refine some of the offerings that we have been planning,&rdquo; Lehn said. &ldquo;I feel like we were just gaining our momentum now, so it&rsquo;s easy to wallow in that, but we&rsquo;re so grateful that we haven&rsquo;t been hit as hard as some of the communities around the country with this pandemic.&rdquo;
Lehn added the closure is helping them look beyond their physical walls to find new forms for educating about Wisconsin agriculture through online content, videos, and blogs.
&ldquo;We hope to be able to provide a lot more content for those families who are home and the teachers who are trying to convey the best possible experience to educate the students,&rdquo; Lehn said.
As more people becoming conscious of food security, the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is also looking to create calls to action.
&ldquo;Actually teach people how to do specific things that they can have an impact,&rdquo; Lehn said. &ldquo;Teach people about pollinators and ways we can all have an impact on our environment around us and be more educated about food sources.&rdquo; Until their doors can open again, Lehn said the community can support the center by purchasing&nbsp;<a href="https://farmwisconsin.org/support/">memberships online</a>. The clock on memberships would not start until the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center can open again.
&ldquo;We are maintaining our optimism about all of the things we can do and celebrate once we are reopen,&rdquo; Lehn said.

Join Pam Jahnke for the latest farm news. Heard daily on WOZN 96.7 FM and 1670 AM in Madison Wisconsin from 5-6am. Also heard on affiliate stations all over Wisconsin.

Join Pam Jahnke for the latest farm news. Heard daily on WOZN 96.7 FM and 1670 AM in Madison Wisconsin from 5-6am. Also heard on affiliate stations all over Wisconsin.

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