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Evers addresses looming crisis in nursing
Evers SWTC
“Ready for surgery” Gov. Evers exclaimed after receiving a lesson on proper gloving and sterilizing from first year surgical tech students, Maci Stevens, Iowa Grant, (left) and Brand Oeschsle, Fennimore (right).
Jason Kreul
Publication for Tri County Press
Published: Feb 19, 2024, 4:00 PM

Governor Tony Evers, and members of his administration kicked off a statewide tour Monday, highlighting the newly created Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce.

Gov. Evers stopped at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College to tour to the Health Science Center.

The Health Science Program at Southwest Tech offers,“12 programs encompassing both behindthe- scenes and direct patient care specialties,” according to their website.

Those 12 programs include, Cancer Information Management (CIM), Health Information Technician (HIT), Medical Coding Specialist, Medical Laboratory Technician, Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Midwife (Direct Entry) Nursing Assistant (CNA), Nursing (Associate Degree), and Physical Therapist Assistant.

During the Governor’s 2024 State of the State Address on Tuesday Jan. 23, he declared 2024, “the Year of the Worker in Wisconsin,” and announced new eorts by his administration to build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy.

Part of which includes the creation the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce, which was announced during the Governor’s address, as well as launching the state's first teacher apprenticeship pilot program, and establishing the Office of Employee Engagement and Retention for the State of Wisconsin workforce, which will focus on recruiting and retaining state employees.

The task force, chaired by Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who is a registered nurse and holds master’s degrees in nursing and public health, will be charged with studying the workforce challenges facing the state’s healthcare system, including recruitment and retention, identifying ways to improve patient care and alleviate the burdens on the healthcare workforce, exploring educational and training pathways to grow a sustainable healthcare workforce, and creating an action plan with solutions r e l at e d t o wo r k fo rc e development, industry innovation, education, and training.

“According to the Department of Workforce Development, Wisconsin faces a potential deficit of 20,000 nurses by 2040. Between 2020 and 2030, Wisconsin’s healthcare industry will see nearly 32,000 annual openings across occupations. So, last year, my administration launched one of the country’s first-ever Registered Nurse apprenticeship pathways to help address the demand for nurses. And we launched a new initiative to train over 10,000 certified direct care professionals to address our state’s shortage of caregivers,” Gov. Evers stated during his address.

He went to say, “There’s more we have to do to address our healthcare industry’s chronic challenges. Next week, I’ll sign an executive order creating a new Healthcare Workforce Task Force focused on finding longterm solutions to our state’s healthcare industry challenges and make recommendations for me to consider in my next biennial budget.”

Gov. Evers and his staz was led on their tour by SWTC President Jason Wood, and Dr. Cynde Larsen, Chief Academic Ocer/Executive Dean.

Before, the tour, Gov.

Evers was introduced to Southwest Tech’s Need for Nurses. All seven of the critical access hospitals in Southwest Tech’s District, Southwest Health, Crossing Rivers Health, Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County, Gundersen Boscobel Area Hospital and Clinics, Grant Regional Health, Upland Hills, and The Richland Hospital and Clinics signed an agreement in 2023 pledging support of $75,000 each over the next three years to expand the Southwest Tech associate degree Nursing (ADN) course offerings and allow for continuous enrollment, retention, and completion.

The sponsorships will also allow ADN students to enroll in January in addition to the fall semester.

A number of certified nursing assistant program students were surprised by a “pop in” by the governor during their first day of class. Another stop was at the human patient simulator lab, where two first year surgical tech students, Maci Stevens, Iowa Grant, and Brand Oeschsle, Fennimore, showed Gov. Evers how to properly glove and sterilize, and then had him glove and sterilize after their instructions, after which the governor proclaimed he was “ready for surgery.”

Lastly, Gov. Evers was introduced to Southwest Tech’s new Radiography program, which as was explained, is essential for learning locally and working locally.
Family farm continues in a new location
Third generation brothers expand from Darlington area to Fennimore
Schilling Brothers
Jason Kreul
Fennimore Times
Published: Jun 5, 2025, 7:17 PM

       Schilling Brothers Dairy Farm, located at 1345 Ebenezer Road, between Fennimore and Montfort, is this year’s host for the 2025 Grant County Dairy Breakfast on Sunday, June 8.

Schilling Brothers Land LLC/Schilling Farms LLC, is a dairy and cropping operation, family-owned by Andy and Sarah Schilling and Brian and Bridget Schilling.

Brothers Andy and Brian are the third generation of their family to farm, with the original family farm located near Darlington.

They milk 2,200 cows and farm 4,800 acres, with Brian managing the dairy aspect and Andy the cropland that produces corn, beans, alfalfa, and wheat.

The Schilling Brothers began their farming careers right out of high school on the Darlington area family farm, with hopes to expand that farm.

But when Steve and Dolores Bollant put their fully operational 1,600 cow dairy facility up for auction in October 2021, “a great opportunity to expand,” as Brian put it, came up potentially.

Ironically, the brothers almost didn’t even attend the auction, but they were glad they did as they ended up as new owners at the end of that October day.

After a little remodeling the Schillings started milking at the Ebenezer Road location in January 2022.

“We’ve been welcomed to the area with open arms. It’s been a good transition,” Brian stated.

Brian and his family moved from Darlington to the area, with two of his children attending Iowa-Grant Schools.

The Schillings still operate the original family farm near Darlington. “We milk at both sites,” Brian explained. “We have 500 milking cows back there, and most of our wet calves are there.”

Although the dairy farm has “brothers” in the title, it is a family operated farm.

Sarah works with payroll/bookkeeping and serves as calf manager, while Bridget handles human resources/public relations.

And six of the Schilling brothers’ eight children are also involved with the farm’s operations.

Andy and Sarah have Bailey, 23, Kelsey, 21, Carter. 18, and Kamron, 17, while Brian and Bridget have children Lexi, 23, Kylie, 21, Jax, 15, and Ever, 14. 

In fact, it was the children’s desire to be part of the farm as the reason for the expansion from the Darlington farm, according to Andy.

“The expansion was for the next generation,” Andy explained. “We knew some of our children wanted to come back and farm, that wouldn’t have been feasible just on the Darlington farm.”

And although he’s “semi-retired,” Andy and Brian’s father, Bill, “still likes to stay involved,” they both said.

“He comes down during the summer. He grew up and stayed working on the family farm, so he likes keeping his involvement in it,” they both explained. 

All together, the Schilling family dairy farm is known for their high milk quality, with a somatic cell count, a crucial indicator of milk quality, average of 55,000 and a pregnancy rate of 39 percent.

“We focus on milk sustainability and high quality milk,” Brian explained. “Our herd is well known for reproduction, and we’ve won numerous awards from the Dairy Herd Reproductive Council (a proactive organization with long-term interest in raising awareness of issues critical to reproductive performance).”

The Schilling farm is still growing, according to Andy and Brian, as the farm looks to add 1,000 cows within the next two and a half to three years.

The farm can be seen up close on Sunday, June 8, at the Grant County Dairy Breakfast, sponsored by the Lancaster FFA Alumni, from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m., rain or shine.

In addition to a “breakfast spread,” there will be guided wagon tours throughout the facilities, a petting zoo, antique tractor and modern farm equipment on display, and ice cream from Vesperman Farms.