Wisconsin Ag Connection - (Updated) Brancel Tributes Pour in From Industry, Colleagues

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(Updated) Brancel Tributes Pour in From Industry, Colleagues
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 07/21/2017

Gov. Scott Walker: "Ben has served with distinction as a state representative and speaker of the State Assembly, as DATCP secretary under both our administration and Governor Tommy Thompson's administration, and as a leader of a number of agricultural organizations in our state. His leadership and counsel on agriculture and trade issues have been invaluable to me, and I thank him for his service and dedication to the people of Wisconsin. We wish Ben and his wife, Gail, all the very best as they begin this new and exciting chapter."

DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp: "The state of Wisconsin will be missing a dedicated public servant with the retirement of Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Ben Brancel and I will miss serving with him in Governor Walker's cabinet. Through his many years in public service, Ben has always understood the challenges of making laws and implementing them. I offer my appreciation for those years of service. I congratulate him and wish Ben a rewarding retirement. He has definitely earned it."

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos: "I would like to thank Secretary Brancel for his three decades of public service at every level of government. Undoubtedly, our state is better off because of his commitment, dedication, and passion for the agricultural industry. I especially want to thank him for serving as a state representative and Assembly speaker. I would also like to wish Ben and his wife, Gail, the best of luck in his retirement and his return to their family farm."

Rep. Keith Ripp: "I would like to thank Secretary Brancel for his over 30 years of public service to the state of Wisconsin. His vast knowledge and strong support of agriculture has significantly benefited the Wisconsin State Legislature, DATCP, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has traveled throughout the nation and around the world promoting and advancing Wisconsin agriculture. As both a farmer and state representative, I have had the privilege of working with Secretary Brancel throughout his career. He has been one of the best people to work with both personally and professionally. His experience, optimism, and well-rounded leadership will certainly be missed. I wish him the best with his well-deserved retirement back on his family farm in Marquette County with his wife, Gail."

Rep. Joan Ballweg: "Secretary Brancel has been an outstanding advocate and steward for the agriculture industry in Wisconsin. I represent portions of the same areas he once represented, and I can truthfully say his neighbors and former constituents are proud of his dedication and the work he was engaged in during his time of public service. I appreciate the leadership he's provided DATCP and the partner he has been when serving our mutual constituents."

PDPW Executive Director Shelly Mayer: "One of hardest working, most dedicated leaders I have ever known. Ben Brancel never forgot that his job was to serve the people of Wisconsin. A great role model for everyone. He's articulate, humble, knowledgeable, ambitious and above all caring. Ben is always the same, regardless if he's working with a child at the county fair or an international dignitary, kind and sincere. His years of service to Wisconsin will be remembered fondly for years to come. PDPW wishes him a long, well earned retirement."

WAXX Radio Farm Director Bob Bosold: "Ben Brancel wasn't just our DATCP secretary. He was the real leader of agriculture in Wisconsin. He was trusted by all segments of the industry as he gave everyone and all their ideas a seat at the table. As secretary he dealt with and solved many of the challenges of modern agriculture as his leadership showed this spring with the lost milk markets that faced so many of our dairy farmers. He could cross lines and get people to see and accept the big picture as to what was best for all, not just a few, in Wisconsin agriculture. Farmers, farm organizations, the media and all who dealt with Secretary Brancel during his years at DATCP could count on him being true to his word as his years of leading DATCP proved. He was a farmer first and approached his job by looking for answers that helped farmers do their jobs as he knew that would make it easier and better for all those who worked with farmers do theirs. He wasn't afraid to make the hard decisions because his decisions were fair and measured. Wisconsin, not just agriculture, is losing a real leader who was comfortable in any situation and was always available to answer the tough questions and defend his answers because, while he worked for the governor, he worked with our farmers and farm groups. He will be missed at DATCP and around the state as he spent probably more time than any other cabinet member in face to face meetings and conversations with those he worked. He wasn't afraid to look you in the eye and give you his thoughts. He will be missed at DATCP and around the state. We wish him well as he goes back to being a farmer himself."

Farm Technology Days General Manager Matt Glewen: "Ben Brancel was one of Wisconsin Farm Technology Day's strongest supporters. He never missed a media day or a show if he could help it. I was always impressed that Ben could see that the most important aspect of WFTD was the way it pulled the ag community in a county together in a way that produced positive reverberations for years to come. And he was always able to stand up at the spur of the moment and express those ideas in a way that made sense to people."

Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Jim Holte: "Whether it is statewide, nationally or internationally, Secretary Brancel does a notable job representing Wisconsin farmers. Secretary Brancel understands our agricultural and rural communities because he is first a farmer. He understands the trials and tribulations our farmers face daily and that has always been reflected in his work. Wisconsin Farm Bureau members send their sincerest regards to Secretary Brancel for his years of service and dedication to our industry. We owe him a debt of gratitude for the support he has given to Wisconsin farmers in his 30-year public service career. During that time, he helped enact Wisconsin's use value assessment law which taxes farmland at the value of its use, as opposed to its market value if sold. He also updated Wisconsin's right to farm law and trespass law. Thank you Secretary Brancel for your time and talent through the years. We wish you the best in your retirement."

Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden: "On behalf of all of the members of Farmers Union, I'd like to thank Secretary Brancel for his years of service. I first got to know Ben when working on milk pricing issues in the mid-1990s, when he was serving as a state representative. Throughout his decades of service, he has always put Wisconsin agriculture first. He has traveled countless miles to meetings around the state, listening to farmers and creating an open dialogue on the issues that matter to rural Wisconsinites. We would like to wish Ben and his family all the best as he returns to the family farm."

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