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State News: Bankrupt Farms, Tesla, Confederate Monuments

Western Wisconsin Led Nation In Farm Bankruptcies

New federal court data shows the Western District of Wisconsin had the highest number of farm bankruptcies in the country last year. The Western District had 28 Chapter 12 bankruptcy cases filed in 2017, a chapter specifically for family farmers or fishermen. The district includes 44 counties and covers more than half of the geographic area of the state. The Eastern District of Wisconsin had 17 cases and the Minnesota District had 19 cases. There are 94 federal court districts in the U.S.

Low commodity prices for corn, soybeans and milk mean Wisconsin farmers are earning less, while input costs have remained steady or increased.

“Rent per acre is a major contributing factor,” said Rachel Dux, vice president of corn exports for Compeer Financial, a farm credit cooperative. “We just haven’t seen them correct, if you will, to what the commodity prices are.”

Dux said some farms have taken on debt since commodity prices dropped in 2015. But she said others already had debt from purchasing equipment or other investments when prices were high.

“Some of that debt is catching up to them with the prices falling. We’re not seeing that income level that can handle the debt loads that they have,” Dux said.

As commodity price forecasts show little sign of improvement, the state will likely see more farm bankruptcies in 2018 said Christopher Seelen, an Eau Claire attorney who represents creditors in bankruptcy court.

 

Madison Considers Confederate Monument

Around 50 people packed into Madison’s Warner Park Community Recreation Center on Tuesday night to hear public comment about the city’s Confederate monuments.

The monuments are located in city-owned Forest Hill Cemetery. City officials are considering options such as removing the monuments or adding another monument or signage offering historical context.

There were originally two Confederate monuments at Forest Hill, but in August, Mayor Paul Soglin ordered the removal of the monuments. The city ended up only removing a smaller plaque erected in 1981. The plaque praised the Confederate soldiers buried at Forest Hill, calling them, “unsung heroes.”

Soglin’s order came after violent protests erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the removal of a Confederate statue there.

The larger, remaining monument commemorates 140 Confederate soldiers who died at a nearby prisoner-of-war camp and a deceased caretaker. The United Daughters of the Confederacy erected this monument in 1906, according to city documents.

Madison resident Kathy Walsh, the first speaker to call for the full removal of the monuments, said, “I don’t want to denigrate the people who died. I don’t know what was in their mind. I leave them respectfully buried, but I don’t want the name United Daughters of the Confederacy associated with public space.” She said the organization pushes an alternative view of the Civil War that minimizes slavery.

Others called for the larger monument to remain in Forest Hill, but they want another monument or marker to add historical context. Tom Garver, a retired art historian, told city officials that this was the best option.

“Leave the monument there, but tell people about this,” he said. “Don’t take this away; don’t sweep it under the rug.”

 

Tesla, Car Dealers Clash On Electric Vehicle Sales

Lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday on a proposal that would allow electric car manufacturer Tesla to open dealerships and sell directly to consumers in Wisconsin. A decades-old state law bars direct sales by carmakers.

Supporters of the measure argue allowing Tesla to set up dealerships in Wisconsin will boost the state’s economy by creating jobs and generating sales tax revenue.

“Tesla, a Fortune 500 company that wants to come to the state and do business here, is not allowed to do business in this state because of the laws that we have,” said Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, one of the bill’s sponsors.

But opponents argue the change would hurt car dealerships in Wisconsin by opening up the possibility for manufacturers to bypass them. The proposal would allow any vehicle manufacturer that produces only electric cars to sell directly to consumers.

Some major manufacturers, like Volvo, have expressed interest in transitioning all of their vehicles away from combustion engines to electric power in the coming years.

“This bill isn’t about jobs or economic development,” said Bill Sepic, president of the Wisconsin Automobile & Truck Dealers Association. “It’s a jobs killer.”

Representatives from Tesla said the company isn’t aiming to undermine dealers.

 

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2018, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

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