Cultivating Connections
Capital Campaign

The Food + Farm Exploration Center represents a unique opportunity to change public perceptions about food and agriculture. Partnering with us to create a unique place that utilizes advanced technology to educate and exhilarate will introduce thousands of people annually to the reality of production agriculture and its role in feeding the growing global population. 

Learn more about the campaign that brought us to this point.

Campaign Goal: $41 Million

Join us and help us grow a legacy.

Giving Levels

LEGACY – $5,000,000+

VISIONARY – $2,000,000 TO $4,999,999

SUSTAINER – $1,000,000 TO $1,999,999

INNOVATOR – $750,000 TO $999,999

STEWARD – $500,000 TO $749,999

PRODUCER – $250,000 TO $499,999

HARVESTER – $100,000 TO $249,999

GROWER – $50,000 TO $99,999

TILLER – $25,000 TO $49,999

SPROUT – $10,000 TO $24,999

SEEDLING – $5,000 TO $9,999

SEED SOWER <$5,000

Donor Testimonials

BOB and CHERI GUENTHNER

Guenthner Potato Company, Inc - Antigo, Wisconsin

We whole heartedly endorse the “Food and Farm Exploration Center.” The Center represents the best opportunity for us to tell our own story about modern production agriculture.

People want to know where their food comes from and understand how it is produced. People are no longer connected with the food they eat. The distance between grower and consumer is increasing. Those of us in agriculture find that even our family, friends and neighbors don’t grasp this story. We must be the ones to tell the story, teaching it to the next generation of consumers.

The Center is the perfect place to tell our story in our own words. Dick Okray said it best, “Far from being a museum, the center will be an ever-changing technology and training hub, a place for workforce development, education, and tourism as well as conferences, meetings and so much more. It is certain that this investment will showcase every aspect of the food chain necessary to bring healthy and safe food to the world.” The Center will be in Plover. It is on the ideal site on Hwy 39 in the center of the state.

For our entire lives, agriculture has been very good to us and our family. Our donation to this project was a way for us to give back to farming and at the same time pay it forward to the future. We have made a generous contribution to the “Farming for the Future Foundation” to fund the Center. We encourage you to do the same.

DICK and CAROL OKRAY

Okray Family Farms and Edward J. Okray Foundation - Plover, Wisconsin

We were intrigued when we first heard of the Food and Farm Exploration Center. We have witnessed first-hand how our friends and neighbors seemed to have no idea the breadth and scope of our life’s work. As an ancient, yet still nascent and quickly evolving industry, agriculture’s complexity has grown faster than ever, and the need to explore, expand and explain it has never been greater.

We realize how much being dedicated to our vocation has rewarded us, both financially and personally. The connections with people and the environment have given us much for which to be thankful. It was with that in mind that we chose to give back by making a large financial contribution to the project.

It is certain that this investment will showcase every aspect of the food chain necessary to bring healthy and safe food to the world. Far from being a museum, the center will be an ever-changing technology and training hub, a place for workforce development, education and tourism as well as conferences, meetings and so much more.

We hope that you’ll consider giving to this most noble of projects as we have. It is the perfect way to reap all that we have sown!

Our Campaign Donors

Legacy – $5,000,000+

  • Richard and Barbara Pavelski

Visionary – $2,000,000 to $4,999,999

  • Heartland Farms, Inc.

  • Pavelski Family Foundation

  • State of Wisconsin Grant

Sustainer – $1,000,000 to $1,999,999

  • Bushman’s, Inc. 

  • Frito-Lay North America

  • Worzella & Sons, Inc.

Innovator – $750,000 to $999,999

  • AgCountry Farm Credit Services

  • Compeer Financial

  • Edward J. Okray Foundation

  • Richard and Carol Okray

Steward – $500,000 to $749,999

  • Dan and Julie Hartung

  • McCain Foods

  • Reinke Manufacturing Co., Inc.

  • Seneca Foods Corporation

  • Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association / Wisconsin Potato Industry Board

Producer – $250,000 to $499,999

  • BMO Harris Bank

  • The Davisson Family

  • Del Monte Foods, Inc.

  • Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation

  • Hansen-Rice / McGowan Rice Construction

  • IncredibleBank Foundation, Inc.

  • John Deere

  • New Holland Agriculture

  • Nicolet National Bank

  • North Central Irrigation, Inc.

  • Oxbo

  • Alicia, Jeremie & Charlotte Pavelski

  • Pavelski Farms

  • Michelle and Chris Peariso

  • Paul and Dawn Roberts

  • Swiderski Equipment

  • TOMRA Sorting, Inc.

  • Valmont Industries

  • Versatile

  • Dennis J. and Bettilee B. Zeloski

Harvester – $100,000 to $249,999

  • Alacrity Wealth Solutions

  • Alsum Farms & Produce, Inc.

  • Wayne Bushman / Bushman Electric

  • Coloma Farms

  • Steve and Pat Diercks Family - In memory of Bob and Ruth Diercks

  • Les and Rosemary Dobbe

  • Fermented Food Holdings

  • B.A. and Esther Greenheck

  • Bob and Cheri Guenthner

  • Gumz Farms, LLC - Roderick, Michelle, Richard, & Linda Gumz

  • Gyroscope

  • Helbach Farms, LLC

  • JAMR Investments

  • Jerry Knutson Memorial Fund

  • J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc.

  • J.W Mattek & Sons

  • Dave and Patty Knights

  • Lindsay Corporation

  • The Little Potato Company

  • Nelson Irrigation Corporation

  • Oh Snap! Pickling

  • Okray Family Farms

  • Prevail Bank

  • Provision

  • Roberts Irrigation Company

  • Rural Mutual Insurance and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation

  • Sand County Equipment, LLC

  • Schroeder Brother’s Farms, Inc.

  • Sentry Insurance Foundation

  • Service Motor Company

  • Silgan Containers, LLC

  • Dianne and Nick Somers, Plover River Farms Alliance

  • Volm Companies, Inc.

Grower – $50,000 to $99,999

  • Big Iron Equipment, Inc.

  • Chippewa Valley Bean Co.

  • The Davisson Family Children - In honor of Nana and Papa Pavelski

  • GP Ventures LLC

  • Guenthner Potato Co. Family

  • Hyland Lakes Spuds

  • Joe and Cindy Kinsella

  • Lemken USA

  • Lineage Logistics

  • Mayo-Harriston, LLC

  • Myron M. Soik & Sons, Inc.

  • Progressive Ag Systems - Ray Grabanski & Penney Hammer

  • Ron’s Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

  • Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C

  • Signature Farms, LLC

  • Skyward

  • Solarus

  • Sowinski Farms, Inc. - In honor of Alvin and Shirley Sowinski and David and Betty Sowinski

  • Stuczynski Trucking & Excavating, Inc.

  • Garn and Debbie Theobald

  • Steve and Judy Theobald

  • Robert and Sue Walther - Walther Family Farms

  • Warner & Warner, Inc.

Tiller – $25,000 to $49,999

  • Allen Supply Company, Inc.

  • Baginski Farms, Inc. - In honor of Ted Baginski Jr.

  • Mark and Patricia Bula and Family

  • CoVantage Credit Union

  • CSS Farms / Tasteful Selections / RPE

  • Delta Dental of Wisconsin

  • Gagas Farms, Inc.

  • Hooper Corporation

  • Jay-Mar, Inc.

  • J.R. Simplot Company Foundation

  • Justmann Land Company

  • Lyco Manufacturing, Inc.

  • Keith & Hellen Masser

  • Midwest Food Products Association (MWFPA)

  • Joe and Julie Nagel and Family - In Memory of John and Rita Nagel from Family and Friends

  • Neumiller Farms

  • Nortera Foods, Inc.

  • Oasis Irrigation

  • OMEX AgriFluids USA

  • Paul and Barbara Palmby

  • David Parish

  • Schierl Tire and Service Centers

  • Seramur Family Foundation Inc.

  • Sklarcyzk Seed Farm

  • Stevens Point Brewery

  • WE Energies Foundation

  • Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association—Associate Division

  • Wisconsin Public Service and Corporation

  • Al and Kim Wondzell

  • Wysocki Family of Companies

  • Bayer Vegetable Seeds

Sprout – $10,000 to $24,999

  • Advanced Farm Equipment, LLC

  • Anderson O’Brien, LLP

  • Appleton Lathe Corp

  • Baker Tilly

  • Milt Carter and Chris Carter

  • Benjamin and Nicole Creamer

  • Flowserve Corporation - Pump Division

  • Adam and Carolyn Flyte

  • James & Dorothy Ford

  • Raymond and Joan Grabanski

  • Penney Hammer - In memory of Tom Hammer

  • Bob and Helen Helbach

  • Kraze Trucking

  • Chad and Jennifer Malek - Specialty Potatoes & Produce, LLC

  • MetLife Foundation

  • Nelson’s Vegetable Storage Systems

  • Omni Glass

  • Rabobank

  • Gregg and Reinie Ruffalo

  • Glen Seidl

  • Andrea and Paul Speth

  • Streich Equipment Co., Inc.

  • Wisconsin Seed Potato Improvement Association

Seedling – $5,000 to $9,999

  • American Agricultural Insurance Company

  • Bio-Gro

  • C & D Rural Insurance

  • Commercial Roofing a Tecta America Company

  • Firkus Farms

  • First State Bank

  • Epicurean Cutting Surfaces

  • Tamas and Paula Houlihan

  • Linda McCrary

  • Dave Meihak

  • Dan and Julie Merk

  • Paul and Barbara Palmby - In memory of Larry Palmby

  • Peter Pelizza

  • The Portage County Bank

  • Reabe Spraying Service, Inc.

  • Randy and Mary Jo Tenpas

  • T H Agri-Chemicals, Inc.

  • Jack and Barb Whitlam

  • Zinda Insurance Group — a Rural Mutual Insurance Company

Seed Sower <$5,000

  • Altmann Construction Co., Inc.

  • Associated Bank

  • Sharon, Larry & Stacy Boushon

  • Bula Potato Farms

  • C&M Marketing Services, LLC

  • Cooper Oil

  • Demco

  • Karen Dunham

  • Electro Power, Inc.

  • Feltz’s Dairy Store

  • Russ Groves

  • Helm Agro

  • Hoffman Hay & Grain, LLC

  • Insight FS

  • IRS of Wausau, Inc.

  • KARMAR, LLC

  • MaryAnn Lippert

  • Arthur Littlefield

  • McDonald Schaefer, LLC

  • Mortenson Bros. Farms

  • Patrykus Farms, Inc.

  • Paul Miller Farms, Inc.

  • Point of Beginning, Inc.

  • Quinlan’s Equipment

  • Scott Scheer

  • Seis Family Farms

  • William and Bonnie Spear

  • Steel King Industries, Inc.

  • Linda and Kent Syth

  • Tourism Commission Town of Plover

  • Tristeel Manufacturing Company

  • Rich Wilcox

Explore More Ways to Give

Not sure if this is the right fit for your philanthropic goals? See a full list of our initiatives, from student field trip support to our Rooted in Gratitude annual celebration. Together, we can find the best way for you to help cultivate the future of Wisconsin agriculture.