Jan Shepel
Associate Editor
MADISON
Farmers and agriculture leaders began to mourn the loss of state agriculture secretary Rod Nilsestuen Thursday morning (July 22) after learning that he had lost his life in Lake Superior.
Nilsestuen, 62, who was in Marquette, Michigan with family members to work on a Habitat for Humanity project, went for a swim at the end of the workday on Wednesday and was reportedly caught in strong currents where he drowned. According to police reports there, he was found quickly near Picnic Rocks, and paramedics attempted to revive him. But he was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.
It was commonplace for Nilsestuen to spend his vacations working on Habitat for Humanity projects around the country and even in foreign lands, usually accompanied by his wife Carol. She recently had her own serious health challenges, surviving several brain surgeries and various treatments for brain tumors.
Nilsestuen, known for his self-deprecating humor and quick wit, commonly told Norwegian jokes at his own expense. He had been head of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) since 2003 – the beginning of Jim Doyle’s tenure as governor. Nilsestuen had previously served for 24 years as head of the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives and had retired from that job before being called to public service by Doyle.
Nilsestuen is widely credited with advising Doyle, who has very little background in agriculture, toward solutions that have helped grow the industry in the state – livestock siting, investment tax credits for dairy farmers and dairy processors and working land protections.
On Wednesday night, Doyle released a statement on behalf of himself and first lady Jessica Doyle, calling Nilsestuen a “visionary agriculture leader” and one of the “most important agriculture leaders in Wisconsin history.”
Doyle said that under Nilsestuen’s “incredible leadership Wisconsin has seen the greatest and most beneficial transformation of agriculture in generations.
“Among many other accomplishments, Rod’s legacy includes dramatic increases in milk and cheese production, dynamic growth in organic farming and grazing operations, protecting our state’s farmland through the working lands initiative, promoting the development of biofuels and bioenergy to generate homegrown renewable energy in Wisconsin, connecting consumers to local farmers through the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin program and strong support for investments in America’s Dairyland,” Doyle said.
“Rod was an internationally respected leader in the cooperative movement. He worked to make sure farmers received the economic value of their work. On top of all these professional accomplishments, he was a warm, humorous and wonderful husband, father and friend,” the governor added.
Donna Gilson, a spokeswoman for DATCP, said she was arranging a press conference at the third and final day of Farm Technology Days in River Falls on Thursday morning. In all the phone calls and emails that had been flying back and forth between Madison and River Falls, she said the overwhelming tone was shock and sadness, among her co-workers.
“Secretary Nilsestuen really was a visionary in agriculture but he was also a very kind and compassionate man with absolute integrity,” Gilson said. “It tells a lot about him that he was working on a Habitat for Humanity project when he died. He worked on those projects every summer.”
Lee Sensenbrenner, who is press secretary for DATCP, said the whole agency was “tremendously saddened and surprised” by Nilsestuen’s sudden death. “He was a visionary leader who was also caring, compassionate and funny. He made everybody feel like family,” he said.
“We at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation are shocked and saddened by the sudden and untimely death of Secretary Rod Nilsestuen. His passing leaves a glaring void in Wisconsin agriculture’s leadership circle,” Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation President Bill Bruins stated.
Bruins added, “With a deep appreciation from his Norwegian roots, Nilsestuen was a Wisconsin farm boy who grew to become became a lifelong leader. Throughout his career with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, his work displayed a lifelong commitment for the betterment of the people who make up Wisconsin’s agriculture and cooperatives.”
