Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Phillip Wyse, director of Pioneer Farm at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, received the Outstanding Award in the Field of Agriculture from the Platteville Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 4. The award was given at the Platteville Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Celebration and Awards Night. Wyse was recognized as an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment in the field of agriculture. As the director of Pioneer Farm, he is responsible for the overall management of the farm in terms of financial management, capital improvements, personnel, day to day operations and accomplishing the overall mission of the farm. One of the goals of the farm is to provide resources for students, instructional faculty, researchers and the public.

Kathy Kopp, chamber executive director, stated, "Phil has been very professional, forward thinking and runs the Pioneer Farm like a business, with great pride. He's done phenomenal things. He's really been a key player in the development of Pioneer Farm to the degree it is in today." Wyse is the first to say that this award and all the successful developments on Pioneer Farm are due to "a team effort." He said, "It's all about the team, what the team has done. ... I have had the privilege to work with a great and very competent staff."

Pioneer Farm has incorporated numerous changes through the years Wyse has worked there. In the early 1990s, developments included the education pavilion building and the dairy center complex. In 1999, the School of Agriculture approved the farm for the Wisconsin Agriculture Stewardship Initiative program, a unique farming system dedicated to solving problems while maintaining profitability. Recently, the Agricultural Technology Center was added for distance education, as well as the Cooper Living and Learning Center and the Swine Center. Wyse explained that the farm supplements classroom theory and provides students with hands-on research and experience.

Wyse said that the dynamics of agriculture keep him interested in the field. He noted the growth and changes in crop practices, land conservation, livestock enterprises, facilities, demonstrations and research. Supported by his staff, Wyse has continually worked to create an environment that meets the Pioneer Farm educational mission and also maintains a sense of fiscal accountability and overall responsibility to the citizens of Southwest Wisconsin and the entire state. In addition, he and his team have striven to earn the respect of area farmers and the general public. Wyse emphasizes the "open door policy" of the farm. He is particularly proud of the strong alumni support for the farm and the farm's many visitors, ranging from prospective students and community members to international guests, Wisconsin governors, Wisconsin representatives and senators and Wisconsin Secretaries of Agriculture. He is also proud of the more than 300 student farm employees that have worked on the farm since 1972.

When asked how he originally came to UW-Platteville from small town Alden, Ill., Wyse said that his high school agriculture teacher in Hebron, Ill., was an alumnus of UWP and encouraged him to attend. Wyse appreciated the hands-on learning at UWP, as well as being able to build a rapport with his instructors. He was in the social and service fraternity, Phi Sigma, and was president when it went national, changing its name to Phi Sigma Epsilon. He was also in Alpha Zeta, the fraternity in agriculture.

He received his bachelor's degree in animal science in 1969 and was then drafted for the Vietnam War. During his two years of service in Germany, he married his wife, Janean, who left UW-Platteville to live with him in Germany. They returned to Platteville in 1971 so she could finish her degree and he could start his master's degree in agriculture education and agricultural industries. Meanwhile, he worked as a residence hall director, and then accepted a position on Pioneer Farm. In addition to serving the community through his work on Pioneer Farm, he has been an entertainer, performing beside his youngest daughter, Jenna, in the play, "You Can't Take it With You," and the musical, "Annie," for UW-Platteville's Heartland Festival. As to why Wyse and his wife decided to stay in Platteville, Wyse said, "When you weigh everything, this was the place to be."

Wyse and Janean have three grown children, including Alyssa Hellen, Dodgeville; Wade, Blanchardville; and Jenna, Minneapolis, Minn. Janean, who received a degree from UWP in physical education and went on to teach gymnastics and own a gymnastics school, now sells real estate.

Contact: Phil Wyse, director, Pioneer Farm, (608) 342-1053,wyse@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Kate McKinney, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,mckinnka@uwplatt.edu