WISCONSIN DELLS – Representative Gary Tauchen received the Distinguished Service to Wisconsin Agriculture award for his outstanding contributions to Wisconsin’s agriculture industry during the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s 104th Annual Meeting in Wisconsin Dells on December 3.
Rep. Tauchen’s dedication to serving Wisconsin agriculture has been a theme for the entirety of his life. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from UW-River Falls and went on to found Tauchen’s Harmony Valley Farm near Bonduel in 1976 with his father, brother and nephew.
Besides his involvement with the family dairy farm, Rep. Tauchen has also been exceptionally involved with Wisconsin agricultural organizations. He served as vice president of Shawano County Farm Bureau, director of National Dairy Herd Improvement Association, chairman of AgSource Cooperative Services and was a founding board member of both Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium. Rep. Tauchen was a speaker for the National Institute for Animal Agriculture as well as the World Dairy Expo.
“He has served Wisconsin agriculture in many capacities,” said nominator and WFBF President Kevin Krentz. “He has been actively involved in quite a few agricultural organizations giving him the opportunity to provide information and influence at the state, national and international levels.”
In 2006, Rep. Tauchen was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 6th Assembly District and served until 2023. During his time in the state assembly, Rep. Tauchen chaired and served on many committees directly impacting agriculture and rural communities where he supported farmers around the state.
“Gary has been a huge advocate of Wisconsin agriculture over his tenure,” said President Krentz.
Rep. Tauchen’s service has been recognized with a multitude of awards such as Friend of 4-H, Legislative Excellence award from the Dairy Business Association, Master Farmer award from the Wisconsin Agriculturist magazine and many more.
Though Rep. Tauchen has retired, he continues to dedicate himself to his local community as well as passion projects to improve the quality of life for people around the state of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization and is made up of 61 county Farm Bureaus. WFBF represents farms of every size, commodity and management style.
