Wisco Feeds named 2024 Business of the Year
By Kevin O’Brien
For nearly 100 years, the feed mill now owned by Wisco Feeds has stood prominently in the center of Abbotsford, an enduring symbol of the city’s deep connection to the area’s agricultural community.
Since the 1970s, when Al Pederson purchased the mill from Hubbard Milling, the facility has been producing high-quality food for the thousands of dairy cows throughout America’s Dairyland that provide the state with its trademark milk, cheese and other dairy products.
Wisco Feeds has been chosen as the 2024 Business of the Year by the AbbyColby Crossings Chamber of Commerce, which will honor the company at its annual banquet on Thursday, March 13, at Jack’s Cantina in Abbotsford.
“Much like many community businesses, Wisco Feeds has been quiet and unassuming as they grow and operated their business since 1932,” wrote Jenny Jakel when nominating the company as Business of the Year. “Wisco Feeds has improved their business exterior to enhance their downtown appearance. You will will see Wisco trucks frequently throughout the day making deliveries to support the ag industry vital to our community.”
Kent Pederson took over the business from his father, Al, about 13 years ago after leaving a career at Minnesota-based Best Buy and returning home to learn the family
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business.
Wisco Feeds actually got its start in Menomonie, but the business took over the former Hubbard Milling facility in Abbotsford when Al Pederson and several other business partners purchased it in the early 1970s a made a major shift in the company’s customer base.
“Since 1932 to the early 70s our primary business was mink,” he said. “As the mink industry started to change in the late 70s, we were able to apply more focus to the needs of the local dairy farmers.”
Mike Breitrich, the company’s first dairy nutritionist, is still with Wisco Feeds to this day, he noted.
In the days before the shift to dairy, the company’s nutritionists would work with the mink and fox ranches in the area to formulate ideal food for the animals known for their fashionable fur. The company would broker deals for meat byproducts while also making grain-based pellets at the mill that would eventually be mixed together on mink ranches, Pederson said.
“This location would actually ship mink feed across America,” he said. “Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota and Iowa were kind of the key fur-producing areas at that point.”
For the last several decades, the dairy nutritionists at Wisco Feeds have worked with farmers to come up with the best mix of nutrients needed to keep dairy cows healthy and productive. Forage samples from local farms are dropped off at the Rock River Laboratory in Colby on a daily basis and are either tested there or sent to Watertown for further testing.
“That data comes back to us via computer, and we take that data and build protein and mineral mixes for these farms,” he said.
The recipes developed by the nutritionists are used by Wisco Feed’s mill workers to grind and process the feed, which is then shipped off to farms by the company’s fleet of eight delivery trucks, he said.
The primary role of a dairy nutritionist is to formulate and optimize dairy cattle diets to ensure optimal health, milk production, and farm profitability. They work closely with dairy farmers to develop feeding programs that meet the nutritional needs of cows while balancing cost-efficiency and herd performance.
Wisco Feeds currently employs 20 people, including dairy nutritionists, office support staff and the mill and delivery team. The original Wisco Feeds facility in Menomonie closed down in the 1970s, so the one in Abbotsford has long been the headquarters and sole location. Pederson said the location is geographically beneficial to a company that serves the dairy industry.
“The city of Abbotsford has been great to work with, whether its public works people or public officials,” he said, noting that Mayor Jim Weix used to work at Wisco Feeds for a number of years.
Just like the business he owns and operates, Pederson himself has made quite a transition from his previous career in retail. After graduating from Medford Area High School in 2003, he went to UW-Green Bay to study business and earned a degree before accepting a job at Best Buy, which is known primarily for selling computers, appliances and other technology.
After 10 years of managing retail stores, Pederson came back to Central Wisconsin, started working with his dad and took a short course in dairy nutrition at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau. He also enrolled in several feed manufacturing courses offered remotely by Kansas State and Texas A& M.
Though he already had the background in business leadership, Pederson said he wanted to educate himself on feed manufacturing. He is now involved in all aspects of the company’s daily operations, working with the various teams of employees and spending a lot of time talking to customers.
“You don’t really know what they need unless you’re asking them, so I feel like that’s an important part of my job,” he said.
Over the years, he’s been able to surround himself with knowledgeable nutritionists and other highly skilled employees.
“We’re fortunate to have good people,” he said.
As the dairy industry continues to change over the years, Pederson said the key to Wisco Feeds’ success is adapting to meet their customers’ needs. The company’s customer base extends about two hours out from Abbotsford, he said.
“Our success over the past 90 plus years comes down to our dedicated employees, our commitment to our customers, and our focus on providing quality products and service,” he said. “Our team works hard every day to understand the unique needs of the farms we serve, and that’s helped us build strong, lasting relationships. We understand we exist and have purpose because of the farmers we serve.”
Nothing substantial has been done to expand the company’s facilities, he said, but it has installed some basic automation and invested in modern feed technology, such as new roller mills that decrease the micron size of corn. Other improvements include additional bins for ingredient storage, fasterloading trucks, more efficient bagging lines and better mixers.
In her nomination letter, Jakel pointed out that Wisco Feeds is always willing to help sponsor chamber events and support local FFA chapters and other ag-related groups. Pederson said his employees regularly work at the Abbotsford and Colby June dairy breakfasts, and the company itself support local police, firefighters and libraries whenever it can.
Wisco Feeds had representatives at a Clark County career fair in Greenwood, and Pederson plans to continue outreach efforts to local students to teach them about becoming a dairy nutritionist.
“It can be a very rewarding career,” he said.
Pederson, who lives in Colby with his wife Michelle and two kids – Kennedy, 7, and James, 2 – said he was happy to learn that Wisco Feeds is being honored by the local business community.
“I was truly honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” he said. “Wisco Feeds has always been committed to providing high-quality feed and exceptional service to our customers, and this award is a testament to the hard work of our entire team. We’re grateful to be part of this community and look forward to continuing to support local farmers and the community.”
BUSY MAN - Kent Pederson, second-generation owner of Wisco Feeds in Abbotsford, sits at his desk from where he runs the company his dad purchased back in the 1970s. Pederson is involved in every aspect of the business, from dairy nutrition to customer service.
STAFF PHOTO/KEVIN O’BRIEN
DELIVERING THEIR PRODUCT - At left, two of Wisco Feeds trucks unload feed mix at one of the many farms the company serves in Central Wisconsin. At right, Kent Pederson and his dad, Al, show off their trophies after entering a 1932 Chevrolet truck in the First City Days car show. The truck, which is the same age as Wisco Feeds, won best of show and second place in the truck category.
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