(soft music) (upbeat music) Hello.

I'm Portia Young.

Welcome to another edition of 10thirtysix here on Milwaukee PBS.

We will take a closer look at how some Wisconsin dairy farmers are turning to technology to help stay in business and we'll hear from the U.S. Ag secretary on plans to help the state's dairy industry.

Plus a sneak peek at an upcoming Milwaukee PBS podcast about the people in places that make living here so great, including a look at a new business development in Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood.

We begin with some encouraging news that addresses jobs in another Milwaukee neighborhood.

According to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, unemployment numbers have made substantial improvements from a year ago with the city's unemployment rate at 2.2% as of November yet companies are still trying to find workers and potential workers are often left with the challenge of getting to the job site.

One local businessman has taken it into his own hands to teach and employ some of his fellow neighbors.

10thirtysix producer Emmy Fink brings us that story.

- It felt like something I couldn't pass up.

- It was a very life changing experience.

- It was definitely an opportunity.

It's like, "If I don't try this I'm going to regret it."

(soft music) - [Johnny Mailloux] Ve'Dell grew up in this neighborhood.

He had a lot of hard things happen kind of through childhood.

- I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you guys.

I probably would be possibly incarcerated right now.

I was just going through a lot.

I didn't have a place to stay.

I was homeless at the time.

So meeting Johnny was like a jumpstart to my truck so to speak.

- He's one of those guys who when he has an opportunity, he takes it and he does a really good job with it.

I mean, they'll start it right after Thanksgiving last year.

He's already kind of taken over the finishing department for us.

He's one of those guys who shows up, he works hard and he's incredible at what he does.

- I didn't know anything about like finishing before I started working here.

I can't say that I caught on pretty fast.

I think Johnny, I think he already trained me for about a month and then from there he just let me off the lease and then it's been great ever since.

(soft music) - The Sherman Park neighborhood right here on Milwaukee's North side is one of the oldest and most diverse in the area and one business has made it their mission to rebuild lives through rebuilding furniture.

(soft music) - [Johnny Mailloux] So my dream was to start a business and employ young men in my neighborhood.

I was working in social work for a long time in Milwaukee County, and I had a lot of ideas and a lot of conversations going with different people that never really started.

So I got tired of talking about it and I finally started building tables in my basement.

You're going to slide the clamp into this slot right here.

And shortly after I started building tables, two of the boys I was currently working with introduced me to Coleman, who started this business.

- [Emmy Fink] Brothers Deshaun and Aaron Crawford met Johnny years ago when he was assigned to be their caseworker due to an unsafe family situation.

- And we're going to get this track as close to this edge as we can.

- [Emmy Fink] And the three quickly built a bond.

It's these young men who first introduced Johnny to custom cottage.

- Johnny he used to be like a caseworker and I used to work with him.

So I used to come here on my free time and the owner, he was moving out of town, take care of his granddaughter.

So he needed somebody to look after the place and Johnny was always into it.

He quit his job to work here.

- He happened to be retiring soon.

So I had kind of jumped in with him pretty quick.

He trained me for three months, which is not a lot of time and I took over the business and hired a couple of the guys on my block where I live to work for me and then we kind of kept going.

- When you look around this space and you see for some of these guys like that light bulb moment of like, "Oh I can learn how to run that thought.

I can."

I mean how powerful is that?

- It's fun.

It's fun to be able to teach people new things and cause there's always something new to learn here too.

And every everything we build is different.

It's important for people to understand that my passion is mentoring and training people and using woodworking as a way to help people reach their goals and get experiences to get where they want to go.

So there's three things we're doing at the same time.

Because it's a really cool vision to build lives through building furniture.

And we're making really cool stuff for people that's really high quality and we're training young men how to build at the same time.

There's a lot of young men who want to work and there's just not a ton of opportunities nearby.

There's a lot of opportunities, but they're hard to get to.

So go ahead and clamp it up.

- [Emmy Fink] Do you think the universe provides opportunities and people when you most need them and do you think Johnny was one of those people for you that in 50 years, you're gonna look back and say, "That was a life changing moment for me."

- I can definitely agree with that.

Yeah.

He's definitely helped me dig myself out of a big hole.

- He's a great friend.

and he's a huge blessing to me and my life and to the business.

And so it's fun to just reciprocate that and try my best to help him the things that he needs to reach his goals and to do what he wants to do.

- [Ve'dell Jones] I wouldn't have learned, the new talents I've learned, I wouldn't have been able to meet so many new people.

So it's like I wouldn't have been able to improve on things with myself.

I'm going back to school now.

I love it.

I'm just thankful for Johnny period as a friend and a boss.

(soft music) - [Emmy Fink] You're a difference maker.

You're not turning a blind eye to the fact that people need some chances in the world of work and job opportunities, but what's in this for you?

What makes you get up every day and decide, "I'm going to keep fighting this fight."

- [Johnny Mailloux] I think the most important thing is just giving opportunities to people who are going to use them.

In working in social work, that was one of the biggest needs I saw for young men specifically.

Woodworking is not my passion.

I think mentoring and helping people find stability and purpose in their life is what I'm most excited about.

And so I'm kind of figuring out a way to balance that with furniture making.

But I think that's the most exciting thing to me about what we're doing here.

- It's like our own small family.

- It's fun to live and work in the same neighborhood cause you just get to know your neighbors.

Okay, go ahead and put it on.

We're hoping to have more businesses on this block and in this neighborhood to move back in to bigger spaces that are really awesome.

So that there's more jobs in this neighborhood.

We kind of came in thinking we would be helpful and a blessing to other people, but we've mostly just been blessed by the people here.

We believe that we're building the lives of our customers by giving them awesome stuff.

And we believe we're building our lives.

All right, that's good.

And the lives of our employees by providing stability and experiences that help them in their life.

(soft music) - The job of a small family dairy farmer in Wisconsin hasn't been easy over the years.

As we shared in our recent documentary, America's Dairy Land at the Crossroads, farmers are faced with the choice, find additional sources of income and concentrate on technology to help offset labor costs or quit.

U.S. agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack did not respond to our request for comment when producing our documentary but our partner on the project, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter, Rick Barrett finally had a chance to speak with him on the phone.

- [{Rick]} If we continue to see the losses of the small and even the mid-sized farms, how much of a concern is that for you?

What are some of the consequences if we can't curb the loss of these farms?

- [Tom Vilsack] Well, the challenge here is to create a strong local and regional food system.

This is the answer all of your questions that you're going to ask about this.

it's the ability to create markets.

Markets that are specifically designed to allow local producers to be able to dictate a price and to be able to negotiate a price.

And that's part of the strategy.

The other strategy is to give farmers the ability to also potentially create value added opportunities.

We're going to look for ways, excuse me.

We're going to look for ways in which we can create additional revenue streams for smaller producers.

What could that be?

Well, it could be taking agricultural waste from the dairy operation and convert it into energy, convert it into fuel, convert it into chemicals and materials and fabrics and fibers.

You're going to see a significant opportunity from us to create an entire local and regional food system that caters to and provides market opportunities for small and midsize producers.

You're going to see an opportunity for us to provide resources to farmers, and to embrace climate smart agricultural practices on their farms as they produce the feed for their dairy cows, to be able then to potentially also qualify for ecosystem markets which creates a new revenue stream, a new income source for farmers that they don't have today.

Now we're going to launch this after the first of the year.

You're going to see us invest in additional processing capacity.

You're going to see us create incentives for folks who want to embrace a more higher value proposition like organic, to be able to transition their operations with a bit of assistance from the government.

You're going to see us continue to do as I said before, use our procurement power and resources to be able to create additional market strength.

You're going to continue to see us push exports.

So it's a combination of all of those things.

- [{Portia]}In our documentary We talked to dairy farmers about their use of robots to help cut labor costs to stay afloat.

Here's a look at how three Wisconsin farm families are getting it done with their robotic helpers.

- I've been doing it since when I was a little kid.

I think I have a photo right here of me helping my dad.

And so I've been doing it forever, but I still learn things every day.

- [ Rick Barrett] Max Malm hopes to be a dairy farmer well into the future at Malm's rolling acres in Clark county, Wisconsin, where there are more cows than people and he's counting on his two robotic milkers for their 350 cows to help him get there.

- The Malms are part of about 1% of America's 31,000 dairy farms that use robotic milkers to help cut labor costs.

- Cows has to be milked every single day, 365 days a year.

Some people milk twice a day, some people milk three times a day.

So we looked at expanding and we could put in a parlor and hire people to milk or you can choose robots.

So what you're looking at is our software program.

It has your milk production, your milkings per day.

If you want to save labor, you want the cows to do everything on their own.

You want them to get milked, you want them to eat and you want them to be healthy.

- [Rick Barrett] And how much would it cost for someone to put in robots?

- Well one robot, I think there are anywhere from 200 to $250,000 per robot.

And then you have to build the barn around that.

- [Rick Barrett] Wow.

- So yeah, you're looking at for a two robot barn easily, a million dollars and it's an investment, it's a long-term investment and you just have to believe and want to do that the rest of your life.

It's like buying a house, you're kind of stuck with it.

- [Rick Barrett] Yeah.

While dairy farmers have a little say in milk prices, the USDA says robots can provide up to nearly 30% cost savings in milking cows and spending less time in the barn allows farmers to focus on other sources of income like raising beef, alternative crops, even part-time jobs off the farm, ultimately helping them remain profitable.

In addition to the milkers, the Malm farm was one of the first in the state to use a robot to feed the cows, another big savings in hired labor that's hard to come by these days.

Down the road at Roehl acres where they have 500 cows, robots are on their way to ease the farm's labor troubles.

- I think our biggest challenge on the farm other than financial is hired help.

It's getting people here.

It's really tough.

- [Rick Barrett] The Roehls decided it was time to install four robotic milkers.

They'll be up and running in early 2022.

They're hoping the technology will inspire their young kids to be among the next generation in dairy as well.

- I do think farming is going to continue, but I do think we have to change for our children to want to continue.

It's a hard job that's a lot of hours, it's a lot of work but there's payoff to it.

So I think we have to adapt to the changes.

- [Rick Barrett] Global futurist, Jack Uldrich, who visited the Roehl farm agrees that dairy farmers have to invest in new ways of thinking including technology because just adding more cows and making the farm bigger may not be enough to survive.

- [Jack Uldrich] There are going to be manless tractors.

There are going to be satellites looking down on your individual farm fields, identifying which crops are growing, which ones aren't and you are going to be able to apply the exact amount of water, the exact amount of pesticide, herbicide, whatever you need on it.

- [Rick Barrett] Kristyn Nigon learned a lot about new dairy technology at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls where she studied dairy science.

Now she's sharing that knowledge with her dad, Marty at their family farm in Clark county.

Kristen recently left her office job to come back to the farm, which she may take over someday.

- He's willing to change with the times.

He wants to try new things and is smart about it too and he does listen to his kids.

So that helps.

He has a very open mind which is not easy for a lot of farmers, especially older farmers to open up and let their kids come back and teach them something different.

- [Rick Barrett] While their farm doesn't have robotic milkers yet for their 72 cows Kristyn has encouraged her dad to appreciate the robotic feeder they installed two years ago at a cost of $21,000.

- They know he's their friend.

- Yeah and he's pushing the feeder so they can reach it.

- [Rick Barrett] And he can run 24 hours.

- 24 hours a day every two hours yeah.

Pushes the feeder at the cows which it's hard for me with a broom to push up with that much feed.

Later in the day there's not so much, but it's a big labor saver and he's doing this night and day.

- Why I'm so optimistic about the technology is it is actually going to make farming more attractive.

Suddenly it becomes a more attractive lifestyle.

- Everything is always evolving.

So you can't be afraid of change and things are gonna change.

They always have, they always will.

And I think as long as you embrace the change, instead of trying to stay away from it, I think you'll be okay.

- [Rick Barrett] All three of these farm families have seen firsthand how technology improves their operations and lifestyles charting a new course for America's dairy land.

I'm Rick Barrett in Clark county, Wisconsin.

- [Portia Young] Check out our full one hour documentary, America's Dairy Land at the Crossroads at milwaukeepbs.org/dairy.

- [Rick Barrett] How'd you make the decision to say, "I'm done."

- It was dad's decision.

Man I was upset.

Matter of fact, I probably said a few choice words that I shouldn't have but.

(soft music) - We're excited to announce a new initiative here at Milwaukee PBS, a podcast called Speaking Of.

Producers Scotty Lee Myers, Mariano Avila and Alexandria Mack, give us a sneak peek.

(soft music) - Honey Latte for Lexi.

- I always get some form of a honey latte, but it's always slightly different.

- Sort of our conversation with the same people.

- Hey, what's up Lexi?

- Hey guys.

- Hey Lexi.

- I'm Alexandria Mack.

- And I'm Scottie Lee Myers and I'm Mariano Avila.

- And we're the hosts of Speaking Of, a podcast about interesting places, people and stories that we may come across, like your hometown that's grappling with race, right?

- Yeah.

Who would have ever thought that Brookfield Wisconsin would see so much drama about a Black history month resolution that was written by a group of high schoolers and an alderman known as Brookfield Beto.

But anyways, Mariano, your new here, you moved here from Michigan recently, does Milwaukee feel like home yet?

- It does but in a different way than it might feel to Run who's Native American and has always been here or to Miriam who was recently resettled as an African refugee just a few months ago.

And speaking of home, - speaking of, I see what you did there.

- Yeah.

- We get it.

- All right.

- Well, your podcast Lexi has to do with building intergenerational wealth through home ownership particularly in the Black community.

- Yeah.

Let's check it out.

- All right.

(soft music).

- [Tia Cannon] All of us are young.

We are all Black developers.

It was really, really an honor to be a part of the team because a lot of the times you just don't see us in these types of spaces and this is one of the biggest developments in the state of Wisconsin right now.

(soft music) - [Alexandria Mack] So tell me a little bit about your connection to this neighborhood.

- So my great-grandparents stayed on 45th and Center and then my mom stayed on 51st and Center.

So this neighborhood in particular is very, very near and dear to me.

- [Alexandria Mack] The community within the corridor development will reinvent the former 30th street industrial corridor into 197 unit affordable housing apartment complex.

But for the team led by QLamine and the Scott Crawford Group, this $66 million development holds value that exceeds the price tag.

- [Tia Cannon] That African-Americans historically don't have the ability nor the knowledge to acquire real estate or to know what it's like to create those assets and to have those things to fall back on.

And so for me that helps drive me.

You gotta be willing to get your hands dirty.

You have to be willing to stand up for what you believe in because there's a politics side of real estate too, especially from the side of development, right?

Because for some people it's just an investment, but for other people like myself who grew up on Center Street, this is something that is near and dear to me, with my grandparents being the first Black owners in this area.

My aunts the only Black girls at Washington High School, to what it is now to see it be brought back up as it deteriorated is something in itself too.

(soft music) - [Alexandria Mack] Real estate is the foundation of the legacy 30 year old developer Tia Cannon wants to build not just for herself, but for her two daughters through her company, ANC Real Estate.

- [Tia Cannon] ANC Real Estate is derived from the name of my daughters.

And so it's Aleya and Nicole and it's Ava and Noelle and so, and then last name Cannon of course.

For my daughters, what I hope that they gain and what they take from the work that I do not just in the community, within the real estate industry is that for one, opportunities are endless, but they know that they can do any and all things and that is more important to me than anything.

In the beginning, I wouldn't say it was scary.

It was like, you know how, like when you're a kid and you might be bullied at school and then you feel like, "You know what?

I'm just going to stand up for myself cause what do I have to lose at that point?"

You're getting bullied every day and you're getting picked on and whether you do or you don't, right?

And so at that moment, when I was forced to choose, I felt like I was backed into a corner.

I was being bullied and it was like, "I'm going to choose me every time to fight for what is right and what I believe and for my kids."

Because that's all that matters anyway, - [Alexandria Mack] How long does the development like this take?

- [Tia Cannon] So a development like this, this one in particular is expected to take 18 months.

- [Alexandria Mack] But going into business for herself would bring another set of barriers.

- [Tia Cannon] So some of the challenges just include just in that being a woman in a male dominated industry, feeling the need to want to prove yourself all the time, it makes you feel like you have to be on the defense when in reality, you don't.

As long as you know what you know, and you're able to articulate what it is that you know, that's how you equal that, leveling that playing field, and then just educating yourself constantly on the changes in the industry.

(upbeat music) So the ways that I pay it forward are helping other women that look like myself, not only just in the real estate industry, but home ownership as well.

And then secondly, just leveling the playing field for women in real estate, because it's not a lot of us, it's a male dominated industry.

And so being able to pay it forward that way.

And then third is just paying it forward by being able to walk them through like women or people in general.

Like my focus obviously is women.

Women who aspire to be in the real estate industry, I would say just go for it.

Just do it and make sure that you take the time to learn the things that people don't want to learn and you take the time to really find out what your niche is in real estate, because it's so broad.

There's many aspects of real estate that you can do, whether it's being an agent, whether it's doing construction, whether it's development, whether it's investing or staging and design, it's so many aspects.

Finding what your niche is, perfecting it, and then taking it from there.

- [Alexandria Mack] For cannon, the legacy has to start with a blueprint.

- [Tia Cannon] And then the fact that my kids one day are going to need to own their own homes and have their own families and create their own wealth, but having something that they can step into, that they will be able to survive off of if need be.

- And that's just one of the stories we'll be telling on our podcast, Speaking Of.

- A podcast by Milwaukee PBS from us about you.

It's journalism with the coffee break twist.

So look for Speaking Of wherever you get your podcasts or at milwaukeepbs.org.

- Looking forward to listening to that podcast.

That'll do it for this edition of 10thirtysix.

Remember to check us out on Facebook and at milwaukeepbs.org any time.

January in Wisconsin brings us cold weather, but also provides some beautiful warm looking sunsets.

We leave you with one of those captured by our drone pilot, Chris Michalski.

stay warm and stay well.

(soft music)