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World Dairy Expo says it’s staying non-partisan by denying Trump campaign stop

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World Dairy Expo says it’s staying non-partisan by denying Trump campaign stop

Former President Donald Trump is headed to southwest Wisconsin this weekend, but he won’t be stopping at the World Dairy Expo in Madison next week.

According to Lisa Behnke, communications manager for World Dairy Expo, Trump’s team reached out to expo officials to inquire about scheduling a time for a campaign stop sometime between Oct. 1-4 during the premier dairy event that draws over 50,000 attendees from across North America and visitors from overseas.

“We host an event for cows and people who care for cows and not for candidates,” said Behnke. “We’re staying in our lane.”

Behnke says declining such a high-profile visit is not a mean-spirited or partisan thing but rather a matter of logistics and keeping the expo apolitical.

“Had any candidate asked, the answer would have been no. We simply can’t accommodate it. We are stretched across seven days and still can’t get everything in. To add one more thing at the eleventh hour would not have been fair to the exhibitors and attendees,” Behnke said. “Can you imagine the attendees stuck in traffic on the Beltline or international (guests) trying to arrive at the airport and the airport is shut down for security purposes? Why would you disrupt something so special to the people who attend it?”

Since its inception in 1967, the expo has been held in Madison and has become not only the world’s biggest dairy-focused trade show with over 500 vendors, but the event attracts tens of thousands of visitors and over 3,000 head of North America’s best cattle.

Behnke says the organization respects the government’s impact on the health and welfare of agriculture, and that the industry wants candidates and elected officials to be well-informed and supportive of the issues facing dairymen.

“The people here would love to share that information, but the dance cards are so full here and meetings and the agenda has already been determined nine months ago, and to rearrange everything was logistically impossible,” Behnke said. “There’s a lot of preparation that goes into making this a special event.”

Dane County GOP Chair Brandon Maly told Madison media outlet Isthmus that the former president was “exploring” a visit to the expo, held annually in the Democratic stronghold Dane County. According to election data, Republicans historically have not done well in Dane or Milwaukee counties. Maly and former Gov. Tommy Thompson believe a visit to Dane County might boost support for Trump, and up the GOP’s chances of winning.

Wisconsin is considered an important battleground state with Wisconsin’s electoral outcomes being decided by razor-thin margins. Trump won the state in 2016 by 0.77% over Hillary Clinton, while Biden eeked out a win by a narrow 0.63% margin in 2020.

Attempts to reach Trump’s campaign were unsuccessful. 

Taking all precautions against H5N1

As one of the premier dairy cow shows in the country, expo organizers are taking special precautions to ensure Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1), also known as bird flu, doesn’t affect the valuable purebred cattle that come to Madison.

General Manager Laura Herschleb told Wisconsin State Farmer that she and her staff are in contact with veterinary experts from USDA and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection so everyone understands what requirements must be met to haul cattle into the Alliant Energy Center show grounds in Madison.

Since late March, dairy herds in 14 states have confirmed the presence of the virus. California is the most recent state to report bird flu in dairy cattle. To date, 34 herds are currently quarantined, according to the CDC.

Behnke said show cattle have already begun filling stalls in the New Holland Pavillion on the grounds. Around 3,000 dairy cattle are expected to compete in the international shows.

“We’ve been working with federal and state animal health officials so that an event of this size and scale could take place safely and minimize risk,” Behnke said. “We’ve employed the people that create the regulations and understand virus transmission and can give the best guidance possible, and we’re adhering to all that.

“We’re just grateful that we can continue to have such a great event and invite people from across the U.S. and Canada to be a part of that for the 57th edition of the show.”

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