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Friday, April 22, 2005 10:05 PM CDT

BEISNER'S TAVERN RECALLED

Last week we wrote briefly about the book "Badger Bars & Tavern Tales" which included a page on a Watertown tavern which was referred to as William Biessner's Saloon at 121 W. Main St., now a part of the Daily Times Main Street buildings.

Well, we received a lot of positive comments about that segment, one of which came from Carol Uttech of Watertown.

Carol pointed out the spelling of the name was incorrect and she ought to know - she's a granddaughter of the man mentioned in our article and in the book. The owner was William Beisner, a well known name in Watertown.

The photo above is the one which appeared in the book. Carol said the person behind the bar is her great-grandfather, William Beisner, and the person in front of the bar is her great-uncle, Oscar Beisner.

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Carol also related to us that she recalled her grandfather telling her about the tavern when it was a speakeasy. She said back in the 1930s it was known as "The Receptionist." She said there was a dumbwaiter in the building back then and it was used to bring the booze down to the main floor from the second floor where it had been stored.

She also said she had doubts as to whether there were women who could be "rented" on the second floor as had been the indication in the article from the book. She said William Beisner lived on the second floor with his family before they moved to a house on Lynn Street.

We're glad this additional information on the old tavern at 121 W. Main St. was sent along to us. It's always interesting to hear the old stories coming from the taverns of years ago.

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AGRICULTURE'S IMPACT

As everyone knows, agriculture has a huge economic impact in our area. We recently received a booklet outlining just how big an impact it has and the numbers are staggering. We'll share a few of those statistics here, all of which were compiled by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

And, remember, these statistics are just for Jefferson County. They do not include Dodge County which is even more rural and is much larger in acreage. So, here goes:

Agriculture provides jobs for almost 10,850 Jefferson County residents or about 23 percent of the county's 46,00 member work force. These jobs cover the whole gamut of positions, including on-farm employment, veterinarians, crop and livestock consultants, feed and fuel suppliers, food processors, farm machinery manufacturers and others.

Agriculture in the county generates more than $1.51 billion in economic activity or about a third of the total economy. The direct effect of agriculture is about $949 million, purchase of agriculture services is another $451.5 million and business to business activities generate another $111.9 million.

That segment accounts for $442.6 million or 21.6 percent of Jefferson County's total income.

Economic activity associated with Jefferson County's farms and agriculture related businesses generates nearly $40.2 million in local and state taxes. That number includes corporate profit taxes of $1.9 million, fees and other charges of $6.6 million, income taxes of 10.9 million, sales tax of $9.4 million and property taxes of $11.4 million.

Jefferson County's farmers produce a wide range of products. The county's top commodities (by sales volume) include milk at $34.1 million, grain at $29.3 million, eggs at $25.1 million, nursery stock and sod at $24.7 million and vegetables at $6.7 million.

Of course, dairy is the largest part of the county's agricultural economy. It contributes $43.1 million to the economy. The on-farm production and sale of milk accounts for $41.6 million and processing the milk accounts for another $1.73 million.

When you're traveling out in the rural areas and see a herd of cows, remember these statistics. One dairy cow generates $1,818 in direct income to producers and $15,000 to $17,000 of economic activity.

Five plants in Jefferson County process dairy products and they account for about 360 of the county's jobs.

Who owns all these farms? Well, individuals or families own 89.7 percent, family partnerships own 6.6 percent, family-owned corporations own 3.0 percent and nonfamily corporations account for 0.7 percent.

Farmers in Jefferson County own and manage the resources on 247,914 acres of land which amounts to about 70 percent of all land in the county. This land includes pastures, cropland and tree farms.

One of the fastest growing segments of Jefferson County's agricultural economy is the production of landscape trees and plants as well as landscape and grounds maintenance. Greenhouses, tree farms, etc., generate about $10.9 million in county economic activity and provide 222 full-time and many more seasonal jobs.

Agriculture truly does have a huge reach and impact in Jefferson County.

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