🐄 How a trade war hurts Wisconsin farmers

🎒 Everybody Wants To Be a UW Badger: Applications to enroll at UW-Madison have steadily increased year after year, and the number of freshman applicants has more than doubled from 32,000 in 2016 to nearly 74,000 last school year. Part of the reason behind the growth is that it’s now easier for students to apply to multiple schools through the Common App, and the university’s national standing continues to rise. [Cap Times]

🗳️ UW Prof Launches Write-in Campaign Against Hesselbein: UW-Madison political scientist Nathan Kalmoe has launched a write-in campaign against Democratic Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein from the left. The Senate leader did not face a challenger in the August primary, and Kalmoe said her politics are out of step with the liberal 27th District, which covers parts of Verona, Middleton, Cross Plains, and beyond. [Daily Cardinal]

💊 St. Vinnie’s Expands Free Pharmacy: The St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy on Fish Hatchery Road is expanding its hours to provide free prescriptions to eligible residents. The pharmacy, which in 2025 offered over $1 million in medication to 354 patients, will be open daily Monday through Fridays. Editor’s note: St. Vincent de Paul is a sponsor of City Cast Madison. [St. Vincent de Paul]

🍦 Ice Cream Truck Makes a Sweet Comeback: Three months after a fire destroyed her original ice cream truck, Susie Benson is back on the road with her Susie’s Sweets and Frozen Treats business. With the help of insurance money and an $8,000 GoFundMe campaign, Benson was able to replace the truck. [WKOW]

🇵🇰 Sultan Chef Releases New Cookbook: Madison restaurant owner Sultan Ahmed is publishing a new cookbook called “Zameen.” The recipes in the book, which will be published Sept. 20, reflect the philosophy of Ahmed’s Willy Street restaurant Sultan, which features modern interpretations of Pakistani dishes.

• Tune in later this month to the City Cast Madison podcast to hear our interview with Ahmed! [Cap Times, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

How the U.S.-Canada Trade War Could Hurt Wisconsin Farmers

Canada implemented $20 billion in retaliatory tariffs on the United States Tuesday, responding to President Donald Trump levying $20 billion in tariffs on Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries fell apart in August. (A tariff is a tax that a government places on goods coming into the country, and while importers pay the tariff, the extra cost is often passed on to consumers.)

Experts say that Wisconsin farmers – and, as a result, Wisconsin consumers – will be hurt by the tariffs from both sides. Here’s a breakdown on how the tariffs will affect Wisconsin farmers, and how you might feel the impact. [WPR]

🥛 Milk and Cheese

Wisconsin dairy farmers are especially worried about tariffs on milk and cheese that Canada placed this week. Canada is the second-largest customer for United States agriculture next to Mexico, having purchased $28 billion in agricultural goods last year.

Canada has placed a tariff of 50% on a variety of milk and cream products, and 25% on cheese and curds. Wisconsin dairy farmers say the tit-for-tat tariffs could hurt exports of milk products produced in the Midwest, of which there’s already an oversupply. The cost of milk is currently at record highs in U.S. grocery stores despite the oversupply, due to increased production and distribution costs. [USDA, Yahoo! Finance, eDairyNews, Chicago Tribune]

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

This stained glass, known as “Tree of Light,” is located on the Carpenter-Ridgway Bike Path!

🎉 This was a toughie! Only Jen G. guessed it right!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Where is this mural? A few clues:

• It’s on Madison’s north side
• It’s one of many animal murals (including a bear, a deer and a bunny) decorating a new apartment development
• Do you know what factory used to be on the same site? Hot dog!

This week’s photo was submitted by a City Cast Madison reader, Barbara P.! If you see something in Madison that you think would make a great Where Is It, take a photo and email it to me at [email protected]!