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Students interact in a University Studies Program class.

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students and faculty are seeking Wisconsin farmers to share their memories and perspectives for a Wisconsin Farm Oral History Project.

The UW Oshkosh researchers, working with several other UW campuses throughout the state, are taking part in the oral history project that aims to capture the experience of farming in Wisconsin.

Associate professor Stephen Kercher and environmental studies lecturer Todd Dresser are co-directors of the project at UWO. The students conducting the interviews will be part of a University Studies Program (USP) class.

“The project’s success depends on the willingness of people to volunteer 30 to 60 minutes of their time to share their memories and perspectives with one of our student interviewers,” Kercher said.

Students will be conducting the oral history interviews throughout northeastern Wisconsin during November.

Lueder

“This course will truly bring the stories of northeastern Wisconsin farmers together into a great collection. I think it is amazing that students will be able to civically engage with a group that helped build and grow our entire region of the state,” said Michael Lueder, USP Quest III coordinator for civic engagement projects.

Through a process of interviewing farmers, the students will help to capture and preserve perspectives on the rich traditions of farming that have been and remain integral to life in Wisconsin.

“UW Oshkosh student’s contribution of civic engagement to this region is truly amazing.  Our students, while contributing to a larger project, will also be learning the process of oral histories and the value they have in preserving the stories of these farm families,” Lueder said.

For more information or to volunteer to participate, please contact Kercher at (920) 424-7158 or send an email to wifarmhistory@uwosh.edu.

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