Beer production in a state that prides itself on its brewing heritage is down more than 15 percent in just the last four years, a victim of a confluence of local and national drinking trends.

There has been very little to toast locally with 11 craft breweries in Wisconsin closing over the past year, nearly half of those in metro Milwaukee. The closings reflect a nationwide saturation in an industry experts say has matured.

The drinking public has turned to trendy alternatives like alcoholic seltzers and teas and drinks made with THC, the high-inducing compound in marijuana. A record percentage of that public has stopped drinking altogether, according to a recent Gallup poll.

The lone bright spot for alcohol enthusiasts is the rise of liquor production, much of that due to the proliferation of distilleries alongside changes in state law.

Finally.

Beginning with the class of 2028, all high school students in Wisconsin must complete at least one semester of personal financial literacy to earn a diploma — the much-needed result of Act 60, signed into law with overwhelming bipartisan support by Governor Tony Evers in December 2023.

The law — which proponents argued would help break cycles of generational poverty and reduce dependence on social safety nets — mandates that every student complete a course including information about everything from money management to saving and investing to risk management and insurance.

Nonprofits and institutions are bringing some Wisconsin educators up to speed on how to teach the subject.

Wisconsin’s dining scene soared in 2024, adding a net 541 dining and drinking establishments to reach 12,635 bars and restaurants, a record, figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Employment in bars and restaurants rose to 198,583, finally passing its pre-COVID peak.

The 2024 total represents a 4.5 percent increase from the 12,094 restaurants and bars in Wisconsin in 2023, and it’s the largest single-year change since 2011.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the average farm size in Wisconsin is 236 acres.

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