Why Obamacare Premiums Are On The Rise In Wisconsin, A Look Inside The Corn Maze Business, The Rise Of Political Fact-Checking In America

Featured in this Show

• Why Wisconsin Obamacare Premiums Are Going Up

  Download

  The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance just released news that premiums are going up next year for Wisconsin health insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act exchange. The average increase would be about 16 percent. We talk to an expert about why these rates are on the rise.

• The Corn Maze: A Family Farm's Tradition

  Download

  We talk to a corn maze designer about the process of creating one of these mammoth landscapes, and what it means for farms that offer attractions other than farming as a alternative revenue source.

• Corn Mazes Help Keep Family Farms Afloat

  Download

  Corn mazes are a popular tourist draw in the fall in Wisconsin and across the country, and they help small farms boost their income to stay afloat, said Angie Treinen, co-owner of Treinen Farm in Lodi.

  Treinen has been designing corn mazes for more than 10 years and she creates a 15-acre maze on her farm. She said corn mazes are part of the agritourism economy bringing people on to farms and providing a reliable revenue stream for small farmers.

  “The thing about crop farming and dairy farming is that you are tied to the commodities market,” Treinen said, whose 200-acre crop farm is in its third generation. “You don’t have that much control over your income because you are paid what the market will pay you. When you have a business that is basically a tourist business, you can attract more people by giving them a great experience. Its growth is way more under your control.”

  But not all farmers are eager to embrace agritourism because you have to be a people person and think about the marketing niche, Treinen said.

  “Having thousands of people come into potentially what you feel is your personal space, (farmers) also have to think like a customer,” she said. “They won’t know about farm hazards, like manure.”

  Her advice for having fun in a corn maze and not getting too lost? Go in a group.

  “Go on a very busy day because there are tons of people in there, and people love to help each other out,” Treinen said.

  She spends about 40 hours designing the Treinen Farm corn maze each year with an emphasis on making it recognizable in photos and something people are interested in.

  Her title for this year’s design is Rainbows, Kittens and Killer Baby Unicorns.

• Deciding What's True: The Rise Of Political Fact-Checking In American Journalism

  Download

  It’s hard to imagine debates or elections without the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, PolitiFact, or FactCheck.org, but organizations that distinguish fact from fiction haven’t always been a major piece of the electoral process. An expert tells us about the rise of political fact checking and gives us insight into what it means for journalism today.