MONROE CO., Wis. (WMTV) -Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson has traded political office for cranberry bogs, spending his retirement knee-deep in the state’s signature agricultural industry.

Thompson, Wisconsin’s longest-serving governor from 1987 to 2001, now works alongside LCO Cranberries LLC on 15 bogs in Oakdale.

The former politician, who also served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005 under President George W. Bush, embraced cranberry farming five years ago.

“Cranberry growing is just plain exciting,” Thompson said. “The greatest part is just being out here in the fresh air, Wisconsin weather, seeing things grow and blossom.”

From politics to produce

Wisconsin produces more cranberries than any other state, with roughly 250 growers contributing

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