Jeff graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1984 with a degree in Agronomy. After working for 3 years at the Westby, GaysMills and Tomah cooperatives as a seed, feed and fertilizer consultant for Cenex Jeff started with Centrol of Eastern Wisconsin in 1987. Jeff worked as an Independent Crop Consultant for seven years. In 1994 and 1995 he worked for the Outagamie County Land Conservation department as an Agronomist in charge of Farmland Preservation and Nutrient Management training and plan development. In 1995 he started Polenske Agronomic Consulting Inc in Eastern Wisconsin. Since starting this business he has enjoyed mentoring several employees and helping them grow their businesses under the company umbrella. He has served on several committees over the years including the 590 and NR 243 rewrite, the Midwest IPM regional committee out of Michigan State university, current IPM – NPM state committee co-chair, current Educational outreach committee co-chair of the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants and the Committee for Sustainable Agriculture in Wisconsin through the University of Wisconsin Madison. He is a past president of the Outagamie County Forage council and Wisconsin Association of Professional consultants. He was awarded Agribusiness of the year from the Wisconsin State forage council in 1997, Crop Consultant of the year for the United States in 1998, and Agribusiness of the year in 2008 from the Wisconsin State Land and Water Conservation Society. Jeff has held a Certified Professional Agronomist title from the ARCPACS board of certification since 1991and a Certified Independent Crop Consultant title from the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants since 1993. Jeff is a registered TSP through NRCS and is certified through this agency to write Nurtrient Management, Pest Management, CNMP’s and is one of only a few private Certified Conservation planners in Wisconsin.