This is just the beginning…

More About Cranberry Learning, Inc.

Cranberry Learning, Inc., is a nonprofit education tool and cranberry career pathway guide. Our mission is to share cranberry learning resources that connect students to the cranberry industry. The Cranberry Lesson Plans and Videos are STEAM based and have elements that meet educational standards while including cranberry production and horticultural facts.

Cranberry Learning’s vision is to contribute toward the short and long range plan for agriculture and the cranberry industry’s workforce succession plan. With cranberry lesson plans for traditional and nontraditional K-12 classrooms, we will direct students to cranberry industry careers with lesson plans & videos embedded with a cross over of agriculture and cranberry content focused on academic career planning curriculum.

Cranberry Learning will grow your understanding where and how cranberries are grown, who cultivates cranberries and produces cranberry products; as well as the effects cranberry agriculture has on the economy, environment, technology, lifestyle and its relationship to cranberry growing communities.

Cranberry farming is a trades driven industry with a variety of work environments to choose from and it lends a path toward a balanced lifestyle career.

Two cranberry specialists, Pam Verhulst, Cranberry Consultant, and Heidi Slinkman, multi-generational family grower, founded and spearheaded Cranberry Learning Inc. Both live and work in their Wisconsin cranberry communities.

Meet the Founders

Pam Verhulst

CO-FOUNDER
President for Cranberry Learning, Inc., Pam Verhulst is a horticulturalist that specializes in cranberry production with a passion for education. Pam is a second-generation cranberry consultant with Lady Bug IPM, founded by her mother, Jayne Sojka, in 1991. She is actively involved in the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, contributing to several committees, including Research, Education, and Public Policy. Pam has also been a long-time Technical Service Provider with the NRCS, assisting cranberry growers in securing conservation funding to enhance farm sustainability. She is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants (WAPAC) and the National Association of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC) where she serves on the Government Affairs Committee.
Pam married her husband, Michael, in 2010. They have three sons, Lucas, Gavin and Jayce. After having children, she started volunteering and taking on leadership roles at her children’s school and church. It was then she realized how influential children were and the importance of early education. This realization led to cofounding the Cranberry Learning Inc.

Heidi Slinkman

CO-FOUNDER
Heidi Slinkman is Vice President and Treasurer of Cranberry Learning Inc. and a generational cranberry grower with deep roots in Wisconsin agriculture. She serves as Business Manager for her family operation, Gaynor Cranberry Company, a historic cranberry marsh established in 1876 and now celebrating nearly 150 years of cultivated cranberry production. Wisconsin remains the nation’s leading cranberry producer, with cranberries recognized as the state fruit.
Heidi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the University of St. Thomas (MN) and brings a lifelong commitment to agribusiness, workforce development, and agricultural education. Her professional work bridges farming, business operations, and education—connecting students and communities to modern agriculture and career pathways.
She is an active advocate for agricultural education and leadership, serving as a member of American Agri-Women and previously on the Wood County Farm Bureau Board. As a past Director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, Heidi helped secure funding to advance cranberry research and played a key role in developing leadership development initiatives for the industry. She is also a graduate of the UW–Extension Leadership Wisconsin Program.
Heidi has held multiple leadership roles within Ocean Spray, including service on the Board of Directors for the Cranberry Institute and Ocean Spray’s Grower Council. She has represented Ocean Spray and Wisconsin agriculture at national and international events in Los Angeles, New York City, and London.
Her commitment to agricultural outreach was further demonstrated when she chaired the Cranberry Expo for Wisconsin’s 2018 Farm Technology Days—an experience that reinforced her passion for public engagement and cranberry education. Together Heidi and Pam established the Cranberry Learning Project that led them to Co-Found the nonprofit, Cranberry Learning Inc. in 2022.
With a strong background in farm human resources and agricultural communications, Heidi is a frequent public speaker who works to connect broader audiences to agriculture, strengthen rural communities, and help build informed, resilient food systems.
Heidi lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Brian, their two children, Luke and Victoria, and their springer spaniel, Scottie.

Where to Start…

EDUCATORS

Lessons have been developed to engage students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM). With these resources’ volunteers, teachers, and other agricultural advocates will help our youth better connect where food comes from, teach them about healthy eating and provide fun educational experiences.
JOB SEEKERS

We recognized the value of connecting our community to cranberry farming and saw the need to enhance cranberry agricultural education materials for the classroom. With the right resources, volunteers, teachers, and other agricultural advocates we can educate others about the many fulfilling jobs and careers in cranberry agriculture