VAN DYNE, Wis. — Republican Gov. Scott Walker is under investigation, and he is reviled by the largest political force in his state. But you’d never guess that by watching him amble through the stalls at a central Wisconsin dairy farm.

Walker converses with a casual ease rare among politicians. He strolls with a light step through a massive cow barn at Ruedinger Farms on Wednesday. The only thing hanging over his head is the mechanical hawk that chases away the pigeons.