Politics aside, after the bruising battle over passing a new U.S. Farm Bill, the Wisconsin farm economy is strong. Agriculture continues to be a major plus in the economy in general and in Wisconsin in particular, confirmed Ben Brancel, secretary of the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Tourism Protection.
Wisconsin’s farms and agricultural businesses generate more than $59.6 billion in economic activity and provide jobs for 353,991 people, indicated by UW-Madison and UW-Extension research. There are 76,800 Wisconsin farms in Wisconsin according to the United States Department of Agriculture – National Agricultural Statistics Service. Total farmland hovers around 15.0 million acres, with average size at 195 acres.
Low debt, high value
Financially, farmers have planned well and have been able to avoid high debt levels, said Jim Holte, president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. “Clearly, the higher prices for some grains, like corn and soybeans, have helped. Dairy prices have been both up and down. Other farm prices are also variable. Farmers have worked hard to manage their farms in a way to use borrowed funds wisely,” he indicated.
“Global trade is a positive. It has supported the value of farm products and likely will continue to be a positive force in future years,” Holte continued.
Another positive is that the value of farm assets, like farmland, has risen during the last decade, while farm debt has declined. As a result, most farmers are in stronger financial positions, confirmed Steve Freese, the bureau’s chief administrative officer.
Dairy: Wisconsin still leads the nation
Wisconsin is home to nearly 11,000 dairy farms, more than any other state, with 1.27 million cows, according to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. The industry contributes $26.5 billion to Wisconsin’s economy each year, said Patrick Geoghegan, the WMMB senior vice president of communications. Every dairy cow generates $21,000 worth of additional economic impact through feed mills, dairy equipment manufacturers and technicians, veterinarians, construction companies, genetics companies, milk haulers, dairy plants, dairy software companies to create an economic tsunami for Wisconsin, he emphasized.
And how about those Wisconsin cheesemakers? They produce a quarter of the nation’s cheese and pump more than 2.7 billion pounds of award-winning product into the consumer pipeline every year.
Growing green – and local
The growing movement of organic farming is another plus for the state. “The diversity of agriculture in Wisconsin is a huge strength,” said Harriet Behar, an organic specialist with the Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). She cited the wide variety of operations, small, medium and large, as well as everything from processed vegetables to dairy, cranberries, fresh market fruits and vegetables, hops and poultry. “We are a leader in many areas,” she emphasized.
According to Behar, the organic market premium received by producers and processors provides the monetary boost many family operations need to remain economically viable. She estimated that there were about 1,400 organic farmers and processor operations in Wisconsin.
The local foods movement has also taken hold, encouraging young, immigrant and second-career farmers to start up diverse operations to serve these markets, said Behar. These “close to home” operations also include an environmental ethic in their farming methods.
Industry challenges, future opportunities
Ag experts agreed that there still are challenges facing Wisconsin farmers and farm-related industries. Holte cited proposed federal regulations that cause concern for many farmers. “An example would be proposals from the Environmental Protection Agency that would regulate water down to the level of puddles in our driveways,” he pointed out, adding, “many times the intentions are well-placed but the understanding by regulators leaves a lot to be desired.”
Farm insiders also lament the loss of small to mid-sized processing facilities of all types, and small town seed and feed companies. They said that consolidation of these businesses has hurt the competitiveness of Wisconsin farmers due to the lack of locally adapted seeds and reasonably priced, freshly ground livestock feeds close to home. But attracting new farmers is an opportunity to ensure farming remains viable, said the Farm Bureau’s Holte. He agreed that “the enthusiasm of young farmers and agriculturists is a bright spot for agriculture.” To help the cause, the Bureau has a young farmer mentoring program and classroom projects for teachers.
The state is also lucky to have strong links between the UW-Extension and the applied research in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison, Platteville, Stevens Point and River Falls. They help bolster a vibrant agriculture community by working on issues of pest control, crop production and food safety issues, besides training a new generati on of enthusiastic scientists.
