A University researcher says the rate of Wisconsin dairy farm losses has been constant. Ag Economist Jeremy Foltz tells Brownfield Wisconsin has about half as many dairy farms as it did twenty years ago. “It’s particularly older farmers and smaller farms and farms that are less productive, that is, have cows that produce less milk per cow.”
State statistics show Wisconsin loses about 7% of its dairy farms each year, and Foltz says their research found the business structure of the farm didn’t make a difference, as large and small farms left the dairy business at the same rate. “It’s really about the overall profitability of the dairy industry, and in some cases, about the age of our dairy farmers, and that’s really what’s driving the exit of dairy farms.”
He says it’s important not to confuse the number of farms lost with the number of cows or milk production. “The number of cows in this state has been the same for about twenty years, even while the number of farms had dropped by about 50%, and the productivity per cow goes up one to two percent a year.”
Foltz also says geographic location did not impact farm losses, as farms were going out of business in all parts of the state.
Wisconsin lost 455 licensed dairy farms in 2023 and has lost another 116 so far in 2024.
Audio: Jeremy Foltz discusses research into the loss of Wisconsin dairy farms with Brownfield’s Larry Lee during the Dairy Innovation Hub Symposium 5/15/24.
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