Wisconsin's Dairy Industry

A healthy dairy industry is essential to Wisconsin agriculture and a vital part of the state's rural economy. Milk sales make up the majority of gross farm income in Wisconsin, and dairy farmers manage most of the state's cropland. While Wisconsin's dairy farm numbers have been in a consistent decline for most of the century, those farms that remain have been gradually increasing in size and have increased per cow milk productivity.

PATS conducts a comprehensive survey of Wisconsin's dairy producers every two years. We also have developed a panel survey of dairy farmers, in order to determine trends in entry, exit and expansion. Farmers on the panel were surveyed in 1995, 1997, and 2001. Our own survey data is supplemented by information from the Wisconsin Agricultural Survey Service and the U.S. Census on Agriculture.

PATS research on dairy farming has tracked changes in the dairy industry and dairy farmer concerns about technological change and farm policies. Research findings on the dairy industry are organized according to several sub-categories:

• Trends in the Dairy Industry
• Dairy Entry/Exit Trends
• Dairy Expansion
• Management Intensive Rotational Grazing