Agriculture and community development

The agriculture production sector (all farms) contributed a net value of upwards of two billion dollars to Wisconsin's economy in 1999. In 1997, an estimated 24.4 percent of jobs in non-metropolitan areas were farm and farm-related (this includes production, farm inputs, processing and marketing, and wholesale and retail employment). Of these, 8.4 percent are in production. Agriculture plays a key role in Wisconsin's economy through job creation and income/revenue generation. In 2001, total cash receipts for all farm marketing was at $5.9 billion, a 10 percent increase from 2000. But agriculture - especially dairy farming - is in a period of considerable uncertainty, with continuing low milk prices and record number of farmers getting out of farming.

The impact of these changes on local communities has not been well studied. It is generally recognized that the health of the farm economy is linked to the health of rural communities in many ways. When local farmers are doing well, they have the potential to stimulate the recirculation of money throughout the rural economy. PATS is conducting research, through our involvement in the National Dairy Community Study, on the social and economic impact of the changing structure of agriculture on rural communities.

• Publications
• Links

Agriculture and community development - publications:

Click title for abstract, or click the PDF icon or HTML link to read entire article (where available.)

Planning for Agriculture in Wisconsin - A Guide for Communities. [626 KB]

National Dairy Community Study. Wisconsin Update Report.
May, 1999. [71 KB]

National Dairy Community Study. Report to Respondents.
Dec. 1997. [105 KB]

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Agriculture and community development - links:

Center for Community Economic Development
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/
Creates, applies and transfers multidisciplinary knowledge to help people understand community change and identify opportunities.

North Central Regional Center for Rural Development
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/rdev/RuralDev.html
The North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, located at Iowa State University, is one of four regional centers coordinating rural development research and education throughout the U.S.

Wisconsin Land Use Research Program (WLURP)
http://www.wisc.edu/pats/wlurp/wlurp.html
WLURP has materials on the web to inform practitioners and decision makers as to the comprehensive impacts of development and provides tools for assessing development in their communities.

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