Dairy expansion

While the vast majority of Wisconsin's dairy producers (86 percent in 2000) still operate small and medium-sized farms of under 100 cows, the trend toward farm expansion is indisputable. Wisconsin's dairy farmers have been expanding their operations incrementally over the last fifty years, and large scale facilities (over 200 cows) have become a more prevalent part of the landscape in the last ten years. Expansion has generally been regarded as a viable strategy to adjust to low and fluctuating milk prices, and when bringing young farmers into an already existing dairy operation. PATS survey data indicate that Wisconsin farmers tend to be lukewarm about large-scale expansions, particularly of hog, poultry, and beef operations, and strongly opposed to non-farm investors becoming more involved in livestock expansion.

• Publications
• Data Tables and Graphics
• Links

Dairy expansion - publications:

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

Dynamics of Expansion on Wisconsin Dairy Farms in the 1990s.
Wisconsin Family Farm Facts No. 13, June, 2001.

What is the Future of Wisconsin's Moderate-Scale Dairy Farm?
PATS Staff Paper No. 1. June, 1998.

Explaining the Uneven Penetration of Industrialization in the U.S. Dairy Sector.
PATS Staff Paper No. 2. June, 1998.

Wisconsin Farmers' Views on the Benefits and Costs of Livestock Expansion.
Wisconsin Family Farm Facts No. 7. November, 1997.

Getting Bigger? Wisconsin Farmers' Views on Livestock Expansion.
PATS Research Report No. 2. October, 1997.

Expansion Trends in Wisconsin Dairying: Evidence from the 1994 ATFFI Dairy Farm Poll.
ATFFI Research Report No. 12. May, 1995.

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Dairy expansion - data tables and graphics:

• Size Structure of Wisconsin Dairy Sector, 2000
• Size Structure of Wisconsin Dairy Sector, 1998
• Average Size of Wisconsin Dairy Herds, 1950 - 1999
• Percent of Wisconsin Dairy Farms by Herd Size, 1970 - 1998
• Estimated Number of Wisconsin Dairies in Each Herd Size Class in 1998, By Herd Size in 1993

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Dairy expansion - links:

Center for Dairy Profitability
http://cdp.wisc.edu/
The University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Profitability develops,coordinates and conducts effective interdisciplinary educational and applied research programs, emphasizing business management, human resource management, production systems, finance and marketing systems that enhance dairy profitability.

UW-Extension's Dairy Team
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/ag/teams/dairy/
UW-Extension's self directed dairy team works to strengthen the competitiveness of the Wisconsin dairy industry through statewide leadership in education and research.

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