| MIRG Use Among Recent Dairy Farm Entrants | |
| Characteristic | Percent |
| Percent of recent entrants using MIRG | 29.6 |
| Percent of recent entrants who plan to use various practices by the year 2000: | |
| Use improved pastures for most of my milking herd's feed during grazing months. | 45.9 |
| Move grazing cows to a new paddock or field at least once a week. | 38.4 |
| Percent MIRG use by farm background | |
| No Family Farm Background | |
| Does not own any farmland | 26.7 |
| Currently owns farmland | 41.7 |
| Has Family Farm Background | |
| Does not own any farmland | 25.9 |
| Currently owns farmland -- not family land | 33.0 |
| Currently owns farmland -- originally family land | 27.0 |
| Based on 1996 Survey of Wisconsin Dairy Entrants. | |
Description: The PATS 1996 survey of recent entrants into dairying asked questions regarding the use of management intensive rotational grazing (MIRG). The results suggest that beginning dairy farmers were nearly twice as likely to employ MIRG systems than the rest of the state's established dairy farmers. Nearly 46 percent of dairy farm entrants indicated that they planned to use improved pastures to supply feed to their milking herd during the grazing months within the next four years. The table indicates that MIRG offers attractive entry opportunities for new farmers.
Source: PATS 1996 Survey of Dairy Entrant
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