Description: This chart uses state statistics to show what proportion of the dairy farms, dairy cows, and milk produced in 2000 come from operations in six different herd size categories. The results indicate that farms milking under 100 cows accounted for slightly over 85 percent of Wisconsin's dairy operations, and produced 56 percent of the state's milk supply. Farms milking between 100 and 199 cows accounted for almost 10 percent of farms and produced 19 percent of the milk supply. Only 3.8 percent of farms milk over 200 cows, yet these farms account for almost 22 percent of the milk cows and 25 percent of the milk produced.

Source: The data come from published statistics compiled by the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service (WASS), a division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Most data are available in an annual WASS publication titled "Dairy Facts". For more recent data, visit their web site at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/wi/.