PATS - Program on Agricultural Technology Studies

Expansion, Modernization, and Specialization on Wisconsin Dairy Farms
January 1992 - 2011

The scope of this project is wide, with areas of examination ranging from herd size, to production methods, to entry and exit trends of WI dairy farmers. Key areas of focus in recent years have included: the growth of organic and grazing production systems, manure management trends, and the use of specific technological advances such as milking parlors and anaerobic digesters. This research is ongoing and is at the heart of PATS research agenda.

Starting in 2008, Jeremy Foltz and Brad Barham have begun research aimed at understanding the viability of alternative and small-scale dairy production systems. Traditional financial indicators focus on profitability measures that do not adequately explain farm production choices, much less the continued expansion of grazing and organic based dairy farms in Wisconsin. This research looks deeper into the choices and values of producers to inform an improved analysis of farm "viability." Eventually, this work will lead to a broader understanding of the tradeoffs associated with various production systems.

Associated Publications

Historic and Regional Trends in the US and Wisconsin Dairy Sectors (June 2001)
Dairy Structural Change in Wisconsin (October 2007)
Manure Management on WI Dairy Farms (February 2005)
Dynamics of Entry and Exit on Wisconsin Dairy Farms in the 1990s (June 2001)
Dynamics of Expansion on Wisconsin Dairy Farms in the 1990s (June 2001)
The Aggregate Performance of the US and Wisconsin Dairy Sectors (June 2001)
Farm Numbers in Wisconsin: Entry, Exit, and Impacts (November 1994)
Wisconsin's Need for a Comprehensive Farm Entry-Exit Service (March 1995)
Management Intensive Rotational Grazing in Wisconsin: Who's Doing It? (February 1996)
Wisconsin Farmer's Views on the Benefits and Costs of Livestock Expansion (November 1997)
Organic Dairy Farms in Wisconsin: Prosperous, Modern, and Expansive (June 2006)
Amish Dairy Farms in Southwestern Wisconsin (October 2006)
Getting Bigger? Wisconsin Farmers' Views on Livestock Expansion (October 1997)
Entry into Wisconsin Dairying: Patterns, Processes, and Policy Implications (May 1999)
Wisconsin Agriculture in the 1990s: Perspectives From the 1997 Census of Agriculture (October 1999)
The Changing Face of Wisconsin Dairy Farms: A Summary of PATS' Research on Structural Change in the 1990s (August 2000)
Expansion, Modernization, and Specialization in the Wisconsin Dairy Industry (March 2005)
What is the Future of Wisconsin's Moderate-Scale Dairy Farm (June 1998)
Explaining the Uneven Penetration of Industrialization in the US Dairy Sector (June 1998)
Nurturing the Next Generation of Wisconsin's Dairy Farmers (October 2001)
Emerging Issues in Technological Change and Technology Assessment in Agriculture (May 1993)
The Farmer Perspective on Sustainable Agriculture: Results from the 1994 ATFFI Dairy Farmer Poll (September 1994)
Wisconsin Agriculture in Historical Perspective: Economic and Social Changes (June 1996)
Agricultural Change in WIsconsin: New Perspectives From the 1992 Census of Agriculture (April 1994)
Expansion Trends in Wisconsin Dairying: Evidence from the 1994 ATFFI Dairy Farmer Poll (May 1995)
Agricultural Change and Urban Development: The Case of Dane County (June 1994)
Grazing in the Dairy State: Pasture Use in the Wisconsin Dairy Industry, 1992-2003 (January 2006)